WAG YouTube / Instagram stars

[reluctant]

Someone brought up YouTube and Instagram stars in a previous post which begs the questions. Are there any people out there who are serious about their self-promotion that actually have a chance at being on the national team? I am thinking of Whitney Bjerken types.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Someone brought up YouTube and Instagram stars in a previous post which begs the questions. Are there any people out there who are serious about their self-promotion that actually have a chance at being on the national team? I am thinking of Whitney Bjerken types.

Sydney Morris

 

[kiwi2406]

Yes agreed, Sydney Morris is really good, and has become especially skilled after her move to First State, be mindful a lot of the time the talented 7 and 8 year-olds on Instagram and YouTube are unfortunately not paced correctly and end up getting injured or burn out, because to them it can often be all about 'go, go, go' and getting a double back at the age of eight instead of thinking long term.

 

[Jamie1999]

I think that Whitney Bjerken is the most popular. She is very clean and has loads of potential on beam but is not there with difficulty on the other events because of being out for a year due to elbow issues. It's hard to say about her right now but depending on how lucky she is injury and mental block-wise, I still think she could just make elite, in the later qualifiers of 2019. National team would be a stretch though.

I don't know about Sydney Morris as much but she has at least made elite, so that's quite the accomplishment already. But if you objectively compare her championships results last year with those the same age as her in the same competition, it honestly wasn't that impressive. There are tons of kids out there who aren't as popular that I would see on the national team before.

I think they are the two most popular YouTube gymnasts with a chance at/doing elite. Instagram is a whole other story though. Sooo many instagymmies out there who have their Olympic careers all planned out. It's insane and I take it all with a grain of salt.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Maddie Larson is another one who has loads of potential but has been injured the last two years. She moved to Texas dreams last year so fingers crossed for her to come back stronger than ever!

 

[raenndrops]

I like Sage Thompson.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

I like Sage Thompson.

I hadn't heard of her. Is she committed anywhere?

 

[Flicfliclay]

While we may just be thinking about youtube or instagram stars in this particular thread, don't forget the number of girls that are out there that are not posting on social media.I know of several that are not out there in your face that are really very talented. Some of those gyms decline DIC camps. I would say for every Youtube or Insta star there are 3-4 girls that are not known that could move on in any moment, once their gyms are ready to put them out there.

 

[phenom_dad]

I hadn't heard of her. Is she committed anywhere?

Cal I believe

 

[Jenny]

Maddie Larson is another one who has loads of potential but has been injured the last two years. She moved to Texas dreams last year so fingers crossed for her to come back stronger than ever!

I wouldn't hold your breath!

 

[duyetanh]

I hadn't heard of her. Is she committed anywhere?

She and jade Carey are my daughters absolute fave, for very special reasons. And yes, she committed to UC Berkeley

 

[Jenny]

I hadn't heard of her. Is she committed anywhere?

https://www.youtube.com/user/supergymnastsage/featured

Sage is lovely. She's a triplet!

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

I wouldn't hold your breath!

That's kind of rude to say....

 

[raenndrops]

She and jade Carey are my daughters absolute fave, for very special reasons. And yes, she committed to UC Berkeley

I have been following Sage since she was 7, lol.

 

[Jenny]

That's kind of rude to say....

Why? They don't have a good reputation of getting injured girls up and running again do they. In fact really hard to do that for any club. She is up against it. Therefore I wouldn't hold your breath. Not rude at all. Just born from long experience.

 

[skschlag]

Why? They don't have a good reputation of getting injured girls up and running again do they. In fact really hard to do that for any club. She is up against it. Therefore I wouldn't hold your breath. Not rude at all. Just born from long experience.

She does have a long road. She has another surgery to get through as well, not an easy feat. She seems to have the right attitude, but only time will tell.

 

[LJL07]

Sydney Morris is great! We love watching her. It’s a shame Whitney Bjerken and Maddie Larson have been plagued with injuries, but national team seems like a long shot as a result. The 8 year old in Georgia with 200K followers drives me nuts. She would be a lovely rhythmic gymnast with her flexibility, but otherwise just not very impressive particularly on bars. I’m not being very nice, but I just don’t get it. That’s more followers than the college gymnasts. I’ve wondered if these families somehow can make money off of their instagrams like with the YouTube channels.

 

[rjb123]

I think that these families are making money- that is why they push for followers, right? I mean, why else would you put your kid out there like that- especially at such young ages? Surely it is not for the self esteem boost! LOL!

 

[2G1B]

Sydney Morris is great! We love watching her. It’s a shame Whitney Bjerken and Maddie Larson have been plagued with injuries, but national team seems like a long shot as a result. The 8 year old in Georgia with 200K followers drives me nuts. She would be a lovely rhythmic gymnast with her flexibility, but otherwise just not very impressive particularly on bars. I’m not being very nice, but I just don’t get it. That’s more followers than the college gymnasts. I’ve wondered if these families somehow can make money off of their instagrams like with the YouTube channels.

I don't keep up with these kids. Which kid in GA and which gym?

 

[Flippin'A]

I remember when the Salcianus posted videos of Maile O'Keefe when she was nine or so. There was a ripple of people calling her a future Olympian and all that and I got so excited when I saw that she won p&gs 5 years later. That's the only time I can remember one of the youtube famous gymnasts getting on the national team. Ninety nine percent of the talented little ones on social media won't make it to elite, just like the general population of club gymnasts. I do have to wonder about the kids who have injuries or blocks. There's enough pressure in the gymnastics world not to disappoint parents/coaches/teammates without worrying about thousands of followers being sad if you decide to quit.