Led by Olympic team gold medalist Kyla Ross, 14 U.S. women head to the Jesolo (Italy) Trophy competition this weekend. Competition begins Saturday with the junior women’s team and all-around competition (5:30 a.m. ET), followed by the senior women’s team and all-around finals (11 a.m. ET). The event wraps up with junior and senior event finals on Sunday at 6 a.m. ET. The Italian Gymnastics Federation will be streaming competition live on their YouTube channel Saturday at 11 a.m. ET (senior team and all-around) and Sunday at 6 a.m. ET (event finals).
Fast Facts
Gym club: WOGA
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Twitter: @AlyBaumann1
A first-year senior, Jesolo will be Alyssa’s first international assignment. Last season, Alyssa made the U.S. Junior National Team at P&G Gymnastics Championships, where she placed seventh in the all-around. She had two top eight event finishes – floor, fifth (tie), and balance beam, seventh – in Hartford. At the January national team camp, Alyssa showed upgrades on the uneven bars, including a toe-on full pirouette, toe-on Shaposhnikova to Pak salto combination.
Fast Facts
Gym club: Great American Gymnastics Express
Hometown: Lenexa, Kan.
Twitter: @maddie_desch16
Maddie competed at the 2012 Jesolo Trophy where she helped Team USA win the gold medal. Later that year, she finished second in the junior all-around division at the P&G Gymnastics Championships. She also grabbed the balance beam national title, tumbling an incredible two back handsprings to a layout full. This year’s Jesolo will be her first international competition as a senior.
Fast Facts
Gym club: Texas Dreams
Hometown: Coppell, Texas
Twitter: @PeytonErnst
Peyton finished fourth in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam at the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships. This will be her second trip to Jesolo, where she finished fourth in the all-around in 2013. Last year, Peyton showed intricate combination work on the uneven bars and performed a Pak salto, stalder full pirouette to toe-on Shaposhnikova in sequence.
Fast Facts
Gym club: Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance
Hometown: Urbandale, Iowa
Twitter: @rachelgowey10
Rachel makes her senior international debut in Italy. In 2012, Rachel won the balance beam title at the Women’s Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships, as well as finishing second in the all-around in the Junior B division. Keep an eye out for her on the beam, where she scored a 14.400 at the Parkettes National Qualifier with a beautiful back handspring to two layout stepouts.
Fast facts
Gym club: WOGA
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Twitter: @MadisonKocian
Madison had the second best scores on the uneven bars and balance beam on the first night of competition at the 2013 P&G Gymnastics Championships before she rolled an ankle on the floor exercise. Now, she’s back and heading to her second Jesolo competition,; shecompeted in 2011 as a junior. At the January camp, she showed full tumbling and new combinations on the uneven bars.
Fast Facts
Gym club: Twin City Twisters
Hometown: Little Canada, Minn.
Twitter: @MagsGotSwag12
The Jesolo Trophy competition will be Maggie’s fourth international assignment since being added to the national team in March 2013. She finished sixth in the all-around last year in Italy and fifth at the P&G Championships. She was also fifth on the balance beam at last year’s nationals and sixth on the uneven bars. At the May 2013 women’s national team camp, she showed an impressive Pak salto to toe-on Shaposhnikova half sequence.
Fast facts
Gym club: Gym-Max
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Twitter: @Kyla_Ross96
A 2012 Olympic team gold medalist, Kyla returns to competition for the first time since winning three silver medals (all-around, uneven bars and balance beam) at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Kyla has competed at the Jesolo event four times, and helped the U.S. team to a victory in all four appearances. Look for her trademark clean lines and artistry in her first competition since missing the AT&T American Cup with a slight back injury.
Fast facts
Gym club: Desert Lights
Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz.
Twitter: @mykayla2016
MyKayla competed in the 2012 Jesolo competition, finishing fourth on the floor exercise and fifth on the vault. She is a powerhouse gymnast, who tumbles an incredible laidout, double-twisting double back mount. At last year’s P&G Championships, she electrified the crowd with her sky tumbling and impressive double-double third pass. She is a two-time U.S. vault bronze medalist and has competed the Cheng (Yurchenko half-on, front one-and-a-half off).