John's Take: The Tyson American Cup

March 15, 2010

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American Cup Champ Rebecca Bross will be featured on the March/April issue of Inside Gymnastics! Plus, subscribe for 3 years and receive a free poster of Olympic Champ Nastia Liukin! Renew or Subscribe Today!

Inside Gymnastics columnist John Roethlisberger, a two-time American Cup Champ and three-time Olympian, gives his take on the recent Tyson American Cup.

What seems to have become a trend at recent American Cup competitions stayed true to form at the 2010 event in Worcester, MA. The U.S. women dominated against, shall we say, a lack luster international field, and the U.S. men had a strong showing against a very respectable men’s group.

Regardless of who they competed against, Rebecca Bross and Alexandra Raisman looked very good. Bross probably would have won the meet against anyone that was put up against her. I think it’s safe to say that the only gymnast that could’ve beaten her would have had to come from the United States, and even then they may have come up short. In reference to this being the biggest win of her career, I would put the accomplishment right behind the last time she won an intra-squad at the Ranch. And that’s no slight to Raisman - she was really great. However…if the rest of the international field went up against the best NCAA team, they probably would’ve been beaten. In third place, Jessica Lopez, was a mere 4 points out and she had basically a perfect meet.

Bross isn’t blessed with the natural ability of some of her predecessors, but she absolutely makes that up in will and determination. Everyone I watch Bross in training, she is all business. She approaches the sport with the attitude that, if it comes down to who works harder, I’m gonna wipe the floor with you. Not only as a gymnastics fan, but a fan of sports in general, she’s the kind of athlete that you just can’t help but cheer for.

And even though the field was not strong, there was a different kind of pressure on Bross. The last time we saw her, she had let the World All-around title slip through her fingers. She handled it like a pro. I think she’ll continue to tweak and refine her routines like she has the last couple of years and I think she’s going to be tough to beat.

Raisman was a bit of a surprise to most to be in this meet, but when Hong went down with a knee injury, Raisman stepped up on little notice and delivered. To be on live TV at the American Cup for the first time in the spotlight - regardless of who you’re competing against – can be a pressure-packed situation (not to mention the homefield crowd). And she looked like it was just another day at the office. She’s spectacular on floor and vault and if paired with another American who is great on beam and bars, they can combine to become a great all-arounder which could make her a factor in upcoming team selections. She’s also strong on beam and continues to make great strides there… The comparisons to Sacramone can be overdone, but there are quite a few similarities between the gym teammates…

The competition on the men’s side was much more tightly contested. Prior to the competition it seemed that all but maybe two of the guys could be in the mix to win it. Jonathan Horton looked great, including pommel horse. He still doesn’t have a ton of difficulty there but he has an improved circle and swing and he hit clean. The meet seemed to be his for the taking until parallel bars. He evidently didn’t re-chalk part of the bars that the Russian Maxim Devyatovsky had put some honey on, and Horton slipped during his giant. He also had an extra swing earlier in his routine and that was more than he could overcome despite a great high bar routine.

Chris Brooks validated his win at this year’s Winter Cup. Despite a fluke fall on pommel horse, he still earned bronze. He is a dynamic gymnast and a lot of fun to watch. He not only brings exciting gymnastics but also a charismatic personality to the competition. On four events - floor, vault, p-bars and high bar - he’s about as good anyone out there. He did a huge double front on vault which just left us wondering why he doesn’t do a half out. If he can improve on horse and rings, he’ll not only be a contender for London 2012, he will contend for a top spot.

Fabian Hambuechen just wasn’t himself. He looked tired and, by his own admission, has really overexerted himself over the past couple of years. During that time, he competed in about 25-30 competitions, and ended last season with a very disappointing ankle injury that kept him out of the World Championships. Arguably the second best all-arounder in the world, he just hasn’t looked the same since he won a gold, silver and a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2007. The highlight for Hambeuchen was his high bar set which included four releases: a piked Kovacs, Kolman, Yamawaki and a laid out reverse hecht. When he’s healthy and rested, he will be a contender again.

An improved Devyatovsky was a bit of a surprise winner. He gets a little lost in the crowd when he’s around exciting gymnasts like Horton, Hambuechen and Brooks. But he did what none of those gymnasts could and that’s hit 6 solid routines. He did a nice double front on vault, but other than that he didn’t do anything that made you go “wow.” At the end of the day though, you have to hit in a field of only 8 and he did.

And with that, the road to the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam begins!

Follow John Roethlisberger on Twitter @jrflipfest

American Cup Champ Rebecca Bross will be featured on the March/April issue of Inside Gymnastics! Plus, subscribe for 3 years and receive a free poster of Olympic Champ Nastia Liukin! Renew or Subscribe Today!

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