User:Gymnastchick123/Katie dailey

Katie Dailey
Katie Dailey is a nationally ranked American female gymnast. As a Junior National Champion, she specialized in bars and beam. She is expected to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games after an injury prevented her from competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Early Career
Dailey began training at the age of 5 in her hometown, Davis, California. After completing level 6, she moved to Byer's Gym in Sacramento to continue gymnastics. By age 9, she had completed level 9 and began training with Michael Erics in Roseville. After becoming elite in 2001, she spent most of her time in Plano, Texas at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, coached by Evgeny Marchenko and Valeri Liukin. She trained closely with Mellissa Smith, Hollie Vise and Nastia Liukin during her time at WOGA.

Her best events were the uneven bars and beam, although she also competed on floor exercise at many competitions. She was well known for her arial skills and dare-devil attitude, contributing to several injuries throughout her career. Bela Karolyi described her as being "one of the most dedicated gymnasts I've ever coached, but she refuses to have limits. She's respectable and a little crazy."

2002 Junior National Championships
In her first Junior Nationals meet, Dailey placed second on uneven bars and fourth on beam. Her bars routine made her well-known in the gymnastics world, as she was the first to complete a stretched body gienger in competition. Despite a disappointing vault, she finished fifth in the all around, well above where she was expected to finish.

2003 Junior National Championships
Vault: Full twisting Yurchenko

Uneven Bars: Kip, cast handstand, stalder, kip, cast handstand, straddle tkachev, underswing, stretched gienger, cast handstand, half turn, khorkina, cast handstand, full giant, shootover to handstand, underswing shoot to high bar, kip, cast handstand, giant, giant, and double layout dismount

Balance Beam: Standing tucked full twist to a back pike, switch leap, onodi, sheep jump, full turn, layout, beat jump, full dismount

Floor Exercise: roundoff, double back handspring, double layout, roundoff, double back handspring, 1 1/2 twist, full split leap, triple turn, roundoff, handspring, double front

To prepare for the 2003 Junior National Championships, Dailey began training in Houston, Texas with Márta Károlyi and Béla Károlyi. She placed third in the all around, second on balance beam, and fourth on uneven bars. Coaches predicted that she would be on the olympic track for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

After Gymnastics
After the 2003 Junior National Championships, Dailey fractured her upper back on a release on uneven bars during a training session. After a year of rehabilitation and extensive physical therapy, she was ready to return to training. In May 2004, one of her coaches, Vladmir Desmi died while in Russia visiting family. After the death of her coach and the severity of her injury, Dailey decided not to return to gymnastics, and to return home to California.

She graduated from Davis Senior High School in 2008 in the top of her class and went on to the University of California, Berkeley. She is scheduled to graduate in the class of 2012. She is currently in training and expected to be a competitor for the 2012 Olympic Games.