Favorite Routines of the Quad: Beam

Anastasia Grishina 2013 Europeans AA

Remember when Grishy was looking like a star of the quad? Those were the days. The jaw-dropping moment of this is the lovely Onodi+illusion. This is just a gorgeous and lovely steady routine.

Norah Flatley 2014 Pac Rims EF

Norah Flatley on beam is just an otherworldly experience. She just looks so unhurried. She had two beautiful acro series, and her arabesque is such a beautiful touch.

Eythora Thorsdottir Hamburg 2014

A very weak dismount because she was coming back from injury, but this was a lovely elegant routine with so many unique combinations. Eythora just shows so much of the originality missing from beam recently in this routine. I just eat up her dance+acro combinations.

Kyla Ross 2015 P&Gs Day 2

Kyla Ross angry beam is basically all you need in life.

Pauline Schaefer 2015 DM EF

Pauline is such a gorgeous beam worker, and I love her original choreography. She has her lovely original mount and incredible original acro skill in this routine. I also love her dismount- it's been abused this quad, but when performed like this, it's magical. There's nothing out of place in this routine, and I just love it.

Maile O'Keefe 2016 P&Gs Day 1

Beam extraordinaire Maile O'Keefe. She's got the legendary Dudnik acro series and a layout series just to top things off. Her work is just so off-the-charts and steady. She will hopefully be a great addition to the arsenal in 2018.

Flavia Saraiva 2016 Anadia EF

Flavia is just so delightful. Beam is my favorite event of hers, especially when she hits like this. This routine is full to bursting- she's got her double LOSO series, her roundoff+layout, and the beautiful forward series. And add to that her charming choreography from her lovely 2014-2015 floor, and it's just a completely wonderful routine.

Ragan Smith 2016 Secret Classic

The errors in the dismount were sad, but it was super exciting to see after waiting with baited breath so long. But otherwise, it was about as perfect as she can get. I love her standing full and amazing stretched layout.

Sanne Wevers 2016 Nationals

The most uniquely difficult and smooth as butter routine in existence. I could watch Sanne work beam forever.

More Olympic posting! On the controversial finishes...

Qualifications: Now, I'd be lying if said the witch-hunt response of the gymternet regarding bars in general at the Olympics didn't make me somewhat less sympathetic here. But honestly, it really did seem to be a bump as the subdivisions progressed. Sub 1 was super harsh, subs 2 and 3 were both scoring at the top of range but were fairly consistent with each other, sub 4 got a boost again, and then honestly there wasn't really anything in sub 5 that could stand out to me enough for me to have an opinion with the marathon day. Honestly, with the way their routines went that day, the Chinese bars workers weren't in the very top echelon, and there are a lot of gymnasts in that second echelon on bars. Looking at results other than the Chinese and the Americans on bars, Hong Un Jong's vaults were scored low compared to the rest of the scoring that day in sub 1, Tutya Yilmaz and Nina Derwael both would likely have made their potential EFs had they been in a later sub, Becky Downie got within a tenth of Fan Yilin when she hit her feet on the bar in sub 3, and Jessica Lopez has a couple noticeable form breaks in her routine that weren't reflected in her score in sub 4 as well. So while the scoring was all over the place, it didn't really seem to be targeted the way so many were claiming. To put together my thoughts regarding bars in qualifications, I decided to have some fun and score the routines of the gymnasts who made the final and the alternates using Aliya's score as the metric. Of course, the disclaimer that I'm just a couch fan trying out applying the code. Also, to make it more similar to an actual judging experience, I watched Aliya's routine once to get my standard, and then only watched each routine once.
1. Aliya Mustafina: 15.833-6.8/9.033
2. Maddie Kocian: 15.666-6.7/8.966
3. Daria Spiridonova: 15.6-6.5/9.1
3. Gabby Douglas: 15.6-6.5/9.1
5. Nina Derwael: 15.566-6.6/8.966
5. Elisabeth Seitz: 15.566-6.6/8.966
7. Fan Yilin: 15.566-6.9/8.666
8. Sophie Scheder: 15.5-6.6/8.9
9. Shang Chunsong: 15.5-6.7/8.8
10. Becky Downie: 15.266-6.8/8.466
11. Jessica Lopez: 15.066-6.4/8.666

Men's AA: So, to preface this, Oleg is my favorite MAG gymnast and I stan him shamelessly. But, to try to put on my objective pants... this is way too close to call. This would have been a perfect situation for a tie (y'know, if the IOC didn't randomly decide that ONLY GYMNASTICS needs to have Olympic tiebreakers...) But, if I am forced to make a call and not play 2015 Worlds UB judge, I do think Oleg had the slightly better day. 8.3 does seem just a bit low for that HB routine.

Women's AA: Shang was robbed. When discussing the AA bronze, Shang's BB score is usually pointed to as the issue, but personally, I don't think that was actually a problem. BB scoring for the most part that day was pretty tight all around (pun... maybe slightly intended) with the exception of Simone, which affected literally nothing, and Aliya (at least, of the gymnasts who had any influence at all on anything medal-wise). So for me, the problem- speaking in terms of how judging went that day, at least- was Aliya's BB score. Shang's FX score was a little low, too. *But the FTY!!* But Shang's 1.5 overall D score advantage! The salient point is the E scores, which weren't consistent, in my opinion.

UB: Not really all that controversial, but about 2 people disagreed and the still-salty fans from quals decided to make a huge deal out of it. Agree. Maddie had a couple little errors at the end of her routine she hadn't had in the previous rounds.

BB: In the world of "everything goes the way I want it to!!!", Simone wouldn't have the bronze. There would also have been more than two gymnasts in the final who hit their routines without major error (maybe if Shang had been in the final....) But yeah, in terms of what I want to see, I'd give the bronze to Flava Flav. In the world of "the judges are directed by the FIG how to score and can't take more than .8 if the gymnasts doesn't actually fall", I do think Simone probably had the more COP-friendly routine. I will complain about what this says about the COP. Or, at least, I would if SANNE WEVERS hadn't BECOME OLYMPIC BEAM CHAMPION IN THIS FINAL, making me completely unconcerned about anything else.

The Weirdest Worlds EVER!

Yeah, I know I'm about a week after what could be considered reasonable timing for this post, but The Gymternet just started post-Worlds coverage as has The Couch Gymnast, so I feel justified in that.

The Good Surprises

• SANNE WEVERS HAS A WORLD BEAM MEDAL!!!!
• Great Britain got a team medal on both sides
• Brenna Dowell has officially competed at a World Championships and got the pike double front named after her with only the clapping of the audience as her track
• Sanne Wevers got a SILVER on BEAM
• The Netherlands qualified directly to Rio!! And were represented in three individual finals.
• Shang Chunsong is suddenly a beast
• Gabby won the AA silver
• Vika didn't fall of the beam in a major international event final.
• Farah Ann Abdul Hadi earned a higher AA total than either of the "Belorussians."
• Did I mention Sanne Wevers is A WORLD MEDALIST ON BEAM?

The Bad Surprises

• Romania only qualifying in 13th. If the Tokyo qualifying rules were implemented this quad, they wouldn't be going to Rio.
• On the flip-side of the Netherlands qualifying to the final, Brazil was SO CLOSE!
• Flava-Flav coming in dead last in the AA final.
• Aly not making a single individual final.
• Brenna falling twice on her UB routine (though admittedly, that can't be considered too shocking)
• Only one Russian in the AA final
• Simone grabbed the beam and landed her sisone in the red in the AA final

The Just Weird

• Russia was laughing and smiling after coming in fourth?
• Russia had fewer falls in qualifications than the US?
• Simone was 2-per-ed out of the UB final with China benefiting?
• There was a FOUR-WAY TIE?

The Top 5 Weirdest Things That Happened:

5. China benefited from an American being 2-per-ed out of the UB final

4. Simone had two big errors in the AA final

3. Russia was more consistent than the US in qualifications

2. Great Britain won the team bronze

1. A FOUR-WAY TIE

Team: The competition for second through fourth was amazing. The US, China, and Great Britain all had pretty much the best competition they could reasonably expect, so it was great to see them rewarded for it. It was also very exciting to see Canada sneaking up the rankings in a couple of rounds! And we had the Netherlands making everything pretty, even if they didn't catch lightning in a bottle like they did in qualification. I think Russia seemed a bit cavalier, and Seda was the only one who really seemed to care about their performance. But it was nice to see them take it in stride.

All Around: It's so disappointing that Simone had such big errors, but she still managed to get her highest score of a Worlds all around final yet! Ridiculous! Someone made the point that Simone tends to peak earlier in the season, so hopefully that is a good sign for next year. Larisa's fight to the podium was so wonderful! She's the first from outside the top group to make the podium in years, and it was such a triumphant victory! Speaking of gymnasts coming from outside the top group, so many of them were able to climb the rankings this year! Half of the gymnasts in the top eight who get recognized were from lower-ranked groups, and three of the top ten were from the bottom group! Unfortunately, the scores needed to get into the AA final were quite high, and they weren't sustained in the final itself, but the fluidity of the placements between qualifications and the final still shows a good competition. And to round of the medalists, we have Gabby. Long may she reign. She proved herself so well at these Worlds even after a rough training.

Vault: I'm of the mind that Hong Un Jong was the rightful winner of this one. But I also just love her vaulting. It's also disappointing that Simone wasn't able to win because of her lower difficulty when she has such superior technique and execution. When will she upgrade? But either way, this was by far the most exciting vault final in a long time! The podium was so close! Also, I just love Ellie Downie's vaulting. I would not be at all surprised to see her with upgrades next year, she's got such great power and technique. Giulia's injury was horrible, but at least she's supposed to be in fairly decent shape and not too badly injured. Ah, I miss the final last year when no one was injured.

Uneven Bars: Oh my goodness, THIS FINAL! No falls, and a FOUR-WAY TIE! It's too bad about Sophie Scheder messing up her dismount, but it is nice to know that that was the biggest error of the final. I think we can all pretty much agree that Spiridonova and Kocian were not on the same level as Fan Yilin and Vika. But here's my perspective: Fan Yilin and Vika won the gold anyway. So while it wasn't necessarily the most accurate judging, when the gymnasts who were overscored didn't affect the placing of the gymnasts who were better anyway, why can't we just appreciate the fact that we witnessed a four-way tie and gymnastics history? It's not like four-way ties are going to become a common thing. With the exception of Scheder's dismount, everyone had a great routine in this final, and it will definitely be one I'll watch over and over again as the years go by. And ruby made it with her wonderful routine!

Balance Beam: SANNE WEVERS WON THE SILVER! My delusional dream is now a reality! And so nothing else that happened in this final makes me at all unhappy. Honestly, it was better than I was worried it might be. With this group of eight gymnasts, who would stay on was seriously a crap shoot. I was going into this final with the mindset that Simone would be the only gymnast to stay on just because that was a legitimate possibility and I didn't want to get my hopes up. So honestly, I'm pleased with four of them staying on. Also, Pualine Schaerffer got a medal for Germany and that was so wonderful! And Vika didn't fall in a major international beam final, so that's more than could have been expected. So yeah, this final was pretty bad, but I wasn't expecting better. And Sanne medalled! So I really can't look at this final with any objectivity or any disappointment that anything else happened. She could have been the only one to stay on and I would have been happy.

Floor: I still haven't seen this final in whole: I missed the beginning of the final as I tried to get the mobile stream up, and I couldn't watch the last four routines with music because I was watching it in public. However, I have seen all of the routines (with music) at this point, though I still don't have a great perspective on it. No falls! The only World floor final this quad with not a single fall! Simone obviously was the deserving champion, she put on her usual awesome display. As to the debate over the bronze (and silver?) medals, my opinion is that Maggie, Sae, and Shang all had routines of pretty much the same quality, and so whoever took the bronze took it rightfully. It's sad, but true: sometimes a medal could go more than one way. Also, overall, the E scores were pretty high in this final, which was nice to see. And who doesn't like just watching Lieke's routine?

My favorite final: Bars. Only one major error which wasn't even that big comparatively and a four-way tie. This is one of my favorite finals of all time.

My least favorite final: Beam. Though, as I said earlier, I'm still not that unhappy with it. Sanne!

Overall, I really enjoyed these Worlds. The competition was generally pretty strong and so much unexpected happened! And there were people who thought this Worlds was boring.

My Top 10 Favorite Beam Routines

I love creativity on beam, so all of these routines are a bit different, if only slightly. For me, arm waving isn't exciting. My favorite beam choreography includes skills or variations of skills, balances, handstands, and flexibility moves. Unique mounts are also my favorite thing in gymnastics, so a lot of these routines have them. In terms of style, I tend to prefer elegant gymnasts on beam, though there is something so satisfying about a powerful routine where nothing goes wrong. A perfect routine from Vika will simply never have the "Killed it!" quality of a perfect routine from Carly Patterson. There are some routines competing for tenth, but all in all this is the list I feel most comfortable with.

10. Ludmilla Stoyltchataja 1992 Europeans EF

This routine is absolutely beautiful. I love her great mount sequence and her dismount is fabulous. Full-twisting double pike! The choreography of this routine is really what sets it apart. She has a great 3/4 back spin. The tik-tok with the leg change is the best part of the choreography in my opinion. However, while this is a gorgeous routine, it's a little lacking in content, so it's up in tenth.

9. Shawn Johnson 2008 Olympics Qual

A tuck jump mount, I know. But this routine is just so solid! Her layout series is the first I always think of. Her switch+LOSO+back pike connection is probably my favorite of the routine. And she has a pike jump! A good pike jump is always such a find. I love her little cartwheel down on the beam. This routine is one of those super satisfying ones where nothing seems out of place.

8. Sanne Wevers 2013 Osijek World Cup

I need Sanne to win a World title on beam. Her turns are just so beautiful! Her tumbling is also different with her connection of two aerials to a front aerial and two Kochetkova skills. It's sad she didn't hit her glorious Okino here, but she still just glided through all the turns. Her turns will always be magical and this routine is smooth as butter.

7. Yang Tun 2000 Olympics TF

This is another smooth as butter routine. I love that she had the LOSO series even when they were going out. Her back dive skills are beautiful and I loved those connections from that code. The wolf 3/4 to back dive is definitely the best back dive combo from that quad. Everything in this routine is smooth and elegant. One of my favorite aspects of this routine is how much she moves up and down. She uses all angles and planes and it makes the routine so much more artistic.

6. Shannon Miller 1992 Olympics EF

I was torn between this routine and her 1994 one, but the mount sequence and extra LOSO gave this one a tiny edge. I find the twisting back handsprings that were Shannon's signature so exciting and beautiful. I love how there doesn't seem to be a second of wasted time in this routine. She is always moving and the routine feels so full but it isn't a skill-fest. And who doesn't love a back extension roll?

5. Oksana Knizhnik 1995 Worlds Team Optionals

Just ignore Ludivine Furnon's fallen vault halfway through. Oksana had glorious stag ring jumps, which are the best ring skills. She also had a beautiful triple LOSO series as well as an amazing LOSO mount. I love her handstand to Omelianchik-bent-leg split and her scale on her chest. It's the most beautiful pose on the beam. I always get nervous when she dismounts because I think she's going to miss one of her feet and then she sticks it!

4. Chellsie Memmel 2003 Worlds TF

I love the flexibility in this routine. The straddle mount with the bent leg over the side is a lovely unique touch. Who couldn't love her scale before the dismount? The way she leans forward in it just adds to it so much. There are so many exciting skills in this routine! Her acro series is one of my favorite. Illusion turns are my favorite, and Chellsie is the queen. I also love front tucks without a running entry like Chellsie does here. It's the ultimate cool and businesslike-but-not-boring routine.

3. Yang Bo 1989 China Cup

THE perfect beam routine. Artistically, this routine's got it all- flexibility, balances, handstands, the whole shebang. I really appreciate the way she incorporates balances and jumps into even her simple moving about choreography. The Yang Bo is so criminally undervalued in this code and we get a cavalcade of switch rings instead. For shame, it's such a beautiful jump. This was the only time Yang Bo was able to hit all of her connections and keep everything together. It's a tragedy of gymnastics that such an outstanding beam worker was hit with such an inconsistent streak. The BHS+LOSO+Rulfova is my favorite acro series. It really is the most perfect beam routine ever.

2. Svetlana Grozdova 1979 USSR Display

This is the ultimate of artistry on beam to me. The code needs to overhaul the artistry scoring on beam (artistry really does need to be separated from the execution score) with this as the guide. Apart from the handstand work which, obviously, is the standout of this routine, look at how high her releve is and how close to the end of the beam! She shows so much back flexibility and balance. Ah, the handstands! And the acrobatics are nice too, and exciting and dynamic for the 70s. This routine is just glorious!

1. Li Li 1993 Worlds AA

She has a big step on dismount, but I don't care, her work on the beam is so wonderful. This routine combines it all for me- unique and beautiful mount, nice acro series, gorgeous dance skills (Yang Bo AND stag ring!), creative and original elements, flexibility, handstand work, transverse acro, and perfect form, control, and line to top it off! Her back spin into split around the beam is probably my single favorite move on the beam ever, and of course her signature. This routine is so fluid; every movement seems to lead into the next. It's gorgeous, elegant, and so unique!

Honorable mentions: Phoebe Mills, Daniela Silivas, Henrietta Onodi, Olessia Dudnik, Li Chun Mi, Tatiana Gutsu, Ekaterina Vandisheva, Mo Huilan, Kui Yuan Yuan, Dina Kochetkova, Dominique Moceanu, Olga Roshupkina, Carly Patterson, Anna Pavlova, Maria Livchikova, Sui Lu