WAG Number of current elites

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Is it safe to say that the gymnasts competing at the Visa Champiomships represents all of the current elite gymnasts in the U.S., barring of course maybe a couple that are unable to compete due to injury?
 
That was an intersting thread. Basically it comes down to "How do you define elite?" . Is it everyone who has passed the elite test once or this year? Is it everyone who can legimitally compete for the US internationally? Is it everyone who is training elite? I was suprised at the conversation this question generated. It seems like a simple enough question.
 
Thanks gymgal. I did come across your referenced thread a while back and although dunno did give a ballpark figure, I just wondered if there was a meet that had a good representation of the total umber of elites. Also, thanks to fuzi, I did not know that an elite still had to qualify to compete at Visa Championships.

Can someone please explain the process on how a gymnast makes it to the national team? What I know so far is that a gymnast has to first get the elite qualifying score at any elite qualifier. Once they get that score and have earned elite status, they can compete at elite meets (I read somewhere that there are maybe only 3 elite meets. What are names of those meets?) I think Covergirl Classic is the first elite meet as well as a qualifier for Visa Championships. From the Visa Championships, the national team is formed. What happens to those that don't qualify for Visa? Is the rest of the year a waste? Do they keep competing at elite meets? If so, for what purpose? Is the American Classic an elite meet or elite qualifier? I know there are tons of questions on this post. I am just very interested on how the system works.
 
You seem to have the right idea.

First, a gymnast has to compete at an elite qualifier and get a 35.00 compulsory score. They also have to get a 51.00 optional AA at the qualifier for juniors, or 53.00 optional for seniors, to then qualify to classics.

There are actually two classic meets. The American Classic was held at the Karolyi ranch, so there was no audience to speak off, and then the Covergirl Classic. A junior has to score 52.00 AA at one of the classic meets and a senior has to score 54.00 AA at one of the classic meets in order to qualify for the Visa Championships.

The top 6 AA juniors and seniors are named to the national team. An additional 8 funded athletes can be chosen for the national team, as well as another 8 unfunded athletes at the national committees discretion. These national team athletes are the ones that can be chosen to represent the US at international meets, although sometimes additional athletes are added to the team as the year goes on
 
Oh, and someone on the National Team can qualify to Classics or Championships based on their scores at a national team training camp or on an international assignment.

Gymnasts who qualify to Visa Championships but do not make the national team usually continue training elite, competing in the occasional elite or Level 10/open session at a meet, with the goal of next year's classics or championships.
 
That was an intersting thread. Basically it comes down to "How do you define elite?" . Is it everyone who has passed the elite test once or this year? Is it everyone who can legimitally compete for the US internationally? Is it everyone who is training elite? I was suprised at the conversation this question generated. It seems like a simple enough question.
It is intersting you make that qualification on what an elite is because many gyms and gymnasts use that terms very loosely. But for purposes of this thread and from what I consider a true elite, it is one that has met the qualifying score at a national elite qualifier. I believe each gymnast has to qualify every year. So, one that has qualified one year is an elite only of that year. They may be referred to as former elites but certainly they are not a current elite. So, to be even more specific, I am referring to current elites eligible to compete at the current years elite meets not elite qualifier. The link below shows what it takes to qualify as an elite:http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/PDFs/Women/ElitePre-Elite/10elitechart.pdf i
 
Oh, and someone on the National Team can qualify to Classics or Championships based on their scores at a national team training camp or on an international assignment. Gymnasts who qualify to Visa Championships but do not make the national team usually continue training elite, competing in the occasional elite or Level 10/open session at a meet, with the goal of next year's classics or championships.
Wow! It certainly seems like a whirlwind for elites. One trains all year for two elite meets (classics) to hopefully make it to championships and then it is back to the drawing board? And for those with Olympic dreams, it almost seems like the lottery. Of the tens of thousands of gymnasts in the U.S., only 6 willhave the opportunity to represent the country and only every four years. All that hard work and dedication. Amazing young ladies.
 
Wow! It certainly seems like a whirlwind for elites. One trains all year for two elite meets (classics) to hopefully make it to championships and then it is back to the drawing board? And for those with Olympic dreams, it almost seems like the lottery. Of the tens of thousands of gymnasts in the U.S., only 6 willhave the opportunity to represent the country and only every four years. All that hard work and dedication. Amazing young ladies.

To make it worse, there will only be 5 members on the 2012 Olympic team.
 
To make it worse, there will only be 5 members on the 2012 Olympic team.
Fuzi, I just wondered, do you know or have heard of any gymnast that had gone through the elite program just to not reach their goals speak out about their experience? Whether it was because they never finished or placed high enough or had an injury. As an outsider, I think many might feel bad for them or sad thinking the gymnast just wasted all that time and money. But I also think some outsiders are missing and forgetting that these gymnasts may have learned great life lessons along the way. Nonetheless, I still am curious if there are a few that have regrets or felt depressed for not achieving a goal. The lives of the most successful gymnasts fall way under the radar. So, for those that don't even get the olympic notoriety, it is hard to follow their lives after gymnatics. Are they happy, healthy and feel fulfilled? Might be a stupid post. But it seems to me gymnastics is so tough that striving to be the best carries with it such a high price that it makes you wonder, what makes it worth it?
 
Fuzi, I just wondered, do you know or have heard of any gymnast that had gone through the elite program just to not reach their goals speak out about their experience? Whether it was because they never finished or placed high enough or had an injury. As an outsider, I think many might feel bad for them or sad thinking the gymnast just wasted all that time and money. But I also think some outsiders are missing and forgetting that these gymnasts may have learned great life lessons along the way. Nonetheless, I still am curious if there are a few that have regrets or felt depressed for not achieving a goal. The lives of the most successful gymnasts fall way under the radar. So, for those that don't even get the olympic notoriety, it is hard to follow their lives after gymnatics. Are they happy, healthy and feel fulfilled? Might be a stupid post. But it seems to me gymnastics is so tough that striving to be the best carries with it such a high price that it makes you wonder, what makes it worth it?

I don't know any personally and I'm uncomfortable relaying hearsay. I imagine former elite gymnasts, like any group of people, have different experiences and think back differently on their careers. Some are probably quite proud of what they accomplished. Some probably wonder what it would have been like to have a "normal" youth and struggle a bit to find their way when they are done with gymnastics. It's like anything.
 
Speaking only from my very limited knowledge, I don't think elite gymnasts only compete at the two classics and VISAs. They also must qualify to the Classic so they usually compete at an elite qualifier meet. They may also compete at several qualifiers, either from necessity or just for the competition experience. Quite a few of the bigger meets have elite sessions (the Buckeye meet comes to mind, along with probably Lady Luck in Las Vegas and the I Love New York meet, Chicago Style, and I am sure there are more). One of our current elites told me she has competed in about 6 meets this season.
 
Speaking only from my very limited knowledge, I don't think elite gymnasts only compete at the two classics and VISAs. They also must qualify to the Classic so they usually compete at an elite qualifier meet. They may also compete at several qualifiers, either from necessity or just for the competition experience. Quite a few of the bigger meets have elite sessions (the Buckeye meet comes to mind, along with probably Lady Luck in Las Vegas and the I Love New York meet, Chicago Style, and I am sure there are more). One of our current elites told me she has competed in about 6 meets this season.

Okay here's another question from me with all the questions!

You mentioned "Chicago Style" but there are meets up here that claim to be Chicago-style meets and I've always wondered what that means!

:p<---- Me asking more silly questions
 
it's just the name of a meet. "chicago style". it's in chicago at navy pier. hence the name.:)
 
Gosh - with every reply to this thread and upon reading the thread entitled "How Many Elite Gymnasts Do We Have?" that was referred to - I have more questions myself!

What does "funded" and "unfunded" refer to?

The world of gymnastics is so interesting!

Thanks in advance for the answer(s)!
 
Gosh - with every reply to this thread and upon reading the thread entitled "How Many Elite Gymnasts Do We Have?" that was referred to - I have more questions myself!

What does "funded" and "unfunded" refer to?

The world of gymnastics is so interesting!


Thanks in advance for the answer(s)!

being on the USA National Team= funding
 

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