The women representing Team USA’s Gymnastics team for the Olympics in London are heavy hitters … or should we say, fabulous flippers! Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber have all been selected to bring Team USA the gold. Gymnasts are known for their absolutely insane training regimens, with intense training 6-8 hours a day, five days a week. Their training includes gymnastics, weightlifting, cardio, yoga and other programs which all contribute to their unbelievable levels of strength and stamina. Team USA is strong and hopes to find themselves on a Wheaties box in the near future. Let’s learn a bit more about each of our ladies in leotards!
Gabby Douglas: She started formal gymnastics training at age 6, and two years later became Virginia’s state champion. She moved to West Des Moines, IA at the age of 14 to train with an elite coach. Gabby’s dream since she was a young girl has always been to compete in the Olympics.
McKayla Maroney: The 16-year-old 2011 World Vault Champion will get a chance to show the world at the Olympics what she’s made of. She has been winning gold medals since 2010 on Vault. When she was younger, her favorite movie was Tarzan because he ran around on all fours, which is why her mom made the right decision by putting her into gymnastics.
Aly Raisman: Daughter of a former high school gymnast, she started training at 2 years old. She originally trained at Excel Gymnastics’, but moved to the famous Brestyan’s American Gymnastics when she exceeded competition. She started competing nationally in 2009 during her junior career and has never looked back.
Kyla Ross: The reason Kyla was originally put in gymnastics was for her innate abilities to climb as a baby. At the beginning of Kyla’s gymnastics career, she trained at Richmond Olympiad under two top coaches. She moved up very quickly through the competition levels and excelled under the pressures of winning. Kyla trains about 30-35 hours a week preparing for the Olympics, and has never been more excited for a chance to represent the USA.
Jordyn Wieber: Jordyn started gymnastics at the young age of 4. By age 7, she was competing in the United States championships for her age group and winning most of the events. She moved up quickly through the levels, to the point where in 2012 she was named athlete of the year by the USAG. Jordyn looks forward to the high level of competition in the Olympics.
One Comment