Five people contacted me for the leotard panel so I'm cutting it off there. I think six, with myself included, is a good number. I'm really excited that people expressed interest and I can't wait to get it posted (hopefully by early next week).
Stay tuned!
Showing posts with label Worlds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worlds. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
World's Wrap Up
Simone wins beam and floor! Is anyone surprised? Yeah, me neither.
All in all, it was a World's of highs and lows and they seemed to balance each other out.
High: Simone wins her 3rd world title!
Low: Gabby is put in the AA over Maggie and by default and overscoring, gets silver
High: Maggie shows that she's a solid competitor and earns floor bronze
Low: Aly doesn't make AA or EF
High: Brenna finally gets the front pike named for her
Low: She seals her fate by falling twice during a disastrous bar routine
High: Larisa comes back in AA with a great day of hit events
Low: Gabby unfairly outscores her (see above)
High: The Chinese finally get a little love when Fan Yilin comes in first on UB
Low: There is a very strange and very fishy four way tie for gold on said event
High: Netherlands qualifies into the team AA and to Rio
Low: Romania does not
High: USA has some lovely patriotic leotards for EF's
Low: But also a but ugly purple pink thing and the heinous qualification leos
Ok and speaking of leotards, I am going to be doing a World's leotard panel sometimes later in the week. I've had some people express interest in being a part of the panel and I would love to have 4-5 other people commenting other than just myself and my sisters! So, e-mail me if you want in and I'll get back to you ASAP so we can figure out how to go about things, I'm not sure if I should e-mail out the exact pictures I'm going to be using or just reference to them so people can just look them up. We shall see!
Anyway, e-mail me at: glovestowrite@gmail.com by Friday!
All in all, it was a World's of highs and lows and they seemed to balance each other out.
High: Simone wins her 3rd world title!
Low: Gabby is put in the AA over Maggie and by default and overscoring, gets silver
High: Maggie shows that she's a solid competitor and earns floor bronze
Low: Aly doesn't make AA or EF
High: Brenna finally gets the front pike named for her
Low: She seals her fate by falling twice during a disastrous bar routine
High: Larisa comes back in AA with a great day of hit events
Low: Gabby unfairly outscores her (see above)
High: The Chinese finally get a little love when Fan Yilin comes in first on UB
Low: There is a very strange and very fishy four way tie for gold on said event
High: Netherlands qualifies into the team AA and to Rio
Low: Romania does not
High: USA has some lovely patriotic leotards for EF's
Low: But also a but ugly purple pink thing and the heinous qualification leos
Ok and speaking of leotards, I am going to be doing a World's leotard panel sometimes later in the week. I've had some people express interest in being a part of the panel and I would love to have 4-5 other people commenting other than just myself and my sisters! So, e-mail me if you want in and I'll get back to you ASAP so we can figure out how to go about things, I'm not sure if I should e-mail out the exact pictures I'm going to be using or just reference to them so people can just look them up. We shall see!
Anyway, e-mail me at: glovestowrite@gmail.com by Friday!
Friday, October 30, 2015
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.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Team Finals Y'all
Surprise surprise, USA takes the gold. Who else was on the edge of their seats with this one? No one, yeah me neither. I'm of course happy that we won and all that jazz but dang, it's boring having no real competition.
Here are my thoughts:
Here are my thoughts:
- Maggie Nichols not being allowed to do AA in quals is so freaking ridiculous that I fumed the entire time she was competing today because she KILLED it and would have EASILY placed ahead of Gabby. The wrong person is in the AA, that is all.
- Speaking of Douglas, what the heck with those inflated scores. I'm beginning to think that there is on way she doesn't get silver in the AA. The judges will make sure of that ugh.
- Viktoria Komova had her issues on bars and beam but man, I'm happy to see her back because her gymnastics is so nice to watch. I see her as a lot more mature now but I still wish she would have fought a little harder to stay on beam. At any rate, I can't wait to see what she'll do in EF and I so wish she had her FX ready now to challenge for the AA. All in good time.
- The Netherlands FX, so lovely. I didn't even mind that they only had two tumbling passes because holy lovely dance. And the musicality was just spot on. USA girls take note because we are LACKING in that area and it's sad.
- The Chinese on bars, lovely as usual. Shang's arms are TOOTHPICKS but she puts together such a nice set and her lines and form is just fabulous. I really like her a lot.
- Brenna and even Mykayla not being allowed on the floor is beyond sad BUT I'm wondering if it was a general rule that only the girls competing could be down there. It seemed that there was limited space STILL, it sucked that she couldn't be right with them to cheer them on. Thank God they got to come down for medals and pictures.
- Ok, so Great Britain getting bronze was so triumphant and emotional. I'm a sad sap and I teared up a little but those VT scores...let's just say the judges knew who they wanted on the podium. Still, Russia edging them out with numerous falls would have been annoying but fair is fair right...? I don't know.
- Simone pretty much killed it on beam but her score, what? I don't get it. And I don't get Gabby beating Maddie K on bars, not at all.
- Ok so leotards, I will do a post on them later but I have to say, I wasn't impressed with the US. Happy that they were red but I feel like they think they're being all classy with their solid colored and bejeweled leos but to me, it's just a bit pretentious. That might be a reach...but we have two other colors in our flag and we have stars and stripes. There is SO much we can do with that and every year it's just a plain red variation. Like they're saying we're so fancy that we don't do anything else. Though Russia had ill fitting leos (it was so baggy on Vika!), at least they had all of their colors and a new and interesting design. At least China had nice gold detailing and though GB's were sort of cheap looking, they always sneak their flag in on the back.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
I Can't Even...
That was...terrible.
Brenna's bar meltdown, Aly's fall and underscoring on beam. Gabby's fall and still makes the AA. I'm dying inside. Dying.
Poor Maggie Nichols is all I have to say. SHE should be in the AA and rightfully so. Poor Mykayla Skinner too! As much as I love Brenna, she should have been alternate because that bar routine is such a hit or miss and today it was a big giant Rebecca Bross trials miss. And poor Bailie Key too, sitting at home for no reason at all when she would have competed a heck of a lot more solid than some of these girls.
I blame nerve for Aly's issues She started off with some problems on floor and then let it get to her on vault and bars but she hit beam and I really thought it would put in her in the AA. No such luck, Mihai, fill an inquiry please.
As for Gabby, I was giving her the credit she deserves after nice landings that horrid floor routine (the choreo...smh). And then she hit a nice vault and a decent bars and I thought, hey the best competitor on this very day gets the spot so it's only fair. But then she melts down on beam, big time, and somehow still gets the spot. I'm not pleased. Nichols or Raisman should be the second AAer, and that's all I'm going to say about that.
Bright spots were Maggie's floor, Brenna getting the front pike named for her, Simone's vault and Maggie on beam. To be honest thought, we didn't look too hot in general. I'm sure we'll pull it out for team comp but still. This has got to be the worst qualifications in a looooong time for the US. And it's the worst for me too.
Because of all of the screwing over.
Brenna's bar meltdown, Aly's fall and underscoring on beam. Gabby's fall and still makes the AA. I'm dying inside. Dying.
Poor Maggie Nichols is all I have to say. SHE should be in the AA and rightfully so. Poor Mykayla Skinner too! As much as I love Brenna, she should have been alternate because that bar routine is such a hit or miss and today it was a big giant Rebecca Bross trials miss. And poor Bailie Key too, sitting at home for no reason at all when she would have competed a heck of a lot more solid than some of these girls.
I blame nerve for Aly's issues She started off with some problems on floor and then let it get to her on vault and bars but she hit beam and I really thought it would put in her in the AA. No such luck, Mihai, fill an inquiry please.
As for Gabby, I was giving her the credit she deserves after nice landings that horrid floor routine (the choreo...smh). And then she hit a nice vault and a decent bars and I thought, hey the best competitor on this very day gets the spot so it's only fair. But then she melts down on beam, big time, and somehow still gets the spot. I'm not pleased. Nichols or Raisman should be the second AAer, and that's all I'm going to say about that.
Bright spots were Maggie's floor, Brenna getting the front pike named for her, Simone's vault and Maggie on beam. To be honest thought, we didn't look too hot in general. I'm sure we'll pull it out for team comp but still. This has got to be the worst qualifications in a looooong time for the US. And it's the worst for me too.
Because of all of the screwing over.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
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 :)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 :)
Friday, October 9, 2015
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.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
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!
Monday, September 28, 2015
The "Nominative" List
Skinner, Kocian, Dowell, Biles, Raisman, Douglas, Nichols.
No Key, no Ross.
I guess no Kyla is sort of expected because she hasn't really hit in a long time. But Key is sort of a shock and I'm sort of suspecting that she'll be added on after October camp.
Actually, the whole darn list could change if Marta wants it to!
As it is now, there could be EF medals galore! Simone and Skinner for VT if Skinner get's her Amanar back. Dowell and Kocian for UB if they both hit. Biles for BB possibly. And Biles and Riasman for FX.
I'm super psyched to see Brenna on this list, even if she doesn't get to Glasgow it still means that she's in the game right now and that's great. Skinner, I didn't quite expect but you know? Girl's been pretty solid so even if I dislike her gymnastics I have to give her props.
I wish selection camp can just happen already because I'm getting impatient, I want to know who will be on this team so I can seriously start thinking about the logistics and not hypotheticals.
October 9th, hurry up already!
No Key, no Ross.
I guess no Kyla is sort of expected because she hasn't really hit in a long time. But Key is sort of a shock and I'm sort of suspecting that she'll be added on after October camp.
Actually, the whole darn list could change if Marta wants it to!
As it is now, there could be EF medals galore! Simone and Skinner for VT if Skinner get's her Amanar back. Dowell and Kocian for UB if they both hit. Biles for BB possibly. And Biles and Riasman for FX.
I'm super psyched to see Brenna on this list, even if she doesn't get to Glasgow it still means that she's in the game right now and that's great. Skinner, I didn't quite expect but you know? Girl's been pretty solid so even if I dislike her gymnastics I have to give her props.
I wish selection camp can just happen already because I'm getting impatient, I want to know who will be on this team so I can seriously start thinking about the logistics and not hypotheticals.
October 9th, hurry up already!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
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???
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???
Monday, October 13, 2014
Finals! Finals! Hurray for Finals!
Vault
Surprise, surprise. I did not expect anyone but Simone to get that gold. It came down to difficulty and Simone just doesn't have much on her second vault. I think the top three were deserving, Skinner's form looked a bit improved. I would have loved to see Chusovitina competing out there, alas there's always next year.
Bars
I was hoping that Aliya could pull out a medal here and possibly Locklear as well but it wasn't to be. I know Ashton is our best bar worker but do her feet/legs drive anyone else crazy? It's like her legs are apart but her feet curl into each other to make it look like they aren't. I can't rightly judge her though because the same thing would happen to me (blasted bow legs). Kind of reminds me of Rebecca Bross's legs, they just never looked very pretty. I hate to say it, but if Dowell had been on the team and she had hit, she would have medaled. Anyway, the Chinese finally got some redemption on their best event and I was glad to see it.
Beam
Falls, falls, falls galore. Down goes Yao, down goes Larissa, down goes someone else that I can't remember (Ruby Harold??). Kyla's routine was not nearly as good as AA so I didn't expect her to medal. I was happy with the podium, Mustafina deserved it, Bai deserved it and of course, Simone did as well. Nice to see her hit a solid set after some faltering this week .
Floor
This final made me SO happy! I love Larissa so much and to see her pull out that amazing routine was so exciting. She really gave Simone a run for her money this competition. Simone took gold and her routine was topnotch as always. For the bronze, I was pretty overjoyed that Aliya won over Mykayla. I know Skinner had more difficulty and more tumbling but Mustafina's routine was gorgeous and showcased what FX used to be about, artistry and grace.
I'll be doing a leotard post sometimes this week and possibly another final worlds wrap up. Until next time!
Surprise, surprise. I did not expect anyone but Simone to get that gold. It came down to difficulty and Simone just doesn't have much on her second vault. I think the top three were deserving, Skinner's form looked a bit improved. I would have loved to see Chusovitina competing out there, alas there's always next year.
Bars
I was hoping that Aliya could pull out a medal here and possibly Locklear as well but it wasn't to be. I know Ashton is our best bar worker but do her feet/legs drive anyone else crazy? It's like her legs are apart but her feet curl into each other to make it look like they aren't. I can't rightly judge her though because the same thing would happen to me (blasted bow legs). Kind of reminds me of Rebecca Bross's legs, they just never looked very pretty. I hate to say it, but if Dowell had been on the team and she had hit, she would have medaled. Anyway, the Chinese finally got some redemption on their best event and I was glad to see it.
Beam
Falls, falls, falls galore. Down goes Yao, down goes Larissa, down goes someone else that I can't remember (Ruby Harold??). Kyla's routine was not nearly as good as AA so I didn't expect her to medal. I was happy with the podium, Mustafina deserved it, Bai deserved it and of course, Simone did as well. Nice to see her hit a solid set after some faltering this week .
Floor
This final made me SO happy! I love Larissa so much and to see her pull out that amazing routine was so exciting. She really gave Simone a run for her money this competition. Simone took gold and her routine was topnotch as always. For the bronze, I was pretty overjoyed that Aliya won over Mykayla. I know Skinner had more difficulty and more tumbling but Mustafina's routine was gorgeous and showcased what FX used to be about, artistry and grace.
I'll be doing a leotard post sometimes this week and possibly another final worlds wrap up. Until next time!
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Simone WIns! (Again)
Yao had a rough floor routine but her beam and bars were lovely. I think it would be very hard for any of the Chinese girls to challenge in the AA with their low D scores on floor and lack of power on vault. However, I do expect to see them come out with a few medals at EF which I will post about tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
World Championships Team Final
 |
| GO USA |
Simone had a rough time on beam as well but she had an amazing vault and great floor routine as always. Kocian's bars were normal for her. Locklear did a great job. Skinner was Skinner. Baumann managed beam. There always seems to be a lot more wobbles in big comps.
Other countries: China had a fall on bars and floor. I think it was Shang on bars, I heard she was sick. I understand them wanting to rest Yao Jinan for the AA but they lost quite a few points. Still, I don't know if they could have challenges the US with their low difficulty on floor. They really do have hte loveliest bar sets. Such awesome form and position. Their worst bar worker on this team is better than our best.
Romania didn't get shown much, but Lordache looked solid. I hope she places in the AA
Britain looked good but I find a lot of their gymnastics to be dull. I do LOVE Gabriella Jupp's floor routine. Break dancing is always a good thing. Always.
Ferrari was the only Italian shown, she looked strong and confident on beam but it wasn't perfect. Her floor routine was solid.
All in all, it was a nice win for the US and it really does show how shallow the field is right now. Our worlds team is probably one of the weakest we've sent in awhile (minus Simone/Wonderwoman) and a lot of the girls are on by default. Still, we managed a gold!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Qualification Thoughts
I woke up before the sun to be able to watch live! Here are my thoughts;
Rotation One:BB
Skinner: Looked like her usual self, a few big balance checks. Those leaps and splits are NOT even near where they should be. People got on Shawn for not having enough flexibility but this is worse IMO.
Kocian: It was a good routine for her but it looked pretty nervey.
Baumann: Almost off on the standing arabian. Way too many checks and pauses for the score she got.
Biles: Homegirl is back in business after missing at Nationals! Nice clean routine.
Ross: Here is the Kyla we know and love! Just one small error toward the end but that routine = classic Kyla!
Rotation Two: FX
Kocian: Not to be mean but her routine bores me to tears. She did an ok job with it but it's not all that difficult. The choreography is so repetitive. How many times can she pose with her arms in the air??
Baumann: Good effort for her. Very bent knees on her (second?) pass landing, looked like she almost fell forward.
Ross: Go Kyla! Nice routine! Solid landings.
Skinner: Was she OOB on her first pass? It really looked like it from the camera angle but I didn't catch if she had any penalties. The rest of the routine was typical from her, bad form galore.
Biles: Simone always brings it for floor! Her landings weren't as good as they have been but it's only quals so no big deal. It looked like she was about to fall out of her wolf turn but she saved it.
Rotation Three: VT
I spent the greater part of this rotation eating banana bread so I may not have paid the best attention.
Kocian: Solid, not much height.
Baumann: I honestly don't remember, I think her landing was good.
Ross: Super clean in the air and (almost) stuck it.
Skinner: Form may not have been as bad as usual but it was hard to tell with no slo-mo cam.
Biles: Good first vault, I think she was out of bounds on the second but stepped back in. She has teh gold already if she lands on her feet.
Rotations Four: UB
Skinner: Bit 'ole leg separation going from low to high but hey, what's new? I think she hit just one handstand that whole routine.
Biles: Error in the middle, looked like she almost lost her grip but saved herself. It was hard to tell exactly what happened. I think she wasn't able to get up in a handstand.
Kocian: Similar error from her. She looked pretty defeated.
Ross: Nice hit routine! Clean and stuck!
Locklear: I'll admit that I'm not as impressed with her as Marta seems to be but she looked good today. I was happy to see her do well, she has a great chance of a medal in EF
Overall, I'm glad the AA will be Simone and Kyla again, they deserve it most. And again with the pink leotards?? Ugh, please let there be red white and blue for TF!!
Rotation One:BB
Skinner: Looked like her usual self, a few big balance checks. Those leaps and splits are NOT even near where they should be. People got on Shawn for not having enough flexibility but this is worse IMO.
Kocian: It was a good routine for her but it looked pretty nervey.
Baumann: Almost off on the standing arabian. Way too many checks and pauses for the score she got.
Biles: Homegirl is back in business after missing at Nationals! Nice clean routine.
Ross: Here is the Kyla we know and love! Just one small error toward the end but that routine = classic Kyla!
Rotation Two: FX
Kocian: Not to be mean but her routine bores me to tears. She did an ok job with it but it's not all that difficult. The choreography is so repetitive. How many times can she pose with her arms in the air??
Baumann: Good effort for her. Very bent knees on her (second?) pass landing, looked like she almost fell forward.
Ross: Go Kyla! Nice routine! Solid landings.
Skinner: Was she OOB on her first pass? It really looked like it from the camera angle but I didn't catch if she had any penalties. The rest of the routine was typical from her, bad form galore.
Biles: Simone always brings it for floor! Her landings weren't as good as they have been but it's only quals so no big deal. It looked like she was about to fall out of her wolf turn but she saved it.
Rotation Three: VT
I spent the greater part of this rotation eating banana bread so I may not have paid the best attention.
Kocian: Solid, not much height.
Baumann: I honestly don't remember, I think her landing was good.
Ross: Super clean in the air and (almost) stuck it.
Skinner: Form may not have been as bad as usual but it was hard to tell with no slo-mo cam.
Biles: Good first vault, I think she was out of bounds on the second but stepped back in. She has teh gold already if she lands on her feet.
Rotations Four: UB
Skinner: Bit 'ole leg separation going from low to high but hey, what's new? I think she hit just one handstand that whole routine.
Biles: Error in the middle, looked like she almost lost her grip but saved herself. It was hard to tell exactly what happened. I think she wasn't able to get up in a handstand.
Kocian: Similar error from her. She looked pretty defeated.
Ross: Nice hit routine! Clean and stuck!
Locklear: I'll admit that I'm not as impressed with her as Marta seems to be but she looked good today. I was happy to see her do well, she has a great chance of a medal in EF
Overall, I'm glad the AA will be Simone and Kyla again, they deserve it most. And again with the pink leotards?? Ugh, please let there be red white and blue for TF!!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Qualificiation Start List
Here it is folks:
Looks like Biles, Ross, Skinner and Kocian will by vying for the two all-around spots. I'd say that Kocian is a no, barring an injury for another girl. I'm hoping that Kyla's technique and form can edge out Skinners difficulty.
As for ER, I definitely see the US having the maximum 2 girls for each apparatus. Vault and floor is pretty obvious but the other two can go a few different ways.
As suspected, Desch is the alternate. I know she's not a consistent athlete and she's failed to impress many times but for some reason, I prefer her to both Kocian and Bauman. I thought she looked better than Bauman at podium training but that's here nor there now.
There will be a live webcast tomorrow at 6 am. I'm thinking that I'll wake up early and watch, worlds only happens once a year so I might as well make the most of it and see it in real time. I'm really excited to see what happens!
As for ER, I definitely see the US having the maximum 2 girls for each apparatus. Vault and floor is pretty obvious but the other two can go a few different ways.
As suspected, Desch is the alternate. I know she's not a consistent athlete and she's failed to impress many times but for some reason, I prefer her to both Kocian and Bauman. I thought she looked better than Bauman at podium training but that's here nor there now.
There will be a live webcast tomorrow at 6 am. I'm thinking that I'll wake up early and watch, worlds only happens once a year so I might as well make the most of it and see it in real time. I'm really excited to see what happens!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
This Just In...
Kyla suffered a hip injury at camp. Looks like she has it heavily taped today and she seems to be ok to compete. But come on now, another camp injury? How long will it be until Marta breaks every athlete on this team? Bauman and Kocian are also hurt apparently and we all know the story with Nichols.
I hope Kyla can hold it together these next few weeks. It would suck if she had to back out and let someone else take the only other deserved spot on the team.
I hope Kyla can hold it together these next few weeks. It would suck if she had to back out and let someone else take the only other deserved spot on the team.
If Only, If Only
Last night I was getting sort of sad that the worlds team is so ho-hum. I was on my ipad and decided to type out the team that I wish could be there but can't because of injuries or getting unfairly passed over. Here it is:
Simone Biles
Brenna Dowell (in place of Locklear)
Rachel Gowey (in place of Bauman)
Maggie Nichols (in place of Kocian)
Lexie Preissmen (in place of Skinner)
Kyla Ross
This team would have been much more interesting and worthy. If only, if only!
Podium training starts today! I have a ton of work to get done so I can't watch but I think it's eing broadcasted live on Universal Sports or USA gym.
Simone Biles
Brenna Dowell (in place of Locklear)
Rachel Gowey (in place of Bauman)
Maggie Nichols (in place of Kocian)
Lexie Preissmen (in place of Skinner)
Kyla Ross
This team would have been much more interesting and worthy. If only, if only!
Podium training starts today! I have a ton of work to get done so I can't watch but I think it's eing broadcasted live on Universal Sports or USA gym.
Friday, September 26, 2014
My Expectations for Worlds
Alyssa Bauman: Only girl besides Desch who I think could be chosen as alternate but I still doubt it. No finals for this one
Simone Biles: If she competes like her usual self, she has that second all around title in the bag. Same with vault and floor really. She could easily sneak in a medal on beam too.
Madison Desch: I think she'll probably end up as alternate, unless one of the others is hurt or performs badly in training.
Madison Kocian: Maybe (but probably not) a medal in bar finals but that all depends on how the other athletes perform. Hopefully she stays healthy but I have a bad feeling.
Ashton Locklear: I imagine she'll compete just bars and do a decent job but not the amazing routine we saw at Classics. Definitely a medal for her if she hits.
Mykayla Sinner: She'll make the vault and possibly floor final. I hope to the heavens that she doesn't medal on floor because her form is truly atrocious. She most likely has the vault silver or bronze unless she messes up...but come on, that Cheng?? It's an insult to Cheng Fei, it truly is.
Kyla Ross: She won't do her upgraded pass on floor to play it safe. All-around silver is possible for her again but both WOGA's and Locklear can challenge her bars, not to mention Queen Aliya. She could make finals in all but vault and floor but I don't see her being quite as successful as last year.
Overall
All-Around: Gold and silver/bronze
Team: Gold or silver
Vault: 2 medals
Bars: 1 medals
Beam: 1-2 medals
Floor: 1 medal
Simone Biles: If she competes like her usual self, she has that second all around title in the bag. Same with vault and floor really. She could easily sneak in a medal on beam too.
Madison Desch: I think she'll probably end up as alternate, unless one of the others is hurt or performs badly in training.
Madison Kocian: Maybe (but probably not) a medal in bar finals but that all depends on how the other athletes perform. Hopefully she stays healthy but I have a bad feeling.
Ashton Locklear: I imagine she'll compete just bars and do a decent job but not the amazing routine we saw at Classics. Definitely a medal for her if she hits.
Mykayla Sinner: She'll make the vault and possibly floor final. I hope to the heavens that she doesn't medal on floor because her form is truly atrocious. She most likely has the vault silver or bronze unless she messes up...but come on, that Cheng?? It's an insult to Cheng Fei, it truly is.
Kyla Ross: She won't do her upgraded pass on floor to play it safe. All-around silver is possible for her again but both WOGA's and Locklear can challenge her bars, not to mention Queen Aliya. She could make finals in all but vault and floor but I don't see her being quite as successful as last year.
Overall
All-Around: Gold and silver/bronze
Team: Gold or silver
Vault: 2 medals
Bars: 1 medals
Beam: 1-2 medals
Floor: 1 medal
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Brenna Get's Screwed Over Again (2014 Worlds Team)
Team: Alyssa Bauman, Simone Biles, Madison Desch, Madison Kocian, Ashton Locklear, Kyla Ross and Mykayla Sinner.
Brenna Dowell is non-travelling alternate, other alternate TBD in China
Honestly, this whole thing seems a little bit suspect to me. First of all, Maggie Nichols petition must have been denied which REALLY makes me angry. This was most likely her one and only shot at being on a worlds team and it's now ruined in the name of Pan Ams?? :(
Then you have the whole Brenna debacle. She must have performed well enough at the camp all around in order to be named alternate but they are taking Desch over her? Yeah, they'll probably both end up alternates but still.
The actual team is just "meh" for me. I hate that Skinner is near it, I'm not a fan of Kocian but what other choices were there really? It is what it is. I think that Skinner and both WOGA's will be seriously in for a shock by the international scoring. Locklear even makes me slightly nervous because she apparently seemed a bit shell shocked in Canada. Hopefully she is prepared for the crowds and such.
I'll have my predictions up for what I think each athlete will end up doing but for now, I just wanted to check in.
Also, not sure if everyone has heard but Deanna Soza (JO National Team member), has a very serious eye infection in both eyes and her sight could be in jeopardy. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Brenna Dowell is non-travelling alternate, other alternate TBD in China
Honestly, this whole thing seems a little bit suspect to me. First of all, Maggie Nichols petition must have been denied which REALLY makes me angry. This was most likely her one and only shot at being on a worlds team and it's now ruined in the name of Pan Ams?? :(
Then you have the whole Brenna debacle. She must have performed well enough at the camp all around in order to be named alternate but they are taking Desch over her? Yeah, they'll probably both end up alternates but still.
The actual team is just "meh" for me. I hate that Skinner is near it, I'm not a fan of Kocian but what other choices were there really? It is what it is. I think that Skinner and both WOGA's will be seriously in for a shock by the international scoring. Locklear even makes me slightly nervous because she apparently seemed a bit shell shocked in Canada. Hopefully she is prepared for the crowds and such.
I'll have my predictions up for what I think each athlete will end up doing but for now, I just wanted to check in.
Also, not sure if everyone has heard but Deanna Soza (JO National Team member), has a very serious eye infection in both eyes and her sight could be in jeopardy. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
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