US Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team 2012: Stars to Shine in Qualifying Stages

The women's gymnastics schedule will begin Sunday, and the U.S. is looking to set the tone early to show they are the top team in the world.

In qualifications, all gymnasts compete, whether they are a member of a full team or they are representing their country by themselves. The qualifications will determine the top eight teams overall that will go on to the team final, where three team members will compete on each apparatus.

The 24 best individual gymnasts (a maximum of two from each country) will go through to the individual all-around final, while the best eight gymnasts on each apparatus (a maximum of two from each country) will go through to the individual apparatus finals.

So, in their quest for gold, it all begins Sunday for the U.S. gymnastics team.

Who will be the ones to shine?

Each gymnast on the team has the ability to shine in specific areas.

Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas are two of the favorites in the all-around competition, while McKayla Maroney is the favorite in the vault. Wieber and Aly Raisman will also make noise in the floor exercise, so other than the uneven bars, the U.S. should have at least one gymnasts at or near the top in each event.

When it comes to Wieber and Douglas, it could really be a toss-up between the two, although Douglas seems to have the edge at this point after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials.

It all starts with qualifications, and the other teams are not just going to lie down for them. They're going to have to earn their gold.

It's the first day of competition, and how these girls perform will set the stage for the rest of the Olympics and whether the U.S. will have a successful Olympics or will leave in disappointment.

I'm sure Russia, Romania and China will all have something to say about it.