They’ve already won the gold, but now a team of Olympians are going to face their toughest judges yet — the crowd at Brooklyn’s new arena.
The Fierce Five — Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney — will celebrate taking home four individual medals in addition to beating the Russians for team gold at the London Olympics with a show at the still-being-built Barclays Center on Nov. 19.
Organizers say the Brooklyn show will be a performance of champions fitting for the borough of kings.
“The only judges will be the spectators,” said Jordan Dillon, a spokeswoman for the USA Gymnastics team. “Brooklyn is currently the last stop on the tour so I am sure we will want to finish with one of our best performances.”
Some Brooklyn gymnastics fans say the booking is a perfect 10.
“Way to go ladies on making our country proud,” wrote one gymnastics buff on the Barclays Center’s Facebook page.
But other Brooklyn gymnastics insiders are bracing themselves for a hum-drum performance.
Tours are common for gymnasts looking to support themselves professionally between international competitions — but they’re never as exciting as Olympic events, critics say.
“The performances usually feature a lot of wallowing around in bad chiffon, and not a lot of flipping,” said Elspeth Reeve, a writer who covers gymnastics for the Atlantic Wire website. “But that’s okay, because they make a lot of money, which they deserve.”
Still, Reeve is sure that Gabby and her high-flying girlfriends will wow some Brooklynites.
“There is no evidence that Brooklyn tweens have any greater resistance to chiffon and purple lights than those in Des Moines,” said Reeve. “The tweens will come out.”
U.S women’s team at the Barclays Center [620 Atlantic Ave. at Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Heights, (212) 359-6387 www.barclayscenter.com] on November 18 at 3 pm. Tickets $60 and up.
Reach reporter Eli Rosenberg at erosenberg@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2531. And follow him at twitter.com/emrosenberg.
