Natasha Kelley Claims Junior All-Around at Visa Championships

US Junior Team Named

 A terrific contest saw Natasha Kelley of Brown’s Gymnastics win the junior all-around title today at the 2005 Visa Championships. Natasha’s role model is US Legend Mary Lou Retton who is a former US Clasic Senior Champion, and Natasha followed in her role model’s footsteps today to win the US Title.  After finishing 7th in the All Around last year, Natasha performed brilliantly maintaining her lead from Thursday’s preliminary event including a start value of 10.0 on beam to win All Around Gold. Bianca Flohr of FLYTZ finished second in an exciting closely fought  contest which saw the lead exchange several times between Bianca and Natasha.

This afternoon’s scores were combined with Thursday’s scores to determine individual national champions. The top 16 athletes were named to the junior national team.

Natasha hit a double-twisting Yurchenko in the first rotation on vault for 9.283 points and a score of 9.050 on uneven bars in the second rotation. Going into beam, she was in second place behind Bianca Flohr who was leading by less than two-tenths of a point. Natasha then hit an event-high of 9.533 on beam to seize the lead again. Kelley’s difficult beam routine was awarded a start value of 10.0 for the second day in a row, the only perfect start value of the event. With a slim lead going into the fourth rotation, Natasha aged 15, earned another event-high, 9.450, on floor to clinch the all-around title. “I try not to look at the scoreboard,” said Kelley, who missed the senior age cut off by just one day. “I knew it was neck and neck at the end.” She had also finished 8th in the Vault Finals at last month’s US Classic, and went on to win the Individual Titles in Beam and Floor at this year’s Visa Championships to round off a great performance.

Bianca Flohr, aged 14, remained in Silver medal position with 74.580 points, just over a tenth behind Natasha. Her high scores came on bars with a  9.400, and floor where she scored  9.416. She was sixth in the all-around at last month’s US Classic with a 4th place on floor and won Silver medals on Bars and Floor at the 2004 nationals. “I like competitions,” Flohr said. “It gets me excited when there is a big crowd, so I liked it.”

Shayla Worley of Orlando Metro Gymnastics, finished third with 73.515 points. Worley aged 14, climbed from fifth to third with the highest all-around score in Finals, and has a great record finishing second in the All Around at last year’s US Championships, second on beam and third on bars. Shayla also won Gold on beam and fourth in the All Around at this year’s US Classic.

Brittney Ranzy of Hill’s Gymnastics suffered a dislocated right elbow on her uneven bars dismount and scratched from the competition. She must have been so disappointed after working so hard to make Finals and we send Brittney our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Individual apparatus champions included Samantha Peszek, 13, of  Deveau’s on vault, Binca Flohr on bars, and Natasha Kelley on beam and floor.

US JUNIOR TEAM ANNOUNCED

In addition to Kelley, Flohr and Worley, the following athletes made the junior national team: Monica Shoji, Boston, Mass./Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, Shantessa Pama, Dana Point, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics, Morgan Evans, Norfolk, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics, Peszek, Ivana Hong, Laguna Hills, Calif./Great American Gymnastics Express, Cortni Beers, Tulsa, Okla./Krafft Academy, Shawn Johnson, Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics, Makayla Stambaugh, Sacramento, Calif./Byers, Sarah DeMeo, Overland Park, Kan./Great American Gymnastics Express, Amber Trani, Richlandtown, Pa./Parkettes, Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s, Randy Stageberg, Chesapeake, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics, Rebecca Bross, Ann Arbor, Mich./World Olympic Gymnastics.