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.

WHEN WILL MARTHA NAME THE FREAKING ALTERNATE?!?

I spent all last night in anticipation of the name of the alternate today. UGH! When is it coming??? I was completely on the Maggie train, but Lauren said today that she'd pick Gabby based on how training has gone, and I can't say I disagree. Gabby's awesome. Don't get me wrong. But there are six other awesome gymnasts on this team and a crap ton of other awesome gymnasts left at home who didn't even get to go to Glasgow. If Maggie and Aly are both going to do the AA, it just doesn't make any sense to make Mykayla the alternate when the specialists are both UB workers and one wouldn't be able to compete them. I still like the idea of putting Maggie up on beam because I think she would be steady. She's gotten a little bare-bones with her routine, but I think that's great preparation for putting her in the leadoff position. She's also good backup on floor, but if Mykayla's on the competitive team I don't think she'd be used. Gabby and Maggie would both be in the running for the leadoff position on beam. I also don't see the logic in taking Mykayla over Bailie to use her as the alternate. Bailie would be more reliable to use on any event, and as such a much better alternate. I'm honestly starting to wonder if Matha's just decided, "We're wiping the floor with everyone else without trying anyway, I'll just play with everyone for my last Worlds as NTC." Even if I didn't agree with her, I always at least used to be able to understand her logic. Some of her decisions just don't make any sense to me recently.

On another note, vault has suddenly become the most exciting final, which I was not prepared for. Dipa's upgraded? CHUSO'S DOING A PROD?!? What the heck happened?
New predictions:
Finalists-
Simone Biles
Hong Un Jong
Maria Paseka
Chuso
Dipa Karmakar
Marcia Videaux
Giulia Steingruber
Mykayla Skinner (if she's not the alternate)
Wang Yan (if she is)

Podium-
1. Hong Un Jong
2. Simone Biles
3. Maria Paseka
I still see the podium the same, but so much closer for the podium now....

Worlds Predictions

'Tis the season!!!

Team:
Top 16 (*Finalists):
USA*
China*
Russia*
Romania*
Japan*
Great Britain*
Italy*
Brazil*
Germany
Canada
Australia
Netherlands
France
Mexico
Belgium
South Korea

Podium:
1. USA
2. Russia
3. China

Obviously, the US is going to win. Anyone who doubts that at all is delusional. Valentina would have to Tanya Harding them all for something else to happen. I think Russia's team this year, even without Aliya (honestly, I like this team a lot better without her- not sure why, I'm not a big fan of Vika or Bee Farm and I really do like Aliya), has the most evenly distributed ability of the rest. But if their beam rotation is a bomb, they could open the door. I do think Japan will outscore Romania. Their team average for this year is actually higher than China's, and though that's pretty much due solely to the most outrageous domestic overscoring this year, I'd still LOVE to see them on the podium.



All Around:
Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Larisa Iordache
3. Aly Raisman

Even though her highest AA score is of the season is the third highest of the non-Simone US AAers, I still think she'll get the second spot. If not, just swap her out for whichever American makes it. Even though Simone said Maggie's not the alternate, I'm still accepting her as such until we have an official announcement otherwise, so I think it'll be between Aly and Gabby. With Yao and Aliya out (and Rebeca Andrade), there's pretty much no other competition for the podium. I just feel so gutted doing these predictions right now with no Rebeca to surprise for the podium.



Vault:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Mykayla Skinner
Hong Un Jong
Marcia Videux
Maria Paseka
Giulia Steingruber
Wang Yan
Alexa Moreno

Podium:
1. Hong Un Jong
2. Simone Biles
3. Maria Paseka

This one should be really close. Vault was so stagnant and this quad it's suddenly become so exciting! Now that Simone's been sticking Amanars, she really could outdo Hong Un Jong, but I just love her floaty Amanar so whatever. Also, word on the street is that Mykayla beat Simone on vault at camp, so there's that. Bee Farm has cleaned up a fair bit since the last time she made a vault final and added a Cheng, so she's really upped her game. And Marcia and Giulia would both be fabulous- and plausible- medalists. Three fourths of gymnasts in this final could legitimately medal. And that's awesome.



Bars:
Finalists:
Fan Yilin
A second Chinese gymnast
Daria Spiridonova
Vika
Elisabeth Seitz
Sophie Scheder
Maddie Kocian
Yuki Uchiyama

Podium:
1. Fan Yilin
2. Daria Spiridonova
3. Vika

This final is far too small. A 12 or even 16 person final would be much better for exhibiting the top bars talented. No one's really been dominating the top of the field, let alone my choice for the gold medal, but I think these three are the safest bets. I definitely think Spiridoz will leave with a medal. This will be a pretty exclusive final. And I'm so ready for it!



Beam:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Aly Raisman
Larisa Iordache
Sakura Yumoto
Ellie Black
Flava Flav
Maria Kharenkova
Shang Chunsong

Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Aly Raisman
3. Sakura Yumoto

Well, this one's a crap shoot. There have been a lot of stunning one-off performances this year (PAULINE SCHAEFER) that I don't expect to be repeated at Worlds. Alas. I've picked Shang for gold the last two years and just given up at this point. I've also given up on predicting Larisa will stay on. Or Maria. I made my pick because I trust those three not to fall the most. Literally everyone else I'm expecting to. Maybe the trick is just to expect them to fall? Flava Flav always makes it into the final, she just falls once she gets there. Ellie is the only one I didn't pick for the podium who I'll hold out hope for staying on. And then if anyone else doesn't fall, it'll be a pleasant surprise.



Floor:
Finalists:
Simone Biles
Aly Raisman
Larisa Iordache
Afan
Sae Miyakawa
Claudia Fragapane
Erika Fasana
Giulia Steingruber

Podium:
1. Simone Biles
2. Aly Raisman
3. Larisa Iordache

Yet another floor title to Simone. A fall is literally the only mistake that could keep her from this one. Aly is back and better than ever, and a hit routine should clinch a medal for her. Larisa is great as always, but I think the other two have an edge on her. Afan either wins or doesn't medal, so she's off the podium. If Sae Miyakawa busts out the best she's got, she's the only other one who can challenge, methinks. But the other three are awesome. So it should be an enjoyable enough final even if it isn't as competitive as vault of bars.

Christina is going to LSU!!!!!

Christina Desiderio just posted on Instagram that she has committed to LSU!!!!
I just needed a post to fangirl about this because Christina is perfect and I love her gymnastics so much and LSU is my favorite of the big teams! I'm so happy this is the school she went with. As I've mentioned before, it always makes me incredibly happy when a US elite (especially one in national team status-- I still am so happy about Christina MAKING THE NATIONAL TEAM!) commits to an NCAA program other than UCLA or Florida. I can't wait to see what the choreographers there can give her! Yay Christina! Congratulations on going to LSU!!!

Also, I need to give a shout-out to the ever-lovely Sabrina Vega for also committing to not-UCLA-or-Florida. She will be attending Georgia, and I like their program even though a lot of people seem not to? Two not-UCLA-or-Florida commits in one week! And from two gymnasts I love! AND the US team is named tomorrow! This is a good week for me as a gymfan.

How do you solve a problem like America?

Not because the US is in bad shape at all. Because they're just so good. How the heck is a decision supposed to come together? The US is in the enviable position of not having a bad choice. Any combination of gymnasts going to the Worlds selection camp would stroll away with the gold. Martha is not needed this year- the US could just draw names out of a hat. But of course, this is Martha we're talking about, and there will be a long series of observations and calculations before coming to a decision. Ultimately, there are two strategies most people seem to be speculating: take all the top five AAers with a sixth member who may or may not be used, or maximize total medal haul since the team gold is fairly well in the bag.

In terms of the first strategy, I don't think it makes sense to have the sixth member compete in qualifications if all five of the top AAers are brought. It just doesn't make sense to bring Gabby, Bailie, or Maggie if she weren't to compete all around in qualification, and while Aly is the gymnast whose strengths would most suit competing as a specialist in qualification (especially if the standard strategy of bringing a bar worker for the sixth member is utilized), she makes the least sense to drop from the AA lineup, in my opinion. If the accepted strategy of bringing a bars specialist happens, it would also make no sense for Gabby or Bailie to drop bars, and Maggie makes the least sense to bring if she's not going to compete AA, in my opinion. However, I would rank Aly as more important than Maggie to compete AA, and if a bars specialist is going to compete, one of those two would be the choice to drop bars. In terms of this strategy, it just makes more sense to me for the sixth member not to compete. For this strategy, the team I would pick: Simone, Aly, Gabby, Maggie, Bailie, Maddie K, alternate Mykayla Skinner. I think this is probably the most likely scenario.

However, I have more sympathy with the second strategy. The US will have a strong second AAer regardless, and with the order changing every time they compete, putting them all up in qualification still won't meant that the gymnast competing in the final is the one who would score the highest that day. The US is head and shoulders above the rest in the team, any second AAer would be likely to finish with a medal, and even make it a 1-2 finish (especially with these rumors Aliya might not compete), and so it would seem that bringing home the most medals possible would make sense as a top priority. And ultimately, why bring Maddie Kocian to Worlds just to have her not compete her bars routine, but it still wouldn't make sense to bring all the top five AAers and cut one out of the AA. To pick gymnasts for this strategy, we need to look at the "open" EF spots. On floor, Simone and Aly pretty much have the two spots on lockdown. They have their names on the beam spots as well, though I think Aly could be kicked out of her spot. On vault, there's only Simone. On bars, Gabby I think would probably be able to scrape in, but she also might not if the US puts up a bars specialist. On vault, Mykayla is the only one who could step into the second spot, and she has a nice history of scoring better on vault internationally than domestically. She also has a killer floor which likely wouldn't make the final but could be a great addition to the TF lineup. However, she did also tie with Bailie at P&Gs, so that makes her floor less of a commodity. Maddie and Ashton would both be gunning for a UB final spot and could compete for a medal, but I don't see both on the team this year. Maddie has won domestically, though I think Ashton might be more favored internationally. If she can add upgrades into her routine for camp, that might set her over Maddie. However, we know Martha likes AAers. But, there are already lots of AAers who can fill in wherever. For beam, I think Alyssa Baumann has a good shot of beating Aly, as does Kyla if she competes like she did day 2. If Kyla can get her routines together for camp (PLEASE), she could definitely have an edge for her combination of bars and beam, which Alyssa can't provide. I do think beam will be the hardest place for a specialist to make it, though.
Of course, for this strategy to go through, not all of the top five AAers can go. Aly is set for the team, I'd say. Her floor is medal-worthy, she has an Amanar, she hits for the team, I'd pick her for the second AAer, and her experience and leadership is highly valuable. The other three become more tricky. Gabby has bars (Bailie was very lucky to get the bronze with her error night two, I'd say), but she'd be a second pick everywhere else. She has proven that she can stay on beam now, but she was fairly tentative both nights. Her vault is good but she doesn't have the Amanar, and her turns that count toward her D score on floor aren't always solid. Bailie might have gotten lucky to come in third on bars, but they are strong. Her scores are comparable to Gabby's there and she could have more sway with her total AA set. Her floor can be a top routine, and her beam can be stronger than Gabby's. However, if Mykayla goes Bailie's floor would be less valuable and her beam composition (the layout especially) is dragging her down and can cause hiccups for her. And then there's Maggie. She has an Amanar, though that's the only event where she'd really be gunning for top position. However, she has good utility player advantages. Her beam especially could prove to be useful in a team final setting. Her floor also has the potential to be usable, though Bailie has the upper hand of the top AAers, and Mykayla does of the specialists. I think I'd say that Maggie makes more sense than Bailie. She has an Amanar, her bars aren't as good but they're usable, and I trust her more on beam. Bailie is stronger on floor, but if Mykayla goes, her floor wouldn't be necessary. And then there's Gabby. Somehow, it seems much easier to compare Maggie and Bailie than to trow Gabby in the mix. Her bars are strong, but I'm not sure where else she'd be used. If she'd only be used on bars in the TF, Maddie and Ashton might as well both go and have Maddie do AA in qualification. Actually, I think that might make more sense to me.

So, the team I'd pick (but which I doubt Martha will): Simone, Aly, Maggie, Maddie K, Ashton, Mykayla, Bailie/Gabby alternate (dang, what an alternate!)
VT: Maggie, Mykayla, Simone (quals: Maddie, Aly)
UB: Maggie, Maddie, Ashton (quals: Aly, Simone)
BB: Maggie, Aly, Simone (quals: Maddie, Mykayla)
FX: Mykayla, Aly, Simone (qals: Maddie, Maggie)

Six is starting to feel like an awfully small number.

Floor Music I Want to See: Russia

Of course, I want these gymnasts to use this music after the Rods have been kicked out once and for all and the gymnasts are conditioned to a point where they can actually perform strongly artistic routines again.

Aliya Mustafina- "Montagues and Capulets"

Aliya is a diva on the floor (in an "every person in this stadium needs to be looking at me right now because I am killing it" kind of way), and this music is big and dramatic enough that she could own the floor with it. Also, as it is classical, it combines the drama with "Russian tradition" and would be a bit more regal for her, methinks.

Viktoria Komova- "Avrora" (Anna Bessonova's 2007-2008 Hoop Music)

I've honestly never considered any of Vika's floor routines highly artistic (except for the AA performance of her 2012 one). I believe that is because the Russian choreographers decided "Swan Lake Breakdown didn't work, so since classic style isn't her, we'll give her crowd-pleasing routines!" I really think Vika has a lot of untapped artistic potential in a darker and more emotional style. Of course, I have no solid evidence to base this on, so I could be totally wrong. It's just a feeling. I will fully admit that this could be a disaster, but I think it really would be haunting and beautiful and a performance for the ages.

Maria Kharenkova- "Blues for Klook"

I have a confession to make and you all may judge me for this. I don't really get the hype over Mitova's floor to this music, other than it's sheer difference from the rest of the routines of the time. Of course, Russia would never (and nor would any other major program besides the US, who used two recycled pieces in 2014 AND has had multiple gymnasts use "Blues") use music from a routine so venerated. Too much of a risk artistically. I love Maria's routine from 2012 and think routines with more passion and tension are better suited to her than the purely elegant, purely graceful routines she's had this quad. This would really give her opportunity to stretch her wings artistically and get back to her artistic roots from 2012, but with the maturity she has acquired since then. I also would love to see Afan with this music.

Alla Sosnitskaya- "Fever"
This one would never be allowed either, since Cata JUST used it. For shame. I mentioned in my Nanning floor analysis series that she displayed a slinkyness in the slow part of her "Pretty Woman" routine I think Russia should capitalize on. The jazz tones and prominent bass would give her plenty of room to play with that and she could finally have her chance to sparkle on floor. If not "Fever", at least "Why Don't You Do Right?" Also, I want Afan to use one of these ones. Afan just needs a season where she has a different floor routine every time she competes so she use all the music she should.

Anastasia Grishina- "The Promise" from The Secret Garden or "Once Upon a December"
Grishy is coming back and slaying, okay? These would both be great routines for Grishy's light and pretty style. And "Once Upon a December" is a waltz, which Grishy has a corner on. "The Promise" would be the softer, more lyrical route, while "Once Upon a December" would be grander. And come on, how awesome would it be for Grishy to use music from Anastasia?

Afan- Postmodern Jukebox's cover of "Seven Nation Army"
In case you can't tell by this point, I want Afan to do something bluesy. I think she's got just the right mix of maturity, dancing style, and slightly sardonic expression to make it awesome. This cover is the perfect moodiness for Afan to get in some of her awesome original choreography (BRING BACK THE LEG CHOREO FROM 2012). And come on, Afan doing "Seven Nation Army"? Awesome.

Literally Anyone- "Padam, Padam" (Zhenya's 2009 Ribbon Music)
Any Russian should use this. ANY OF THEM. And all of them. But honestly, somehow this music would be absolutely perfect for every single style of the Russian gamut. Aliya could totally get all diva/queen with it and incorporate a few death glares while she's at it. For Vika, she could stay all light and ballerina and I-don't-have-body-fat-ly while still being able to play with more than she's been given in the past. This music is definitely more in the way of Masha's 2012 routine than we've seen recently and she could bring back some of the old cheekiness with it. Alla could totally throw in a bunch of playful slinkyness with it and light up an arena. It's light and frothy for Grishy to keep her super pretty style but she could also be playful with it. And Afan! Lots of leg choreo-like opportunities, as well as opportunities for that wry expression from her 2011-2012 days.

P&Gs Wrap-Up

The Good

• CHRISTINA MADE THE NATIONAL TEAM!!!!!!!!!! I can die happy now! I was literally praying through her floor routine that she would hit.
• And she HIT TWO BARS ROUTINES!
• And so did SJS!
• Jordan Chiles went back to the DTY! Thank goodness for knee caps!
• Bailie's wacky leos
• Swaggie Maggie in full force night one
• Brenna Dowell did an all around competition and was fierce!
• Gabby's bars are just so lovely. But I'm still hoping she Amy Chows it with the Endo.
• Texas Dreams on floor in general is life-giving
• The Shchennikova mega-connection bars routines
• I just love Meals
• Rachel Gowey was awesome
• MEGAN SKAGGS ON FLOOR
• Simone got a freaking SIXTY-THREE day 2
• And a medal-worthy score on floor with a fall
• Ragan won beam and floor!!!
• Aly's floor was ridiculous
• Simone's Amanars

The Bad

• But why did the day 2 Amanar score higher than the day 1 Amanar?
• Morgan Hurd had screwups on beam
• Gabby's bad dance skills on floor night 1
• Simone going wonky on the Barani
• Aly fell on beam??

The Ugly

• UGH Brenna that DLO 1/1 night 2 you were doing so well WHY?
• Kyla, what happened to you?! I feel like my heart had been torn out and run over my a mac truck.
• Meals tearing her meniscus. But then she was a boss and finished up her night. And she might be healthy for Worlds selection? Pretty please?

Christina and SJS

Because, let's be honest, I care way more about this than the podiums. THEY'RE ON THE NATIONAL TEAM!

SJS: I wasn't expecting much from her this year after her lackluster season lat time, but gosh, she's improved so much! Love the Dos Santos! It's super open and she's got great control over it. I still think she hasn't got the same firecracker quality, but that's not necessarily a bad thing- I'd say her performance is more mature now. Her DTY is looking nice. Sadly, her beam isn't quite polished and she can be very enjoyable to watch there. But, bars. What? She can actually put together a routine now. When did that happen!?

Christina: My precious baby!!! She did it! I was hoping with all the hope in my little heart that she would pull an Alexis Vasquez after the terror that was her final bars rotation last year, and look what she went and did! I hope she doesn't follow in Alexis's footsteps and ditch elite next year, though I wouldn't complain too much if the school she ditches for is Denver. Anyway, I was so annoyed they didn't show three of her routines day 2 (I didn't watch day 1)! But I prayed the whole way through the one they did. She killed that final floor routine, so awesome to see her finally attack the opportunity she had. And she hit every routine day 2! FINALLY! Honestly, I really like her bars. She seems like an ASac type to me where she's more just intimidated. And she has the potential to be such a beamer! Why did that have to be the one event where she fell? Ah well, she did a great set day 2! And she's ON THE NATIONAL TEAM!!

Floor Routines

Laurie: Maybe it was just the camera angle this time, but her facial expressions looked way less obnoxious to me now. Good. Still painfully obviously choreographed, though. Ugh, they need to go. I'm so disappointed in this routine in the same way I was disappointed in Aliya's 2013 Worlds routine: this is the PERFECT music for her and the choreography isn't up to standard, in my opinion. Apparently Maggie didn't want to choreograph to it, which honestly doesn't surprise me based on how it compares to her previous ones. The bright spots are fabulous, though, and I cannot state my love for that ending (minus the painfully obviously choreographed facial expression).

Simone: I was the one person not to fall hard for this after Classics, and now... I still haven't fallen hard for it. I definitely like it more now, but there are still parts of it where the rhythm of her choreography is totally unrelated to the rhythm of the music. The ending matching the music is as wonderful as I thought it would be, though. And I cannot state my love for the meow-surprised face part, either. You're not complaining about her facial expressions, you say. Well, in Laurie's interview she said they were choreographed and in Simone's she said they weren't. And you can tell.

Kyla: UGH this one is so saddening! It's so beautiful, but she doesn't have the stamina and it looks so sluggish! I'll just be thankful for the lovely Jesolo PT video posted on Youtube which breaks Gymnastike's copyright. Haha.

Aly: Her choreography has improved so much! And that double L-turn is the stuff dreams are made of. And I hate double L-turns. And single L-turns. I miss the punch out of the Dos Santos, but alas, consistency. The sacred first pass is as breathtaking as ever and I love the DLO. That split half is in a way hilarious in how un-hit it is, but I kind of want her to keep it anyway. This is a routine that is really enjoyable to watch and I'm super impressed.

Gabby: I gain a little bit of love for this every time I watch it. I was a bit disappointed at Classics because my favorite part of Gabby's Papa Americano (I LOVED that routine desperately, by the way) was how she absolutely lit up the place (despite her *questionable* choreography) and now she didn't seem to have the same spark. Watching it again at Nationals, I think there's still a watch-me quality about it, it's just not the same as it was in 2012. And I am watching her, gladly.

Megan Skaggs: I LOVE THIS ROUTINE! Oh my goodness, it's just so fun, but also not fun, if you know what I mean (you probably don't.) And the Rudi to flying jump is just so exciting.

Mykayla: Mykayla has had a trend of doing a routine I HATE at Classics and then it grows on me by the end of the season, and so I knew not to judge after Classics. And what do you know, it's grown on me! Is it my all-time favorite? No. But I like it.

Alyssa Baumann: I was disappointed by this one at Classics after being excited for it during PT, and so I was hoping it could gain some redemption for me at Nationals. And what do you know, it did! It's still not as great as I remember thinking it was after PT, but I can get behind what she did in Indy.

Meals: Any other gymnast, and I would hate it. HATE it. But, ah, Meals. I don't pretend to understand all the choreography, but honestly I think I'd enjoy anything Meals did. And the DLO to split jump is glorious!

Bailie: I'm still obsessed. And I need to bring up the bow, which I didn't last time. There's little I love more in a floor routine than a mocking bow. Maybe it's just Bailie's lack of expression which made it seem mocking, but it did to me. There's just such a Boginskaya-esque too-good-for-you vibe about it I can't get enough of.

The rest of the Texas Dreams army: Also obsessed. With every single routine. I think I need to make a separate TD floor love post.

Aly and Gabby
Still killing it. Gabby looks to have been slightly overtaken, though. And her beam wasn't as rock-steady as it was at Classics, but she's still not going to pieces. How crazy is it that Gabby and Vika both had the same most-pronounced change in their comeback? And her bars are just so nice. Aly is back and better than ever. While I would be surprised if either didn't make the Worlds team, I still think Aly has the edge. She's got the Amanar and the trump routines on beam and floor.

The Second All-Arounder
Honestly, if the US wants to get the best shot at the best second AAer, they should probably just go with a five-woman strategy in quals and ditch the sixth member. Trying to pick one to sit on the sidelines out of the next four is incredibly difficult. Maggie of course came in second at Nationals, but I'd be a bit wary of picking her as the second AAer. If a bars-strong gymnast is picked for the sixth member (which would seem to be the obvious choice), and the sixth member would be used in quals, either Aly or Maggie would have to sit out AA. Honestly, I'd go with Aly of the two of them. I don't think Maggie will get the same scoring internationally that she did domestically. I think Gabby's scoring will also probably see a drop. She could be dropped from multiple lineups, though she would definitely go up in the bars lineup. And then there's Bailie. I don't think she'll see much of a drop in scores, though she won't be getting a 9.1 for an arch like that internationally. Otherwise, I think her scoring was pretty reasonable compared to what she can expect internationally. Domestically, though, she's been lurking in fourth and fifth. She's also another one who wouldn't be dropped from the bars lineup, though. I'd say Maggie makes the most sense to take out of the AA lineup, but she also could be the second AAer and it doesn't make much sense to bring her if she doesn't do AA. The longer I think about it, the more I think just putting up five in quals makes the most sense.