UCLA had a pretty big contingent there, which actually ended up getting the ASU crowd cheering a lot more. By the end of the second rotation, the ASU fans were getting real sick of UCLA's UC-LA after every vault and got way more biased in their cheering. Usually, ASU crowds tend to be pretty reserved when they cheer and cheer for both teams about equally (strange considering- well, anything else ASU). I must say, I never quite got the gymternet's collective fascination with UCLA, and they seemed cocky today, so the meet didn't really do anything to make me more in their favor. I sat in a different section today. I sat in the "corner" so I could have a better view of bars and beam, seeing as I didn't want to miss PPL's Bhardwaj and Nush's dismount. Also, no Brie Gades today, which was weird.
Rotation 1
ASU had no Yurchenko layouts today, so while there were errors, it was still an actual vault lineup. Stephanie Miceli started off, and it looked like her knee hit the ground. It wasn't counted as a full fall, though, and she still got 9.450. Kristine Levin was next, and she almost missed her right hand on the table. Tasha Sundby was super of line on her tucked 1.5 and almost went off the side of the mat. Taylor Allex didn't hit as well as she usually does. She was just a little soft and not secure in the landing, so she only got 9.800 when she usually brings in a better score. Carissa Kraus landed kind of crumpled and had to stumble forward, injuring her ankle. They sat her down against the tech table and gave her a quick examination while the whole team was around her.
Nush started UCLA off on bars. She had a nice smooth routine. I liked Sophina DeJesus's routine. She had good flight and a really nice full-in dismount. Samantha Peszek had another really smooth routine. I especially liked her giant full into Geinger. PPL's Bhardwaj was everything I was waiting to see. It was so smooth and the twist didn't seem at all rushed, it was gorgeous. Her Van Leeuwen was also really pretty and stood out.
Rotation 2
Beka Conrad got ASU started off on bars this week, and she had a really strong routine. Her Geinger had nice form, and she stuck her DLO dismount. Kristine Levin followed her, and unfortunately all did not go well and she fell on her Tkatchev. She finished her routine strong, though, and ended with a nice giant full into stuck double back dismount. Stephanie Miceli had a really nice routine, with a perfectly pencil-straight handstand into her Tkatchev. Maybe it's just my need for Fantasy Gym bars workers talking, but that deserved way more than 9.725! Carissa Kraus competed even though I expected her to be scratched from bars. She had her usual great flight and superbly dynamic routine.
UCLA had a strong vault rotation. Sadiqua Bynum had a Yurchenko 1/2. It wasn't quite stuck, which was unfortunate, because she hit it perfectly in the one-touch. But still, I just love those ones so much!! The rotation ended really strong for UCLA, with both Sam Peszek and Jordan Williams earning 9.950. Sam Peszek actually stuck her vault this week, and not her usual bounce-but-let's-just-ignore-that stick. The team were all calling for a 10.
Rotation 3
Carissa Kraus came over during the one-touch, and she had a huge pack of ice strapped to the back of her ankle. It actually looked kind of funny. ASU seemed less implosive on beam in the one-touch this week, and oh how I was hoping it would come to fruition. Beka Conrad and Savannah Boorman both didn't fall apart this week, so things were looking up. We need to take a second to appreciate just how much Savannah Boorman looks like Brenna Dowell. They could seriously be sisters. Taylor Allex also didn't die, which made me even more optimistic. Stephanie Miceli had a pretty solid routine. Her only wobble came on her front aerial, which seems to be her trouble skill. Allie Salas sadly came to grief on her aerial again. That just doesn't seem to be working for her. She sort of ran into it and landed with her legs totally tucked and just fell backward. And no, you won't escape without me once again stating how glorious Stephanie Miceli on beam to Tiny Dancer and Allie Salas to Iris is. During this rotation, two guys sitting in the back started cheering really loudly, which was kind of hilarious.
UCLA put on their usual show on floor. Danusia Fancis had her great flexibility and I really was impressed with her illusion into balance. Sadiqua Bynum had a fabulous DLO to open her routine. It was really well extended, her legs were pasted together, and she stuck it. In her last pass, she took a stumble forward, which dragged her score down. Angi Cipra won floor with super well-choreographed routine. I actually really liked Napualani Hall's routine. I'm surprised how little the gymternet talks about her. She had a double Arabian, but didn't have control on the landing. One thing that really stood out to me about UCLA's floor rotation is how cool their close to ground work is. Really captivating.
Rotation 4
No Savannah-Boorman-just-in-case at the end of ASU's floor rotation waiting to be scratched, so yay! Kristine Levin stepped up into the floor spot, and while she had rough spots, I really loved watching her routine. She took two steps on her first pass and went out with both feet. The rest of it showed good potential, though, and she could be an asset to their floor lineup. Miss Val was (singularly) clapping along with Allie Salas's floor routine, and that was fun to see. Taylor Allex stuck her double Arabian again this week, and it was just a huge skill! Tasha Sunby really improved her performance value this week. She had great presence before, but she really put more attack into her dance this week and seemed like a warrior in her routine. She landed with her chest low on her full-in, but was strong in the rest of her routine. Beka Conrad finished the floor rotation. She opened with a double pike which I was amazed she was able to keep in bounds. Her last pass was a disaster, though. On her punch front, she tucked and crashed on her chest.
Beam was the rotation I was waiting the whole meet to watch UCLA. It was hilarious watching gymnasts pull out the mat for Nush under the beam during the one-touch, since Mikaela Gerber had to duck under the beam and they were both trying to figure out which direction to go. I didn't realize Halle Mosset also did a Silivas mount, and it was astounding. On her side somi, she couldn't get her feet under her and she fell backward. Sophina DeJesus had a really artistic routine, and I especially enjoyed her aerial full dismount she began by balancing with her leg extended in front of her. PPL's Homma mount was my favorite skill of the meet. Seeing as it's my favorite beam mount and beam mounts are my favorite skills and we NEVER see them, it was a super exciting moment for me. It even garnered applause from the crowd, which at that point was pretty much only giving perfunctory applause for UCLA at the end of their routines. Nush's mount was also gorgeous, and she had a ton of flexibility moves. Her dismount was everything I was waiting the whole meet for, and seeing it on TV just doesn't compare. It's seriously hard to comprehend what you're watching. Sam Peszek didn't throw her standing full, which was disappointing.
Favorite ASU vault: Taylor Allex
Favorite UCLA vault: Sadiqua Bynum
Favorite ASU bars: Carissa Kraus
Favorite UCLA bars: Peng Peng Lee
Favorite ASU beam: Stephanie Miceli
Favorite UCLA beam: Peng Peng Lee
Favorite ASU floor: Kristine Levin
Favorite UCLA floor: Angi Cipra
Honorable mentions: Sophina DeJesus bars, Stephanie Miceli bars, Danusia Francis beam, Sadiqua Bynum floor, Napualani Hall floor, Natasha Sundby floor, Taylor Allex floor
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
ASU vs. Oregon State
We met Dani Dessaints's dad on the way into the meet, which was fun. The meet organizers seemed to get the memo of the tepid atmosphere of the last meet. The cheerleaders were there and way more shirt-throwing than against Stanford. More students showed up too. Definitely worked as there was actually cheering this time. I wasn't as close down to the front this time, but still down by the beginning of the vault runway.
Rotation 1
ASU started out an vault. Still a bit of a sticking spot for them, but two more FTYs. Levin's and Miceli's were both landed poorly. Rene Lyst needs to hope she can recruit some gymnasts who can vault. Tasha Sundby's inclusion definitely made this rotation stronger than at the Stanford meet. I like her tuck Yurchenko 1.5. She doesn't get the greatest block, but it was well landed. Her stride is also super different. Once again, the best vault came from Taylor Allex. Great Yurchenko 1.5 with a Shannon-stick. She tucked her legs on it a bit in the warm up, but straightened them out for the competition. Stephanie Miceli was talking to some fans in the front rows during warm up whom I assume she knows, which I wasn't expecting before a meet.
Oregon State on bars was nice in general, though not very memorable for me. I'd remembered Chelsea Tang's bars from their meet against Stanford, and so hers was the only routine I was really watching for, and quite frankly, it was the only hit I remember from them. Their work was generally pretty, but no real standouts. They started with Taylor Keeker on bars before Stephanie Miceli vaulted and the two routines ended up going on at the same time, which was annoying. Taylor Aufiero unfortunately fell apart on her routine. She overarched a handstand on the low bat and fell, overarched another handstand on the high bar but stayed on, and the fell on her dismount. It was super sad to watch.
Rotation 2
Bars was definitely ASU's best event of the night. Beka Conrad's Geinger had better form this time, methinks. Nice height too. Brie Gades unfortunately had problems on the event. After her Pak, she lost swing and really struggled to stay on the apparatus. It took two swings, I think, but she didn't bit the ground. She also had a great double front dismount with just a tiny step forward. This was really a bummer for the Gym Devils, because her routine would have been a big score for them otherwise, and they ended up having to rely on a pack of 9.7-range scores. With the error from Gades, Carissa Kraus took up the mantle of the top ASU routine of the night. Great flight and lovely, dynamic work. There were also multiple stuck landings in this rotation last night, this is where ASU's upward trajectory belongs.
Oregon State had a nice vault rotation. Lots of nice FTYs. Watching them warm up was amusing. Lots of them had tons of extra power and rolled out of their early vaults, one of them even rolled onto the bars mats and earned a gasp from the crowd. Also lots of warm ups from standing on the vault, very fun to watch. Definitely the highlight of the rotation was Taylor Keeker. She had gorgeous Yurchenko 1/2 which was stuck fabulously. I absolutely LOVE Yurchenko 1/2s, so this was a treat for me!
Rotation 3
It was clear from the one-touch beam was going to be a rough rotation for the Gym Devils. Lots of wobbles and falls from Miceli and Salas. Beka Conrad started out with a tentative routine, but she was able to hold on. I was hoping she would be able to set a tone of at least not major disasters for ASU, but alas, to no avail. Savannah Boorman had very wobbly leap series and didn't make her connections. Brie Gades was able to bring good things to the rotation with a beautiful and steady routine. It was great seeing her hit after bars. I especially love her dismount combination! Sadly, it was followed by a fall from Taylor Allex. The Miceli/Salas Tiny Dancer/Iris combination is glorious as ever, though. Miceli had a beautiful flight series which was powerful and completely solid. She'd had troubles with the front aerial in warm up, and the only problem she had with it in competition was some close feet on landing. Salas unfortunately had a fall on her aerial, which she took about fifteen seconds setting up for. Still glorious with Iris in the background, though.
Oregon State definitely had a few standout choreographed routines which I really enjoyed. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Chelsea Tang's. It's got some really nice dramatic choreography with a slightly avant-garde feel, but there were times where she didn't really seem to be hearing the music. So the jury's still out on that one. I do know that I love Maddie Gardiner's, though. It was dramatic and elegant, and she really lived it. Of course, the highlight was Risa Perez. A woman in a few rows back kept saying how spunky she was. She definitely really enjoyed herself out there! Nicole Turner opened up the rotation with a double Arabian as her first pass. She'd been missing it in warm ups, so she did well to stand it well in competition.
Rotation 4
Before the first rotation, there was a game "Gym Devils in the 90's" on the big screen, where they showed kid photos of the Gym Devils- I bet you won't be able to guess- that's right, from the 90's. Let the record show that I got three right, thankyouverymuch. ASU had one of their best floor rotations this season last night. Beka Conrad was clearly not feeling particularly confident in starting out the rotation. While Katelyn Olrich was on beam, I saw her with her hands on her head and shaking her head during her pep talk. The screen gave a pretty big closeup on her face before her routine started, and she definitely looked worried. She hit her routine, though. Definitely much better than against U of A. Allie Salas had a great presence, I really enjoy watching her. Taylor Allex opened with a stuck double Arabian, super impressive. Tasha Sundby is another gymnast with a great presence for ASU. Her double tuck 1/1 had a bit of a low chest, but nicely controlled. Savanah Boorman was scratched from the final position, as is the Sun Devil want. Still a bit of a damper to end without a home floor.
UGH, whoever chose the music while Oregon State was on beam needs to be fired immediately. That's my main takeaway from this meet. Cassie Witherby almost fell and had a super low landing on her double pike dismount, but the routine was still a harrowing success considering she had to compete to freaking WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!!! I'm pretty sure the judges gave her a little "You didn't die with WHO LET THE DOGS OUT playing in the background" bonus, as they should have. I would have done the same. I probably would have given her an even higher score. And that's coming from a lifelong Sun Devil. Also heard were Barbie Girl and Macarena. UGH!!! Extremely poor taste aside, Oregon State had plenty of memorable routines. McMillan had gorgeous gymnastics with lovely pure form. I also really loved Risa Perez's routine. The best part was her scale, I definitely can see Oregon State influence on Liv Viv's routine now! Sadly, she had some balance checks. Chelsea Tang also had a really beautiful routine. Her mount was especially artistic, as was the Maria Filatova-throwback wolf turn into straddle. Obviously, Maddie Gardiner was the resplendent highlight of this rotation. Her wolf turn was beautiful, and her little leg-shimmy into her scale really stood out to me. Just beautiful work in general, and totally solid.
Sparky seemed to have no idea what to do in the presentation of the roses. It seemed totally random who got one- the third place finisher on this event, the winner on another, the ASU gymnast third-place finisher here, the Oregon State second-place finisher there, just so strange. I saw him throwing up his hands in confusion on the sideline as the meet organizer apparently told him he was doing it wrong. Admittedly, there were a ton of ties.
Favorite ASU vault: Taylor Allex
Favorite Oregon State vault: Taylor Keeker
Favorite ASU bars: Carissa Kraus
Favorite Oregon State bars: Chelsea Tang
Favorite ASU beam: Stephanie Miceli
Favorite Oregon State beam: Maddie Gardiner
Favorite ASU floor: Allie Salas
Favorite Oregon State floor: Risa Perez
Honorable mentions: Tasha Sundby vault, Risa Perez beam, Chelsea Tang beam, Brie Gades beam, Maddie Gardiner floor
Rotation 1
ASU started out an vault. Still a bit of a sticking spot for them, but two more FTYs. Levin's and Miceli's were both landed poorly. Rene Lyst needs to hope she can recruit some gymnasts who can vault. Tasha Sundby's inclusion definitely made this rotation stronger than at the Stanford meet. I like her tuck Yurchenko 1.5. She doesn't get the greatest block, but it was well landed. Her stride is also super different. Once again, the best vault came from Taylor Allex. Great Yurchenko 1.5 with a Shannon-stick. She tucked her legs on it a bit in the warm up, but straightened them out for the competition. Stephanie Miceli was talking to some fans in the front rows during warm up whom I assume she knows, which I wasn't expecting before a meet.
Oregon State on bars was nice in general, though not very memorable for me. I'd remembered Chelsea Tang's bars from their meet against Stanford, and so hers was the only routine I was really watching for, and quite frankly, it was the only hit I remember from them. Their work was generally pretty, but no real standouts. They started with Taylor Keeker on bars before Stephanie Miceli vaulted and the two routines ended up going on at the same time, which was annoying. Taylor Aufiero unfortunately fell apart on her routine. She overarched a handstand on the low bat and fell, overarched another handstand on the high bar but stayed on, and the fell on her dismount. It was super sad to watch.
Rotation 2
Bars was definitely ASU's best event of the night. Beka Conrad's Geinger had better form this time, methinks. Nice height too. Brie Gades unfortunately had problems on the event. After her Pak, she lost swing and really struggled to stay on the apparatus. It took two swings, I think, but she didn't bit the ground. She also had a great double front dismount with just a tiny step forward. This was really a bummer for the Gym Devils, because her routine would have been a big score for them otherwise, and they ended up having to rely on a pack of 9.7-range scores. With the error from Gades, Carissa Kraus took up the mantle of the top ASU routine of the night. Great flight and lovely, dynamic work. There were also multiple stuck landings in this rotation last night, this is where ASU's upward trajectory belongs.
Oregon State had a nice vault rotation. Lots of nice FTYs. Watching them warm up was amusing. Lots of them had tons of extra power and rolled out of their early vaults, one of them even rolled onto the bars mats and earned a gasp from the crowd. Also lots of warm ups from standing on the vault, very fun to watch. Definitely the highlight of the rotation was Taylor Keeker. She had gorgeous Yurchenko 1/2 which was stuck fabulously. I absolutely LOVE Yurchenko 1/2s, so this was a treat for me!
Rotation 3
It was clear from the one-touch beam was going to be a rough rotation for the Gym Devils. Lots of wobbles and falls from Miceli and Salas. Beka Conrad started out with a tentative routine, but she was able to hold on. I was hoping she would be able to set a tone of at least not major disasters for ASU, but alas, to no avail. Savannah Boorman had very wobbly leap series and didn't make her connections. Brie Gades was able to bring good things to the rotation with a beautiful and steady routine. It was great seeing her hit after bars. I especially love her dismount combination! Sadly, it was followed by a fall from Taylor Allex. The Miceli/Salas Tiny Dancer/Iris combination is glorious as ever, though. Miceli had a beautiful flight series which was powerful and completely solid. She'd had troubles with the front aerial in warm up, and the only problem she had with it in competition was some close feet on landing. Salas unfortunately had a fall on her aerial, which she took about fifteen seconds setting up for. Still glorious with Iris in the background, though.
Oregon State definitely had a few standout choreographed routines which I really enjoyed. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Chelsea Tang's. It's got some really nice dramatic choreography with a slightly avant-garde feel, but there were times where she didn't really seem to be hearing the music. So the jury's still out on that one. I do know that I love Maddie Gardiner's, though. It was dramatic and elegant, and she really lived it. Of course, the highlight was Risa Perez. A woman in a few rows back kept saying how spunky she was. She definitely really enjoyed herself out there! Nicole Turner opened up the rotation with a double Arabian as her first pass. She'd been missing it in warm ups, so she did well to stand it well in competition.
Rotation 4
Before the first rotation, there was a game "Gym Devils in the 90's" on the big screen, where they showed kid photos of the Gym Devils- I bet you won't be able to guess- that's right, from the 90's. Let the record show that I got three right, thankyouverymuch. ASU had one of their best floor rotations this season last night. Beka Conrad was clearly not feeling particularly confident in starting out the rotation. While Katelyn Olrich was on beam, I saw her with her hands on her head and shaking her head during her pep talk. The screen gave a pretty big closeup on her face before her routine started, and she definitely looked worried. She hit her routine, though. Definitely much better than against U of A. Allie Salas had a great presence, I really enjoy watching her. Taylor Allex opened with a stuck double Arabian, super impressive. Tasha Sundby is another gymnast with a great presence for ASU. Her double tuck 1/1 had a bit of a low chest, but nicely controlled. Savanah Boorman was scratched from the final position, as is the Sun Devil want. Still a bit of a damper to end without a home floor.
UGH, whoever chose the music while Oregon State was on beam needs to be fired immediately. That's my main takeaway from this meet. Cassie Witherby almost fell and had a super low landing on her double pike dismount, but the routine was still a harrowing success considering she had to compete to freaking WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!!! I'm pretty sure the judges gave her a little "You didn't die with WHO LET THE DOGS OUT playing in the background" bonus, as they should have. I would have done the same. I probably would have given her an even higher score. And that's coming from a lifelong Sun Devil. Also heard were Barbie Girl and Macarena. UGH!!! Extremely poor taste aside, Oregon State had plenty of memorable routines. McMillan had gorgeous gymnastics with lovely pure form. I also really loved Risa Perez's routine. The best part was her scale, I definitely can see Oregon State influence on Liv Viv's routine now! Sadly, she had some balance checks. Chelsea Tang also had a really beautiful routine. Her mount was especially artistic, as was the Maria Filatova-throwback wolf turn into straddle. Obviously, Maddie Gardiner was the resplendent highlight of this rotation. Her wolf turn was beautiful, and her little leg-shimmy into her scale really stood out to me. Just beautiful work in general, and totally solid.
Sparky seemed to have no idea what to do in the presentation of the roses. It seemed totally random who got one- the third place finisher on this event, the winner on another, the ASU gymnast third-place finisher here, the Oregon State second-place finisher there, just so strange. I saw him throwing up his hands in confusion on the sideline as the meet organizer apparently told him he was doing it wrong. Admittedly, there were a ton of ties.
Favorite ASU vault: Taylor Allex
Favorite Oregon State vault: Taylor Keeker
Favorite ASU bars: Carissa Kraus
Favorite Oregon State bars: Chelsea Tang
Favorite ASU beam: Stephanie Miceli
Favorite Oregon State beam: Maddie Gardiner
Favorite ASU floor: Allie Salas
Favorite Oregon State floor: Risa Perez
Honorable mentions: Tasha Sundby vault, Risa Perez beam, Chelsea Tang beam, Brie Gades beam, Maddie Gardiner floor
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Thoughts on Low to Beam Work
Here's a montage by the lovely MostepanovaFan (I'm telling you to go subscribe to her channel again) highlighting unique low to beam work. Some of my favorite work is in this montage, such as Li Li's spectacular back spin to splits at 1:46, Irina Yevdokimova's butt spin at 0:01, Jackie Bender's physics-defying acro strength and flexibility at 1:00 and 2:37, Lilypod's head-cartwheel-thing at 1:59, Vera Caslavska's v-sit at 2:12, and neck rolls aplenty.
However, some of these, such as 0:11, 0:40, 3:46, and 4:09 I just find boring. I'd far rather watch a quick and pretty flourish such as Shawn Johnson's than a gymnast who's lingering low on the beam and appears as if she doesn't know what's coming next and is scared to get up again. These ones I find boring also tend to be pure choreography and don't have any elements or strength or flexibility moves.
FIG appeared to be making an amendment to the close to apparatus requirements at the beginning of 2014 when they released all the COP videos, but no one could quite figure out what they were, even after reading the FIG lit to go along with all those videos. All I know is I liked the look of it. Too bad it appears to have been dumped. I really prefer the don't-get-deduction examples to the do-get-deduction examples.
I also like actual changes in level. I'm so sick of gymnasts just doing their low to beam work in the mount! Actually move up and down!
I love Yang Yun's change in levels. She didn't even do all that much close to the beam, she just switched up and down so much. It really does add to the artistic impression to a routine when the gymnast utilizes all levels and planes.
Oksana also had great use of different levels. I love how she didn't always get low to the beam to the same degree, but sometimes she was on her knees, sometimes she was sitting, and sometimes she was all the way down close to the beam.
So, these are basically the points for me when it comes to close to apparatus work on beam:
1. It shouldn't take too long/feel like wasting time
2. Don't have it in the mount
3. I like actual elements/element variations, strength, and flexibility moves
Side note: Does anyone know where I can find footage of Li Li's beam from the 1994 Worlds? I know that's the competition in the montage, but I can't find it anywhere.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
US New Seniors Sneak Peek
USA Gymnastics FINALLY posted some videos with footage of skills! It's mostly a sort of mini-doc, and it only focused on Bailie, Nia, and Alexis, but still, FOOTAGE!!
Bailie Key
On vault, Bailie showed her DTY. It looked a bit messier to me; I wonder what will happen in competition. Is the Amanar ever going to surface, or is she just going to stick with the DTY? Her bars work was clean and a bit interesting- she showed a toe-on 1/2+Jager, kip, Downie. The flight over the high bar was a bit close on the Downie and she looked to just squeak it around. She showed her confounding layout series on beam- it's so extended, but gets so little height. No one's really sure how deductible that is. It did seem to be a bit higher than last year's to me, though. On floor, she showed a double pike, DLO, and Dos Santos. The double pike was fine, duh, on to the next. The DLO wasn't fully rotated, and I noticed that problem in her training video last year. Her Dos Santos was great, but her toes weren't pointed. That could be fixable, though. I'm not sure about the DLO, and I definitely think the Dos Santos is a better upgrade option.
Nia Dennis
Nia only showed bars work in the video. We saw a toe-on full+Tkatchev+Pak and Maloney+bail+toe shoot. It looks like maybe she had to kip twice between the two connections, but I couldn't tell. She came in a bit close on the toe shoot, but otherwise looked great. Huge flight, love it! Really, there's not too much to say about what she showed because it was so little. I do think she has the potential to pull out a surprise leap-frog over Bailie.
Alexis Vasquez
Alexis seems maybe to be being pushed to the forefront in USAG. Martha seems to see what she likes in her. Vault wasn't shown, which could be a sticking point for her. According to Lauren over at The Gymternet, the US will be applying an FTY penalty this year, so I'd love to see her at least go for a 1.5. On floor, Alexis showed a 3/1, done both on the floor and onto a soft surface. It wasn't quite around either time, but I'm not sure what to think of it. The one on the soft surface definitely didn't look scary, but the one on the floor had a little bit of a red flag. I'm not sure how alarmed to be, though. Her bars work looked great and definitely showed improvements on the last two years. Very clean, I love it! Her swing was pretty good, but she did have a bit of a labored kip. She also showed a good full-out dismount. Her beam work was also gorgeous! She had a beautifully precise and fluid front aerial+sheep jump, definitely one of the best I've seen! She also showed a strong combination double pike dismount. She could definitely succeed on beam at a senior level.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
ASU vs. Stanford
I went to the ASU vs. Stanford meet last night, and it was so great! I sat at the beginning of the vault runway maybe ten-ish rows back. That meant I had a straight-shot view of the area where the gymnasts dropped their stuff for vault and beam- so surreal! It was crazy seeing former World Champions and Olympians stretching and doing jumps so close in front of me!
Rotation 1
ASU started off on vault. The lack of Natasha Sundby was a profound one, and three of the only five vaults performed were Yurchenko layouts. Taylor Allex was able to shake things up, though with her 1.5. And she was able to bring in a 9.90 for it, too! Definitely the Sun Devils' most exciting vault.
Stanford on bars was glorious, even from across the arena. All of them have such pretty toe point! Rebecca Wing's routine to start the rotation was so pretty! Taylor Rice also had great work. Sami Shapiro is perfection on the bars! Her toe point is heavenly! She had such smooth work and seemed so calm and patient, almost Mustafina-like. Ivana Hong's routine seemed to be over in a second- the dismount took me by surprise! Her DLO was beautiful and stuck, though. Ebee Price was the last to go, and I was so excited to see her in person. Her work was so dynamic, but then she had a terrifying error when she overarched and tucked her legs when she caught her bail, coming off and not finishing the rest of her routine. She was led out of the stadium and was gone for a few minutes.
Rotation 2
ASU on bars was much more exciting than on vault. I'd taken Miceli out of my fantasy bars lineup after she'd been bringing in lower scores so far this season, and I was regretting that decision as I was watching her last night! She brought in a 9.80 for a great dynamic routine with beautiful execution! Brianna Gades also brought in a big 9.85 with her great double front, which really stood out. Beka Conrad's routine sticks out because she had a big Geinger in hers, love to see those! The Sun Devils also had their share of terrifying on bars with Carissa Kraus's routine. She had a super high-flying Tkatchev, but missed the bar and landed crumpled on the ground. She went back to the chalk bowl limping when Rene Lyst went over and apparently decided she should end her routine. She limped over to the chairs and we saw her being examined.
Ebee came back into the arena during the one-touch. She put on her warmups and was taken over to the side where they put on a huge ice pack. With no Ebee in the vault lineup, Stanford also lacked excitement. Definitely the most memorable was Pauline Hanset's pike front half. So refreshing to have a FHS vault! Taylor Rice's run is also so different. On vault, we also had the divine return of Kristina Vaculik. Though she only did a Yurchenko layout, it was great getting her back in competition!
Rotation 3
Because of where I was sitting, I had a straight-on view of the beam. Really different seeing it lengthwise! I wasn't until the third rotation that I noticed how obscene the cut of the ASU leotard was. Oregon State on Monday, ASU, this needs to stop! Cal, you break the chain. I was pleasantly surprised how artistic ASU was on the beam. I went last year, but I didn't get much of an artistic impression on beam. It doesn't outdo Oklahoma or anything, but it was a nice surprise to see them working fluidly and with nice transitions. Stephanie Miceli on beam to Tiny Dancer and Allie Salas on beam to Iris was glorious! I'm sure she was just saying key words to herself, but at one point it looked like Stephanie said "Ballerina, you musta seen her" along with the music, which was fun! I was annoyed they had Sparky throwing shirts during Allie's routine, because of course it meant a lot of screaming, and she did have to fight to keep her aerial cartwheel on. Great save, though. And it did make me feel better about the fact that the "Make Noise" kept going for a second or two into the Stanford beam routines. Also more than one front twisting dismount, which is my favorite kind!
All in all, Stanford on floor wasn't super memorable. One of their gymnasts (Jenna Frowein, I think, but I'm not sure) had a cool handstand series down to the floor, which was fun. Watching Taylor Rice on broadcast just doesn't compare to seeing her live- such a fun performer! The casino sounds at the beginning of Rachel Daum's floor were deliciously wacky, and it was great classic rock once she got into the routine. There were gymnasts lining the corner on her double tuck, so I could tell it was a low landing, but it wasn't obvious that she had fallen. One of the gymnasts warmed up a double Arabian in the one-touch, but I don't think it came out during the competition.
Rotation 4
Beka Conrad started the Gym Devils on floor, which had the same music as Missy Reinstadler! It was a really nice routine, I thought she made it work really well for her. Especially great to see after her bad go of it last week. Taylor Allex had a great routine! She opened with a huge double Arabian, it was so exciting! It was also the routine best tailored to a crowd, she had great moments the gymnasts on the sidelines could really get into. She had clapping cues, which were great to engage the pretty quiet audience. And fist pumps! Just a really fun routine. Natasha Sundby was also greatly missed on floor, and again, there were only five ASU gymnasts competing. Savannah Boorman started her routine with just a back layout, which was a bit of a shock. She also brought the scary with her crashed double back as her second pass; her chest was barely off the ground when she landed. On her third pass, she landed her punch front in a super deep squat, but she stood it up. It was pretty anticlimactic not ending with an ASU floor, which was sad.
Stanford on beam was undoubtedly the highlight rotation of the meet. Their work was stunning! Kristina Vaculik kept running in place and doing jumps to warm up while ASU was on floor, and it was so surreal occasionally to catch her in the corner of my eye while watching floor! Rebecca Wing opened with a gorgeous routine which she was in total command of. Nikki McNair was second in the rotation, and she started out a bit tentative, but it was great to see her gain confidence through the routine. Her switch+back tuck was totally secure, and back clap was fierce! Taylor Rice's choreography was so much cooler in person, and I loved the gainer full dismount. Ivana Hong was just sublime. Her picturesque handstand mount was such a difference from all the rest of the super boring ones. The Onodi+BHS was also a really exciting different flight series. She had a slight check on her jump combo, which was sad as she warmed it up PERFECTLY and with total precision in the one-touch. If she'd hit it like that in the competition, she could have been flirting with a score higher than 9.95. She looked so happy when she stuck her dismount! Kristina Vaculik capped off the meet with a great routine. Her Rufolva was fabulous and took everyone by surprise! She'd only warmed up the Korbut. It's such a crazy skill to see in person, especially from my angle! Definitely the most memorable skill of the night. She also gave a huge smile down to her teammates before the dismount, which was just lovely!
In the presentation of the winners, they only had four roses, but Taylor Rice and Ivana Hong tied on beam, so it was funny watching them banter over the rose. Taylor Rice also was caught by surprise by the ASU line in the congratulations at the end. It was also great seeing Ebee clapping hands with the ASU gymnasts. Despite her bad night, she had a huge smile on her face and looked so genuinely happy at the end of the meet.
Favorite ASU vault: Taylor Allex
Favorite Stanford vault: Pualing Hanset
Favorite ASU bars: Beka Conrad
Favorite Stanford bars: Sami Shapiro
Favorite ASU beam: Allie Salas
Favorite Stanford beam: Taylor Rice
Favorite ASU floor: Taylor Allex
Favorite Stanford floor: Rachel Daum (I didn't see the fall, so it doesn't affect how much I liked it)
Honorable mentions: Ivana Hong beam, Stephanie Miceli beam, Beka Conrad floor, Taylor Rice floor, Rebecca Wing in general
Rotation 1
ASU started off on vault. The lack of Natasha Sundby was a profound one, and three of the only five vaults performed were Yurchenko layouts. Taylor Allex was able to shake things up, though with her 1.5. And she was able to bring in a 9.90 for it, too! Definitely the Sun Devils' most exciting vault.
Stanford on bars was glorious, even from across the arena. All of them have such pretty toe point! Rebecca Wing's routine to start the rotation was so pretty! Taylor Rice also had great work. Sami Shapiro is perfection on the bars! Her toe point is heavenly! She had such smooth work and seemed so calm and patient, almost Mustafina-like. Ivana Hong's routine seemed to be over in a second- the dismount took me by surprise! Her DLO was beautiful and stuck, though. Ebee Price was the last to go, and I was so excited to see her in person. Her work was so dynamic, but then she had a terrifying error when she overarched and tucked her legs when she caught her bail, coming off and not finishing the rest of her routine. She was led out of the stadium and was gone for a few minutes.
Rotation 2
ASU on bars was much more exciting than on vault. I'd taken Miceli out of my fantasy bars lineup after she'd been bringing in lower scores so far this season, and I was regretting that decision as I was watching her last night! She brought in a 9.80 for a great dynamic routine with beautiful execution! Brianna Gades also brought in a big 9.85 with her great double front, which really stood out. Beka Conrad's routine sticks out because she had a big Geinger in hers, love to see those! The Sun Devils also had their share of terrifying on bars with Carissa Kraus's routine. She had a super high-flying Tkatchev, but missed the bar and landed crumpled on the ground. She went back to the chalk bowl limping when Rene Lyst went over and apparently decided she should end her routine. She limped over to the chairs and we saw her being examined.
Ebee came back into the arena during the one-touch. She put on her warmups and was taken over to the side where they put on a huge ice pack. With no Ebee in the vault lineup, Stanford also lacked excitement. Definitely the most memorable was Pauline Hanset's pike front half. So refreshing to have a FHS vault! Taylor Rice's run is also so different. On vault, we also had the divine return of Kristina Vaculik. Though she only did a Yurchenko layout, it was great getting her back in competition!
Rotation 3
Because of where I was sitting, I had a straight-on view of the beam. Really different seeing it lengthwise! I wasn't until the third rotation that I noticed how obscene the cut of the ASU leotard was. Oregon State on Monday, ASU, this needs to stop! Cal, you break the chain. I was pleasantly surprised how artistic ASU was on the beam. I went last year, but I didn't get much of an artistic impression on beam. It doesn't outdo Oklahoma or anything, but it was a nice surprise to see them working fluidly and with nice transitions. Stephanie Miceli on beam to Tiny Dancer and Allie Salas on beam to Iris was glorious! I'm sure she was just saying key words to herself, but at one point it looked like Stephanie said "Ballerina, you musta seen her" along with the music, which was fun! I was annoyed they had Sparky throwing shirts during Allie's routine, because of course it meant a lot of screaming, and she did have to fight to keep her aerial cartwheel on. Great save, though. And it did make me feel better about the fact that the "Make Noise" kept going for a second or two into the Stanford beam routines. Also more than one front twisting dismount, which is my favorite kind!
All in all, Stanford on floor wasn't super memorable. One of their gymnasts (Jenna Frowein, I think, but I'm not sure) had a cool handstand series down to the floor, which was fun. Watching Taylor Rice on broadcast just doesn't compare to seeing her live- such a fun performer! The casino sounds at the beginning of Rachel Daum's floor were deliciously wacky, and it was great classic rock once she got into the routine. There were gymnasts lining the corner on her double tuck, so I could tell it was a low landing, but it wasn't obvious that she had fallen. One of the gymnasts warmed up a double Arabian in the one-touch, but I don't think it came out during the competition.
Rotation 4
Beka Conrad started the Gym Devils on floor, which had the same music as Missy Reinstadler! It was a really nice routine, I thought she made it work really well for her. Especially great to see after her bad go of it last week. Taylor Allex had a great routine! She opened with a huge double Arabian, it was so exciting! It was also the routine best tailored to a crowd, she had great moments the gymnasts on the sidelines could really get into. She had clapping cues, which were great to engage the pretty quiet audience. And fist pumps! Just a really fun routine. Natasha Sundby was also greatly missed on floor, and again, there were only five ASU gymnasts competing. Savannah Boorman started her routine with just a back layout, which was a bit of a shock. She also brought the scary with her crashed double back as her second pass; her chest was barely off the ground when she landed. On her third pass, she landed her punch front in a super deep squat, but she stood it up. It was pretty anticlimactic not ending with an ASU floor, which was sad.
Stanford on beam was undoubtedly the highlight rotation of the meet. Their work was stunning! Kristina Vaculik kept running in place and doing jumps to warm up while ASU was on floor, and it was so surreal occasionally to catch her in the corner of my eye while watching floor! Rebecca Wing opened with a gorgeous routine which she was in total command of. Nikki McNair was second in the rotation, and she started out a bit tentative, but it was great to see her gain confidence through the routine. Her switch+back tuck was totally secure, and back clap was fierce! Taylor Rice's choreography was so much cooler in person, and I loved the gainer full dismount. Ivana Hong was just sublime. Her picturesque handstand mount was such a difference from all the rest of the super boring ones. The Onodi+BHS was also a really exciting different flight series. She had a slight check on her jump combo, which was sad as she warmed it up PERFECTLY and with total precision in the one-touch. If she'd hit it like that in the competition, she could have been flirting with a score higher than 9.95. She looked so happy when she stuck her dismount! Kristina Vaculik capped off the meet with a great routine. Her Rufolva was fabulous and took everyone by surprise! She'd only warmed up the Korbut. It's such a crazy skill to see in person, especially from my angle! Definitely the most memorable skill of the night. She also gave a huge smile down to her teammates before the dismount, which was just lovely!
In the presentation of the winners, they only had four roses, but Taylor Rice and Ivana Hong tied on beam, so it was funny watching them banter over the rose. Taylor Rice also was caught by surprise by the ASU line in the congratulations at the end. It was also great seeing Ebee clapping hands with the ASU gymnasts. Despite her bad night, she had a huge smile on her face and looked so genuinely happy at the end of the meet.
Favorite ASU vault: Taylor Allex
Favorite Stanford vault: Pualing Hanset
Favorite ASU bars: Beka Conrad
Favorite Stanford bars: Sami Shapiro
Favorite ASU beam: Allie Salas
Favorite Stanford beam: Taylor Rice
Favorite ASU floor: Taylor Allex
Favorite Stanford floor: Rachel Daum (I didn't see the fall, so it doesn't affect how much I liked it)
Honorable mentions: Ivana Hong beam, Stephanie Miceli beam, Beka Conrad floor, Taylor Rice floor, Rebecca Wing in general
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