Kelley, Flohr Lead Junior All-Around at Visa Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 11, 2005 – Natasha Kelley of Katy, Texas/Brown’s Gymnastics and Bianca Flohr of Creston, Ohio/FLYTZ Gymnastics, lead the junior women’s all-around after the first day of competition at the 2005 Visa Championships at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Today’s scores count 50 percent toward the total all-around and event scores used to determine individual national champions and the National Team….

August 11, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 11, 2005 – Natasha Kelley of Katy, Texas/Brown’s Gymnastics and Bianca Flohr of Creston, Ohio/FLYTZ Gymnastics, lead the junior women’s all-around after the first day of competition at the 2005 Visa Championships at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

Today’s scores count 50 percent toward the total all-around and event scores used to determine individual national champions and the National Team.

Kelley had the highest scores of the day on floor, 9.333 and beam, 9.583, where she performed the only routine credited with a 10.0 start value in the entire competition. Kelley, who finished seventh last year, completed a comeback from a hand injury that prevented her from competing all-around at the 2005 U.S. Classic. She leads Flohr by two-tenths of a point, 37.365 – 37.165.

“I got out of [my cast] and I just trained really hard, got everything back and just pushed through it,” Kelley said. “It’s actually my first time to compete all four events since then. I felt really confident and I was well prepared.”

Flohr, in second, had the day’s highest score on uneven bars, 9.316. For the past two nationals, Flohr has been the runner-up on uneven bars and finished sixth all-around. She had identical results on those events at the 2004 U.S. Classic

“I was most excited about my vault, my one and a half Yurchenko,” Flohr said. “I have never competed it before, I was happy I did that.”

Monica Shoji of Boston, Mass./Cincinnati Gymnastics, is currently third with 36.648 points.

“My vault wasn’t what I wanted it to be,” Shoji said. “Overall I felt very good about the way things went.”

Hometown athlete Samantha Peszek of McCordsville, Ind./DeVeau’s Gymnastics is fourth with 36.332 points. Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s Gymnastics, is 17th with 34.032 points, and Elizabeth McNabb of Fortville, Ind./DeVeau’s Gymnastics is 22nd with 33.382 points.

The Visa Championships include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics. Artistic gymnastics is contested at Conseco Fieldhouse, with rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics staged at the Indiana Convention Center.

Tickets for the 2005 Visa Championships may be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, over the phone at 317-239-5151 or at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.