Flipping Out

"USAG"

FRISCO, Tx.-In a time when scores seem to decrease with every Olympics, there may be hope at the end of the tunnel.

Katelyn Ohashi, 13, who trains at WOGA, the same gym that produced 2004 and 2008 Olympic All Around Champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin, is just one of many young stars represnting the future of United States gymnastics. Ohashi scored a 15.900 on the beam at the 2011 WOGA Classic this past Saturday. The WOGA Classic in an international meet and this year hosted gymnasts from France, Russia, Canada, Mexico, United States and Australia.

So what happens when a gymnasts who is still three years away from being age eligible for the Olympics scores a 15.900 on the balance beam? Considering last year’s World Championship beam scores, it’s like a snail racing a cheetah.

At the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam, the highest balance beam score in the event final was a 15.366 posted by Ana Porgras of Romania. In a day and age when a 15.366 is good enough for gold, a 15.900 might as well be platinum.