200 Days!

Today marks 200 days until the opening ceremony in Rio and last week marked 6 months until USA names their team at trials!

I for one, am pretty stoked for the coming months. All of the competitions leading up to the trials and then of course, those themselves should be very intense but very awesome.

Six months...a lot can happen in that time so take this prediction with a grain of salt but I will hereby make a guess as to who will be on our team for Rio based on past performances and future upgrades.

Drumroll....

Simone Biles!!! (Duh)

Aly Raisman!!! (Lest she falls apart a la Worlds again)

Maggie Nichols!!! (Unless she gets Hollie Vise'd which is actually very possible)

Bailie Key!! (Leaving her off the Glasgow team was a terrible headgame but I still thinks Marta likes her)

and...

...last of all

 my girl Norah Flatley!!! (She has to be there, or I'll storm the floor mat at Trials!)

Alternates: Kyla/Gabby/Laurie

I'm sure I'm wrong but I this is more the team I *hope* is named. I actually hope for Kyla to be on there too, I guess she'd replace Norah or Bailie. Now that I look at it, this team is set just about everywhere but maybe weak on bars, though Norah will probably come out with many upgrades. I just don't know...there are a lot of different combos that could happen.

We shall see. 

Gymnastics Profile, What the Heck Kind of Gym Fan Am i Anyway??

So I took these prompts from this lovely gym blog and now I'm going to have a go at answering them!

Get to know the blogger - Gymnastics edition

Name: (G)race

DOB: Spring, 1994

Gym fan since: 2008ish but not seriously until 2012

Gymnast since: Half past never! I wish though. I had scoliosis and a fused spine and an overprotective dad, so it was not going to happen for me.


Gymnastics coach since: I coached my younger sister in the front yard when I was 14, so that definitely counts.

Favorite Quad to Date: Oooh ok. I love 1996-2000 because there was so much going on behind the scenes but Sydney was a hot mess! So I guess, gymnasts/gymnastics wise, I really enjoy 2004-2008.

Favorite Olympics: Hmmm...I really enjoy rewatching Athens for some reason even though that quad tends to bore me. I'm also partial to London because that's when I got REALLY into the sport.

Favorite Worlds: Stuttgart, 2007.

Most Disastrous Competition: 2006 US Nationals, falls galore.

 

Favorite Gymnast of All-time: Shannon Miller but I also enjoy Lilia Podkopayeva and Shawn Johnson. Shannon takes it though.

Favorite Gymnast Currently Competing: I love Simone of course but also Shang and Daria Spiridonova.

Met any gymnastics celebrities?: Yes! Maybe not all super famous but I met McKayla Maroney, Jordan Chiles and Lexie Priessman in 2014 and Shawn Johnson, Sabrina Vega and Nia Dennis in 2015.

Favorite Event to Watch: I love watching uneven bars, always have!

Gymnastics Pet Peeve: I hate ugly floor choreo, boring mounts (especially beam), front or side ariels on floor, overused wolf turns, bad form/technique in general, sloppy vaults just for difficulty, cowboyed giants...there are more that I can't think of right now.

Favorite Skill: Geinger on bars, completed and well formed triple twist on floor, needle or illusion turn on beam and vault...I don't think I have a favorite. I guess, a clean Amanar. 

Thanks for reading! What are your answers??

Gymnastics Hopes for 2016

Holy cow, here we are folks! I remember watching the closing ceremonies in London and being soooo bummed it was over, I couldn't believe I would have to wait 4 years for another Olympics. And now, it's officially 2016: THE YEAR OF RIO!
I'm pumped, you?

So, with that in mind, here are my hopes for gymnastics in the coming year:

• I have an ideal team for Rio but there are a lot of variations that I'll be happy with so basically, I just want a team that's earned it and that deserves to be there. 
• Additionally, I really want Norah Flatley on that team. 
• I want Simone to make her Olympic mark and win the AA. 
• Way deeper fields everywhere, I don't want to already know the outcome for every event in advance. 
• Romanian redemption. 
• Someone in the US to really shake things up, a dark horse that no one saw coming. (Coming soon to a theater near you!)
• Good showing for the returning veterans (Ponor, Mustafina, Yao). 
• The new Seniors to come in and actually be in the mix for Rio. 
• Exciting competition during the Trials. 
• A lovely, feeling inducing, song to go along with the fluff montages during Rio. Hey, I'm still jamming out to Phillip Phillips "Home". 
• Leotards that are creative, especially in the US. In my humble opinion, the Under Armour ones from Glasgow left a lot to be desired. 
• Fair judging. 

And I guess that's all I can think of for now. Additionally, on a personal level, I really just want to have the time of my life at the Olympic Trials. I can't believe that I asked my mom to accompany me last spring and she basically said, "yes" with no hesitation! Now we're making a whole family trip out of it. I can't wait, I really can't!

What are your hopes this year??