My Gymnastics Hopes For 2017

1. I love Simone but after seeing her style of gymnastics dominate over these past four years, I would love to see a different style getting the top spot. I 'm not even talking about the whole power v. artistry debate. I'm simply looking forward to seeing gymnasts with different strengths and flair.
2. The return of Norah and hopefully Baillie, be it NCAA or elite for her.
3. Larissa Lordache to nab the AA at worlds. If she can come back with her old difficulty, I can definitely see this as a possibility. I would love if she could add "world champion" to her resume, she deserves it. Of course she would need to earn the spot first.
4. Ponor to go away.
5. Success for China at world, specifically redemption for Shang.
6. New up and comers from Russia actually showing promise and consistency. I think they have a few contenders, I look forward to seeing them compete.
7. Less wolf turns, please!
8. More unique skills, getting rid of cookie cutter bar routines.
9. BETTER FLOOR MUSIC AND CHOREO.
10. Continuing on of the patriotic leotards. Let the pink die.  

Revisiting My Hopes for 2016

Back in January I wrote a post about what I *hoped* to happen this year. Let's see how it all panned out shall we? My current thoughts will be in bold.

• 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. Sorry Grace, you are going to be sickened and disappointed by the blatant disregard for scores and favoritism in selection process.
• Additionally, I really want Norah Flatley on that team. Ouch. How about if I said she didn't even compete at Trials at all? Let alone Nationals or Classics? Hoping she'll be back strong this year.
• I want Simone to make her Olympic mark and win the AA. Yes ma'am. But come on, that was a given.
• Way deeper fields everywhere, I don't want to already know the outcome for every event in advance. See my "Rio Reflections" post. The fields were so shallow that most could have predicted half of the podiums before anyone even competed.
• Romanian redemption. Now this is just sad. Romania didn't even make it to Rio so...
• Someone in the US to really shake things up, a dark horse that no one saw coming. (Coming soon to a theater near you!) Nope, though Skinner did shake me up a bit and make me a fan after years of being critical of her.
• Good showing for the returning veterans (Ponor, Mustafina, Yao). No Yao and Ponor being in Rio was such a travesty that I was almost glad she underperformed. At least Mustafina did the job, even if she did it with some gifts from the judges.
• The new Seniors to come in and actually be in the mix for Rio. Ragan Smith I guess, but come on, she had alternate written all over her.
• Exciting competition during the Trials. Oh yes, it was exciting. Too bad it was all for naught when the committee took whoever they wanted anyway.
• A lovely, feeling inducing, song to go along with the fluff montages during Rio. Hey, I'm still jamming out to Phillip Phillips "Home". Still no idea why this didn't happen.
• Leotards that are creative, especially in the US. In my humble opinion, the Under Armour ones from Glasgow left a lot to be desired. YES FINALLY.
• Fair judging. Mustafina's bronze, the Chinese getting screwed over on bars...nope.

I should be feeling pretty disappointed but this one actually came true: 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.

My 2017 "hopes" will be here soon!

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??