American Gymnatic Memoirs Reviewed

This is the 6th installment of my reviews and the newest one is at the bottom. I've been at this since January of 2013!

1. Grace, Gold and Glory (my leap of faith) by Gabrielle Douglas

If I'm being honest, this is probably the book I enjoyed the least. I used to love Gabby and her faith but now, not so much. I wish the book would have been more about her time leading up to the Olympics and her personal thoughts and less about her childhood. Now, I totally get that she would want to include her whole life into her book and not just he past few years but I think I would have liked it more had she went more in depth about her Olympic journey. I loved reading about her relationship with her host family and her troubles with being away from home. The inside cover of the book folds out into a neat poster and there are color pictures in the middle of the text.

2. Winning Balance by Shawn Johnson

I really loved this book! I think it had a great balance of life in the gym and outside. I didn't know that Shawn was a woman of faith until reading this and that really made me smile. This book takes you from her childhood to her present and you get to follow her through switching gyms to the Olympics and to Hollywood. Her Olympic experience was really well chronicled, she definitely wrote about it the best. I really was able to picture her there and understand her thoughts and feelings. I thought that the portion after the Olympics would be dull but it actually wasn't, even though she struggled to find her place outside the gym at first, she ends up feeling "balanced" once again. This book also includes pictures, which I love!

3. Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu

This book was different from the other two in that it was much more raw and Dominique's life had a lot more turmoil. This was an awesome read. I was given a look into her family history and taken all the way to her life now as a wife and mother. It was so enchanting to read about Dominique's life as a tiny 14 year old in the Olympics and yet to know that her life behind closed doors was much less glamorous. I really enjoyed the honesty in this book, I had no idea how political the sport of gymnastics was and how this became clear to Dominique when she was trying to make her comeback. Even with all the drama, there is still plenty of gymnastics in here. The Olympic portions were vivid and I liked reading about her relationships with the other girls. And, the book had pictures in it too!


4. Letters to a Young Gymnast by Nadia Comaneci

I have to be really honest, I didn't love this book. I'm not even sure if I liked it. The first half was hard to get though and to be frank, Nadia rubbed me the wrong way. It was as if she had never done anything wrong in her life and she was perfect in every way. Sometimes it even felt as though she was being rude to the reader. There wasn't a whole lot of gymnastics talk in here, there was some of course but a lot of the book was about her life in Romania. The second half or last quarter was much better than the first it was intriguing to read about Nadia's escape from her home country and a more human side of her was exposed as she wrote of her hard transition to America. I liked that we did get some history and background in this book but I had a really hard time warming up to Nada and so the book itself wasn't very enjoyable. There were no pictures!

5. Chalked Up by Jennifer Sey

This book was everything I wanted the other four to be and more. Jennifer tells her story of being an elite gymnast in the 80's with honesty and great detail. She doesn't sugar coat over anything-or anyone. I appreciated her telling the absolute truth about her experience because that is what people expect when they buy a memoir. Sey's story is beautiful, heartbreaking and tragic all at once. She doesn't place blame on any one person and clearly has a great sense of self. Above all, this was not written by Sey and some ghost writer, this was written by her alone and it showed her talent as a writer. It wasn't just facts, cut and dry, she told her story in such vivid detail that at times I truly knew what it felt like to be standing on a balance beam or flying on the bars. I have to say it once more, I LOVED THIS BOOK.

6. It's Not About Perfect by Shannon Miller

It's really no secret that I LOVE Shannon Miller. She is my favorite gymnast of all time so naturally, I was psyched when I found out she was writing a book about her life. I was not disappointed. I will admit, that at the beginning it was a little bit slow as I waited for all of the action to happen but I was pleased that Shannon took the time to explain certain aspects of the sport that non-gymnasts may not have known about otherwise. Quickly, I got really into the book and had a hard time putting it down. I love the way Shannon detailed her training and her perfect partnership with her coaches. Her competitions were well covered and I liked how she talked about her friendship with her teammates. I do wish she might have went a bit more into some of the hard stuff but it is absolutely her right to keep certain things private. Her cancer battle was chronicled beautifully and continued to show what a graceful and strong person of faith she is. I came away from reading this book with more even more admiration and respect for Shannon than I had before!

-G-

All I Wanted Was a Fair Competition

And thank God, we got one.

So, ok, the bar finals thing is mega screwed up but ALY IS IN THE AA! The idea of this not happening has been stressing me out for so long and I feel like I can sit back and really enjoy Rio now. Granted, she hasn't won her silver medal yet but I have confidence that she'll stay her usual consistent self on Thursday.

As I mentioned before, I was on an island all weekend and I had a nice time. But every now and then, as I was laying on a raft or eating a steak or reading on a porch swing. I would remember the qualifications happening Sunday and literally shudder.

One, I was nervous about getting home in time to watch them (no livestream on the island so I was counting on good ole NBC broadcast). And two, what if Aly didn't make it?? Ugh, the suspense.

Happily, someone else had to get off the island at an earlier time on Sunday so I didn't have to be the one to make a fuss about getting home in time. And I would have made that fuss too. No shame, no game.

Anyhow, we rolled in around 6:30 and I had time to eat dinner and move the comfy chair right in front of the TV (I'm slightly visually impaired, don't judge). Can I just say that I hate how NBC won't just show the whole darn thing at once??? Why did I need to sit through two hours of swimming? And I like swimming, but not for two hours.

Enough about my sad life, back to gymnastics.

I pretty much thought Aly had it in the bag after floor and vault. No, I'm totally kidding, I knew nothing is counted on until the last event which happened to be the ominous balance beam. Gabby's floor, I have to say, looked terrible. The afterthought of a back tuck, the horrible choreo and the lack of passion...just bad. Sorry not sorry. But other than that, she competed ok but Aly did great on all but that blasted near-fatal balance check on beam. I felt like I was going to vomit while waiting for that score.

But it was enough! Go Aly! Redemption is here at last!

Two last things:

• People saying Gabby was being a better sport than Jordyn in 2012 freaking pisses me off. First of all, the two situations are so completely different that it's laughable to even compare them. Second of all, Jordyn was anything but a brat or a diva, while (ahem) I can't say that about the former. 
• FINALLY WE HAVE A LEOTARD THAT AMERICA CAN BE PROUD OF. It was a thing of beauty (totally reminded me of Kyla's from 2015 nationals by the way). It was so lovely that I'm worried they can't top it for team finals. I hope they don't show up in some another snoozefest of a red leotard tomorrow. 

See you all then!

A Comprehensive Look at Why Gabby Douglas Should Not Have Made the Rio Team

Ok, I've about had it.

One week ago, after the team was named, I got into several "arguments" on the comment section of a yahoo article entitled, "Biles, Douglas Headline Rio Team". I know, right?

My point is, Douglas isn't headlining ANYTHING. I'm sick of trying to explain why to a bunch of uneducated and hostile four year fans.

So I'm putting it to bed right here and now.

They say: I trust the selection committee, what makes you think you know better than them? Marta Karolyi has been successfully doing this for years! 

Refute: With all high power comes corruption. And there has been a crap ton of it under MK's rule. With the USA being so ahead and deep in talent, it gives the committee a lot of leeway to pick who they want, rather than who is actually best for the job. The fact is that the USA could win gold with many five person team combinations but that doesn't make it ok to not include people who have proven they are at the top of the pack. Gabby is not at the top of the pack and she was not chosen for her talent. The selection committee is taking her because it makes a good story and USAG will make money of her. Simple 

They say: Gabby is going because she is one of the best bar workers, we need her in team finals. 

Refute: Gabby is the third best American on bars, behind Locklear who we left at home. If we really wanted someone for bars, we would have taken Ashton who has a chance to actually medal in event finals. At any rate, we don't actually need either one. A few tenths on bars (all that Gabby can offer) is nothing to us. We are that ahead. So no, Gabby is not going for bars. 

They say: Why don't you have a little faith in Gabby! She is the AA champion after all, she won in London!

Refute: So freaking what? She won a medal four years ago and look how far she has fallen. It doesn't mean ANYTHING that she is the reigning AA champ at this point. She is seventh in the country at this point, not top three on anything except bars (her "best event") and adds nothing to this team. Why don't we all look at history and see how far being the AA champ from last quad gets you. Just ask Nastia Liukin. 

They say: Gabby will be great in Rio, she just needs time. 

Refute: Time? Tell me why Gabby was given the benefit of "time" when Maggie Nichols was tossed aside like garbage? Explain why Maggie, who literally came back from her injury like a boss, was not even considered when she not only beat Gabby Douglas, but was an Amanar away from being in top form again? And she had the Amanar in training but was just told not to compete it! Maggie is not only a more reliable gymnast than Gabby but she outscores her, so explain why Gabby was given time but not Maggie? You can't? Right, because there is no logical explanation. 

They say: Gabby won silver at worlds last year, she's still one of the best in the world. 

Refute: Ahh this one really gets me. Here you go: Nichols outscored Douglas at worlds but was simply not given the chance to compete AA. Lordache should have beat Gabby had she not been underscored and Aly Raisman had one bad day in qualifying. So, no Gabby should not have won that medal at all, another example of her being favored over others. And, clearly, she can't even be argued to be top in the world at this point because, hello, she came in seventh in USA alone. 

They say: Gabby is such a hard worker, that's why I admire her. 

Refute: JOKE. Gabby is a notorious slacker, ask Marta herself who has literally said so multiple times. And can't you see how it shows? She has DECLINED. While others have IMPROVED. She did not bring it at trials where it counted and that should have been what mattered. Skinner brought it, Smith brought it, Locklear brought it where it counted, Nichols sure as heck brought it, save one mistake. So tell me why, two fall, seventh place Gabby was favored over the former? Cricket, cricket. Right. 

Because Gabby Douglas shouldn't have been anywhere near this team except as an alternate.

Does everyone get it now? Ok?
Case closed.

Nationals Imperssions

Here we go:

Aly Raisman punched her ticket and I couldn't be happier. This is the sort of competition she's been waiting for since her comeback.Steady, solid and hitting all events. Her new floor routine is inferior to the old one but her tumbling is still world class and awesome to watch. I can't wait to see her in Rio.

Simone Biles, give this girl a rest. She doesn't need two more competition days, we all know how awesome she is. But I highly doubt they'll let her sit out trials. Great meet for her though, minus the last beam set.

Maggie Nichols is about to give her a heart attack. If she is healthy, and ready on all four events at trials she will be the one giving Gabby a run for her money. I so badly want her to make this team, she deserves it and has comeback from two major injuries now, still managing to regain her difficulty. She didn't perform well, that was clear, but it was her first time out and I'm betting nerves had something to do with it. I want her to KILL IT at trials.

Laurie Hernandez. Ok, I'm not her biggest fan but she definitely hit so I'm cool with it. I mean she is better than others so she deserved her spot. I guess my issue with her is that I just find her gymnastics clunky and her floor is way overrated. But, she's a chipper girl with a nice attitude so I can't complain.

Madison Kocian didn't really help her cause on night one but her day two routine was great for her. I think her being able to compete AA will absolutely give her the edge over Locklear.

Alyssa Bauman. Girl makes me sad. I don't think there is a need for her on the team at all. Her beam is lovely, but inconsistent and Aly, Simone, Laurie and Maggie are all solid beam workers. Maybe she'll get an alternate spot.

Ragan Smith killed me. She's like Sarah Finnegan. Super hyped up beam and floor worker that just needs more time. Well, maybe time in a different sense. With Sarah, she hadn't had a whole lot of international competition experience. But Ragan has. I think her issue is nerves and maybe also polishing up here and there. Ultimately, I don't see her being named as anything other than alternate. Even if she hits at Trials, I don't think it will be enough.

Gabby Douglas had a bad meet. There is no other way to say it and I'm sick of commentators trying to excuse it. She had several big errors and didn't even make top three anywhere. The thing is, without Maggie being her usual self, there isn't anyone who can take the Rio spot from Gabby. I don't think she deserves to go at all but if Swaggie isn't ready, who else would they take? Ragan is headcasing and her bars wouldn't fill that gap. Hundly doesn't have the difficulty, Bauman doesn't have the consistency. Douglas will go no matter what really, even if Maggie does rock it. The odds have been skewed in her favor for a long time now. Sigh.

The team will be (and I know this is the popular opinion): Biles, Raisman, Hernandez, Kocian and Douglas. Smith, Skinner and possibly Bauman (or Gowey?) as alternates. Not at all who I wanted but this is what we're going to get.

Ah well. 

The American Cup (The Rosd to Rio Starts Now, Spoken Like Al Trautwig)

Well, despite the fact that we all know Gabby will win (barring huge errors), this should be a close competition and more exciting to watch than in the past. I've been awaiting this competition for quite some time because, hello, this is the first competition since Worlds and that was five months ago! I'm ready to get this "ROAD TO RIO" started. I'm even wearing my Rio shirt, yep I'm a nerd.

Ok, I'll blog about the results later today or tomorrow, happy American Cup day to all!

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. 

Women, All Around

This is how it is in my heart.

Of course, there was general overscoring going on for a certain someone and although she had a good competition for her, Lordache had better. End of story.

Hurray for Simoone though, girl is making history indeed.

I am pretty sure I'll live blog EF's tomorrow, so tune if if you can. I think it should actually be a pretty close competition on VT and UB.

AA Prediction

I'm not going to be around to watch the competition today but I will keep up with live updates as best as I can from work. The way I see it, the outcome is pretty clear.

Simone will win.
Gabby will take silver unless she falls.
Third will be between Larissa and Gulia think.

Ideally....I want Larissa to take silver and Gulia to take bronze and Gabby to come in fourth of fifth because that's where she belongs with her low difficulty and crappy floor routine.

But I know the judges will over score her and probably low ball someone else. Sad but true.

And I also want some nice leotards for the USA for once. But I'm betting they'll be a terrible variation for purple or pink. Gag me.

USA World Team: Background and Expectations

Simone Biles

Background: Simone has literally been queen of the sport for the past two years. Winning Worlds in 2013 and 2014, Nationals 2013, 2014 and 2015, and earning countless EF medals. With 9 World medals altogether, Simone is two away from beating out Alicia Sacremone for record-holding spot. Unless something very strange occurs in Glasgow, it will happen.

Expectations: Simone has this Worlds in the bag once again, unless she falls a few times. Barring a fluke, she's expected to nab a third AA title (maker her the first to do in a loooooong time), lead the team to gold and possibly end up on the podium in both VT, FX and maybe even BB! Go Simone!

Gabrielle Douglas 

Background: Unless you lived under a rock in 2012, you'd know Gabby. She's the London AA champion and after time off and a gym switch she's back for more. Gabby was a part of the 2011 World champion team and obviously the Fierce Five but other than the AA she's had little individual success outside of the US.

Expectations: You know, I'm not sure. She's not at the top of the pack anymore and has a relatively low D-score on her best event, UB and with the likes of Kocian and Dowell, she won't be able to break into the top ranks. She will however, likely try for the AA but Simone easily has her beat and Aly too if she's in contention.

Brenna Dowell

Background: Brenna was alternate for both 2013 and 2014 Worlds, She retired from elite last year, slayed in NCAA and then decided she'd comeback for another go. She fought her way from not making the national team after P&G's to making the World's team just a month and a half later.

Expectations: We all want Brenna to compete in Glasgow and not be made alternate again...but it is a very real possibility. However, if my prays were to come true and Brenna get's to finally have a go at it, she can absolutely go for an EF medal on bars. She can also be used in qualification (and possibly TF) on both VT and floor. We're rooting for you Brenna!

Madison Kocian

Background: Madison made last years world team with the hope that she and Ashton Locklear would both be in contention for EF medals on bars. Sadly, an error in qualification took her out of the running. Since then, she's battled injuries but managed to come back this summer in good shape and won bars at P&G's. Though she did compete AA at nationals for the first time in 2 years, her part on the world team depends on her bars.

Expectations: Kocian is another athlete possibly to be named alternate. If that doesn't happen she'll most likely only compete bars in qualification and team final. If she nails her routine, she has a change of an EF medal as well.

Maggie Nichols 

Background: So, yeah, it seems a little weird to call Maggie a rookie since she's a 3rd year senior and been around awhile. But, she's the only one on the team not to have been apart of a World's team in some way so that does make her the new kid in some way. Maggie probably would have made last years team if it weren't for an injury at Pan Ams but she battled back stronger than ever and came in 2nd at this years nationals.

Expectations: Though I personally can't see it happening, people are speculating that perhaps Maggie will be the one named alternate in Glasgow. If not (and I hope not), she is dependable and can be put up on any event during quals or TF. I don't see them putting her in the AA with Aly, Gabby and Simone around but who knows.

Aly Raisman 

Background: At age 21, Aly is absolutely the veteran of the bunch after having been a part of two successful world teams and the Fierce Five. After time off, Aly has been back in the gym for over two years and back in competition just since the spring.

Expectations: If Aly does the AA, she can compete for silver or bronze. As far as EF, she could potentially medal on FX and go up on beam. She's only won an individual bronze at a Worlds before.

Mykayla Skinner 

Background: Mykayla made it onto last years World's team and earned herself a bronze on VT. This year, she had some difficulties at Classics and Nationals but was still named to the national team. I have to be honest that I didn't want her on the Worlds team as I'm not a fan of her gymnastics but girl is a fighter and earned her spot so good for her.

Expectations: Mykayla could possibly be named alternate but now I think it's unlikely that she has her Amanar back. She can contend for an EF medal on VT for sure but with Aly on the team, FX will be more difficult for her.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Comment down below if you have other suggestions for future topics :)

Here it is!

With Key and Bauman as non-travelling alternates. Not exactly the team I expected but pretty close! No Key is the shock for me but I'm psyched for Brenna!

I'll write more about this later, college calls :).

Whoa, look at Simone and Maggie's arm becoming one! I didn't mean to do that but it's pretty awesome.

The Final Countdown!!

Well, tonight is the nigh folks!! The World's team announcement is drawing ever near and I can't wait to finally find out who will go to Glasgow. The picture above is from yesterday's first night of camp competition. Everyone looks pretty happy, what could this mean?? 

As far as final predictions go, I suppose I'm going to stick to my initial one. Perhaps because I think it's most likely or perhaps because I don't like to go back on my word! Here it is: Biles, Douglas, Key, Nichols, Raisman, Kocian Alt. Skinner.. 

Now, in a perfect world I'd replace Douglas with Dowell but I just don't see that happening. 

We will know soon enough!

World's Team Prediction UPDATED

You heard it here folks! My world team predictions for the good 'ole US of A!

Let's see if I end up being right, because last year I was a clueless sap who thought the team was made up of only 5 people! Imagine!

I digress...

Simone Biles
Aly Raisman
Maggie Nichols
Bailie Key
Gabrielle Douglas
Kyla Ross OR Madison Kocian (this part remains to be seen)

Alt: Kyla (if not named), Maddie K (if not named), Mykayla Skinner, Nia Dennis

The lineup for Quals if Ross makes the team (fingers crossed!)

VT: Ross, Key, Raisman, Nichols, Biles
UB: Raisman, Biles, Douglas,  Key, Ross
BB: Key, Nichols, Raisman, Ross, Biles
FX: Ross, Nichols, Key, Raisman, Biles

What do you think???

Nationals Night Two

Ahhh now I can breathe.

Simone was in beast mode. Beautiful beam dismount, stuck Lopez vault, stuck bars dismount, classic floor. So naturally, despite that one fall on floor, she won by 5 points. Seriously??? This girl is a champ. Can I say that I think she should add a full twist to the Biles move on floor? She definitely has room and power.

Coming in second was Maggie Nichols! She has to be sooo proud of herself, What improvement she's had. Her Amanar looked great, especially on day two. It's funny, in person, her tumbling looks so light and effortless bu tit doesn't quite translate that way on TV. I think the loud booms from everyone's landings doesn't help. They're much more magnified during broadcasts than in the actual arena. Anyway, Maggie deserves a spot on the World's team for sure. That being said, her form isn't so great and I'm a bit of a stickler about those things.

Third was Aly and she looked back to her usual self despite that scary vault. I'm torn with thinking she needs the high D-score from the Amanar but also knowing that it's done so poorly, maybe she's better off with a nice clean DTY. But even with that she still wouldn't score as well as a crappy 2.5 so oh well. I don't really love her floor routine right now. The tumbling is great of course but the choreo and music isn't as engaging as it was in London. Maybe they can tweak it a little.

Then we have Bailie and her tuxedo. This girl is growing on me. I think I can get behind her quiet gymnastics and steady form. She sort of reminds me of vintage Kyla Ross with her lower difficulty but nice execution and consistency. So yeah, I've decided I'm rooting for Bailie Key. And she had a beautiful bar routine

Gabby looked slightly better on some events on night two and slightly worse on others. Her beam was a mess of balance checks and tentativeness but her landings on floor were improved. I still hate that floor routine, something just isn't right about it. Maddie K, Ashton and Bailie can beat her on bars so she really isn't anything special there right now. I wouldn't put her in Glasgow just yet.

I barely saw Madison Kocian because the stupid NBC broadcast only showed like five of the athletes. Made me miss the blasted livestream. They showed her bars and beam. Bars looked a little worse than night one and they took out the standing full from her beam which was a safe move.

Oh Mykayla Skinner, that leo. Good grief, someone needs to tell this girl that Ireland and Scotland are not the same land. Honestly, it's just embarrassing at this point. Her vault is so ugly with that block, sorry I can't give it up. But her floor landings looked nice and she was solid on beam so good effort for her. At 7th place, I don't see her on the World's team.

 Kyla. Sigh. Same issue on bars, headcased vault and a shaky floor. That beam helped a bit but overall a disastrous night for her. Ugh, I so want her to get it together but maybe her body is just tired and needs a break. She's been training elite for so long. It's such a catch-22 with her. If she doesn't upgrade, she hits nice watered down routines but has such a low D-score it's hard to break into the top ranks. If she does upgrade, she barely hits despite having that higher D-score. I don't know the solution because I think everyone is tired of seeing the same routines she's been competing since 2012.

Brenna Dowell had a great first half of her bar routine and then got tired of something and bombed the end. But she hit all the other events so I'm a bit pissed that she wasn't named to the NT. Headgames I guess, Brenna is always the resident punching bag. If she can become consistent on bars and gain some difficulty on floor, I really think she's a contender but sadly, I see her as being alternate again.

Rachel Gowey had a nice showing, even if it was just bars and beam. Did she do the AA at pan ams? I don't know. I hope she hasn't hurt her ankle again. But she did have a great bar set night one and her beam looked solid.

Didn't see much of Bauman or Dennis so no comment there but both were named to the team so they must have done alright.

I'm going to do a leotard post this week so stay tuned!

Natinoals Night One

WHAT IS LIFE?!?

Aly, Kyla, Simone...some other people I don't care about as much.
One by one they fell...
And one by one I screamed and grabbed my face in horror until my sister had to tell me to shut up.

It was like 2006 up in here.

I know people are saying that Simone is human and humans make mistakes but darn it, I don't want Simone to be human. Especially now when there are people who I really don't want to beat her. And yeah, she still won by over a point so that was nice but still.

Anyway, let's back up...

So I had to watch the live stream because out of all of our three hundred channels, we don't get Universal Sports! After a big dramatic episode of "Hooking the Laptop up to the TV"  I finally got to settle in and watch some guy (John something or other) make a big fool out of himself. Twenty minutes later, a beautiful montage of all the US champions for the passed 25 years or so. I yelled out, "Brandy! Kim! Shannon! and so on, right up until my girl Simone.

Let's talk about her first. Simone started out fine and then there were some issues on beam and that fall on floor. And what a strange fall it was, almost like she didn't even set up her landing. Her Amanar was beautiful, stuck like a pro! She had some leg issues coming in for the landing but overall beautiful.

I screamed when Aly Raisman fell on beam, why oh why?  On the bright side, she hit a great FX but the music isn't my favorite and doesn't seem to captivate like in 2012 but it could grow on me. She landed a scary Amanar and had a typical bar routine but I think she can pull through on Saturday. Just no more falls, ok?

Maggie Nichols hit four for four. She did her Amanar vault but I don't really remember much else fro her. She's definitely the dark horse but nothing really stood out for me last night except her upgrading beam dismount that looked pretty good.

Kyla....poor girl. Issues on bars, issues on floor and just so so on beam and vault. Actually her vault can be so much cleaner. I think she only had that one upgrade on UB and took out the others. And on floor, why the hand??? Ugh, if she doesn't kick butt on night two, it is definitely the beginning of the end for her. I want her to upgrade and hit but maybe it's just not in the cards? Whether it be physical or mental, it just doesn't seem to be working out. Prove me wrong Kyla!

For some reason, I expected that Gabrielle Douglas would do alright. I don't like her floor and was glad that it was scored appropriately and she did have some wobbles on beam. Her bars were alright but not as impressive to me anymore. I don't know, I'm so torn on this girl. I'm glad that her comeback is legit and she appears to be working for it but I hate the cockiness and the trash talk of her former gym. It's just petty and unnecessary.

Another girl who seems to always pull it together for Nationals is Mykayla Skinner and pull it together she did. Her form is still atrocious and that floor, good grief but she hit so she should be happy. She only did a DTY for her second vault though which I don't see helping her at all. I don't see her making the worlds team, barring any major injuries for the other key players.

And then there was Kim Zmeskal. Or wait, Bailie Key in Kim's old leotard. And as ugly as it was in the 90's, I thought Bailie looked kind of fabulous in it last night. Still though, I can't seem to get behind this girl. She just seems blah and needs a little spark somewhere. And she needs some height on those leaps and jumps. Honestly, I think she can take this year to improve and upgrade and really take it to the next level. I don't think she's peaked yet, or at least I think she can peak again when it counts.

Let's not forget my girl Brenna Dowell! Wast hat the first time she hit four for four since 2013? I think so. I was so nervous watching her but so happy when she made it through. Her bars had a few potential scary moments but she pulled it off and that beam was GREAT for her! Floor was nice, and solid vault despite landing OOB's. I need her to pull it out for night two. You got this Brenna!

Fellow GAGE girl, Madison Desch did not have such a good night. She fell on beam and on bars which is a shame because her bars are actually quite nice. She did not go OOB's on floor which is rare so I was happy about that.

The WOGA's, I think, have had their day in the sun. Madison Kocian fell on beam despite having a nice bar set and Alyssa Bauman needs more than a nice beam set to keep her relevant.

You know who's fun to watch? Amelia Hundley, girl just goes out and has a good time. I like that she competes for the fun of it and though her difficulty is low, she makes her routines exciting with the way she showcases them.

I know I'm missing some people but these are who I remembered! I'm not going to be home to watch night two live but I'll put it on as soon as I return and will have a blog up on Sunday. I can't wait!
What did you think???

USA Gymnastics News

Aly is back!

She, as well as Gowey, Douglas and Nguyen have been added to the  national team. I'm really excited about all of this because I'm a big fan of Aly's and Rachel Gowey as well. I haven't seen too much of Nguyen to make an opinion on her but I've heard she's quite a contender. As far as Douglas, I'll have to believe it when I see it. One thing I love about this Aly video is that she's being honest, with both herself and her fans. I don't think that Gabby has completely done that this past year.

Anyway, does Aly look great or what?? I love the new series on beam and her bars even look better. I know a lot of people are hoping she trains a second vault and I agree. I can see her getting her Amanar back and maybe trying for the Rudi like Sacremone did. Both have similar body types so I think it's quite possible that Aly can pull it off.

There won't be any camp this month so nothing new or exciting in the USA gym world. Once my semester is over, I plan on doing some posts that reflect on gymnastics of the years ago. Stay tuned!