Last night while watching the Opening Ceremonies, @Aly_RaismanFan and myself came up with an idea. So whose up for an game?
During these games, starting tomorrow in the first subdivision (Brazil and 3 mixed groups) when ever you see Nastia Liukin, tweet at me @doubledoublegym, using the hash tag #WheresWaldo. Whoever tweets it the most, accurately, will get a chance to guest blog, if you want.
Simply, if you see Nastia Liukin, tweet to me, using the hash tag, #WheresWaldo. I'll be keeping track.
Have fun, good luck!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
What I Want in London (Part 2)
One week from now, we'll be watching team finals, for which I will be taking off. I am very excited! So here is the second half of my list.
7. Aly to medal on floor
I love her routine, as much as everyone else hates it, I love it. I love the music, it matches her faith as my dad informed me, and although the presentation isn't at the level of some of the other routines, she knocks it out of the park with the tumbling. That first pass is breath-taking, and it's hard to be more innovative on one pass.
8. Victoria Moors to medal on floor and crack top 10 AA
In case you couldn't tell by my tweets, I love this gymnast so much! She is another first year senior who I think got jipped out of experience, but she has mostly made up for it this year. Part of my love for her is because I saw her at American Cup, my sister automatically loved her, and my love hit a little later watching her bars dismount and floor. I really hope she sticks around four more years!
9. Romania to take Silver in TF
This team has come so far in such a little amount of time. Bellu and Bitang have made a huge difference in Romanian Gymnastics, I'm sure Romanians are glad they came back. It has been a hard 8 years for Romania, and while I want them at the top, I really want the Americans to win a little more, just as this is the best team they have ever fielded.
10. Yao Jinnan to remind everybody it is not just a Wieber/Komova/Mustafina/Douglas/Iordache/ race for AA
Yao was the bronze medalist in 2011, with a fall in the third rotation! She is such a fierce competitor, and very powerful, especially for a Chinese gymnast. This year, however, many bloggers and fans have counted Yao out for the medal race. I disagree. She'll be the one to capitalize on mistakes and take a medal when no one is looking.
11. Canada to make TF
I think this team is awesome. I wish that Peng Peng hadn't injured herself, same with Taila, but I think that they have a shot at making Team Finals. This is a very strong team all around, and it would be awesome to see them in the finals! Also, I need this for my 2 fantasy teams!
12. Catalina Ponor to rock beam finals again
In 2004, she was the queen of the games, winning half of the gold medals! In her return, her beam has still shined, and she placed 7, but can look to improving that this year, as she won the beam final at Euros. I really want her to show the world that she is still the most amazing beam worker in the world, even if she doesn't win, I just want her to kill it!
That is all for my list, let me know what your wish list is!
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| Photo from Zimbio.com |
I love her routine, as much as everyone else hates it, I love it. I love the music, it matches her faith as my dad informed me, and although the presentation isn't at the level of some of the other routines, she knocks it out of the park with the tumbling. That first pass is breath-taking, and it's hard to be more innovative on one pass.
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| gymnasticscoaching.com |
In case you couldn't tell by my tweets, I love this gymnast so much! She is another first year senior who I think got jipped out of experience, but she has mostly made up for it this year. Part of my love for her is because I saw her at American Cup, my sister automatically loved her, and my love hit a little later watching her bars dismount and floor. I really hope she sticks around four more years!
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| radio-resita.ro |
This team has come so far in such a little amount of time. Bellu and Bitang have made a huge difference in Romanian Gymnastics, I'm sure Romanians are glad they came back. It has been a hard 8 years for Romania, and while I want them at the top, I really want the Americans to win a little more, just as this is the best team they have ever fielded.
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| Zimbio.com |
Yao was the bronze medalist in 2011, with a fall in the third rotation! She is such a fierce competitor, and very powerful, especially for a Chinese gymnast. This year, however, many bloggers and fans have counted Yao out for the medal race. I disagree. She'll be the one to capitalize on mistakes and take a medal when no one is looking.
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| Property of Victoria Moors |
I think this team is awesome. I wish that Peng Peng hadn't injured herself, same with Taila, but I think that they have a shot at making Team Finals. This is a very strong team all around, and it would be awesome to see them in the finals! Also, I need this for my 2 fantasy teams!
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| EnBeijing2008.cn |
In 2004, she was the queen of the games, winning half of the gold medals! In her return, her beam has still shined, and she placed 7, but can look to improving that this year, as she won the beam final at Euros. I really want her to show the world that she is still the most amazing beam worker in the world, even if she doesn't win, I just want her to kill it!
That is all for my list, let me know what your wish list is!
Monday, July 23, 2012
What I Want in London (Extended)
Yesterday I posted a list of what I personally want to happen in London. So tonight, I'll be less brief and re-post the list with actual explanations this time.
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| Property of Jordyn Wieber |
1. A close battle for AA Gold
After watching the All Around finals in Tokyo, where it was SO close, it left me on the edge of my seat. I am so excited for All Around finals, just because the top contenders are some of my favorite gymnasts of this quad. Who doesn't want it to be so close you're holding your breath for dangerous amounts of time?
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| Photo Credit: fulltwist.net |
2. Jordyn Wieber to win gold in AA (My preference)
I've been a fan of Jo since 2009, and I've been a HUGE fan since 2010, after she came back from her hamstring injury like beast at 14 years old. I love her work ethnic, drive, determination, dedication, and her sportsmanship! She's a great gymnast, and a part of me wants her to win to avenge SJ's loss in 2008 (yes I'm a HUGE fan, but not like the crazy ones of the gymternet).
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| Property of International Gymnast |
3. McKayla Maroney to win vault gold
Her Amanar is by far the best in the world, and her Mustafina is better than Mustafina's herself, by far! Her form is perfect, her power deceptive, and she is truly the best in the world on this event. Another part of me wants her to win so badly because earlier this year, I too had a concussion, just like she had last month. I was in gym class, a kid fell on me, I hit my head on the gym floor and I was out of gym, softball, gymnastics, for a month. It was awful, I was in constant pain, whenever I moved. I could hardly imagine how bad her head hurt when she did gymnastics. I really want her to over come this adversity and kill it in vault finals.
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| Property: Gymbox.net |
4. Oksana Chusovitina to win a medal in her last Olympics
Just typing that this is her last Olympics makes me want to cry! She's an inspiration to everyone who has ever heard her story. She is an amazing human being, and the fact that she can continue to win medals at this age, amazes everyone. She won medals before most of her competitors were born, and here she is, the reigning world silver medalist on vault. Amazing. I think I speak for everyone now when I say, gymnastics as a sport will not be the same next year.
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| usagym.org |
5. Team U.S.A. to win gold.
It has been 16 years to the day since we have won the Olympic Gold medal, and to be honest, this is the best team U.S.A. has EVER fielded, and I'd say the U.S. has the strongest chance it has had since 1996 to win the gold. I'm not expecting, or hoping, that it will be a blow out win like it was in Tokyo, but I truly think that unless we made several mistakes, we definitely are the team to beat.
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| nbcolympics.com |
6. Kyla Ross to do good in bar finals
I'll admit, I've never been the biggest Kyla fan, but I do love her gymnastics, especially her look on bars. Her lines are phenomenal, and I have a huge feeling it will go over extremely well on the international scene. I think it is so unfair to her, and the other 1996 babies, that they didn't get opportunities to get experience under the pressure of a bug meet like this, and I really want her to do well, and hopefully not stress herself too much so she comes back for 2016!
If I go through and finish the list, this post will be way too long, so here is the halfway point, and I'll leave it at that:)
The Evolution of The Front Handspring Rudi
Although not commonly used, the front handspring vaults are awesome to watch, when they are done properly that is. The most used front handspring vault (not many are used, for that matter) is the front handspring-layed out Rudi.
This was requested by @Gymnasticsfan4 on Twitter. If you guys have a skill you want me to do a profile on, Evolution or Devolution, comment below or contact me on twitter, @DloubleDoubleGym.
The front handspring Rudi, or the Chusovitina as it is called in the code is a difficult vault, valued at a 6.3 in today's code. Although it bares the name the Chusovitina, Sydney Olympic hopeful Vanessa Atler competed it first in international competitions such as the American Cup and the Goodwill Games, although because it was not competed in a world championships (There was none in 1998, and I don't believe she competed vault in 1999 due to injuries), it was named after the second person to compete this vault, the legendary Oksana Chusovitina, who at the time represented Uzbekistan. You can see a both of these vaults, as well as a list of other skills that were performed first by a different gymnast than is credited to here.
Vanessa Atler brought this vault to the United States, and although never got to compete at the world championships, she innovated vaulting, and showed the world that it was possible. Four years later, Oksana put it in the code and stamped her name in there, again.
This was requested by @Gymnasticsfan4 on Twitter. If you guys have a skill you want me to do a profile on, Evolution or Devolution, comment below or contact me on twitter, @DloubleDoubleGym.
The front handspring Rudi, or the Chusovitina as it is called in the code is a difficult vault, valued at a 6.3 in today's code. Although it bares the name the Chusovitina, Sydney Olympic hopeful Vanessa Atler competed it first in international competitions such as the American Cup and the Goodwill Games, although because it was not competed in a world championships (There was none in 1998, and I don't believe she competed vault in 1999 due to injuries), it was named after the second person to compete this vault, the legendary Oksana Chusovitina, who at the time represented Uzbekistan. You can see a both of these vaults, as well as a list of other skills that were performed first by a different gymnast than is credited to here.
Vanessa Atler brought this vault to the United States, and although never got to compete at the world championships, she innovated vaulting, and showed the world that it was possible. Four years later, Oksana put it in the code and stamped her name in there, again.
Oksana began competing this vault in 2002, and 3 years after, another gymnast added this vault to her international arsenal, Alicia Sacramone. Her world final debut included this vault, one of the best I've ever seen, her form is amazing. In fact, she won her only world title on this event in 2010 using this vault, which was very difficult in a field that was not the strongest.
As of 2011 World Vault Final, two gymnasts competed this vault in the final, Oksana herself, and Phan Thi Ha Thanh, the bronze medalist, who didn't compete it in prelims, and rocked it in finals. In addition, Alicia also competed this vault in 2011, but her injured Achilles did not allow her to compete at all in Tokyo.
There has been signs that perhaps, we will see a front handspring double in the near future, in 2011, a video surfaced on Youtube of Alicia Sacramone training the double. Now that she is (unfortunately) finished, who knows who will trademark the vault, or if we will even see it in international competition soon.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
What I Want in London (Beta Version)
Okay, London begins in like 5 days, and qualification is in a week. I need something to post about, and so I'm going to do a list, no explications, no reasoning, just a list. I'll go more in depth like I did here when more training videos become available.
- A close battle for AA Gold
- Jordyn Wieber to win gold in AA (My preference)
- McKayla Maroney to win vault gold
- Chuso to win a medal in her last Olympics
- Team U.S.A. to win gold
- Kyla Ross to do good in bar finals
- Aly to medal on floor
- Victoria Moors to medal on floor and crack top 10 AA (I think it's possible)
- Romania to take silver in TF
- Yao Jinnan to remind everyone it isn't just a Wieber/Komova/Mustafina/Douglas/Iordache race for AA
- Canada to make TF (I need this for 2 of my Fantasy Teams...)
- Catalina Ponor to rock beam finals again
I think that's enough for tonight:) Also, I want to do another Devolution/Evolution post, so I need some ideas! Tell me what you guys want me to do one on! I think I have like one idea for that series right now, so I'm in need of some help!!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Evolution of The Shaposhnikova-Half
In the current state of gymnastics, it's very common to see the transition, of a Khorkina II, or the Shaposhnikova with a half twist. So, it's time to take a look back at where it came from, the great Svetlana Khorkina.
*This is NOT Natalia Shaposhnikova*
In 1977, Natalia Shaposhnikova innovated bar transitions from squat-ons to this. It was, and is, extremely difficult for the time, and set the path of future development for Svetlana Khorkina, who would upgrade this innovative move even more.
18 years later, Svetlana Khorkina of Russia added a half twist, thus the Khorkina II was born. It is a difficult transition, which many gymnasts favor due to the difficulty rating in the code, an E, worth .5. She blew the crowd, and the competition away with this move, due to it's difficulty, and her execution. It seemed like on bars,(except for 1996 and 2000 AA), Khorkina could never put a foot wrong, especially on this move.
It was rare to see anyone but Khorkina compete this move, but once the queen of the bars retired, every gymnast started craving this move and it's difficulty. The Russians especially love this move, it's hard to find a Russian who competes bars well that doesn't have this transition. It's not just the Russians who compete this move, lately Americans have been trying to fill the hole in the U.S. program by upping their difficulty, which most of the time includes using this move. Even Rebecca Bross, who is more of a power bar worker, not a natural swinger, which this move seems to be easier for, used this move as a way to boost her potential for the U.S. Olympic Team after her knee surgery.
All in all, The Shaposhnikova-Half has been climbing it's way into bar routines everywhere, and I see it continuing to climb into many more bar routines, until someone once again, sets the standard even higher.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
2005-2008 and 2009-2012 Similarities
Okay, as of right now, London is 9 days away, and while I was trying to sleep last night, I was thinking about how similar these past two quads are. So, I'm going to analyze, these past 2 quads, and see if they really are as similar as I think they are, when I'm literally about to fall asleep:) (Oh, this is strictly international, if you guys want a national version, I'll do that later:)
AA Photo Credit: Zimbio
Photo Property of about.gymnastics.com
In 2005, the Americans went 1-2 in the All Around by .001, Chellsie Memmel beating Nastia Liukin after a great competition. In 2009, Becca Bross was in the lead, and after a great floor routine from fellow American Bridget Sloan and a fall on Becca's final move of her last pass, lost the title by .05. Also similar in both years, the winner was a veteran, while the silver medalist was a first year senior, and the bronze medalist was a first (2005), or the first in over 40 years (2009), for the country they represented. In 2010, A different gymnast won the title, while an American medaled silver in 2006 (Jana Bieger), and bronze in 2010 (Becca Bross). That's really all that is similar between 2006 and 2010, aside from the relatively weak field in both years. In 2007, a first year senior from the U.S. (Shawn Johnson) won the title, after an undefeated season, which is a very similar story-line to Jordyn Wieber, from the U.S. who won the title after an (almost) undefeated season, in her first senior season.
In conclusion if the AA is similar in 2012 that it was 2008, it would be someone who has been around (no first year seniors), and wasn't really in the running (Nastia placed 5th in 2007 after a fall on beam) last year. So, my guess would probably be Gabby Douglas, an American who placed fifth in qualifications last year, but couldn't compete in finals due to the two-per-country-rule.
Team
So, there is no team final the year after an Olympics, so yeah, no similarities between 2005 and 2009 here except for they didn't exist, so let's skip to 2006. In 2006, China won the team title, while U.S.A. took the silver, and Russia took the bronze. Compared to 2010, the podium flipped in a way, with Russia, U.S.A., and China taking gold silver and bronze, respectively. In 2007, The U.S. received their second ever title, ahead of the Chinese and the Romanians. That is a pretty similar story to 2011, where a very strong U.S. team went 12-for-12 and won their third gold, beating out the Russians and Chinese.
So, if this plays out like it did in the last quad, The Russian may come out victorious. However, you never know.
I'm not going to do the EF, just because those are a little more random:)
Conclusion: I think that the past two quads are very similar, not in the dominance of the teams (although it is a reoccurring theme in these quads that the U.S. are pretty dominant) but in the way the medalists and final results are pretty identical, in the countries present and the pattern of placings.
AA Photo Credit: Zimbio
Photo Property of about.gymnastics.com
In 2005, the Americans went 1-2 in the All Around by .001, Chellsie Memmel beating Nastia Liukin after a great competition. In 2009, Becca Bross was in the lead, and after a great floor routine from fellow American Bridget Sloan and a fall on Becca's final move of her last pass, lost the title by .05. Also similar in both years, the winner was a veteran, while the silver medalist was a first year senior, and the bronze medalist was a first (2005), or the first in over 40 years (2009), for the country they represented. In 2010, A different gymnast won the title, while an American medaled silver in 2006 (Jana Bieger), and bronze in 2010 (Becca Bross). That's really all that is similar between 2006 and 2010, aside from the relatively weak field in both years. In 2007, a first year senior from the U.S. (Shawn Johnson) won the title, after an undefeated season, which is a very similar story-line to Jordyn Wieber, from the U.S. who won the title after an (almost) undefeated season, in her first senior season.
In conclusion if the AA is similar in 2012 that it was 2008, it would be someone who has been around (no first year seniors), and wasn't really in the running (Nastia placed 5th in 2007 after a fall on beam) last year. So, my guess would probably be Gabby Douglas, an American who placed fifth in qualifications last year, but couldn't compete in finals due to the two-per-country-rule.
Team
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| Property of gymchat.com |
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| Property of International Gymnast Magazine |
So, there is no team final the year after an Olympics, so yeah, no similarities between 2005 and 2009 here except for they didn't exist, so let's skip to 2006. In 2006, China won the team title, while U.S.A. took the silver, and Russia took the bronze. Compared to 2010, the podium flipped in a way, with Russia, U.S.A., and China taking gold silver and bronze, respectively. In 2007, The U.S. received their second ever title, ahead of the Chinese and the Romanians. That is a pretty similar story to 2011, where a very strong U.S. team went 12-for-12 and won their third gold, beating out the Russians and Chinese.
So, if this plays out like it did in the last quad, The Russian may come out victorious. However, you never know.
I'm not going to do the EF, just because those are a little more random:)
Conclusion: I think that the past two quads are very similar, not in the dominance of the teams (although it is a reoccurring theme in these quads that the U.S. are pretty dominant) but in the way the medalists and final results are pretty identical, in the countries present and the pattern of placings.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Devolution of the Double Twisting Yurchenko
There were a couple DTYs scattered around, including Tatiana Lysenko's beautiful stuck DTY in 1992, when she did a full twist extra then her competitors, and did it amazingly.
Many people began doing it in 2003-2004, when it was marked as a 9.8, as opposed to the 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko, which was only a 9.7, a tenth was a HUGE difference at the time. Many people began favoring this vault, due to the higher difficulty and the fact that you could spot the landing, as opposed to the 1 1/2 Yurchenko, which was a blind landing.
Aside from Nastia Liukin, it became very important to have this vault under your belt. In fact, if Chellsie Memmel hadn't vaulted a DTY, Nastia Liukin would've had a higher score, and been the 2005 AA World Champion. Everybody was vaulting a DTY, except Nastia, who was vaulting a kick-butt 11/2, that looked like this.
Everyone was vaulting a DTY until Shawn Johnson was a AA gymnast who vaulted the extremely difficult "Amanar." Suddenly, it seemed like every all arounder NEEDED an Amanar. Everybody was risking form, technique, and their knees (Mustafina). All of these gymnasts had a beautiful DTY, and ruined their form on the Amanar (Raisman). (Trying to get a comparison video here, so bear with me!)
In conclusion, I miss DTYs, and I think unless your amanar looks like this, stick with the DTY!:)
Friday, July 13, 2012
Internet Errors
So, the gymternet is full of bloggers, montage makers, and, unfortunately, illegitimate people trying to pass of rumors as the truth. In this post, I thought I'd show some of the crazier errors, mess ups, or just plain lies.
1) This article made many on the gymternet yesterday due to the way it was written, some of the "jokes", and the mockery the writer made of the sport. I'm talking about this article on Yahoo! Sports. I'm not saying I dislike Yahoo!, but this article was so offensive, by saying gymnastics is "not a sport, but a judged activity". That is so demeaning and degrading to the gymnasts who train their entire life to make it to the Olympics. If it wasn't a sport, it wouldn't be in the Olympics! Also, it is very hard to win a gymnastics medal, so why doesn't this writer try it, if it is so easy?
2)Yahoo! Sports also posted this^ on a profile for Vault World Champion McKayla Maroney. Yes, Mckayla weighs 160 pounds. She must have large muscles, everywhere. While I'm pretty sure this is a typo,(I mean I hope it is, and someone out there thinks that McKayla weighs 160 pounds,not the more reasonable 106) it still belongs here.
3.Victoria Moors tweeted this.
1) This article made many on the gymternet yesterday due to the way it was written, some of the "jokes", and the mockery the writer made of the sport. I'm talking about this article on Yahoo! Sports. I'm not saying I dislike Yahoo!, but this article was so offensive, by saying gymnastics is "not a sport, but a judged activity". That is so demeaning and degrading to the gymnasts who train their entire life to make it to the Olympics. If it wasn't a sport, it wouldn't be in the Olympics! Also, it is very hard to win a gymnastics medal, so why doesn't this writer try it, if it is so easy?
3.Victoria Moors tweeted this.
She attached this picture to go with it.
No worries though, Wikipedia must have seen there error, and now correctly says her birthday is November 5, 1996.
That's all for now, if you see more errors, and I know there is tons more, that you would like me to post, I'll try to do a post like this every time I gather a couple of errors to write about!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Farewell To Champions: Becca Bross
If you asked anyone two years ago, if Becca Bross would be going to London, Becca fan or not, they would've said absolutely. She just was a star, and used setbacks such as injuries to make her weaknesses her strengths. She used to be weaker on bars, but after a foot injury, she won a medal on bars at the 2009 World Championships. Her mental toughness is amazing, and her ability to bounce back from adversity was, and is, second to none. Her career was full of adversity, but she was always there, with a face, that John Roethlisberger said would be at home in a Terminator movie, which may be the only quote of NBC I ever agree with.
Photo Property of nbcolympics.com
Early Days
Becca was born in Ann Arbor Michigan, and after her parents sent her to gymnastics camps for two summers, Becca seriously began taking gymnastics classes at Geddert's Twisters, about an hour a way from her home, at the age of seven. She competed there for a couple of seasons, and when she was a level seven, her parents moved the family 1185 miles to Plano, Texas, too train with Valeri Liukin at WOGA, when she was nine years old. Success followed her to Texas, because 3 years later in 2005, Becca was competing in her first Elite National Championships.
Photo Property of nbcolympics.com
2005-2008
Becca wasn't even a elite at the beginning of 2005, placing firts on beam and floor, and fifth all around. By the time nationals rolled around, Becca had elite scores high enough to qualify to nationals,cracking top 10 on vault (7) and placing 16/28! Not bad for a first year elite! The next year, Becca received two international assignments, placing 4th at Junior Pan-Ams, and won vault at Pacific Rim Championships. Becca put on a better showing in 2006 at nationals, placing 4th all around, making her second consecutive national team! In 2007, Becca was well traveled yet again, going to Pan Ams again, placing second in the all around behind teammate Shawn Johnson, and winning floor, before traveling to Japan for the Junior Japan International, where she added five medals to her trophy room, all five of them gold! At nationals, she won her only junior championship title and recorded wins in three of the four events, taking silver on beam. 2008 was a rough year for the champ, she placed 16 all around at Pacific Rims, despite winning three of the events, due to an injury she sustained on bars, causing her to not finish her bar routine, which resulted in scoring a 6.25, in the new code. But, 2009 was Becca's senior debut, and she wasn't going to let injuries get in the way!
Photo Credit: rsg.net
2009-2011
After sitting out at Covergirl in 2009, National Championships were supposed to be Becca's FIRST crowning moment as a senior. We were all ready to watch the determined 16 year old rock the nation, but things didn't exactly go her way. After a disastrous bar set, and sitting her Patterson beam dismount, a dismount she has a very low success rate, determined by Bekah from Get A Grip Gym Blog, took her out of the running for the title. She placed third all around when all was said and done, and made her first World Championship team! After qualifications, she ranked first, and was leading up until her last tumbling pass of her last event, floor. She fell to knees, losing the title by .05 of a point, receiving the silver medal, as well a sharing a bronze on bars. By 2010, Becca wanted revenge at two competitions, National Championships, and world championships. But first was a stop to Worcester, Massachusetts, for the American Cup. She beat teammate Aly Raisman in a dominating fashion, re-establishing herself as a world power. At National Championships, she won her first, and only, senior title. Things were looking good for Becca, until she fell from the beam on her standing arabian. After several mistakes from other competitiors, Becca gave the floor routine of her life to claim the bronze. This especially amazing, as she was competing on a bad shin and a broken foot. Becca is so tough, and is hero to many kids like me, including myself, who have a hard time staying out of the orthopedist office, and spend much of their lives in casts, splints, boots, and slings. Becca is proof you can over-come anything, which she showed over the next two years. Becca didn't compete much in 2011, as she was dealing with MANY injuries. She did compete at National Championships, however, and her Patterson dismount really kept her out of the running for a second title. That, and during the third rotation, Becca competed on vault. Vault has never been her strongest, it isn't for most WOGAns, and she was competing a DTY. She was still twisting as she hit the ground, and dislocated her kneecap, resulting in surgery, and missing the rest of the 2011 season.
Photo Property of nbcolympics.com
2012
Just nine months after surgically repairing her dislocated knee-cap, Becca competed at classics, after a friendly international meet in Italy. She hit bars wonderfully, and fell on her dismount, but qualified to nationals as a two event specialist. She, once again, hit bars wonderfully both nights, and sat one Patterson down, while she took a couple of large steps after the other one, she stayed on her feet. She was moved on to trials, after making her third national team. At trials, she had a good first day, with the exception of her beam dismount. You can check out what happens when she does it at Spanny's Patterson breakdown here. On the second day, she fall three times on bars, and stopped after her third fall. To make matters worse, NBC didn't show her beam, which looked like this! (Sorry for the quality, this was all I could find!) That beam is how she should've ended her career, but thanks to NBC, all many people see is her bars when they think of her last routine! I'm going to miss her so much!
As I'm writing this, her birthday is 9 minutes away, so Happy 19th Becca!!
I wish you the best in everything you do Becca, you have a bright future ahead of you!!
Early Days
Becca was born in Ann Arbor Michigan, and after her parents sent her to gymnastics camps for two summers, Becca seriously began taking gymnastics classes at Geddert's Twisters, about an hour a way from her home, at the age of seven. She competed there for a couple of seasons, and when she was a level seven, her parents moved the family 1185 miles to Plano, Texas, too train with Valeri Liukin at WOGA, when she was nine years old. Success followed her to Texas, because 3 years later in 2005, Becca was competing in her first Elite National Championships.
2005-2008
Becca wasn't even a elite at the beginning of 2005, placing firts on beam and floor, and fifth all around. By the time nationals rolled around, Becca had elite scores high enough to qualify to nationals,cracking top 10 on vault (7) and placing 16/28! Not bad for a first year elite! The next year, Becca received two international assignments, placing 4th at Junior Pan-Ams, and won vault at Pacific Rim Championships. Becca put on a better showing in 2006 at nationals, placing 4th all around, making her second consecutive national team! In 2007, Becca was well traveled yet again, going to Pan Ams again, placing second in the all around behind teammate Shawn Johnson, and winning floor, before traveling to Japan for the Junior Japan International, where she added five medals to her trophy room, all five of them gold! At nationals, she won her only junior championship title and recorded wins in three of the four events, taking silver on beam. 2008 was a rough year for the champ, she placed 16 all around at Pacific Rims, despite winning three of the events, due to an injury she sustained on bars, causing her to not finish her bar routine, which resulted in scoring a 6.25, in the new code. But, 2009 was Becca's senior debut, and she wasn't going to let injuries get in the way!
2009-2011
After sitting out at Covergirl in 2009, National Championships were supposed to be Becca's FIRST crowning moment as a senior. We were all ready to watch the determined 16 year old rock the nation, but things didn't exactly go her way. After a disastrous bar set, and sitting her Patterson beam dismount, a dismount she has a very low success rate, determined by Bekah from Get A Grip Gym Blog, took her out of the running for the title. She placed third all around when all was said and done, and made her first World Championship team! After qualifications, she ranked first, and was leading up until her last tumbling pass of her last event, floor. She fell to knees, losing the title by .05 of a point, receiving the silver medal, as well a sharing a bronze on bars. By 2010, Becca wanted revenge at two competitions, National Championships, and world championships. But first was a stop to Worcester, Massachusetts, for the American Cup. She beat teammate Aly Raisman in a dominating fashion, re-establishing herself as a world power. At National Championships, she won her first, and only, senior title. Things were looking good for Becca, until she fell from the beam on her standing arabian. After several mistakes from other competitiors, Becca gave the floor routine of her life to claim the bronze. This especially amazing, as she was competing on a bad shin and a broken foot. Becca is so tough, and is hero to many kids like me, including myself, who have a hard time staying out of the orthopedist office, and spend much of their lives in casts, splints, boots, and slings. Becca is proof you can over-come anything, which she showed over the next two years. Becca didn't compete much in 2011, as she was dealing with MANY injuries. She did compete at National Championships, however, and her Patterson dismount really kept her out of the running for a second title. That, and during the third rotation, Becca competed on vault. Vault has never been her strongest, it isn't for most WOGAns, and she was competing a DTY. She was still twisting as she hit the ground, and dislocated her kneecap, resulting in surgery, and missing the rest of the 2011 season.
2012
Just nine months after surgically repairing her dislocated knee-cap, Becca competed at classics, after a friendly international meet in Italy. She hit bars wonderfully, and fell on her dismount, but qualified to nationals as a two event specialist. She, once again, hit bars wonderfully both nights, and sat one Patterson down, while she took a couple of large steps after the other one, she stayed on her feet. She was moved on to trials, after making her third national team. At trials, she had a good first day, with the exception of her beam dismount. You can check out what happens when she does it at Spanny's Patterson breakdown here. On the second day, she fall three times on bars, and stopped after her third fall. To make matters worse, NBC didn't show her beam, which looked like this! (Sorry for the quality, this was all I could find!) That beam is how she should've ended her career, but thanks to NBC, all many people see is her bars when they think of her last routine! I'm going to miss her so much!
As I'm writing this, her birthday is 9 minutes away, so Happy 19th Becca!!
I wish you the best in everything you do Becca, you have a bright future ahead of you!!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Farewell To Champions: Alicia Sacramone
So, next in my retirement series, I'm going to do the most accomplished gymnast in USA'a history, medal count wise.
Photo Property of NBC Olympics
Early Days/ Early Elite Career (2002-2004)
Alicia began gymnastics when she was 8 years old, after taking some dance classes since she was 3. Not much is known about her early gymnastics career, but she began and ended her career with the same coaches, Mihai and Silvia Brestyan, before they opened their own gym.
Her first junior elite meet was the 2002 U.S. Classic, where she placed seventh all around and sixth on vault, but her results dramatically dropped at nationals, where her placing 22 all around, but seventh on beam, which still is not an indicator of how she would perform on this event later in her career. in 2003, she dusted off the nerves and placed 14 all around, 4th on vault, still poor compared to Alicia standards, and earned a bronze on beam. She was asked to compete in her first international meet, the Massilia Cup, placing 4 on floor and 9 on vault. Early in 2004, she competed at the Pacific Alliance Championships in Hawaii, winning gold with the team and an individual gold on vault, setting herself as a legitimate contender of a spot to Athens. However, at nationals, she fell on beam in the first rotation, and had her usual errors on bars, and failed to advance to trials. Also, she injured her back and took time of to recover.
2005-2008
After recovering from her back problems, Alicia showed a strong showing at the 2005 Event Final American Cup, in Uniondale, New York (about 15 minutes away from where I live!) She won the gold on the vault, and silver on the floor. She showed a strong showing at the 2005 nationals and won vault, floor, and a bronze on beam and forth in the all around, an event Alicia was known for because of her bars. She was later named to the 2005 World Championships Team, with Nastia Liukin and Chellsie Memmel. She had a great meet at her first worlds, winning bronze on her best event, vault, and winning the gold on floor. 2006 showed a similar fate for Alicia, defending her vault and floor victories at nationals, winning silver on vault and with the team. 2007 saw the rise of many new age-eligible seniors, and Alicia rallied the team after a not-so-good beam rotation and led the team to its second ever World Championship Title, with out a doubt filling the leadership role over all of the rookies, which is something she is well-known for, and has in a way passed it down to her gym mate Aly Raisman. After 2007 Worlds, she set her self up as an almost guaranteed spot on the Beijing Olympic Team. After a strong showing, Alicia was an Olympian.
The Olympics were not a happy time for Alicia. She fell twice during the team finals, after which many people blamed her for the loss, which is not true. Every gymnast made mistakes that day, and mathematically, it would not have been possible to overtake the Chinese. However, many people didn't realize it, and many Americans and reporters, blamed Alicia, as you can see here. Also, in the vault final, she hit two great vaults, but placed fourth, which is very upsetting, because Cheng Fei, the bronze medalist, fell on one of her vaults.
After the Olympics, Alicia announced her retirement.
2010-2012
After announcing her comeback in 2009, Alicia's comeback was the biggest story of the 2010 U.S. Classic, along with Mattie Larson's dominant return. At Classics, she won vault and beam, which is a huge accomplishment for her first competition back. At nationals, she won her fifth vault national title, and second on beam. She was later selected for the World Championships, where she again led the team to a silver medal, and won her first world vault title. 2011 showed her "full" comeback, adding floor to her resume. She placed second on vault, behind future World Champion and Olympian McKayla Maroney, and won gold on beam. She was selected to go to Tokyo for the World Championships, but two days before prelims, she ruptured her Achilles and was sent home right away for surgery. Since no alternate filled in her spot on the team, she was awarded her tenth world medal, becoming the most decorated women in the US at World Championships, breaking a tie between her, Shannon Miller, and Nastia Liukin.
Just 8 months after Tokyo, and her surgery, Alicia looked as good as we've seen her, and at nationals, placed first on vault, and third on beam, behind new senior Sarah Finnegan, and gym-mate Aly Raisman. She advanced to Olympic Trials, and despite an incredibly strong showing, Alicia was not even named as an alternate to the London Team.
Alicia has had an incredibly career, despite never having an Olympics that she imagined. She has been quoted saying, "When you imagine your dreams coming true, You never picture a mistake." She has said redemption was what this comeback for, and even though it didn't come in the way she imagined, I think it is safe to say, in the hearts of gym fans everywhere, redemption accomplished.
I wish you the best in every thing the future holds for you Alicia!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Farewell To Champions: Nastia Liukin
Okay, I wasn't going to do a series like this, because it was becoming almost redundant, but I am incredibly bored and couldn't think of anything else to post. Also, we have 3 weeks of nothing until London, except for more teams being named, and that I might need to recover from a shoulder injury, which may just be soreness. So I am going to post a farewell for gymnasts as they retire, and who better to start with then our reigning Olympic AA Champion, Nastia Liukin.
Photo Property of Nastia's Instagram, nastialiukin
Early Days
Born in Moscow, Russia in then moved to the US, Nastia was born into a gymnastics family. The daughter of a world champion rhythmic gymnast and the first man to do a triple back on the floor, her parents didn't want her in gymnastics, in fact they refused to coach her at first. After a year or so, they stepped in and took her into the gym Valeri owned with a friend, Evgeny Marchenko, WOGA.
Junior Years.
In 2002, Nastia emerged into the elite scene, placing middle-of-the-pack 15, out of 28 juniors. I haven't seen these routines, but based on her scores, she had a strong meet, except for on bars, which it looks like she either fell several times, or had a disaster and didn't finish her routine. I believe it was the latter, but don't quote me on it. The next year, 2003, was much better for a fourteen year old Nastia, as she claimed her first junior title, beating out future Olympian Courtney McCool by a huge .85, which was a large margin in the old code. 2004 saw her second and last junior national championship, as come 2005, Nastia would compete with the big dogs for not just a senior national title, but a world title.
Photo Property of gymnastics.about.com
2005-2007
After two juniorPh titles, Nastia was finally 16, and able to compete against Chellsie Memmel, the first of a largely anticipated battle between the two of them, ending later that year in Melbourne Australia at the world championships. After an intense battle, Nastia edged Chellsie by almost 4 tenths of a point. At worlds, the podium was switched, resulting with Nastia taking the silver by 1 thousandth of a point, a minuscule margin even in the old code, which most competitions were decided by a couple of tenths. After taking another national title, she missed out on defending her AA silver due to a severe ankle injury that plagued her most of 2006, and even the beginning of 2007. She came back however, to place second AA at nationals in 2007 behind Shawn Johnson. At worlds, she fell off of the beam in the third rotation, resulting in a fifth place finish.
Photo Property of the official Beijing Olympic website.
2008
2008 was a magic year for Nastia, which she started of at the American Cup, which she won over Shawn Johnson, setting herself up to be the "Next Carly Patterson", who just four years prior won the same competition in the same arena (MSG in NYC) before winning Olympic All Around Gold, who coincidentally, went to the same gym Nastia went to, WOGA. After placing second at nationals and Olympic Trials, she was named to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team. According to Shawn Johnson's book, Winning Balance, however, her spot was not as secure as was publicized by the media. After competitions at the training center, she was named to the Olympic Team. In Beijing, she helped team USA to the team silver, but had her sights set on an ever bigger prize than that, All Around Gold. During the AA final, she had solid, if not great performances across the board and won the ultimate prize, AA gold, which was the one medal her father never had.
Photo Property of FullTwist.net
2009-2012
After winning gold in 2009, Nastia had several of endorsements and sponsorship deals to carry out, but still competed beam at 2009 Nationals. Although it wasn't the best routine, it was something, and the hometown fans loved it. She was in the running to be named to the 2009 World Championship team, but pulled out for unknown reasons. In 2010, she traveled the world, and not much was known about what was going on, except for her own Level 10 meet, the Nastia Liukin Super Girl Cup, which was won by Lexie Priessman. Again, the gym world did not hear much from Nastia, until the 2011 Super Girl Cup, which was won by Grace Williams. Later that year, she was on the selection committee, to name the 2011 World Championship Team. During the World Championships, Nastia announced her plans to return for a shot on the US Olympic Team in London. She made a very impressive return on beam at Classics, and then faltered at Nationals, hitting a quarter of her routines on bars and beam, her two events. She advanced to trials, and shed a tearful goodbye to the 18,000 people in the HP Pavilion, who gave her two standing ovations on night two. She handled the competition with grace, and said that two standing ovations was the best possible way to end her career.
Although her gymnastics career is finished, I'm sure Nastia will not be far from the gymnastics world. I wish Nastia lost of love and luck in whatever she does next.
Congrats on a great and successful career!
Early Days
Born in Moscow, Russia in then moved to the US, Nastia was born into a gymnastics family. The daughter of a world champion rhythmic gymnast and the first man to do a triple back on the floor, her parents didn't want her in gymnastics, in fact they refused to coach her at first. After a year or so, they stepped in and took her into the gym Valeri owned with a friend, Evgeny Marchenko, WOGA.
Junior Years.
In 2002, Nastia emerged into the elite scene, placing middle-of-the-pack 15, out of 28 juniors. I haven't seen these routines, but based on her scores, she had a strong meet, except for on bars, which it looks like she either fell several times, or had a disaster and didn't finish her routine. I believe it was the latter, but don't quote me on it. The next year, 2003, was much better for a fourteen year old Nastia, as she claimed her first junior title, beating out future Olympian Courtney McCool by a huge .85, which was a large margin in the old code. 2004 saw her second and last junior national championship, as come 2005, Nastia would compete with the big dogs for not just a senior national title, but a world title.
2005-2007
After two juniorPh titles, Nastia was finally 16, and able to compete against Chellsie Memmel, the first of a largely anticipated battle between the two of them, ending later that year in Melbourne Australia at the world championships. After an intense battle, Nastia edged Chellsie by almost 4 tenths of a point. At worlds, the podium was switched, resulting with Nastia taking the silver by 1 thousandth of a point, a minuscule margin even in the old code, which most competitions were decided by a couple of tenths. After taking another national title, she missed out on defending her AA silver due to a severe ankle injury that plagued her most of 2006, and even the beginning of 2007. She came back however, to place second AA at nationals in 2007 behind Shawn Johnson. At worlds, she fell off of the beam in the third rotation, resulting in a fifth place finish.
2008
2008 was a magic year for Nastia, which she started of at the American Cup, which she won over Shawn Johnson, setting herself up to be the "Next Carly Patterson", who just four years prior won the same competition in the same arena (MSG in NYC) before winning Olympic All Around Gold, who coincidentally, went to the same gym Nastia went to, WOGA. After placing second at nationals and Olympic Trials, she was named to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team. According to Shawn Johnson's book, Winning Balance, however, her spot was not as secure as was publicized by the media. After competitions at the training center, she was named to the Olympic Team. In Beijing, she helped team USA to the team silver, but had her sights set on an ever bigger prize than that, All Around Gold. During the AA final, she had solid, if not great performances across the board and won the ultimate prize, AA gold, which was the one medal her father never had.
2009-2012
After winning gold in 2009, Nastia had several of endorsements and sponsorship deals to carry out, but still competed beam at 2009 Nationals. Although it wasn't the best routine, it was something, and the hometown fans loved it. She was in the running to be named to the 2009 World Championship team, but pulled out for unknown reasons. In 2010, she traveled the world, and not much was known about what was going on, except for her own Level 10 meet, the Nastia Liukin Super Girl Cup, which was won by Lexie Priessman. Again, the gym world did not hear much from Nastia, until the 2011 Super Girl Cup, which was won by Grace Williams. Later that year, she was on the selection committee, to name the 2011 World Championship Team. During the World Championships, Nastia announced her plans to return for a shot on the US Olympic Team in London. She made a very impressive return on beam at Classics, and then faltered at Nationals, hitting a quarter of her routines on bars and beam, her two events. She advanced to trials, and shed a tearful goodbye to the 18,000 people in the HP Pavilion, who gave her two standing ovations on night two. She handled the competition with grace, and said that two standing ovations was the best possible way to end her career.
Although her gymnastics career is finished, I'm sure Nastia will not be far from the gymnastics world. I wish Nastia lost of love and luck in whatever she does next.
Congrats on a great and successful career!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Olympic Trials:What Happened
The end for some gymnasts, the beginning for so many more. From the "dark horse" first year seniors, to the "comeback kids", trials were an emotional roller coaster as a viewer, I can't even imagine what it must have been like for Nastia, Sabrina, Alicia, Becca, Brenna, who competed on a broken wrist, Sarah, Anna, Elizabeth, Kennedy, or even Bridget, who couldn't even compete due to injury. Then there was the team, Jordyn, McKayla, Aly, Gabby, and Kyla. I can't even imagine what it must be like for them.
Comeback Kids
In tears after her bars and beam, Nastia Liukin bode a very sad farewell after last night's competition. She fell on her laid-out gienger, which was the first time I've seen her fall on that. Fortunately, finally pulled out the dismount, so maybe that fall was a blessing in disguise (for her fans, not for her, she fell), so she could refocus, and finally pull that dismount to her feet, which was great to see. Her beam was one of the best she's done it ever since she came back. I wish she came back a little earlier, it would've been great to see her
Property of Fulltwist.net
compete internationally again. Her tearfully farewell was met with two standing ovations, which she said was the greatest way she could ever imagine ending her gymnastics career, officially announcing she was done.
Photo property of Rickey.org
This picture was just eight months ago, and there was no one who would've thought that she would look so beastly just 8 months after rupturing her Achilles Tendon. The power of her rudi on vault was amazing, and she looked the same on this event as she did in 2010, when she became the world champion. Her beam is easily one of the best in this country right now, maybe even the world. Her entire career was inspiring to many people, not making trials in 2004, coming back and winning floor in Melbourne in 2005, making the team in 2008, only to have a disappointing Olympics, and coming back for redemption, and getting a little bit with that world title she never had, only to rupture her Achilles, come back and not make it. It's hard to see her not competing, but I wish her the best in everything she does, and I will always love her competitiveness, and dedication to the sport of gymnastics.
Bridget Sloan
Bridget took this picture at trials, which ended her career after she injured her elbow in warm-ups. It wasn't the ideal way to end her elite career, but (hopefully) when people think of her her, they think of the world championship in 2009, and nationals, where her bars look good, if not great, and she came back in the all around after a bunch of injuries. Her comeback from injuries to the shape she was in was amazing, and Florida is lucky to have such a talented athlete to add to their line up come September.
Becca Bross
Becca had a rough time at trials. On day 1, she hit bars about just as well as she could do it. But then she fell on beam on her arabian, and fell on her dismount. She never fails to scare everybody on that skill, but I particularly admire her determination to never stop trying. However, I was so scared for her knees in particular every time. No one knew why she kept trying, but I admired the determination. On day 2, she had an awful go on bars, as you can she in the video. She fell not once, not twice, but three times. When does that ever happen to Becca on bars? My friend who I watched this with was shocked, and when Valeri stoped her after the third fall, I felt my heart break. This is never how anyone imagined the end of her career, and she will be sorely missed. NBC didn't show her beam, but I heard she hit the Patterson, and not only did she hit it, I heard from someone in the arena she stuck it. What a way to end your career, sticking the dismount every one told you you shouldn't compete. I wish Becca the best of luck in whatever she does.
The Alternates
Anna Li had the competition of her life and shocked me by becoming an alternate. Don't get me wrong, I love this gymnast, I'm a sucker for an underdog rising to the top story, but I just didn't see her being an alternate, kinda like it was all or nothing with her because she wasn't an all around gymnast like you want in an alternate. It all came down to bars, which luckily for Anna, is her best event, by far. Her Rybalko to Yaeger combination blows my mind every time. It is hit way harder than it should be, the Rybalko is not a pirouette move, so it should not be deducted as one. I wish her luck in whatever comes next.
Photo Property of gymnastics.about.com
She burst onto the scene this year as a first year senior, and if you asked me last year if she would even be considered for an alternate spot, I probably would've asked who she was. That's how amazing Elizabeth Price, or Ebee, burst onto the senior scene this year. She has an gorgeous amanar and is great all around, which makes her the perfect alternate. I really hope she continues after this year, because she is full of potential to be the star of the next quad, a la Afanaseva, which coincidentally, Ebee uses the same music as Afanaseva.
After a great showing at the Jesolo Cup, many people put Sarah Finnegan on their Olympic Teams. I never got that far, I was being realistic, but I was sentimentally hoping for her to succeed. She reminds me of Aly Raisman, just less consistent. She knocks floor out of the park everytime, and her Arabian to Korburt flip on beam blows my mind. She is full of potential, and I could see her being the Bridget Sloan of next quad.
Comeback Kids
Property of Fulltwist.net
compete internationally again. Her tearfully farewell was met with two standing ovations, which she said was the greatest way she could ever imagine ending her gymnastics career, officially announcing she was done.
This picture was just eight months ago, and there was no one who would've thought that she would look so beastly just 8 months after rupturing her Achilles Tendon. The power of her rudi on vault was amazing, and she looked the same on this event as she did in 2010, when she became the world champion. Her beam is easily one of the best in this country right now, maybe even the world. Her entire career was inspiring to many people, not making trials in 2004, coming back and winning floor in Melbourne in 2005, making the team in 2008, only to have a disappointing Olympics, and coming back for redemption, and getting a little bit with that world title she never had, only to rupture her Achilles, come back and not make it. It's hard to see her not competing, but I wish her the best in everything she does, and I will always love her competitiveness, and dedication to the sport of gymnastics.
Bridget Sloan
Photo property of Bridget Sloan's Instagram
Bridget took this picture at trials, which ended her career after she injured her elbow in warm-ups. It wasn't the ideal way to end her elite career, but (hopefully) when people think of her her, they think of the world championship in 2009, and nationals, where her bars look good, if not great, and she came back in the all around after a bunch of injuries. Her comeback from injuries to the shape she was in was amazing, and Florida is lucky to have such a talented athlete to add to their line up come September.
Becca had a rough time at trials. On day 1, she hit bars about just as well as she could do it. But then she fell on beam on her arabian, and fell on her dismount. She never fails to scare everybody on that skill, but I particularly admire her determination to never stop trying. However, I was so scared for her knees in particular every time. No one knew why she kept trying, but I admired the determination. On day 2, she had an awful go on bars, as you can she in the video. She fell not once, not twice, but three times. When does that ever happen to Becca on bars? My friend who I watched this with was shocked, and when Valeri stoped her after the third fall, I felt my heart break. This is never how anyone imagined the end of her career, and she will be sorely missed. NBC didn't show her beam, but I heard she hit the Patterson, and not only did she hit it, I heard from someone in the arena she stuck it. What a way to end your career, sticking the dismount every one told you you shouldn't compete. I wish Becca the best of luck in whatever she does.
The Alternates
She burst onto the scene this year as a first year senior, and if you asked me last year if she would even be considered for an alternate spot, I probably would've asked who she was. That's how amazing Elizabeth Price, or Ebee, burst onto the senior scene this year. She has an gorgeous amanar and is great all around, which makes her the perfect alternate. I really hope she continues after this year, because she is full of potential to be the star of the next quad, a la Afanaseva, which coincidentally, Ebee uses the same music as Afanaseva.
After a great showing at the Jesolo Cup, many people put Sarah Finnegan on their Olympic Teams. I never got that far, I was being realistic, but I was sentimentally hoping for her to succeed. She reminds me of Aly Raisman, just less consistent. She knocks floor out of the park everytime, and her Arabian to Korburt flip on beam blows my mind. She is full of potential, and I could see her being the Bridget Sloan of next quad.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Our US Olympic Team
Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, Jordyn Wieber.
What's the same between the 5? They'll be wearing the red, white, and blue (and hopefully no #hotpink) in 26 days. These are the USA Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team.
Gabby Douglas won trials, reestablishing herself as a serious threat for gold on London. I just found out her score, which was a huge, world class 62.05, which easily would've won any AA world championship this quad. the scoring was everywhere, so I highly doubt she'll score this high in London.
What I see her doing in London-AA Final, UB Final, UB, and possibly VT and FX in team final, battling with Aly for vault and McKayla for floor.
Property of codemoar.
McKayla Maroney proved that she can come back from adversity and do amazing things with one week of training. I hit my head against a chair, because I was in complete shock that her vault is so perfect, even though I've seen it 83756287 times. I think she is a serious contender for vault gold, and is for sure the one to beat!
What I see her doing in London-VT Final, and Vault in TF
Aly Raisman- By far the most consistent performer in the US, I think no one was surprised when her name was announced. She showed Marta time and time again that she can compete under pressure and doing in an amazing manner. Her tumbling is out of this world, and I think she'll finally be able to put up a good fight for gold there.
What I see her doing in London-BB Final, FX Final, and BB, FX, and battling Gabby for VT in Team Final.
Kyla Ross-The baby of the team, she had a great night. Her lines are gorgeous, and maybe spending weeks with Kyla will be good for the other girls, because hopefully sticking is contagious. No one sticks better than her. I think she'll shine internationally, because of her lines. I hope she continues after this year, a la Bridget Sloan 2009.
What I see her doing in London=UB Final, UB and BB in Team Final
Jordyn Wieber-The reigning world AA Champion, it was no surprise that she'll be able to fight to defend it in London. I think it was surprising Gabby surpassed her, Jo really needs to hit those connections on beam. When she does, I think they'll be beautiful. I hope she hits them in London. On the bright side, she hit bars two days in a row her, the best I've seen from her in a while.
What I see her doing in London-AA Final, BB Final, FX Final, and AA in the Team Final
I think this a really strong team, with the potential to do great things. I'll post about routines from night 1 and night 2, when I'm not sleeping over a friend's house and it's not almost 1 AM. Congrats to the girls and coaches. Go Team USA!!
What's the same between the 5? They'll be wearing the red, white, and blue (and hopefully no #hotpink) in 26 days. These are the USA Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team.
Gabby Douglas won trials, reestablishing herself as a serious threat for gold on London. I just found out her score, which was a huge, world class 62.05, which easily would've won any AA world championship this quad. the scoring was everywhere, so I highly doubt she'll score this high in London.
What I see her doing in London-AA Final, UB Final, UB, and possibly VT and FX in team final, battling with Aly for vault and McKayla for floor.
Property of codemoar.
McKayla Maroney proved that she can come back from adversity and do amazing things with one week of training. I hit my head against a chair, because I was in complete shock that her vault is so perfect, even though I've seen it 83756287 times. I think she is a serious contender for vault gold, and is for sure the one to beat!
What I see her doing in London-VT Final, and Vault in TF
Aly Raisman- By far the most consistent performer in the US, I think no one was surprised when her name was announced. She showed Marta time and time again that she can compete under pressure and doing in an amazing manner. Her tumbling is out of this world, and I think she'll finally be able to put up a good fight for gold there.
What I see her doing in London-BB Final, FX Final, and BB, FX, and battling Gabby for VT in Team Final.
Kyla Ross-The baby of the team, she had a great night. Her lines are gorgeous, and maybe spending weeks with Kyla will be good for the other girls, because hopefully sticking is contagious. No one sticks better than her. I think she'll shine internationally, because of her lines. I hope she continues after this year, a la Bridget Sloan 2009.
What I see her doing in London=UB Final, UB and BB in Team Final
Jordyn Wieber-The reigning world AA Champion, it was no surprise that she'll be able to fight to defend it in London. I think it was surprising Gabby surpassed her, Jo really needs to hit those connections on beam. When she does, I think they'll be beautiful. I hope she hits them in London. On the bright side, she hit bars two days in a row her, the best I've seen from her in a while.
What I see her doing in London-AA Final, BB Final, FX Final, and AA in the Team Final
I think this a really strong team, with the potential to do great things. I'll post about routines from night 1 and night 2, when I'm not sleeping over a friend's house and it's not almost 1 AM. Congrats to the girls and coaches. Go Team USA!!
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