USA Gymnastics Names 2011 USA Women's World Championships Team

Anne From Gymnastike on September 21, 2011, 8:31pm | More Posts

USA Gymnastics has named the women's team for the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo! Martha Karolyi and the selection committee picked the teams for Worlds and the 2011 Pan American Games following two separate selection camps held at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas.

The team who will travel to Tokyo for the 2011 World Championships is:

Gabrielle Douglas, Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute

Anna Li, Aurora, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC

McKayla Maroney, Laguna Niguel, Calif./All Olympia AOGC

Alexandra Raisman, Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics

Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics

Sabrina Vega, Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic Gymnastics

Jordyn Wieber, DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA

Only 6 girls will compete. The delegations have until the day prior to competition to officially name their alternate.

Non- traveling alternate: Shawn Johnson, West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute

Head coach: John Geddert of Geddert’s Twistars USA

Asst. coach: Jiani Wu of Legacy Elite

The Team who will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico for the 2011 Pan American Games: (Oct. 24-29)

Bridgette Caquatto, Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC

Jessie DeZiel, Rogers, Minn./Twin City Twisters

Brandie Jay, Ft Collins, Colo./GK Gymnastics

Shawn Johnson, West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute

Chellsie Memmel, West Allis, Wis./M and M Gymnastics

Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp's Gymnastics Academy

Replacement athletes:

Grace McLaughlin, Allen, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics

Hallie Mossett, Los Angeles, Calif./West Coast Elite Gymnastics

McKenzie Wofford, McKinney, Texas/Zenith Elite Gymnastics Academy

Head coach: Marvin Sharp of Sharp’s Gymnastics

Asst. coach: Jiani Wu

Missing from the teams is 2010 World team member Mackenzie Caquatto who suffered a bi-lateral ankle sprain by landing low on a double pike beam dismount during the selection camp on Monday. More info here.

World Championships podium training begins on October 3rd and the US women, competing in subdivision 7, will have podium training on October 4th. Their qualification competition will take place Saturday, October 8th at 1:15pm Tokyo time and have drawn to start on beam. The top 8 teams will qualify to Team Finals and to the 2012 London Olympics.

I will be in Tokyo providing on-site coverage of the World Championships! My coverage from Tokyo will begin October 2nd. Before then, check out our Tokyo 2011 Page.

Last year the US team took the silver medal behind Russia and ahead of China. The United States women's team has won the World Championships team gold medal in the past 2 pre-Olympic years and will expect to do the same this year.

How do you predict this team will finish in Tokyo? And if you were head coach, what would your dream lineups be for this team?

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Updated on May 20, 2013, 3:46am

Categories: world championships, team usa, elite, usa gymnastics

72 comments

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

To be honest, I think this is a win for Shawn, she gets a chance to compete in another competition, rather than go to Japan to be relegated to alternate which there's a good chance she would have been

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

honestly i dont understand why they put anna li on the team! she would only compete on bars and in my opinion, she isnt world class.... if douglas and vega hit, they would get better scores than anna li could get....
if they are consistant, they all (but sacramone and li) pretty good all arounders....
i would have put memmel instead.

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

"Johnson, Memmel, Sloan, Jay, Deziel, and b.Caquatto going to Pan Ams. Three previous WORLD CHMAPIONS!! They are going to destroy!"

The US team generally does pretty well at Pan Ams no matter who is on it. Kind of like how the Chinese generally wipe the mat with everybody at the Asian Games. Two powerhouse teams competing against teams that are quite a bit weaker.

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

"How big is it that Shawn is not on the worlds team? Does that play into next year at all?"

It's not big and doesn't play into next year. If Shawn continues to improve she has as good a shot as anyone to make the Olympic team next year.

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

"Nike probobly should have went with Jordyn instead of Shawn!"

Is Jordyn pro? Nike picked Shawn because she's recognizable and that's going to stay the same whether she goes to this worlds or not. Either way, Shawn did pretty good. She made Pan Ams and got alternate for worlds. No doubt she's also still aiming for 2012.

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

Nike probobly should have went with Jordyn instead of Shawn!

USA_gymnast 2 years ago

The Pan Am team is ridiculously star studded. It is going to be overwhelming for all the competition.

hmmmmm 2 years ago

I would have picked Shawn over Sabrina!

Shygirl 2 years ago

Pretty sure Wofford was working on a fracture and only did two events.

gyman 2 years ago

way to go Jessie!!!!

HootyHoo Hoo 2 years ago

Oops, I meant to say Otherwise, we would be giving our advantage on VAULT right back.

lyndsieeeeeee 2 years ago

For everyone saying, "why not shawn. or chellsie. and why gabby/anna li/vega?" Well, Macko was a lock because of her bars... with her out, we need not one but two more bar workers... definitely not shawn. chellsie can't hit those routines at nationals... li did miss one at nationals, but even with a mess up got something like a 14.5. not bad at all. vega in my opinion will be the alternate. OH, ALSO to everyone saying why are the former world champs on pan am team? because they're FORMER, and comING back. they're not a full strength, whether its mental (shawn) or physical (chellsie and bridget). Kudos to Martha and the rest of the selection committee! there is a reason martha is on top of the usag throne... not us. give her some credit, guys!

ApolytonGP 2 years ago

Team makes sense. Shawn is limited from her sprain and knee and has not really shown floor yet. So that is why Vega makes sense over her. Memmel is still a huge question mark with the shoulder. Sloan getting back from inkury and showed nothing at Nationals. I think for all 3, Pan Ams make sense as it gives them a coule more weeks to get healthy and into competition form.

Really Wofford? 2 years ago

I so don't get the hype behind Wofford. She's good but she was a loooonnnngggg shot to make it to Worlds. Now I can see the PanAm games but Worlds? The team had to have Gabby's and Anna's bar sets. You can't leave the World Champion vaulter behind (Sacramone). Raisman, Maloney and Weiber were all locks. Where in the world did Wofford fit? I mean there were three World Champions left to pick so her chances were slim at best. Now I must admit Sabrina kinda shocked me, but I can see that due to her good showings at both Visa's and Covergirl. So her over Shawn I get but Wofford? Come on!

Colorado Fan 2 years ago

Congratulations Brandie Jay!!! Colorado is SO proud of you! Way to represent!!!

Parse 2 years ago

It's a good seet of teams - Congrats to all the girls. Based on the teams, I think USA is balancing a desire to win with a desire to get more girls experienced at the highest level, which is probably wise.

I'd guess the 13 girls that make up these 2 teams (plus alternates) as well as Kyla Ross and Macko are essentially the Olympic training squad. For the less experienced girls going to Worlds, that will be the time to prove their mental steadiness - they don't have to be amazing, but they must not crack under the pressure. I hate thinking of a Worlds competition as essentially an Olympics audition, but there it is.

Mark From Flotrack 2 years ago

How big is it that Shawn is not on the worlds team? Does that play into next year at all?

Dr. Pepper 2 years ago

I think they made a huge mistake not having Wofford part of either team she is such a strong beautiful gymnast.

HootyHoo Hoo 2 years ago

This team makes sense given the situation: Macko is out, Memmel bars set is not difficult enough and she did not even perform a full set every day at camp, Johnson is currently a 3 event gymnast and her strongest even is NOT bars. China has team with bar sets ranging from 6.8-7.1. Russia also has high bars start values.

Team USA had no choice to add Anna Li, and Gabby because they come the closest along with Wieber to matching the other teams. Otherwise, we would be giving our advantage on bars right back. I imagine Gabby will be restricted from beam and maybe even floor if necessary and mainly focus her for bars which she usually hits.

Jessie DeZeil fan 2 years ago

Way to go Jessie! I am so proud of you. Keep working hard and KILL IT at Pan Ams.

Kelly 2 years ago

NJ- totally agree about it being odd that Nastia is on the selection committee. She is is still friends and a former teammate to some of the girls.

TX coward 2 years ago

I love the heart & determination behind Shawn's tweet:

"Came up an inch short but you know what look at the progress Ive made! So I wasnt the best pick for the team...YET! But I will be."
- Go get 'em, girl!

Sam 2 years ago

Shawn Johnson should be an alternate on the worlds team instead of Vega. They have similar start values and at least USA can count on Shawn to hit! Also, Shawn provides the other teams with a bit of intimidation when the team walks in... But I suppose they were going to an experience idea with this team? Trying to give some of the more inexperienced girls a shot?

KC 2 years ago

Memmel got ripped off. Unless she is still injured there is no reason for her not to be on the world team. She has more mental toughness than any of the competitors and the skills to go with it!

olivia 2 years ago

so all that talk about Wofford was right. Marta didn't pick her even for PanAms even though her gymnastics is (IMO) superior to some of the girls chosen. Too bad.

anonymous 2 years ago

Pan Ams will be so much more fun to watch! Worlds team has the newbies - Vega, Douglas, Maroney - to season before Olympics. Reminds us of Worlds 2007 with all the newbie Chinese. And look what happened at the Olympics 2008!

Catherine C 2 years ago

Team USA are going to kill at Pan Ams with 3 former World AA Champs!! I prefer the Pan Am team to the World team!!

@Anonymous Coward: Nope it doesn't have an effect on the 2012 team what so ever. Somebody who isn't on either team could still make the olympics!!

NJ 2 years ago

My only thought behind this nonsense is that they are going to try to get more of their younger athletes exposed to a bigger stage. It seems CRAZY that we have three former world champs NOT GOING to worlds. But I am so happy Sloan was named to a team. I know she's been working crazy hard.

LK 2 years ago

Congrats to all! I'm a little surprised to see both Li and Douglas, but I think someone else had predicted that move. (Reminiscent of picking both Annia Hatch and Mohini in 2004 when we were weak on vault?) Also a little surprised to see Wofford left off of the PanAm team, but I really am not very familiar with DeZiel or Jay. They all work so hard - it's hard to see anyone miss out.

Anonymous Coward 2 years ago

As someone who is new to gymnastics world...does not going to worlds disqualify them from getting on the Olympic team, or is going to Pan Am good enough?