They say big things come in small packages. Words were never more true than for national team member Rebecca Bross. Becca, as she is more commonly know, is the youngest of 2 children born to Terry Bross & Donna Brugge. Becca was born on July 11, 1993 in Ann Arbour, Michigan. At the age of 6 Rebecca's parents put her in a gymnastics class, where she fell in love with the sport. Since then Becca has been steadily climbing the ranks as one of the USA's top gymnasts at the Junior International level.
In 2003, during Rebecca's level 7 season she moved to Plano, TX to train at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA), under Valari Liukin and Natalya Marakova. At the beginning of 2004 Becca started her level 8 season by placing in the top 4 in her first 3 compeitions, Woga Classic (4th), Metroplex Challenge (1st) and the Presidental Classic (3rd). Rebecca finsihed out her level 8 season with impressive showings at the level 8 State Championships and level 8 Regionals, placing 1st and 4th respectively. Not only placing top five at both meets, Becca placed 1st on vault (9.675) and 2nd on floor (9.625) at state, as well as 1st on both vault (8.550) and bars (9.575) at regionals.
Rebecca's break out year came in 2005, when she skipped past level 9 and started the season as a level 10. Becca placed in the top 5 in her first 4 competitions of the year, 1st at the Woga Classic and level 10 Regionals, 2nd at level 10 State Championships and 5th at the JO Nationals. Shortly after the JO Nationals, Rebecca and her teammates travelled to Krafft Academy of Gymnastics in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Where not only did she qualify to elite statis, she qualified as a Junior International Elite and to the US Classic (a National Championships qualifier). Rebecca placed 17th in the all around at the US Classic, which was high enough to qualify to her first US Nationals Championships, in Indianapolis, IN. At Nationals, Rebecca finished 16th in the all around, claiming the lsat spot on the Junior National Team. In December Becca and a few of her Woga teammates traveled to Moscow, Russia to compete in the Voronin Cup. Rebecca placed 12th in the all around and 2nd on bars in the event finals.
In 2006 Rebecca placed in the 6 six at every meet that she competed in, including Nationals. She was 6th at the Metroplex Challenge and US Classic, 5th at the Woga Classic, and 4th at the All Olympia Invite and the US Nationals. Becca also recieved her first 2 international assignments the first being at the Pacific Alliance Championships, in Honalulu, HI, where she placed 4th in the all around and 5 on beam in the event finals. Her second assignment was at the Junior Pan Am Games, in Ottawa, Canada, where she 5th in the all around and 1st on vault in the event finals.
2007 was off to a slow start for Rebecca, who was recovering from a back injury, which kept her from competing in the all around at the Woga Classic. She did how ever compete on the uneven bars where she placed 3rd. At the American Classic, in June, Rebecca was fully recovered and back in tip top shape. She placed 2nd in the all around and was qualified to the Pan Ams selcetion camp. The following month Becca traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in the Pan Am Games. While there Rebecca helped team USA to a 1st place team finish, where she also qualified to the all around finals. During the all around finals Rebecca placed 2nd, to help with a US medal sweep along side teammates Shawn Johnson (1st) and Ivana Hong (3rd). Rebecca placed 1st on the floor exersice in event finals, followed by teammate Shawn Johnson.
from the MetroTimes: Detroit's Weekly Alterunative
October 2007
Best Athlete From Ann Arbor
Gymnast Rebecca Bross
Nope, not a maize-and-bluer. And you won't see 14-year-old Bross at next year's Olympics — age restrictions make her too young to compete — but this Ann Arbor native is among the world's best in women's gymnastics. She won the all-around and three of the four events in the junior national championships this summer and then blazed to a team gold and all-around second at the Pan American Games in Brazil. There she also won the floor exercise defeating eventual world champion and teammate Shawn Johnson. Bross will miss next year's media-fest in Beijing, but she deserves to be there. Patience, dear fans.
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