Inspirit gymnastics1/5/2024 ![]() Yet their appearance has provided another jolt to a level of the sport in the midst of a boom. Trying to compete at both the elite and college levels at the same time is incredibly demanding, meaning this trip to nationals may be their only one. Lee’s immediate future remains a bit up in the air - Graba said he will sit down with his star after NCAAs to discuss her options - but Lee has not been shy about saying she would like to be in Paris in 2024. Both Chiles and Carey are participating in a U.S. “I was really excited, like I made the Olympics all over again,” Chiles said.Īnd a return trip to their sport’s biggest stage remains the goal for Chiles, Lee and Carey. ![]() Judges have awarded a staggering 69 perfect 10s this season, including a weekend when all four of the 2020 Olympians saw the iconic number flash across the scoreboard for them at least once. “And so that was definitely really cool for me and like something that I kind of got to switch over and be like, ‘OK, I want everything to be literally perfect,’ right?”Īn option that doesn’t exist at elite. “I kind of like the aspect of like trying to do things like as good as possible because you were going for that 10,” Thomas said. A former and maybe future elite - she said “nothing is set in stone” after this weekend - Thomas has been where the Lee and company are now, trying to figure out a way to recalibrate her skillset and her mindset. This week, the reality is she’s not the prohibitive favorite to win the NCAA crown.įlorida senior Trinity Thomas put together 18 routines this year the judges scored a 10.0, the most in the country. Yet the distinction might get lost in translation.Įight months ago, Lee stunned the world - perhaps herself most of all - when she became the fifth straight American woman to claim the Olympic title. Yes, the level of gymnastics might not be what you see at the Olympics, but if you held the Olympics every week for 13 straight weeks, they might look an awful lot like what will be showcased inside Dickie’s Arena this weekend. It’s one of the reasons collegiate gymnastics puts a premium on precision. The collegiate season spans a fraction of that while asking gymnasts to pull on their leotard and salute the judges far more frequently. The elite calendar is geared toward making sure athletes peak a handful of times a year. ![]() I was like, ‘Whoa, like this is a lot of competing.’” “But I would say, like the middle of the season. “We’re not training as much, so I’m not super tired,” Carey said. All of which can require an adjustment period.Ĭarey, who won gold on floor exercise in Tokyo, acknowledges going from 30-plus hours in the gym while training for the Olympics to the NCAA-mandated 20-hour limit with the Beavers - not to mention cramming a dozen-plus meets into three months - took some getting used to. Yet Graba is quick to point out that Olympic gymnastics and NCAA gymnastics are the same sport in spirit, but not necessarily in practice. “I think Suni has it maybe more than most just because the all-around gold medalist always has a little bit of an extra burden on them.” “I think all the Olympians have that burden,” Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. ![]() Still, Lee and fellow Olympians Jade Carey (Oregon State), Grace McCallum (Utah) and Jordan Chiles (UCLA) will take the floor on Thursday with something the rest of the field does not: the weight of outsized expectations, the kind that comes with the territory after you’ve stood on an Olympic podium with the flag of your country being raised to the rafters.
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