Lots of flight and exciting combinations are the most important things in a bars routine for me. As such, this is probably the only bars favorites lists you'll ever find without a single Chinese gymnast. I hate dead hangs. Also, movement between the bars is important to me, so if your routine doesn't have many transitions, it needs to have other exciting releases. Bars is the event where I care about form the least, so not everybody's going to be pristine.
10. Michelle Goodwin 1982 World Cup AA
I've already done a routine of the week (yeah I know they're not at all weekly) post on this routine. This is everything I love on close-set bars routines that went missing after giants were introduced. It's got a crazy mount, lots of movement between the bars, and tons of creativity.
9. Elise Ray 2000 US Nationals Day 2
She didn't do her eponymous dismount here, which I'm fine with because her full twister is gorgeous and I don't particularly like how she did the double. I love Rays! Her connection is breathtaking! The best part is how easy she made the Tkatchev look. I also really enjoy those long swings under the bar on the high bar for some reason. The double hop full combination is also beautiful. Ah, Elise was so underrated.
8. Olga Korbut 1972 Olympics Team Optionals
Olga was the only gymnast who ever actually performed an uneven bar routine. Both of her original skills are incredibly endearing. People definitely underrate her stoop transition to the low bar, it's super exciting too! I absolutely love her dismount; my favorite part about it is how she seems to stand at that angle for just a second before she dismounts.
7. Lisa Katharina Hill 2014 Stuttgart World Cup
Lisa's routine is so exciting! She uses a nice variety of skills, such as unique transitions and different circling elements. Nothing about her routine is cookie-cutter. Her Bhardwaj is beautiful. Also, I love that her release is a Geinger. It might not be an incredibly risky release, but so many Jagers! The toe-on full+Maloney+clear hip 1/2+clear hip full+Geinger connection is wonderful! I love how she combines her flight with pirouettes and circling elements.
6. Nellie Kim 1980 Olympics EF
Sigh, Burda twirls (why is this COP so obsessed with handstands?), sigh, straddle cuts, sigh, Fuchs-Brause transitions, sigh, butt-bounce dismounts. This routine embodies all the charm of routines on the old bars. While I'm not one of those people who wants to return to this bars set (again, I HATE giants on them and you know they'd be there) I can admire the creativity of the best of them. I also love that hecht transition to standing on the low bar.
5. Ekaterina Kurbatova 2009 Russian Cup AA
So many hip circles! Love them. The connections in this routine are brilliant. That monster first one is one of the best ever. I also love the one-armed pirouette- not common to find in a Russian routine. And it's connected to the super unique dismount! My favorite part is absolutely the Pak+Khorkina II. It just seems like it shouldn't be possible!
4. Brenna Dowell 2014 US Nationals Day 1
This one would be higher if she didn't have a cast on both side of the toe-on full. I dislike an abundance of casts. Since she's coming back for the elite season, maybe she can replace this one and move up! Anyway, so much flight in this routine! Straddle back skills always seem so exciting to me, and I want to see more of them. And out of a Tweddle too! I also love how she connects the giant full out of the Maloney. Connections out of Shaposh variations always stand out to me. Her pencil-straight DLO is a perfect cap to the routine.
3. Anna Li 2012 US Nationals Day 2
Anna is another gymnast who is amazing in her connections of flight elements and pirouetting elements. It's criminal that the Rybalko was required to finish in handstand and she was deducted for it. Again, WHY IS THE COP SO HANDSTAND OBSESSED? Ugh. The Shushunova is so special! I don't get how it was downgraded from a G to an E (why two?), but it's sad because it removes the incentive. Anna gets so much flight! Her work is breathtaking!
2. Beth Tweddle 2011 Worlds TF
This was Beth's best routine ever, in my opinion. She was so crisp! The Tweddle+Ezhova+Van Leeuwen connection will always be associated with Beth. However, I think I prefer the Markelov (love them) to Geinger. There's no wasted time in this routine and she performs everything perfectly.
1. Ruby Harrold 2014 Commonwealth Games AA
And two Brits top the list! A Maloney+Bhardwaj and a Van Leeuwen+Zuchold in the same routine? I said that I love movement between the bars, and this routine is perfect at that! The Zuchold is absolutely my favorite high-low transition. I love how it comes so unexpectedly! It's such an exciting routine!
Honorable Mentions: Karin Janz, Maria Filatova, Elena Mukhina, Kim Gwang Suk, Tatiana Malaya, Mo Huilan, Dominique Dawes, Svetlana Khorkina, Aliya Mustafina, Jessica Lopez, Roxana Popa, Rebecca Tunney
I've found a great collection of old meets on YouTube I thought I'd share with you guys. There may end up being a part two of this, I've recently been finding a bunch more too! The channels are all great resources, so you should go subscribe.
1966 Worlds EF (Tribute2the80s)
Such a gem! Not only does it have the gymnasts (check out the pre-1968 drama Vera Caz and Natalia Kuchinskaya showdown), it's got COMMENTARY! Such an exciting find! Only a few gymnasts per event and there's a big glitch in one of them, but good quality and it's only about half an hour, so it's great if you don't have too much time.
1972 Olympics EF (dudnik and chocdave)
The first two have all the EF routines, and the second two have CBS coverage of the UB and FX final. Check out the crowd reaction to Olga Korbut's placement! Also, have to love Tamara Lazakovich's floor. I'm sure I found the beam final once, but I can't find it again...
1977 Euros EF (thelegendofNeshka)
All routines, absolutely fabulous! Not the greatest sound quality (TONS of background white noise), but still all routines from the 1977 Euros. Nadia, Nellie Kim, Emilia Eberle, Elena Mukhina, and one of my favorite Soviets who is totally underrated, Maria Filatova. Lots of good East Germans too. And so many Korbut-style skills on bars!
1977 World Cup
This one has at least ten parts, so I'll only post the first one. Filatova and Mukhina on display again, and Shaposhnikova joins them too. All right, I lied a little, this channel isn't as good for videos, but still a great competition here!
1978 Worlds EF (thelegendofNeshka, again)
This one's especially great because it cuts straight to the routines, so you get to watch all the gymnastics without it lasting forever. All the same Soviets, Nadia, Steffi Kraker Vera Cerna, and some great early Americans- Marcia Frederick wins the USA's first Worlds gold and Kathy Johnson has her beautiful balletic floor here.
1979 Euros EF (Fallen Star)
The same crowd again, Mukhina wowing with her bars, Nadia surprising with her medals- but what is really exciting about this one is it has Eberle's acid-trip routine with her music! The only instance of it I've been able to find. Easily the highlight of this one for me.
