Name: Olivia Orlando
Club: North Stars
High School Graduation Year: 2022
NCAA Team: Southern Utah
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram (main) | Instagram (gymnastics)
Personal Bests
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise | All Around |
| 9.800 | 9.675 | 9.700 | 9.525 | 37.700 |
Videos
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
| 2020 Parkettes Invitational | 2020 Elevate the Stage | 2020 March Madness | 2020 Elevate the Stage |
Recruit Rating*
| Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise | All Around | Rating |
| 17 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 59 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
*For more on our new Recruit Rating system, please take a look at our dedicated landing page.
About Olivia
Orlando is a two-time level 10 nationals qualifier (2017 and 2019). In 2019 she tied for 10th place on vault and for 11th on bars (Junior D). She is the 2017 Region 4 floor champion and a three-time 2019 Region 4 medalist: She won silver on beam and bronze on bars and vault (tied). Orlando scored career highs on vault and bars in 2020.
What She Brings to Southern Utah
Vault
- Skill: Yurchenko half
- Results: tied third place at 2019 Region 7 regionals
- Margin of Improvement: Orlando’s vault is super solid. Her form is good in the air, and she can stick the landing easily. There is something really satisfying about it!
- Impact on the Team: SUU did really well in 2020, with Morgan Alfaro scoring a big 9.925. With their three best vaulters having graduated by the 2023 season, however, the Thunderbirds are in need of fresh talents and Orlando is one of them. Her Yurchenko half starts from a 9.950 rather than a 10.0 but her ability to stick it will make up for the lower start value.
Uneven Bars
- Skills: Ray to bail, double layout dismount
- Results: third place at 2019 Region 7 regionals
- Margin of Improvement: Orlando’s Ray is beautiful, but she loses her form a little bit on her bail. She could also work on her handstands a tad more.
- Impact on the Team: SUU was strong in 2020 with Shylen Murakami leading the team with a 9.950. Orlando’s routine still needs some polish, but it is steady and could challenge for a lineup spot.
Balance Beam
- Skills: full turn with the leg held horizontal, side aerial, BHS + LOSO, front toss, switch leap to switch leap, piked gainer dismount
- Results: second place at 2019 Region 7 regionals
- Margin of Improvement: Orlando’s form is pretty good on both her acrobatic and dance elements. The main deduction comes from her full turn, where she has a visible knee bend. She will want to keep working on the extension of her movements and on the fluidity of the routine.
- Impact on the Team: Three Thunderbirds scored 9.900 or above in 2020, but they will all have graduated once Orlando arrives in Cedar City. She is a solid beam worker and should make the lineup already in her freshman year.
Floor Exercise
- Skills: double pike, 1.5 twist to front layout, double pike
- Results: 2017 Region 4 champion
- Margin of Improvement: Orlando has good technique on floor. Her rating point total is low because she has been inconsistent in the past two seasons. The potential is all there, though. She will want to work on her landings in her final two years in club.
- Impact on the Team: This was SUU’s best apparatus in 2020: All five top gymnasts scored a 9.900 or above. Orlando has the potential to score a 9.900, too, if she can learn to control her landings more consistently.
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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