Recruit Files: Claire Qu, Yale

Name: Claire Qu
Club: Airborne Gymnastics Training Center
High School Graduation Year: 2021

NCAA Team: Yale
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram 

Personal Bests 

Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
9.400 9.075 9.425 9.425

Videos 

Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
2019 NorCal State Meet 2020 Long Beach Open 2019 NorCal State Meet 2019 NorCal State Meet

About Claire

Qu began to compete as a level 10 in February 2019 at the WOGA Classic, where she finished seventh in the all around. Later that year, she placed eighth at the NorCal state meet, qualifying to regionals. Unfortunately, her season was cut short due to an ACL injury. She came back in 2020 at the Long Beach Open, where she posted a career high on bars.

What She Brings to Yale

Vault

  • Skill: Yurchenko layout
  • Results: twelfth place at the 2019 NorCal state meet (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Qu’s vault is still work in progress. Her Yurchenko layout is slightly piked in the air but overall solid. She is working on a Yurchenko full.
  • Impact on the Team: This was Yale’s weakest apparatus in 2020. If Qu can increase her difficulty, she could become an important contributor to the lineup.

Uneven Bars

  • Skills: Tkatchev, bail to handstand, double tuck dismount
  • Results: seventh place at the 2020 Long Beach Open (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Qu’s routine is still developing from the one she performed in level 9, but she is building good difficulty. She will want to upgrade her dismount to achieve a 10.0 start value in college. She is training a double layout.
  • Impact on the Team: Yale’s best bar worker, Jacey Baldovino, will have graduated once Qu gets to college. If she can increase her dismount’s difficulty, she will be expected to score well.

Balance Beam

  • Skills: BHS + LOSO, beat jump to sheep jump, switch leap to straddle jump half, side aerial, full turn, 1.5 twist dismount
  • Results: tied sixth place at the 2019 NorCal state meet (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Qu’s form is excellent on beam. Her dismount is the main area of deduction.
  • Impact on the Team: This is Qu’s best apparatus. She will be expected to contribute to the lineup from the start.

Floor Exercise

  • Skills: double tuck, Rudi, 1.5 twist to front pike
  • Results: sixth place at the 2019 Long Beach Open (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Qu could work on her landings a bit more but she is an expressive floor worker. She is training a double pike.
  • Impact on the Team: Yale has graduated its best floor worker, Jade Buford, but has welcomed a very strong freshman, Sherry Wang. Qu could contribute to the lineup if she fixes her landings.

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Article by Talitha Ilacqua

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