For Grace McCallum, she truly became an Olympic hopeful at an unlikely competition: the April 2018 USA Gymnastics verification camp to determine the team for the Pacific Rim Championships.
Some top gymnasts decided not to participate. But, for others, it was an early season test to prove themselves on the road to August’s national championships and, ultimately, selection for October’s world championships.
Sarah Jantzi, coach of the Twin City Twisters outside Minneapolis, was bewildered watching the first of two days of competition. Her pupil, 15-year-old McCallum, performed not at her absolute best, but well enough after competing at the junior level in 2017.