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Menchville gymnast Ashley Lambert qualifies for prestigious Supergirl Cup

February 7, 2011

Qualifying for the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup had almost become an obsession for Ashley Lambert of World Class Gymnastics.

It was constantly on her mind before the Parkettes Invitational — a qualifier for the Cup — and it stayed there right from the beginning until the end of the national-caliber event Jan. 28-30 in Pennsylvania.

"I kept it my head: Nastia Cup, Nastia Cup," Lambert said on Friday.

That strong focus worked wonders. The 15-year-old Newport News gymnast put together her best performance of the season against a field of 165 Level 10 competitors and that earned her one of two qualifying spots for the Cup March 4 in Jacksonville.

It will be an extra-special day for Lambert. The Menchville High School sophomore will be competing on her 16th birthday.

Just qualifying for the Cup — named after the 2008 Olympic all-around champion — is a mammoth achievement. It will include only 36 of the country's top junior gymnasts.

That excites Lambert.

"It will give me a chance to show what I can do against the best in the country," she said.

At the Parkettes meet, Lambert was on top of her game with an all-around score of 38.25. Her previous best had been a 38.375 in sweeping the competition at the 2009 state meet.

Despite the higher score in 2009, Lambert felt her latest showing was better because "I was doing a lot harder routines."

Her score was actually the third-highest in the huge field. Elizabeth Price of the Parkettes was first with a 38.4 and Brianna Guy of Docksiders second with 38.3. Price wasn't eligible for a Cup spot because she is a member of the U.S. Junior National Team.

"I was really happy with the way I competed, especially only finishing (less than) two-tenths of a point behind a girl on the U.S. Junior National Team," Lambert said.

In the individual events, she took first on floor (9.7) and second on vault (9.65) and bars (9.4) in the 14-15 age group

Lambert is definitely on a roll. In her last five meets, she's won 12 individual titles, two all-arounds and second twice in the AA.

"Everything is going good and I've improved a lot since last year," she said. "I'm doing harder skills, training harder, and I've been more consistent."

It's all part of her quest to pass testing for the Senior International Elite level and to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials.

"My coach (Tami Harrison) was a senior elite and qualified for the Olympic Trials (in 1984) and I want to be just like my coach," Lambert said.

Harrison is the former Tami Elliott, who barely missed making the U.S. Olympic Team in '84.

She sees Olympic potential in Lambert.

"Ashley has great talent and is strong and powerful. She can go as far as she wants to go and is willing to put in the time and effort. It's all up to her."