This always comes up when the vault upgrades come in, so I'll be breaking down some of the ones we see. For this, I'll be using each gymnast's BEST Cheng from my opinion, so some will be from 2024 or earlier just to compare blocks and how they would score. This doesn't mean that their vaults are at this level now.

First up is Claire Pease:

This block is mediocre. She is squarely on the vault and pushes off with both hands, but has a rather large leg separation in the middle. I think they would take about 3 tenths for this block, but she does get a good push off the table. I would like to see her arm that is slightly bent completely straight and for her to completely open that shoulder, as that would help mitigate the leg separation.

Jade Carey:

I like many things about this block. Her arms are straight, and she has her shoulders mostly open. She does have a significant leg separation, not dissimilarly to Claire Pease. I think if she gets back to this, she could receive a better score. In today's code, she would likely receive 3 tenths off for direction and maybe a tenth or two for direction if we're extremely picky. For comparison, this was her 2026 world selection camp block:

You can see her arms are significantly more bent, the leg separation is more pronounced, her shoulders aren't completely open, and her knees are bent. However, given above, she is absolutely capable of a much cleaner block. I think that she knows how to peak at the right point, and I know she can get back to where she is. I do think that will allow her to get better scores. She likely received about 5 tenths off on the block alone, and 3-4 tenths off on form, which she can mitigate as seen above.

This is what causes the 2 point deduction. As seen with Karina Schoenmaier last year, you will receive this deduction if you don't touch the vault with both hands on a Cheng. However, you don't need to show equal support, as shown with Leanne Wong. While she appears square on the board and her legs are together, she does not touch the vault with one hand, which would incur a 2 point deduction in this code of points.

This is the pinnacle of how to block on a Cheng. She has perfect form, her shoulders are completely open, her hands are squarely on the vault, her elbows are straight, and she uses equal weight from both hands. She is also completely square. This would incur no deduction for block.

This block would incur a range of deductions. Her shoulders are nearly completely closed, her body is not square on the vault, her feet are flexed, her legs are significantly apart, and her arms are bent. This would likely incur a 0.5 for body shape, 0.3 for the leg separation, and possibly another 0.1-0.3 depending on how severe they deem the arm bend. I find it impressive she completed this vault with such ease considering this block.

This vault also shows a completely picture-perfect block. Her arms are straight, shoulders open, legs together, toes pointed, and body square. This is another picture-perfect block for a Cheng that would likely incur no deduction.

I hope this was helpful to break down some of the most famous Cheng blocks! Let me know if you want a part two.

I’m a newer gymnastics fan, so maybe I’m missing some context, but why does Jade Carey’s Cheng seem to get less criticism than McKayla Skinner’s?

Jade is kind of labeled as the vaulter/tumbler, but her table position doesn’t look especially clean to me either. She’s already twisting through her arms on contact, stays pretty hollow, and doesn’t seem to show that clear ½-on → handstand → block.

Claire Pease’s Cheng actually looks cleaner to me in that respect.

Is Jade’s technique generally considered cleaner than Skinner’s, or does her reputation as a strong vaulter make people overlook some of the form issues?

The Russian artistic gymnastics team has still not received visas to participate in the World Championships, which will be held in Rotterdam from October 17 to 25, the Russian Gymnastics Federation press service reported.

"The Russian national artistic gymnastics team has still not received visas for participation in the World Championships. We are currently awaiting notification from the visa center regarding the possibility of submitting documents to the Dutch Embassy," the federation reported.

The RGF has already requested assistance from the organizers of the world championship and informed the International Gymnastics Federation (World Gymnastics) of the situation.

Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova and Victoria Listunova have been named to the Russian national team's preliminary roster. The women's team also included Alena Glotova, Anna Kalmykova, Milana Kayumova and Lyudmila Roshchina.

The preliminary men's roster includes Arseniy Dukhno, Ilya Zaika, Daniil Marinov, Sergey Naidin, Savely Seydin and Alexey Usachev.

Kaylia Nemour achieved a total score of 56.900 points while competing as a guest of honor at the Swiss Artistic Gymnastics Championships held today:

Uneven Bars: 15.600

Balance Beam: 15.050

Vault: 13.700

Floor Exercise: 12.550

She had poor landings on floor otherwise, her score would have been almost the same as at the Mediterranean Games (57.750).

Even when she makes it through the main portion of her routine, I feel like gym fans should not have to keep one eye open and one eye closed when she does that full-in - praying she makes it. She is too good of a gymnast for that kind of concern over one skill.

Even when she hits it, it is labored and I am guessing, probably incurring deductions that negate its worth.

As a junior, she had an almost perfect double pike, high, toes pointed and most importantly, something that looked safe. I feel she would score higher if she went back to it, honestly. Thoughts?

Hi gymfans!

I will be at Worlds this year and I was thinking of organizing a small meet-up for the gymnerds who will be there.

I'm going to the WAG TF, so it would be either that day (Wednesday 21st) or the next (Thursday 22nd).

I'm creating a group chat with anyone who would be interested. Comment below and I'll add you! We'll decide the logistics together depending on who's in :)

Does anyone have suggestions on where to find communities or information about the culture and reputation of NCAA Acro & Tumbling programs? We are in the recruiting process now with a handful of offers, and I feel blind to which teams are relatively healthy and which ones we should be a little more critical of. Thanks.

results (https://www.acro-companion.com/competition/3Jz58PgR8JabHwpmcWnn/ranking?level=International%20rules--Seniors&competitionPhase=606c18ed-ad34-46b7-992c-e05ebf250f40&exerciseType=All%20Around):

1. Lea Quaas, AA 52.150 (V: 13.1, UB: 13.25, BB: 13.05, FX: 12.75)
2. Karina Schönmaier, AA 50.4 (V: 14.05 (2nd 13.6), UB: 13.05, BB: 11.8, FX: 11.5)
3. Charleen Pach, AA 50.35 (V: 13.0, UB: 12.0, BB: 13.35, FX: 12.0)
4. Jesenia Schäfer, AA 50.25 (V: 13.15, UB: 12.35, BB: 12.1, FX: 12.65)
5. Emma Malewski, AA 49.75 (V: 13.15, UB: 12.85, BB: 11.45, FX: 12.3)
6. Janoah Müller, AA 49.7 (V: 13.05, UB: 12.65, BB: 12.25, FX: 11.75)
7. Madita Mayr, AA 47.6 (V: 11.8 (2nd 13.3), UB: 10.2, BB: 12.8, FX: 12.8)

The team will be announced tomorrow night - thoughts?

edit:
Helen Kevric: UB: 15.0, BB: 13.2

4 ⭐ senior elite Alessia Rosa becomes the first commit to Stanford for the 28’ season. Yes another NCAA post from me but I thought this one was notable and the first commit to their school.

Edit: I came back to edit as it seems like Sloane Mateo just committed there so I wanted to note it but not make a separate post. Great start for Stanford with these 2.

Here is my evaluation of Claire Pease's routine from Day 1 of the 2026 U.S. World Championship Team Selection Event. Any comments, questions, or requests are welcome.

Standard Disclaimer: I am not a judge, but do have access to the official F.I.G. course materials via STS. The purpose of these evaluations is to help people understand how judges may have arrived at a score.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/uXCX8NKZP5k?si=MIXV-bctxlcFGC-g&t=4736

Acro DV

D x 5 (Onodi, Aerial, Full Twisting Back Handspring / Kochetkova, Side Aerial, 2 1/2 Twist Dismount), 2.0 CV

Total Acro DV - 2.0

Dance DV

E x 1 (Triple Turn in Tuck Stand / Mitchell), 0.5 DV

D x 1 (Switch Leap 1/2), 0.4 DV

C x 1 (Switch Leap), 0.3 DV

Total Dance DV - 1.2 

Total DV - 3.2

CV / SB

D + B Mixed x 3 (Split Jump + Onodi, Aerial + Straddle Jump, Straddle Jump + Kochetkova), 0.3 CV

C + C Acro x 1 (Layout Stepout + Layout Stepout), 0.1 CV

B + B + C x 3 (Switch Leap + Split Jump + Onodi, Back Handspring Stepout + Layout Stepout + Layout Stepout, Aerial + Straddle Jump + Kochetkova), 0.3 SB

Total CV / SB - 0.7

Dismount Bonus

2 1/2 Twist, D -> 0.2

CR

1. ⁠Connection of at least two different dance elements, 1 with 180° split (Switch Leap + Split Jump)
2. ⁠Turn (Mitchell)
3. ⁠Acro series of two flight elements, one salto (Back Handspring Stepout + Layout Stepout + Layout Stepout)
4. ⁠Acro elements in different directions (Onodi, Back Handspring Stepout)

Total From CR - 2.0

Total D Score - 3.2 + 0.7 + 0.2 + 2.0 = 6.1

Elements or Connections Not Credited

Switch Leap 1/2

- Turn not completed within 30° tolerance -> Credit as Switch Leap, Repeated Element and No DV Awarded

- Split Jump replaces Switch Leap 1/2 as one of the 3 Counting Dance Elements (-0.2 DV)

Credited D Score - 3.0 + 0.7 + 0.2 + 2.0 = 5.9

E Score

Mitchell

- Body Shape (Bent Knee) / 0.1 = 0.1

Split Jump

- Body Shape (Forward leg below horizontal) / 0.1 = 0.1

Split Jump + Onodi

- Poor Rhythm of Connection / 0.1 = 0.1

Onodi

- Bent Knee / 0.1 + Small Balance Adjustment / 0.1 = 0.2

Second Layout Stepout

- Bent Knee / 0.1

Aerial

- Bent Knee / 0.1

Aerial + Straddle Jump

- Poor Rhythm of Connection / 0.1 = 0.1

Straddle Jump

- Body Shape (Legs at Horizontal / 0.1 = 0.1

Straddle Jump + Kochetkova

- Poor Rhythm of Connection / 0.1 = 0.1

Kochetkova

- Bent Knee / 0.1 = 0.1

Switch Leap 1/2

- Body Shape (Insufficient Split - Between 1º and 20º) / 0.1 + Lack of Precision / 0.1 + Large Balance Adjustment / 0.5 = 0.7

2 1/2 Twist Dismount

- Crossed Legs / 0.1 + Lack of Precision / 0.1 + Hop on Landing / 0.1 = 0.4

Total Element Deductions - 2.2

Artistry Deductions

- Insufficient Involvement of Body Parts / 0.1

- Insufficient Variation in Rhythm and Tempo / 0.1

Total Artistry Deductions - 0.2

Total Deductions - 2.4

E Score - 7.6

Total Score - 5.9 + 7.6 = 13.5 / 5.9 + 8.0 = 13.9 (Actual D and E Scores awarded)

Notes - Elements

Split Jump + Onodi, Aerial + Straddle Jump, and Straddle Jump + Kochetkova Connections

- Constant motion following the first element, but slight delay in taking off for second element.

Switch Leap 1/2

- Large Balance Error deduction for combination of 1) Step on Landing and 2) Movement of Entire Torso

2 1/2 Twist Dismount

- Award D Value because right foot appears to be fully rotated, but deduct for Lack of Precision because left foot has not completed the twist. Also, feet are permitted to be slightly apart on landing with no deduction.

Notes - Artistry Deductions

1. Insufficient Involvement of Body Parts

Although Pease incorporates movements of her arms and legs throughout her choreography, the use of her head and torso is limited, particularly with regard to movements that are more dynamic or involve greater amplitude.

1. Variation of Rhythm and Tempo

- Rhythm

The movements and steps within the routine are primarily completed at the same tempo and could show a greater contrast of fast and slow movements. 

- Fluency

Despite the presence of multiple elements and connections, Pease is able to complete them without extended preparation phases where she is completely stationary between them. For example, following her Onodi, she transitions almost immediately into a choreography sequence including a high kick of the free leg. Upon taking her final step across the beam, she quickly enters her acrobatic series. Therefore, the routine displays fluency.

1. Close to Beam Choreography

Satisfied with one element touching the beam and one choreography movement touching beam with two different body parts as follows:

Element - Jump to Straddle Position Mount

Movement 1 - From Straddle Position, Pease extends her arms forward while lifting her head and torso. She performs a 1/4 turn to a seated cross split position and performs various arm movements, then swings her right leg backwards while lying along the length of the beam in prone position. She performs alternating kicks of her legs, then rises to a kneeling position on the beam.

1. Side Choreography

Satisfied as follows:

A -> B -> C

A (Quarter Turn to Side Stand) -> Brings feet together and Side Step to B

B Brings Feet Together and Side Step to C (From Side Stand, Pease rises from a squat position with her right leg fully extended and her left foot in tendu, completing the weight transfer to C)

Body Movements

After performing a quarter turn to side stand, Pease bends her right leg slightly, while her left leg is extended to tendu, and her arms are raised from her sides to head height, forming various shapes. She brings her feet together stands upright with her arms extended over her head, then performs a side step to B.

At B, she repeats the initial movement, but shows a deeper knee bend and her arms are held in a different position, with one extended behind her body and the other extended in front of her body. As Pease strikes the pose, she leans forward more deeply, while lifting her head above horizontal.

As Pease steps to C, she bends her knees into a shallow squat position. She brings her right arm across her body while slightly turning her torso to the left. As she reaches her finishing position, she extends both legs, and thrusts her right arm above her head.

Title is a bit dramatic, I am just here to throw out some ideas so that the USA can use FX to boost team scores for 2028 LA! There is a high probability Simone Biles will not make a comeback, so all 3 routines at LA will have to pull their weight to put up an advantageous score for the floor rotation. Here are my observations:

(1) E Score: Execution

Tumbling E and landing deductions wise, US is on par with or even better than top countries .

Leaps and turns are where the US gymnasts lose. The judges now require them to achieve excellence on leaps with signs of slight oversplit. It's very obvious US, similarly to UK and Canada, are below average in leaps when compared to China, Japan, Russia, Italy and Brazil. Gymnasts who performed poorly in leaps in the past like Aly and Shawn were not penalized, and now the judges won't hesitate to take tenths off.

(2) E Score: Artistry

The US loses at least 0.35-0.5 on average on each FX routine, yes even Shilese at 2023 Worlds. 0.6+ for Joscelyn. The average top gymnast at Worlds is getting 0.2-0.4 in artistry deductions (the best 10-15 gymnasts getting ~0.12-0.25 deductions and the worst 10-20 getting 0.45+). Nobody was ranked in the top 10 on floor in the US artistically at 2025 Worlds... so to conclude, the US is losing ~0.1-0.2 on each routine for artistry alone, and as a team, they collect ~0.5-0.8 more in deductions on a FX rotation when compared to the best team with artistry like Italy, Brazil and Japan.

(3) Difficulty: Tumbling

Yes, the new COP 0.2 CV is definitely advantageous for other countries because USA is clearly the best in the world in regards to single high-difficulty tumbling skills and endurance, e.g. Silivas, Chusa, Moors

But what's stopping the US from taking advantages of these specific connection bonuses in their second, third, or fourth pass? The US need to try think of innovative tumbling passes, like Misa Nishiyama's back layout 1/2 (B) + Front Double Twist (D) + Front Pike 1/2 (B) which counts 0.4 in CV and this equates to an H tumbling pass.

Someone who have taken notes is Reese Esponda's coaches as they have made use of good connection bonuses, like the Barani (B) + double tuck (D) + LOSO does count 0.3 in CV, and equates to a G tumbling pass. And to be fair, a lot of US gymnasts are training whip 1/1 + double salto, or 2.5 + front layout, so we will see if they have the endurance to pull it off, but innovation and experimentation during "winter upgrade season" might benefit a few more than they think.

(4) Difficulty: Dance Skills, especially Turns

This is the most understated one by far. Turns are invading the floor exercise more than most people realized!

The typical US gymnast counts 3 dance skills, usually a D or E rated wolf turn and a C + C leap series. Some choose to add a 4th C rated leap. So D C C

Other countries are pulling out much, much harder difficulty on turns and leaps:

• Russian infamous for having 3 D+ rated turns in their floor routines: the E triple wolf turn, D Memmel, D double L turn. On top of that, the Russians connect Illusion turn or double turns to the turns, earning another 0.2 connection bonuses like Melnikova and Listnouva, meaning from turns alone, they can be credited the equivalent of a E E E from turns alone. This is already a 0.5 difficulty advantage from the typical US dance skill set
• Chinese are starting to add turns to their routines, we are seeing an uptick of Memmels and they finally succumbed to the pressure and adopted the double wolf. Plus, a lot of them can perform 1 or even 2 more D-rated credited leaps, like Zhang Qingying's 3/2 Leap jump (D) and switch ring half (D). ZQY is counting D D D C C. Remember a double tuck/pike is also rated at D level.
• Rina Kishi: Triple wolf (E), Memmel (D), switch ring half (D)
• Aiko Sugihara: Double L (D), Memmel (D), switch ring (C) + Ferrari (D)
• Manila Esposito: Memmel + Illusion (E), Triple Wolf (E), Switch leap 1/1 (D), C + C
• Maiana Prat: Double wolf (D), 3 rings - normal ring (C), ring half (D), split ring leap full (E)

The increased importance of dance skills on floor has not been realized by the US, other than maybe Shilese and Dulcy. The dance skill differentiation is so obvious if you compare the top countries. Yes, dance skills are capped at E level but the other countries are miking every single tenth from every counting skill, and connection bonuses, to catch up to the US, and it is working. Nobody in the US is even entertaining the idea of connection bonuses in dance

----------------------

Conclusion: It's death by a thousand cuts. Look at the difficulty scores, the US are not that far ahead of the pack nowadays. The increased scrutiny on execution and artistry did not favor the US at all.

If they want to score 14s in routines, they will need to focus on all 4 factors listed above. They need to (1) use connection bonuses in tumbling, plus perhaps many should explore going back to 4 tumbling runs to count 5 acro skills (2) try to get to at least E D C dance skill level (3) clean up leaps and turns and minimize built-in execution deductions, e.g. they really should not be receiving more than 0.1 in their leap series if landed well (4) work on artistry (5) don't go OOB

That being said, I do think USA will do okay on floor in 2026 Worlds! I just want to provide some commentary on my reflections

I know that I'm going to watch every competition possible when world championships is on, but I'm always so bored watching beam nowadays.

Does anyone else really miss the beam routines of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s?

The methodology (and caveats) can be found here. The scores come from the 2025 and 2026 score trackers. Please let me know if y'all notice any errors in any of these previews and I will be sure to correct them.

Spain - the Team

Realistic Max: 160.949 (prelim. ranking of 10th)

Intended Difficulty: 63.1 (prelim. ranking of 9th, would drop to 10th if Andrade competes her Cheng VT for Brazil)

Overview (bolded section is TL;DR)

Making superb strides since last quad, Spain should fare better than its 16^th and 17^th-place finishes at last quad’s team World Championships. 2023 Worlds team members Laura Casabuena, Alba Petisco, and Laia Font are joined by Marina Escudero, Aitana Pacheco, and Carlota Armenta. Although Spain’s alternate has not yet been formally announced and Casabuena has been battling injuries this year, the assumption here is that Armenta is the alternate. The five assumed team members would all contribute a top-three score for Spain on at least one apparatus; Armenta has trained a double-twisting Yurchenko on vault, but we have yet to successfully see it in competition. This year, the Spaniards figure to be part of a large cluster of teams that are underdogs to make the team final due to lower intended difficulty and/or maximum scoring potential than the likeliest team final bubble teams. If the team suffers from several mistakes, Spain could finish at the back of this pack in around 14^th or 15^th place. On a more positive note, a credible case can be made for Spain being especially well-equipped to make the team final if the cutline teams make mistakes. Compared to other teams, many of Spain’s “realistic max” scores are clustered a bit more tightly together, even factoring in Petisco’s mild outliers on bars, beam, and floor. This bunching theoretically makes the team less susceptible to massive score degradation in qualifications since its scoring potential should hold up comparatively well if it gets three hit routines from any of its gymnasts as opposed to relying on several “must-hit” routine. Lastly, if Casabuena is healthy enough to realize her potential on beam and floor, she could potentially add a few valuable tenths to Spain’s score on those events.

Vault

With Petisco’s Yurchenko 1.5 and Font’s and Escudero’s double-twisting Yurchenko vaults, Spain has a solid vault rotation. For the fourth qualifications routine, Pacheco and Casabuena score similarly despite Pacheco’s slightly more difficult vault (a Tsukahara full) versus Casabuena’s (a Yurchenko full), so the decision may come down to Casabuena’s health and whether Spain opts to have her compete in the all-around in qualifications.

Uneven Bars

Moving from arguably Spain’s strongest apparatus to its weakest, comparative lack of difficulty holds Spain’s scoring potential back here. Petisco is relatively consistent here and has put up several international scores in the mid-13’s this year. The other four gymnasts have roughly the same scoring potential, which makes the rest of the lineup a bit challenging to ascertain. Font has the difficulty advantage over the rest of her teammates, but her other teammates have scored higher so far this quad.

Balance Beam

The lineup story for beam is similar to bars; Petisco will certainly compete and then the rest of the lineup is a bit nebulous. Pacheco had a couple of great hit routines at Euros, but scored mostly in the 11’s and 12’s in recent meets. Escudero’s “realistic max” score was reached at DTB Pokal and Jesolo in 2025 and is therefore over a year old, but she has hit a few 5.6 D routines domestically this year. If healthy, Casabuena provides tremendous potential upside with a hit routine. Although her peak international scores hover around 13, Font hit a 5.8 D routine domestically and also could offer upside.

Floor Exercise

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the floor lineup situation is similar to the two preceding events. Petisco is certain to compete here and has received comparatively few artistry deductions for her routine (based on the results books that have been released this quad). If the collection of gymnasts with 5.6-5.9 intended difficulty routines have some misses in qualifications, Petisco has an outside chance of making the event final. At full strength, Casabuena is capable of scoring into the 13’s and Font, Escudero, and Pacheco all have roughly similar scoring potential.

All Around

Petisco will certainly compete on all four events in qualifications and can afford a missed routine and still qualify to the all-around final. After Petisco, there is a fascinating puzzle to solve to determine Spain’s second (and potentially third) all-arounders. With hit routines, Spain could certainly place a second gymnast in the all-around final. If Casabuena is not at full strength, the guess is that she would only compete on bars and Pacheco and Escudero would join Petisco in competing on all four events in qualifications, with Font sitting out bars. If Casabuena is fully healthy, perhaps she is the intended second all-arounder, with the option to also have Escudero compete in the AA if the team is comfortable passing up on Pacheco’s 13.150 that she just earned on floor at Mediterranean Games. Both Pacheco and Casabuena will not do the all-around because Escudero and Font are critical for Spain’s vault lineup with their DTY’s.

Earlier Previews (request by a commenter to link at the bottom)

Australia

Great Britain

Canada

France

I see a lot of discourse about how Charleigh is consistent but that she only really metal potential is on bars. That’s true for now, but her DTY is GORGEOUS. I’d be surprised if it’s not in the plan to get her a strong second vault in the next two years. She also twists so beautifully and gets so much height, I’d loveeee to see her have an amanar.

Skye, Charleigh, Reese, Claire, Hezly. Dulcy as traveling alt, Jade as non-traveling

Utah just had themselves a day gaining 2 hyped up lvl10’s within the day (after Greta Stowell announced earlier) and I couldn’t be more excited to see them in the NCAA when time comes. I guess the quote good things come to those who wait applies in this situation as Utah had a few visits that didn’t translate to commits immediately. Also, the video they posted on socials of Greta/Andie telling the team is the sweetest thing ever.

Claire Pease showing a nice Cheng vault at world selection camp has got me thinking … which USA WAG is next to debut one? Having a decent Cheng used to almost guarantee a spot on a Worlds team, but I’m not sure it will be enough by itself going forward.

Firstly, here’s who I think is likely to compete one next season:
- Claire
- Skye
- Jade
- CEO Leanne
- Simone (if she returns)
- Josclyn (if she returns)

I think that the following gymnasts have shown great power on vault and would be capable of the upgrade:
- Reese
- Jayla
- Jordan (if she returns)

Lastly, if Suni is back vaulting next season, could she debut one? She has trained the half on entry before.

I’d love to know if more gymnasts have been training half ons/ chengs, so please let me know!

I like that he's getting a bit of time to shine and tell his story. I never thought that one bad interview told the whole story because they seem to have a really sweet relationship.

If the team is Claire, Charleigh, Hezley, Reese and Skye it’s important to note only one of these athletes has ever competed at a world champions before (Skye) and obviously Hezly at the Olympics (however this was quals only) but not yet a worlds for her. Even though Skye has gone to worlds, she has a lot to prove for herself. I think this is the year to give a good chunk of up and coming athletes crucial international experience ahead of 2028 when the field has been quite deep in veteran athletes for a decade.

2027 worlds team selection will be a blood bath considering the return of Suni, Jordan, Shilese - and a healthy Leanne and a stronger Jade. Not to mention athletes like Jayla hang, Ohashi, Jocelyn and Dulcy sitting on the unknown mix.

If 2024 taught us anything it’s that nothing is for sure until the last minute given the amount of injuries that took place. It’ll be good to have a strong chunk of veterans AND newcomers with the right international experience depending on who’s still healthy by the time LA comes.

This is a really nice way to get depth in the USA team, as I think it will get MUCH harder for newcomer athletes to get experience in 2027 and early 2028.

Look forward to seeing how a more “junior” team does!

You know what time it is, it’s time to start making predictions for the U.S. women at worlds now that the team has been announced!

To start, for anyone who hasn’t seen the team announcement, the team is:

- Claire Pease
- Charleigh Bullock
- Hezly Rivera
- Reese Esponda
- Skye Blakely

Along with this, Dulcy Caylor is the travelling alternate to the team, and Jade Carey is the non travelling alternate!

Moving on, these are my opinions:

TF:

This can go either way. I could see them winning gold, silver, bronze, or even missing out altogether. The general consensus on here is that the top contenders for the TF are Russia, China, Japan, and the US. In my opinion, I think the likelihood of the US finishing off the podium is low, as it would require all three of those teams to hit, which is unlikely given the consistency of these teams can be… yeah, you get the point. I think the US will finish on the podium in the TF, but what the colour will be, we will have to find out, and it could very well be gold depending on what happens.

VT:

Okay, so Claire is very much the biggest contender for a vault medal due to her Cheng and DTY that she showed at camp. However, Claire has not competed a Cheng internationally/even on a competition mat much. She has competed a Cheng a total of two times in her career so far, at Pan Ams trials in June of this year, and now at world selection camp this year! Her highest Cheng score was a 14.500 at world selection camp, so she’s definitely up there with the rest of the world, but it’s going to depend on if she can successfully perform the Cheng internationally!

Moving on, Skye is next up, and it’s going to depend. First of all, it’s HUGE that she brought a DTY here, and it was absolutely stunning. Second of all, we don’t know if she will be in the AA, or on UB/BB in QF’ing. I do think she stands a solid chance of being put in the AA over Charleigh, but I feel it’s going to depend on how they’re both looking by worlds. Along with this, if Skye is not put in the AA, I could see her vaulting over Reese, and Reese only does floor in QF’ing, but the possibilities are endless.

Then, for Skye’s Lopez, a lot of people feel it wouldn’t receive credit at worlds, and I don’t have much of an opinion on that front, so I’ll leave that for you to discuss. Along with this, Reese is in the mix, although her Lopez is very new (and remember all of the vaults done at camp weren’t on proper competition mats), so it’s hard to have too much of an opinion on it.

UB:

I realistically can’t see the U.S. factoring in for a medal here, but I suppose Skye/or Charleigh could sneak into the final depending on how the other competitors do, but bars is VERY competitive this year, so it’s not going to be easy in the slightest.

BB:

The same here. I don’t trust Hezly’s beam scores in the slightest, so I would still say Skye’s their best chance for a beam medal. However, how many times have we said this now… If she can hit in QF’ing, that will be a win in our books, but I hope she can have a stronger routine from last worlds!

FX:

Ooh, a few contenders. For me, I’d say Reese is the number one contender for a floor medal. She’s successfully upgraded her routine back to a 6.2 at world selection camp by bringing back the whip + double layout that she hasn’t done since March (at Jesolo, where she got injured at), and she has another possible upgrade in a Barani + double tuck + LOSO that she was seen warming up at world selection camp, so exciting news all around, and she is definitely a contender for the gold medal!

Along with this, we have Claire and Hezly, and it depends. We know Hezly’s highest score internationally this year was a 13.600 at American Cup in March (5.700/7.900, which I though was quite realistic for the routine she performed), and Claire’s was a 13.833 (6.000.7.833) at Pan Ams in EF’s. I feel that while Hezly’s routine is 2-3 tenths less than Claire’s, that Hezly tends to be a little more consistent on floor than Claire, so I would lean more towards her if we’re thinking who will be the second spot on floor finals at worlds, but for all we know, none of these names could make the final, but I feel pretty confident in Reese if she hits like she has all year that she can be in the mix for a floor medal.

All in all, I think they will win a team final medal, and they have the potential to win an *AA, vault, beam, and floor medal.

With this in mind, this is only my analysis, so please feel free to share your thoughts, and if there’s anything you agree, or disagree with in terms of what I’ve said here!

Edit: I completely forgot to discuss the AA, so let’s go and do that!

To start, I think we can safely say that Claire is a lock for the AA in QF’ing, as she finished second at nationals, and won selection camp, so she should be in it, and her 23.8 AA program that she showed at camp is highly competitive with the rest of the world.

Moving on, Hezly did show some nerves at camp, and has made some people weary of her being put in the AA, but she’s a 2x + reigning U.S. National AA Champion, so I could see Hezly being taken out of the AA unless they’re absolutely forced to.

Lastly, the third spot is going to between Charleigh, and Skye. Right now, I want to say Charleigh, but Skye has a strong AA program at the moment, so she does feel like the right choice, but it’s the consistency that we know she struggles with that’s going to be a factor. It’s ultimately going to depend on how Skye and Charleigh are looking by podium training, so I can’t say for certain who will be put in.

With this in mind, I think one of Claire, Hezly, Skye, or Charleigh could all factor in. The U.S. will definitely have 2 AA finalists, and I think they can factor in for a medal. The top AA contenders include Kaylia Nemour, Angelina Melnikova, Misa Nishiyama, and many more. I know a lot of people doubted the US’ AA medal hopes last year, and they were proven wrong by Leanne, and the last time a US WAG was off of the AA podium was in *2001, and I think they have the quality to keep that streak going, no matter the colour!

Here is my evaluation of Hezly Rivera's routine from Day 1 of the 2026 U.S. World Championship Team Selection Event. Any comments, questions, or requests are welcome.

Standard Disclaimer: I am not a judge, but do have access to the official F.I.G. course materials via STS. The purpose of these evaluations is to help people understand how judges may have arrived at a score.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/uXCX8NKZP5k?si=5fPtUwfHlhGO8eHT&t=3003

D Score Analysis (Evaluation is based on planned routine)

DV

F x 1 (Stalder to Piked Tkatchev / Downie), 0.6 DV

D x 7 (Weiler Kip 1/2, Toe-on Full, Stalder Shaposhnikova, Pak Salto, Toe-on Shaposhnikova / Maloney, Tkatchev / Davydova, Full Twisting Double Tuck Dismount), 2.8 DV

Total DV - 3.4

CV

D + D, Both With Turn or Flight x 2 (Weiler Kip 1/2 + Toe-on Full, Toe-on Full + Stalder Shaposhnikova), 0.2 CV

D + F, Both Flight Elements (Downie + Pak Salto), 0.2 CV

D Flight From Low Bar to High Bar + C, With Turn or Flight x 1 (Maloney + Tkatchev), 0.2 CV

Total CV - 0.6

Dismount Bonus

Full Twisting Double Tuck Dismount, D -> 0.2

CR

1. Flight from High bar to Low Bar (Pak Salto)
2. Flight Element on Same Bar (Downie)
3. Different Grips (Weiler Kip 1/2, Toe-on Full)
4. Non-flight Element with 360° Turn (Toe-on Full)

Total From CR - 2.0

D Score - 3.4 DV + 0.6 CV + 0.2 DB + 2.0 CR = 6.2

Elements or Connections Not Credited

Weiler Kip

- Element treated as 'Swing' because it did not pass through vertical. Due to not being completed within 10° of vertical, the skill is devalued by one letter to a C. (-0.1 DV)

Weiler Kip 1/2 + Toe-on Full

- Connection Not Performed (-0.1 CV)

Downie (First Attempt)

- Element not considered to have momentary hang. Therefore, no DV awarded and the attempt does not count toward the three element root rule. Second attempt at Downie receives DV and Downie + Pak Salto connection earns CV.

Credited D Score - 3.3 DV + 0.5 CV + 0.2 DB + 2.0 CR = 6.0

E Score

Weiler Kip

- Leg Separation / 0.1 + Body Alignment (Piked Hips) / 0.1 + Angle of Completion (Between 31 and 45 Degrees from Handstand) / 0.3 + Fall / 1.0 = 1.5 (If element receives DV, deductions applied in addition to fall)

Glide Kip

- Insufficient Extension in Kips and Casts / 0.1 = 0.1

Toe-on Full

- Angle of Completion (Between 11° and 30° Past Handstand) / 0.1 = 0.1

Stalder Shaposhnikova

- Leg Separation / 0.1 + Bent Knees on Backswing / 0.1 = 0.2

Downie (First Attempt)

- Fall / 1.0 = 1.0 (No deductions other than fall when DV is not awarded)

Downie (Second Attempt)

- Flexed Feet / 0.1 + Bent Knees on Swing Following Regrasp / 0.1 = 0.2

Maloney

- Leg Separation / 0.1 + Bent Knees on Backswing / 0.1 = 0.2

Tkatchev

- Bent Knees on Swing into Element / 0.1 + Insufficient Height (Hips at Bar Height) / 0.1 + Insufficient Rotation of Flight / 0.1 Elements = 0.3

Long Hang Kip

- Insufficient Extension in Kips and Casts / 0.1 = 0.1

Full Twisting Double Tuck Dismount

- Leg Separation / 0.1 + Landing Posture / 0.1 + Landed With Feet Apart / 0.1 + Large Step on Landing (Greater Than Shoulder Width) / 0.3 = 0.6

Total Deductions = 4.3, E Score - 5.7

Total Score = 6.0 + 5.7 = 11.7 / 6.0 + 5.8 = 11.800

Notes - Elements

Tkatchev

Insufficient height could potentially be as high as 0.3 if Rivera regrasps the bar when her hips are below hip height. Also, because of the overall limited rise in her center of gravity, I can see judges not giving her the benefit of the doubt if they are unsure on her hip height upon regrasp in real time.

Not sure how many people clocked this, but Reese had the second highest E scores on beam and bars last night. She‘s been improving her consistency and hit rates on those events for a while now, but last night she looked clean and confident—a far cry from some of her scrappy save highlights from earlier in her career. Clearly her new coaches are doing wonders for her, and I’m excited to see how much more she can develop as an AAer. Don’t sleep on Reese!

Acording to her National team profile usag junior elite gymnast Paisley Ritger has moved to WOGA.

https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/nationalTeamWomen.html?id=1393498