Underrated

I decided to put together a list of underrated routines by women in the US right now. Be it by judges or fans, these are sets that I think need more recognition or higher scores.

1. Nica Hults: Balance Beam

Nica is so clean on this event. She has a nice steady rhythm and great execution. I don't know why she doesn't score higher but she should.

2. Kyla Roos: Floor

Ok so I might be in the vast minority but I actually love Kyla on this event. I know her movements have a slight robotic quality to them and not everyone is partial to her dramatic music but all of that works for me in some strange way. I like the way her choreography looks and I like how she executes it.

3. Brenna Dowell: Vault

Brenna's best event is vars for sure but I always thought she had great potential on vault as well. She's fairly clean in the air so with a neater landing, she could score even better. If she were to gain a second vault even, that would help her quest to Rio.

4. Norah Flatley: Bars

Again, this is not the event Norah is most known for but she does a great job. I love her easy swing and clean lines and that layout dismount-wow! The inbar work is fabulous and with some cleaning up and upgrades she'll really be a contender.

5. Maggie Nichols: Floor Exercise

I like that Maggie has fun with this and that her choreography seems to really match her personality. I'll be interested to see if she has a new routine this year, I think she does? Anyway, I hope she sticks with something fun because I think it's what she's best suited for.

What do YOU think are some underrated routines?

Girls in Limbo

There are several girls in the USA that seem to have been in injury-limbo for quite some time. Being so close to the Olympics...I have to think that they'll either come back to competition this summer (Secret Classic, Nationals) or choose to retire. Or I guess they could continue to string along in hopes of making some sort of massive comeback in 2016. The third option is unlikely and not very realistic.

So, Peyton Ernst, Nica Hults, Mckayla Maroney and Sabrina Vega...what's it gonna be? I know Peyton had some sort of arm injury (elbow, shoulder?), Nica had hand surgery earlier this year and Mckayla had her knee issues and other health problems. I'm not really sure what's up with Vega, she was back at camp in December and maybe January but that was it. Did she give up? Or get hurt? At any rate, I want to know what the deal is. Truthfully, I think Mckayla is the only one who would have a real shot at making it to Rio and only if she arrives on the scene with a TTY. The others...I don't know. I love Nica's beam set but she's grossly underscored here in the US so I don't know how that wold work out internationally. And we have enough beamers.

I guess only time will tell.