Inside Gymnastics

... Make That Nine (UPDATED)

Yesterday, 10 women were in the running for the 2009 World Championships Team. Today, there are just nine, following the withdrawal of Olympian Samantha Peszek from the selection process.

Peszek, who agonized over this decision before finally coming to terms and informing USA Gymnastics of her choice yesterday, has been competing with a torn labrum for most of the year. She has decided to undergo surgery to repair her shoulder now, instead of waiting until after Worlds, as originally planned, in order to speed her recovery time and be better prepared for the start of her college career next fall at UCLA.

Peszek, who told Inside she is scheduled to undergo surgery "next Friday," says she does intend to return to Elite competition next spring. "I'm going to rehab and hopefully get back to Elite competition before I leave for college," Peszek stated via text.

Today's withdrawal announcement doesn't come as a complete surprise. Peszek posted of making "a BIG decision" on her Twitter account (@samanthapeszek) yesterday evening. Adding that she felt, "happy, sad, motivated, excited, nervous, blessed, but most of all hopeful," after making her choice. (At the time, Peszek declined to elaborate on the specifics of her "BIG decision.")

"I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete for a spot on the USA World Championships Team,” the high school senior said in an official statement released this afternoon by USAG. “The decision was a tough one to make but one that will enable me to get healthy and ready for next season.”

Though Peszek, a World gold medalist in 2007, plans to enroll at UCLA on time next fall and is looking forward to NCAA competition, she has not ruled out a second Olympic run in 2012.

"Depending on how this year goes, I would love to stay Elite and go to another Olympics,” Peszek told Inside in August. “Going to an Olympics is a once in a lifetime experience and to go twice would be over the top. It was an amazing thing and I would love to prove myself to make it again but I am planning, as of right now, to go to college on time and whether I chose to do both or just pick one or the other I haven’t decided completely yet."

Because of her shoulder injury, Peszek performed on only three events at USAs (all but bars on day one, and bars and beam only on day two), finishing second on beam and seventh on floor overall.

"I am happy that I have decided to finally heal my body," Peszek posted after the announcement of her withdrawal. "Very sad that I can no longer go to worlds, excited for new chapter in my life, nervous to get shoulder surgery, [feeling] incredibly blessed to have amazing supporters and, lastly, hopeful for the future and to come back stronger!"

The nine women still eligible for U.S. World team selection are: Jana Bieger, Rebecca Bross, MacKenzie Caquatto, Ivana Hong, Kytra Hunter, Chellsie Memmel, Bridget Sloan, Cassie Whitcomb and Kayla Williams.

Photo by Grace Chiu for Inside Gymnastics/Samantha Peszek perform on floor at the 2009 U.S. National Championships

And Then There Were 10 ...

The first of two women’s World selection camps, which concluded Friday, ended with all but two of the attending athletes asked back to the second and final selection camp, which begins September 30 at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas.

Round two invitees include: Jana Bieger, Rebecca Bross, MacKenzie Caquatto, Ivana Hong, Kytra Hunter, Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek, Bridget Sloan, Cassie Whitcomb and Kayla Williams. (Kaitlyn Clark and Alaina Johnson were the two athletes not invited to the final camp.)

2005 World Champ Memmel is still working towards her fourth Worlds, training to show the Selection Committee her best on beam and bars. (Memmel competed only on beam at last month’s USAs.)

“Camp went pretty well,” Memmel told Inside of how her comeback is coming. “I’m gonna train hard the next few weeks and try to improve even more.”

Memmel, who was originally unsure about whether or not she wanted to try for her fourth World team spot this year or hold off until she was all-around ready (hopefully by next year), says she’s steadily improving and ready to make a real run.

“I trained hard after I got home [from Dallas,] and I was improving some each day,” she revealed. “And I still have time to improve for the final selection camp.”

For several injured athletes, time has run out. Petitioned National Team members Olivia Courtney (broken ankle in August), Mattie Larson (double ankle sprain in July) and Sam Shapiro (ankle surgery in June) did not attend last week’s first selection camp and are therefore, per the World Selection procedures, ineligible to advance to the second camp.

“They told us not to go if we were not ready to do full routines,” Galina Marinova, coach of Larson and Shapiro, told Inside. “Mattie is close, very close, but we couldn’t make it. We couldn’t really force it.

“I think it was the best decision for now,” Marinova added. “Of course we’re all upset, but she’s not 100 percent and … if we go too soon it will take even longer to recover.”

Marinova noted that Larson is almost back on beam, but still “not in shape” for floor and vault. “No dismounts and no skills, like her side aerial [or punch] front, anything with power, where you can have a low landing,” the coach explained of Larson’s beam progress. “She definitely still has a problem, has pain, with landings.”

Shapiro’s recovery is coming along more slowly. “It appears it is going to be longer for Sami,” Marinova said sadly. “She’s fine with the pieces [of bone] they removed, but now we’re waiting on the cartilage to grow back. She’s not released yet, but she’s seeing the doctor [at] the end of the month.

“Right now, her bars are fine, but, of course, she’s not allowed to land,” Marinova added of where Shapiro is now. “We found out after Nationals that the surgery was successful [but that] she requires more rest, more time.”

For now, the AOCG duo is focusing on learning new skills and connections with coach Artur Akopyan busily retooling their bar routines for the current Code.

“They’re both looking forward to getting back,” Marinova said. “Sami is so anxious, she can’t stand it anymore. She just stays on the treadmill. …For Mattie, we can really focus on floor at this time.

“We just have to focus on next season and build up new routines and elements for the Code to be strong for next season, be it something in the spring or the [2010] Worlds,” the girls’ coach concludes. “We’re looking forward to going out to prove they have more than just [potential]. Now, we need to stay healthy for major meets.”

For Classic Champ Courtney, who has already verbally committed to attend UCLA next fall (along with camp one attendee Peszek), her Elite future is up in the air.

For the ten women invited back, the journey to London continues. At the conclusion of the final camp on October 4, four women will move on to the 2009 World Championships. (“Two or three” non-traveling alternates will also be named, according to USA Gymnastics.)

photo of selection camp attendees courtesy USA Gymnastics

With Artemev Out, Dalton and Haagensen Round Out World Team

Oklahoma freshman Jake Dalton and Illinois alum Wes Haagensen (pictured) will join Jonathan Horton, Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva and Tim McNeill on the 2009 U.S. men’s World team, USA Gymnastics determined yesterday.

Dalton, who turned 18 two weeks ago, replaces David Sender, who declined his World team berth. Dalton will likely compete only vault, where he is the only currently-competing U.S. man to execute a 7.0 Start Value effort (Kasamatsu-double).

“It’s been a goal of mine in gymnastics,” Dalton said of learning the high-value vault that sealed his World position. “It’s been pretty hard to [master,] but it’s something I really wanted to do and all the effort is really paying off.

“To be on the World team…I’m pretty excited actually,” Dalton added enthusiastically. “I didn’t know if it was going to be possible—I really wanted the best team to go. When they told me I was on the team, and not just an alternate, wow, it’s pretty big.”

Dalton (pictured at left), who made his first senior National Team, started college and perfected a new second vault (handspring front double full), all in the past three weeks, should be getting used to big things. In addition to his just-won Worlds berth, Dalton will have one last meet as a junior later this month, when he attends the Junior International in Japan.

“It will be kind of good for me to get my name out there on the international level a little bit, before Worlds,” Dalton said. “Plus, I heard it’s a great meet and I’m looking forward to doing the all-around and performing the Kas-double for the first time [internationally].”

Haagensen, the all-around bronze medalist at last month’s USAs, replaces petitioned team member Sasha Artemev, who is not yet far enough along in his recovery from two back fractures to compete next month in London.

“I think I just wasn’t ready,” Artemev told Inside. “I just rushed too fast. I didn’t want to hog up a spot right before Worlds and then, if I wasn’t ready, two days before competition free it up. That wasn’t my plan. If I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t going to hold up a spot for another guy.”

Artemev still hopes to compete later this year at a World Cup event or perhaps the Toyota Cup in Japan this December, calling this past week’s National Team camp a “kick start” towards that goal.

“I think I just need a little bit more time,” Artemev explained. “Another month or two. I’m planning on doing three events [at a meet later this year] and I’m starting to work on the all-around for Winter Cup [next February].

“My back is pretty good, for the most part,” Artemev added. “It’s healing and I just need to learn how to deal with it a little better.”

The men’s camp concluded last night in Colorado Springs, Colo. The U.S. men's World team won’t officially get together again as a group until they depart for London, October 6. Like the women, the men will not take an alternate with them to London. (If Artemev had remained on the team it was likely Haagensen would have traveled.)

photo of Haagensen by Grace Chiu for Inside Gymnastics/Dalton photo courtesy Sooner Sports

Chusovitina’s Career Complete?

It looks as if the longest career in modern women’s gymnastics history may have come to an unfortunate and unexpected close. 34-year-old Oksana Chusovitina, whose first World medal came in 1991 (under the USSR flag) and most recently won vault silver at the 2008 Olympic Games, competing for Germany, tore her right biceps while training and is officially out of the 2009 World Championships, set to take place next month in London.

Chusovitina, who had finally announced her competitive retirement earlier this year—saying, “one more” World Championships would be “enough”—has already accepted a position as the head coach of the Uzbekistan gymnastics program (her native country), but was still living and training in Köln, Germany.

In addition to international competition, Chusovitina also competed as part of Germany’s professional gymnastics league, the Bundesliga, for Turnteam Toyota- Köln and the news of Chusovitina injury was first posted on the team’s official website.

Chusovitina unique career will likely never be equaled. She competed in five Olympic Games—a record for a woman—and 10 World Championships, winning eight World medals on her best event, vault—yet another record. In fact, she’s been competing internationally for two full decades, first emerging on the junior international scene in 1989 as the Soviet Junior National Champ. And Chusovitina has done it all while raising a son, Alisher, born in 1999 and diagnosed with cancer at age three, necessitating a move to Germany for his treatment.

To repay the nation who helped cure her son—Alisher, almost 10, is now fully recovered—Chusovitina has represented her adopted homeland since 2006, and has stated she stayed in the sport, in part, to wear the German flag at an Olympic Games.

In all, Chusovitina has competed under three different flags (Soviet, Uzbek and German, as well as competing internationally “unattached” for a time, and being a part of 1992’s “Unified” team after the fall of the Soviet Union), another history-making feat.

“It's hard to grasp how much bad luck Oksana had in her career,” coach Shanna Poljkova said in the club’s official announcement of Chusovitina’s biceps tear, “just at crucial moments—in addition to [all the] happiness and success.”

Of course, it’s possible that Chusovitina, gymnastics’ reigning Superwoman, could comeback once again after recovering from this latest setback. She’s returned from serious injuries before, including Achilles surgery last November, which most had assumed would be the end of her marathon career. Chusovitina has actually undergone three surgeries in the past year, before her biceps repair, including one on her shoulder. Her first meet back was supposed to be the World Cup in Qatar at the end of this month.

"It's very sad, Oksana was coming back after her long injury break really well,” German head coach Ulla Koch told the DPA. "Of course we are very disappointed and saddened by this setback."

Chusovitina, who spent some of the summer working gymnastics camps in the U.S. with good friend and former teammate Svetlana Boginskaya, joked that, for her, “competing was easier than having more babies.”

Whatever the mom and World Champ’s future—her recovery will keep her out of the gym “at least three months,” according to Koch—Chusovitina remains one of the sport’s most enduring and best-loved stars.

World Team Camps Brief (UPDATED)

The U.S. men and women's World squad hopefuls are currently in Colorado and Texas, respectively, working their way to London.

The U.S. women, who started the camp, which included two days of intrasquad competition, Tuesday at the Karolyi Ranch, are getting set to start their final workout of the week this afternoon. Currently, 13 women are vying for four World spots, as well as up to three non-traveling alternate positions.

National Team members no longer in contention include, Nastia Liukin, who is in Texas simply to support her teammates, and injured gymnasts Olivia Courtney, Mattie Larson and Samantha Shapiro, none of of whom are in Texas. (Only athletes that attend the first selection camp are eligible to move on to the second camp.)

The final team will be announced after a second camp, which kicks off September 30 and runs until the squad departs for London. The selection procedures dictate that at least eight women must be invited to the second camp, but the Selection Committee—Martha Karolyi, Steve Rybacki and Kim Zmeskal-Burdette—could choose to allow all the athletes to advance, if they desire.

At the men's camp in Colorado Springs, which began Wednesday night, the three named alternates—Jake Dalton, Wes Haagensen and Daniel Ribeiro—competed today to show the Selection Committee (Ron Brant, Dennis McIntyre, Yoichi Tomita, Fred Turoff and John Roethlisberger) their best events. One of the three alternates will receive the position David Sender declined in order to attend veterinary school.

Inside's money is on vault specialist Dalton (pictured), who throws a 7.0-rated Kasamatsu double twist and has a 6.6 SV second vault—handspring double front full which is, fittingly, the same second vault Sender showed at USAs.

"Some good routines today, some rough ones," Roethlisberger posted last night on Twitter @jrflipfest, "but I think we will have a good world team with a few shots at medals. One more day."

There is one other men's spot still in question (Jonathan Horton, Tim McNeill, Danell Leyva and Steve Legendre have already secured their spots), as petitioned team member Sasha Artemev must "prove readiness" to maintain his parallel bar and pommel horse specialist spot. He is set to compete again tomorrow. (Artemev already showed the selection competition routines on both events yesterday.)

The final men's World line-up is expected to be announced this weekend.

The entire U.S. men's National Team, including recent addition Chris Cameron (Sender's replacement), is at the Olympic Training Center this week, where other international assignments are also being considered, not just World Championships' positions.

Gymnastics Community Mourns Tom Cook (UPDATED)

The gymnastics community lost a coaching legend on Tuesday (September 1, 2009) with the passing of Atlanta School of Gymnastics' Tom Cook after a short, sudden illness. He was 66.

A gymnast at Southern Illinois University, Cook was a fixture in Region 8 and Georgia gymnastics for decades. He coached Olympian Kathy Johnson-Clarke, among countless others. In 1976, Cook opened the Atlanta School of Gymnastics, Georgia's first private gymnastics club, and has been the recipient of numerous coaching accolades and honors over the past 33 years. In June, Cook was inducted into the Region 8 Hall of Fame.

"The Georgia gymnastics family is deeply saddened by the loss of our great friend and coaching legend Tom Cook," noted a statement on the Georgia USAG website. "Tom meant so much to everyone and will be truly missed."

"A man of great character, Tom led with quiet assurance and strength," an obituary on the Region 8 website reads. "Only God knows the many lives he touched and in which he made a difference."

"For anyone who knew Tom they will tell you about his incredible red hair, his warm smile, the twinkling green eyes that went with the grin, as well as his gentle and sweet demeanor (rare in the coaching world)," Johnson-Clarke wrote in a touching tribute. "Indeed, those qualities made him special to all of us, but he was so much more. He could stay remarkably calm in stressful situations and, amazingly, he could readily deal with the emotional fragility of a female athlete. I'm certain there were times when he just wanted to shake his head, wondering what in the world my problem was, but he had the patience of Job when it came to his athletes."

Cook is survived by his wife, Stacey, and his five children: Tenise, Taryn, Travis, Sean and Thomas. Services are scheduled for this weekend in Lawrenceville, Ga. His family will host a viewing on Friday, from 6 to 8 PM ET at Wages Funeral Home, with funeral services the following day at the same location (September 5 at 2 PM).

Many of us at Inside Gymnastics were lucky enough to know Coach Cook personally and considered him one of our Atlanta gymnastics neighbors. (He always let us tumble at ASG.) His kindness and graciousness, not to mention his passion for the sport, will be missed.

photo courtesy Georgia USAG

Remembering Mark Williams (UPDATED)

The gymnastics community is mourning Texas gymnastics titan Mark Williams, who lost his long battle with cancer Saturday, August 22.

An internationally-experienced, brevet-rated judge and longtime Texas High School coach, at Trinity in Euless, where he also taught health and physical education, Williams had also been an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1980s and a J.O. men's coach at various Dallas-area clubs.

Williams, who judged 19 of the last 20 USAs, was forced to sit out when the Championships finally came to his hometown of Dallas—he was scheduled to rate pommel horse—after being unexpectedly hospitalized.

Williams passed away late Saturday night at home in Bedford, Texas, surrounded by friends and family. He was 59.

Williams never stopped judging, or coaching, despite his illness or the fact that he retired from teaching in 2006, shortly before his cancer diagnosis. He won nine Texas state high school championships with his teams at Trinity and, earlier, North and South Garland High Schools, becoming one of the most successful coaches in Texas High School history. Williams' Trinity boys won state in 1990, the first-ever state title, in any sport, for the school.

Williams also coached three High School teams from Texas to the National Championship and was twice honored by the Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT) with its Distinguished Service award and was given GAT's Honorary Life Membership Award in 2004. Williams was inducted into Garland Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and, in 2008, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Sports Hall of Fame to honor his achievements as a high school coach. He also received USA Gymnastics' Service Star Award in 2007.

Last year, USA Gymnastics' Region III named a coaching/officiating award after Mark Williams —Williams himself was the first recipient—and will continue to hand it out annually to outstanding coaches/judges in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, Kansas or Arkansas.

Williams spent a decade as the National Gymnastics Judging Association's (NGJA) National Apparatus Leader (NAL) for pommel horse, judging that event at every major U.S. meet. He had also been the NAL for parallel bars and vaulting—helming at least one event each year since 1992.

In addition to being a regular judge at meets across the country, including USAs and NCAAs, Williams frequently represented the USA, judging internationally at many meets, including: Goodwill Games, Pan Am Games, World Sports Fair, Chunichi Cup, Pan Am Games and World University Games, just to name a few. Williams was also the Men's Assistant Competition Manager at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

This year, Williams was inducted into the Frank J Cumisky Judging Hall of Fame, the highest honor offered to men's gymnastics judges in the U.S. Since he was unable to be at Championships to receive his award, NGJA President Dan Bachman, along with fellow judges Butch Zunich and Jim McKinney, presented the award to Williams in his hospital bed on August 11.

"For those of you who knew Mark, this is a great loss to the gymnastics community," Bachman said via email. "He will truly be missed. He was a great judge, coach and a friend to all."

In 2008, a former North Garland gymnast (he prefers to remain anonymous) founded the Mark Williams Gymnastics Scholarship Fund, to help gymnasts from Trinity or L.D. Bell attend the college of their choice. (Williams' wife, Debbie, has long been the coach at L.D. Bell, the most successful girls' gymnastics team in Texas. Like Mark, Debbie is an experienced judge, as well as a high school coach.)

"Mark was a giant in men's gymnastics," wrote Oklahoma coach Mark Williams of the close friend that shared his name. "Not only in Texas, but as an international judge, a college coach and a pioneer of J.O. gymnastics. Mark helped the sport tremendously through the years, doing gymnastics back in the '60s and coaching and judging ever since. As a young coach in Texas, I had the honor of not only sharing his name, but sharing many of the jobs he had in the sport: head coach at North Garland High School, club coach at Flippers and the assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. There is no way I could truly repay Mark for all that he has done for me as a student of the sport and a young man learning about life. I'm sad today losing a best friend, but I celebrate his life so dedicated to making things better, getting things done the right way, positively touching many peoples lives along the way, sharing his love for gymnastics and life while accomplishing much. He will be greatly missed."

"Big Mark Williams," as he was known in the gymnastics community (to distinguish him from current OU coach and friend, Mark Williams, who even shared the elder Williams' middle intial), was not only a great coach and top-notch judge, but a dear and special man. Our thoughts are with his family: wife, Debbie; their three children; and his grandson, Reed.

"The Williams family would like to thank all who have supported them during Mark's illness and are grateful for everyone's prayers and expressions of love," wrote Williams' brother-in-law Joe Mendenhall. "We would also like to thank Dr. James M. Turner, M.D., and the most caring staff of Texas Oncology in Bedford for all their valiant efforts on Mark's behalf. Thank you for helping us to persevere during the past three years and for sharing the burden of our loss."

A public memorial is planned to celebrate Williams' life this coming Saturday (August 29) at 3 PM at Trinity High School in Euless, where he had taught and coached since 1988. Several members of the gymnastics community, including 1980 Olympic alternate Mike Wilson, Oklahoma coach Mark Williams and Texas gymnastics notables Marc Yancey (former Men's Program Committee chairman) and Sean Sims, are expected to speak.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that those wishing to honor Williams' life make contributions to the Mark Williams Gymnastics Scholarship Fund and help a high school gymnast pursue their college education. Donations can be sent via check (payable to "Mark Williams Gymnastics Scholarship Fund") c/o Debbie Williams, L.D. Bell, 1601 Brown Trail, Hurst, TX 76054.

UPDATE (August 30, 2009): More than 700 people turned out to celebrate Mark Williams' life in a memorial held yesterday at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, where Williams coached and taught for 21 years. Among the speakers at the service were Oklahoma coach Mark Williams (you can read the text of Williams' comments here); Former USAG Men's Program Committee Chair Marc Yancey; 1980 Olympic alternate Mike Wilson, who trained under Williams at North Garland high school in Texas; Air Force gymnast Aaron Jackson, a former gymnast at Trinity; Trinity boys' coach Sean Sims and Williams' son, Tripp Bellard.

"When Mark was first diagnosed, four out of four doctors gave him six months to live," Bellard said at the service, citing his father's strength. "That was more than three years ago."

Also in attendance countless former athletes from Williams' three decades as a Texas high school coach, two-time Olympic coach Kevin Mazeika, Olympic judge Butch Zunich and a host of well-known men's gymnastics judges, many of whom wore their judging blazers in honor of Williams' legacy.

"He truly loved gymnastics," wife Debbie said of Mark's devotion to the sport in a Dallas Morning News feature. "That was his passion, that was his hobby, that was his job. And he was good at it."

Williams will be much missed and long remembered.

TOP PHOTO: Mark William Williams (courtesy NGJA)

BOTTOM PHOTO: Mark Williams (sitting at right) judges a 2006 OU intrasquad. The photo was taken shortly after Williams began cancer treatment, hence his casual dress compared to his fellow judges. Williams never let a little thing like chemotherapy get in the way of his passion for gymnastics. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Artemev Surprised By World Selection

When Sasha Artemev was named to the 2009 World team today, via petition, no one was more surprised than Sasha Artemev.

“There was definitely a lot of surprise,” Artemev says of his inclusion, “but I’m going to do everything to try and help this team out. I’m going to go in there and train those two events—pommel horse and p-bars—like I never have before.”

Artemev, who is suffering from a stress fracture in one vertebrae and a hairline fracture in another, both diagnosed in June, says he’s “doing everything” to get back in time for the London Worlds, which are only two months away.

“Hopefully, by the Selection Camp I’ll be 100 percent,” he told Inside today from Dallas. “I’m kind of counting on that. Two events is not six events, so I’m happy about that. I’ll do my best and see what happens.

“My [back] is healing up. It’s probably at about 85 percent right now,” Artemev added. “I get pain when I sit. The back just takes time. Hopefully, by the end of this month, it will be 90 percent. That would be great.”

A thrilled as Artemev is with his selection he won’t be taking any chances with his injury. “The back is a scary thing,” he said. “I don’t want to be ending up in a wheelchair. I’m doing all the exercises and all the precautions. I’m staying careful.”

He’s also carefully considering the impact he could have on Team USA. “I think I can get ready but, if not, I’ll definitely let the Committee know,” said Artemev. “I want the team to do the best they can at these Worlds. I’d for sure forego my spot for one of the alternates to get on the team if … I couldn’t be 100 percent.

“For me, next year is the real important year,” he concluded of his long-term plans. “It kind of kicks off everything. I’ll be debuting my new, little bit harder routines. This year, for me, is just getting back to healthy, 100 percent Sasha.”

Photo by Grace Chiu for Inside Gymnastics/2008 Olympics: Sasha Artemev