HUNTSVILLE, Texas, Dec. 5, 2016 – The November women’s national team camp concluded Sunday at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, an official U.S. Olympic Training Site. The camp was the final camp of 2016, a year in which Team USA took home a historic nine-medal haul at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, including the team gold medal. Olympic champion Valeri Liukin, who was named USA Gymnastics’ women’s national team coordinator in September, led the camp.
“The camp was very successful,” said Liukin. “As we head into 2017, we are starting to see which athletes will emerge to lead the U.S. team in a new Olympic cycle. It’s an exciting time.”
The camp began with physical abilities testing, where Gabby Perea of Geneva, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics, took top honors, followed by Alyona Shchennikova of Evergreen, Colo./5280 Gymnastics, and Emily Schild of Huntersville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics.
At the camp, Rhonda Faehn, senior vice president of women’s program, honored and thanked the coaches and national staff for their service to USA Gymnastics in 2016.
The focus of the camp was to provide guidance for proper execution and finalize routine composition for the first half of the 2017 competitive season. The U.S. women are expected to participate in the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series, including the AT&T American Cup, scheduled for March 4 in Newark, N.J., as well as the Jesolo (Italy) Trophy in late March. Finally, four junior athletes will represent Team USA at the International Gymnix in early March.