Samantha Peszek

Samantha Peszek
Personal information
Full name Samantha Nicole Peszek
Nickname(s) Sam
Country represented  United States
Born December 14, 1991 (1991-12-14) (age 20)
McCordsville, Indiana
Hometown McCordsville, Indiana
Height 153 cm (5.02 ft)
Weight 50kg (110lbs)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level Senior International Elite
Club Sharp's Gymnastics Academy
College team UCLA Bruins
Head coach(es) Marvin Sharp
Former coach(es) Peter Zhao
Music "Reflejo de Luna" by Alacran and It's 'You' by N.O.H.A.
Medal record
Women's gymnastics
Competitor for the  United States
Summer Olympics
Silver 2008 Beijing Team
World Championships
Gold 2007 Stuttgart Team
Pan American Games
Gold Rio de Janeiro 2007 Team
American Cup
Silver 2008 New York City Vault
Bronze 2008 New York City All-Around
Bronze 2008 New York City Balance Beam
Bronze 2008 New York City Floor Exercise
US Senior Nationals
Silver 2009 Dallas Balance Beam

Samantha Nicole Peszek (born December 14, 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American national team gymnast. She was a member of the United States' 2008 Olympic women's gymnastics team.[1]

Contents

Career

In 2007, Peszek competed on the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the 2007 Pan American Games.

In March 2008, she competed at the American Cup. She placed 3rd in the all-around competition, behind teammates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson.

After a solid performance at the 2008 U.S. National Championships, Peszek continued to prove her worth to the U.S. team at the Olympic Trials. At the conclusion of the meet, when she was invited to the final Olympic selection camp, most experts, including NBC's analysts, predicted she would be selected for the team. Indeed, she was selected on July 19, 2008 at the conclusion of the selection camp in New Waverly, Texas. Along with Peszek, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, and Bridget Sloan were selected for the team.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Peszek was injured during warm-ups just minutes before the women's qualifier and was restricted to the Uneven Bars. She was the second gymnast to be injured on the 2008 Women's gymnastics Olympic team, the other being Chellsie Memmel.[2] After the Beijing Olympics, Samantha expressed her desire to continue her elite gymnastics career.

After letting her ankle heal Samantha competed for the first time after the Olympics at the 2009 CoverGirl Classic, where she competed only vault and beam, where she placed 2nd and 9th. She then decided to compete at the VISA Championships with hopes of making the world team as a 3-event specialist, due to a torn labrum in her shoulder she was waiting until after the World Championships to have surgery on. During the Championships she placed 2nd on beam and 7th on floor. Samantha was then added to the US National Team and made it to the 2nd and final selection camp, during which she pulled out and decided to get her torn labrum fixed. She signed with UCLA and has expressed a desire to compete at both NCAA and Elite gymnastics at the same time. In 2011, she won the balance beam title at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship with a routine including a full twisting tucked backs somersault, a very difficult and rare skill even in elite gymnastics.

Personal life

Peszek is from McCordsville, Indiana. She is Catholic and graduated from Cathedral High School in 2010.[3] She also attended St.Simon the Apostle Grade School where she got high honors.

After Beijing, Peter Zhao, Peszek's long-time coach at DeVeau's School of Gymnastics, retired from coaching and returned to China to help with his family business. Peszek transferred to Sharp's Gymnastics Academy. She currently trains alongside Olympic teammate Bridget Sloan.[4]

In April 2009 Peszek announced on her Twitter that she had committed to UCLA to compete in NCAA gymnastics for the Bruins.[5] She was the first of the 2008 US Women's Gymnastics team, apart from former collegiate athlete Alicia Sacramone, to announce NCAA intent.

Routine Skills

Competitive history

2011 season

Year Competition Location Event Final-Rank Final-Score Qualifying Rank Qualifying Score
2011
NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship Cleveland, Ohio Balance Beam 1 9.9 N/A N/A

2009 season

Year Competition Location Event Final-Rank Final-Score Qualifying Rank Qualifying Score
2009
Cover Girl Classic Des Moines Vault 2 14.850 N/A N/A
Balance Beam 9 13.500 N/A N/A
U.S. Championships Dallas Balance Beam 2 15.100 2 15.000
Floor Exercise 7 14.050 6 14.200

2008 season

Year Competition Location Event Final-Rank Final-Score Qualifying Rank Qualifying Score
2008 2008 Summer Olympics Beijing Team 2 186.525 2 246.800
Uneven Bars DNQ N/A 23 14.800
Olympic Trials Philadelphia All Around 4 61.850 4 61.400
Balance Beam 4 15.550 4 15.800
Floor Exercise 2 15.500 3 15.650
Uneven Bars 6 15.200 5 15.300
Vault 4 15.150 3 15.100
U.S. Championships Boston All Around 4 61.250 4 60.750
Balance beam 5 16.000 5 15.400
Floor Exercise 10 14.750 4 15.200
Uneven Bars 6 15.550 6 15.150
American Cup New York City All Around 3 63.075 3 63.075

2007 season

Year Competition Location Event Final-Rank Final-Score Qualifying Rank Qualifying Score
2007 World Championships Stuttgart Team 1 184.400 1 245.025
Vault N/A DNQ N/A 15.050
Uneven Bars N/A DNQ N/A 14.875
Floor Exercise N/A DNQ N/A 14.500
U.S Championships San Jose All Around 7 59.850 11 56.450
Uneven Bars 10 14.700 13 13.950
Balance Beam 9 15.000 13 13.950
Floor Exercise 10 15.050 15 13.550
Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro Team 1 243.225 1 243.225

2006 season (Junior Career)

Year Competition Location Event Final-Rank Final-Score Qualifying Rank Qualifying Score
2006 U.S Championships Saint Paul All Around 3 59.650 3 59.800
Balance Beam 7 14.900 7 14.700
Uneven Bars 3 15.200 3 15.050
Floor Exercise 5 14.350 5 14.600
Vault 2 15.200 2 15.300
Pan American Championships Gatineau Team 1 179.500 1
All Around 4 59.250
Floor Exercise 1 15.100
Vault 2 14.387

Floor Music

2009: "Reflejo de Luna" by Alacran and It's 'You' by N.O.H.A.
2008: "Whatever Lola Wants" by The Gotan Project
2007: "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou 2006: ?
2005: "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

References

  1. ^ "Olympians At Last." NBCOlympics.com. July 19, 2008. Accessed on July 19, 2008.
  2. ^ http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/news/newsid=189726.html
  3. ^ Patheos Interview with Samantha Peszek
  4. ^ "Peszek Joins Sloan at Sharp's." International Gymnast. November 25, 2008. Accessed on March 22, 2009.
  5. ^ Peszek's Twitter announcement

External links