Leotard Panel: CLOSED

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!

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!

Live Blogging EF Day 1

And I'm live! Five minutes until start and I'm ready. Well, I wasn't ready at first when I was in my bed, cozy and sleepy. But I got up and here I am! I think VT will be Hong, Biles and Paseka. UB is a little more iffy. I want Shang for the win and then Komova and bronze perhaps Kocian? We'll see.

Ok, small hiccup. Site won't let me watch on my ipad so I have to use my laptop Lars which I'm also using for blogging. Ugh I hate switching back and forth. Also men up first so I'm going to eat some muffins before vault.

Problem solved, I used my mothers laptop, its puny but it works.

I'm cleaning the house for a Halloween party tonight (happy Halloween by the way), in between watching a bit of mens FX. The tumbling is so huge and I love when they do the pommel horse swivel thing on the ground. I want to do that so bad.

 The entire Japanese team is so attractive .That is all.

Vault here we go!!
Ellie Downie is so cute and happy.
These introductions are so rock start like. Seriously. Hre is Hong Un Jong, girl is ready!
Giulia's here.
Paskea is so pretty I've always thought.
Wang Yu, I had no idea that China had a vault specialist.
Simone gets the most cheers. Go girl!

I fear Simone's leo is pink. Good gravy, please no!!!
Oh last person, Dipa Karmaka. Her sweatshirt looks like spirit wear I had in high school.

No warmups? Is this go time?
I guess so.

First up, Mexican gymnast with serious bangs. I like the look, I do. Ugh, she has to wait and wait.
Here goes, front 1.5. Messy landing for sure. 14.666
2nd vault, messy landing again. Feed went out. Blast it.

Grrr, missed Ellie's first VT. DTY I think. Slo-mo saves the day, good form at first, a little split legged at the end and off to the right. I don't love that leotard. it's the sleeves that look weird and I hate the red mesh.
2nd vault,  nice straight form, just piked at the end, off to the side again. 14.833

Hong Un Jong, the reigning champ. You wear that sleeveless leo girl, it can double as a swimsuit. Amanar, super tight until form break at the end, just a step on landing and off to side. .10 step I think. 15.666
2nd vault, huge! Step back on landing. 15.6, she's got this.

Giulia, love that leo! Stuck front 1.5!! Dynamite form, just off to the side at landing. 15.5
2nd vault, wow I just noticed her sleeves so pretty. CRAP, NO!!!!! Sat it down, and hurt her knee. Poor girl, ugh. I don't think this is a disastrous injury but nothing she can walk of. :(

Maria, freaking love that leo too. I'm usually not too into white and it doesn't fit that well...but I like the pattern. Messy, sloppy form on first vault but big vault. 15.633
2nd vault, Amanar I think. Huge vault but a couple of steps on landing. She waves at camera, no attitude from this one that I can detect. Hey Komova, take note. 15.7, she's leading. Wow, did not expect that!

Here is Wang Yan. Nice classic China leo. Girl can run. Super low chest on landing. 15.066
2nd vault, eek. Low on landing, hand down, both hands actually. 14.583 total.

Come on Simone!! Oooh, yes that leo!!! What I've been waiting for! Huge Amanar, just a hop forward. She wanted to stick that I think. 15.9, huge!
2nd vault,  pretty much stuck. Killin it as usual but not enough to take the lead. Puts her in 3rd place.

Last up, Dipa. Produnova! What now? Nearly sat it down though. Hmmm. Did her butt touch? You shouldn't be allowed to compete this unless you can successfully stand it up. 15.33
2nd vault, off mat. Not happening for her.

So it'll be. Maria, Hong, Simone! I'm really happy for Maria! Some redemption for Russia and individual success for herself.

Ok men up now, off to clean more. I'll be back for bars.

Bars final, here we go!!!
Shang is so cute.
Sophie Scheder, nice classy leo.
Fan Yilin, super ready.
Komova, the walk of shame after her rude remarks. We're all thinking it.
Gabby, looking confident, what else.
Maddie Kocian, get it!
Daria looks a lot like Maria, just noticed.
GB Ruby Harold, nice classy leotard.

My little sister is watching with me. She just did a drumroll, she's not lame.

Up first is Shang. Make it happen! Oh love that blue leo. Lovely form, and releases. Beat mode. Just hop back on landing, great routine! Sad she had to go up first though :( Omg, she has the cutest smile. Score: 14.900

Next is Scheder. Legs nicely glued together. Kind of scary transition. Handles releases. high release! Over rotated landing, but she managed to stand it up without putting her hand down. Sad, that will do her in. Score: 14.600

Fan Yilin up now. I really like China's leotards, different for them but really nice. Not sure about the Gold scrunchie though. Lovely pirouettes, stuck double layout. Really nice. Score: 15.366

Ok Komova. Purple leo, huh. Reminds me of our AA from London. Nice transition. Yeager, great. Huge stuck dismount. Sheesh long wait. Score: 15.366, tied with Fan.

Here's Gabby. Muscled up at first, Good release...seems kind of heavy today. Not as high a release as usual but nice enough. Dismount, good. Not enough though I don't think. Score: 15.133. WAY HIGH. Shang was loads better. Grr

Come on Maddie. Leg separation on transition. Form issues in general. Good release though. Almost stuck dismount but steps. I don't think that's enough...but it SHOULD be higher than Gabby. Score: 13.366, um what?? A 3 way tie????

Daria, love that blue, purple and white combo. Piked Yeager nice, missed handstand. Good dismount.
 Ok theory: three way tie for first is to ensure that Gabby gets a medal. This way, the two other girls don't push her out with silver and bronze.
Score: 15.3666...yeah I think I'm right.

Ruby Harold, messy routine but nice dismount. This four way tie is all sorts of jacked up. Gabby will get silver, happy judges?

Score for Ruby: 14.766, puts her in what place?  Show the standings please.

Ok, four way tie, Daria, Victoria, Fan and Maddie. Gabby silver and Shang bronze.

IN WHAT WORLD IS GABBY BETTER AT UB THAN SHANG?  A world I don't want to live in.

Jk but still

I have to go now, it's been real. 

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.

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:

• 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. 

That's all I got for now. I'm going to be working during AA finals and following along via my iphone in the privacy of the break room. All I have to say is, bring it on Simone, Larissa, Ellie and Gulia. 

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.