INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — It's day 2 of practice in Indianapolis for the first national team training camp of 2020.
While camp officially ends Thursday, media access ended Tuesday after the morning session. Tuesday morning was vault verification, meaning it's closer to a meet situation and the national team staff judged vaults for those who showed.
It looked to be a pretty laid back process. I would estimate around half the gymnasts actually showed vaults for verification. It didn't appear Simone Biles formally verified, but to no one's surprise, her Amanar vault is still gigantic. Any remnants of an ankle injury were not present there.
The other other Amanars I saw were from Shilese Jones, who landed on a soft surface in the pit, and MyKayla Skinner, who sat one down on competition surface. Skinner did show a few solid double-twisting Yurchenkos.
Speaking of Shilese Jones, I was very impressed with her. She looks extremely fit and seemed to quietly get a lot of good work in. Her bars were especially impressive, getting huge amplitude in her releases.
Jade Carey showed two vaults: the Cheng and the double-twisting Yurchenko. Both looked secure and competition-ready. She should be set for the Melbourne World Cup next month.
As for Jordan Chiles, who could potentially play into Olympic selection specifically for her vault strength, there are still questions. I only saw her do basic vaults (Yurchenko layouts) onto a soft surface.
Morgan Hurd, who is preparing for the American in March, looked very solid on beam. It's a composition she's comfortable with, and she was also working an upgraded full-in dismount.
Bars looked to be a little shakier for her, but nothing concerning for this point in the year. Especially for a gymnast who — for the most part — has a knack for hitting when it counts.
Riley McCusker looked strong on beam, but struggled with some of her release moves on bars. I saw mostly dance work from her on floor, but she appeared to struggle with her vaults onto a soft surface. Not too surprising as she's coming off a serious leg injury.
Her teammate, Olivia Greaves showed a beautiful bar routine near the end of the rotation. Earlier this week Greaves said she doesn't necessarily expect to make the Olympic team, but will keep working hard because anything is possible. Her bar routine would be a beauty in the bar lineup.
As was the case Monday, plenty of questions still remain for Laurie Hernandez. I would say she showed the most gymnastics on beam, but outside that is still a mystery.
She did show a dance through on floor with her new choreography. Skills are still a question, but whenever she gets the chance to perform it in front of a crowd, it's sure to be a fan-favorite.
Floor verification is Tuesday evening, followed by two more sessions Wednesday: bars verification in the morning session and beam verification in the evening session.
To read Sunday's blog (where we hear from Tom about culture changes), click here. For Monday's blog (about the first day of training at camp), click here.