An Open YOG Development camp took place at the National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch February 10-14, 2016. The camp was organized for gymnasts born in the year 2003, which is the age for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games field in rhythmic gymnastics. The Youth Olympic Games features both Individual and Group All-Around competition. In the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in 2010, Polina Kozitskiy was an All-Around YOG Finalist and in 2014 Laura Zeng was the AA YOG Bronze medalist.
The camp began with a verification with judge evaluation. Objectives were to provide both technical and compositional feedback for the gymnasts’ competitive routines and to work on ballet and body difficulties, connections between elements, and the relationship between musical accents and movements in the artistic component and specific apparatus technique. Gymnasts were also introduced to group training and worked on synchronized movements, keeping formations, and simple Exchanges and Collaborations. The understood that importance of raising the level of each gymnast within the group for the optimal success of all. Gymnasts and coaches left with a lot of feedback from the staff for the next steps of preparation. Camp staff included US Group World Team coach, Margarita Mazmina, US Squad Coordinator, Lana Lashoff, and National Team Ballet instructor Sonya Yankova. The routine evaluation was overseen by Caroline Hunt together with Brevet judge Melissa Becker and the camp staff.
Camp participants include:
Helena Pavlovcic (California Rhythms)
Amy Shneyderman (Isadora)
Margarita Bragina (Integrity)
Nicole Herkenhoff (Integrity)
Lennox Hopkins. Wilkins (Evergreen)
Daria Gittsovich (Twin Cities)
Hayley Miller (Twin Cities)
Kate Danilov (North Shore)
Nika Kononov (North Shore)
Matylda Marszalek (North Shore)
Elena Fabian (San Diego Rhythms)
Michelle Itkin (San Diego Rhythms)
Emilia Montenegro (San Diego Rhythms)
Chloe Zhong (San Diego Rhythms)
Nerea Francis (Miami)
Sophia Hayoun (Miami)
Anastasia Lobanov (Miami)
Claudia Bottiglieri (M and N)
Linore Greenberg (M and N)
Ekaterina Rodova (M and N)
Victoria Urso (M and N)
Grace Kurtz-Nelson (Vitychenko Academy)
Emily Lin (Vitychenko Academy)
The next Development Camp (Elite Squad) takes place March 5-10 at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY.