Bridget Sloan

Bridget Sloan
— Gymnast —
Full name	Bridget Elizabeth Sloan
Country represented	United States
Born	June 23, 1992 Cincinnati, Ohio
Hometown	Pittsboro, Indiana
Residence	Gainesville, Florida
Height	5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Weight	104 lb (47 kg)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Club	Sharp's Gymnastics Academy
College team	University of Florida (class of 2016)
Head coach(es)	Jenny Rowland
Former coach(es)	Marvin Sharp, Rhonda Faehn
Medal record Women's gymnastics Representing the  United States Summer Olympics 2008 Beijing Team World Championships 2009 London All-Around 2010 Rotterdam Team Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara Team Pacific Rim Championships 2010 Melbourne Team U.S. National Championships 2009 Dallas All-Around 2009 Dallas Uneven Bars 2009 Dallas Floor Exercise 2007 San Jose Floor Exercise 2008 Boston Uneven Bars NCAA National Championships 2013 Los Angeles Team 2014 Birmingham Team 2015 Fort Worth Team 2013 Los Angeles All-Around 2016 Fort Worth All-Around 2013 Los Angeles Balance Beam 2016 Fort Worth Balance Beam 2014 Birmingham Uneven Bars 2016 Fort Worth Uneven Bars 2015 Fort Worth Vault 2013 Los Angeles Uneven Bars 2015 Fort Worth Uneven Bars

Bridget Elizabeth Sloan (born June 23, 1992) is an American elite gymnast. She was the 2009 all-around World Champion, the 2009 all-around U.S. National Champion and an Olympic silver medalist with the United States team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is currently a member of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team of the University of Florida, with whom she has won three consecutive NCAA National Championships team titles. Sloan was also the 2013 NCAA all-around and balance beam National Champion and the 2014 NCAA uneven bars National Champion. In 2015, Sloan became the first Florida gymnast, and the seventh NCAA gymnast overall, to achieve 10.0 marks on all four events.^[1] In 2016, she won the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam titles at the 2016 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship – her final championship with the Gators.^[2]

Early life and career

Sloan was born on June 23, 1992 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She began participating in organized gymnastics at the age of 4. She grew up in Pittsboro, Indiana, and graduated from Tri-West Hendricks High School. She trained at Sharp's Gymnastics Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana, alongside her fellow 2008 Olympic team member, Samantha Peszek.

Senior Career

2007

In her first year as a senior, 2007, Sloan placed 5th all-around and 3rd on bars at the U.S. National Championships. She served as the alternate on the American team for the 2007 World Championships. Sloan also represented the United States at the Good Luck Beijing Olympic test event in December 2007, where she won the bronze medal in the all-around and a silver on floor exercise.^[3]

2008

In March 2008, Sloan suffered a torn meniscus while warming up at a meet in Italy.^[4] She was forced to sit out the competition and returned home for surgery and rehabilitation, but recovered in time to compete at the 2008 U.S. National Championships, where she competed only on beam, bars and floor; and the U.S. Olympic Trials. Sloan was named to the U.S. team after the final selection camp in Houston in July 2008.^[5]

At the 2008 Olympics, Sloan competed in both the qualifying and team final rounds of competition. Her contributions to the team became critical in the qualifying round, where the Americans were forced to put up only four athletes on three events, and count all four scores, due to injuries to Chellsie Memmel and Samantha Peszek. Sloan made small errors on floor and uneven bars but performed well under pressure.^[6] Her all-around scores placed her 11th overall among all competitors.^[7] In the team finals, Sloan competed on vault, contributing a 15.200 score to the American team's silver medal win.^[8][9]

2009

In February 2009, Sloan competed in the Tyson American Cup and placed second to 13-year-old Jordyn Wieber. In August, Sloan competed in the US Nationals and had a shaky preliminary competition. However, her consistency in the finals won her the gold medal in the All-Around, Floor and Uneven Bars.

In October at the 2009 London World Championships, after a shaky preliminary round, Sloan qualified 5th for the all-around and 7th for the uneven bars final. In the all-around final, she won the gold medal over teammate Rebecca Bross by 0.050. Sloan earned her place in gymnastics history as the fifth American woman to win the World all-around title. In the bars final, she placed 6th.

2010

Injuries plagued Sloan throughout the year, greatly limiting her in competitions. An ankle injury early in the year limited her participation in the Pacific Rim Championships to bars. The same injury kept Sloan to the beam at the CoverGirl Classic. A new pectoral injury prevented her from defending her National all-around title. At Nationals she performed two tentative beam routines, one that included a fall, and placed 11th on the apparatus. However, Sloan impressed National Team Coordinator Márta Károlyi with her improvement at the selection camp, and was brought to the World Championships to perform on bars and floor, placing fourth in the bars final.^[10][11][12]

2011

Sloan sat out the majority of the competitive season while recovering from surgery on her bicep. She stated that it was unlikely she would take part in the 2011 National or World Championships in an effort to stay healthy for the 2012 season, her ultimate goal being the 2012 Olympics.^[13]

Although Sloan did not compete in the 2011 National Championships, she later headed to the Karolyi Ranch in New Waverly, Texas, to participate in both selection camps for the 2011 World Championships team. She was subsequently named to the team for the 2011 Pan American Games.^[14] She competed only on the uneven bars and floor exercise in Guadalajara, and scored in the thirteens on both apparatus. She failed to qualify for either of the event finals, even though on uneven bars it was due to the "two [athletes] per country" rule (Bridgette Caquatto and Shawn Johnson both scored higher than her).

2012

As a result of Sloan's injuries and her participation for the USA team at the Pan American Games the previous year, she was able to successfully petition a spot at the U.S. National Championships. She had intended to compete at Classics, but decided not to out of respect for her coach, who would have been unable to attend the Classic as he was attending his father's funeral.^[15] At the championships, she performed in all four events for the first time since 2009, coming 6th on the Uneven Bars and 10th in the All-Around.^[16] She was chosen to compete at the Olympic Trials. During the first night of the Olympic Trials, she injured her elbow during bars warmup and was forced to withdraw due to the injury, subsequently ending both her chances at the London Olympic Games and her national team career.^[17]

College

Sloan accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she was a member of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team, then under the leadership of coach Rhonda Faehn. ^[18] Sloan deferred enrollment at the university until the 2012 fall semester, which allowed her to seek a second consecutive spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[19] Due to injury, Sloan was forced to withdraw from the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, and rejoined 2010 World Championship teammate Mackenzie Caquatto on the Florida Gators team.

In 2013, at her first NCAA Championship with the Gators, Sloan captured the all-around title with a score of 39.600.^[20] She then led her team to their first NCAA Championship title, scoring 39.75 all-around.^[21] In event finals, Bridget also won the beam title.^[22] Bridget is an eight-time All-American (first-team honors in all-around, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise at the NCAA Championship; first-team honors for all-around, uneven bars and balance beam, and second-team in vault in the first National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC) All-America regular-season awards).^[23] After the season, Sloan was named as the 2013 recipient of the Honda Sports Award, recognizing her as the outstanding women's college gymnast/ She was only the fourth freshman to win in the award's 37-year history, and the second consecutive Florida freshman to win the award.^[24][25]

2014 was Sloan's second season with the Gators, who won their second consecutive NCAA National Championships as a team. Individually, Sloan was the NCAA National Champion on the uneven bars, was a first-team All-American on vault and bars and second team All-American on floor. She was named NACGC Southeast Region Gymnast of the Year and earned NACGC first team All-American status on all four events.^[26]

In the first meet of the 2015 season, against Ball State on Sunday January 11, 2015, Sloan was named the SEC Specialist of the Week for her 10.0 score on vault.^[27] However, she also injured her ankle during the meet,^[28] and was sidelined for five meets.^[29] Sloan returned to competition toward the end of the regular season. She was a member of the Gators team as they won their third consecutive NCAA National Championships title, and individually placed second on vault and uneven bars, earning first team All-American honors. Sloan also placed sixth in the all-around. She has become the first gymnast from Florida to achieve perfect 10.0 scores on all four events, and is only the seventh NCAA gymnast ever to achieve the feat.^[30]

Routines and skills

Elite (2008)

• Vault - Double Twisting laid out Yurchenko.

Difficulty: 5.8 (15.800)

• Uneven bars - Glide KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Endo 1/2 (C) + Toe-on shoot to high bar (B); KCHS 1/2 + giant + Stalder to handstand 1/1 (Frederick) (D) + Straddled Tkatchev (D); KCHS + Piked Stalder (D) + Toe-on to Counter Straddle Reverse Hecht (Ray) (E); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand (C) + Overshoot to handstand (D) + Stalder shoot to high bar (Ray) (C); KCHS + giant + giant + 1/1 Double Layout Dismount (E).

Difficulty: 6.7 (16.700)

• Balance Beam - Press to handstand to clear pike support mount (C); Front Aerial Walkover (D) + Aerial Cartwheel (D); Full Turn with leg at horizontal (C); Front Tuck (D); Flip Flop step-out (B) + Layout Step-Out (C); Switch Split Leap (C) + Back Tuck (C) + Sheep Jump (D); Free Walkover to Arabesque (D); Split Jump (A) + Wolf Jump (A); Round-off (B) + Double Pike Dismount (E).

Difficulty: 6.5 (16.500)

• Floor Exercise - Round-off + Back Layout 3/2 (C) out to round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Back Layout 3/1 (E); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Piked Full-In (E); Switch Split Ring Leap (C) + Split Leap 1/1 (C); Front Handspring + Front Layout 2/1 (Tarasevich) (D); Triple Spin with leg below horizontal (C); Round-off + Back Layout 2/1 (C); Straddle Jump 1/1 (Popa) (C); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Double Pike Dismount (D).

Difficulty: 6.3 (16.300)

Elite (2009)

• Vault - Double Twisting laid out Yurchenko.

Difficulty: 5.8 (15.800)

• Uneven bars - Glide KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Endo 1/2 (C) + Toe-on Shaposhnikova (Maloney) (D); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/1 (Hoefnagel) (D) + Straddled Tkatchev (D); KCHS + Toe-on to Counter Piked Reverse Hecht (Church) (E); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand (C) + Overshoot to handstand (D) + Stalder shoot up to high bar (Ray) (C); KCHS + giant + giant + 1/1 Double Layout Dismount (E).

Difficulty: 5.9 (15.900)

• Balance Beam - Stoop through to clear pike support (B); Split Leap 1/1 (D); Front Tuck (D) + Flip Flop step-out (B) + Layout Step-Out (C); Full Turn with leg at horizontal (C) + Full Turn (A); Split Jump (A) + Wolf Jump (A); Front Aerial Walkover (D) + Aerial Cartwheel (D); Switch Split Leap (C) + Back Tuck (C); Round-off (B) + Double Pike Dismount (E).

Difficulty: 6.1 (16.100)

• Floor Exercise - Round-off + Back Layout 3/2 (C) out to round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Back Layout 3/1 (E); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Piked Full-In (E); Switch Split Leap (B) + Split Leap 1/1 (C); Front Handspring + Front Layout 5/2 (Randi) (D); Triple Turn with leg below horizontal (C); Double Turn with leg at horizontal (D); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Double Pike Dismount (D).

Difficulty: 5.9 (15.900)

Elite (2010)

• Uneven bars - Jump to hang on high bar; KCHS + Toe-on to Counter Piked Reverse Hecht (Church) (E) + Pak Salto (D); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Forward Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Toe-on Shaposhnikova (Maloney) (D) + Overshoot to handstand (D) + Stalder shoot up to high bar (Ray) (C); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/1 (Hoefnagel) (D) + Double Layout dismount (D).

Difficulty: 6.1 (16.100)

• Balance Beam - Stoop through to clear pike support (B); Split Leap 1/1 (D); Split Leap (A) + Split Jump (A); Front Aerial Walkover (D) + Flip Flop step-out (B) + Layout Step-Out (C); Full Turn with leg at horizontal (C); Aerial Cartwheel (D); Front Tuck (D); Switch Split Leap (C) + Back Tuck (C); Round-off (B) + Double Pike Dismount (D).

Difficulty: 5.8 (15.800)

• Floor Exercise - Round-off + Back Layout 3/2 (C) out to round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Back Layout 3/1 (E); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Piked Full-In (E); Full Turn with leg at horizontal (B); Switch Split Leap (B) + Split Leap 1/1 (C); Front Handspring + Front Layout 2/1 (Tarasevich) (D); Triple Turn with leg below horizontal (C); Round-off + Flip Flop two-feet + Double Pike Dismount (D).

Difficulty: 5.6 (15.600)

Elite (2012)

• Vault - Full twisting laid out Yurchenko.

Difficulty: 5.0 (15.000)

• Uneven bars - Jump to hang on high bar; KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/1 (Hoefnagel) (D) + Piked Tkatchev (E); KCHS + Toe-on to Counter Piked Reverse Hecht (Church) (E) + Pak Salto (D); KCHS + Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Forward Toe-on to handstand 1/2 (C) + Toe-on Shaposhnikova (Maloney) (D) + Overshoot to handstand (D) + Stalder shoot up to high bar (Ray) (C); KCHS + giant + giant + Double Layout Dismount (D).

Difficulty: 6.4 (16.400)

NCAA (2014)

• Vault - Full Twisting laid out Yurchenko
• Uneven bars - Jump to Hang on HB; KCHS; Ray II; KCHS; Toe-on, Bail Handstand, Toe-on to HB; KCHS; Giant, Giant, Double Layout Dismount.
• Floor Exercise - Front Handspring + Front Layout 2/1 (Tarasevich); Split Leap 1/2, Straddle Jump; Back handspring, Back handspring, Double Pike; Round-off, Back Layout 3/2; Front Layout
• Balance Beam - Stoop through to clear support; Back handspring, Layout Stepout; Front Aerial to Scale; Switch Leap, Split Leap; Spin; Side Aerial; Round-off, layout 2/1

Competitive history

Senior career

Year	Competition Description	Location	Apparatus	Rank-Final	Score-Final	Rank-Qualifying	Score-Qualifying
2010	World Championships	Rotterdam, Netherlands	Team	2	175.196	3	233.643
			Uneven Bars	4	14.666	9	14.700

Year	Competition Description	Location	Apparatus	Rank-Final	Score-Final	Rank-Qualifying	Score-Qualifying
2009	American Cup	Chicago, IL	All around	2	59.600
	U.S. Championships	Dallas, TX	All Around	1	117.550	3	57.700
			Uneven bars	1	29.450	3	14.550
			Floor exercise	1	29.350	3	14.300
			Balance beam	5	28.850	6	13.950
	World Championships	London, UK	All Around	1	57.825	5	56.075

Year	Competition Description	Location	Apparatus	Rank-Final	Score-Final	Rank-Qualifying	Score-Qualifying
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	Team	2	186.525	2	246.800
	U.S. Olympic Team Trials	Philadelphia, PA	Uneven bars	8	30.100
			Balance beam	12	29.100
			Floor exercise	14	28.850
	U.S. Championships	Boston, MA	Uneven bars	3	31.700
			Balance beam	7	30.600

Year	Competition Description	Location	Apparatus	Rank-Final	Score-Final	Rank-Qualifying	Score-Qualifying
2007	U.S. Championships	San Jose, CA	Floor exercise	2	30.350
			All around	5	118.00
			Uneven bars	5	29.750
			Balance beam	10	28.600
	U.S. Classic	Battle Creek, MI	All around	1
			Uneven bars	2
			Vault	3
			Balance beam	3
			Floor exercise	3 (T)

Floor music

• Araba (2008-2009)
• Harem (2010-2011)
• Hup (2012)
• Till I Collapse (2013)
• Seven Nation Army (2014)
• Whirlpool by Spoll (2016)

References

1. http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2015/03/17/olympic-sports-david-boudia-picks-silver-beijing/24906353/
2. http://www.collegegymfans.com/results-and-recaps/item/6479-florida-s-bridget-sloan-wins-ncaa-aa-title.html
3. Crumlish, John (2007-12-07). "Sloan Ready To Stay On Competitive Roll". International Gymnast. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
4. Crumlish, John (2008-05-26). "Interview: Bridget Sloan". International Gymnast. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
5. "Olympians At Last." NBCOlympics.com. July 19, 2008. Accessed on July 19, 2008.
6. Wilner, Barry (2008-08-12). "In Beijing, Hoosier gymnast Sloan gets unexpected starring role". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
7. "All-around qualification scores". NBC Olympics. 2008-08-10. Archived from the original on August 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
8. "Team final scores". NBC Olympics. 2008-08-12. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
9. Yoculan, Suzanne (2008-08-12). "Analysis of the Women’s Gymnastics Team Final". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
10. "Sports | The Indianapolis Star". indystar.com. 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
11. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOMEDqonEOt1gz47BVajzpnQQMYAD9HGQ3800[]
12. Woods, David (2010-08-12). "Sports | The Indianapolis Star". indystar.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
13. Ainsworth, Alexa (2009-10-16). "Gymnastics Bridget Sloan likely out of Nationals, keeps eye on big picture". Universal Sports. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
14. Amanda Turner, "Wieber Leads US Women's Team to Tokyo," article, InternationalGymnast, 21 September 2011, http://www.intlgymnast.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2771:wieber-leads-us-womens-world-team-to-tokyo&catid=2:news&Itemid=166, accessed 23 September 2011.
15. Couch Gymnast, 15 in 15 Bridget Sloan, 15 June 2012 http://www.thecouchgymnast.com/?p=6689
16. http://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=308134
17. Whiteside, Kelly (2012-06-29). "2008 Olympian Bridget Sloan out of London trials with injury". USA Today. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
18. . April 13, 2011 http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=20387. Missing or empty |title= (help)
19. "Olympian, world champion Bridget Sloan signs with UF gymnastics – Swamp Things – Gators Blog – Orlando Sentinel". Blogs.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
20. http://www.teamusa.org/News/2013/April/18/Bridget-Sloan-Flips-For-Florida.aspx
21. http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/2013/04/florida-finally-wins-ncaas/
22. http://balancebeamsituation.blogspot.com/2013/04/event-finals-live-blog.html
23. http://www.gatorzone.com/gymnastics/bios.php?year=2013&player_id=42
24. http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=25613
25. Collegiate Women Sports Awards, Past Honda Sports Award Winners for Gymnastics. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
26. http://www.gatorzone.com/gymnastics/bios.php?year=2016&player_id=42
27. http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=29509
28. http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=29496
29. http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=30176
30. http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2015/03/17/olympic-sports-david-boudia-picks-silver-beijing/24906353/

External links

• Official website
• Sloan on Twitter
• Bridget Sloan at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
• Bridget Sloan at USA Gymnastics
• Bridget Sloan at the United States Olympic Committee