Simone Attack, Russian Championships, and Team Announcements

I've been gone for a week and a half, so I missed the American Cup (or Simone Attack, as I am rechristening it) and have only just been able to catch up with it and the videos from Russian Championships.

Simone Attack
I couldn't help but read the #ATTAC hashtag as "attack," and so, with Simone dominating (62.299!?!), I shall now officially be calling the 2015 American Cup "Simone Attack".

Simone is Not Human Yeah, we all already knew that and it was made official at Classics last year, but with a 62.299 and a SIXTEEN on floor, it needs reiterating. Plus, I was really impressed at Simone Attack by how good her bars are her technique on them is despite not being  natural swinger.

JLo Breaking My Heart And everyone's. Oh, why did she fall on that layout? Her beam was so good otherwise!! And those errors on floor! Speaking of floor, I think I like last year's better, but a lovely routine still.

Fasana Is Awesome I love that floor. I really do. It's just so different and... awesome. No other word for it, really. But yeah, such a great achievement for her to come in third and beat Ferrari! She really is becoming a favorite of mine.

Fragapane's New Floor Yeah, not her best outing, she had a bad day, whatever, it happens. What we REALLY need to talk about is that floor! Very cutting-edge, and I think it actually has a greater quantity of choreography than last year's had. I think I might end up liking it better than her old one, but I'm going to hold off decision until she's competing on a day where she's got a bigger goal than "don't die". Oh, and that leotard! Seriously can't figure out what's going on there. Needed about half the design it had to be removed.

The Boys YESSS! Oleg won!!! We need to appreciate how Tim Daggett was fangirling over him too. I want Supreme Overlord Kohei to win every AA title until he retires unless the one to dethrone him is Oleg. Then I'm down.


Russian Championships
Afan's Floor Yes, no more Christina Aguilera howling for the music! Dramatic improvement over the one from DTB/Voronin for that reason alone. *Sigh* But the inevitable Rod-era choreography. It's nice, but so, so underwhelming! CONDITION YOUR ATHLETES!!!

Vika's Jager Can she just go ahead and do a pike now? Has it ever actually been laid out? And she definitely shouldn't be getting credit for it anymore.

Maria Winning AA Suffice it to say I didn't expect that to happen... Seda needs to up her game. The question is how she will fare at Euros with only an FTY. And what her beam scores will look like... Not too steady at Championships.

Daria is the New Russian Bars Queen At least, she's the front runner for now. We can't say with certainty until Aliya is back with a coach. But she's definitely outdone Vika. Monster routines, and she kills them! So pretty!


Russian Euros Team
So, Kharenkova, Afan, and Daria are going, with the last spot between Soz, Seda, Vika, and Bee Farm. Soz is the provisional fourth, and I really think she's the most logical. I don't think Bee Farm makes any sense to bring. Soz beat her on vault by a big margin and has potential in the AA and on floor as opposed to Bee Farm who came in third on bars, but really isn't good enough to justify being brought for that event. Seda unfortunately didn't show much at Championships to make a case for herself, but taking her could be a good investment for Worlds. Her difficulty and consistency both need improvement, though. Vika also doesn't have the difficulty or the consistency to really justify being brought as a specialist. She won't be getting 15.000 for a routine like that internationally. to me, Soz is really the only logical choice.


US Jesolo Team
This is actually looking to be an incredibly interesting team. First of all, of course we have Balie's senior debut. What a debut! However, that's the least of my cares on this team. Aly and Gabby are making their comebacks! I can't wait to see what these two have up their sleeves! What we've seen in their USAG videos has been very interesting, and I really want to see how they fare in competition again. Gabby's potential as an all arounder for the US will be especially of note. And then there's the inclusion of Emily Schild. We know almost nothing about her, having been unable to compete domestically the last two years, but there must have been something Martha saw. I'm very intrigued by what we'll see from her.

American Cup Lineup

USA Gymnastics announced the American Cup roster today. The women's field is Emily Little, Ellie Black, Claudia Fragapane, Ruby Harrold, Erika Fasana, Vanessa Ferrari, Jessica Lopez, and the American contingent Simone Biles and Mykayla Skinner.

So, on the roster:

• I'm a bit surprised Bailie or Nia isn't on the roster. The major new seniors (and these are really major ones) generally get a nod. But then, World Cup rosters are also known for being quite fluid.
• However, YAS MYKAYLA!!!! So excited about this, and I'm totally happy with her competing at the American Cup!
• Ellie Black is also a major bonus on the list. Her vault and tumbling pass variations will be very interesting.
• Jessica Lopez back for the first time this quad, always a nice touch. Imagine if Bailie did get swapped in- battle of the Lindsay Sterling floor routines!
• Sad not to see Iordache here. It's always great to see her and Simone competing together, and she would have been a shoe-in for the World Cup title.
• I've come to enjoy Erika Fasana (at least on floor, which is a good intro event to become a favorite of mine), so I'm glad to see her here.
• I'm interested to see what the Trio will make of Frag's floor routine. It wasn't included in the NBC Worlds coverage. I think they'll like it, but it's always amusing to hear what they do finally have to say.
• Oh, and Ruby's bars! YES, official broadcast quality!
• Speaking of floor, I'm interested to see who all brings new routines for 2015. Fragapane, Harrold, Ferrari, and Lopez have all had their routines for two years, so I'll be interested to see if they stick with them or bring something fresh. I'd also like to see Emily Little with a new routine...
• And, finally, what is Simone going to bust out?! Are we going to see the DLO 1/1? What of the other awesome upgrades we saw in her last USAG video? And maybe Mykayla too...

And my prediction:

1. Simone Biles (duh)

2. Mykayla Skinner

3. Vanessa Ferrari

4. Jessica Lopez

5. Ellie Black

6. Claudia Fragapane

7. Ruby Harrold

8. Erika Fasana

9. Emily Little

Spots 1-3 were easy, as were 7-9. 4-6 were harder to puzzle out, and I feel they probably won't be this order.