Schwikert Wins Title at the U.S. Classic Meet

She raised her right arm, hugged an official and gave high-fives to several spectators.

Tasha Schwikert needed to release some energy after winning the U.S. Classic gymnastics meet Saturday night at Cal Poly Pomona’s Bronco Gymnasium.

Schwikert, the only member of the 2000 Olympic team who competed, tallied 36.9 points. She had a comfortable lead entering her final event and needed the cushion. Schwikert ended with her worst score, an 8.65 on the parallel bars, but held on for a 0.2 victory over Irvine native Tabitha Yim. Rachel Tidd, a 17-year-old from San Marcos, placed third with 35.8 points.

“This was my first real competition since the Olympics,” Schwikert said. “I did all right. I was just trying to do the best I could.”

Before Saturday Yim, 15, had competed in the juniors (15-and-younger) category at national events. The junior-to-be at Northwood High was consistent throughout, with scores ranging from 8.925 to 9.525, the highest score at the meet.

“She was doing a lot of new things,” said Beth Rybacki, Yim’s coach at the Charter Oak Gliders in Covina. “She had a new skill on every event, which was unusual. So we were pleased with her performance.”

Four-time UCLA All-American Mohini Bhardwaj struggled. In her first event, she received a 7.4 after falling off the parallel bars. Bhardwaj never recovered and finished 28th. At 23, Bhardwaj was the oldest competitor at the meet.

The top 20 scorers qualified for the U.S. Championships, Aug. 8-11, at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. From there, six women will be chosen for the World Championships, Oct. 28-Nov. 4, in Ghent, Belgium.