The annual Parkette Invitational had a different feel to it in 2003 with the presence of the team from World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. All the usual teams were there in full force as well, including Hills, Capital, GAGE, Australia, Excalibur, and of course Parkettes. Keeping in tradition, the gym was also cleared of all spectators for absolutely no reason - everyone had already paid. Weaving about 3000 people in and out of three rooms that are definitely not designed to capacitate 3000 people is always enjoyable. Along with being shoved in just one room with said 3000 people this forced you to either sit on the floor or sit on each other. Adding to the enjoyable experience was the fact that everyone's seats were apparently on fire (except ours) and they had no other option but to continuously get up and obstruct everyone else's vision for the entire meet. It really is a miracle that tripods were not used as weapons and flashes used to blind the passer byers. That being said, here is what we managed to get a glimpse of when someone wasn't standing in front of us.

The meet began with an interesting performance by the new Parkette cheerleaders. Next was a performance of "God Bless America" by a young Parkette gymnast. Unfortunately technical problems prevented the song from being sung in its entirety but the crowd was there to assist. This set a positive aura about the gym - well for those of us who aren't claustrophobic in the slightest!

WOGA 1 started on vault (Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Nina Kim, Megan Dowlen), along with Parkettes 1 (Kristal Uzelac, Tia Orlando, Nicole Harris, Annie Fogerty), and GAGE (Terin Humphrey, Sarah Shire, Courtney McCool, Alicia Hatcher). WOGA 2 (Kaitlin White, Stephanie Gentry, Lindsey Vanden Eykel, Nicole Childs), Parkettes 2 (Kristina Coccia, Alex Brockway, Geralen Stack-Eaton, Taniah Wann), and Hills (Courtney Kupets, Chari Knight-Hunter, Corey Hartung, Brittney Morgan) were on uneven bars. Capital (Ashley Postell, Katie Heenan, ) started the meet on beam, while Excalibur (Marcia Newby, Casey Overton, Nicki Butler, Brittney Ranzi) and IGI (Kelly Fee) were on floor. Unfortunately the team from Australia (Stephanie Moorhouse, Danielle Kelly) were placed in the previous session because they did not field enough for a full team (4 members).

Rotation One

Humphrey and Shire started the night off in the right direction by debuting new vaults - a piked Khorkina II and a double-twisting Yurchenko respectively. WOGA 2 had a relatively successful run on bars - Gentry had a buttery smooth giant full to Tkatchev and double layout; Childs struggled early on a pirouette but came back strong with a Pak salto and a Gienger; Vanden Eykel showcased her beautiful form with a hit, but downgraded, routine (no Jaeger). Unfortunately White was unable to continue the trend, suffering breaks on her toe-on 1/2 to Pak salto combination, toe-shoot transition (covered with a sole circle), and then simply fell off on a giant.

On beam, Heenan impressed with her tight form, difficult skills, and beautiful execution. Unfortunately, she suffered another fall on her punch front after completing an excellent full turn with leg at horizontal to tuck jump full combination. Defending World Champion Postell hit a somewhat downgraded routine (her Kochetkova was a single skill, not part of an acro series) with the exception of a large step on her (under rotated) triple twist dismount. Bars continued to be the nemesis of just about everyone while the Parkettes were competing. Wann fell on a Tkatchev, Stack-Eaton fell on a toe-shoot 1 1/2 to Tkatchev (nice Fontaine dismount), and Brockway fell on her full-twisting double back dismount after completing a giant full to Tkatchev and a Pak salto. Coccia suffered no falls but had a poorly executed Pak salto and finished the routine with a giant full to Gienger. Hills also had their share of problems with Hartung's horrible overshoot transition (good giant full to Tkatchev) and Morgan falling on her double front dismount (hit straddled Jaeger). The other defending World Champion, Kupets, also experienced bars woes with a fall on her hop-full to Tkatchev.

Rotation Two

Humphrey and Shire were rock solid on the uneven bars (beautiful releases; a Gienger and Tkatchev, respectively), while the Parkette "A" team struggled a bit despite Kristal Uzelac's hit routine. Tia Orlando fell on her brand new toe-on to reverse hecht, while a piked Jaeger was Annie Fogerty's literal downfall. Nicole Harris stayed on the apparatus but improvised through a missed pirouette combination. WOGA 1 fared much better, as Dowlen (Tkatchev to Pak), Patterson (great Tkatchev to Pak, a little break on the low bar but nice recovery) and Liukin (barely caught a stalder-shoot, incredible Gienger) fought through their routines, their determination yielding pleasing results.

Balance beam saw hit routines from the Parkette 2 team, Coccia hitting her set with a couple of pauses and wobbles for a respectable 9.35 and Wann stumbling a little on her dismount for a score two tenths lower. Hills' Courtney Kupets led her team on the beam, negotiating carefully but successfully through her routine which included a flip-flop to two layouts and a novel switch leap to gainer layout, immediate one-arm flip-flop. WOGA 2 had a few struggles on beam (White fell on a switch side 1/2, Vanden Eykel had a major wobble on her Onodi), but Stephanie Gentry capitalized on her excellent flexibility (beautiful position on her sheep jump) for a 9.575. As is the case in most meets, however, the WOGA team's extension and flow on this event was practically unmatched. World medallists Ashley Postell and Katie Heenan of Capital Gymnastics, each showing new routines, let their experience shine through on floor and garnered some good scores for their efforts (9.55 and 9.625). Postell's whip to arabian double front was stuck cold, but unfortunately she took a few steps out of bounds on her final triple twist.

Rotation Three

Parkettes 1 opened this rotation with a multitude of falls off the beam: one from Fogerty (front tuck); three from Harris (layout mount; full; Onodi); and Uzelac (two-foot layout; full). Orlando stuck her routine which included a front handspring to front tuck, a two-foot layout, front tuck to back tuck and double back dismount with a step.

The "Hills Angels" were on floor, where they had varying degrees of success. Morgan fell on her new 2 1/2 to punch full, but had a clean Arabian double front. Hartung wobbled out of each of her passes (whip triple, 2 1/2 punch full, Tarasevich) while Knight-Hunter stuck all three of her relatively simple passes (double pike, 1 1/2 punch front, double tuck). Standout Kupets had a fun clap-along floor routine, set to Turkish music, which included a whip 1/2 to double front, Arabian double front, a planned triple full which was popped to just a single, and a double pike.

Also on floor was WOGA 2... unfortunately almost their entire team had major problems. Childs was short on her whip to triple full and had a big stumble on her Tarasevich. Lindsey Vanden Eykel (using her popular "Jungle" routine) fell on a triple full. Kaitlin White tumbled a clean Randi but was short on a triple full and closed the routine with a simple double full. Stephanie Gentry anchored the team with a nice whip to triple full and also a double pike, but one of her passes was a simple layout. She dismounted with a 2-1/2 full.

Capital had vault, where Heenan's Yurchenko-full and Postell's layout Podkopayeva were the highlights. GAGE was breathtaking on beam, with a strong double pike dismount from Shire and a stunning Kochetkova to flic-flac layout stepout from Humphrey. WOGA 1 followed: Nina Kim fell on a full and Megan Dowlen had a large balance check on her Onodi. Liukin was breathtaking, with an Onodi to wolf full despite a break after a side somi. Carly Patterson anchored the beam rotation with a perfectly stuck routine, despite a cheated leap element as well as a downgraded dismount (double tuck instead of Arabian double front).

Parkettes 2 finished the rotation on floor, with Wann hitting her set (full in, 2 1/2 punch front, triple full). Brockway stumbled out of a triple full, and Stack-Eaton and Coccia each came to grief on their piked full in (Geralen stumbled out of bounds, Coccia fell). Geralen tumbled a clean Arabian double front, while Coccia nailed both her front double twist and double pike.

Rotation 4

White started WOGA 2 off on vault, showing 2 Yurchenko 1 1/2s - the first one was great but she took large steps backwards on the second.  Vanden Eykel and Gentry each showed a pair of clean Yurchenko fulls.  Nicole Childs performed two front handspring-front pikes but they were both way too tucked. It appeared that she had injured herself after her first vault because she was holding her back but then appeared to be fine.

Wann showed a tucked Yurchenko full. Also on vault in Rotation 4 were Coccia, Morgan, Hartung, Knight-Hunter, and Kupets, who delighted us with some vaults that weren't your average fair!  Coccia vaulted a piked Luconi, with only a step back.  Morgan showed a Yurchenko Arabian, falling on the second one.  Corey Hartung showed two nice Luconis- the first tucked, and the second piked.  Chari Knight-Hunter showed a Yurchenko 1/1/2, a vault performed by only four other gymnasts, all of whom were at least 13 years younger than she was- we're di! gressing here, but we're very impressed.  Last on vault was Kupets, who vaulted two very nice Omelianchiks.

We now move out attention over to the bars, where Postell did a lovely routine, topped off with a great double front dismount for a 9.675.  Heenan also did well on the bars, where she showed a free hip hecht 1/2 to Jaeger and also a double front dismount, but left out her toe on full on the low bar.  On beam, Marcia Newby had a bit of a hard time as she fell twice (on her backhandspring, back pike, and also her arabian) and wobbled on her punch front, though her switch ring leap was notable. Overton had a very solid go as she moved nicely through her routine which highlighted her switch leap, switch side; front aerial to sheep jump; a side somi, and a double back dismount.

Lastly, Woga 2, Gage, and Parkettes 1 were on floor. For Gage, McCool began with a great set, including a 2/1/2 twist to punch front and FHS double full, and perhaps more importantly, great choreography.  Shire was up next, mounting with a full twisting double pike, then going on to a triple full (good rotation), 2/1/2 twist to punch layout, and a double pike dismount.  Terin Humphrey followed GAGE's string of solid floor routines with a bit of a shaky one: arabian double front (step forward). Her second pass was a full twisting double pike. The next pass (1 1/2 through to 2 1/2) saw her take three massive steps backward and almost fall. Her jumps/turns were alright (tuck jump 2/1, triple turn) though she did step out of the turn. Ended with a good triple full dismount (slightly under rotated).

WOGA 1's troubles continued into this rotation.  Dowlen fell on her front layout-double front, but made her 2 1/2 twist to punch front, switch leap to tour jete, and double twist dismount. Unfortunately she seemed quite bored during the routine and the choreography was a bit sluggish. Nina Kim also had her own problems, barely staying in bounds on her full twisting double back, and opting to leave the punch front out of her second pass (front handspring, front double full, punch tuck 1/1). Despite a low third pass, Nina's choreography and presentation was top notch - she was smiling during the routine which was awesome to see!  Next was Liukin, who opened with a front handspring-front double full (instead of a 2 1/2) but went out of bounds.  The rest of the routine was beautiful as she effortlessly executed a whip to triple twist, a 2 1/2 twist, and some exquisite choreography. Patterson was low on her first pass (full out) but finished the rest of the routine near perfectly: double Arabian double, 2 1/2 twist to front layout, and a double pike. Patterson also smiled through her routine and really seemed to enjoy herself.

Parkettes 1 closed the meet on floor. Fogerty performed an awesome front handspring-double front-punch front, but straddled her double pike and later fell on an under rotated triple twist. Uzelac recovered from beam, showing four incredible tumbling passes: double layout, full-twisting double pike, 2 1/2 twist to punch layout, and solid double pike! Still, the best was yet to come... The highlight of the meet, undoubtedly, was Orlando's floor exercise.  She began with a huge double layout, then tumbled a running double full, tuck full, front. Her third pass was a high full twisting double pike, and she dismounted her with a spectacular running double front!  The routine received tremendous response from the crowd and a 9.950 from the judges!