Tasha Schwikert
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Tasha Schwikert (born November 21, 1984) is an American gymnast who is a 2000 Olympian, a World Gymnastics Championships gold medallist, and the 2005 NCAA all-around national champion. She is being watched within gymnastics circles as one of the United States' world class athletes and a prospect for the U.S. team at the (2008) Summer Olympics.
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[edit] Early life and career to 2000
The daughter of Shannon Warren and Joy Schwikert, Schwikert was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. She trained with coach Cassie Rice at GymCats club in Las Vegas, and was a member of USA Gymnastics' TOPS developmental team in 1994 and 1995. At the age of thirteen, in 1998, she earned her first national team berth. Her first international meet was the 1998 City of Popes competition in France, where she won a silver medal on the floor exercise in the junior division.
Schwikert first came to prominence as a member of the U.S. team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Her presence on the team was controversial: she placed ninth at the Olympic Trials, was not originally been named to the team at all, and joined the squad in Sydney later as a second alternate. When team member Morgan White was injured in training, Schwikert was named as her replacement, passing over first reserve Alyssa Beckerman. Despite the questions over Schwikert's qualification, she performed without serious error under pressure while some of her more illustrious teammates made mistakes. Following the Olympics, Schwikert would become arguably the most visible and noteworthy gymnast in America.
USA Gymnastics Online, in their article "Tasha Schwikert Added as Second Alternate to 2000 U.S. Olympic Team", reported on August 28, 2000: "Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.), 15, has been added as second alternate to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. The decision to name Schwikert as an alternate was made Friday following a conference call with the selection committee. The selection procedures allow for two alternates to the Olympic Team. Alyssa Beckerman (Wyoming, Ohio) is the first alternate. 'Tasha has demonstrated a great deal of consistency this year in both domestic and international competition', said Bob Colarossi, President of USA Gymnastics. 'Her poise and performances are considered to be very reliable and her desire to support this team is a valuable asset to the group.' Schwikert had competed in seven competitions in 2000 prior to the Olympic Trials, including all three events in the Visa American Cup Series in January and February. She was also a member of the 2000 U.S. Spieth Sogipa team that won a team gold medal in April. She is coached by Cassie Rice at GymCats in Las Vegas."
[edit] Career from 2001
Schwikert led the U.S. team to a surprise bronze medal at the 2001 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Ghent and was the USA's highest finisher in the all-around, placing fifth. She qualified for the floor exercise and balance beam event finals. A medal was a possibility in the floor finals (her all around score on this apparatus would have been high enough for bronze) but she fell on her final tumbling pass.
Later in 2001, Schwikert surged with three solid wins: winning her first US National Championships, the American Classic competition, and the all-around title at the Pan American Championships. Injury prevented Schwikert from competing in the 2002 World Championships. However, in 2002 she did win the Pacific Alliance all-around title, her second Nationals, and the American Cup. (The event is not related to yachting, but of similar name.)
Schwikert tied for second at the 2003 US Nationals. She was the captain of the 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships team in Anaheim, supporting her younger teammates throughout the competition and demonstrating leadership and good sportsmanship. In the team finals, she only competed on vault and uneven bars but performed both of her routines cleanly, posting the highest scores of the American team on both events. Her scores helped the American women win their first team gold medal in World Championships competition.
In the following year, she suffered an injury that greatly disappointed what had become a widespread following. At the 2004 National Championships she won the uneven bars title, but placed off the all-around podium for the first time since 2000. Despite being hampered by an ankle injury, Schwikert was named as an alternate on the 2004 Olympic team. She flew to Athens with her two fellow reserves, Chellsie Memmel and Allyse Ishino, but was not called upon to compete.
[edit] College career and current activities
[edit] 2004–2005 season
Schwikert began attending UCLA in autumn 2004 on a full athletic scholarship. In her first year of competition for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team, she won the NCAA National all-around title. She was the only gymnast in 2005 to earn first-team All-American honors on all four events.
[edit] 2005–2006 season
Schwikert was sidelined for most of the 2005–2006 season due to a shoulder injury requiring surgery, but remained a student at UCLA and a member of the team. As one tip of the cap indicating her ongoing prominence, she was employed as an analyst alongside Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci as a commentator at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne. Schwikert returned to the UCLA floor and vault lineup for the Pac-10 Championships in late March, and continued to compete on a limited basis for the rest of the season. While UCLA did not qualify for the 2006 NCAA Nationals as a team, Schwikert qualified as an individual and competed on vault, finishing eleventh in the preliminary round.
Schwikert's younger sister, Jordan, is also a member of the UCLA gymnastics team. She and Tasha are in the same year of school, having opted to enter UCLA at the same time.
[edit] List of major honors, accomplishments, and titles
- 2005 NCAA Championships: 1st AA
- 2005 Pac-10 Championships: 1st AA
- 2005 West Regional Championships: 1st AA
- 2004 US National Championships: 1st UB; 4th FX (tie)
- 2003 World Championships: 1st team
- 2003 US National Championships: 2nd AA (tie)
- 2002 Pacific Alliance Championships: 1st team, AA, BB, FX; 2nd UB
- 2002 US National Championships: 1st AA, UB, FX; 2nd BB
- 2002 American Cup: 1st AA
- 2002 American Classic: 1st AA, UB, BB, FX
- 2001 World Championships: 3rd team; 5th AA
- 2001 Senior Pan American Championships: 1st team, AA, UB; 2nd FX, BB, V
- 2001 U.S. National Championships: 1st AA, BB; 2nd FX, V (tie); 3rd UB
- 2001 U.S. Classic: 1st AA, FX; 2nd V (tie), BB; 3rd UB
- 2000 Olympic Games: 4th team
- 2000 Spieth Sogipa: 1st team; 2nd AA
- 1999 World Team Trials: 7th AA
- 1999 China Dual Meet: 1st team
- 1998 City of Popes: 2nd FX (jr)
Key: AA (all-around); BB (balance beam); FX (floor exercise); V (vault)
[edit] Sources
- ^ Tasha Schwikert. UCLA Bruins (2005). Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "USA Gymnastics profile", 2004-06-17. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "Schwikert added as second alternate", USA Gymnastics press release, 2000-08-28. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ Thomson, Candus. "Hill joining Kupets on road to Athens", Baltimore Sun, 2004-07-19. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "UCLA sophomore Tasha Schwikert to serve as commentator for Worlds broadcast", UCLA Bruins, 2005-11-16. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "Women's Team Competition Report", "International Gymnast" magazine, 2001-10-31. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "The Alternates", GymnasticsGreats.com. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ Tasha Schwikert. IG Online Interview (2004). Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ Eaton, Brian. "USA Stuns The World With First-Ever World Team Gold Medal", USA Gymnastics, 2003-08-20. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "UCLA Gymnast Tasha Schwikert Has Successful Shoulder Surgery", CSTV, 2005-12-22. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
- ^ "No longer watching, alternate gets shot at spotlight", Las Vegas Review, 2000-09-10. Retrieved on March 26, 2006.
