Right now, there are basically eight gymnasts in contention for the six gymnasts and one alternate on the US World Championship team. Those eight are Simone Biles, Kyla Ross, Maggie Nichols, Alyssa Baumann, Mykayla Skinner, Maddie Kocian, Ashton Locklear, and Brenna Dowell. People are writing Brenna off, but there's no reason she'd be named to the national team if she wasn't in Worlds contention. People are also being a bit sensationalist about Alyssa, but according to Landi, she'll be back for selection camp just fine. Simone and Kyla are locks barring their own health. Simone will contribute on vault, beam, and floor and be a backup on bars. Kyla would ideally only be used on bars and beam but would also be backup on the other events if we need her.
So, choosing the best combination of four of the other gymnasts means we have to consider how well their specialty events fit into the current slots. Maggie and Mykayla could both compliment Kyla's specialties well on vault and floor. Mykayla vaults a Cheng and Maggie had a gorgeous DTY day two of P&Gs. Mykayla could be backup on beam, and Maggie's a great all around team player. Alyssa's beam would be a great addition to the lineup and she did herself a big favor with her outings on floor at P&Gs. She could absolutely be used as the table-setter there. Maddie K and Ashton Locklear both share the same two-event specialty, bars and beam. Both have absolutely gorgeous bars sets to fill in the gaps on that event, so Pan Ams will be a critical performance for both of them. Brenna's said she will be coming back all around at selection camp, so if she actually does come back on all four events, she could be well in contention. Her vault especially could help the team outside of bars. I get the feeling Brenna isn't really alternate material right now, she's either completely on the team or completely off.
The Pan Ams team was clearly strategically selected as a trial for Worlds. Simone and Kyla don't need any more observation from Martha, so they are at home preparing to arrive at camp as strong as possible. Brenna has already had plenty enough international experience, and apparently she, Al Fong, and Martha agreed she didn't need the exposure and it would be better to stick to training and let her ankle heal as much as possible. All the other hopefuls are in Canada except for Alyssa, who was supposed to be. I think that if she shows herself well at camp, she should have no problem snagging a spot, but Pan Ams wasn't as critical for her anyway. It will be important for Mykayla and Maggie, and absolutely critical for Ashton and Maddie K. Martha will definitely want to see what the Pan Ams judges do with Mykayla before officially naming her to a Worlds team, and she'll want to be sure Maggie won't repeat her errors from Tokyo earlier this year. Also, Maggie needs to prove her events are worth taking. Pan Ams is most critical for Maddie K and Ashton, who will almost certainly be fighting for the same spot unless Maddie K shows she can do other events at least in qual, and even then I'd be surprised to see them on the same team. Bars will be the clutch event for these two. If Ashton can outscore Maddie K by as much as she did at Classics and night one of P&Gs on bars, she would look to be the obvious choice. However, beam will also be of note for Martha- she will likely want to have a team player who could go backup on beam if needed if she can have one. If both can put up decent beam sets, bars really should be the big deciding factor. And, of course, Martha wants to make sure neither will crumble under the international pressure.
Right now, I'd say four spots on the team are practically set. Simone and Kyla are going. Ashton or Maddie K will go as a bars specialist. Mykayla will compliment Kyla on vault and floor, though Maggie might be able to overtake her. This leaves two spots for Ashton or Maddie K, whoever doesn't make the first bars spot, Maggie, Alyssa, and Brenna. Alyssa will, I think, likely be on the team as our table-setter on beam and floor. Her routines will definitely be a good place to start on both events and beam especially is a place the US needs to target this year, so her prowess there will probably be her ticket to China. As our third-best all arounder, Maggie would seem to be the obvious choice, but she really is just better alternate material. Her abilities just aren't the best fit for the team's needs. However, if she needs to be named to the official team, it certainly wouldn't hurt the US team's chances any. She just serves the team better as an alternate. As I said earlier, Maddie K would have to show she could do other events in quals for her and Ashton to be on the same team. Vault in particular would be a good event to have a backup in case anything weird happens with Mykayla's Cheng. Even if she just has an FTY and a super watered down floor, those events would basically only be there as a backup in qual. If she shows that at camp, she could be a very good addition. In an ideal situation, Brenna would be my pick for the final team member, as her vault and bars complement Alyssa's beam and floor nicely and could both bring in very good scores. A third 6.3+ D score vault would be a huge asset and so would her jam-packed bars routine, though I think she maybe needs to just do the routine without trying to connect the Church to the Pak and maybe even straddle the Pak. Plus, she could get the piked double front named the Dowell!! (No, it is not named after Veronica Wagner). While her errors on night two could not have helped her, her determination and the way she fought through the routine could not have hurt her, either, so I hope she's given a fair shot. If Brenna isn't back and ready, both other options are good though and will still be gold-medal worthy barring implosion.
Right now, with the uncertainties of Brenna's competitive potential and Maddie K's all around status, I'd name Simone, Kyla, Mykayla, Ashton, Alyssa, and Maggie:
VT- (Alyssa), (Maggie/Kyla), Maggie/Kyla, Mykayla, Simone
UB- (Alyssa), (Simone), Maggie, Kyla, Ashton
BB- (Ashton), (Maggie), Alyssa, Simone, Kyla
FX- (Maggie), (Kyla), Alyssa, Mykayla, Simone
But, as we all know, it's not over 'til the fat lady sings.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
P&Gs Wrap Up
The women's competition at the P&G Gymnastics Championships finished last night with some of the best gymnastics in the world on display. After the conclusion of the competition, the junior and senior national teams were named and the Pan Ams team as well.
Junior National Team
Jazmyn Foberg
Nia Dennis
Norah Flatley
Jordan Chiles
Alexis Vasquez
Emily Gaskins
Bailie Key
Senior National Team
Simone Biles
Kyla Ross
Maggie Nichols
Alyssa Baumann
Mykayla Skinner
Amelia Hundley
Madison Desch
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Brenna Dowell
Felicia Hano*
Senior Pan Ams Team
Alyssa Baumann
Madison Desch
Amelia Hundley
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Maggie Nichols
Mykayla Skinner
Felicia Hano*
*Felicia Hano replaced Alyssa Baumann on the Pan Ams team and was added to the national team then
Juniors
Jazmyn Foberg was able to make it a full eight for eight with a clean competition to take the title. She placed in to top five everywhere except beam, where she placed ninth in a very deep field, and took the title on bars due to her clean performance in a junior championships marked by errors on the event. She has a very nice DTY with a great laid out position. Her block looks like it could use a little work, but pretty secure. Jazmyn's lowest score came on beam day 2 where her front foot on her LOSO was off line and she had to wobble to secure herself and she needed a large step on her dismount. Jazmyn is a very complete and even gymnast. Her talent is pretty evenly distributed, and she doesn't have any real standout or weak event. She could be like the Maggie Nichols of the junior ranks, but a better all arounder. In the MG Elite interview with The Gymternet, coach Maggie Haney said she did not have a long-term plan for Jazmyn, which shows just how surprising her surge has been! The plan had better be mapped out soon, because Jazzy is right on track!
Nia Dennis counted three falls to her two-day total, which kept her from the junior title. On day one, Nia peeled off too quickly on her DLO dismount and ended her routine in a fall. I wonder if maybe she should try for a different kind of dismount, like a double Arabian or maybe even a twisting flyaway. Double backs seem to give her issues. Nia also fell on her standing Arabian both days of competition, which is worrying since she was so. dang. solid. on it. Nia had a great vault on day one which she stuck, but she lacked a lot of her height and power day two. Her bars day two were amazing. Nia was able to put Pac Rims and Classics behind her and killed floor both days, and I love her routine so much! It's just a party! With her raw power, high-flying releases, and inconsistency, it's hard NOT to compare her to Gabby, and next year could be AMAZING.
Chow's Norah Flatley came in third after some uncharacteristic errors. Vault maintained the improvement from Pac Rims, but it still needs some work. Norah placed second on bars, where she has nice clean lines. Her score was lower day two due to missing handstands, but she moves through the routine easily and drills the DLO dismount. Norah needs just a little bit of refinement because occasionally she bends her arms on her kips a bit, but she could absolutely be a team player on bars or even better. Norah was able to score a 14.000 on floor both nights. On day two she went out of bounds, but had higher execution than day one. The most memorable thing about Norah's performance- in a negative way- is that she fell both days on beam. Day one Norah missed her feet completely on her sheep jump and she fell on her layout night two. Norah was always a rock on beam, so it's really abnormal for her to have had those big errors.
P&Gs was an overall good competition for Chow's gymnasts. Victoria Nguyen had a good outing for her first national championships. She vaults a pretty good FTY. Her block is a bit scrappy, but she got good distance day two. Victoria, like a true Chow's girl, whips around in el grip, but her bars definitely need refinement and her swing needs improvement. Day one, Victoria had a bad outing on beam and earned only a 12.600; on day two, she received the high score of the championships, a 15.200, for a gorgeous routine with just one medium wobble and a couple small ones. Victoria's best result was third on floor for an incredible routine. Victoria has time on her side and just needs to keep it up for her senior career. After last year's disaster on bars, Alexis was able to place fifth for a national team spot. I can't quite figure out what Chow's plan is for her. I wonder if they're focusing more on a college spot than successful senior international career. Alexis had very nice FTYs both days, easing them around. Her bars, which I prefer to Norah's, were very nice but lacking in difficulty, and she, like Rachel Gowey, often misses handstand. On day two, she had to muscle a bit and stall on a handstand, which cost her a couple of tenths. Alexis has a new, more fun floor routine this year. Her half in-half out is beautiful and her execution was so clean. The big surprise of the meet for Alexis was winning the title on beam after being clean and consistent- scoring a 14.700 both days- when her biggest competition, including teammate Norah, faltered. Her routines were beautiful and I love her choreography. I just love Alexis's gymnastics and am so happy she made the national team this year!
Jordan Chiles's two days of competition were about as different as they could have gotten! Day one was pretty bad, landing Jordan in 19th. Her vault was great and her floor was fine, though not as good as she could do, but bars and beam were really troublesome for her. Jordan's biggest error on beam day one was balking her first attempt at her BHS+LOSO+LOSO connection, but it was an unsteady routine all the way through. Bars was definitely Jordan's worst event on day one, and she scored only an 11.400. She stalled a handstand which resulted in empty swings, fell after casting to far over after a transition, fumbled her grip before a half turn which required her to recast, and lost a full point in neutral deductions when her coach touched her spotting a Jaeger. Day two was a total turnaround and back to Classics form, however, earning Jordan the highest day two total of the competition and allowing her to claw her way back to fourth. Her DTY was better than day one's and she just had to buckle her knees a bit on landing, causing her to take a small hop. Bars were still her trouble spot day two, but were a huge improvement. Her only noteworthy error was a stall before her toe-on on the low bar. Her only real problems day two on beam were a large wobble on her tour jete 1/2 and a low front tuck. Jordan was able to bear her day one score on floor by .750 with an incredible routine. I love the way she doesn't cowboy her skills! Jordan is really almost the ideal gymnast, and I really hope she keeps her routines as they are now for the next couple years and none of the gymternet's worries about burnout come into being.
Gymternet favorite Emily Gaskins placed sixth to take the final spot on the national team. She ended day one in second after just about the best she could have done. She debuted her DTY in competition day one. It's not a great vault, and she loses a fair bit of her block twisting early. Bars were definitely Emily's worst event of the competition. It was her lowest scoring event day one despite being a clean routine due to her low D score. Day two, Emily only scored an 11.000 after going over on a Stalder full and missing the bar on her Tkatchev. She also fumbled her grip before a half turn. It's sad that she came to grief day two, because Emily could really be beautiful on bars. After an incredibly steady routine day one, Emily was obviously flustered on beam after bars on day two. There were several big bobbles and she lost a fair bit of difficulty. Her beautiful floor, however, went well both days, and was a highlight of the competition.
The adorable Ragan Smith missed the national team by one placing and .05. Bars was easily her worst event. Day one she fell on a Jaeger; on day two, she finished her Stalder full way past handstand and had to take an extra swing and was way to far over the low bar on her Pak, and she ended up hitting her feet on the ground. Even though it's her weak event, Ragan's swing has improved a ton and her Stalder work really suits her. I still think her bars could be decent for her all around in the future. Ragan is another gymnast who added a DTY to her repertoire this year. Day one it was super messy and had poor body position, and day two's had plenty of issues but was much improved. Like Emily, Ragan twists early of the table and has to fix her technique. On beam, Ragan placed second after two very steady routines. She had messy wolf turns both days, and I kind of think they should try another high difficulty turn. She scored a tenth higher day two with a slightly more stable wolf turn and a bit smaller hop on landing. Ragan also placed second on floor, which makes me so happy because I love her floor! She seems to go just a bit too far on her BHS into her triple full in her first pass, and lacks a bit of height because of it. She displayed great musicality and performance quality! A lot of people were upset she wasn't added to the national team with her great performance.
Deanne Soza had a hard championships after a great Classics. Vault was her best event where she had two powerful DTYs, though she had somewhat scrappy landings on both when she stepped out night one and had a bit of a jarring impact on vault. Bars was unfortunately rough for Deanne, who fell on Tkatchev day one and overshot her Ezhova day two and her hips fell to the bar. Beam day two was a highlight routine for her, for which she earned a score of 14.350. She had a nicely confident routine with really nice skills and combinations, though she broke her front aerial+front aerial+aerial cartwheel series. Floor was troublesome day one for Deanne when her double tuck out of a 1 1/2 fell to her hands and knees. She had a nice routine day two, though, for a 13.750.
Christina Desiderio was in position for a national team spot going into the final rotation, but she sadly had a disastrous final bars routine. She stalled in a handstand and had to take two empty swings and then had the same error when she repeated the skill. She then had a fall on a forward giant. She was obviously flustered before remounting, and then crashed her dismount. Unfortunately, Christina had three other falls, two on beam and one on floor. Her vault on day two was very nice and she didn't underrotate it like she has before, and I loved her floor day two.
Olivia Trautman placed second on vault with scores of 14.800 and 14.900. Her vault day two was super powerful and had great height. Lauren Navarro was able to place second on beam with scores of 13.900 and 14.800. She has a gorgeous jump to split mount and very unique skill selection.
Seniors
As of right now, only two of the gymnasts who competed at P&Gs are not on the national team, Nica Hults and Macy Toronjo of Texas Dreams. Nica only competed two events at P&Gs, bars and beam. She had low difficulty on beam and missed some handstands on bars. Lots of gymfans are sad that Nica's elite career isn't highly successful, but she will be a great Bruin. Macy Toronjo placed lowest out of the gymnasts who competed all around at nationals. She had very low difficulty, only reaching a 5.5 on floor as her highest D score. Macy's bars lacked swing, and she placed last on the event. She vaulted two clean FTYs and her floor was enchanting to the music "Feeling Good." Floor was her highest scoring event, where she received a 14.050 night two.
Felicia Hano was left off the national team originally last night after only competing three events, vault beam and floor. Her difficulty also is a bit low, having a 5.6 potential on beam and 5.2 potential on floor. She stuck both DTYs and scored 14.900 night two. Felicia scored higher on every event night two than night one and improved her score by almost a point. Her DLO was one of the best she's had night two.
Madison Desch has sadly once again been unable to fulfill the potential she displayed as a junior. She lost at least half a point in OOB penalties both nights on floor. Maddie's best event was vault, where she vaulted two nice DTYs which both scored 14.500. I personally think her night one vault was a bit underscored. Maddie had a good bars routine night one, but came close to the bar on the dismount. On night two, Maddie fumbled her grip on a Stalder half and had to add two extra giant swings. Maddie's best scoring routine (vault doesn't count as a routine) was her day two beam which scored 14.200 and was very steady. Maddie was named to the Pan Ams team but likely won't be able to compete at a higher level competition.
Amelia Hundley came in sixth after an up and down competition. Amelia vaulted a DTY on night one and nominated one for night two, but something must have gone wrong because she went with an FTY instead. She had a bounce out of it, so it looks like she was going for the double. Amelia was good on bars and tied Kyla Ross's two-day total after Kyla made uncharacteristic mistakes. She increased her score six tenths from day one to day two, and seeing as her first routine had not major errors, the discrepancy seems a bit large. Amelia was also pretty good on beam. Though it was a bit shaky, she held on well and scored above 14.000. Amelia has a very enjoyable floor, but she made errors both nights. Night one she rolled backward out of the floor, and on night two she had uncontrolled landings on both her double pike and double tuck.
Madison Kocian and Ashton Locklear both only competed bars and beam. Madison's two day two-event total beat Ashton Locklear. Maddie was able to finally overcome her inconsistency on her standing Arabian and had no falls at P&G. She had problems with her double pike dismount both nights, underrotating it night one and overrotating it night two. Maddie's bars score increased by .250 from night one to night two. She connected her Pak+Chow 1/2 night two and stuck her dismount. Ashton had issues with her aerial cartwheel+LOSO connection both nights. She had a sizable wobble night one and fell on it night two. Her night one bars scored a monster 15.850 for her very difficult routine with most of her form errors from Classics fixed. On night two, she scored 15.200, having missed her inbar full+Komova II connection, though I still think the difference was a little harsh. Both are on the Pan Ams team, so this should give Martha a great opportunity to compare the two before Worlds selection.
Brenna Dowell only competed bars both nights to drastically varying results. On night one, Brenna scored the second-highest score on bars, 15.400, for a hit routine. She missed her toe-on full+Maloney connection, but hit her Tweddle+Ezhova and Church+Pak connections with no major error, and downgraded to a double layout dismount. On night two, she had a very rough routine. Brenna missed the half turn on her first Tweddle attempt and did just a Ray before hitting the Tweddle+Ezhova; however, her toe full turned into a toe 1 1/2 when she was over in her handstand. She also broke her Church+Pak connection before tucking her legs and hitting her feet on the ground. However, to quote Tim Dagget, "If it's all about fight, I want her in a foxhole next to me." She is still on the national team, though, and she plans on competing all around at selection camp, so there is still a glimmer of hope.
Mykayla Skinner hit eight for eight and scored above 14.000 on every routine on vault, beam, and floor. Bars was obviously her lowest scoring event. She is basically allergic to handstand, and her form wasn't perfect either. Beam was a decent event for Mykayla. She wobbled on her BHS+tuck full both nights and was very off split in her switch 1/2. She will never be great on beam, but she was definitely consistent. Mykayla went out on her Moors night one, but it was fairly well laid out. Her body position on the Moors was not as good night two, but she stayed in bounds. She also overcooked her 2 1/2 a little bit at the end of her routine. Switching the passes seems to have been the trick for her. I really wish she had kept her old music though, dramatic just doesn't work for her. Vault was a great event for Mykayla. Her half-on block was still a little wonky, but- and I may just be seeing what I want to see here- she seemed to block better night two. What happened since Jesolo?! Her DTY also definitely looked like it could have been an Amanar night one, so I have a sneaking hope she can bring it back during selection camp.
Alyssa Baumann overall had a good first senior nationals. She scored a 14.800 and 14.900 on vault for two nice DTYs. Bars was definitely her worst event. Her form was scrappy night one and she had lots of leg separations. Night two, Alyssa fell on her Maloney and hyper extended her elbow. She is out of Pan Ams, and there hasn't been any official word as to whether she will be back for selection camp. Alyssa tied with Simone for second on beam with two very confident routines which both scored 15.150. Alyssa also doubled her scores on floor with a 14.450 both nights, which was definitely great for her.
Maggie Nichols was one of the few gymnasts who hit eight for eight to place third. Her vaults were very nice, especially night two which was gorgeous and got a ton of air. Bars was the best she's performed this season night two, the only of her three performances where she didn't stall after catching her Pak. She was able to place third on bars after errors by Kyla Ross. On beam, she also had two strong routines, but cut her Grigoras. her front aerial+sissone+split was amazing night two. Maggie also placed third on floor. She really enjoys her routine, you can tell she loves performing it! She had two great double layouts and stuck her 1 1/2+double tuck night one. I especially love the way she spots her turns! Maggie is a great team player.
Kyla Ross and Simone Biles decided to remind us that they are human at P&Gs this year, just in case we were wondering. Or maybe it's all part of their master plan to lull us into a false sense of security, who knows. Both gymnasts counted falls over the competition. Simone fell on her aerial cartwheel on night two after breaking her connection out of her wolf hop. Kyla fell, as I suspected she might, on her whip+double Arabian night one, which she replaced with her normal pass night two and completed well. Kyla also fell night one on her DLO bars dismount which she appears to have had trouble adjusting to her new height this year. Kyla's vaults were both beautiful, and she scored above a 9.2 in execution on both. Her bars were gorgeous on night two, and she earned a 15.000. She made up for falling on her dismount night one by almoooost sticking the landing. Seriously, I had to take a second look to tell that her feet had moved. If this were the 80s, the judges would just have said "eh, close enough" and given her a 9.95 anyway. As much as I love Kyla, her E scores on beam were laughable. Day one, she had a large break after her front tuck and cut her wolf jump. One thing I love about Kyla is she knows where her value comes from. When she breaks a connection and the second skill doesn't count to her D score, she doesn't do the second. For the large break after her front tuck, she still received a 9.2 E score. On night two, she had a fair wobble after her switch ring and it was a fairly jittery routine, especially for Kyla, but she got a 9.35 E score. On floor, Kyla had a very clean routine and scored 14.800. I think the new choreography that's been added this year actually makes her performance stiffer and wish they'd go back to what it was like last year.
Simone went seven for seven before her last routine, but still won by four points. And came in second on beam, tied with Alyssa Baumann. Bars was her lowest scoring event, scoring a 14.550 and 14.750. It was the only event where she didn't score above 15. It is also the only event where she has a D score below 6.0. Both nights were hit routines and she planted the landing on her dismount night two. Vault was her highest scoring event, where she received a 15.900 both nights for super explosive vaults with just a tine hop back. Her Lopez was also beautiful and totally secure both nights. She had a great layout position and just landed a little to the side with a teensy hop. Simone's night one beam brought in a huge 15.700. She had a little correction after her second LOSO and front tuck, and a larger wobble after her wolf hop. It started with one of the best wolf turns she's done in complete control and ended with her beautiful BHS+BHS+full-in dismount combo. Floor was of course where she shone the most at nationals. I'm pretty sure she got downgraded both nights, on her switch 1/1 night one and Gogean night two. Night one she stuck her double layout perfectly. I mean, what really is there to say about this routine? It's perfect and she will destroy everyone this year. It's almost scary how strong Simone is when you know she still has wells of talent.
The white leo curse is most definitely over as Jordan Chiles, Simone, and Kyla all wore white leos one night and had falls the night they didn't.
Junior National Team
Jazmyn Foberg
Nia Dennis
Norah Flatley
Jordan Chiles
Alexis Vasquez
Emily Gaskins
Bailie Key
Senior National Team
Simone Biles
Kyla Ross
Maggie Nichols
Alyssa Baumann
Mykayla Skinner
Amelia Hundley
Madison Desch
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Brenna Dowell
Felicia Hano*
Senior Pan Ams Team
Madison Desch
Amelia Hundley
Madison Kocian
Ashton Locklear
Maggie Nichols
Mykayla Skinner
Felicia Hano*
*Felicia Hano replaced Alyssa Baumann on the Pan Ams team and was added to the national team then
Juniors
Jazmyn Foberg was able to make it a full eight for eight with a clean competition to take the title. She placed in to top five everywhere except beam, where she placed ninth in a very deep field, and took the title on bars due to her clean performance in a junior championships marked by errors on the event. She has a very nice DTY with a great laid out position. Her block looks like it could use a little work, but pretty secure. Jazmyn's lowest score came on beam day 2 where her front foot on her LOSO was off line and she had to wobble to secure herself and she needed a large step on her dismount. Jazmyn is a very complete and even gymnast. Her talent is pretty evenly distributed, and she doesn't have any real standout or weak event. She could be like the Maggie Nichols of the junior ranks, but a better all arounder. In the MG Elite interview with The Gymternet, coach Maggie Haney said she did not have a long-term plan for Jazmyn, which shows just how surprising her surge has been! The plan had better be mapped out soon, because Jazzy is right on track!
Nia Dennis counted three falls to her two-day total, which kept her from the junior title. On day one, Nia peeled off too quickly on her DLO dismount and ended her routine in a fall. I wonder if maybe she should try for a different kind of dismount, like a double Arabian or maybe even a twisting flyaway. Double backs seem to give her issues. Nia also fell on her standing Arabian both days of competition, which is worrying since she was so. dang. solid. on it. Nia had a great vault on day one which she stuck, but she lacked a lot of her height and power day two. Her bars day two were amazing. Nia was able to put Pac Rims and Classics behind her and killed floor both days, and I love her routine so much! It's just a party! With her raw power, high-flying releases, and inconsistency, it's hard NOT to compare her to Gabby, and next year could be AMAZING.
Chow's Norah Flatley came in third after some uncharacteristic errors. Vault maintained the improvement from Pac Rims, but it still needs some work. Norah placed second on bars, where she has nice clean lines. Her score was lower day two due to missing handstands, but she moves through the routine easily and drills the DLO dismount. Norah needs just a little bit of refinement because occasionally she bends her arms on her kips a bit, but she could absolutely be a team player on bars or even better. Norah was able to score a 14.000 on floor both nights. On day two she went out of bounds, but had higher execution than day one. The most memorable thing about Norah's performance- in a negative way- is that she fell both days on beam. Day one Norah missed her feet completely on her sheep jump and she fell on her layout night two. Norah was always a rock on beam, so it's really abnormal for her to have had those big errors.
P&Gs was an overall good competition for Chow's gymnasts. Victoria Nguyen had a good outing for her first national championships. She vaults a pretty good FTY. Her block is a bit scrappy, but she got good distance day two. Victoria, like a true Chow's girl, whips around in el grip, but her bars definitely need refinement and her swing needs improvement. Day one, Victoria had a bad outing on beam and earned only a 12.600; on day two, she received the high score of the championships, a 15.200, for a gorgeous routine with just one medium wobble and a couple small ones. Victoria's best result was third on floor for an incredible routine. Victoria has time on her side and just needs to keep it up for her senior career. After last year's disaster on bars, Alexis was able to place fifth for a national team spot. I can't quite figure out what Chow's plan is for her. I wonder if they're focusing more on a college spot than successful senior international career. Alexis had very nice FTYs both days, easing them around. Her bars, which I prefer to Norah's, were very nice but lacking in difficulty, and she, like Rachel Gowey, often misses handstand. On day two, she had to muscle a bit and stall on a handstand, which cost her a couple of tenths. Alexis has a new, more fun floor routine this year. Her half in-half out is beautiful and her execution was so clean. The big surprise of the meet for Alexis was winning the title on beam after being clean and consistent- scoring a 14.700 both days- when her biggest competition, including teammate Norah, faltered. Her routines were beautiful and I love her choreography. I just love Alexis's gymnastics and am so happy she made the national team this year!
Jordan Chiles's two days of competition were about as different as they could have gotten! Day one was pretty bad, landing Jordan in 19th. Her vault was great and her floor was fine, though not as good as she could do, but bars and beam were really troublesome for her. Jordan's biggest error on beam day one was balking her first attempt at her BHS+LOSO+LOSO connection, but it was an unsteady routine all the way through. Bars was definitely Jordan's worst event on day one, and she scored only an 11.400. She stalled a handstand which resulted in empty swings, fell after casting to far over after a transition, fumbled her grip before a half turn which required her to recast, and lost a full point in neutral deductions when her coach touched her spotting a Jaeger. Day two was a total turnaround and back to Classics form, however, earning Jordan the highest day two total of the competition and allowing her to claw her way back to fourth. Her DTY was better than day one's and she just had to buckle her knees a bit on landing, causing her to take a small hop. Bars were still her trouble spot day two, but were a huge improvement. Her only noteworthy error was a stall before her toe-on on the low bar. Her only real problems day two on beam were a large wobble on her tour jete 1/2 and a low front tuck. Jordan was able to bear her day one score on floor by .750 with an incredible routine. I love the way she doesn't cowboy her skills! Jordan is really almost the ideal gymnast, and I really hope she keeps her routines as they are now for the next couple years and none of the gymternet's worries about burnout come into being.
Gymternet favorite Emily Gaskins placed sixth to take the final spot on the national team. She ended day one in second after just about the best she could have done. She debuted her DTY in competition day one. It's not a great vault, and she loses a fair bit of her block twisting early. Bars were definitely Emily's worst event of the competition. It was her lowest scoring event day one despite being a clean routine due to her low D score. Day two, Emily only scored an 11.000 after going over on a Stalder full and missing the bar on her Tkatchev. She also fumbled her grip before a half turn. It's sad that she came to grief day two, because Emily could really be beautiful on bars. After an incredibly steady routine day one, Emily was obviously flustered on beam after bars on day two. There were several big bobbles and she lost a fair bit of difficulty. Her beautiful floor, however, went well both days, and was a highlight of the competition.
The adorable Ragan Smith missed the national team by one placing and .05. Bars was easily her worst event. Day one she fell on a Jaeger; on day two, she finished her Stalder full way past handstand and had to take an extra swing and was way to far over the low bar on her Pak, and she ended up hitting her feet on the ground. Even though it's her weak event, Ragan's swing has improved a ton and her Stalder work really suits her. I still think her bars could be decent for her all around in the future. Ragan is another gymnast who added a DTY to her repertoire this year. Day one it was super messy and had poor body position, and day two's had plenty of issues but was much improved. Like Emily, Ragan twists early of the table and has to fix her technique. On beam, Ragan placed second after two very steady routines. She had messy wolf turns both days, and I kind of think they should try another high difficulty turn. She scored a tenth higher day two with a slightly more stable wolf turn and a bit smaller hop on landing. Ragan also placed second on floor, which makes me so happy because I love her floor! She seems to go just a bit too far on her BHS into her triple full in her first pass, and lacks a bit of height because of it. She displayed great musicality and performance quality! A lot of people were upset she wasn't added to the national team with her great performance.
Deanne Soza had a hard championships after a great Classics. Vault was her best event where she had two powerful DTYs, though she had somewhat scrappy landings on both when she stepped out night one and had a bit of a jarring impact on vault. Bars was unfortunately rough for Deanne, who fell on Tkatchev day one and overshot her Ezhova day two and her hips fell to the bar. Beam day two was a highlight routine for her, for which she earned a score of 14.350. She had a nicely confident routine with really nice skills and combinations, though she broke her front aerial+front aerial+aerial cartwheel series. Floor was troublesome day one for Deanne when her double tuck out of a 1 1/2 fell to her hands and knees. She had a nice routine day two, though, for a 13.750.
Christina Desiderio was in position for a national team spot going into the final rotation, but she sadly had a disastrous final bars routine. She stalled in a handstand and had to take two empty swings and then had the same error when she repeated the skill. She then had a fall on a forward giant. She was obviously flustered before remounting, and then crashed her dismount. Unfortunately, Christina had three other falls, two on beam and one on floor. Her vault on day two was very nice and she didn't underrotate it like she has before, and I loved her floor day two.
Olivia Trautman placed second on vault with scores of 14.800 and 14.900. Her vault day two was super powerful and had great height. Lauren Navarro was able to place second on beam with scores of 13.900 and 14.800. She has a gorgeous jump to split mount and very unique skill selection.
Seniors
As of right now, only two of the gymnasts who competed at P&Gs are not on the national team, Nica Hults and Macy Toronjo of Texas Dreams. Nica only competed two events at P&Gs, bars and beam. She had low difficulty on beam and missed some handstands on bars. Lots of gymfans are sad that Nica's elite career isn't highly successful, but she will be a great Bruin. Macy Toronjo placed lowest out of the gymnasts who competed all around at nationals. She had very low difficulty, only reaching a 5.5 on floor as her highest D score. Macy's bars lacked swing, and she placed last on the event. She vaulted two clean FTYs and her floor was enchanting to the music "Feeling Good." Floor was her highest scoring event, where she received a 14.050 night two.
Felicia Hano was left off the national team originally last night after only competing three events, vault beam and floor. Her difficulty also is a bit low, having a 5.6 potential on beam and 5.2 potential on floor. She stuck both DTYs and scored 14.900 night two. Felicia scored higher on every event night two than night one and improved her score by almost a point. Her DLO was one of the best she's had night two.
Madison Desch has sadly once again been unable to fulfill the potential she displayed as a junior. She lost at least half a point in OOB penalties both nights on floor. Maddie's best event was vault, where she vaulted two nice DTYs which both scored 14.500. I personally think her night one vault was a bit underscored. Maddie had a good bars routine night one, but came close to the bar on the dismount. On night two, Maddie fumbled her grip on a Stalder half and had to add two extra giant swings. Maddie's best scoring routine (vault doesn't count as a routine) was her day two beam which scored 14.200 and was very steady. Maddie was named to the Pan Ams team but likely won't be able to compete at a higher level competition.
Amelia Hundley came in sixth after an up and down competition. Amelia vaulted a DTY on night one and nominated one for night two, but something must have gone wrong because she went with an FTY instead. She had a bounce out of it, so it looks like she was going for the double. Amelia was good on bars and tied Kyla Ross's two-day total after Kyla made uncharacteristic mistakes. She increased her score six tenths from day one to day two, and seeing as her first routine had not major errors, the discrepancy seems a bit large. Amelia was also pretty good on beam. Though it was a bit shaky, she held on well and scored above 14.000. Amelia has a very enjoyable floor, but she made errors both nights. Night one she rolled backward out of the floor, and on night two she had uncontrolled landings on both her double pike and double tuck.
Madison Kocian and Ashton Locklear both only competed bars and beam. Madison's two day two-event total beat Ashton Locklear. Maddie was able to finally overcome her inconsistency on her standing Arabian and had no falls at P&G. She had problems with her double pike dismount both nights, underrotating it night one and overrotating it night two. Maddie's bars score increased by .250 from night one to night two. She connected her Pak+Chow 1/2 night two and stuck her dismount. Ashton had issues with her aerial cartwheel+LOSO connection both nights. She had a sizable wobble night one and fell on it night two. Her night one bars scored a monster 15.850 for her very difficult routine with most of her form errors from Classics fixed. On night two, she scored 15.200, having missed her inbar full+Komova II connection, though I still think the difference was a little harsh. Both are on the Pan Ams team, so this should give Martha a great opportunity to compare the two before Worlds selection.
Brenna Dowell only competed bars both nights to drastically varying results. On night one, Brenna scored the second-highest score on bars, 15.400, for a hit routine. She missed her toe-on full+Maloney connection, but hit her Tweddle+Ezhova and Church+Pak connections with no major error, and downgraded to a double layout dismount. On night two, she had a very rough routine. Brenna missed the half turn on her first Tweddle attempt and did just a Ray before hitting the Tweddle+Ezhova; however, her toe full turned into a toe 1 1/2 when she was over in her handstand. She also broke her Church+Pak connection before tucking her legs and hitting her feet on the ground. However, to quote Tim Dagget, "If it's all about fight, I want her in a foxhole next to me." She is still on the national team, though, and she plans on competing all around at selection camp, so there is still a glimmer of hope.
Mykayla Skinner hit eight for eight and scored above 14.000 on every routine on vault, beam, and floor. Bars was obviously her lowest scoring event. She is basically allergic to handstand, and her form wasn't perfect either. Beam was a decent event for Mykayla. She wobbled on her BHS+tuck full both nights and was very off split in her switch 1/2. She will never be great on beam, but she was definitely consistent. Mykayla went out on her Moors night one, but it was fairly well laid out. Her body position on the Moors was not as good night two, but she stayed in bounds. She also overcooked her 2 1/2 a little bit at the end of her routine. Switching the passes seems to have been the trick for her. I really wish she had kept her old music though, dramatic just doesn't work for her. Vault was a great event for Mykayla. Her half-on block was still a little wonky, but- and I may just be seeing what I want to see here- she seemed to block better night two. What happened since Jesolo?! Her DTY also definitely looked like it could have been an Amanar night one, so I have a sneaking hope she can bring it back during selection camp.
Alyssa Baumann overall had a good first senior nationals. She scored a 14.800 and 14.900 on vault for two nice DTYs. Bars was definitely her worst event. Her form was scrappy night one and she had lots of leg separations. Night two, Alyssa fell on her Maloney and hyper extended her elbow. She is out of Pan Ams, and there hasn't been any official word as to whether she will be back for selection camp. Alyssa tied with Simone for second on beam with two very confident routines which both scored 15.150. Alyssa also doubled her scores on floor with a 14.450 both nights, which was definitely great for her.
Maggie Nichols was one of the few gymnasts who hit eight for eight to place third. Her vaults were very nice, especially night two which was gorgeous and got a ton of air. Bars was the best she's performed this season night two, the only of her three performances where she didn't stall after catching her Pak. She was able to place third on bars after errors by Kyla Ross. On beam, she also had two strong routines, but cut her Grigoras. her front aerial+sissone+split was amazing night two. Maggie also placed third on floor. She really enjoys her routine, you can tell she loves performing it! She had two great double layouts and stuck her 1 1/2+double tuck night one. I especially love the way she spots her turns! Maggie is a great team player.
Kyla Ross and Simone Biles decided to remind us that they are human at P&Gs this year, just in case we were wondering. Or maybe it's all part of their master plan to lull us into a false sense of security, who knows. Both gymnasts counted falls over the competition. Simone fell on her aerial cartwheel on night two after breaking her connection out of her wolf hop. Kyla fell, as I suspected she might, on her whip+double Arabian night one, which she replaced with her normal pass night two and completed well. Kyla also fell night one on her DLO bars dismount which she appears to have had trouble adjusting to her new height this year. Kyla's vaults were both beautiful, and she scored above a 9.2 in execution on both. Her bars were gorgeous on night two, and she earned a 15.000. She made up for falling on her dismount night one by almoooost sticking the landing. Seriously, I had to take a second look to tell that her feet had moved. If this were the 80s, the judges would just have said "eh, close enough" and given her a 9.95 anyway. As much as I love Kyla, her E scores on beam were laughable. Day one, she had a large break after her front tuck and cut her wolf jump. One thing I love about Kyla is she knows where her value comes from. When she breaks a connection and the second skill doesn't count to her D score, she doesn't do the second. For the large break after her front tuck, she still received a 9.2 E score. On night two, she had a fair wobble after her switch ring and it was a fairly jittery routine, especially for Kyla, but she got a 9.35 E score. On floor, Kyla had a very clean routine and scored 14.800. I think the new choreography that's been added this year actually makes her performance stiffer and wish they'd go back to what it was like last year.
Simone went seven for seven before her last routine, but still won by four points. And came in second on beam, tied with Alyssa Baumann. Bars was her lowest scoring event, scoring a 14.550 and 14.750. It was the only event where she didn't score above 15. It is also the only event where she has a D score below 6.0. Both nights were hit routines and she planted the landing on her dismount night two. Vault was her highest scoring event, where she received a 15.900 both nights for super explosive vaults with just a tine hop back. Her Lopez was also beautiful and totally secure both nights. She had a great layout position and just landed a little to the side with a teensy hop. Simone's night one beam brought in a huge 15.700. She had a little correction after her second LOSO and front tuck, and a larger wobble after her wolf hop. It started with one of the best wolf turns she's done in complete control and ended with her beautiful BHS+BHS+full-in dismount combo. Floor was of course where she shone the most at nationals. I'm pretty sure she got downgraded both nights, on her switch 1/1 night one and Gogean night two. Night one she stuck her double layout perfectly. I mean, what really is there to say about this routine? It's perfect and she will destroy everyone this year. It's almost scary how strong Simone is when you know she still has wells of talent.
The white leo curse is most definitely over as Jordan Chiles, Simone, and Kyla all wore white leos one night and had falls the night they didn't.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Looking Ahead to Worlds Team Finals
Team finals are my favorite phase of competition in gymnastics, so I'm so excited for the team final in Nanning after last year's individual Worlds!
The USA is still the clear front-runner for the team gold. Some people started to doubt their dominance after an exceptionally shaky Classics, but even from that competition a decent team could have been named. I fully believe a team of Biles, Ross, Nichols, Gowey, Locklear, and Kocian could wipe the floor in the team final. I'm still super disappointed about Mykayla's block- IT WAS CREDITABLE EARLIER THIS YEAR!! Peyton Ernst still could make a case for her inclusion at Nationals, and if Mykayla and Brenna manage to pull themselves together, even better. Even just the we-survived-Classics-2014 team would have all the bases covered. Biles has one of the best Amanars ever, performed one of the best floor routines ever at Classics, has improved her beam and has become very steady, has usable bars, and is just generally one of the best gymnasts ever. Ross is especially useful on bars and beam, but is helpful everywhere and so strong and steady. Nichols is also steady and could be used anywhere. Gowey was landing Amanars in PT at Classics, so if she could bring that into competition she could be useful on vault, her beam is very useful, and she could also be used anywhere. Locklear and Kocian both have stellar bars, and Locklear could potentially be a team player on beam as well. Really, the we-survived-Classics-2014 team is surprisingly flexible. A strong Ernst, Skinner, or Dowell could all make the US team even more uncatchable, but it's pretty decently ahead of the rest of the pack as is.
Romania, who was my pick for silver, recently sustained a devastating blow with the injury of Diana Bulimar (will we ever see her at Worlds again!?) Her loss leaves an even bigger gaping hole on uneven bars, where Bulimar was steady and fairly decent, but also weakens floor, where Bulimar could bring in scores above 14.000. Iordache is now becoming even more Mustafina-esque in how much Romania needs her. Romania will be looking to her to bring in their highest score on every event, and likely any medals they can pick up individually. Romania will be scrambling to fit together a team. The biggest problem will be who to put up in the third bars spot other than Iordache and Stanila. Romania will certainly be looking forward to Jurca and Iridon's senior debuts next year!
Russia is also a team in shambles. Mustafina has had surgery on her ankle this year and her status is uncertain on vault and floor, which would be a huge blow. Even if she's only in for bars and beam, Mustafina will still undoubtedly be on the team if she is able, as will Kharenkova and Sosnitskaya. This provides at least one DTY, if Mustafina is not ready on the event, a great bars set, two strong beams, and two good floors. I would expect Mustafina to be put up on at least vault if she can chuck a DTY, just because they are hard to come by in Russia's current pool of seniors. This means Russia needs at least one more vault, two more bars, and one more beam and floor. I think the remaining spots will be filled by a combination of Komova, Nabieva, Paseka, Spiridinova, and Rodionova. I think Komova will likely be on the team if she can throw a routine together, and Nabieva will be chosen over Paseka just because Paseka has been blacklisted. A team I think is unlikely to be named but has its merits is the three locks, Nabieva, Komova/Spiridinova, and Fedorova/Kramarenko. Nabieva could be put up on vault and bars, Komova or Spiridinova on bars, and Fedorova or Kramarenko on beam and floor. However, I think the Rods will name a vaulter, bar worker, and a UB/BB specialist and find someone to put up in the final floor spot. This team is somewhat weak and vault and floor, strong on bars, and a mixed bag on beam.
China has named their team. I'm not sure if it's technically official, but even if it's unofficial, China doesn't really have any other options. The Chinese team is for both Worlds and Asian Games. Yao Jinnan, Shang Chunsong, Huang Huidan, Tan Jiaxin, Chen Siyi, and Bai Yawen will make up the Chinese contingent at Nanning. It is a bit difficult to judge the strength of China's team since we haven't seen Tan Jiaxin since last year's DTB Cup and word of skills we haven't seen yet are circulating, as well as potential injury for Yao Jinnan. Personally, I think most people are overrating this team. Some were saying after Classics that China could overtake the USA, but I honestly think they might not even take the silver. Bars should be very strong for China. Yao has displayed a 7.0 routine this year, Huang Huidan is the reigning World Champion on bars, and Shang tied with her at China's National Championships. Beam also has a lot of potential for this team. Shang Chunsong has a very difficult routine, Bai Yawen is on the team for her prowess on this event, but also showed inconsistency at Chinese Nationals. Huang Huidan has improved her consistency on beam and scored around 14.35 at Nationals. Yao Jinnan scored in the low 14s at Nationals, but has also proved inconsistent on beam in the past. Vault will be an uncertain rotation. Word is that Tan Jiaxin has been training the Amanar but will not be competing it this season and that Shang Chunsong now has a consistent DTY. Tan Jiaxin has a nice DTY, and Yao Jinnan's is nice as well. The third vault is where vault becomes a bit worrisome. Shang Chunsong is apparently now vaulting a DTY, but we have no idea what it will look like. Chen Siyi vaulted a DTY at Chinese Nationals, but it was scary. Floor is another worrisome event for China. Yao Jinnan has added two tenths to her D score, so she might be able to score in the 14s. Shang Chunsong has added three tenths, now tumbling a 3 1/2 twist as her second pass, but her execution has also gone down. The third floor spot is another cause of consternation. All the other members of the team have D scores of 5.3 or lower and will be unlikely to break the low 13s. China will have to rely on potentially a scary vault and definitely on a weak floor, and Yao and Bai have both shown inconsistency on beam, and Shang also fell on beam in Antwerp.
A team which is looking to have potential to challenge the Big Four is Great Britain, which has skyrocketed in success since 2012. Rebecca Tunney, who helped GB to their silver at Euros, had an elbow surgery which kept her out of the Commonwealth Games, but British Gymnastics said she would be ready for Worlds. Assuming she will be ready, her bars will bring in a big number for GB. Gabby Jupp has also been out since Euros 2013 with injury, hers to her ACL. Gabby was supposed to make a comeback at British Championships, but she was unready. Nothing official has been said, but it looks unlikely she will be on the team, which is unfortunate because her beam could be a big help. The rest of the team will likely be the Commonwealth Games team. Becky Downie showed inconsistency on beam in Glasgow, which is concerning because she was competing well earlier in the season. Kelley Simm will be helpful on vault and potentially on floor as well. Hannah Whelan is likely to be on the beam and floor rotations, and if she can recreate her Glasgow all around beam routine, she should bring in a strong score. Ruby Harrold will be put up on bars and floor. Her bars can score very well and made the finals in 2013, scoring in the low 14s. Her floor is also strong. Claudia Fragapane will be a big scorer for GB. She vaults a DTY and could potentially be used on beam. Her highest-scoring event is her amazing floor, where she can bring in high 14s. This team should have three scores above 14.500 on vault and two high bars scores and a third above a 14.000. Beam and floor are a bit questionable. Beam can have potentially three scores above 14. Ruby and Hannah will likely score in the 13s on floor, but Claudia should bring in a very big number. With Romania's blow and Russia's floundering team, I think GB should be able to medal and even challenge China for silver. GB is stronger than China on vault (assuming Shang Chunsong's is what you would expect of a new DTY from someone who was stuck with an FTY for a long time), very strong on bars, likely second only to China, and much stronger on floor. Beam is the make-or-break event for GB, but China also has some inconsistency on beam. Team GB is really a fairly evenly talented team, probably second only to the USA.
The USA is still the clear front-runner for the team gold. Some people started to doubt their dominance after an exceptionally shaky Classics, but even from that competition a decent team could have been named. I fully believe a team of Biles, Ross, Nichols, Gowey, Locklear, and Kocian could wipe the floor in the team final. I'm still super disappointed about Mykayla's block- IT WAS CREDITABLE EARLIER THIS YEAR!! Peyton Ernst still could make a case for her inclusion at Nationals, and if Mykayla and Brenna manage to pull themselves together, even better. Even just the we-survived-Classics-2014 team would have all the bases covered. Biles has one of the best Amanars ever, performed one of the best floor routines ever at Classics, has improved her beam and has become very steady, has usable bars, and is just generally one of the best gymnasts ever. Ross is especially useful on bars and beam, but is helpful everywhere and so strong and steady. Nichols is also steady and could be used anywhere. Gowey was landing Amanars in PT at Classics, so if she could bring that into competition she could be useful on vault, her beam is very useful, and she could also be used anywhere. Locklear and Kocian both have stellar bars, and Locklear could potentially be a team player on beam as well. Really, the we-survived-Classics-2014 team is surprisingly flexible. A strong Ernst, Skinner, or Dowell could all make the US team even more uncatchable, but it's pretty decently ahead of the rest of the pack as is.
Romania, who was my pick for silver, recently sustained a devastating blow with the injury of Diana Bulimar (will we ever see her at Worlds again!?) Her loss leaves an even bigger gaping hole on uneven bars, where Bulimar was steady and fairly decent, but also weakens floor, where Bulimar could bring in scores above 14.000. Iordache is now becoming even more Mustafina-esque in how much Romania needs her. Romania will be looking to her to bring in their highest score on every event, and likely any medals they can pick up individually. Romania will be scrambling to fit together a team. The biggest problem will be who to put up in the third bars spot other than Iordache and Stanila. Romania will certainly be looking forward to Jurca and Iridon's senior debuts next year!
Russia is also a team in shambles. Mustafina has had surgery on her ankle this year and her status is uncertain on vault and floor, which would be a huge blow. Even if she's only in for bars and beam, Mustafina will still undoubtedly be on the team if she is able, as will Kharenkova and Sosnitskaya. This provides at least one DTY, if Mustafina is not ready on the event, a great bars set, two strong beams, and two good floors. I would expect Mustafina to be put up on at least vault if she can chuck a DTY, just because they are hard to come by in Russia's current pool of seniors. This means Russia needs at least one more vault, two more bars, and one more beam and floor. I think the remaining spots will be filled by a combination of Komova, Nabieva, Paseka, Spiridinova, and Rodionova. I think Komova will likely be on the team if she can throw a routine together, and Nabieva will be chosen over Paseka just because Paseka has been blacklisted. A team I think is unlikely to be named but has its merits is the three locks, Nabieva, Komova/Spiridinova, and Fedorova/Kramarenko. Nabieva could be put up on vault and bars, Komova or Spiridinova on bars, and Fedorova or Kramarenko on beam and floor. However, I think the Rods will name a vaulter, bar worker, and a UB/BB specialist and find someone to put up in the final floor spot. This team is somewhat weak and vault and floor, strong on bars, and a mixed bag on beam.
China has named their team. I'm not sure if it's technically official, but even if it's unofficial, China doesn't really have any other options. The Chinese team is for both Worlds and Asian Games. Yao Jinnan, Shang Chunsong, Huang Huidan, Tan Jiaxin, Chen Siyi, and Bai Yawen will make up the Chinese contingent at Nanning. It is a bit difficult to judge the strength of China's team since we haven't seen Tan Jiaxin since last year's DTB Cup and word of skills we haven't seen yet are circulating, as well as potential injury for Yao Jinnan. Personally, I think most people are overrating this team. Some were saying after Classics that China could overtake the USA, but I honestly think they might not even take the silver. Bars should be very strong for China. Yao has displayed a 7.0 routine this year, Huang Huidan is the reigning World Champion on bars, and Shang tied with her at China's National Championships. Beam also has a lot of potential for this team. Shang Chunsong has a very difficult routine, Bai Yawen is on the team for her prowess on this event, but also showed inconsistency at Chinese Nationals. Huang Huidan has improved her consistency on beam and scored around 14.35 at Nationals. Yao Jinnan scored in the low 14s at Nationals, but has also proved inconsistent on beam in the past. Vault will be an uncertain rotation. Word is that Tan Jiaxin has been training the Amanar but will not be competing it this season and that Shang Chunsong now has a consistent DTY. Tan Jiaxin has a nice DTY, and Yao Jinnan's is nice as well. The third vault is where vault becomes a bit worrisome. Shang Chunsong is apparently now vaulting a DTY, but we have no idea what it will look like. Chen Siyi vaulted a DTY at Chinese Nationals, but it was scary. Floor is another worrisome event for China. Yao Jinnan has added two tenths to her D score, so she might be able to score in the 14s. Shang Chunsong has added three tenths, now tumbling a 3 1/2 twist as her second pass, but her execution has also gone down. The third floor spot is another cause of consternation. All the other members of the team have D scores of 5.3 or lower and will be unlikely to break the low 13s. China will have to rely on potentially a scary vault and definitely on a weak floor, and Yao and Bai have both shown inconsistency on beam, and Shang also fell on beam in Antwerp.
A team which is looking to have potential to challenge the Big Four is Great Britain, which has skyrocketed in success since 2012. Rebecca Tunney, who helped GB to their silver at Euros, had an elbow surgery which kept her out of the Commonwealth Games, but British Gymnastics said she would be ready for Worlds. Assuming she will be ready, her bars will bring in a big number for GB. Gabby Jupp has also been out since Euros 2013 with injury, hers to her ACL. Gabby was supposed to make a comeback at British Championships, but she was unready. Nothing official has been said, but it looks unlikely she will be on the team, which is unfortunate because her beam could be a big help. The rest of the team will likely be the Commonwealth Games team. Becky Downie showed inconsistency on beam in Glasgow, which is concerning because she was competing well earlier in the season. Kelley Simm will be helpful on vault and potentially on floor as well. Hannah Whelan is likely to be on the beam and floor rotations, and if she can recreate her Glasgow all around beam routine, she should bring in a strong score. Ruby Harrold will be put up on bars and floor. Her bars can score very well and made the finals in 2013, scoring in the low 14s. Her floor is also strong. Claudia Fragapane will be a big scorer for GB. She vaults a DTY and could potentially be used on beam. Her highest-scoring event is her amazing floor, where she can bring in high 14s. This team should have three scores above 14.500 on vault and two high bars scores and a third above a 14.000. Beam and floor are a bit questionable. Beam can have potentially three scores above 14. Ruby and Hannah will likely score in the 13s on floor, but Claudia should bring in a very big number. With Romania's blow and Russia's floundering team, I think GB should be able to medal and even challenge China for silver. GB is stronger than China on vault (assuming Shang Chunsong's is what you would expect of a new DTY from someone who was stuck with an FTY for a long time), very strong on bars, likely second only to China, and much stronger on floor. Beam is the make-or-break event for GB, but China also has some inconsistency on beam. Team GB is really a fairly evenly talented team, probably second only to the USA.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Classics Wrap-Up
Last night was Classics, the official start to the US Elite season. Finally! As with tradition, many gymnasts randomly scratched, such as Madison Kocian who decided to only compete bars and beam, we had two last-minute dropouts in the form of Peyton Ernst, who somehow was able to injure herself between arrival and the first training, and Lexie Priessman, who tore a ligament on her beam dismount in the evening practice, we had splats, and some big surprises to take titles. Overall, it was a fun day of gymnastics viewing!
Juniors
Despite the absence of Bailie Key, the junior fight was a major battle and explosive gymnastics was still on display. Plus, it led to a much more interesting battle for the title.
Classics displayed the huge well of talent the US has in its gymnasts who won't be old enough for this Olympic cycle. The US really has perfected a system to run out super-talented little ones who just need to make the improvements that come with time experience.
Jordan Chiles surprised by taking the title last night, despite not being age-eligible for Rio's 2016 Olympics. Jordan made waves this summer when this training video was released from the ranch showing huge upgrades in the works. Many worried for little Jordan's safety. However, Jordan only displayed her double Arabian and BHS+LOSO+LOSO series at Classics, so hopefully these are more long-term upgrades. She shows incredible talent and potential and is definitely one to watch. Jordan had a clean meet last night, with one of the top DTYs of the juniors. She is definitely a powerful gymnast, but has nice elegance and some nice basic dance displayed in her beam and floor which could definitely be built upon. Jordan shows potential on all four events, and we just hope her pacing is well handled.
Deanne Soza, who tied for third in the all around, is another exciting gem in the US junior landscape. She also boasts a DTY on vault, which is nicely performed. Deanne was the junior silver medalist last night on the uneven bars, which is a key event for the US. Her routine includes an Ezhova, which makes me very happy! Her Pirates of the Caribbean floor music makes her a gymternet favorite, and she performs nicely on the event. Her lowest scoring event last night was beam, but Deanne shows great potential there as well. She already has a front aerial+front aerial+side aerial connection, and she just shuffled on her front tuck and BHS+LOSO. Her BHS+BHS+double tuck dismount connection was stuck, but landed in a squat. She shows the grit needed for beam, she just needs more experience.
Twistars's new phenom, Delanie Harkness, made a great showing for herself last night. Her vault needs some work- she blocks at the very back of the table and has to pike down the landing. She shows great potential on all the other events, though, and Geddert has lots of time to work on vault. She was first in her age group on bars at JO Nationals this year, and she definitely showed promise yesterday. On beam, she fell on her aerial cartwheel, but otherwise looked very strong. Her floor was also clean, and I just love her ending choreography! Mostly, Delanie just needs to upgrade and gain experience.
Morgan Hurd, the adorable bespectacled little gem from First State, also was great on the podium last night. She showed wonderful composure. Her FTY was a bit wonky on the block, but she pulled it around. Her main problem on bars is missing handstands. Morgan also doesn't have a high bar to low bar transition, so she loses CR there. On beam, Morgan received a high 8.9 execution score. She had some wobbles throughout the routine but remained calm. Her floor was also beautiful and to the Game of Thrones music Grace Waguespack used last year! Her biggest problem was an uncontrolled first pass. Like Delanie, Morgan just needs to use her time wisely.
Maile O'Keefe also showed strong routines yesterday, despite not becoming senior until 2018. Her beam was one of the greatest of the night, and she placed sixth on the event with a 14.350. Maile also placed second on floor with her routine to Canadian favorite music "Torn." Maile placed sixth in the all around.
Plenty of other juniors from the first session put up memorable routines. Alexis Vasquez of Chow's turns senior next year and only competed on two events. Her FTY was very nice, but lacked distance from the table. Her bars, which I personally prefer to teammate Norah's, were solid and nicely executed. We will look forward to watching Alexis at Nationals later this month. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf was one of the fan favorites of this Classics. She didn't seem to have the same spark to me this year, especially on floor. Her beam had all her lovely skills, but a few wobbles throughout. Sydney's appearance at Nationals will be much anticipated. Christina Desiderio didn't have the meet of her life last night, but still placed eighth all around last night and there was plenty commendable. She competed a DTY on vault, which was landed with a significant knee bend which resulted in a step out of bounds, but it definitely looks workable. Bars has some work to be done, but she has a huge Tkatchev and good swing. Christina came to grief on beam last night here she had an uncharacteristic fall. She also debuted a new floor last night, and it was performed very well! I believe Christina has it in her and will make her splash in two years!
Some of the best juniors for 2016 competed in the senior session last night and had great performances. Emily Gaskins is another gymternet favorite due to her beautiful balletic style. Unfortunately, Emily fell in her floor routine, which she also showed inconsistency on in Jesolo earlier this year. Emily did not debut her DTY shown in her camp video, but received the highest score for an FTY of the juniors. Beam was her best routine of the night. She has a very nice Y-spin in the works, but wobbled on it last night. Other than that, it was a nice routine. She definitely has great potential on beam. Emily also did well on bars. She began with a shaky start, missing handstand on a Stalder full and struggling through a dead hang on a hecht transition, but she cleaned up afterward to have a nice rest of her routine.
Jazmyn Foberg was the surprise of the juniors last night. She placed fifth in the all around last night. Bars was easily her weakest event, where Jazmyn was too far on her Pak. She almost pulled it off as a cool Pak-clear hip connection, but she missed handstand and lost swing. She also needs to work on her handstands. Jazmyn also competed a DTY, but she underrotated the salto and had to stumble out of it. Her beam was her best routine of the day, and she scored a 14.250.
Ragan Smith is my personal favorite of the juniors from the senior session. She best embodied the splat-fest testing ground nature of Classics. Ragan tried a DTY on vault, but she was brought to her knees. Ragan also fell on a BHS+BHS+layout connection on beam. She also successfully added a double wolf turn and dismounted with a BHS+BHS+double pike connection, which was landed low. Ragan has shown great improvements on bars since last year. Her swing is much better. She still has some work to do, but I think she could turn into a good bar worker. Ragan was the junior floor champion last night with her adorable routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz!" It's very well choreographed and she completed all her skills successfully. She will definitely be one to watch at Nationals!
Gymternet favorite Norah Flately came in tied third last night. One thing that impressed me from Norah's gymnastics last night was her vaulting! She only compete an FTY, but it was much improved from her vault at Pac Rims! Her bars were solid, but she missed several handstands. I think she's ready for inbars, though! That is definitely a place where she could upgrade. Her floor also was a good effort and nicely performed, but she received a .3 OOB penalty. Norah won the beam title with a 15.100, but the really exciting thing is it wasn't a very good routine for her. Norah can do so much better, having broken many connections. That 15.100 could absolutely be shattered by Norah!
Nia Dennis, who was considered by many to be the favorite for the title, came away with the silver. She had a fall on floor, where she also had a fall at Pac Rims. She never had problems on floor before, so this is a bit worrying. Nia was in the top two on the other events, however. Her DTY resulted in a large hop back, but was very secure. She also came in second on beam, despite stumbling on her opening double wolf turn. her standing Arabian was, as always, flawless, and she also had a beautiful BHS+layout series. She showed great flexibility and maintained good fluidity and connections. Nia won the title on bars with her high-flying releases and great connections. She also upgraded her dismount to a double layout, which is great since she turns senior next year! Nia is definitely a shining star in USAG.
Seniors
Brenna Dowell had a really rough go of it last night. She only competed bars, and made major errors there. She has changed the composition of her routine, and I prefer this to her previous composition. She bent her knees on both her Ezhova and Pak. She chose not to finish her routine. It will be a red flag next to her name she really doesn't need. Her performance at Nationals will be critical for her.
Nica Hults only competed bars. She put up a solid routine, but placed sixth on the event. Her execution wasn't perfect, but since she has had some inconsistency on this event, it's probably best for her to have lots of experience. Beam will be the important performance for her.
Alyssa Baumann did not compete her full potential beam routine and scored only a 14.300. She missed quite a few of her connections and did not attempt her aerial front+aerial front+aerial cartwheel series. Beam was considered her ticket to Worlds, and so she will need to provide a more solid routine at Nationals. She did upgrade her vault to a DTY, so that is great for her.
Maddie Kocian only competed bars and beam last night because of her ankle injury. She scored a very high 15.400 on bars and placed second on the event. She had some leg separations, especially on her transitions, but was otherwise very clean. She also had a great stuck landing. This was definitely a great statement to make for Maddie. Beam did not go quite so well. As like last year, Maddie fell on her standing Arabian. She also had a large wobble on her front aerial, but settled down after there. She has beautiful work on beam but a lot of times she lets her mind get to her. She should really only compete bars and beam at Nationals if her ankle is this big a problem.
Amelia Hundley had a mixed senior debut. She of course had surgery, and so she did not have all of the work of before. Amelia was strongly downgraded on vault and floor. Her vault was only an FTY. None of her D scores reached a 6.0. Her best event was floor, where she scored a 14.250 to place fourth. She had a beautiful opening double layout. Amelia has also changed her floor music from last year. Sadly, Amelia's injury came at an inopportune time for her senior debut.
Mykayla Skinner had some issues yesterday on her pet events. On floor, Mykayla fell on her dismount, a full-in. After her Moors and double double, Mykayla did a 1 1/2 to double full. This seems a bit out of character, both the fall and the downgrade. We'll just have to wait and see with her. Mykayla also had a new floor routine. On vault, Mykayla one-armed her Cheng again. MYKAYLA, YOU HAD A CREDITABLE BLOCK EARLIER THIS YEAR! GET BACK TO THAT POINT!! She also no longer has her Amanar from Jesolo. Something seems fishy.... In stranger news, Mykayla was solid on bars and beam. Her bars were rife with deductions, but she did have nice swing. Her beam was solid, with only a few small wobbles. If she can get her strong events solid, Mykayla might be able to place in the all around at Nationals.
Maggie Nichols had a surprise third place finish at Classics. Her consistency was her key. Maggie's high score of the day was surprisingly a 14.700 on bars, despite an unusual stall on her Pak where she held a handstand-ish shape. However, she placed best on floor, where she came in third with a score of 14.300. One upgrade did sneak its way into her set, the Grigoras on beam.
The biggest surprise of the night was Ashton Locklear of Everest. Ashton only competed bars and beam, but made a huge splash on those events. She was the champion on bars last night with a monster score of 15.700. Her d-score is a 6.8, and last night she received a stick bonus for her impeccable landing. She also placed fourth on beam. This could put her name in the mix for Worlds, and I'm sure it got Martha talking!
Kyla Ross had a strong showing yesterday to come in second, but she still has room to improve. The big news regarding Kyla coming into Classics was an upgraded whip+double Arabian pass on floor, which Kyla competed without the following stag jump. However, she also competed it at the beginning on her competition, so one has to wonder whether her endurance will hold when floor is her last event, as it will most definitely be if she qualifies to the all around final at Worlds this year. Kyla had a very clean and stuck vault, but not as well executed as last year. Kyla also had a beautifully executed bars routine, but without her inbars. She has said that is a goal for Nationals. She also tied with Simone for the top score on beam. Kyla placed in the top three on every event, and definitely looked ready for the season.
Simone Biles cemented herself as the favorite for Worlds this year. She opened her competition with her official announcement that she is in fact not human with her floor routine. Her passes were a double double, Biles, double layout, and full in. Normally I would whine that now she had to add an aerial to her routine, but I legitimately don't care when those are the tumbling passes. She is seriously not human. Simone was able to score a 15.800 for her routine. Seriously, even with domestic overscoring, that is the Frankenstein of monster scores. Simone also places first on vault and beam. Her Amanar doesn't get quite the height of last year it appears, but it is still like a rocket off the table. Her Lopez was underrotated last night, so that will be something to watch for at Nationals. Simone displayed her packed routine on beam, but had a bit of a stumble on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO. This definitely has Worlds potential if it can be done cleanly, though. Her wolf turn was the best I've ever seen it. Simone had some trouble on bars, and she told us coming in at had taken a hit with her shoulder. She had a stall on her Weiler and didn't swing to horizontal on her Maloney, but she does appear to have worked on the little things such as keeping her legs together and her toes pointed. Even with some weaker bars work, Simone smashed the competition and the 60 barrier, scoring a 61.700. Also, like with Norah's beam, Simone has more to give, which is super exciting.
The biggest mystery coming into Classics was Rachel Gowey's performance. Would she blow everyone away with her Chow-trained upgrades? Would she crash and burn? Ultimately, she did neither. Rachel had a good performance, not astounding in either way. On her first event, Rachel stumbled back on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO, but calmed down for the rest of her routine to place third. Her triple twist dismount wasn't quite fully rotated, but the interior of her routine was great. On floor, Rachel debuted her 3 1/2 twist. She got it safely around, but she was also uncontrolled on the landing. She did have a beautiful Gogean, though, and the rest of her passes were well controlled. It was a bit low on difficulty though, but if she can control the 3 1/2, she should still score well. Gowey's bars were nice, but she did not score well. Her biggest problems were missed handstands and flexed feet. She will still go into Nationals as the wild card.
Looking ahead to Worlds...
Ultimately, Classics doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme of things. However, that doesn't mean they are inconsequential. Brenna now has a red flag by her name she didn't need, Mykayla has to prove herself when many thought she didn't before, and Ashton Locklear basically just threw herself a giant coming out party.
Simone and Kyla are locks for the team barring their own bad health. Simone has monster routines that will bring in huge scores and will likely walk away with at least one individual gold. Heck, she has the potential to walk away with three individual golds and a team gold. Kyla will bring stability, especially a stable beam routine, which is the weak spot of this year's US team.
On vault, the US could potentially be finding itself looking for strong workers. Simone should bring in the top score on vault both individually and of the team final, so that's definitely a great place to start. Earlier, the US was looking to be overrun with safe high-difficulty vaults. Now, that doesn't seem so strong. Rachel fell on vault last night, but if she can perform it consistently, it can definitely be an asset for selection. Mykayla has to BLOCK OFF BOTH HANDS AGAIN (seriously, what is up with her? why have her block and difficulty both devolved from last year?) but can put herself back into the top of the running again. Brenna didn't vault at Classics, but she was another potential strong vault this year. I will be an important event for her at Nationals, assuming she does compete the all around.
Bars was pleasingly strong at Classics. Kyla is of course glorious on this event. She will bring in a great score and her experience will be huge for Martha. She likely will take the team captain spot this year. Ashton Locklear now definitely has to be in the discussion and the back of Martha's mind. Her huge d-score can definitely help the team a ton. Maddie Kocian is also in great shape for a bars specialist spot. If Maddie doesn't end up doing the all around, I think it will be unlikely for both to make the US team due to Martha wanting to put up the maximum number of gymnasts per event in qualifications. If it is only one or the other, beam could make the difference. Peyton also could swing well on bars, and if she does well on beam, could take a UB/BB specialist spot for Worlds. Assuming she is okay for the rest of the season? Brenna did not do herself any favors yesterday, but if she can do her bars routine without imploding and competes well and vault, Brenna should be in good standing. Rachel had nice bars, but if she can't hit her handstands, she will be slaughtered, unfortunately, because this could be an event where she could contribute well otherwise.
Beam will be interesting. Kyla will again provide consistency here among a crop of some new gymnasts. Simone has proved dependable on beam, so she could definitely help the team this year on beam. With her upgrades, if she gets everything under control she can bring in a monster score. Rachel Gowey performed a strong routine last night despite a slight stumble on her acro series. If she can keep improving and pull it all together, Rachel could definitely make a strong statement for herself on beam. Alyssa Baumann needs to bring her difficulty back up and be consistent to make Nanning if the others will continue performing the way they did last night. Ashton Locklear made a case for herself on this event as well last night. A few more consistent performances on these two events and she could find herself on the team. Peyton also is one who could be brought for good beam work if she can prove consistency.
Floor is super strong for this team. Remember Kyla made the floor final in Antwerp! Simone likely won't be able to hit 15.800 internationally, but a score above 15.000 would absolutely be likely. She, at this moment, looks poised to repeat as floor champion. If Skinner can compete her set without major errors, she will be able to bring in a high score as well. Kyla scored well at Classics and made finals last year, so she could definitely be a team player her as well. Brenna could also be a good team player on floor if she does come back to do all around at Nationals. Rachel also has the potential for a good score despite low difficulty if she can bring her landings under control.
Alright, I feel like this will be wildly inaccurate, but here's a Worlds team prediction:
Biles, Ross, Gowey, Kocian, Skinner, Dowell
VT: Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Biles
UB: Dowell, Ross, Kocian
BB: Biles, Gowey, Ross
FX: Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Biles
Ultimately, unless Kyla and Simone both are physically unable to compete, the US should be able to stroll away with the gold.
Juniors
Despite the absence of Bailie Key, the junior fight was a major battle and explosive gymnastics was still on display. Plus, it led to a much more interesting battle for the title.
Classics displayed the huge well of talent the US has in its gymnasts who won't be old enough for this Olympic cycle. The US really has perfected a system to run out super-talented little ones who just need to make the improvements that come with time experience.
Jordan Chiles surprised by taking the title last night, despite not being age-eligible for Rio's 2016 Olympics. Jordan made waves this summer when this training video was released from the ranch showing huge upgrades in the works. Many worried for little Jordan's safety. However, Jordan only displayed her double Arabian and BHS+LOSO+LOSO series at Classics, so hopefully these are more long-term upgrades. She shows incredible talent and potential and is definitely one to watch. Jordan had a clean meet last night, with one of the top DTYs of the juniors. She is definitely a powerful gymnast, but has nice elegance and some nice basic dance displayed in her beam and floor which could definitely be built upon. Jordan shows potential on all four events, and we just hope her pacing is well handled.
Deanne Soza, who tied for third in the all around, is another exciting gem in the US junior landscape. She also boasts a DTY on vault, which is nicely performed. Deanne was the junior silver medalist last night on the uneven bars, which is a key event for the US. Her routine includes an Ezhova, which makes me very happy! Her Pirates of the Caribbean floor music makes her a gymternet favorite, and she performs nicely on the event. Her lowest scoring event last night was beam, but Deanne shows great potential there as well. She already has a front aerial+front aerial+side aerial connection, and she just shuffled on her front tuck and BHS+LOSO. Her BHS+BHS+double tuck dismount connection was stuck, but landed in a squat. She shows the grit needed for beam, she just needs more experience.
Twistars's new phenom, Delanie Harkness, made a great showing for herself last night. Her vault needs some work- she blocks at the very back of the table and has to pike down the landing. She shows great potential on all the other events, though, and Geddert has lots of time to work on vault. She was first in her age group on bars at JO Nationals this year, and she definitely showed promise yesterday. On beam, she fell on her aerial cartwheel, but otherwise looked very strong. Her floor was also clean, and I just love her ending choreography! Mostly, Delanie just needs to upgrade and gain experience.
Morgan Hurd, the adorable bespectacled little gem from First State, also was great on the podium last night. She showed wonderful composure. Her FTY was a bit wonky on the block, but she pulled it around. Her main problem on bars is missing handstands. Morgan also doesn't have a high bar to low bar transition, so she loses CR there. On beam, Morgan received a high 8.9 execution score. She had some wobbles throughout the routine but remained calm. Her floor was also beautiful and to the Game of Thrones music Grace Waguespack used last year! Her biggest problem was an uncontrolled first pass. Like Delanie, Morgan just needs to use her time wisely.
Maile O'Keefe also showed strong routines yesterday, despite not becoming senior until 2018. Her beam was one of the greatest of the night, and she placed sixth on the event with a 14.350. Maile also placed second on floor with her routine to Canadian favorite music "Torn." Maile placed sixth in the all around.
Plenty of other juniors from the first session put up memorable routines. Alexis Vasquez of Chow's turns senior next year and only competed on two events. Her FTY was very nice, but lacked distance from the table. Her bars, which I personally prefer to teammate Norah's, were solid and nicely executed. We will look forward to watching Alexis at Nationals later this month. Sydney Johnson-Scharpf was one of the fan favorites of this Classics. She didn't seem to have the same spark to me this year, especially on floor. Her beam had all her lovely skills, but a few wobbles throughout. Sydney's appearance at Nationals will be much anticipated. Christina Desiderio didn't have the meet of her life last night, but still placed eighth all around last night and there was plenty commendable. She competed a DTY on vault, which was landed with a significant knee bend which resulted in a step out of bounds, but it definitely looks workable. Bars has some work to be done, but she has a huge Tkatchev and good swing. Christina came to grief on beam last night here she had an uncharacteristic fall. She also debuted a new floor last night, and it was performed very well! I believe Christina has it in her and will make her splash in two years!
Some of the best juniors for 2016 competed in the senior session last night and had great performances. Emily Gaskins is another gymternet favorite due to her beautiful balletic style. Unfortunately, Emily fell in her floor routine, which she also showed inconsistency on in Jesolo earlier this year. Emily did not debut her DTY shown in her camp video, but received the highest score for an FTY of the juniors. Beam was her best routine of the night. She has a very nice Y-spin in the works, but wobbled on it last night. Other than that, it was a nice routine. She definitely has great potential on beam. Emily also did well on bars. She began with a shaky start, missing handstand on a Stalder full and struggling through a dead hang on a hecht transition, but she cleaned up afterward to have a nice rest of her routine.
Jazmyn Foberg was the surprise of the juniors last night. She placed fifth in the all around last night. Bars was easily her weakest event, where Jazmyn was too far on her Pak. She almost pulled it off as a cool Pak-clear hip connection, but she missed handstand and lost swing. She also needs to work on her handstands. Jazmyn also competed a DTY, but she underrotated the salto and had to stumble out of it. Her beam was her best routine of the day, and she scored a 14.250.
Ragan Smith is my personal favorite of the juniors from the senior session. She best embodied the splat-fest testing ground nature of Classics. Ragan tried a DTY on vault, but she was brought to her knees. Ragan also fell on a BHS+BHS+layout connection on beam. She also successfully added a double wolf turn and dismounted with a BHS+BHS+double pike connection, which was landed low. Ragan has shown great improvements on bars since last year. Her swing is much better. She still has some work to do, but I think she could turn into a good bar worker. Ragan was the junior floor champion last night with her adorable routine to "Puttin' on the Ritz!" It's very well choreographed and she completed all her skills successfully. She will definitely be one to watch at Nationals!
Gymternet favorite Norah Flately came in tied third last night. One thing that impressed me from Norah's gymnastics last night was her vaulting! She only compete an FTY, but it was much improved from her vault at Pac Rims! Her bars were solid, but she missed several handstands. I think she's ready for inbars, though! That is definitely a place where she could upgrade. Her floor also was a good effort and nicely performed, but she received a .3 OOB penalty. Norah won the beam title with a 15.100, but the really exciting thing is it wasn't a very good routine for her. Norah can do so much better, having broken many connections. That 15.100 could absolutely be shattered by Norah!
Nia Dennis, who was considered by many to be the favorite for the title, came away with the silver. She had a fall on floor, where she also had a fall at Pac Rims. She never had problems on floor before, so this is a bit worrying. Nia was in the top two on the other events, however. Her DTY resulted in a large hop back, but was very secure. She also came in second on beam, despite stumbling on her opening double wolf turn. her standing Arabian was, as always, flawless, and she also had a beautiful BHS+layout series. She showed great flexibility and maintained good fluidity and connections. Nia won the title on bars with her high-flying releases and great connections. She also upgraded her dismount to a double layout, which is great since she turns senior next year! Nia is definitely a shining star in USAG.
Seniors
Brenna Dowell had a really rough go of it last night. She only competed bars, and made major errors there. She has changed the composition of her routine, and I prefer this to her previous composition. She bent her knees on both her Ezhova and Pak. She chose not to finish her routine. It will be a red flag next to her name she really doesn't need. Her performance at Nationals will be critical for her.
Nica Hults only competed bars. She put up a solid routine, but placed sixth on the event. Her execution wasn't perfect, but since she has had some inconsistency on this event, it's probably best for her to have lots of experience. Beam will be the important performance for her.
Alyssa Baumann did not compete her full potential beam routine and scored only a 14.300. She missed quite a few of her connections and did not attempt her aerial front+aerial front+aerial cartwheel series. Beam was considered her ticket to Worlds, and so she will need to provide a more solid routine at Nationals. She did upgrade her vault to a DTY, so that is great for her.
Maddie Kocian only competed bars and beam last night because of her ankle injury. She scored a very high 15.400 on bars and placed second on the event. She had some leg separations, especially on her transitions, but was otherwise very clean. She also had a great stuck landing. This was definitely a great statement to make for Maddie. Beam did not go quite so well. As like last year, Maddie fell on her standing Arabian. She also had a large wobble on her front aerial, but settled down after there. She has beautiful work on beam but a lot of times she lets her mind get to her. She should really only compete bars and beam at Nationals if her ankle is this big a problem.
Amelia Hundley had a mixed senior debut. She of course had surgery, and so she did not have all of the work of before. Amelia was strongly downgraded on vault and floor. Her vault was only an FTY. None of her D scores reached a 6.0. Her best event was floor, where she scored a 14.250 to place fourth. She had a beautiful opening double layout. Amelia has also changed her floor music from last year. Sadly, Amelia's injury came at an inopportune time for her senior debut.
Mykayla Skinner had some issues yesterday on her pet events. On floor, Mykayla fell on her dismount, a full-in. After her Moors and double double, Mykayla did a 1 1/2 to double full. This seems a bit out of character, both the fall and the downgrade. We'll just have to wait and see with her. Mykayla also had a new floor routine. On vault, Mykayla one-armed her Cheng again. MYKAYLA, YOU HAD A CREDITABLE BLOCK EARLIER THIS YEAR! GET BACK TO THAT POINT!! She also no longer has her Amanar from Jesolo. Something seems fishy.... In stranger news, Mykayla was solid on bars and beam. Her bars were rife with deductions, but she did have nice swing. Her beam was solid, with only a few small wobbles. If she can get her strong events solid, Mykayla might be able to place in the all around at Nationals.
Maggie Nichols had a surprise third place finish at Classics. Her consistency was her key. Maggie's high score of the day was surprisingly a 14.700 on bars, despite an unusual stall on her Pak where she held a handstand-ish shape. However, she placed best on floor, where she came in third with a score of 14.300. One upgrade did sneak its way into her set, the Grigoras on beam.
The biggest surprise of the night was Ashton Locklear of Everest. Ashton only competed bars and beam, but made a huge splash on those events. She was the champion on bars last night with a monster score of 15.700. Her d-score is a 6.8, and last night she received a stick bonus for her impeccable landing. She also placed fourth on beam. This could put her name in the mix for Worlds, and I'm sure it got Martha talking!
Kyla Ross had a strong showing yesterday to come in second, but she still has room to improve. The big news regarding Kyla coming into Classics was an upgraded whip+double Arabian pass on floor, which Kyla competed without the following stag jump. However, she also competed it at the beginning on her competition, so one has to wonder whether her endurance will hold when floor is her last event, as it will most definitely be if she qualifies to the all around final at Worlds this year. Kyla had a very clean and stuck vault, but not as well executed as last year. Kyla also had a beautifully executed bars routine, but without her inbars. She has said that is a goal for Nationals. She also tied with Simone for the top score on beam. Kyla placed in the top three on every event, and definitely looked ready for the season.
Simone Biles cemented herself as the favorite for Worlds this year. She opened her competition with her official announcement that she is in fact not human with her floor routine. Her passes were a double double, Biles, double layout, and full in. Normally I would whine that now she had to add an aerial to her routine, but I legitimately don't care when those are the tumbling passes. She is seriously not human. Simone was able to score a 15.800 for her routine. Seriously, even with domestic overscoring, that is the Frankenstein of monster scores. Simone also places first on vault and beam. Her Amanar doesn't get quite the height of last year it appears, but it is still like a rocket off the table. Her Lopez was underrotated last night, so that will be something to watch for at Nationals. Simone displayed her packed routine on beam, but had a bit of a stumble on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO. This definitely has Worlds potential if it can be done cleanly, though. Her wolf turn was the best I've ever seen it. Simone had some trouble on bars, and she told us coming in at had taken a hit with her shoulder. She had a stall on her Weiler and didn't swing to horizontal on her Maloney, but she does appear to have worked on the little things such as keeping her legs together and her toes pointed. Even with some weaker bars work, Simone smashed the competition and the 60 barrier, scoring a 61.700. Also, like with Norah's beam, Simone has more to give, which is super exciting.
The biggest mystery coming into Classics was Rachel Gowey's performance. Would she blow everyone away with her Chow-trained upgrades? Would she crash and burn? Ultimately, she did neither. Rachel had a good performance, not astounding in either way. On her first event, Rachel stumbled back on her BHS+LOSO+LOSO, but calmed down for the rest of her routine to place third. Her triple twist dismount wasn't quite fully rotated, but the interior of her routine was great. On floor, Rachel debuted her 3 1/2 twist. She got it safely around, but she was also uncontrolled on the landing. She did have a beautiful Gogean, though, and the rest of her passes were well controlled. It was a bit low on difficulty though, but if she can control the 3 1/2, she should still score well. Gowey's bars were nice, but she did not score well. Her biggest problems were missed handstands and flexed feet. She will still go into Nationals as the wild card.
Looking ahead to Worlds...
Ultimately, Classics doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme of things. However, that doesn't mean they are inconsequential. Brenna now has a red flag by her name she didn't need, Mykayla has to prove herself when many thought she didn't before, and Ashton Locklear basically just threw herself a giant coming out party.
Simone and Kyla are locks for the team barring their own bad health. Simone has monster routines that will bring in huge scores and will likely walk away with at least one individual gold. Heck, she has the potential to walk away with three individual golds and a team gold. Kyla will bring stability, especially a stable beam routine, which is the weak spot of this year's US team.
On vault, the US could potentially be finding itself looking for strong workers. Simone should bring in the top score on vault both individually and of the team final, so that's definitely a great place to start. Earlier, the US was looking to be overrun with safe high-difficulty vaults. Now, that doesn't seem so strong. Rachel fell on vault last night, but if she can perform it consistently, it can definitely be an asset for selection. Mykayla has to BLOCK OFF BOTH HANDS AGAIN (seriously, what is up with her? why have her block and difficulty both devolved from last year?) but can put herself back into the top of the running again. Brenna didn't vault at Classics, but she was another potential strong vault this year. I will be an important event for her at Nationals, assuming she does compete the all around.
Bars was pleasingly strong at Classics. Kyla is of course glorious on this event. She will bring in a great score and her experience will be huge for Martha. She likely will take the team captain spot this year. Ashton Locklear now definitely has to be in the discussion and the back of Martha's mind. Her huge d-score can definitely help the team a ton. Maddie Kocian is also in great shape for a bars specialist spot. If Maddie doesn't end up doing the all around, I think it will be unlikely for both to make the US team due to Martha wanting to put up the maximum number of gymnasts per event in qualifications. If it is only one or the other, beam could make the difference. Peyton also could swing well on bars, and if she does well on beam, could take a UB/BB specialist spot for Worlds. Assuming she is okay for the rest of the season? Brenna did not do herself any favors yesterday, but if she can do her bars routine without imploding and competes well and vault, Brenna should be in good standing. Rachel had nice bars, but if she can't hit her handstands, she will be slaughtered, unfortunately, because this could be an event where she could contribute well otherwise.
Beam will be interesting. Kyla will again provide consistency here among a crop of some new gymnasts. Simone has proved dependable on beam, so she could definitely help the team this year on beam. With her upgrades, if she gets everything under control she can bring in a monster score. Rachel Gowey performed a strong routine last night despite a slight stumble on her acro series. If she can keep improving and pull it all together, Rachel could definitely make a strong statement for herself on beam. Alyssa Baumann needs to bring her difficulty back up and be consistent to make Nanning if the others will continue performing the way they did last night. Ashton Locklear made a case for herself on this event as well last night. A few more consistent performances on these two events and she could find herself on the team. Peyton also is one who could be brought for good beam work if she can prove consistency.
Floor is super strong for this team. Remember Kyla made the floor final in Antwerp! Simone likely won't be able to hit 15.800 internationally, but a score above 15.000 would absolutely be likely. She, at this moment, looks poised to repeat as floor champion. If Skinner can compete her set without major errors, she will be able to bring in a high score as well. Kyla scored well at Classics and made finals last year, so she could definitely be a team player her as well. Brenna could also be a good team player on floor if she does come back to do all around at Nationals. Rachel also has the potential for a good score despite low difficulty if she can bring her landings under control.
Alright, I feel like this will be wildly inaccurate, but here's a Worlds team prediction:
Biles, Ross, Gowey, Kocian, Skinner, Dowell
VT: Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Gowey/Dowell/Skinner, Biles
UB: Dowell, Ross, Kocian
BB: Biles, Gowey, Ross
FX: Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Dowell/Skinner/Gowey/Ross, Biles
Ultimately, unless Kyla and Simone both are physically unable to compete, the US should be able to stroll away with the gold.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Commonwealths: Beam and Floor Finals Wrap-Up
Today, we were treated to some more great gymnastics in its final day at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This has been a strenuous competition, with five straight days of gymnastics for some of these ladies. As such, it's really no surprise there were some off moments from top competitors, but all the medalists had lovely, hit routines.
Beam Final
This final started out as a splat-fest, with three of the first four falling. However, the later gymnasts were able to pull it together and put out some stunning routines.
Becky Downie started the final off on not a great note, and she was clearly having a terribly off day. After some choreo on her mount, Downie immediately fell on her first skill, a punch front. She sadly also experienced falls on her next two skills as well, her beautiful acro series and Y turn. After remounting the beam for the third time, Downie had a fairly good go of it, though she elected not to go for the ring position on her second switch leap, but she dismounted with only a layout. Downie appeared not terribly upset afterward, accepting that she had just had a very, very bad day. We hope she can put this behind her for Worlds and put up performances like those we have seen earlier this year.
Sadly, Lauren Mitchell followed suit with her beam, up second. She began with her amazing mount series, switch leap mount immediately into front tuck into wolf jump. I love front tucks immediately connected out of other skills so much! Sadly, on her series of two back handsprings into a layout to two feet, Mitchell also came to grief and fell. She went on to have a very lovely routine, including her low-to-beam cartwheel which I just love and her signature turn. Mitchell is very watchable on beam and really makes it a complete unit. Even with her fall, Mitchell was able to reach a 13.000 for her routine for sixth place. She submitted an inquiry which was rejected.
Isabela Onyshko sadly joined the ranks of those who succumbed to the beam today. She has beautiful work on this event, but is also quite inconsistent. Onyshko also fell on her BHS+BHS+layout series. She also has a beautiful split full and switch leap into gainer layout connection. Her final score was a 12.9666 to put her in seventh place. Onyshko is very elegant and I loved her choreography. She could be great on this event if she could get her mind together.
After Onyshko was English Pocket Rocket Claudia Fragapane. I love the composition of her routine. She has a great interesting mount and engaging choreography. Her opening acrobatic element was her back handspring layout connection, which she wobbled on but was able to hold onto. Fragapane had wobbles on lots of skills and stumbled a bit on her aerial cartwheel. She performed her standing full with a bit of a wobble but great power. She had a back handspring connection into her double pike to dismount. Apparently Fragapane lost CR for her dance series because the judges did not think she directly connected her switch leap into her wolf jump. Her score was a 13.133 for fifth.
The two Welsh gymnasts competed in succession. Lizzie Beddoe was the first of the two to mount the beam. She put on a beautiful and solid performance. She connected her switch leap into another with half a turn into a wolf jump. Beddoe continued her lovely dance work with an illusion turn. Her acro series, a BHS+LOSO was lovely. She also had a very solid double turn, which was very special. She dismounted with only a 1 1/2 twist, which kept her difficulty down. Beddoe placed fourth with a score of 13.366.
Georgina Hockenhull was able to build on her teammate's beautiful performance to earn Wales's second medal in WAG at these Games. Hockenhull also had a beautiful BHS+LOSO connection for her acro series. She had a lovely dance connection of a switch leap to a Johnson leap. Hockenhull had a nice split jump out of her aerial walkover to make for a very beautiful connection. Hockenhull also included a switch leap with half twist which had beautiful position in the air. She dismounted with a double tuck, was was landed slightly low and had a step as a result. Hockenhull earned the bronze with a score of 13. 466.
Mary-Anne Monckton, who competed second, was able to overcome the first-half curse and put up a solid routine. She began with a pretty forward roll mount which was followed by her choreography low to the beam. Monckton started her routine in style with a well-fought aerial cartwheel into layout stepout. Her front foot on her LOSO was very off line, but Monckton was able to bring it under control with just a step back. She had a wobble on her dance series of a switch leap connected to a switch leap 1/2. She also had a solid sheep jump in her routine. She also had a double tuck dismount which wasn't able to quite tell if it was stuck. Monckton received a 13.666 for the silver.
Ellie Black stormed the beam final today as the final performer to win by over a point with a 14.900. She began with her double turn, which resulted in a wobble. To quote the BBC commentators, she followed it up with a front pike which she "stamped". Her back handspring to layout connection was also perfect. Her difficulty continues to build with a tuck full connected out of a back handspring. On her front tuck, Black had to fight for it because she was underrotated, but she was able to reign it back under control. She clearly wanted this title. She dismounted with a 2 1/2 which was landed with a "Shannon stick". Black's score today would have tied her for the gold at least year's World Championships.
Floor Final
Lots of great personality was displayed on the floor mat today! This was a great finale to the women's competition in Glasgow and filled with big gymnastics.
Kirsten Beckett got this final started in style with her very exciting and powerful floor routine. She opened with a big half in-half out, which unfortunately went out of bounds. Her double Arabian had nice position in the air and stuck the landing! Her third pass was lower difficulty with only a 1 1/2 twist. She finished with a double tuck. She did not have problems with her dance passage today, where she executed a switch leap into switch leap full. Beckett showed lots of personality and put on an engaging performance! She placed eighth, her score a 13.000.
Jessica Hogg followed Beckett in the lineup. She opened with a big stuck full-twisting double tuck. Her double tuck dismount was a bit overrotated and led to a step back. She had beautiful switch leap variations throughout her routine. Hogg used very upbeat music and put on a good show. Hogg placed fifth with a score of 13.166
Stephanie Merkle had a sparkling performance in her final routine of these Commonwealth Games. She opened immediately with her leap connection which was a switch leap connected into a Johnson 1/2. Her first tumble was a full-twisting double back with a bounce. Like fellow Canadian Ellie Black, Merkle also includes a Popa in her routine. Her second pass was a beautiful 2 1/2 twist punch front. This was followed by a triple twist. Her final pass was a double back with a hop forward. Her choreography was amazing and Merkle really shone in her performance! I loved her choreography low to the floor, and it was definitely a memorable routine for me! Merkle placed fourth with a score of 13.433.
Hannah Whelan of England put up her usual fierce performance on floor. She also started with a full-in, but had a big out of bounds on landing. She followed it with a very strong 2 1/2 punch layout. Her leap series was a switch ring to split full. After her double pike dismount, Whelan performed a Ferarri to end. As always, Whelan sold the heck out of her routine and had a fabulous ending choreography. Whelan placed sixth with a score of 13.133.
Charlotte Sullivan of New Zealand made her second appearance in and individual final today in the floor final. She had a beautiful double turn into double stag connection to open. She opened with a triple twist. Her routine also included a 2 1/2 twist into a stag-ish jump. That doesn't even get bonus anymore. She had a very nice switch ring to switch full passage. Sullivan dismounted with a double tuck. Sullivan received a 13.033 for seventh place.
Ellie Black now has a full set of medals after picking up a bronze in the floor final. I just love her floor because she combines artistic value with incredibly unique and creative tumbling. She had a little bit of a stumble on her opening Popa. Her double layout was high and beautiful in the air with just a small hop. A split leap full was connected into her switch leap full. After falling on her double pike in both the team and all around events, Black made a smart decision and replaced it with her previous double full. However, she went out of bounds on this pass. Her third and final pass was her punch full into double tuck. Black put on an enchanting performance for a score of 13.666.
Lauren Mitchell followed up hear beam performance in the floor final. This is definitely one of her best routines she's ever had. She opened with a full-twisting double pike which bounded backward. On her double Arabian, Mitchell tried to jump out with a stag jump, but instead went out of bounds. Her signature triple wolf turn was the best I've ever seen Mitchell do. It was eased around all three turns. She had a lovely bounding pass with her punch front out of a 2 1/2 twist. She dismounted with a great double pike. Mitchell earned the silver with 13.833. If Lauren Mitchell really is retiring after these Commonwealth Games, this was a fabulous final performance.
Claudia Fragapane added to her collection of gold medals today with the gold on the floor exercise. Unlike how she usually plants her landings, Fragapane had to adjust with a step on her full-twisting double layout. She did follow it up with a planted double layout, though. As always, her breakdancing choreography into her third pass was so much fun to watch! She followed it up with a planted double Arabian with a nice lack of cowboying. I love her new addition before her final pass! When she landed her double pike, everybody knew the gold was hers. Fragapane took her fourth gold of these games with a score of 14.541.
Beam Final
This final started out as a splat-fest, with three of the first four falling. However, the later gymnasts were able to pull it together and put out some stunning routines.
Becky Downie started the final off on not a great note, and she was clearly having a terribly off day. After some choreo on her mount, Downie immediately fell on her first skill, a punch front. She sadly also experienced falls on her next two skills as well, her beautiful acro series and Y turn. After remounting the beam for the third time, Downie had a fairly good go of it, though she elected not to go for the ring position on her second switch leap, but she dismounted with only a layout. Downie appeared not terribly upset afterward, accepting that she had just had a very, very bad day. We hope she can put this behind her for Worlds and put up performances like those we have seen earlier this year.
Sadly, Lauren Mitchell followed suit with her beam, up second. She began with her amazing mount series, switch leap mount immediately into front tuck into wolf jump. I love front tucks immediately connected out of other skills so much! Sadly, on her series of two back handsprings into a layout to two feet, Mitchell also came to grief and fell. She went on to have a very lovely routine, including her low-to-beam cartwheel which I just love and her signature turn. Mitchell is very watchable on beam and really makes it a complete unit. Even with her fall, Mitchell was able to reach a 13.000 for her routine for sixth place. She submitted an inquiry which was rejected.
Isabela Onyshko sadly joined the ranks of those who succumbed to the beam today. She has beautiful work on this event, but is also quite inconsistent. Onyshko also fell on her BHS+BHS+layout series. She also has a beautiful split full and switch leap into gainer layout connection. Her final score was a 12.9666 to put her in seventh place. Onyshko is very elegant and I loved her choreography. She could be great on this event if she could get her mind together.
After Onyshko was English Pocket Rocket Claudia Fragapane. I love the composition of her routine. She has a great interesting mount and engaging choreography. Her opening acrobatic element was her back handspring layout connection, which she wobbled on but was able to hold onto. Fragapane had wobbles on lots of skills and stumbled a bit on her aerial cartwheel. She performed her standing full with a bit of a wobble but great power. She had a back handspring connection into her double pike to dismount. Apparently Fragapane lost CR for her dance series because the judges did not think she directly connected her switch leap into her wolf jump. Her score was a 13.133 for fifth.
The two Welsh gymnasts competed in succession. Lizzie Beddoe was the first of the two to mount the beam. She put on a beautiful and solid performance. She connected her switch leap into another with half a turn into a wolf jump. Beddoe continued her lovely dance work with an illusion turn. Her acro series, a BHS+LOSO was lovely. She also had a very solid double turn, which was very special. She dismounted with only a 1 1/2 twist, which kept her difficulty down. Beddoe placed fourth with a score of 13.366.
Georgina Hockenhull was able to build on her teammate's beautiful performance to earn Wales's second medal in WAG at these Games. Hockenhull also had a beautiful BHS+LOSO connection for her acro series. She had a lovely dance connection of a switch leap to a Johnson leap. Hockenhull had a nice split jump out of her aerial walkover to make for a very beautiful connection. Hockenhull also included a switch leap with half twist which had beautiful position in the air. She dismounted with a double tuck, was was landed slightly low and had a step as a result. Hockenhull earned the bronze with a score of 13. 466.
Mary-Anne Monckton, who competed second, was able to overcome the first-half curse and put up a solid routine. She began with a pretty forward roll mount which was followed by her choreography low to the beam. Monckton started her routine in style with a well-fought aerial cartwheel into layout stepout. Her front foot on her LOSO was very off line, but Monckton was able to bring it under control with just a step back. She had a wobble on her dance series of a switch leap connected to a switch leap 1/2. She also had a solid sheep jump in her routine. She also had a double tuck dismount which wasn't able to quite tell if it was stuck. Monckton received a 13.666 for the silver.
Ellie Black stormed the beam final today as the final performer to win by over a point with a 14.900. She began with her double turn, which resulted in a wobble. To quote the BBC commentators, she followed it up with a front pike which she "stamped". Her back handspring to layout connection was also perfect. Her difficulty continues to build with a tuck full connected out of a back handspring. On her front tuck, Black had to fight for it because she was underrotated, but she was able to reign it back under control. She clearly wanted this title. She dismounted with a 2 1/2 which was landed with a "Shannon stick". Black's score today would have tied her for the gold at least year's World Championships.
Floor Final
Lots of great personality was displayed on the floor mat today! This was a great finale to the women's competition in Glasgow and filled with big gymnastics.
Kirsten Beckett got this final started in style with her very exciting and powerful floor routine. She opened with a big half in-half out, which unfortunately went out of bounds. Her double Arabian had nice position in the air and stuck the landing! Her third pass was lower difficulty with only a 1 1/2 twist. She finished with a double tuck. She did not have problems with her dance passage today, where she executed a switch leap into switch leap full. Beckett showed lots of personality and put on an engaging performance! She placed eighth, her score a 13.000.
Jessica Hogg followed Beckett in the lineup. She opened with a big stuck full-twisting double tuck. Her double tuck dismount was a bit overrotated and led to a step back. She had beautiful switch leap variations throughout her routine. Hogg used very upbeat music and put on a good show. Hogg placed fifth with a score of 13.166
Stephanie Merkle had a sparkling performance in her final routine of these Commonwealth Games. She opened immediately with her leap connection which was a switch leap connected into a Johnson 1/2. Her first tumble was a full-twisting double back with a bounce. Like fellow Canadian Ellie Black, Merkle also includes a Popa in her routine. Her second pass was a beautiful 2 1/2 twist punch front. This was followed by a triple twist. Her final pass was a double back with a hop forward. Her choreography was amazing and Merkle really shone in her performance! I loved her choreography low to the floor, and it was definitely a memorable routine for me! Merkle placed fourth with a score of 13.433.
Hannah Whelan of England put up her usual fierce performance on floor. She also started with a full-in, but had a big out of bounds on landing. She followed it with a very strong 2 1/2 punch layout. Her leap series was a switch ring to split full. After her double pike dismount, Whelan performed a Ferarri to end. As always, Whelan sold the heck out of her routine and had a fabulous ending choreography. Whelan placed sixth with a score of 13.133.
Charlotte Sullivan of New Zealand made her second appearance in and individual final today in the floor final. She had a beautiful double turn into double stag connection to open. She opened with a triple twist. Her routine also included a 2 1/2 twist into a stag-ish jump. That doesn't even get bonus anymore. She had a very nice switch ring to switch full passage. Sullivan dismounted with a double tuck. Sullivan received a 13.033 for seventh place.
Ellie Black now has a full set of medals after picking up a bronze in the floor final. I just love her floor because she combines artistic value with incredibly unique and creative tumbling. She had a little bit of a stumble on her opening Popa. Her double layout was high and beautiful in the air with just a small hop. A split leap full was connected into her switch leap full. After falling on her double pike in both the team and all around events, Black made a smart decision and replaced it with her previous double full. However, she went out of bounds on this pass. Her third and final pass was her punch full into double tuck. Black put on an enchanting performance for a score of 13.666.
Lauren Mitchell followed up hear beam performance in the floor final. This is definitely one of her best routines she's ever had. She opened with a full-twisting double pike which bounded backward. On her double Arabian, Mitchell tried to jump out with a stag jump, but instead went out of bounds. Her signature triple wolf turn was the best I've ever seen Mitchell do. It was eased around all three turns. She had a lovely bounding pass with her punch front out of a 2 1/2 twist. She dismounted with a great double pike. Mitchell earned the silver with 13.833. If Lauren Mitchell really is retiring after these Commonwealth Games, this was a fabulous final performance.
Claudia Fragapane added to her collection of gold medals today with the gold on the floor exercise. Unlike how she usually plants her landings, Fragapane had to adjust with a step on her full-twisting double layout. She did follow it up with a planted double layout, though. As always, her breakdancing choreography into her third pass was so much fun to watch! She followed it up with a planted double Arabian with a nice lack of cowboying. I love her new addition before her final pass! When she landed her double pike, everybody knew the gold was hers. Fragapane took her fourth gold of these games with a score of 14.541.
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