2004 U.S. Gymnastics Championships - Women - Day 2 - Full Broadcast

this is what they all used to look like this is what they look like now along the way they've paid the price and now Athens is so close but it must be one step at a time to a national championship and Nashville with an Acropolis of its own who knows it could all turn out like 96 for the generation of amazing young women who watch that magnificent seven creating a dream that creates tonight we welcome you to the Gaylord Entertainment Center in the Music City of Nashville Tennessee this is the visa US gymnastics championships there is a gold a silver and a bronze medal to be won here and anytime that is the case it is something special but it also is in a bigger picture a major step toward making the Olympic team and going to Greece the leader after the first day is courtney kupets originally from Gaithersburg Maryland she brings an amazing comeback story here to Nashville at last year's World Championships in Anaheim California she blew out her Achilles tendon and that often ends careers but after successful surgery she is back with tremendous confidence and that Achilles has shown here and after all the training she's done that it can take a pounding al trout leg with Tim Daggett and Elfi Schlegel we will have a national champion here today truly is remarkable how impressive she has been since she walked into the arena day one at these championships she doesn't she's not just back out but she is looking better than ever after an injury like this there's no apprehension whatsoever she punches the ground she goes for those landings it's remarkable she's being forced to wait here at little extra time as the prior score was figured out and again for events going on simultaneously so here's some music and crowd reaction but like you said out this is a national championships but there's so much more at stake here many athletes say that the trials process even more devastatingly frightening than the Olympic Games themselves this is pressure time for every one of these young ladies and what Marta Karolyi loves so much about Courtney is the fact that she does handle pressure and she handles it very well like Tim said not only she backed with full force but she's back to challenge for another national title she has been without pain on that Achilles for two months now what I like about her work on balance beam as I said the other day is she works balance beam as if she's on the floor exercise she just is so aggressive moving from one element to the next she doesn't take to set up the big skills and this is a good event to get out of the way early in the competition here's our dismount stick it like that one like that's her coach kelly hill and she's got that magic touch she seems like she's got a gymnast in the national picture every year we'll get to her score now we go to the soap opera world of tasha Schweickart from las vegas nevada they say what happens there stays there what she was happening there and she couldn't stay there cuz she was too good so she traveled the world with the United States went to the World Championships last year and won herself a gold medal now she's sort of flexing her teenage wings a bit mom is frustrated coach is frustrated she didn't practice a lot boy in the first day of competition she are in her spot she surprised everybody probably herself and her coach Cassie rice this being the third full floor exercise routine she will perform since she's had all those injuries off to a great start oh boy small mistake they're supposed to do that in the totally stretch laid out position it actually was a downgrade chief took a full twist out for this competition and still comes away with a mistake little sassiness when the crowd really likes little step on the landing she looked pretty confident out there pretty confident but not as good as it was on day one I think she's tired sir coach Cassie rice public times Cassie had a throat sauce out of the gym didn't think she was focused they disagreed a lot yeah she's not happy with this one it could have been better and she knows it Courtney coupet score on the beam was a home run a 9.8 that's a huge number to start off the competition ramblas story at the top - the story of the bubble top 12 - the Olympic Trials when Tia Orlando finished day one she was in 13th place out of the picture Anya hatch the transplanted seven-time Cuban national champion has withdrawn meaning the Tia Orlando is now in 12th suddenly the Olympic Trials for her are the real deal the question is as she steps to the vault can she maintain that position and Donna Strauss her coach said we just need to get past the national championships I think she'd have an easier time at the Olympic Trials if she's there great vault and a great start for T Orlando the significance here Marta Karolyi has said that we could probably go with a couple of teams to have those and where he competitive she thought there were 20 athletes in the US who had a good shot there's a selection committee right there Marta Karolyi wrote Kreutzer in the athlete representative Larisa Fontaine but that's the lady right there she feels that this is the deepest team the US has ever had she thought that 20th letes would be vying for a potential Olympic spot only 12 get to go on from here plus petitions off that Tasha striker gets a nine point three five she's go to nine five in the first day of competition so that is downgraded a bit and now we're just getting started in this second day of competition but I have to tell you that nine eight from Cortney coupet wow what a start so we have stories of survival we have stories of potential championships when we come back Carly Patterson on the uneven bars Carly Patterson chalks up Tia Orlando by the way on her vault very consistent coaches like that a 9.4 exactly what she scored on the first day of competition and without question Carly Patterson is one of the darlings of the sport right now last year at this time of the national championships she was hurt did not compete courtney kupets went on and won her first national championship Carly's done an awful lot gone to the world championships and won a gold medal all-around silver medalist the national championship would would look pretty darn good heading to the Olympic Games at the United States as a team Tim Elfi going to that gym in Athens being as good as they are reigning gold medalist in the world and have two national champions on the team I think that would carry a lot of respect it would and she is certainly capable of doing that along with Courtney Coupet s'en you can't count on a gymnast like Courtney McCool struggled in day one with one serious fall on the uneven bars but this young lady she would love to add every athlete dreams of going to the Olympics they also want that USA national title she doesn't have one yet on the senior level and you know what's funny Tim she said that I've done so much already in my career I've competed in so many international events and she goes coming here my first senior nationals she missed last year because of an elbow injury she did struggle a little bit the first day of competition had error later in the routine on the uneven bars dealt with it like a champion though there is her release coming right here goes right to the low bar and this is where she had a small little hiccup and she deals with it today this is a good routine just the dismount baby we found ourselves a battle to Penson Carly Patterson yesterday she started slow and finished strong and today the strong started together it's her coach of getting Marchenko perhaps you were with us at Madison Square Garden for the Visa American Cup when Carly got all more events and the title in the memory of his mother who had died just days prior to the event vertical and this is her release element coming up right here and she transitions down to the low bar and right here was where she had problems day one she goes right past the handstand perfect the judges have put up a nine point five five for Carly Patterson on the uneven bars it's a big number for her actually Alan improvement overnight one and a very good score as you look at Courtney McCool originally from Blue Springs Missouri her first day ended in scary fashion when she totally lost her grip on the dismount off the uneven bars that's coming up later for her but it's going to be interesting to see what her state of mind is because she was very very upset when day one ended and she interestingly she said that the one thing about I need to work work at is my mental focus I I have trouble sometimes I have to put up the blinders and just focus on what I'm doing that's her first test and that was flawless guards today in eighth place absolutely couldn't see that athletes often say forget about that I can't change the past it's today I've got to perform in no problem big hugs big smiles a sigh of relief for Courtney McCool starting the day in eighth place but certainly not for you that in the world of USA Gymnastics as the 8th best American and she's made a major move to change that this is the 2004 visa United States gymnastics championships back in Nashville Tennessee at the 2004 Visa US national gymnastics championships and when we last left you Courtney McCool put up a nine point six on the floor it's still very tight not too much of a change in the top six although McCool moves up to six Tia Orlando who was on the bubble at 12 moves to 11th remember top 12 get invited Plus those who apply because of injury to the Olympic Trials the last weekend in June on the fall town terin Humphrey started her second day on floor exercise where she stepped out of bounds on her first pass and then recovered nicely and she's actually actually looked very good this entire Championships and on this event in particular she brings a lot to the table because she does one of the most difficult Falls being done today it's an upgrade for her really improved on it belt twisting you're chenko and remember teryn has world championship experience she was on the team last year that won the gold medal she's done and improve and get on that Olympic team that's great big big hot very hard to see from this handle at her feet went outside of the white line which would be another deduction this fault is out of a 9.8 that's the maximum start value let's see where her feet come down here that's critical are they inside or outside of that line I don't know why I wrench open to Ted what do you think I think it hit the chalk and terin Humphrey gets a nine point four to five on the vault to the beam underneath the American flag and Carly Patterson in second place after the first rotation and this is where she really got the job done yesterday a nine seven on the balance beam is a huge number got a lot of tests in this exercise the first one will come right off the top of the exercise she'll do what's called a standing Arabian jump in the air do a half turn followed by a front flip and somehow have to find four inches with no feet on him and she loses sight of the beam that's the most difficult part right here oh look ang nose toes man they were digging and grabbing and holding on Carly typically has such a lightness about her on balance beam she works it with such ease often we you know we look at her and think she's on the floor right much better connection today judges are looking for athletes to connect certain skills we've talked to most of the athletes here about this whole experience what it's like to compete getting ready being in an Olympic Trials just some little little balance break saying yeah and they all they all come to that p-word that pressure and you see their their eyes kind of roll back a little bit talk about pressure check out this dismount the most difficult one being done in the world today it's a super II element the toughest you can do Wow and she kind of needed that verbal every muscle in her body wanted her to take a step and she fought it off shoulders land hold like year but the coaching never stops and you know what guys it was sort of uncharacteristic throughout the routine those little wavers that she had but this this was just outstanding and kind of what she needed because she did open the door in a couple of small spots but look at push push hold on I think they gave it to her tada and sent once again you're in the minds of the judges they did given to her I think because her number was a nine point seven what do you think that's another great routine for Carly Patterson and like I said she think she needed that landing they gave her the stick it helped a lot now the leader and the most consistent gymnast we've seen here in Nashville Courtney Kerr pets and her first score was I mean that's in McCovey Cove folks Wow nine point eight and you know coming back from the injury usually the athlete is you know they're chopping at the bit as soon as they get the okay from the doctor they're in the gym doing as much as they can well her coach Kelly Hill said hey we got a little bit more time if they got to go ahead and she said we're going to just cool our jets a little bit we're going to take a little extra time to make sure the cheese on top and ready to deal with this it has paid off a little bit of a slip there well she's got a little bit extra narrative today for keel right on the line but you know what she had a great time out there what I loved about it she drew me into the routine you said how the pre ography very unique first to tumbling passes were perfect and then she actually held on on the third tumbling one could have been a disaster that horn signals the end of the second rotation so explosive and she had variety in her tumbling this is a very difficult tumbling pass it's a blind landing double Arabian look at the height and then look at that great air sense perfect nine four two five four courtney kupets I really will now so yeah we'd say so courtney kupets is all set to go she'll go right up against Courtney McCool and Carly Patterson as we continue in Nashville Tennessee back in Nashville after the second rotation we can tell you courtney kupets had a nine point four to five on the floor compared to a nine five that she had the first day so not that much of a difference she still maintains the lead over Carly Patterson and then after that it's very very close and it's really close at the 11 12 and 13th spot remember the top 12 gets the Olympic Trials in T Orlando's been in out in out so scary at the bubble scary at the top of the most amazing moment of the first day of competition on the uneven bars well first of all Allah have to say that this was totally uncharacteristic of Courtney I'm judging from all the practices we have watching she has been so consistent just an amazing talent I would have never guessed she would have made such a mental error night I have to say I think she just got a little ahead of herself wanted that dismount to come a little bit quicker now check out the reaction of Marta Karolyi she will actually get a sense that something is wrong before she sees it she will shake her head no and there she saw it so now here is Courtney McCool at the scene of the crime how crucial is the fact that she's got to hit this well that's very crucial and the last memory she has standing right there a few minutes later it wasn't good it's one of the worst things that can happen in gymnastics it's either a mental or a technical error I talked to her coach al Fong right before the competition asked him what went wrong did she rip off the bar he said no she just over tapped he said it's absolutely no problem she did it the next day we watched it do it she's totally confident it will not be a problem from his work from his mouth the team is called the gauge dragons and she's got to be a dragon right here not for the timid well of course before she gets to that dismount she's got a lot of work to do in between the bars and what you'll see from Courtney is just unbelievable form she never breaks never gives the judges any opportunity to take any tenths off beautiful release kill legs are pasted together look at the shoulder angles all the time very critical that when you show those hands in positions like right there that they're completely open but this is the dismount needs to generate speed but not too much cool that is very cool and she's feeling a whole lot better the whole team needed that one oh yeah now waiting patiently across the floor here at the Gaylord Center is courting through pets nine eight on the beam I'm four to five on the floor the lead is hers two events to go a second straight national championship with a torn Achilles tendon in between and she just has to do what she's been doing all week long well another great exercise can courtney kupets just the landing a little bit I agree but do you notice she's doing the corrections now okay yeah she definitely got got off the horse a little bit better on the floor Carly Patterson was waiting for courtney kupets who was waiting for Courtney McCool and I would say that with this exercise Carly Patterson can grab that lead for the first time at these Championships in day two she's only five one thousandth of a point behind at this point the first out of four down seeing a little bit more smiles Carly this tumbling pass can be a tricky one you Oh baby we may have just seen America's 1 to 3 win place and show and I'll tell you what it's so easy to see any one or all of them on a box of Wheaties Courtney McCool got a 9 5 to 5 on uneven bars courtney kupets put up a 9 for just as she did on the first day on the vault and Carly Patterson needs a 9.45 wants to take the lead and is this last rotation going to be great she will be your leader after this routine right here following the judges just got to make it official you know what was so remarkable is her tumbling it could not have been any better her landings were crisp they were clean here's her second tumbling pass double Arabian very tough to land a blind landing here BAM she was on throughout the entire routine and lots of smiles I loved to see that you know Afghani said the most difficult thing from here on in is pacing this kid just needs to keep her healthy keep pacing her till they get to happens that in the details it's all about the details if you wanna bring home the Olympic gold medal she said it seemed like it was so long ago get this nine-point eight is the score for Carly Patterson it puts her in the lead for what could be her first national championship it comes down to one last rotation between America's best to the uneven bars little moment to collect herself for Tasha Schweickart didn't love floor exercise felt a little bit better about her second event but she's back in the Olympic Trials mix I don't think there's any question about that is here yeah and she is the national champion on this event and who would have guessed that after watching what we did in practice but in first day of competition Wow just like that Oh she was way too close on the first release skill and what happens she doesn't have any ability to generate the speed that she needs to do that it's called a Pak Salto from the high bar to the low bar you got of course be close enough to catch the bar but you got to take the risk a little bit be far enough away so that you can swing out of it she sticks the landing she's a fighter so that's the first major mistake we've seen from Tasha have these championships and that's a tough break because this is traditionally a great event for her interesting so here is the first release skill and she is so close to the bar almost hits her face on when there's nowhere near enough swing to complete that next element an intense reaction from Marta Karolyi what happened there now Tasha's score on eight point seven to five she came in today and third place looked okay and now this is really going to hurt yesterday she said I like freaking people out today it's that was interesting so as we head to the final rotation a new name atop the leaderboard Carly Patterson will be on the vault Courtney coupet saw the bars Tasha Schweickart on the beam and a lot of attention on 11 12 13 and 14 top 12 to the Olympic Trials we go to the floor exercise and this is T Orlando we saw her a while ago we talked about how when Anya hatch pulled out of the competition to your Orlando moved to top 12 from 13th then she moved up then she moved out now she's right there and her coach Donna Strauss said if we can just get to you beyond the national championship she feels there's more pressure on her right here she is great on floor exercise very cool when you're looking at piecing the puzzle together for this American team TF is an athlete that could fill a void on to power events such as vault floor exercise but she clearly tells us any chances on training all four events I want to be strong and considered for everything risky laugh tumbling rock double front she's got some spring well she made a statement I want to go to Anaheim and she will but you know for a lot of athletes at these championships al the dream is ends here this is the deepest group that the USA has ever had they've spent their entire lives training for that moment just to go to the Olympic Games right here you see absolute positive emotion the dream coming true what a feeling but there is the other side and then there are those who dream of Championships that show down next Carly Patterson is in the lead for the first time in the competition courtney kupets is second and it comes down to the final event between these two the two best Americans in this sport and look at the day that Carly Patterson has had to put herself in that position and the vault that Carly is planning to perform here we have to remember there are stark values assigned to these vultures it's a year tangle with a one and a half twist the maximum value nine seven her coach Jeff Kinney Marchenko said she can do a double fall she could have done it here but we stuck with the plan big step and out yeah that certainly Carly Patterson is gonna move on to the final Olympic Trials with that opens that opens the door because Courtney poopet she's a world champion on the uneven bars that will be her last event this is going to be tight again when you're doing a vault with the start value of a nine point seven as difficult as this is to land you need to do everything in your power to stick that landing that's a big step big step forward and a big step off to the side right she's okay but then the foot is out and that is a no-no yesterday at nine three now in nine point two five for Carly Patterson fascinating at some point Patterson and her pets will be teammates pulling hard as they can for each other but right now the game is on meanwhile Tasha Schweickart is about to mount the balance beam she's trying to forget what happened on the uneven bars when she fell off and put up an eight point seven to five now all over the room here in Nashville there have been big scores posted but some of the key players are falling out it's tough to figure she just needs to score well it's not the time for Tasha to be tentative she has to go for everything she's got because it's not a highly difficult routine the start values only nine-point eight she has to do everything just moments will answer the big question can courtney kupets walk through that door opened by Carly Patterson well a lot going on at these championships you know obviously you got to be in the top 12 to move on to the Olympic Trials but you also got to impress the selection committee most notably Marta Karolyi a little bit careful I like she's being very very cautious really taking her time just the dismount left there were some visible shakes but she's managed to find a way to stay on the beam but don't you think Marta's got a look at Tasha and say okay she hasn't been in the gym much if we select her and we give her the gym time what could she look like well when it comes down to is first of all for her to be selected she has to finish in the top 12 that routine is going to be good enough for her to do that I would say and then she's got another opportunity come the Olympic Trials two different meets to walk out there I don't think that she sold her case at this point I don't think that she proved to Marta Karolyi that she should go to her second Olympic Games and now the big moment to determine the national champion is it a repeat or is it a first timer and this is amazing courtney kupets needs a nine point six one to take the lead from Carly Patterson ell I think she could do it no problem I think she can score much higher than that the team is valued out of a ten point oh you ask Courtney what event would she prefer to end on in a pressure situation I'm sure she would say bars right but what store did she get day one nine point six she is so driven at this point to flips one twist in a stick and I think she's a repeat champion yep it's gonna be close very very karley just waiting nothing else to do hey let's step out of bounds on the vault gave competi the chance sasha striker got a 905 and her beam on to see what that does to her remember courtney kupets needed a nine point six one two take away the championship the only thing she could have done better gymnastics 101 in this situation is put her feet down and don't move them beautiful exercise certainly has all the difficulty as Elfi said starts out of a ten point oh just the small little hop on the landing but this young lady has nothing to feel bad about just getting to these trials in this position tremendous after that very serious injury an injury that has taken many athletes totally out of the running was a member of that 2003 Gold team that won the gold medal but was not there we're moments away carly looks I don't know nonplussed I think she's looking back checking out the scores now this is so appropriate what a comeback for this young lady right here fit and on unbelievable nine the gun did I they tied but it doesn't look like Carly Patterson knows it yet Courtney's rooting for what's still coming up and and Carly's they don't know they'll Carly's still thinking about vault she still think I think she thinks that she dropped the ball on vault right now what's up on the scoreboard but it is a truth okay reality hits well I tell you big picture on this thing for those two young ladies to have just tied for Carly Patterson silver medalist at the last World Championships in the all-around and this young lady right here after coming back from that injury this boat so well forty USA the depth amazing and this is sending a very big message overseas if you think there are people that are tuning in and are very interested in these scores think again so these are the twelve names that will go to the Olympic Trials we'll have coverage here on NBC the last weekend in June plus those who apply like Chellsie Memmel and Hollie vise Mohini bhardwaj right on the bubble there at 12 but the two best clearly are with Andrea Joyce well they look very calm and composed right now but that was not the case even just 30 seconds ago the two of these young women giggling and laughing with each other Carly I have to ask you after your vault in that last rotation it looked to me like the look on your face was oh I think this is done what was going through your mind yeah I definitely didn't do the best vault that I wanted and I was just thinking you know I've probably lost them very gonna be a second and you knew how close it was and how about you Courtney you get up there on the bars you had told us before this competition started it is not my goal to defend the title but how much was your thinking changing knowing how close it was oh well you know getting on the bars you see it's just routine but I was like I was like calm down now it's just routine you know so I was there's felt like a little pressure on there so everything that you have been through with the injury the surgery the rehab what does it mean to you to be able to come out here and compete like this it feels awesome I mean just like a month ago I wasn't up to this level yet so just to be here and tied with Carly it's just great I love it well we could have said how about a shootout one more fall to decide it but it will be a tie the fourth time keeping the records in 1963 the US Olympic gymnastics trials are next our coverage begins Saturday June 26th for now it's back to the gym yeah well you

Channel: USA Gymnastics

Views: 71,229

Rating: 4.7938147 out of 5

Keywords: gymnastics

Id: fQRYgV2W8r4

Length: 49min 4sec (2944 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2013