Tyler Shimizu

For aspiring professional gymnasts, a chance to vie for a spot on the national team is what many spend their entire lives in preparation for. For Cal’s Tyler Shimizu, this dream became a reality this past weekend at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

Although Cal didn’t qualify as a team for the final round, it still finished with a solid overall score of 395.055, simultaneously setting multiple personal records and qualifying seven Bears to the final for the second straight year.

Cal will need to post its best performances if it wants to squeeze past its higher ranked opponents and make it to the final day as a team.

Spirits were high and the Bears were able to practice in the competition venue prior to the actual meet. But still, they fell short of their goals and ended in fourth place with a final team score of 388.600.

Last Saturday at Haas Pavilion, Cal men’s gymnastics welcomed No. 1 Oklahoma to its last home meet of the season to face off in a head-to-head battle of technique and endurance.

Despite their final team rankings falling short of No. 2 Stanford and No. 6 Illinois, the Bears each reached far, breaking records and hitting sets as a result.

The Bears are hoping that their dedication in practice shines through during the meet, where they’ll face intimidating opponents in Stanford and Illinois, both of whom are ranked in the nation’s top six.

Among Cal’s most anticipated performances is Noah Newfeld, who will look to punch his ticket to the Winter Cup after doing so at the same event last year.

The years of training in both Taiwan and the United States polished down his rough edges and taught him to never back down.

While the Bears were bested in competition, the team finally proved it could stand strong — Cal gymnasts hit 28 of their 30 routines.