Women's Team Finals - American Success

They did it! The USA Women's gymnastics team earned the gold medal today by over five points. Twelve nearly flawless performances clinched the gold for the exceptionally young team including literally the most beautiful vault I've ever seen. To watch the women hit routine after routine was incredibly satisfying. The Fierce Five were as fierce as ever.

Why is the US Succeeding? I personally like to think that it's our "melting pot" and "best of both worlds" structures that provide everything and the kitchen sink to the American athletes. The Women's US Olympic Gymnastics Team is coached by individuals from each of the top 4 gymnastics nations, if you consider the old USSR & Russia one and the same. Rather than having a distinct weakness like some other teams, the varied coaching styles present different strengths amongst Americans. For instance, Aly Raisman is coached by Romanian Mihai Brestyan seemed to inherit the nation's weakness on bars but their strengths on beam and floor. Kyla Ross, Gabby Douglas and US Alternate Anna Li have all been nurtured by Chinese Coaches and seem to prevail on bars. Of course, many coaches are present within a young gymnast's career and other factors influence success besides coaching, but I thought it was worth noting that the US relies on a melting pot environment to hone a strong team.

I do think that we all need to applaud Marta Karolyi. For all the slack that we as fans give Marta, we should realize that she does have some earthly idea what she's doing. The USA's never earned lower than silver at the Olympics under her direction and today they not only earned the gold, but it was by a fairly hefty margin. At the end of the day, Marta has the majority of the control over who makes the team and on which events they compete.

But of course, the real indisputable reason for the win was the USA's performances. When competing that level of difficulty that impressively, they were nearly uncatchable. The USA stayed solid while competing some of the most difficult routines in the world. Ultimately, THAT'S why they won. I've already heard many people saying, "Well, if the Russians would have hit, they'd have the gold." Not only is that irrelevant, it's also untrue. I did a little experiment wondering if Russia had the opportunity to take the higher scores between prelims and finals for each routine, if they could beat the USA's performances today. The numbers that are crossed out are Team Finals results replaced by qualifying scores.

Vault-

Komova- 15.833

Mustafina- 15.225

Paseka - 15.3  15.533

Bars- 

Grishina - 14.7 

Komova - 15.766  15.833

Mustafina - 15.7

Beam- 

Komova - 15.033  15.266

Mustafina - 14.533  14.7

Afan - 14.833 15.066

Floor - 

Grishina - 12.466 14.066

Mustafina - 14.8

Afan - 14.333  14.833

Russian Olympic High Score Total : 181.555

USA's Actual Team Total : 183.596

The bottom line is, it doesn't matter. The USA simply out performed Russia in both Prelims and Finals. Grishina & Afan's Floor Mistakes, Paseka's step on vault, as well as Komova and Mustafina's beam struggles were all frankly irrelevant. It wouldn't have mattered. It was the USA's competition to lose and they didn't budge. 

It was an exciting event and until Grishina's floor mishaps, I wondered if the USA would falter and Russia would prevail. The pressure was on the USA's shoulders and they rose to the occasion.  

Pictures all property of ESPN.

Women's Qualifying - A Closer Look

Yesterday the women kicked off their Olympic experiences with an, all things considered, fairly uneventful day. The four top teams finished in their expected positions with the exception of Romania who seemed to have some uncharacteristic struggles. Romanian proclaimed "Future Olympic All Around Champion" Larisa Iordache was expected to be left out of the All Around due to plantar fasciitis but was thrown back in after a shitload of tape on her foot supposedly alleviated the issues. Apparently the tape didn't work its magic  as Larisa qualified 9th in the All Around and failed to qualify for any event finals. Her teammate Catalina Ponor, the 2004 Balance Beam & Floor Exercise Olympic Champion, had some issues as well, bobbling significantly on beam and balking a tumbling pass on floor, although her scores were still high enough to qualify her for the event finals on both apparatuses. China just had a really shitty day, lead by the mistakes of 2011 World All Around Bronze Medalist Yao Jinnan who fell on three of her four events. 

Japan & Canada both placed surprisingly well although Canada struggled with falls throughout the day. Regardless, they qualified the women for their first team final in Olympic History. Great Britain also seemed to rise to the pressure of competing on home turf rather than crumbling. Italy, who didn't qualify to team finals in 2011 yet placed 1st at the test event qualified to the team finals as well. 

Russia and the USA will be the two major contenders for the Gold Medal with each team lead by 3 strong all arounders. Russia seems to be closing the USA's difficulty gap with upgraded vaults. Historically this quadrennium, the USA's had an advantage on vault that Russia had the potential to overcome with their Uneven Bar scores. While each team gets stronger on every event, the winner may come down to small performance errors. 

Of course, the media portrayed the biggest story of the day as Jordyn Wieber's failure to qualify for the All Around Finals. I feel like people are making it a lot less cut and dry than it really is. It's been the rule since 1976 that a set number of gymnasts from each country are allowed into each final. (The number was 3 until 2004, now it's 2). You'd have thought that someone had murdered Jordyn Wieber with the way that people were talking. Phrases like "horrific" and "something she'll spend years coming to terms with" are the way that I hear violent attacks described. In reality, Jordyn was simply met with the same fate that many expected Aly Raisman to be faced with. People tend to forget that every member of the 2011 World's team would have qualified without the "2 per country rule" and that Gabby Douglas qualified just 1 place lower than where Wieber sits currently. Where were the cries of outrage then? I understand that Jordyn is the reigning World Champion and my heart goes out to her, but to be frank, I worry that the outrage is more about being bummed that a "favorite" is out than wanting actual "fairness" within the sport. 

People keep saying "The Olympics is supposed to be the best gymnasts in the world competing." Is it? If that were true, the IOC wouldn't have 2 Egyptian gymnasts competing rather than extra gymnasts from the USA, Russia, Romania & China. Certainly had Alicia Sacramone made the team, she'd be in Vault finals. Fifteen American Seniors scored higher than the 54.232 needed to qualify for this year's Olympic All Around Finals this season. Some of those girls didn't even qualify for the US Olympic Trials such as Amanda Jetter, Brianna Brown, Mykayla Skinner and Abigail Milliet. It's just a fact that the Olympics are NOT simply the best in the world competing. Although many of the gymnasts are the strongest, the entire field is never present for every competition as there are injuries, politics, age limits and limits on team size which prevent that.

It's not just gymnastics. A competitive swimmer recently told me on Twitter that her freestyle times were faster than numerous Olympians. Yet, she wasn't even close to qualifying for her country's team due to its dominance within the sport of swimming. If the Olympics were just for "the best of the best", the USA would have 20 female artistic gymnasts and no rhythmic gymnasts. (Yet we seem to be celebrating Julie Zetlin's inclusion by the IOC.) I suppose It's important to ask ourselves what the reaction would be if Aly were the gymnast left off the All Around roster.   

All in all, it's sure to be an interesting final. In my opinion, if the USA hits it will be difficult for Russia to catch them, but it's important to remember : This is gymnastics; anything can happen. 

Pictures property of Grace Chui (1&2), NBC Sports (3) & Sports Girls Play (4) 

My thoughts on USA's Podium Training...

Okay, so I just watched podium training, as I was at work while it was airing live. (Don't worry! I'll be able to watch everything else live!) Here are my thoughts on the American performances, as those were the only ones that I, like most of you, were able to see.

NBC Sports

Vault: 
-This whole thing was fierce. If the USA wins, this will be why. They are head and shoulders above everyone on this event. I mean, in my opinion, Paseka was put on the Russian team for an Amanar about as strong as our WEAKEST vaulter, Kyla.
-I was pleased to see that McKayla is vaulting like herself, which I anticipated. Even though she is dealing with a minor foot injury.
-I wish that there were a reason for Kyla to compete her vault that DIDN'T involve anyone else getting kicked off the lineup due to injury/whatever. That DTY is gorgeous and often stuck.

Uneven Bars: 
-NBC really bugged me with their coverage here. I suppose I should be grateful for anything but I do NOT want to see people chalking up over a Dougie release EVER.
-I honestly worry about Jo struggling on bars in TF and hitting at other points. Call me crazy, but her whole situation reminds me of Carly Patterson.
-I love how different Kyla and Gabby are on this event, and yet they're both so strong!
-To those of you freaking out, the whole point of this training is to get used to the equipment. It's not surprising that they fell some.

Beam: 
-I LOVED how quickly the women worked on this event. The second one girl was of, the next was on.
-Kyla Ross should do a press to handstand mount on beam. It could be really pretty.
-Super proud of Kyla & Gabby for not missing a fucking beat when they turned the lights off.
-WAIT! Somone's floor music is the song from the P&G mom commercial! Or is that just what they play in the background?

Floor: 
-The thought that Kyla will likely go up on FX in prelims makes me die a little bit inside. She seems like a really sweet girl, but that floor... ugh.
-Gabby's floor seemed more appropriate for the venue than I expected. Maybe it's the hot pink podium?
-Jordyn seemed less... connected than usual. Maybe it's nerves? Maybe it's because there's no crowd.
-Weird front tuck instead of front layout from Aly. I wonder if she was worried about getting it around or if that's the new plan?

Random Thoughts: 

NBC Sports

-I have to be honest, I didn't dislike the leotard, but it reminded me of a sparkly pink pot leaf.
-The pink podium looks great on camera, but does indeed clash with the Gymnova mats.
-It's really pissing me off that people feel the need to pit Jordyn & Gabby against each other saying things like "they haven't interacted at all." Jordyn doesn't interact with people on the podium really. That's just not how she rolls. It's bad enough for 12 year old girls to make up vicious rivalries, it's worse when members of the associated press do it.
-Pink is a good color on Marta.

You can watch a replay of podium training here : http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/gymnastics/gymnastics-podium-training-u-s-women.html

Aly Raisman & McKayla Maroney 2012 UB Olympic Champions?!

In the past 24 hours, I've read the following things from gymnastics fans or bloggers: 
-"Aly is great on bars and beam!"
-"[Kyla's] strongest events : Floor and Vault."
-"Maroney should be great on bars."
-A tweeter putting Nastia in her Olympic floor lineup

I'm starting to get frustrated, friends. So, instead of screaming and banging my head against the wall, I've decided I'll attempt to help clear up whatever confusion is going on.

Some of the following post is my opinion, but let's talk facts for a second. Aly is NOT great on bars, Kyla is NOT strongest on floor and Maroney will NOT be great on bars. Those are just facts! The US is looking for the 3 highest scorers on each event. I'm sharing with you the highest scores on each event for each Trials qualifiers, although that doesn't take consistency into account.

VAULT- 
To be honest, competing on vault for the US in team finals isn't much of an option unless you've got an Amanar or a Rudi.

Girls whose vaults are CERTAINLY team finals worthy: Maroney, Wieber & Raisman.

Girls whose vaults MAY be team finals worthy: Douglas, Price, Ross & Sacramone.

Below is a list of the HIGHEST scores posted in 2012 by Trials Qualifiers.
1. Maroney - 16.15  (Nationals Day 1)
2T. Wieber - 16.1 (American Cup)
2T. Raisman - 16.1 (American Cup)
4. Douglas - 15.866 (American Cup)
5. Price - 15.8 (Nationals Day 1)
6. Ross - 15.55 (Jesolo)
7. Sacramone - 15.5 (Nationals Day 2)
8. Finnegan - 15.0 (Nationals Day 1)
9. Baker - 14.8 (Nationals Day 2)
10. Dowell - 14.7 (Nationals Day 2)
11. Vega - 14.5 (Nationals Day 2)
12. Sloan - 14.15 (Nationals Day 2)
Liukin, Li, Bross no longer compete Vault.

BARS- 
Bars is trickier, because fewer of the team "locks" are super strong on bars.


Girls whose bars are CERTAINLY team finals worthy: Dougals, Li, Ross, Bross & Sloan.

Girls whose bars MAY be team finals worthy: Wieber, Price & Liukin (if Nastia can show what people are expecting her to). 

Below is a list of the HIGHEST scores posted in 2012 by Trials Qualifiers. 

1. Douglas - 15.85 (Nationals Day 2)
2. Li - 15.55 (Nationals Day 2)
3. Ross - 15.5 (Nationals Day 1)
4. Bross - 15.3 (US Classic)
5. Sloan - 15.1(Nationals Day 1)
6. Wieber - 15.05 (Nationals Day 1)
7. Price - 14.95 (Nationals Day 1)
8. Baker - 14.85 (Nationals Day 1)
9. Dowell - 14.6 (Jesolo)
10. Raisman - 14.45 (Jesolo)
11. Vega - 14.4 (Nationals Day 2)
12. Finnegan - 14.15 (Jesolo)
13. Maroney - 13.95 (Jesolo)
14. Liukin - 13.65 (Nationals Day 2)
Sacramone does not compete this event.

BEAM 
The US is looking stronger and stronger on beam and should have plenty of coverage on that event, regardless of who is on the team.

Girls whose beam sets are CERTAINLY team finals worthy: Ross, Raisman & Finnegan.

Girls whose beam sets MAY be team finals worthy: Wieber (her high is MUCH higher than her average), Sacramone, Liukin.

Below is a list of the HIGHEST scores posted in 2012 by Trials Qualifiers. 

1. Wieber -  15.7 (Pac Rim AA)

2. Ross - 15.5 (Jesolo)

3. Raisman - 15.45 (Nationals Day 2) 

4. Finnegan - 15.35 (Nationals Day 1) 

5. Sacramone - 15.2 (Nationals Day 1) 

6T. Liukin - 15.1 (Nationals Day 1)

6T. Douglas - 15.1 (American Cup)

8. Maroney - 14.55 (Nationals Day 1)

9. Vega - 14.4 (Nationals Day 2) 

10. Baker - 14.3 (US Classic) 

11. Price - 14.3 (Nationals Day 1) 

12. Bross - 14.15 (Jesolo) 

13. Li - 13.9 (US Classic) 

14. Dowell - 13.9 (Nationals Day 2) 

15. Sloan - 13.85 (Nationals Day 2)

FLOOR

Girls whose floor routines are CERTAINLY team finals worthy: Raisman, Douglas, Wieber & Finnegan.

Girls whose floor routines MAY be team finals worthy: Vega & Price. 

Below is a list of the HIGHEST scores posted in 2012 by Trials Qualifiers. 

1. Raisman - 15.8 (Nationals Day 2)
2. Douglas - 15.3 (Nationals Day 2)
3. Wieber - 15.25 (Nationals Day 1)
4. Finnegan - 15.2 (US Classic)
5. Vega - 14.85 (US Classic)
6. Price -14.8 (Nationals Day 2)
7T. Ross - 14.6 (Nationals Day 2)
7T. Maroney - 14.6 (Nationals Day 1)
9. Baker - 14.4 (Nationals Day 1)
10. Dowell - 14.35 (Nationals Day 2)
11. Sloan - 13.9 (Nationals Day 2)
Li, Bross & Liukin do NOT compete Floor anymore.

So dearest fellow fans, go back and look what you've written and then look at the facts. Are you making sense? 

Let's talk about ex(ecution), baby.

USA Gymnastics

Quick! Who do you think are the girls with the highest execution in the USA? I assumed that the "Chosen 4" would rank highly and then I thought that with only execution counting that Sarah Finnegan and Sabrina Vega would squeak into the top 5 or so. In fact, I thought that Sarah Finnegan would become a virtual lock for the team disregarding difficulty. I thought she had a good chance to place higher than Douglas. Well, I was wrong.

The Top 12 in execution only over the 2 days of competition were: (parentheses indicate place w/ D & E scores counting)

USA Gymnastics

1. Kyla Ross (4th)
2. Jordyn Wieber (1st)
3. Gabby Douglas (2nd)
4. Aly Raisman (3rd)
5. Elizabeth Price (5th)
6. McKayla Maroney (N/A)*
7. Sarah Finnegan (6th)
8. Sabrina Vega (7th Tie)
9. Brenna Dowell (9th)
10. Kennedy Baker (7th Tie)
11T. Bridget Sloan (10th)
11T.  Abigail Milliet (11th)

*I multiplied Maroney's day 1 E scores by 2 so we could see where she fits.

Places 13-18 fall in the same order that they did in competition.

Frankly, I was surprised. I started to question myself and other gymnastics fans. We love Sabrina Vega, we love Sarah Finnegan, We Well, I, love Kennedy Baker. We say that it's because they have clean gymnastics, but we're lying to ourselves. It's because they have pretty gymnastics. There's nothing wrong with liking gymnastics because it's pretty, we just need to be honest with ourselves about what's going on. It's worth mentioning that these girls fell, but even if they hadn't they wouldn't have been the leaders in execution. It's a myth that these girls would be the strongest if their difficulties were higher, as they're in the same positions or even lower. Pretty doesn't necessarily equal well executed, as much as sometimes I wish it did.

Inside Gymnastics

Other surprises included Raisman placing 12th amongst vaulters. (Maroney, not surprisingly, placed 1st), Jordyn Wieber placing higher than Anna Li on bars and Gabby placing 3rd on floor. You may not like her music, but you can't argue that she performs it well.

So difficulty aside, who would I name to my team? (Execution based ranks are in parentheses)

VT: Wieber (3), Ross (2), Maroney (1)
UB: Wieber (3), Ross (2), Douglas (1)
BB: Wieber (4), Raisman (3), Ross (1)
FX: Douglas (3), Raisman (2), Wieber (1)
Alt: Price, Sacramone, Finnegan

Bar routines I loved and hated from Nationals

FAVORITES

1. Gabby Douglas on Day 2

Score: 15.85 (6.6 D, 9.25 E)
Place: 1st
What I Loved: Her releases are sky high, she has such a natural swing and handled the pressure well.
What I Didn't: She seems a tiny bit too close to the bar on her Ray.


2. Anna Li on Day 2

Score: 15.55 (6.9 D, 8.65 E)

Place: 3rd

What I Loved: Those combos were CRAZY amazing and it's unique!

What I Didn't: A couple of awkward leg positions throughout.

3. McKenzie Wofford on Day 2

Score: 14.7 (6.3 D, 8.4 E) 

Place: 9th

What I Loved: Did you see that combination? Try to tell me that wasn't cool! She also stuck that dismount! I cannot WAIT to see this girl at OU! 

What I Didn't: She's got a few short handstands 

LEAST FAVORITES

1. Nastia Liukin on Day 1

Score: 13.15 (5.8 D, 7.35 E)

Place: 19th 

What I Loved: That layed out Gienger is still FIERRRRCE. 

What I Didn't: The "dismount", obviously as well as the wonky pak and weird leg separations. 

2. Jessica Wang Day 1 

Score: 9.8 (4.3 D, 5.5 E) 

Place: 22nd

What I Loved: She pulls off her Jaeger.

What I Didn't: Honey child has a really hard time with that handstand.

3. Megan Skaggs Day 2

Score: 11.45 (4.9 D, 6.55 E)

Place: 21st 

What I Loved: A fairly strong dismount.

What I Didn't: Those are some icky handstands, also, the tkachev fall.

Quick Nationals Wrap Up

Annnnd, it's over. Dozens of athletes have competed, National Champions have been named and 15 girls have been sent to Trials.

To be brief, here were my thoughts on the seniors:

To be not as brief, I would say that the biggest surprise amongst the competitors was most likely Gabby, who only missed the title by .2. That's pretty impressive for someone who "ended her career" at last year's Nationals. Had she not fallen on beam, she undoubtedly would have won.

The top 4 were in the order I predicted, but I was surprised at how close they came. I'm keeping my team the same as I had them after Classics (they're the girls circled in Purple), with the same alternates I picked then as well (underlined in Yellow). I'd like to see Alicia & Bridget make the team, but I'm not sure how feasible that really is.

I'm doubting the chances of Brenna Dowell at this point because she still has a broken hand. To be honest, I feel like all that making trials really means for her is that she'll spend two more weeks training and competing with an injury.

Anna Li's a fabulous gymnast but I personally feel like she performed more successfully in NCAA... but this is gymnastics. Anything can happen.

And I'm pretty sure I've said my peace on Nastia, but I'll leave you with this...

I'll post later with my thoughts on specific routines/juniors.

5 Feasible US Olympic Teams

In my mind, there are 15 girls who have any kind of shot of being on this 8 person Olympic Squad.

In my opinion, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman & Gabrielle Douglas have the greatest shot  based on past results. Sarah Finnegan, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross all have legitimate shots at making the team, but could perhaps be left off completely. Meanwhile veterans Nastia Liukin, Becca Bross, Anna Li and Alicia Sacramone who have each had issues with injuries and consistency, may be saved by their high start values. Shawn Johnson could also fall in this category but without seeing routines this year, I'm not sure. Personally, I think that this will more than likely be a team of first time Olympians.

And then we have the girls most likely to be alternates, but who are unlikely to make the team. The "Corrie Lothrops" of 2012. Kennedy Baker, Elizabeth Price, Sabrina Vega and Brandie Jay fall here. (And possibly Brenna Dowell, if she can come back from her hand injury.) And I think they're all wonderful. May beautiful college careers be ahead of you.


In my personal opinion, these are the five most feasible teams:


1. The Post-Pac Rims

Property of AP

Jordyn Wieber (AA)
Aly Raisman (BB, FX)
Gabby Douglas (UB, FX)
Kyla Ross (VT, UB, BB)
McKayla Maroney (VT)
Alternates:  Sarah Finnegan, Sabrina Vega, Shawn Johnson

This was the team that I posted about a while back. Although I understand how many people believe that Maroney doesn't fit into the team that well, I do feel really strongly that she deserves to defend her title. I also just noticed, this team has FIVE AMANARS! WOW!

Stefan Wurzer

2. The Post-Classics
Jordyn Wieber (AA)
Aly Raisman (VT, BB, FX)
Gabby Douglas (UB)
Kyla Ross (VT, UB)
Sarah Finnegan (BB, FX)
Alternates: McKayla Maroney, Kennedy Baker, Elizabeth Price

After watching the competition on Saturday, this is my team for the moment. It gives lots of options as Gabby could potentially go up on Vault, Beam or Floor, Kyla could go up Beam and Sarah could (not ideally) go up on bars. It's a team that plans for an injury and it's a team with pretty, solid gymnastics. And don't hate on my alternates or I will cut you.

Harry Howe

3. The Reader's Choice 
Jordyn Wieber (AA)
Aly Raisman (VT, BB, FX)
McKayla Maroney (VT)
Nastia Liukin (UB)
Kyla Ross (UB, BB, FX)
Alternates: Shawn Johnson, Sabrina Vega, Gabrielle Douglas

This particular team was named 5 times in the prediction contest back in December, and actually is a pretty strong team when you think about it. The alternates for the team were the most popular alternates not named to the team. I could perhaps see this team being named if Gabby ends up underperforming and Nastia over performs. It does leave a floor hole though and I don't like the idea of have to put Kyla or Maroney up on floor.

Associated Press

4. The Gabby-less
Jordyn Wieber (AA)
Aly Raisman (VT, BB, FX)
Nastia Liukin OR Rebecca Bross (UB)
Kyla Ross (VT, UB)
Sarah Finnegan (BB, FX)
Alternates: Sabrina Vega, Elizabeth Price, Kennedy Baker

Yes, I know that the last one didn't have Gabby in it, but here's how I would do it. The Bars specialist could go to either Nastia or Becca, depending on who performs more impressively (and if Nastia legitimately gets her bars back). This would be my team if Gabrielle Douglas broke her leg or if she falls apart as time goes on. I don't think she will... but here's my plan in case it does.


5. The Aly-less

Property of GK

Jordyn Wieber (AA)
Gabby Douglas (UB, FX)
Kyla Ross (VT, UB, BB)
Sarah Finneagn (BB, FX)
McKayla Maroney (VT)
Alternates: Sabrina Vega, Elizabeth Price, Kennedy Baker

Along the same lines of the last team, this is who I would put on the team if Aly ended up injured, inconsistent or Canadian. It's nice that we're in a year where one routine could make or break (pun not intended) your team. Sure, Aly's floor scores are much better than Gabby's, but it wouldn't be catastrophic to have Gabby's in the line up.

Associated Press

(And a bonus team...)
6. The Jordyn-less
Aly Raisman (VT, BB, FX)
Gabby Douglas (VT, UB, FX)
Kyla Ross (VT, UB, BB)
Sarah Finnegan (BB, FX)
Nastia Liukin OR Rebecca Bross (UB)
Alternates: Sabrina Vega, McKayla Maroney, Elizabeth Price

I know, I know. I can hear you screaming from here. A team without Jordyn wouldn't be a good thing at all. However, in this day and age, anything can happen. Here's what I'd do in the off chance that Jordyn fell apart. (I don't mean emotionally like I did with Gabby. I mean what I'd do if her limbs literally started falling off.)

I don't see these as the only possibly teams, but in my opinion they are the most likely of the bunch. Who would be your team?

BREAKING NEWS : Senior Scratch List

I just got a list of girls who will NOT be competing all 4 events tonight. Here are the events that they WILL be competing.

Of these girls, Magee is the only one who we're sure needs to qualify to Championships.

Rebecca Bross - UB, BB
Gabrielle Douglas - UB, BB, FX
Sarah Finnegan - UB, BB, FX
Nastia Liukin - BB
Casey Jo Magee - VT, UB, BB
McKayla Maroney - VT, BB
Chellsie Memmel - BB
Jordyn Wieber - UB, BB

I don't know why this is the case, and I suppose that it's subject to change. I'm just relaying the info I was given.

Congrats Class of 2014! :D

Lots of college commits lately! I'd like to say congrats to all of the girls who have committed and take a closer look at the top 6 ranked teams!


1. Florida

Property of Kennedy Baker

Kennedy Baker - Texas Dreams
As 2 time US National Team Member and 2009 Jr. Bars Champ, Kennedy is possibly one of the most underrated gymnasts in the country. I'm interested to see a "Gator Chomp" in her floor routines, which have been notoriously unique.

Ericha Fassbender - Stars
Ericha was a member of the 2010 US National Team and competed at Top Gym there earning 4th place all around. Ericha has clean lines on bars and big skills on beam.

Grace McLaughlin - WOGA

Grace, who was Chellsie Memmel's replacement on the 2011 Pan American Games team and has had a decent Elite career overall. Like many of the other girls, she's had strong execution with not as strong difficulty. Her lines on bars are strong and has pretty skills on beam. 

2.Oklahoma
Stefani Catour  - Desert Lights
Stefani qualified to US Championships in 2010 and was named to the National Team Training squad in 2009. Stefani has very pretty floor and beam routines but struggles on bars, particularly in hitting handstands.


3. UCLA
If Miss Val's recruited any of these girls, she's keeping it well under wraps. I haven't been able to find anyone committed to UCLA for the 2013-2014 Season.

4. Alabama

Property of Ryan Schulz 

Mack Brannan - Capital 
The victim of Tim Dagget's unintentional creepiness, Mackenzie has phenomenal lines on bars and beautiful tumbling on floor. Although she's never had the most difficult routines her gorgeous gymnastics is likely to earn her college acclaim.

Kiana Winston - Texas Dreams
Kiana is the definition of a power gymnast, except her bars don't suck. She's got huge skills on beam and is solid on all four events. I can't wait to see her compete for Bama, where I feel like she fits well.

Aja-Monet Sims - Brandy Johnson
Aja-Monet Sims is one of those elites not a lot of people know about. She wasn't shown on TV at the 2012 Classics, but her bars totally stood out. That Wieler-Comaneci combo of her's is worth remembering.



5. Nebraska
Kamerin Moore - Geddert's Twistars 

Property of Kamerin Moore 

Many people remember Kami as the "girl with glasses" who competed alongside Jordyn Wieber in her junior years. That "little girl" now has contacts, has overcome a whole host of health issues, and is kicking ass in Level 10. She's fairly strong all around and will be a force to be reckoned with as long as her body doesn't rebel against her.

Grace Williams - Geddert's Twistars 
Grace, 2011 Nastia Liukin Cup Champion, 2012 Bronze Medalist and former Elite has a fabulous floor and beam set. She's looked like a college gymnast since she made it big on the gymnastics scene and could be a standout for Nebraska.

6. Georgia
Brianna Brown - Cincinnati Gymnastics

Property of CGA

Pretty, pretty, pretty gymnastics from this one. She's got pretty bars, a decent beam and a fun floor. Like Brannan, she's never had the most difficult routines, but she's got strong execution.

Chanen Raygoza - Wildfire Gymnastics 
She was one of the ninety-hundred-million Jr. Intl Elites from GymMax in 2009, she qualified to Nationals in 2010 and then decided to compete Level 10 in 2011. She's a pretty dancer and has All Around potential.

Uncommited Big Names

Gabrielle Douglas - Chow's 

Most likely, she hasn't gone pro, and in my opinion should head to UCLA stat.

Napualani Hall - KGDC 
Who as of September was looking into all of the top 6 schools with the exception of Georgia. I'm hoping to see her at Utah.

Brenna Dowell - GAGE 
I'd bet money that Al Fong is wanting this National Team Member to wait until after the Olympics to go on college visits. I could see her at Oklahoma with former teammate Rebecca Clark.

Elizabeth Price - Parkettes 
Fabulous on Bars, yet still super powerful. I could see her at Florida, UCLA or Bama. I have heard that she'd love to go to Stanford, though.

Lauren Marinez - Orlando Metro 
Lauren placed 4th on beam at last year's nationals and could end up at Georgia (with former gym mate Shayla Worley), or somewhere less prominent like Missouri, Michigan or even Denver.

(Can anyone confirm one way or another if Vega & Maroney are pro?)

Six Year Old Commentary Sundays : Gabrielle Douglas's 2011 Championships Beam

As requested by someone on twitter, I've posted Sofia's reactions to Gabby's unfortunate beam mishaps.

Sofia: Let's watch Gabrielle.
Me: Okay.
Sofia: What's that?
Me: I'm pretty sure she's got a band-aid on her butt.
Sofia: Bekah, don't say butt, say bottom.
Me: Oh, alright.
Sofia: Aw...she fell. That's bad.
Me: Yeah?
Sofia: Oh-Em.* She fell again. ... Ooh, that part was good though!
Me: What made it good?
Sofia: Her splits in the air were really pretty!
Me: I agree.
Sofia: *gasp* She fell again?!
Me: Yup.
Sofia: Is it almost over? I don't want her to fall again.
Me: Yup.
Sofia: That last part was good. (meaning the dismount)
Me: What about the whole routine?
Sofia: It was bad, cause she fell a lot.
Me: Do you still like her?
Sofia: (as if I'm stupid) YEAH! She can get her splits really high in the air!

(Sofia struggles to say the letter "G", so she walks around saying "Oh-Em")

My Ideal Olympic Team

Recently, I asked the twittervese to give me a few blog ideas. One of those ideas was my hopes for the Olympic team. This isn't a prediction list, but rather, if I were choosing the team today, who I would choose.


Jordyn Wieber - This one's a given. The All Around World Champion should make the Olympic Team barring a major injury. Jordyn would be the only gymnast to compete all four events in both qualifications and team finals.  With the thought in mind that John Geddert's been pacing her since she was 12 for this event, I'd imagine that she has even more gymnastics to show that what she's already presented.

Property of USAG

Gabrielle Douglas - Obviously, I'm in love with the Gabrielle's gymnastics and she's certainly one of the best, if not the best bar worker in the US. Not only could Gabrielle contribute on bars, but her all around picture is getting stronger by the day. I'd have Gabby compete All Around in prelims (fighting with Ross for the 2nd All Around spot) and then competing Bars and Floor in finals.

Kyla Ross - Kyla really impressed me at Pacific Rims with how much she's grown up since we first saw her with her little green hair bow in 2009. I think that Kyla could compete All Around in prelims and then everything but floor in finals. I hope that Marta appreciates her talents, although she hasn't been to Worlds.

Property of USA Today

McKayla Maroney - Part of this is because I'm bitter about Hollie Vise not making the Olympic Team, but I think it's only fair for a reigning World Champ to be able to defend her title. I'd have her compete Vault in both Prelims and Finals (obviously) and possibly bars in prelims, depending on what her set looked like. 

Aly Raisman - Did I surprise you? Yup, it's true. I'm now a Raisman fan. Raisman would be the only one to sit out Vault (her Amanar still scares me) but would compete both Beam and Floor in finals. Prelim bars would depend on who looks stronger between she and McKayla. With Aly's proven leadership skills, she'd also make a fantastic captain.

Here's how the scores came out:

Highest possible team total based on 2011-12 Scores: 185.24 (1st at 2011 Worlds by 6 points)
Lowest possible team total based on 2011-12 Scores (if LITERALLY everyone falls): 168.61(6th at 2011 Worlds)
Average team total based on 2011-12 Scores (Including falls): 179.15 (Only outscored by USA at 2011 Worlds)

The 2012 Pacific Rim Mini Wrap Up

So the Pacific Rim Championships ended tonight with the US women winning all of the golds they set out for (they won everything but Senior Vault, which no one tried to get). I was thrilled with the results, as unsurprising as they may have been, and look forward to seeing more from all 6 of these girls in the future.

John Cheng

The Team/All Around final was fairly unshocking, seeing as how the US had never lost this competition as far back as I can find record. Some of that is because Russia and China typically choose to send "B" or even "C" teams while the USA always sends at least a few major players. This year, while world champion Jordyn Wieber and 5 other top girls from the US came, China's only major name was Tan Sixin and Russia sent 5 international newcomers. As John Geddert mentioned in his blog earlier this week, this meet would be so much cooler if China, Russia and even Australia sent their A teams.  

Let's talk about Gabby Doulgas for a minute and her "tweaked ankle." Some people say she balked on her vault. This doesn't look like a baulk to me; it's more like she just missed the vault!

Property of Grace Chui, via Inside Gymnastics

And here was the aftermath...

Property of Gabrielle Douglas 

That doesn't look very "tweaked"; it looks legitimately injured! I hope it won't last.

All in all, the women did fantastically though. Although there were a few falls in event finals, the ladies did nicely in the end. ... And I got to see Ohashi's beam in HD. 

Other than the US, who was I impressed with? 

Peng Peng of course, who rocked the hell out of this meet earning multiple medals and a fantastic all around score.

12 year old Charlotte Sullivan of New Zealand who had an adorable floor and qualified to Balance Beam Finals, even if she struggled there. I'm excited to see this team blossom. 

Victoria Moors whose floor is mesmerizing. I'm so excited to see her in London. She should make floor finals there.

In Defense of Gabrielle Douglas

Olympic years have the potential to make people exceptionally passionate, perhaps too passionate about the sport of Gymnastics. Personally, I'm more effected by the team selection than I am about the Olympics themselves.

For instance, 2004, the first Olympic year in which I really followed the sport, I was all about Hollie Vise. I mean come on, how can you not love that Piked Jaeger and back bendy beam mount thing? She is, and was phenomenal and when she didn't make the Olympic team, I cried. It was harsh that the reigning world champion on bars didn't make the team and even harsher when they shoved cameras in her (and the other girls) faces as the whole thing unfolded.

Inside Gymnastics

Then came 2008, where I was mesmerized by the "headcase" that was Ivana Hong. Oh, how I loved that floor routine and her beautiful lines on beam. I remember watching trials and saying to my cousin, "Bridget Sloan won't make the team; she can't point her toes on her releases," and "Jana won't make it, she's been a mess since 2006," and even "Shayla's too beat up to make this team, they're running out of options." I was convinced, literally 100% convinced, that Ivana Hong was going to be the 6th member on that team. Looking back, I should have realized that there's no way she would have fit, with or without her foot ordeal, as the US did not need a bars/beam specialist. But, I loved the idea of Ivana on the team and I didn't want to give that up.

Kathy Willens 

And now we come to 2012. Who am I rooting for? Miss Gabrielle Douglas. Now, part of me wants to walk away and say "Hey gymnastic gods! I don't like her, okay?!" just so I don't curse this girl who really deserves this Olympic spot. But obviously, Ivie & Hollie not making the team have nothing to do with me so I'm just going to throw it all out there. Gabby Douglas is amazing. She's phenomenal and could easily win a medal on bars this year. But I can't help but wonder, how long will she be "on the bubble" for? She's got an Amanar that she hit at the American Cup. She was one of the top 8 in the world on bars in 2011 , has 15+ on beam, and a phenomenally choreographed floor. Why, seriously, why shouldn't Gabby make the team? If you can come up with a reason, just stop and look at this girl.

Associate Press

Sure, she might have had a "rough" Pacific Rim Championships, but she missed her hand on vault and "tweaked her ankle". That could have happened to anyone. Although she fell on beam, there wasn't anything "headcasey" about that routine. She had a bad day which followed one of the most phenomenal all around performances I've ever seen at the American Cup. How could you not want this girl on the Olympic team? It will be different this time.

Pac Rim & Jesolo Team Selection

So in the past 24 hours, the Pac Rim & Jesolo lists were posted. While some fans were surprised by who made the list, I was more surprised by who didn't.

A few who didn't make the team make perfect sense: Mackenzie Caquatto & Jessie DeZiel are away at school, while Alicia Sacramone is recovering from that awful achilles injury. Hallie Mossett is injured and Bridget Sloan & Bridgette Caquatto (now at Texas Dreams) are rumored to be.Then there are also the girls who seem to get passed over time and time again. (Amanda Jetter being the prime example here.)

Property of Greg Long

  I'm confused about a few of the "major players" who we mysteriously haven't heard from this year.

Sabrina Vega is missing in action. She may or may not have been at camp, but she isn't headed to a meet this year after performing satisfactorily at Worlds in October.

Where is Shawn Johnson? She was definitely at camp this time around yet didn't make either team. With all due respect, how am I to believe that this girl has a shot at the team, if last year's 12th Place Junior Brianna Brown was chosen before her?

If Marta is indeed "testing the waters" with the less experienced girls, then why send Raisman & Maroney to Jesolo instead of Baker & Winston. Or Wofford for that matter. (She had a 6.3 Beam SV at Classics last year and is training MAJOR upgrades on bars).

In any case, I hope that the USA does well at these two meets.

Property of Jessica Frankl

I'm thrilled for all of the girls headed out, but particularly little Bailie Key who's headed out for her first international assignment. I am also VERY excited to see that Rebecca Bross is headed back, although I worry that it could be too soon. I sincerely hope that she stays healthy.

Maybe Marta will have Jordyn just compete Vault and Beam so that Gabby Douglas can take the Pac Rim Title. (Please?!) The six girls on the team are all powerhouses and have enormous scoring potential. While bars is their collectively weakest event, I don't really see any holes on the team at all.

Any guesses on the US Jesolo Amanar Count? There are five girls on the team who have competed an Amanar before, but it's possible that there may be even more now that we're into an Olympic Year. On a team of 14 (9 seniors & 5 Juniors), I'm not really sure what the format will be, but I do know the scores will be phenomenal.

Ahhhhh... I'm starting to get giddy about how deep the USA is right now.


... ... ... Yup, I'm back.

Koko Tsurumi to train at Chow's this month!

(Property of Intl Gymnast, Thomas Schreyer)

Koko Tsurumi has traveled to West Des Moines, Iowa to train at Chow's!

In a relationship that most likely started at the Uneven Bars Finals at this years Worlds, Japanese team leader Koko Tsurumi is training at Chow's Gymnastics, home of Olympian Shawn Johnson and World Champion Gabrielle Douglas.

Koko is training with the group of Elites and Level 10s on a purely temporary basis, and was seen working hard, conditioning yesterday. Her coach did not travel with her.

The biggest challenge for Chow so far? Finding someone in the gym who speaks Japanese!

More details to come!

Koko was on Japan's 2008 Olympic Team, won 2 medals at 2009 Worlds and lead the Japanese team to 5th place in 2010 and 7th place in 2011.

World Championships Wrap Up

So here it is! The blog I've been talking about for 2 years now. I'm just going to go ahead and jump in here.

The World Championships: USA was obviously the big winner, with China & Russia right behind.  
The team competition went as everyone expected after seeing how well the newcomers did in Prelims. The big surprise to everyone was Komova's fall (I wasn't surprised, seeing as she looks like she's dying), and the fact that Vega was as fierce as she was. 

The All Around, of course, caused ALL kinds of drama. Here's what I don't get. Everyone on every blog and twitter wanted a really close competition that came down to the last event. Apparently things got too close for comfort because now about 50% of Fans are just endlessly bitching about it. This is the premise of the sport. A bunch of gymnasts get up and perform their routines and then the judges decide which one had the best execution & difficulty based on the code. Isn't that exactly what happened? Yeah, it was by .033 but isn't that the point? Isn't it exciting to see someone win by such a small margin rather than the 6 Points Wieber won by at Championships? 
Anyway, Raisman needs to be acknowledged for her AA Performance. Now, I've never been a big Raisman fan (She sat in front of me at 2009 Classics and made fun of Olivia Courtney), but I'm over it. She made a MAJOR mistake and still placed fourth in the World. She also really stepped it up in TF, becoming the leader when A-Sac was injured. Aly Raisman is now officially Fierce in my book. 

Vault finals were so much fun to watch. Up and comers, chucked Double Fronts and Phan from Vietnam falling in the medals! Oksana & McKayla medaled, which was great. 


There weren't any huge surprises on bars, other than the list of qualifiers. Only one girl qualified from China and she wasn't He Kexin. I was super sad for Douglas, who hit every routine at Worlds EXCEPT for her EF Bars Routine. She was totally capable of medaling but she smacked her legs on the bar, so no medal for her. I wasn't shocked with the bar medals of Komova, Nabieva & Qiushuang. 


Sui Lu is the most wonderful beam worker on earth. Hands down. I was so utterly impressed with her routine; I almost cried. No, I'm not kidding. Komova fell, but this time, I wasn't anticipating it. She looked fairly solid through the rest of her routine. Sui, Yao & Wieber medalled. What kind of world is this where the Russians go 1-2 on Bars and the Chinese go 1-2 on Beam? Weird. 

And then, we come to the hot mess of floor. What the HELL was that? There were 3 replacements, 2 of which were made the day of. Bulimar, Ferrari & Komova all didn't compete. Now, I know that the rules say that a country can replace an athlete for no reason for EF, but I'm still not a fan of this. Would I feel different if Afan wouldn't have won? Probably. But still, how are you going to replace this poor girl you've been running down all competition on the very last event? I do not approve. (Unfortunately, It's not up to me.) Also, am I the only one that HATES Lauren Mitchell's floor? All this hype with a 6.4 and "It's gonna be amazing!" and THAT'S what we get? Ew. I felt like I was watching a lemur flip around on speed. I'm really glad she didn't medal. Finally, HOORAY FOR ALY! I was getting scared for her there. Getting 4th place in the All Around, on Beam and on 2010 Worlds would suck if you never ended up getting a medal. Hello Pavlova. 

Overall, I'm excited for the next year to unfold and to see Bross & Mustafina healthy again and I can't wait for Ross, Grishina and others to be Seniors.