AUGUST 2022 17TH 2022
WE WERE ABLE TO SIT IN WHILE THE ATHLETES TRAINED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE PODIUM TRAINING STARTED TUESDAY, AUGUST 16TH 2022 FOR THE MEN.
PODIUM TRAINING INVOLVES RUNNING THROUGH THEIR ROUTINES AND TESTING OUT THE EQUIPMENT AT THE CURRENT VENUE AS EVERY GYM AND PLACE IS DIFFERENT SO THIS HELPS THE ATHLETES GET MORE COMFORTABLE.
JUNIOR MEN WERE FIRST UP AT 9AM AND THE TRAINING WENT UNTIL 11AM. THEN IT WAS TIME FOR US TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS TO SOME SELECET ATHLETES KAI UEMURA AND DAVID SHAMAH.
NEXT UP WERE THE SENIOR MEN WHO TRAINED FROM 11AM TO 1PM. WHILE SOME ATHLETES HEADED TO THE PRESS ROOM FOR INTERVIEWS, WE HEADED TO THE FLOOR TO HAVE A TALK WITH GYMNAST YUL MOLDAUER.
WE THEN HEADED TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE SENIOR GYMNASTS BRODY MALONE, DONNELL WHITTENBURG AND SHANE WISKUS. ONCE THIS WAS DONE WE WERE ABLE TO TALK WITH EACH OF THE ATHLETES 1:1.
PODIUM TRAINING
MEN (JUNIOR)
SENIOR (WOMEN)
JORDAN CHILES
2020 Olympic team silver medalist
2021 U.S. all-around & vault bronze medalist
2021 Winter Cup all-around, vault & floor exercise champion and balance beam silver medalist
2018 U.S. vault silver medalist
2017 U.S. all-around silver medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JORDAN
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=279968
PODIUM TRAINING
WOMEN (SENIOR)
KAYLA DICELLO
2021 World all-around bronze medalist.
Also advanced to the balance beam & floor exercise finals.
Alternate for the 2020 Olympic Team
2021 U.S. floor exercise silver medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KAYLA
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=458012
CHECK OUT HIGHLIGHTS FROM PODIUM TRAINING | WOMEN (SENIOR)
SHANE WISKUS
Member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team
2021 U.S. parallel bars silver medalist
2021 NCAA still rings & parallel bars champion and all-around, floor exercise & high bar silver medalist (Minnesota)
2021 Winter Cup floor exercise champion, parallel bars & high bar silver medalist, and still rings & vault bronze medalist
2020 Winter Cup all-around & vault silver medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SHANE
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=213501
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN K CHENG
USA GYMNASTICS PHOTOGRAPHER
COURTESY OF USA GYMNASTICS
SHILESE JONES
2021 Winter Cup all-around silver medalist and uneven bars & floor exercise bronze medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SHILESE
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=384302
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN K CHENG
USA GYMNASTICS PHOTOGRAPHER
COURTESY OF USA GYMNASTICS
JUNIOR (WOMEN)
BRODY MALONE
TIANA SUMANASEKERA
National Competition Results
2022 Winter Cup, Frisco, Texas - 1st-VT, FX(T); 2nd-BB; 7th-AA (Jr. Div.)
2021 GK U.S. Classic, Indianapolis, Ind. - 2nd-BB; 6th-VT; 10th-AA (Jr. Div.)
2021 American Classic, Indianapolis, Ind. - 1st-FX; 2nd-VT; 8th-AA (Jr. Div.)
2021 Winter Cup, Indianapolis, Ind. - 2nd-FX; 4th-VT; 7th-AA, BB (Jr. Div.)
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TIANA
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=934202
PODIUM TRAINING
WOMEN (JUNIOR)
BRODY MALONE
2021 U.S. all-around and vault champion and earned silver on still rings and high bar
Seven-time NCAA champion
2020 Winter Cup, bronze (all-around)
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BRODY
https://www.teamusa.org/usa-gymnastics/athletes/Brody-Malone
SKYE BLAKELY
WOMEN (SENIOR)
SKYE BLAKELY
JORDAN CHILES
KONNOR MCCLAIN
2022 Winter Cup all-around & balance beam champion and floor exercise bronze medalist
Member of the 2021 World Championships team
2021 Winter Cup vault bronze medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KONNOR
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=446354
MEDIA/PRESS CONFERENCE WAS HELD TO ESTABLISH AND GIVE UPDATES ON
USA GYMNASTICS FOLLOWING THE 2020 OLYMPICS THAT WERE HELD LAST YEAR.
ALONG WITH ASKING ATHLETES QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND THE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
2022 US GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
FEATURE (FALL 2022)
SPOTLIGHT
INTERVIEWS
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN K CHENG
USA GYMNASTICS PHOTOGRAPHER
COURTESY OF USA GYMNASTICS
JADE CARY
Jade Carey said she is very excited to be back competing at the championships. “Feels like so long since she has been back.”
She explains that so much has happened in the last year.
Jade is most excited about Vault. She has been a little nervous since The Olympics, and she says the training in Tampa went well which was a big step for her.
After the Olympics, Jade took a few days to recover and the got right back to training at she knew the Elite competitions were just around the corner. Jade continues to train at Oregon State and her dad visits quite often, she says. Jade/s motivation to continue with Elite Gymnastics was through her time at the Olympics joining The All Around to compete. Jade explains that she never thought she would end up competing as an All-Around gymnast and admitted that Bars wasn’t her best event when she first started Elite and is proud of all the hard work she put in and hasn’t given up on it. She says seeing herself improve on Bars and Beam has really motivated her to she what else she can do.
Jade talked a little about after the Olympics when she was considering just focusing on college but decided after the experience she had there; she wanted to continue with Elite and aim for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Jade was asked about the difference and energy between NCAA (COLLEGE) gymnastics and Elite and what it is like being back with Jordan Chiles who both compete NCAA. She explains they want to show the other athletes you can have fun but also take things seriously and stayed focus when needed. Having fun is super important and Jade says when she is having fun and letting go, she doesn’t have the pressure, she does better competing. Transitioning from College gymnastics to Elite was a challenge, Jade explains, with a few ups and downs regaining some skills back but now that she is back and into routine is much more at ease. Jade explains coming back competing Elite as an Olympian feels a bit different as everyone now has her eyes on her but she wants to guide others through her experience there.
FOLLOWING THE MEN'S PRESS CONFERENCE TWO OF THE WOMEN FROM THE SENIOR DIVISION JOINED THE ROOM JORDAN CHILES AND SKYE BLAKELY. AFTER CONFERENCE CONCLUDED, WE TALKED WITH JORDAN AND SKYE AND HEADED BACK ONTO THE FLOOR TO WATCH THE JUNIOR WOMEN TRAIN FROM 2:30PM TO 5PM. WE THEN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH JUNIOR GYMNASTS
TANIA SUMANASKEKERA AND DULCY CAYLOR.
LAST TO TRAIN IN THE ARENA WERE THE WOMEN IN THE SENIOR DIVISION FROM 5PM TO 7:30PM TO END THE DAY. AFTER TRAINING, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH THREE SENIOR GYMNASTS
KAYLA DICELLO, KONNOR MCCLAIN AND SHILESE JONES.
SKYE BLAKELY
2022 Winter Cup all-around & floor exercise silver medalist and balance beam bronze medalist
2021 Winter Cup balance beam champion
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SKYE
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=496577
DAVID SHAMAH
RISING TALENT MAGAZINE HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND A SPECIAL DAY OF TRAINING WITH THE ATHLETES COMPETING IN THE 2022 US GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS AS THIS YEAR THEY ARE BEING HELD IN TAMPA, FLORIDA AT THE AMALIE ARENA.
THE FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE NEW OLYMPIC CYCLE UPCOMING PARIS 2024.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF USA GYMNASTICS
YUL MOLDAUER
DULCY CAYLOR
PODIUM TRAINING
MEN (SENIOR)
SHILESE JONES
DONNELL WHITTENBURG
Member of the 2021 World Championships team
2019 U.S. still rings bronze medalist
Competed in the 2017 World Championships, advancing to the floor exercise final
2017 U.S. vault champion and all-around, still rings & parallel bars bronze medalist
2017 Winter Cup still rings bronze medalist
Alternate for the 2016 Olympic Team
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DONELL
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=101578
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN K CHENG
USA GYMNASTICS PHOTOGRAPHER
COURTESY OF USA GYMNASTICS
KAI UEMURA
2022 Winter Cup, Frisco, Texas - 2nd-PB; 6th-FX, PH (Jr. Div.)
2022 Elite Team Cup, Frisco, Texas - 3rd-AA; 5th-Team
2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Fort Worth, Texas - 1st-HB; 2nd-AA, VT; 3rd-PH(T); 4th-PB; 7th-SR (15-16)
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KAI
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=517698
DAVID SHAMAH
National Competition Results
2022 Winter Cup, Frisco, Texas - 1st-SR, PB; 2nd-PH; 6th-HB (Jr. Div.)
2022 Elite Team Cup, Frisco, Texas - 1st-AA; 2nd-Team
2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Fort Worth, Texas - 1st-PH; 2nd-SR; 7th-PB; 8th-AA, VT (15-16)
2021 Men's Development Program National Championships, Daytona Beach, Fla. - 1st-PH; 2nd-AA, SR(T), PB (JE L10 16)
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DAVID
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=488061
JORDAN CHILES
MEN (SENIOR)
SHANE WISKUS
DONELL WHITTENBURG
BRODY MALONE
SENIOR (MEN)
KAYLA DICELLO
KONNOR MCCLAIN
TIANA SUMANASEKERA
VIDEO CREDIT: RISING TALENT MAGAZINE THANKS TO USA GYMNASTICS FOR ALLOWING US TO CAPTURE MOMENTS FROM PODIUM TRAINING IN TAMPA, FL.
DULCY CAYLOR
2022 JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ALL-AROUND CHAMPION (RIO)
JUNIOR (MEN)
AFTER PODIUM TRAINING, JADE CAREY TOOK ON A FEW QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESS/MEDIA AND WE LISTENED IN ON HER THOUGHTS AFTER HER EXPERIENCE AT THE OLYMPICS LAST YEAR AND WHAT SHE TOOK AWAY FROM IT.
KAI UEMURA
SHANE WISKUS
ABOUT: THE ATHLETES
GET TO KNOW SOME OF THE ATHLETES
YUL MOLDAUER
2022 Winter Cup pommel horse & parallel bars silver medalist and still rings bronze medalist.
Member of the 2020 Olympic team. Advanced to the floor exercise final
2021 U.S. parallel bars champion, all-around silver medalist and floor exercise & still rings bronze medalist
VISIT LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YUL
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=149789
DONNELL WHITTENBURG
PRESS CONFERENCE