Name: Talia Folino
Club: Waverley Gymnastics Centre, Australia
High School Graduation Year: 2020
NCAA Team: LIU
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram
Personal Bests | Elite
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 14.500 | 13.775 | 13.900 | 13.250 |
Videos | Elite
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 2018 Pacific Rim Championships | 2018 Pacific Rim Championships | 2020 International Gymnix | 2020 International Gymnix |
About Talia
Folino is an international elite from Australia who has all around potential and plenty of international experience. She competed at the International Gymnix, the Jesolo Trophy, the Pacific Rim championships and the world championships. She is the 2016 junior all around national champion and the 2017 senior all around Gymnix champion.
What She Brings to LIU
Vault
- Skill: Yurchenko full
- Results: second place at the 2019 Australian Classic
- Margin of Improvement: She could gain a bit more height on her block, which always helps with sticking the landing, but her form is good in the air.
- Impact on the Team: Folino’s Yurchenko full is among the better ones of the incoming LIU gymnasts. She will be expected to contribute to the lineup.
Uneven Bars
- Skills: Full pirouette, Maloney to Pak salto, Van Leuween, piked Jaeger, double pike dismount
- Results: first place at the 2016 junior Australian Championships
- Margin of Improvement: She could work on her form throughout her routine and on the dynamism of her dismount. A collegiate bars routine, however, is much shorter than an elite one, which will allow her to focus on the details of fewer elements.
- Impact on the Team: In elite, bars was not Folino’s best apparatus. She has the potential to score high in the NCAA, though. Her Maloney to Pak salto combination has excellent form, her Van Leuween and double pike dismount are also good.
Balance Beam
- Skills: BHS + BH + layout to two feet, side aerial, front aerial, switch ring, BHS + BH + double pike dismount
- Results: first place at the 2018 Pacific Rim Championships
- Margin of Improvement: Her split positions could be a tad more extended and her knees just a little bit straighter on some elements, but her form is overall excellent.
- Impact on the Team: With Emma Brown, Katy Koopman, Cael Bixler and others joining the roster, LIU is already turning into a beam team. Folino is the icing on the cake. Her routine will be difficult, polished and confident.
Floor Exercise
- Skills: double layout, full-in, 1.5 twist to front layout, double pike, double wolf turn
- Results: second place at the 2016 junior Australian Championships
- Margin of Improvement: Her split positions, like on beam, could be a bit more extended, and she could point her toes a bit more on some tumbling passes.
- Impact on the Team: Folino seems the ideal gymnast to anchor LIU’s floor lineup next year. She is powerful and dynamic, she can dance and she has the potential to open her routine with a double layout. She will make the difference for the Sharks on this apparatus.
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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