For the first time in five years, C.J. Maestas will be watching the Winter Cup Challenge on his TV. Maestas’ first competition at the Winter Cup Challenge was in 2008, leading to him making his first junior national team. He made the junior national team every year after, until he aged out of the competition in 2010. Maestas then moved to the senior competition, where he made the senior national teams in 2011 and 2012. After tearing his right tricep in November, Maestas knew that he wouldn’t be able to compete in the Winter Cup Challenge. But he has petitioned to for a spot on the team.
“The best guys deserve to be on the team,” Maestas said. “I feel that I’ve earned that spot with my previous accolades. I’ve competed at the Pan American Games, Olympic Trials, and I was close to making the Olympic team. I feel they know what I can do and what I’m capable of.”
After deciding to try petitioning his way onto the senior national team, Maestas looked for help from Illinois head coach Justin Spring, who has petitioned onto the senior team before due to injuries. He refers to the petition as an “informal document” because there is no specified proposal to submit to be on the national team. A meet- or competition-petition form is used because it is the only one in existence. This form would normally be used to petition a gymnast to an event.
“This one is a little tricky because it’s in the middle of the season,” Spring said. “I’m a little bit worried because it’s after an Olympic year, there is already eight guaranteed spots and this is usually a good turnover for new, young blood to come into the system.”
The biggest concern that factors into the petition being passed is Maestas’ health. He is currently only cleared to do swinging exercises, though tries to touch the equipment everyday in practice. Maestas said his body is adjusting as if he was never hurt.
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“I was putting on the honey and the chalk, and my body automatically started gripping how I normally grip. It felt like, ‘Oh, here we go. Let’s do a set right now.’ It was cool to have that spark again,” he said.
Maestas is scheduled for a checkup with his doctor early this month and expecting to hear good news. He is hoping to be cleared to start doing some “harder” gymnastics but doesn’t want to push it if the doctor says otherwise.
“I trust him 100 percent,” Maestas said. “I know that his mindset is the same as mine. He knows that I’m pushing to try and get back as quick as I can.”
Tensions may rise among the competitors if Maestas’ petition does go through and is awarded one of the spots on the national team. Not being able to participate but still taking a spot on the national team can cause bitterness.
Spring, who petitioned to be on the national team three times, went through a similar situation.
“I was always jokingly given a hard time for it, but in the end I did my job,” he said. “I made an Olympic team, and we won a medal. I think that USA Gymnastics takes risks on people they see high value in.”
Maestas’ teammates, senior Yoshi Mori and juniors Chad Mason and Jordan Valdez will be competing this weekend at the Winter Cup Challenge. Even though Mori will be fighting for a spot that Maestas could seal through petitioning, he has still showed his support.
“It better go through,” Mori said. “He worked so hard, it would be messed up if it didn’t go through. There have been other athletes that have been hurt and then made the national team by petitioning, so why not C.J.?”
Maestas has trained with many of the gymnasts that will be competing this weekend and doesn’t think hard feelings will be dealt if the petition is accepted because of his history with the sport.
“I’m not just some new guy trying to get on the team,” Maestas said. “I consider myself a semi-veteran to the national team.”
There are two ways Maestas could be placed on the team. He could be given one of the 15 spots on the official team, or he could be given an unranked, unfunded position.
“They will still bring him out to all of the camps,” Spring said. “It will feel entirely as if he is on the national team, but he won’t take up an official 15-man spot. He would be the 16th man of a 15-man national team.”
Spring said this will most likely be how Maestas’ petition is accepted. He said the sophomore is “in a good spot” and hopes that the committee will approve the petition.
If Maestas does make the national team, it will be another step closer toward making the Olympic team in 2016.
“I love to compete and show off what I train so hard to do,” Maestas said. “I don’t train for my own smile at the end of the day, I do it for a purpose. When I wear that USA on my chest, I wear it for a reason. I am competing for my country and I don’t take that lightly. I take it seriously. It’s an amazing honor to have.”
Gina can be reached at [email protected] and @muelle30.
Editor’s note: A previous version of the article incorrectly stated that C.J. Maestas tore his tricep in December. Maestas tore his tricep in November. The Daily Illini regrets the error.
