It's About Time...

Jonathan Horton, Tim McNeill, and Wes Haagensen go 1-2-3 at the U.S. Championships

After years of coulda’, shoulda’ and woulda’ —he was so close to the title, so many times—Jonathan Horton is finally, officially, the USA’s top-ranked gymnast. “It feels pretty incredible,” an elated, yet relaxed Horton said following the competition.

Horton had only been in the gym three solid weeks prior to this event after a whirlwind year that included winning two Olympic medals, criss-crossing the country on a national tour, graduating from college, getting married (June 20^th), purchasing and moving into a new home in a new city which included a gym change and coaching change. WHEW!

“Seriously, I thought I was going to look like a piece of junk at this competition,” the new National Champ said with a laugh. “I thought people were going to be going, ‘There’s Jonathan Horton, the one Olympic wonder.’”

But with his top-notch skills, competitive mindset and world-class experience, Horton worked his way to that first National title. And less than an hour into his victory, Horton was already setting new goals and looking to the future. “In my head this is the beginning,” he pronounced after receiving his all-around gold medal. “I want to see if I can follow in the footsteps of guys like Blaine Wilson and John Roethlisberger, win five in a row. That’s not just something I’m saying. That’s something I expect myself to do. I expect myself to be the leader of this U.S. team for a long time.

“I know when I say stuff like that I can come off like I’m cocky or something,” added Horton quickly, “but that’s not what I mean by it. I have high expectations of myself and I enjoy people depending on me. I want to be able to depend on myself.”

And Horton wasn’t the only one holding his head high. Cal grad Tim McNeill, who has, for years, been a little-known member of the National Team, showed he’s made of stronger stuff with his silver-medal performance in Dallas.

“This meet was exhilarating for me,” said the soft-spoken McNeill. “I wasn’t surprised by my all-around ranking. Not at all. I’ve always known I had this ability, I just had to show it.”

And McNeill plans to be showing it for a long while yet.

McNeill, who calls himself a “full time gymnast,” says he never considered retiring after graduating from college. “Now, the only question is, do I go until 2016?” he stated emphatically.

Then there’s third-place Wes Haagensen, who struggled with his future in the sport for years. Calling himself “badly beat up” by NCAA competition at Illinois, Haagensen, a former Junior National Team member, never quite made the senior squad cut.

But about six months ago Haagensen rededicated himself to the sport, moving from Illinois to the U.S. Olympic Training Center, something he now calls, “the best decision of my life.

“I didn’t know what to expect from the results,” said Haagensen of how he felt before this year’s USAs. “For the past two to three months I had been visualizing myself doing this well, or even better, but I was surprised to be ranked this high.”

A nice surprise of course. And the kind Horton would like to spring on the world come October in London.

“I think, nine weeks from now, you’re going to see a completely different gymnast,” stated Horton simply. “I’m so mad about pommel horse but, seriously, I haven’t hit one pommel horse routine since the Olympic Games. Not one. Tonight, after horse, I looked up in the stands and [my wife,] Haley, was just laughing at me like, ‘Way to finish Jon.’ She thought it was hysterical.

“I expect myself, nine weeks from now, in London to put together a great [pommel horse routine] and push for a medal at World Championships in the all-around,” Horton said.

At those World Championships, Horton said he is also looking forward to the opportunity to lead the U.S. charge: “I like the idea of people depending on me…I enjoy that idea that people are looking at me as the leader of the team. I think it’s the role that I’ve wanted my whole career.”

Photo by Grace Chiu

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