Strong showing at U.S. Classic next step toward 2020
By Paul Danzer, Columbian
Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter
Published: June 13, 2016, 11:17pm
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After a victory in the vault and a fourth-place all-around result at the Secret U.S. Classic, Jordan Chiles returned to Naydenov Gymnastics in Vancouver determined to sharpen little parts of some big skills in advance of the national championships.
“I felt very good about it,” Chiles said of her June 4 performance in the junior women’s competition in a meet at Hartford, Conn.
This was the fourth time Chiles, who is completing her freshman year at Prairie High School, competed in the U.S. Classic. In 2014 she was the junior women’s all-around champion at that meet.
Next up are the P&G Championships, the USA Gymnastics national championship event that takes place June 24-26 in St. Louis. Because she will not turn 16 until next April, Chiles is not eligible for these Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But success in these junior national events helps solidify her place among the gymnasts who will try to qualify for the 2020 Games.
Chiles vaulted into the early lead in the junior competition at the Secret Classic, winning the vault with a 2 1/2 -twist Amanar vault that scored 15.65. She followed with a sixth-place score on the uneven parallel bars, but a slip as she was dismounting the balance beam and an out-of-bounds infraction on floor exercise prevented a top-three finish.
“Fourth in the country is a good result,” Chiles’ coach Erika Bakacs said. “We have room to peak, which is good.”
Bakacs noted that Chiles performs three challenging release moves on the bars, more difficulty than most junior gymnasts have in their routines.
On the balance beam, a slight slip as Chiles approached her dismount led to an over-correction on the landing. The floor exercise error was a result of Chiles explosiveness at the end of a new skill.
“Her double-layout was huge and gorgeous, but she stepped a little out of bounds there,” Bakacs explained.
The coach pointed to the improvement Chiles showed in the spring between meets in Montreal and Italy as evidence of how the young gymnast responds when improvement is needed. Bakacs said the focus in the lead-up to the P&G Championships will focus on fine-tuning.
“We want to train well, but be sure to maintain her physical health and keep her mentally fresh and confident,” Bakacs said.
As she looks ahead to her fourth trip to the national championship meet, Chiles said she doesn’t need to do anything out of the ordinary to succeed in St. Louis.
“I’m looking forward to just being nice and calm and having fun with all my friends,” she said.
For the senior women, the P&G Championships are the final tune-up before the Olympic Trials. Chiles said she feels honored to be able to train alongside this year’s Olympic hopefuls and blessed to have the opportunity to learn from watching her senior teammates deal with the pressures of Olympic expectations.
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