Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Misconceptions in Gymnastics

Ever since I started watching gymnastics, my family has been dragged down into my obsession with me, especially my twin sister.  My sister has watched quite a few gymnastics meets against her will over the years, and subsequently is learning more and more about the sport.  While she knows more than the average four-year-fan, she still doesn't know much about the sport.  I decided to test how her opinion on misconceptions compare to that of a four-year-fan, my best friend Cassidy, and two die hard gym fans, Ashlee and Brittany from Triple Twist.

1. Many gymnasts have eating disorders. (Anna Burns)
Cassidy- No
Natalie- No, they're skinny but they have muscle and you don't have to be skinny, you just have to have a lot of muscle.
Brittany- It's hard to tell.  In the 80's and 90's a lot of gymnasts admitted to to having some sort of eating disorders but in recent years there hasn't been much talk of that.  That's not saying it doesn't happen...but nowadays, coaches and parents are more aware of how to treat these illnesses before they get out of control.  From what I understand, don't even weigh their gymnasts on a daily basis like they used to, so the pressure to be thin is not as prevalent.
Ashlee- This could vary from gymnast to gymnast for the most part, in this day and age, I don't think eating disorders are a really big problem!
2. A routine is blown without a stuck landing. (Kerry J)
Cassidy- Yes, absolutely
Natalie- No, because you can have a really good routine but even if you don't stink the landing it doesn't mean it's a good routine.
Brittany- False.  The majority of the score comes from all the action that happens during a routine, not just the landing.  However, it doesn't hurt to stink the landing!
Ashlee- False, you can still have a beautiful routine with a step or hop on the dismount.  You can't be perfect all the time.
3. Everyone believes you are going to the Olympics when they hear you do gymnastics. (Jarin)
Cassidy- Nope
Natalie- No, because even though you do gymnastics you can be bad at it.
Brittany- I feel like for the average person... that's true!  Even though us gym fans know it is the farthest thing from the truth!
Ashlee- For someone who isn't a hardcore gymnastics fan, this may be the initial thought.  But only five girls make it to the Olympics out of the thousands of gymnasts in the world.
Spokeo
4. The Chinese Gymnasts are all under aged. (Beautiful Gymnastics)
Cassidy- Yes
Natalie- Some of them are, because some of them look young but not all of them.
Brittany- False!  Even though they are tiny, that does not necessarily make them look underage.
Ashlee- False, Chinese people tend to look much younger than, for example, the Americans.  Even though some were underage in the past, it's not fair to assume they are always underage.
5. Coaches abuse their gymnasts.
Cassidy- Yes
Natalie- No, they don't
Brittany- False.  Their job is to push you.  Physical and verbal abuse is one thing, but a coach being tough on their athlete is not abuse.
Ashlee- Again, this could vary from gymnast to gymnast but it's pretty safe to say it's false.  Abuse wouldn't go very far today.
6. It is impossible to be a successful gymnast if you are not a prepubescent.
GymBox

Cassidy- No, (look at what's her face... You know who I'm talking about [Oksana Chusovitina])
Natalie- It makes it harder but not impossible.
Brittany- False.  Dominique Moceanu was 14 when she won with the Magnificent 7.  In fact many gymnasts reach their peak before the age of 16 (which is why the age limit needs to be lowered).
Ashlee- Oksana Chusovitina and Vanessa Ferrari are screaming to answer this one.  False!
7. Gymnastics is not a sport.
Cassidy- If Dance is, then gymnastics is.
Natalie- It is a sport because some of the things gymnasts do are harder than things other athletes have to do.
Brittany- That's incredibly false.  It's the hardest sport in the world.
Ashlee- False, if you are sweating then it's a sport.
8. In order to win a medal in gymnastics, "all you have to do is wink at some French judges." (Yahoo Sports)
Cassidy- HELL NO
Natalie- But what if you're not in France?  No because you have to have a lot of talent.
Brittany- False.  In order to win a medal you have to put in the hours at the gym and work your butt off to make yourself a contender!  Nothing comes easy!
Ashlee- False, in order to win a medal you have to work hard and earn it.
9. Gymnastics is only competed every 4 years at the Olympics, not every year.
Cassidy- Gymnastics occurs more than just the Olympics!
Natalie- No, even I know that one!
Brittany- False.  Gymnastics is something you do every single day that leads up to the biggest meet of your life...that just so happens to be every four years.
Ashlee- False.  There are gymnastics meets almost every weekend, whether it be a "level" meet, collegiate, or elite.

As you can see, there is a drastic change between Ashlee and Brittany and Cassidy.  The "four-year-fan" takes what they hear on television more serious than the hard-core fans.  The hard-core fans know more about the sport and form more opinions, while the four-year-fan believes more misconceptions than Ashlee and Brittany.

Friday, December 27, 2013

The Loss of Ana Porgras

The Couch Gymnast
As I rewatched the 2010 Team Final, I watched the beauty that was Ana Porgras.  Ana Porgras, the subject that makes most gym fans cry, the sole Romanian bar worker, the gymnast that brought beauty back to gymnastics.  Ana Porgras, the gymnast that retired four months before London.  Like many gym fans, Ana's retirement came as a surprise to me, as a gymnast so talented and filled with potential; retiring four months before the Olympic Games.   Porgras was struggling with an injury and had a hard time adjusting to the coaching style of Bellu and Bitang and called it quits after Romania failed to earn a medal at the 2011 World Championships.  After her retirement, many fans and experts questioned how well Romania would do in London.  Romania bounced back decently from their unfortunate Worlds in 2011, bringing a Team Bronze, Vault Gold and Floor Silver.  I decided to use Ana's scores from the three World Championships she attended in 2009, 2010, and 2011 to see how Anna would've affected Romania's success.

Team Final
I'm only using scores from past Team Finals here.
Vault
Larisa Iordache- 14.8
Catalina Ponor- 15.1
Sandra Izbasa- 15.1
Total- 45.00

Uneven Bars
Diana Chelaru- 13.633
Larisa Iordache- 13.766
Diana Bulimar- 14.066
Ana Porgras- 14.466
Original Total- 41.465
New Total- 42.298

Longines
Beam
Diana Bulimar- 14.533
Larisa Iordache- 15.3
Catalina Ponor- 15.416
Ana Porgras- 15.3
Original Total- 45.249
New Total- 46.016







Floor
Diana Bulimar- 14.7
Catalina Ponor- 14.8
Sandra Izbasa- 15.2
Original Total- 44.7

Original Team Total- 176.414
New Team Total- 178.014
Total Difference- 1.6

Ana Porgras' presence in London last summer would've made a huge difference in Romania's team total, however would not have changed the color of Romania's medal.  With the addition of Ana Porgras, Romania could've moved within 6 tenths of Russia however.  Porgras' biggest addition would've been on bars, where she took home a share of a bronze medal in 2009.  Porgras could've potentially added .833 to the bars score due to one routine alone.  Bars have been Romania's weak spot for several years, and would've used Porgras' routines for sure in the Team Final.  While Porgras makes a slightly smaller splash in Romania's Beam rotation, her beam routine alone would boost Romania's total Beam score by .767.  By going to London for two routines, she could've boosted Romania's score by over a point and a half!  Ana Porgras was not only missed by fans in London.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Key Players in the NCAA

The NCAA season starts in one month, and I could not be more excited!  As a way to get in the mood for the upcoming NCAA season, as well as the Fantasy Gymnastics draft tomorrow, I am going to highlight some of the gymnasts who are sure to be key-players for their schools!


Bridget Sloan ~ University of Florida
GatorZone.com

Bridget Sloan is the reigning NCAA AA Champion, 8-Time First-Team All American, and led her team to their first National Championship Title ever, all as a freshman.  During her first year as a Gator, Bridget recorded only two falls all season.  She became the first person to win a World, U.S. and NCAA AA Champion, as well as becoming the fourth freshman to win the Honda Award, an award celebrating the best collegiate gymnast.  This year, Sloan looks to take off where she left off.  Likely to lead the All Around on a very stacked Florida lineup, as well as try to defend her Beam NCAA title.  When asked about Bridget, Coach Rhonda Faehn said, "Bridget has been highly successful - she's reached the highest level of our sport.  She's a tremendous athlete and a tremendous competitor.  And since day one of her arrival on campus, Bridget has been solely focused on this team and doing everything possible to help the Gators.  She's an incredible team player and has a very strong work ethic.  Bridget's personality is infectious.  The whole team feeds off of it.  She has fun and loves what she is doing."

Taylor Spears ~ Oklahoma University
gymnastike 

Taylor Spears, a senior at Oklahoma, hails from the powerhouse that is WOGA, and certainly has the lines to prove it!  She is a very consistent All Arounder, who's specialty is her exquisite beam work, and did not register a fall on this event all season and consistently scores in the 9.9 range.  Her beautiful routines compliment a great Oklahoma line-up where she anchors the team on most events and lead the team in the All Around (along with Keely Kmieciak).  She had 26 individual titles last season, including eight All Around, ten Beam, four Bars, three Floor, and one Vault, the second most titles in the NCAA.  A Second Team All-American, she led her team to the highest placement at NCAAs in Team History, as well as placing 15 in the All Around.  Look for Taylor to contribute strongly for Oklahoma, especially on beam.

Diandra Milliner ~ University of Alabama
gymtide.com

Diandra Milliner is such an explosive gymnast that it's hard to take your eyes off of her when she competes her floor routine!  Last season, she competed a Double Arabian, a Front Layout-Front Full, and ends with a double pike.  She has such a high level of difficulty and performs these skills brilliantly, which earned her a second place at NCAA Championships this spring in Los Angeles, CA.  Then there is her vault.  Unlike most college gymnasts, she competes a 1.5TY, and performs it exceptionally.  Her lines during this vault are picture perfect, and generally lands it very well.  Her almost perfect vault was just that at NCAA's, for which she earned a 9.925, and took home her first NCAA Title.  Look for her to try to defend her title this year in her senior year.  Coach Patterson has high praise for this athlete, for good measure.  She is taking on a leadership position, and I am very excited to see her compete this season!  Coach Sarah Patterson told me, "Diandra Milliner is an amazing athlete who is probably one of the best competitors I have worked with during my career.  She knows when to 'Light the Fire' so to speak and has that sense of urgency in competition that every coach loves to have.  She has a natural athletic ability that you can not teach."

Sam Peszek ~ UCLA
photos.al.com
 Sam Peszek, 2008 Olympian headlines a stellar UCLA team.  Peszek was forced to Redshirt last year after tearing her Achilles Tendon in the preseason and is ready to rock this season.  Her beam work, much like it was in her elite days, is stunning.  In 2012, after injuring her wrist, she competed solely on beam, with what the UCLA staff called "The Bluetooth Routine" without using her hands.  She was also the first college gymnast to compete a standing full in 2011 when she won the 2011 NCAA Beam title.  She has always been a solid and consistent All Arounder, counting one fall all season in 2012. Peszek will look to come back strong this season as a Redshirt Junior.

Rheagan Courville ~ LSU
gymnastike.com

Rheagan Courville, a former elite who made the Junior National Team in 2007-2008, has been a standout of a rising LSU team during the past few season.  The stellar junior excels on All Around, and is the reigning 2013 NCAA vault champion.  She placed second AA at the 2013 NCAA Championships behind World Champion Bridget Sloan and a 3-Time All-American from 2013.  Her beam work looks effortless and has a beautiful Standing Arabian, similar to that of Nia Dennis and Viktoria Komova.  Rheagan leads the resurgent LSU team, which made Super 6 last year and handed University of Florida it's only loss of the season, and will look to stay as consistent and strong as she has been in her first two seasons as a Tiger.  Assistant Coach Jay Clark has some wonderful things to say about this amazing athlete.  Clark says, "Rheagan Courville is one of the most gifted athletes I have ever worked with.  Her gymnastics is light and effortless and she is a joy to coach."

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Thank You Gymternet

A while back, for my AP Language and Composition class we have to write a journal entry talking about a turning point in our lives.  It was for our eyes only, and I took this entry to heart.  I wrote about the gymternet, and I thought it would be cool to post my journal entry, as a way to thank you all you have done for me over the last year and a half.

Assignment: Write about the biggest turning point in your life.

The biggest turning point in my life was the moment I discovered my love for gymnastics and joined the gymternet.  I had always love to do and watch gymnastics, and after the 2008 Olympics I discovered Twitter and the gymternet and I never looked back.  After I joined the gymternet, I was inspired by the amazing bloggers already there, such as Get a Grip Gymblog, Triple TwistArabian Punch Front, and so many others, and started mine on my 15th birthday, June 27, 2012.  It was the best time to start a blog, with the Olympics a month away,  After a while of writing for the blog, I realized how much I loved review and analyze numbers and past results and how it correlates to the current results, and how much I loved writing about sports in general.  I realized sports are more than a hobby I do after school, they are my passion, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life writing about sports professionally.  I realized all of this because of the gymternet.  The gymternet is such an amazing place where I can talk to other people who love gymnastics as much as I do, and not only talk about gymnastics.  I can honestly say I've met some of the most amazing people on twitter, and I don't know what I'd do without being able to talk to those people.  So, thank you gymternet for giving me an outlet to post my ramblings and findings for the past year and a half.

Thank you to all of those who've helped the past year and a half grow as a blogger, gym fan, and person.

Thank you Bekah, APF, Ashlee and Brittany for the inspiration to start a blog and follow my dreams, and all the help along the way.

Thank you to my first two gymternet friends Kim and Kathleen.  We may not talk as much anymore, but you guys are still and always will be my Aly and Mac<3

Thank you to the Mooseherd, DylDawg (LTAGymnastics) and Hannuda (@Hannaversary).  You both are amazing and Nat asks about you ALL the time.  hanN, you've given me such great advice and helped me through some crazy times.  I love you both.

Thank you to my gymternet sister, Amanda (@gymnasticsedits on Instagram).  You are one of the sweetest people I know and talked with me through some of the weird times I've had.  You are like my best friend and I don't know what I would do without you.  I'm saving up my money so we can go to Tokyo together in 2020.  I love you Manda!

Thank you to the wonderful people at GymnastIke for giving me the opportunity to go to my dream camp, International Gymnastics Camp.  I've wanted to go to IGC for about 4 years and my parents told me, "The only way you could EVER go to IGC if it was cheaper."  When I saw an ad for the 2013 Pro Gymnastics Challenge Prediction Contest I decided to enter because I had nothing to lose.  Lets just say when I got the email saying that I had won about a month later, I was in complete shock.  After my mom called to clarify that this contest was legit, I was finally on my way to IGC.  It was an unbelievable week and I can't wait to go back this summer with a friend! (Only 221 days away :p)

Thank you to all of the amazing gymnasts that follow me.  Without you all, I wouldn't have anything to write about!  You all never fail to make my day when I see I have an awesome new follower.  So thank you, Emily Schein, Emily Schild, Taylor Spears, Larisa Iordache, Alina Weinstein, Peter Daggett, Shannon Miller, Jordyn Givens, Ariana Agrapides, Jazmyn Foberg, Laurie Hernandez, Haley Scaman, Alexis Beucler, Roxana Popa, Aimee Boorman, Jay Clark, Kaitlyn Clark, Madison Mooring, Owen Field, Jeff Graba, Brie Olson, Lauren Beers, Natasha Kelley, Rebecca Clark, Jennifer Pinches, Briley Casanova, Annia Hatch, Dylan Marshall, Emily Stone, Haylee Roe, Vasiliki Millousi, Shawn Johnson, Kayla WIlliams, McKenzie Wofford, Brittany Wenzel, Sydney McGlone, Nica Hults, Bayle Pickel, Marissa Beucler, Kaylee Cole, Timmy D, Tasha Schwikert, Lexie Preissman, and Victoria Moors.

Finally, thank you to all of my followers.  If you asked me 1 and a half years ago if I would have 1589 followers, among them being 8 Olympians, 4 Olympic Medalists, 2 Olympic Champions, 9 World Championship competitors, 7 World Championship Medallists, 4 World Champions and 2 World All Around Champions, 15 NCAA competitors and so many amazing people, I wouldn't have believed you. Thank you all for everything.  You've impacted my life more than you guys will EVER know.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Interview With Maggie Nichols

Maggie Nichols, a first year senior elite, placed 5th at her first Senior National Championships this year in Hartford, Connecticut.  After making her second National Team (she was added to the 2012-2013 National Team this spring), she was invited to the World's Team Selection Camp.  I got the opportunity to interview Maggie once she got home from the Selection Camp about her breakout into the gymnastics world, what it was like traveling and competing with an Olympic Champion and her future plans!
Property of coolspotters.com

1. You first broke out into the gymnastics world at the 2011 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup.  What did you learn about competing at such a large scale competition on a podium, that was broadcasted on national television?
It was an amazing experience competing at such a large competition.  Also, competing on a podium was very fun because it was my first time!

2. Your first elite competition was the 2009 Covergirl Classic as a pre elite.  Did you get any advice before the competition and what did you think of your first elite competition?
My first elite competition was the 2009 Classics I competed as a pre elite and it was an amazing experience competing at the same competition as Olympians.
3. Did you watch the older girl's competing?  Did you see anything that you tried to put in your training and routines?
Yes, I always wanted to watch the older girls and learn from them.  I've always looked up to them.

4. You were added to the national team for the European Tour.  What  was it like competing with an Olympic Champion?  Did she give you any advice on competing internationally?  
It was a great experience competing internationally and with Kyla.  She told us to be confident and to have fun with the experience.

5. You improved to fifth this year at your first senior nationals?  What did you do differently this year as opposed to last year?
I don't think I did anything differently, I just kept working hard in the gym and trusted my coaches like I've always done, and they've had a great plan for me that worked!

courant.com
6. When were you first invited to camp and what was that like?
My first camp was intimidating because I didn't exactly know what to expect.  It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work.

7. Can you describe a little bit about what camps are like?
We do strength testing and we verify on every event so they can see where we are!

8. Was the World's Selection Camp different than other National Team camps?
Yes because we didn't have as many practices and our practices were shorter and we also didn't have dance classes.

9. What was the announcement like?  I know as a fan, the wait was excruciating!  What was it like for you as the gymnast?
The wait wasn't very long but we kinda already knew who made the team.

10. Did Marta say anything to you after the announcement of the team?
She told me to just keep working hard in the gym.

11. Congratulations on your commitment to the University of Oklahoma!  Did you look anywhere else and what made you chose Oklahoma? 
I did look other places but Oklahoma was the fit for me.  I loved everything about it and the coaches were perfect for me!!!

12.  What are your plans and goals for the rest of the year?
More international assignments and to improve all around! :)

Thank you so much Maggie, good luck for the rest of the year!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

As Simone Biles rocked the world at the World Championships in Antwerp Belgium, everyone began thinking about the next 3 years before the Olympic Games.  Will she burn out like many before her?  Will she stand the test of time that the next 3 years will bring?  As I love to look at numbers and the past, I decided to look at previous years and see what 16 year old World Medalists in the year after the Olympics went on to the next Olympic Games.

2005 World Championships

Gold
Silver
Bronze
All Around
Chellsie Memmel
Nastia Liukin
Monette Russo
Vault
Cheng Fei
Oksana Chusovitina
Alicia Sacramone
Bars
Nastia Liukin
Chellsie Memmel
Beth Tweddle
Beam
Nastia Liukin
Chellsie Memmel
Catalina Ponor
Floor
Alicia Sacramone
Nastia Liukin
Suzanne Harme

As you can see, the U.S. won big at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.  The Championships were dominated by mostly veterans, with the older gymnasts winning 80% of the medals, Nastia Liukin being the only fresh senior to win medals, taking home 20% of the medals that year.  Liukin, as you know, went on to be the most successful member of the US team for the 2008 Olympics, winning The AA Gold, Team, Bars and Beam Silvers, and Floor Bronze, medaling in every event final she participated in winning 91% of the medals she tried to win in the following 2 World Championships and Olympic Games, which makes the baby success rate 100% for these Championships.

2009 World Championships

Gold
Silver
Bronze
All Around
Bridget Sloan
Rebecca Bross
Koko Tsurumi
Vault
Kayla Williams
Ariella Kaeslin
Youna Dufronet
Bars
He Kexin
Koko Tsurumi
Ana Porgras
Rebecca Bross
Beam
Deng Linlin
Lauren Mitchell
Ivana Hong
Floor
Beth Tweddle
Lauren Mitchell
Sui Lu
At the 2009 World Championships in London, England, you can see that the medalists were a little more spread out and more diverse than the 2005 World Championships, with the older gymnasts winning 69% of the medals.  
Of the 16 year olds,  only 1 gymnasts went on to become an Olympian in 2012, Youna Dufournet who did not qualify for finals.  Kayla Williams, the Vault World Champion dropped down to level 10 shortly after and is currently enjoying a successful collegiate career at the University of Alabama.  Rebecca Bross, the AA Silver and Bar Bronze medalists, was infamously injured in 2011, and was not named to the 2012 Olympic Team, andAna Porgras retired in February 2012.

So, the average success rate for the 16 year old World Medalists over the past 2 quads were, 23%, however, when the gymnast was as successful as Simone Biles was in 2013, the success rate goes down to 20%.  Simone Biles, may the odds be ever in your favor.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

How The Numbers Compare

A few weeks ago, I posted a post, Predicting The 2013 Podiums , where I took the season averages of the favorites in each event to be able to get a picture of how things stacked up prior to the event.  Of course, this isn't a perfect science, as domestic scoring can be a little funny and, it's gymnastics: anything can happen.  Now that World's are over, I'm going to go back to the averages and standings, and compare that to what actually happened!

All Around
Prediction
Gold: Simone Biles 60.32
Silver: Kyla Ross 59.63
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 58.927 
Fourth: Larisa Iordache 58.06
Fifth:  Giulia Steingruber 57.344 


Actual
Gold: Simone Biles 60.216
Silver: Kyla Ross 59.332
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 58.856
Fourth: Larisa Iordache 57.766
Fifth: Yao Jinnan 57.632

Wow, these predictions were actually pretty accurate!  Besides Giulia Steingruber, who placed 7, the results here were spot on, and the scores weren't too far off.  No one really thought that with her difficulty level, Kyla Ross would factor into the medal picture, but the numbers (and the competition itself!) proved those people wrong!

Vault
Prediction
Gold: McKayla Maroney 15.42
Silver: Simone Biles 15.41
Bronze: Giulia Steingruber 14.804 

Actual
Gold: McKayla Maroney 15.725
Silver: Simone Biles 15.595
Bronze: Hong Un Jong 15.483

While the numbers were well off, 2/3 of the podium were correct.  While the Maroney/Biles competition wasn't as close as it was built up to be, but it was just as intense!  With Biles and Maroney the last two to go up, and then for Biles to nail both her vaults as amazing as we've seen from her, to Maroney going up and just hitting her vaults right after Biles, it was intense!  When I ran the numbers, I believe Hong Un Jong had the 4th highest score, so it wasn't too far off, but Giulia was incredible as well, hitting both of her vaults at the beginning of the final, then being knocked out of contention by the last 3 vaulters.

Bars
Prediction 
Gold: Yao Jinnan 15.433
Silver: Kyla Ross 15.389
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 15.211

Actual
Gold: Huang Huidan 15.4
Silver: Kyla Ross 15.266
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 15.033

So many people doubted that Kyla Ross could possibly beat Mustafina on bars when I originally posted it!  However, when the green light went up, Kyla Ross performed better than Aliya Mustafina when it counted.  No one really expected that Huang Huidan would even make make bars finals, as Yao Jinnan and Shang Chunsong were expected to qualify over her.  No one expected Yao Jinnan to fall either, but that's gymnastics.

Beam
Prediction
Gold: Larisa Iordache 15.48
Silver: Kyla Ross 14.836
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 14.633

Actual
Gold: Aliya Mustafina 14.9
Silver: Kyla Ross 14.833
Bronze: Simone Biles 14.333

This podium isn't as exact as the others, which just goes to show how unpredictable gymnastics really is.  No one expected Larisa to fall and no one expected Mustafina to win.  This final will forever been known as the Beam Finals of Inquiries.  I feel bad for Mustafina, because I fell like that's what people are going to remember about this final, not that fact that Mustafina won gold on her weakest, most inconsistent event, beating the favorite by a hefty margin.

Floor
Prediction
Gold: McKayla Maroney
Silver: Simone Biles
Bronze: Larisa Iordache

Actual
Gold: Simone Biles 15.0
Silver: Vanessa Ferrari 14.633
Bronze: Larisa Iordache 14.6

Wow, who would've thought going in that Kyla Ross would beat McKayla Maroney on floor and Maroney wouldn't qualify?  I'm so happy for Vanessa Ferrari, she's been waiting for this medal for SO long!  I totally disagree with Iordache's score, she performed so well and I believe it should've been higher.  Simone has been so amazing during this week, definitely proved herself as the one to beat for the next year with 2 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze!

There we go!  I'm not going to lie, some of the predictions were closer than I thought they would be!  It's been an amazing week, and I can't wait for next time!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

If "So and So" Made the USA World's Team

Qualifications took place today and The USA has 2 women in every final!  The USA Women had an outstanding day, with Simone Biles qualifying to all the finals, Kyla Ross qualifying into the AA, UB,BB, and FX finals, and McKayla Maroney qualifying into the VT finals (and the AA and the FX....I HATE THE TWO PER COUNTRY RULE!..but I digress,)!  In the weeks prior to the championships, there has been many speculation about who should take the fourth spot, which was ultimately unused, after Marta scratched Brenna Dowell to allow McKayla Maroney to compete in the AA.  So now that we know who qualified into each final, I wanted to take the bars and beam scores of the rest of the National Team to see if they would have skewed the qualifications for the US team, to see if Marta made the right choice.

Brenna Dowell
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 14.7 (City Of Jesolo)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: 13.85 (P&G Championships Day 2)

Kennedy Baker
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 13.55 (Secret Classic)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: 14.65 (P&G Championships Day 2)

Peyton Ernst
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 14.8 (USA-GER-ROM Tri Meet)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: 14.9 (P&G Championships Day 2)

Maggie Nichols
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 14.15 (P&G Championships Day 2)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: 14.5 (P&G Championships Day 2)

Elizabeth Price
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 14.8 (P&G Championships Day 2)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: N/A (I'm not sure how Elizabeth was scoring at camp)

MyKayla Skinner
Highest Score on UB in 2013: 13.55 ( P&G Championships Day 2)
Highest Score on BB in 2013: 14.25 (P&G Championships Day 2)

If Peyton Ernst made the US World's Team, she would've tied Simone Biles for the 2nd American UB finals, but would've won the tiebreaker due to a higher execution.

If Peyton Ernst made the US World's Team, she would've beaten Shang Chunsong for the second qualifying spot.

*All pictures property of usagym.org *

Monday, September 30, 2013

World's Wish List

I woke up this morning and it was World's!  World's started at 4 AM this morning and it's been an eventful morning!  King Kohei seems poised to carry his winning streak into this quad and the men's field is very deep considering the injuries on the women's side.  Much like I did last year, I am writing my World's Wishlist!  Let me know what you agree with!
Getty Images

1. Success for Maroney
Sometimes I feel like the only one that's happy that McKayla is doing AA.  Let me restate that, I'm happy McKayla is getting this opportunity but I hate the way it was executed by Marta.  She shouldn't have strung Brenna along like that and I feel so bad for her, but I'm excited for McKayla.  Marta is looking ahead to Rio, and this year really is the perfect for Maroney to get international experience in the AA.  I want Maroney to hit her sets, and just prove to everyone that she's not a 1 trick pony.
USA Gym and The Examiner

2. An Intense Fight for the AA Title
In sports, blowout wins are fun for about 2 minutes, then it gets boring.  The close competitions are the ones you can watch over and over easier than the blowouts.  I really loved watching the 2011 World All Around Final and I've watched that one more times than the 2010 World All Around Final, just because of how intense it was!  The clear favorites are obviously Simone Biles of the US and Aliya Mustafina of Russia, and here's hoping it's a close race for the top of the podium!
Gym Wiki

3. For Hong Un Jong to NOT to Throw the TTY
I have nothing against Hong Un Jong and I don't really care who gets the TTY named after them, but I hope for Jong's safety that she doesn't throw it!  Her Amanars have really scared me recently because she is not rotating enough and I can not see her getting a extra half twist in that vault.  I see a scary knee injury in her future, and I don't want her to get hurt.
International Gymnast Magazine

4. Larisa Iordache To Rock It
I have a soft spot for Larisa because she reminds me of old-school Romanians that I miss so much!  I feel so bad that she was so hyped up and then had a bad Olympics due to injury.  I really hope she can prove herself this year.  So many people have written her out for the AA podium, and I hope she can prove those of people wrong.
Sam Mikulak

5. Success for the US Men
USA has been known as a women's powerhouse for quite some time, and the men haven't had the same success that the women have.  I hope that they can have a breakthrough year and come home with some hardware.  Also, I hope they start something they can build on for the quad to come!
Getty Images

6. Diversity
The sport has obviously been controlled by the "Big 4" superpowers for some time now and one of the best things about the year after the Olympics is some of the other countries get a share of the medals also!  It's pretty common knowledge that I'm a HUGE Victoria Moors fan, and would love it for her to make the AA final (she was placed in the vault lineup earlier today) and a floor medal!  Her upgraded set included a DDLO and I hope she can find her way onto the floor podium!  Also, Yamilet Pena's vaulting is improved and if she lands it, I hope she can make the posium there!  All in all, it's a great year for some adversity among the medalists, so I hope we see some of that thi year!
International Gymnast Magazine

7. A Safe Healthy Competition For All
The lead up to World's this year has been filled with injuries.  Some of the bests in the world are sitting on the sidelines with injuries, especially on the Russian front.  Here's hoping all of the injuries are out of the way and the gymnasts who have survived to make it to Antwerp all leave in the same number of pieces they came in!

Monday, September 16, 2013

My Opinion on the 2013 US World's Team

They US World's team was announced last night, as everyone knows... (Just a few examples)




The gymnasts selected ( as everyone also knows) was...
Simone Biles
Brenna Dowell
McKayla Maroney 
Kyla Ross

Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross were all givens going into the selection camp barring injury, and there were several contenders for the last spot, a UB/BB position, as Simone and Kyla are doing AA and McKayla is competing VT/FX.  I really love Brenna, but her best events are not bars and beam.  She excels on floor, and her amanar isn't as bad as we've seen before.  This year's world team, like every team, is a puzzle, and in my opinion, Brenna doesn't fit into this puzzle.  Maybe this is my bias for Peyton Ernst coming through, but I believe she, Abby Millet or Elizabeth Price would've made a better fit on the team this year, especially Peyton or Abby for experience for a team final setting next year, as both of them have very little international experience.  I believe they fit into this puzzle better than Brenna Dowell.  

Regardless, I think this is a really strong team that'll be really successful in Antwerp.  Congrats to all the girls!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Predicting The 2013 Podiums

If you've been reading my blog a while, you know that I love to use scores to analyze and speculate.  So, I thought it would be fun to use the nominative lists and average the top 3 scores from the this season of the top All Arounders and top 5 for each event, this way placings are not messed up due to an outstanding meet.  *Note: I understand the nominative lists are NOT official, and I will not be using anyone who has been confirmed that they will not compete.*

All Around
Gold: Simone Biles 60.32
Silver: Kyla Ross 59.63
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 58.927
Fourth: Larisa Iordache 58.06
Fifth:  Giulia Steingruber 57.344

This is an interesting podium.  It is interesting to note, however, that scores were used from domestic meets, which skews with the averages as some domestic scores are inflated and others are reduced.  Personally, I wouldn't mind this podium, although I would love to Iordache on the podium.

Vault
Gold: McKayla Maroney 15.42
Silver: Simone Biles 15.41
Bronze: Giulia Steingruber 14.804

I really like this podium honestly.  Also note other medal contenders have not competed 3 times this year, so I could not find 3 scores to average, so this may not be close to how it plays out in Antwerp.  Also, on average, I didn't realize Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney were .1 apart.  The vault final this year should be really interesting.

Bars
Gold: Yao Jinnan 15.389
Silver: Kyla Ross 15.433
Bronze: Aliya Mustafina 15.211

Looking at this podium, it's weird.  Aliya Mustafina, the Olympic Champion in bronze, getting beaten by Kyla Ross?  Not many people would've predicted that.  In fact, many said if Kyla was to place, the favorites would have to make mistakes due to her difficulty, however here she is in silver.  Again, home scoring comes into play, but we'll see come Antwerp.

Beam
Gold: Larisa Iordache 15.480
Silver: Kyla Ross 14.867
Bronze:  Aliya Mustafina 14.633

There is no surprise here that Larisa Iordache is on top of the podium here.  As the two Chinese Olympic medallists here have both sadly moved on, she currently holds the second highest beam score of the year, behind only Katelyn Ohashi, who has been out most of this year with a shoulder injury.  Again, we see Kyla Ross on top of Aliya Mustafina, a recurring theme here based off of yearly averages.  Again, home scoring is involved, and may be a little skewed, but it all depends on who hits their set that day.

Floor
Gold: McKayla Maroney 15.12
Silver: Simone Biles 14.97
Bronze: Larisa Iordache 14.9

Wow podium is SO close!  Of course, the obvious question is "Where's Sandra?"  We haven't seen her much this season, and I couldn't find scores for her.  It is SO close between Simone Biles and Larisa Iordache, while Maroney holds a .2 lead over them, which is equivalent to 2 minor landing deductions.  This is going to be a REALLY close and interesting final!

So there are season averages for the top rated athletes in the world.  Of course, this is only top 3 scores and anything can happen, so take these averages with a grain of salt.  It will all depend on who hits her sets on the day it all matters.  I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Uncle Tim who has a great list of top scores, where I got a lot of my information from, so thank you Uncle Tim!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Using the Rejected Vault Code

The 2013-2016 Code was supposed to include big changes to the Vault Final scoring.  As opposed to Vault 1 Difficulty and Execution + Vault 2 Difficulty and Execution, scores were supposed to be determined using the formula, Difficulty of Vault 1/2 + Difficulty of Vault 2/2+ [10- (Deductions of Vault 1 + Deductions of Vault 2)].  This equation puts a greater emphasis on execution, so I decided to use this equation to alter the 2012 Olympic Vault Final and 2011 Worlds Vault Final.

2012 Olympic Vault Final
 Sandra Izbasa: Original Average 15.191
6.1/2+5.8/2+[10-(.717+.8)]
3.05+2.9+(10-1.517)
5.95+8.483
New Score- 14.433
Place
Old: 1
New:1

McKayla Maroney: Original Average 15.083
6.5/2+6.1/2+[10-(.334+1.8)]
3.25=3.05+(10-2.134)
6.3+7.866
14.166-.3
New Score- 13.866
Place
Old: 2
New: 4

Maria Paseka: Original Average 15.050
6.5/2+5.6/2+[10-(1.1+.9)]
3.25+2.8+(10-2)
6.05+8
New Score- 14.05
Place
Old: 3
New: 2

Janine Berger: Original Average 15.016
6.3/2+6/2+[10-(1.167+1.1)]
3.15+3+(10-2.267)
6.15+7.733
New Score- 13.883
Place
Old: 4
New 3

Oksana Chusovitina: Original Average 14.783
6.3/2+5.5/2+[10-(1.2+1.034)]
3.15+2.75+(10-2.234)
5.9+7.66
New Score- 13.666
Place
Old: 5
New 5

Yamilet Pena: Original Average 14.516
7.1/2+5.8+[10-(2.434+1.334)]
3.55+2.9+(10-3.768)
6.45+6.232
12.686-.1
New Score- 12.586
Place
Old: 6
New: 7

Brittany Rodgers: Original Average 14.483
5.8/2+5.6/2+[10-(1.034+1.4)]
2.9+2.8+(10-2.434)
5.7+7.566
New Score- 13.266
Place
Old: 7
New: 6

I did not do Ellie Black's average, for obvious, sad reasons.
New Placings
Izbasa
Paseka
Berger
Maroney
Chusovitina
Rodgers
Pena
Black

As you can see here, the biggest change is Maroney dropping from a silver medal to fourth.  Also, Pena dropped only one spot, the result of sitting down her Produnova.  This system, as you can clearly see here, shows that if you go for the difficulty, you better be able to do it well.

2011 Worlds Vault Final
McKayla Maroney: Original Average 15.3
6.5/2+5.6/2+[10-(.7+.8)]
3.25+2.8+(10-1.5)
6.05+8.5
New Score- 14.55
Place
Old: 1
New:

Oksana Chusovitina: Original Average 14.733
6.3/2+5.5/2+[10-(1.234+1.1)]
3.15+2.75+(10-2.334)
5.9+7.666
New Score- 13.566
Place
Old: 2
New:

Phan Thi Ha Thanh: Original Average 14.666
5.9/2+5.8/2+[10-(1.3+1.067)]
2.95+2.9+(10-2.367)
5.85+7.633
New Score- 13.483
Place
Old: 3
New:

Jade Barbosa: Original Average 14.566
5.8/2+5.6/2+[10-(.934+1.334)]
2.9+2.8+(10-2.268)
5.7+7.731
New Score- 13.432
Place
Old: 4
New:

Gulia Steingruber: Original Average 14.450
6.3/2+5.2/2+[10-(1.4+1.2)]
3.15+2.6+(10-2.6)
5.75+7.4
New Score- 13.15
Place
Old: 5
New:

Tatiana Nabieva: Original Average: 14.349
5.8/2+5.2/2+[10-(1.234+1.067)]
2.9+2.6+(10-2.301)
5.5+7.699
New Score- 13.199
Place
Old: 6
New:

Alexa Moreno: Original Average 14.216
6.3/2+5.2/2+[10-(1.567+1.5)]
3.15+2.6+(10-3.067)
5.75+6.933
New Score- 12.683
Place
Old: 8
New:

I also did not include Pena because she scored a 0 on her second vault.
Placings
Maroney
Chusovitina
Phan
Barbosa
Nabieva
Steingruber
Moreno
Pena

There is only one change here, which surprised me.  Tatiana Nabieva scored higher here than Gulia Steingruber.  Once again, this goes to show that in this system, execution is weighted higher than difficulty.

 Personally, I think while it looks confusing, this system is better than simple averages.  I like the way it weighs safe, clean gymnastics higher than terrifying high difficulty vaults.  If this system was implemented, we would see less chucked vaults, make the vault final MUCH more aesthetically pleasing.