inTURN Update: Josh Dixon & Steve Lacombe

Turn Gymnastics would like to introduce you to two of our newest inTURN brand ambassadors, Josh Dixon and Steve Lacombe.

DIxon is a graduate of Stanford University and is currently on the US senior national team training at the USOTC in Colorado Springs, CO. Lacombe recently graduated from Cal and has been helping coach Brett McClure as a graduate assistant coach whilst continuing his pursuit of a place on the US national team. Both recently competed in the US National Qualifier this past weekend and both qualified for the 2014 P&G Championships in Pittsburgh, PA this coming August.

Both gymnasts have accumulated multiple All-American Honors as collegiate gymnasts and hope to continue building their repertoires as elite gymnasts. Dixon is an All-Around gymnast, wowing the crowd on the FX and HB in particular. Lacombe is a standout competitor when it comes to the SR and VT. At the US National Qualifier, Lacombe earned a second place finish on the SR, only .100 behind first place. We caught up with Dixon and Lacombe for a short Q&A at our recent photoshoot held in Emeryville, California.

Turn: How did your overall performance go at the US National Qualifiers? Are you guys pleased with how you finished?

Josh: My performance was anything but spectacular but it was a much-needed step in my preparation for our National Championships. I have added a lot of new upgrades from Winter Cup to present and it was time to test them out in an all-around format in front of the judges.  The level of gymnastics right now is not very forgiving, withstanding all six events demands upmost physical preparation, so it was only natural to go through a pretty raw showing of new sets. One month out of USA’s, it was right where I needed to be to make sure I peak at Championships.

Steve: I am mostly satisfied with my performance, but I have a lot of work left to do. I feel like a had a solid routine on rings, I just need to keep refining it and make some minor changes. Vault went pretty well and I'm hoping to upgrade it for Championships depending on how the next few weeks of training go. Floor was very rough, I have been struggling with some leg injuries that have affected this event more than the others. But, I am hoping with some recovery I can get back to where I want to be.

Turn: Are you upgrading any routines or adding any new skills for P&G Championships?

Josh: Most every event has a new construction or new skills that I’m excited about.  My sets are coming together nicely but more important than the skills are my execution levels.  I’m definitely in a good position heading into USA’s. You guys will just have to see what I’m putting together on the floor. ;)

Turn: Will you stick to the same training plan leading into P&G Championships or will you change it up?

Steve: The training plan will stay the same to an extent, but it will be more difficult because the number of routines in each practice will increase. I will still continue to cycle between light, medium, and hard weeks up until P&G Championships just like I’ve been doing for the past year.

Turn: What are your initial thoughts/emotions and any personal goals you have for the P&G Championships?

Josh: P&G championships won’t be my first rodeo so I have a pretty set comfort level competing in these types of competition formats.  This year there are a lot of teams/opportunities that come from being on the national team including spots on the World team and Pan-American team; however, I’m simply going in with one thing on my mind, hit clean sets and the results will take care of themselves.

Steve: My top priority is to qualify onto the national team. I think the most important thing to focus on is to perform my routines the best that I can and not worry about the results. One of my biggest goals has been to compete internationally, so I’m hoping that my performance on Rings at P&G’s will allow me to be selected for a World Cup event.

Turn: Any plans outside the gym this summer?

Steve: Since I'm going to be spending most of my time training, I won't have many opportunities to travel this summer. At the end of August after championships I’m planning on taking a small trip down to the Sierra Nevada’s with some friends to go camping.

Turn: Could you tell us a little about your experience with the transition you made moving from Stanford to the OTC?

Josh: The transition was seamless. I moved right in the beginning of 2012 during my comeback from a torn Achilles. We had a lot of work to do but I was so determined to make a run for the 2012 National Team, which I did successfully.  My gymnastics has improved significantly from what I had been doing at Stanford and I felt as though after our trials process was over I had only just begun to scratch the surface of understanding the senior elite level of gymnastics.  Our time on the Kellogg’s tour was a much needed detox and recommitment to gymnastics and now, I believe I belong and can be a top contender for the US.

Josh and Steve joined Turn for a photo shoot this past weekend for our upcoming look-book, so make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram for some exclusive behind the scenes photos. For now, best of luck to both of them and their training as we look forward to watching them compete at the P&G Gymnastics Championships.

- Team Turn