Fantasy Gymnastics Journals: Drafting

Tomorrow (or the day after, depending on which date the site lists is accurate) is the last day for drafting. I thought I'd share my draft with you and my thought process. It's my first year doing Fantasy Gymnastics, so I'm kind of all over the place. But whatever, that's the fun, right?

Here's my draft at this moment. I could probably edit it nonstop until the deadline if possible, but this should be essentially the draft I send in:

1. Lloimincia Hall
2. Rheagan Courville
3. Kytra Hunter
4. Erin Macadaeg
5. Kristina Vaculik
6. Beka Conrad
7. Georgia Dabritz
8. Jessie Jordan
9. Abigail Milliet
10. Brenna Dowell
11. Tory Wilson
12. Brandie Jay
13. India McPeak
14. Lindsay Mable
15. Chelsea Tang
16. Caitlin Atkinson
17. Alina Cartwright
18. Kennedy Baker
19. Elizabeth Price
20. Alex McMurtry
21. Samantha Peszek
22. Chayse Capps
23. Haley Scaman
24. Katie Bailey
25. Bridget Sloan
26. Stephanie Giameo
27. Brittni Watkins
28. Brittany Rodgers
29. Kelsey Morris
30. Nina McGee
31. Hollie Blanske
32. Chelsea Davis
33. Cierra Tomson
34. Amanda Jetter
35. Jessie DeZiel
36. Amanda Wellick
37. Sidney Sanabria-Robles
38. Hallie Mossett
39. Makenzie Johnson
40. Rachel Updike
41. Kaitlyn Clark
42. Caitlin Brown
43. Talia Chiarelli
44. Bridgette Caquatto
45. Nicole Artz
46. Lisa Burt
47. Aja Sims
48. Mary Beth Box
49. Taylor Harrison
50. Ericha Fassbender
51. Corrie Lothrop
52. Rachel Spicer
53. Halle Moraw
54. Danusia Francis
55. Nicolette McNair
56. Rebecca Clark
57. Silvia Colussi-Pelaez
58. Ashley Gnat
59. Madeline Gardiner
60. Christine Peng-Peng Lee
61. Allison Northey
62. Rachel Daum
63. Lauren Beers
64. Krystal Welsh
65. Britney Ranzy
66. Ciera Perkins
67. Grace Williams
68. Kamerin Moore
69. Cami Guyer
70. Tenille Funches
71. Erin Buchanan
72. Kailah Delaney
73. Ivana Hong
74. Sachi Sugiyama
75. Charlie Owens
76. Becky Tutka
77. Giana O'Connor
78. Sarah Landes
79. Haley Watts
80. Natalie Vaculik
81. Taylor Rice
82. Jennifer Pinches
83. Desire' Stephens
84. Alie Glover
85. Memory Shettles
86. Brittany Stover
87. Alyssa Nocella
88. Shelby Hilton
89. Sami King
90. Becca Druien
91. Taylor Bolender
92. Diana Walters
93. Luisa Leal
94. Meghan Pflieger
95. Nicolette Swoboda
96. Alyssa Tucker
97. Gina Locigno
98. Kalliah McCartney
99. Jesse Williams
100. Karen Tang
101. Jessica Howe
102. Caroline Morant
103. Claire Boyce
104. McKenzie Wofford
105. Natasha Sundby
106. Mary Jane Horth
107. Lauren Feely
108. Kara Lovan
109. Morgan Reynolds
110. Sophina DeJesus
111. Alicia Gallarzo
112. Bri Guy
113. Lexi Cappalli
114. Angel Metcalf
115. Emma Sibson
116. Sydney Hoerr
117. Morgan Traina
118. Kayla Williams
119. Jordan Naleway
120. Brianna Gades
121. Dominique Pegg
122. Allie Salas
123. Morgan Steigerwalt
124. Carissa Kraus
125. Keeley Kmieciak
126. Hannah Nordquist
127. Maile'ana Kanewa
128. Samantha Lutz
129. Samantha Shapiro
130. Kayla Weber
131. Lauren Ross
132. Majesta Valentine
133. Breanna Hughes
134. Ashlyn Broussard
135. Savannah Borman
136. Erica Brewer
137. Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto
138. Stephanie Miceli
139. Sydney Ewing
140. Jessica Savona

My draft is essentially "I want you on my team, I don't care what the stats say," all arounders, and "Hey, you're from ASU and you're decent." And NO ARIZONA GYMNASTS ALLOWED. Because why not bring team bias into Fantasy?

My top ten is probably where you see my frenzied thought process the most. I started just sort of putting down gymnasts I liked/had heard of. As you can see, Mincie is first because she is fabulous. I also have Erin Macadeag in my top 5 because ARTISTRY! Then I went all arounder crazy. See Rheagan Courville, Kytra Hunter, and co. Now- I'm just sort of going for it. I'm more open to gymnasts on two or three events than I was when I was all arounder crazy.

I'd be shocked if I didn't get Beka Conrad. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only person playing with her in the top 10. Again, go Sun Devils! Perhaps I should move her down a bit, I might not want my first-round spot to go to her (assuming my top 5 all go first round before me)....
Update: I have moved her down to 24th. Will still be shocked if she's not on my team.

Having India McPeak so high is probably stupid, but whatever. She was in my top 10, so this is me showing restraint.

Silvia Colussi-Palaez also had quite a drop. I had her in the top 5 because I thought (and still think) she'd be fun to have on a team, and I also think she'll have bigger standout potential at Oregon State, but she never scored over 9.75, so....

In a way, I wonder if I should even have Bridget Sloan and Sam Peszek in my draft since they're so low, but why not, they'll just skip over them anyway.

With The Gym Twins being so gung-ho Lindsay Mable in all their discussions of drafting, I'm assuming I also have no chance at her on the team.

I'm being pretty reckless with my freshman. We'll see a) how many I get, and b) if that spells absolute disaster. I'm a little leery of Price, seeing as she has some sort of injury something, but if I do keep her in the top, I can always trade her (assuming I get her) if I decide it isn't worth the risk after the draft is over. I'm also assuming Abby Milliet will be a star for Auburn this year, so I'm keeping her toward the top.

I've been giving strong beamers higher spots, because there will never NOT be a need for a consistent beam worker.

I was VERY conscientious in my top 50. 51-70 also got a very high consideration. After about 85, it was just sort of "you go in this general area."

(Floor) Artistry in Nanning: My Favorites

To finish off my artistry roundup of the Nanning Worlds, I decided to end with some of my personal favorites from Worlds which weren't from major competitors. Obviously, since these are my favorites, I'll think they're all pretty amazing artistically.

Anna Pavlova

The last of an era. I debated as whether to include Anna because with her it's basically, Duh, of course it's artistic, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It's not the grandeur of the majestic 2008 routine, but I like it better than most of her earlier routines. The flowing piano music is not what we typically associate with Anna, but she really did a beautiful delicate and lyrical routine. Thank goodness Azerbaijan is scouting for athletes so we can continue to watch Anna's beautiful gymnastics! Perfect line, lovely classic style, better choreography than has been coming from Round Lake recently (GET THE RODS OUT OF THERE)... just a dream of a routine. The ending is my favorite part of the routine, I love how she seems to replicate two deep breaths. It's just beautiful, there's really no other way to put it.

Claire Martin

Another classical routine. The combination of strings and piano music is gorgeous. I especially love 0:59-1:10. A great combination of strong, short movements and smooth transitions. I love how the music, and Claire's interpretation, is pulsating and dramatic but delicate and lyrical at the same time. Another flourish I am very fond of is the use of balances throughout the routine. It makes for sharp transitions between movements which make you really sit up and take notice of what she's doing as well as a very cohesive routine. It's a really great classical routine with a very strong presence. The ending is also very intriguing to me. The sharp and dramatic routine is capped off with a quiet ending which just sort of hangs there. It really keeps you wrapped in the routine for just a moment after it ends.

Celine van Gerner
It won't embed, sorry. Celine's is such an innovative routine. There's really not a second of this routine I don't love. She has great variation of tempo and rhythm here. She also has lots of full body movement with great changes between extension and more compacted shapes. My favorite part is 0:47-1:07. I love the theme of twisting elements of choreography there. The beginning of the sequence where she hops out of the turn is just a small thing but really eye-catching. I also love the part of her low-to-floor section where she bends and re-extends her leg as she is rolling over her shoulder. When she runs into the corner and bends her knees as she jumps is another eye-catching flourish. Another clever moment of the routine is at 1:19 when she changes plane without warning. The ending at 1:29 when she rolls over her legs to lie on the ground makes a great mounting tension which she releases with her fun heart ending. It's just such an innovative and exciting routine, and I LOVE IT!

Ruby Harrold

The drum solo was a really unique music choice, but Ruby rocks it. Her percussive movements really accentuate the pulse of the music. I also love how she includes arm circles with one arm as a unifying element in the routine. The switch between sharp percussive movements and waving arm motions before the third pass is nicely done is does a good job of switching up the routine. I also love how she has a unifying element of dramatically plunging her fist down to the chest and ends with her fist over her heart. This routine is a great example of what the Code should be encouraging for navigating the corners. Ruby always enters them smoothly in her dance and never linger, but she doesn't overuse the stork stand either. Never does the momentum stop and it's not awkwardly obvious she's trying to avoid the deduction for waiting in the corner. I'm also a sucker for a twisting leap to the ground for an ending. Also a shoutout to her for getting up from her low-to-floor in a way that isn't awkward. One of my big beefs with floor is how awkwardly many of the gymnasts navigate exiting the low-to-floor, so if a gymnast can make it a smooth transition, she automatically gets brownie points from me. Ruby clearly loves this routine and expertly navigates the line between being playful and intense.




As I said at the beginning of the post, seeing as they are my favorites, I obviously find all these routines super artistic. All these gymnasts have incredible presence while they are on the floor and draw you into the routine immediately. These routines are a mix of smooth, flowing, classical, and elegant routines and innovative ones. Most of the routines here are dramatic, but Anna's delicate routine is just as engaging and beautiful. They all represent different directions a highly artistic routine can follow and, most importantly, the gymnasts all clearly love performing them. All these routines are tailored to their performers, which is precisely what makes them so enjoyable to watch.

(Floor) Artistry in Nanning: The "Other" Top Routines

Plenty of routines which have been major buzzes in the gymternet and from top gymnasts didn't make event finals, but still deserve a mention.

Roxana Popa
Won't embed, sorry. I love this one SO much more than last years. The composition was fine last year, but she's just not the super-bubbly performer you have to be in order to pull that one off. This dramatic flair is more for her. I love how Roxana incorporates the Spanish-style guitar! This routine can get just a bit dull in the middle at around 0:53 when she's obviously resting and keeps hitting poses with the accents of the music, but it isn't really ugly, just fairly uninteresting. My favorite part is the low-to-floor interpreting the slow music. Some really cool shapes and flowing movements. I also love how she ends it with a flourish of her wrist! The choreography isn't super intricate, but it is nice to watch. A good effort. And on another note, THAT MEMMEL!!!

Giulia Steingruber

Gorgeous dynamic routine. I especially love how varied her wrist and hand positions are. They really create a flowing impression and add to the intensity. A unique and slightly innovative routine, one which suits gymnastics in 2014. This routine had elegance, power, strong expression, and an assertive aura. Can you tell I love it? Too bad about that double back.... This proves you can combine power and beauty, and I really think this kind of routine should be more encouraged. I love her switch from slow choreography to quick movements after the DLO. Giulia does a great job of combining flowing and staccato movements to create a really dynamic routine with great forward motion.

Alla Sosnitskaya

I'm not feeling this one for Alla. To me, she just looks a bit gangly and awkward out there. This music and choreography require a gymnast who can go out there and own the arena, and Alla really isn't doing that here. She is just ever so slightly stiff and really doesn't connect with the performance or the audience. At parts she even looks like she isn't really trying to sell it. And this is the kind of routine you really have to sell. The short bit at 0:43 is always the best part of the routine- she has a little slinkyness which I think Russia should try to capitalize on in the future. I think this routine could be fabulous, but it really, well, isn't right now. They either need to work her on performance quality or work a different angle for her when they compose her floor routines.

Marta Pihan-Kulesza

I can't figure out if I love this or hate this. More to the point, I can't figure out if I love it in spite of the fact that I hate it. It's definitely a Marta-only routine! The music change is kind of bizarre. I have some very unfavorable opinions about the music change requirement. Surely there was something more jazzy they could have used? It's not an especially intricate choreography, but it works fine with the music. The ending is definitely the highlight of the routine, and where she does the best job of reflecting the Pink Panther music. I think this one just about works, and for her performance quality alone. I prefer her 2012 routine.





So, how do these routines stack up? Giulia's was definitely on of the best so far, I'd say. Roxana also did a lovely job. Marta and Alla are sort of in the same situation music and choreography-wise, but with very different approaches to their performance. Alla had decent choreography but moved without real presence while Marta had somewhat uninspired choreography and was only really able to pull of her routine because of the personality she infused into it. If you took Alla's routine and had Marta perform it, I think it would be something fabulous. Aside from Giulia, I'd say these ones were all fairly average.

(Floor) Artistry in Nanning: Team China

China's floor routines received a lot of buzz for being- very different. So I decided to dedicate an entire installment to China's routines in their home Worlds.

Chen Siyi

The music is lovely. The choreography has the classic and elegant look going for it. But- it just sort of doesn't go together. When it does fit together nicely, it is has a nice light feeling and seems very crisp. However, when it doesn't- which is a fairly large portion of the routine- it just seems awkward. Like with Larrissa Miller, musicality! That's the issue here! If a routine doesn't have musicality, it doesn't matter what your style is or how intricate the choreography it. Artistry won't happen.


Tan Jiaxin

Tan's music is far more what you'd expect from NCAA than Chinese elite. And I think Tan's presentation is a bit too Chinese elite and not quite NCAA enough for it. She seems just a little too reserved to manage the performance, and the choreography seems just a bit inhibited in parts. I don't hate it though, seemingly in contradiction to the rest of the gymternet. At least what I've seen. It is an engaging routine, and the choreography is well in harmony with music (most of the time, at least, but most gymnasts need a little breather every now and then- not everyone can be Simone). It just could do to be a bit more dynamic. So, overall, a decent routine (in my eyes, anyway).


Shang Chunsong

It's not a masterpiece, admittedly. But frankly, I think if we are waiting for a masterpiece from Shang, we'll be waiting forever. She just seems to be more suited to more quirky and nontraditional choreography. It's definitely better than her routine from the national championships earlier in 2014. She handles well the powerful beginning of the routine. The middle falls a bit flat, but she never seems lost in the music either. The very beginning and the very end are my favorite parts, but the whole routine is fairly well composed. Again, not a masterpiece, but I think it does well to take advantage of Shang's strengths.


Yao Jinnan

Unfortunately, Yao never really hit this one in Nanning. Too bad, it was my favorite of the Chinese pieces. I absolutely loved it at the Asian Games! Who knew Yao could pull off Prince? I love the way she accents the percussive bits with her sharp and staccato movements. The ending especially is just so great! I actually really liked the cartwheel into the ending, too bad it was a fall. She really doesn't miss a beat (literally) with her choreography. It works in great harmony with the music and is fun and upbeat while still being a little bluesy. I never would have expected this from Yao based on her old routines, but it really does work for her and her choreographers should work to utilize this combination of crowd-pleasing and toney in her future floor work.



So, how was China's artistry on floor at Worlds? In general, I'd say I thought it was fine. Chen Siyi needs more musicality and Tan Jiaxin more expression, but I think they did well in general with what they had to work with. I definitely think Shang Chunsong and Yao Jinnan both had routines about as good as they can have. If Tan Jiaxin could get her expression up, I think Chen Siyi would be the only real place with much work to be done. I'd say China is on the right track but still has some work to be done. I'm actually totally down with the unorthodox approach they've been taking. I think it really sets them apart and China has been focusing on what works for their athletes.

(Floor) Artistry in Nanning: The EF

Yeah, so it's REALLY late to make a Worlds post, I know. This is just the first of three or so on artistry, but I'll get to them before the end of the year at least. Just be patient.

We're all accustomed to the claims the the sport is totally lacking in artistry and should just drop that part of the name and kick out anyone bigger than a size 2 and just shut down all the programs outside Europe except with maybe of the exception of the China, depending who you're talking to, and lynch Martha Karolyi while we're at it- or, at least, we're used to the whining of the artistry trolls who can't accept that the sport won't evolve from what it was in the 80s, and the rest can often be easily inferred. So, what was the artistry situation really like this year? I decided to take a look at some top routines from Worlds (and some of my favorites as well) to get a general temperature of (floor) artistry in 2014.

On tonight's episode of (Floor) Artistry in Nanning- the 8 routines of the floor event final!

Simone Biles

This is the kind of routine the trolls mentioned above love to crucify with no real reasoning as to why. Simone is a real performer and it is on perfect display in this routine. Her amazing eye contact, totally genuine dazzling smile, and even fun expressions before her mind-blowing tumbling passes make for the most enjoyable performance. This routine works with all her strengths and is another example of Dominic Zito at his best. This routine interprets the music perfectly. Her low to the floor bit is especially in tune with the accompaniment. The choreography also does a great job of capturing the fun nature of the music and making it like a party instead of a grueling test of physical ability. I love the way she is constantly moving from one skill or gesture to the next. This routine never stops and continues seamlessly as one complete, cohesive unit. I also love how well her trademark cartwheel was incorporated into the ending!

Larisa Iordache

I definitely prefer this routine to her guitar one from 2012. Larisa is one of the best gymnasts at working with the regulations of how long the gymnasts may stand in the corner. She has great body movement and does a great job of moving her body along with her arm and leg movements instead of having disconnected gestures. Larisa does a really good job of combining punctuating movements with extended ones to shape the music. I also like the way she changes the way she holds her hands and head position to add flourish and depth to her choreography and get in lots of good eye contact. It's a really great energetic and joyful routine but still mature.

Aliya Mustafina

This routine is just so- empty. I finish the routine and wonder where exactly the choreography was. It's good, but... she can do so much more than this! She does, as Christine says, have a beautiful shoulder line and nice smooth movement. She just spends so much time setting up for turns or getting into place for them with extremely simple movement. Aliya has just had such underwhelming routines that don't take advantage at all of what she can put forth since London! Just- the Rods! Like I said, it's good, but it should be so much better than good.

Mykayla Skinner

Mykayla is most certainly not the best dancer. She is fairly stiff, especially in her upper body movement. Whereas Aliya has great movement but lacking choreography, Mykayla- well, she doesn't have great choreography but it does fill the routine, but her quality of movement is just not there. Usually I prefer gymnasts who don't have the most natural movement to perform routines like this instead of crowd-pleasing ones, but her folk routine worked for her because she was able to have angular movement for the music. I think she handled it pretty well in the final and it was definitely her best performance, but there's only so much you can do when you are stiff in movement.

Vanessa Ferrari

Like her Last of the Mohicans routine, this is really a Vanessa-only routine. The choreography itself really isn't the greatest and fairly repetitive, but Vanessa is exactly the one to perform it. She makes it dramatic and full of flair and somehow regal. It suits the music and fits it easily, and her interpretation of the slower part is similarly perfectly Vanessa. There's really not much more to say about this routine. Vanessa makes this routine.

Larrissa Miller

Larrissa is elegant, no doubt. But where is the musicality in this routine? Her movements seem to have little to no relation with the music. Christine says that she seems to be waiting for the music- this describes her less than serendipitous relationship with the accompaniment. She also seems to be a bit stiff in her movement at times, though not as bad as Mykayla. The best choreography is definitely between her second and third tumbles.

Erika Fasana

Erika has amazing presence here. Very aggressive and she really attacks her movements. Works well with the slightly different music choice. She really has a flair for the dramatic. The choreography isn't always the greatest, but it has some really good moments as well. I especially love the sequence after her leap passage and before her final tumble. Nice variety between sharp movements and smooth ones and really exciting moments. She moves quickly throughout the routine but really does a good job of interpreting the music. I also really love how Erika is pulling in toward herself and tossing her back backwards throughout the routine. The routine seems to pass fairly quickly because Erika moves so quickly and it is such a forward moving routine but she really packs in a lot of good artistic work.

Claudia Fragapane

I'm still so sad about that fall! What is there really to say about this routine? It's just so mind-blowing! Claudia has such unique, fun, and exciting choreography! It totally works with the unusual music choice. Claudia has perfectly combines her skills with dynamic artistic work. The best sequence is definitely in the corner after her leap pass. The leap to prone position is so exciting, and is the falling spin into the back spin into the toss to her knees. She shows such delight in her movement and is just so much fun to watch!

Overall, I'd say the artistry in the floor EF was... okay. There were some really fun routines to watch, there were some fine ones, and there were some flat ones. Quality of movement definitely needs to be addressed in gymnastics as there was some fairly stiff work. The best routines in this final were exciting and crowd-pleasing ones as opposed to elegant ones, which were strangely lacking. Performance quality was good, as a lot of the gymnasts seemed to really enjoy what they were doing and drew in the audience to watch.