The Last American Cup Spot Goes To...

The final spot up for grabs for this weekend American Cup has been announced and USA Gymnastics confirms that the spot will be filled by (drum roll please)....



Well, it's a two-fer, first year seniors Simone Biles and Katelyn Ohashi will be competing in their first American Cup this weekend. Simone and Katelyn are replacing London Alternate, Ebee Price and Fierce Five team member, Kyla Ross who are both out with injuries.

Simone, from Columbus Ohio, trains at Bannon's Gym. She's known for her vaulting ability. Simone is a junior national champion on vault, and is performing the now ubiquitous Amanar. She's also known for strong tumbling ability on the floor exercise. Watch the video I posted of her on the floor, she is incredibly powerful, but also very light on her feet.  At last year's Junior Visa National Championships, Simone took home the bronze in the all-around.

While Simone is known as a power Gymnast, Seattle Washington's Katelyn is known as a strong artistic gymnast. She is strong on bars, beam and floor and has been known for displaying exceptional artistry and perfect execution. She's a 3 time junior national champion on the bars and a national champion on beam and floor. She trains at Valeri Liukin's champion factory WOGA in Plano, Texas, so her strong artistic abilities come as no surprise. Katelyn was a member of the 2012 Pacific Rim Championship team that brought home a gold medal. Katelyn cleaned up with gold medals for the junior all-around, the uneven bars, balance beam and the floor exercise.

One of the two of these up and comers will take home the top prize, since 9.99 times out of 10, the American Cup Championship is won by an American. Both girls are strong gymnasts and have different skills that will help them contribute to the team in future competitions. Should be an excellent competition!

To cure your anticipation, check out these performances by Katelyn and Simone: