The most recent episode of the audiocast is exclusively dedicated to an interview with Elise, a household name in gyms around the world.
Mary Elise Ray … represented the United States at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 1999 World Championships (8th AA).
Elise Ray has three uneven bars skills named after her in the Code of Points:
Ray I: Facing inward, a stalder backward with release and counter movement forward in flight to hang
Ray II: Toe-on Tkatchev release move (rated D in the most recent Code of Points)
Ray III: Double twisting double layout dismount rated G – the highest difficulty rating possible
Videos of those are linked from GymCastic episode 31.
Her most awesome accomplishment, however, was Ray to Tkachev. Easy. 🙂
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Her Bars coach was female, of course. Kelli Hill.
… Coach of some pretty fair Bar workers: Dominique Dawes, Courtney Kupets and Corrie Lothrop, to mention a few.
In 2000, Ray won both the US National Championships and the Olympic Trials. Won the NCAA AA in 2001 for Michigan. She worked for Cirque. Is in the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Elise is now an assistant coach with the University of Washington Gym Dawgs.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 