USAs '09: The Disabled List

Samantha Shapiro

2009 was supposed to be first-year senior Shapiro’s coming out party, but June ankle surgery to remove a bone chipwill keep her from competing in Dallas. Shapiro still has dreams of a Worlds berth and will be in Texas training with the U.S. team. She hopes to be back on bars and beam in time for September’s first World Selection Camp. (See Larson entry above for more.)

“I still believe we’re in good shape, because I’m always positive,” said Marinova of her injured athletes’ chances. “They continue treatment: laser, acupuncture, swimming and we started working more in the gym. I mean, they were always in the gym, but more on the equipment.

“Both are almost in the same situation for recovery,” Marinova said, adding with a laugh, “I don’t believe in miracles, but they do happen.”

Corrie Lothrop

Olympic alternate Lothrop, featured in our July/August National Preview issue,<tore her Achilles tendon on July 21,after Inside went to press. Lothrop, who plans to attend Utah next year, underwent surgery on July 24 and posted this follow-up on her Twitter account https://twitter.com/corbear326<:“Surgery = SUCCESS!!! :),” Lothrop wrote. “Yay! Now someone please get me some food.”

SENIOR MEN

Sasha Artemev

Olympic medalist Artemev was planning to participate in Dallas but 2008 shoulder surgery, followed by a back fracture suffered in June, caused him to withdraw late last week.“I just had a long talk with my doctor and she said that it’s better for me not to compete with my back, so I’ve decided that was best for right now,” Artemev told Inside Friday afternoon.

“I’m starting to do routines on some events and some other events, I’m not, like floor and vault. I feel like I really need another month, month and a half, to get ready….I’m going to petition to the World team and see what happens,” Artemev added of his post-Championships plans. “If I don’t [make it,] I don’t, but it would be nice.”

Artemev, who plans to be in Dallas for Friday’s men’s finals and the ’08 Olympic team reunion Saturday night, says his focus is on 2012 and making a second Olympic team, no matter what happens with this year’s Worlds.

“For me, this year is more about getting healthy,” said Artemev. “I have to get prepared for the next three years, get my body to where I want it to be and get prepared to do new skills, new routines. Build up that endurance. My body is kind of changing a little bit. I’m getting older and I feel the creaks and pains of everything I do now. It’s harder for me than it was five years ago, you know? In one way I feel more experience, but on the other hand it’s a little bit harder in the sense that my body is getting older and I’m more injury prone.”

Sean Golden

Sean Golden's 2009 season is over before it even began. Sadly, Golden tore his Achilles August 5, putting him out of Championships contention and casting doubt on his future in the sport. “I was tumbling,” Golden told Inside of his injury. “We were doing an intrasquad. It happened on the take off for my first pass.

“You know, going into this I was in really good shape,” added Golden, the disappointment evident in his voice. “I mean, I had really high Start Values on floor and rings and my vault was getting consistent again. If I would have gone out and hit, I feel confident I would have been back in the top rankings. I was at a higher level than I was last year, as far as my Start Values, and that was motivating, coming back after a long year.”

Golden, who strongly considered retirement after not making the Beijing team, is unsure about his future in the sport—understandable so soon after a serious injury. “Despite this I think I showed myself that I still have some fight left in me,” the 26-year-old said. “I don’t have any answers for you, but I do know that I was a little back and forth after Olympic Trials and then I chose to fully dedicate everything back into the sport.

“I always said that I wouldn’t be happy until I reached my potential and I think I was better than I was last year,” Golden concluded. “So I’m happy with that, if nothing else.”

Golden underwent surgery to repair the tear on August 7 and hopes to be well enough to attend USAs as a spectator.

“I’ve heard the quicker the surgery, the quicker the healing process,” Golden said. “So I didn’t want to waste any time.”