Just prior to the competition, veteran athlete Jacqui Dunn decided to retire. Enflaming a previous injury in her foot, Jacqui decided that she'd had enough.  Despite coming close to Olympic selection on two occassions, she nevertheless represented Australia at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, three World Championships, and numerous international events. On beam and bars in particular she leaves a gap in the Australian team that Peggy Liddick will find hard to replace.

Other no shows included Monette Russo and Belinda Archer, both recovering from injury. They appeared to be healing well and should be right for the final trial in July.

1. Allana Slater (WA/WAIS).  Allana continued her dominance of women's gymnastics in Australia with a very convincing win - in the end the margin was about four points. She didn't really show anything new, but the confidence with which she competed should serve notice for Athens.  It was only on the final night of competition that she showed any chinks in the armour, making errors on beam and floor. She vaulted a piked Luconi and a Yurchenko 1½. Bars - the usual routine consisting of handstand mount; 1½ pirouette to Jaeger, Pak; hop full, Gienger; full in dismount.  Beam - FF full, FF, LO; aerial walkover; Onodi, switch leap, Rulfova; double pike dismount.  Floor is still Moulin Rouge, with tumbling rows of triple twist; 2½ twist punch layout front; double pike.  Her high SV on floor is the result of including difficult dance elements. (Photo, left - 2004 Australian champion Allana Slater shows a pirouetting move on the uneven bars).

2. Stephanie Moorhouse (VIC/VIG). Steph showed some lovely, clean gymnastics, but a few errors on bars meant that it would be impossible to challenge Slater for the title. Her beam is world class, with a SV of 10, and some extremely high scores - 9.725 one night. They were well deserved as she really doesn't give away any deductions during her routine - aerial walkover, FF, layout series; piked Chen; sheep jump; punch front; side somi; straddle switch ¼; switch leap, Yang Bo jump (great!); Popa; double tuck dismount. Floor - triple twist; 2½ twist punch layout front; double pike. Should be on the team for Athens. She is now using the piked Luconi vault, an upgrade from last year's Yurchenko vaults. (Photo, right - look Mum - no hands!  Stephanie Moorhouse flies over the top bar during this Tkatchev release).

3. Lisa Skinner (QLD/QAS). The most experienced competitor in the field at 23 years of age, Lisa, for all her international accomplishments, achieved her highest placing at an Australian Nationals by finishing third here. She showed a new floor routine, with more contemporary music, and naturally showed her trademark arm and shoulder moves in her choreography. Tumbling included a 2½ twist, punch layout front; triple twist; double pike. Her bars has been upgraded to include another high level release - a straddled Jaeger; in addition to a Gienger; full in dismount; and a lot of inverted and pirouetting work on the high bar.  Vaults were a Hristakieva and a piked Luconi. Beam was very elegant as per usual, with her trademark Valdez with a ¾ turn out to sit on the beam a highlight. Should Lisa be selected for the Olympic team, and there's no reason to think she shouldn't, it will be her third consecutive Games.

4. Karen Nguyen (VIC/VIG). The surprise result of the competition - and nice to see the gymnast herself squealing with delight afterwards when she realised how high up the standings she was. Who would have thought two years ago that she'd be on the brink of Olympic selection? I guess that's the result of hard work and gradual improvement since 2002. Vault is a piked Luconi. She debuted a new floor, with her hardest tumble being a triple twist. Nice FF, layout and switch leap on beam. Bars is lovely - Stalder 1½ to a sky high Jaeger; Stalder full, ½ turn over low bar to catch in handstand; double front dismount. Her SVs may not be quite as high as the others, but her superb form means she gives little away in terms of deductions.

5. Danielle Kelly (QLD/QAS). Many fans appear to have written Danielle off, and on day one they probably felt their opinions were justified.  But Danielle came storming back on day two with the second highest total, to finish in 5th place overall. There was a bit of a question mark over her fitness, as she skipped the Pacific Alliance Trials, but she put in a relatively full program. She really has remarkable concentration. Beam - LO mount; FF, LO. Bars - handstand mount on low bar; giant 1½, front giant, Jaeger; ½ turn over low bar to catch in handstand; double front dismount. Floor - triple twist; whip, whip, 2½ twist; double pike. Very expressive dance demonstrating nice eye contact with the audience. Do not write her off for Olympic selection - there's something about her determination that leads me to think she'll make it.

6. Melissa Munro (NSW/AIS). No longer one of the tiny tots, Melissa has grown a fair bit over the last year or so, and as a result her gymnastics just seems to have that extra elegance about it. She has the makings of a great series on beam - FF full, FF, layout - not quite connected at this stage but the potential is there.  She also showed an aerial walkover, handspring combination; punch front; sheep jump; Yang Bo double stag jump; double tuck dismount. Good piked Luconi. Bars looks nice (beautiful wrong way Tkatchev), but this was the weakness in her repertoire with the 12th highest total. She's a great tumbler on floor (tucked full in; double pike), but please, she's had the same music for three years - I really think she needs a new routine.

7. Lynn Silcock (VIC/MLC). Suffered a nasty fall from bars in the training session, but she didn't seem too fazed by it in competition. She has a great opening sequence on bars - toe on Shaposhnikova, Pak, Shaposhnikova, ½ turn over low to handstand; Healy, Jaeger; attempted a double layout dismount but it was more like an open double pike. Vault - Yurchenko layout full. Beam - Rulfova; FF, whip.

8. Aleea Newton (VIC/VIG). Aleea's vaulting let her down here - she used a piked Tsukahara - giving away precious tenths in start value alone to her competitors. Her other apparatus were very good. On the final night of competition, she wore a very striking blue and silver leotard, with what I would call strategically placed material. To borrow from Kath and Kim - very different, noice, unusual. Beam - straddle press to handstand mount, lowering to a split handstand planche with her back leg bent (beautiful); sheep jump, Yang Bo double stag jump; floor - triple twist; 2½ twist; double pike. Gorgeous ring leap with her head back. Same music as last year.

Ninth was NZ gymnast Ailish Nolan.

10. Nicole Alexander (NSW/AIS). Nicole made some errors on day one, but came back strongly on day two - nice to see her smiling. Floor is easily her best apparatus - tucked full in; handspring, layout front, layout front full; double pike. On day one, she was going beautifully until she put her hands down on the double pike. The crowd sighed with disappointment, but afterwards Nicole got a thunderous round of applause. Her face showed the disappointment of a missed routine, but she also appreciated their support. Aside from the tumbling, this included a beautifully controlled triple pirouette to full twisting switch leap; double pirouette with her leg held horizontal. It's no wonder Nicole got the Carole Sussman award for floor artistry. She hit her floor routine in the other rounds of competition, and again received great crowd support. She can really move, and it also shows in the nice rhythm she shows on beam - punch front, ¾ Shushunova to back hip circle; tuck back, Korbut; switch leap, tuck jump full; double tuck dismount. Bars - Comaneci; 1½ pirouette to Jaeger; ½ over to handstand on low bar; double layout dismount.

11. Victoria Tatian (NSW/Westfields).  Badly injured her ankle before the competition but competed in the team section so that NSW could have a full team.  She was able to put a full routine together on bars (nice Pak), but elsewhere her ankle hindered her movement - floor tumbling proved impossible.  But hey - in amongst all the techno tunes at least someone used "West side story"!

12. Ruth Rughoobur (VIC/VIG).  Competed her one apparatus - bars - with the same routine she debuted last year. The Hindorff is amazing, as are her dynamics on this apparatus - her swing is impeccable. It's just a shame she can't put it all together when it counts.  Toe on Shaposhnikova; piked Stalder, Hindorff; ½ over to handstand on low bar, Stalder 1½; Stalder ½ to front layout dismount.

This was a good competition that showcased all Australian gymnastics has to offer at the moment. Ten gymnasts were named to the Olympic training squad - Slater, Moorhouse, Skinner, Kelly, Nguyen, Munro, Silcock, Alexander, Newton - as well as non-competing gymnasts Monette Russo, Stephanie Lo Piccolo and Belinda Archer.  The Olympic Trials will be held at the beginning of July, after which time the team will be named.  While Slater, Moorhouse and Skinner seem certain to be picked for the team based on their performances her, it will no doubt be a tough competition with a number of gymnasts vying for the final spots.  Good luck girls!