Gymnastics

[Mittengirl]

Will Gabby still make the team if she does no better at trials than she did at Nationals?  Or is she a lock no matter what, barring injury, of course.

[cesstar]

21 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Will Gabby still make the team if she does no better at trials than she did at Nationals?  Or is she a lock no matter what, barring injury, of course.

If she finishes fourth AA at trials I still think she would be picked although I wouldn't say it was a lock as Martha could choose to take the top 3 all-rounders and 2 specialists instead. But I think Martha likes having all-rounders in her team for safety in a 5-3-3 format and Gabby also had the added bonus of having proven herself in high-pressure environments like the Olympics and World Championships before.

At nationals, she had a series of smallish mistakes as opposed to one big mistake like falling off the beam, which accumulated and pushed her down the rankings. Her biggest actual mistake probably came on bars but it is unlikely that would happen again, she is normally very consistent on that apparatus. If she comes top 3 on UB and edges out Hernandez on vault (which she didn't do at nationals but if they both hit, she is a naturally better vaulter than Laurie. At nationals she seemed to have landing issues due to too much power which suggests an Amanar upgrade is a possibility although she appears to have developed a mental block with this vault), then I think she will be picked as these are the two events she would contribute on in Team Finals.

It will be interesting to see Maggie Nichols at Trials, such unfortunate timing for her with the injury, hopefully she is able to snag an alternate position. But then I also want Hundley, Smith, Locklear for alternates as well - so many hard-working talented gymnasts, it will be disappointing for whoever misses out.

[choclatechip45]

Rumors on tumblr is that Gabby fired her coach today. http://mycoworkernastia.tumblr.com/

[topanga]

2 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Rumors on tumblr is that Gabby fired her coach today. http://mycoworkernastia.tumblr.com/

I've never liked Gabby's coach--for her. She sounds like a well-respected coach, but I don't think she's brought Gabby as far as she needs to be. But isn't it awfully close to the Olympic Trials not to have a coach?

[choclatechip45]

Quote

I've never liked Gabby's coach--for her. She sounds like a well-respected coach, but I don't think she's brought Gabby as far as she needs to be. But isn't it awfully close to the Olympic Trials not to have a coach?

Yup. It sounds like Christian one of her other coaches is staying on. I wonder if this has to do with Marta's comments about her not doing the  amanar at trials.

[topanga]

2 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Yup. It sounds like Christian one of her other coaches is staying on. I wonder if this has to do with Marta's comments about her not doing the  amanar at trials.

I'm watching the Olympic trials now, and Gabby is indeed there with Christian. She said publicly that it's because it's because she can only have one coach on the floor at Rio, and she feels more comfortable with Christian spotting her. I call BS, but it's a very diplomatic answer. 

Simone is beasting it up, as usual. But Aly Raisman also looks good. I've only seen Gabby compete on the floor, and she looked okay. We'll see what happens the rest of the night. 

[Libby96]

Love how NBC is more interested in creating a narrative than actually showing the competition.  They could have showed the gymnast who was actually competing on the floor rather than focusing on Gabby pacing around while the commentators chatter about her coaching change.   At least during the floor routines that they have shown, they watch first and discuss later.

[topanga]

5 minutes ago, Libby96 said:

Love how NBC is more interested in creating a narrative than actually showing the competition.  They could have showed the gymnast who was actually competing on the floor rather than focusing on Gabby pacing around while the commentators chatter about her coaching change.   At least during the floor routines that they have shown, they watch first and discuss later.

I know, right? Even my 12 year old said, "Couldn't they show someone actually competing instead of just watching Gabby stand there?"

[choclatechip45]

Quote

I'm watching the Olympic trials now, and Gabby is indeed there with Christian. She said publicly that it's because it's because she can only have one coach on the floor at Rio, and she feels more comfortable with Christian spotting her. I call BS, but it's a very diplomatic answer. 

I think it is BS. Kim and her husband were both on the floor with Ragan. I think Gabby put her spot in jeopardy.

[COESpiral]

*sigh*  Gabby, Gabby, Gabby.  I know all these girls are suffering from nerves, but in the case of Gabby (and Simone to some extent) the pressure should be vastly less than everyone else.  Gabby's been to the Olympics and won the biggest prize.  She knows Simone's going to beat her and everyone else, so why all the head games?  She should be going out there and hitting every routine.  Marta likes her and was a 99% lock for the team.  Now?  I'm honestly not sure.  I certainly wouldn't be shocked if she got left off at this point.

And Simone...honeybunchkins...give your phone and computer to your coach and go radio silent until after Sunday.  You're letting all the media hype affect you.  They're like leeches and will drain you before Rio.  Save yourself.

[topanga]

Almost everyone make little mistakes tonight. I'm sure nerves played a role. Gymnasts have said that the trials are more stressful than the actual Olympic Games. 

I wonder what happens on Sunday. I'm confident that Gabby will do better then. I'm rooting for her and Aly as returning Olympians. But Gabby seems to feel more pressure than Aly. She's more in the public eye, which means she's under more scrutiny.

And I know Ragan Smith is 15--almost 16, but as others have said, that girl is tiny.  

[azshadowwalker]

Al Trautwig reading stupid social media posts has got to be the worst thing ever. It's not just that he is useless, it's that his uselessness is exposed in the most irritating ways. 

[Rear Window]

Who started the high ponytail fan thingy with bows? It looks terrible and several of the girls had one. Ashton Locklear and MyKayla Skinner are the worst. Wish Marta would make them wear a simple ponytail or bun and stop letting them look like they're five. The pink and purple leos can go, too.

And I really hope Skinner is not on the team. Her gymnastics are atrocious and I have no idea how she stands up her vaults considering how little height she gets. I cringe when I watch her.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Rear Window

[Tippi]

The high ponytail is awful.  Luckily it did not detract from Ashton's beautiful bars routine.  What gorgeous lines!  Aly looks solid, Rio ready.  I love Simone but she showed some little bobbles here and there.  I haven't kept up with the gymnastics world, so I don't know what international competition is out there for her.  Hope she works out all the kinks here.  Hated to see Gabby fall off the beam.  Marta has got a tough call to make.  Why do they change the rules for team make up every year, it seems like? 

I wish McKayla Maroney had been able to go for vaulting gold one more time--I felt so bad for her in London.

[Misslindsey]

It looked like a lot of the gymnasts were a bit off their game last night. 

I have always liked Gabby so I would like to see her on the team and at least possibly get a team medal. I hope she does better on Sunday.

I like Simone, but the commentators/media act like all she has to do in Rio is show up and she will get all the medals. They need to ease up a bit. I really like Simone, but I wish there was a bit more competition for her to make it a bit more interesting.

I think Aly seems like a great person and pretty consistent gymnastic wise, but I have never warmed up to her style of gymnastics. I have no idea why.

I actually do not mind the high ponytail/topknot. I am not a fan of the bows or scrunchies. I actually hate some of the girls make-up more. I do not mind a bit of make-up (They are on television after all), but some of the eye make-up is a bit much for me. I could not tell for sure, but in some shots I thought Simone was wearing fake eyelashes.

[Jillibean]

It definitely seems like Marta had a very strong idea of who she wanted on the team going into the trials. It'll be interesting to see if any amount of mistake-making on Gabby's part will be enough to change that predetermination--my guess is no. It seems like Marta can afford for Gabby to have issues on beam, because she would likely not use her in beam finals given her inconsistency. It's not a huge risk to put her up in qualifying where she'll feel less pressure knowing a score will be dropped, and she has high enough scores on bars and vault to still make her worth it. I also don't think anyone else is really jumping out as an obvious "take me instead" choice--Ragan and McKayla both put in good performances, but their scores are lower than what Gabby can bring in when she's on. I do think it's a shame, though, to see other people know their chances are pretty much ruined by falling off the beam while Gabby has fallen quite a few times between this and Nationals and nothing seems to be able to derail her path to Rio. If I were Marta, though, I'd be a bit nervous looking at Simone's uncharacteristic blips and Laurie's error on bars and also bringing someone who is rapidly looking like a headcase. That would leave Ali as your only all-arounder who hasn't made a major error at one of the big competitions leading up to the Olympics. 

Speaking of Ali--it seems like her main ambition is to try to win an all-around medal, but it occurred to me last night that it seems unlikely that she would be used on bars for qualifying. Even with a mistake, Laurie scored higher than she did last night on that apparatus. And with a bars specialist going, it seems like the only reason to use her on that event would be so she can qualify for the AA, which would mean you would have to take Laurie out of the running instead. That's a really tough call to make. 

[topanga]

21 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

It looked like a lot of the gymnasts were a bit off their game last night. 

I have always liked Gabby so I would like to see her on the team and at least possibly get a team medal. I hope she does better on Sunday.

I like Simone, but the commentators/media act like all she has to do in Rio is show up and she will get all the medals. They need to ease up a bit. I really like Simone, but I wish there was a bit more competition for her to make it a bit more interesting.

I think Aly seems like a great person and pretty consistent gymnastic wise, but I have never warmed up to her style of gymnastics. I have no idea why.

I actually do not mind the high ponytail/topknot. I am not a fan of the bows or scrunchies. I actually hate some of the girls make-up more. I do not mind a bit of make-up (They are on television after all), but some of the eye make-up is a bit much for me. I could not tell for sure, but in some shots I thought Simone was wearing fake eyelashes.

I see what you mean about Aly. She's a consistent and solid gymnast, and she showed that meddle last night. But I've also never been wowed by her gymnastics. That doesn't take away from her talent or her work ethic, mind you. I just don't find her particularly memorable. 

I think Gabby will do better. If she hadn't fallen off the beam, she could have moved up to 3rd place. At worst, she would have remained at 4th. But I just don't see her surpassing Simone or Laurie. Those women are at their peak, as Gabby was in 2012. I wish the commentators would acknowledge how hard it is for a gymnast to be at same high level that she was four years previously. But who knows. If Simone had been born 3 months earlier, she would have been eligible for the 2012 London Olympics. She's won the worlds and the nationals every year since 2013.  And three years later, she's still at the top of her game. So age doesn't affect everyone the same way, I guess. 

I do think the girls wear a lot of makeup. And to think, a few Olympics ago, it was considered a big deal that Svetlana Khorkina wore eyeliner while competing. It was discussed often during her three Olympics. 

[selkie]

I assume the high ponytail is supposed to make the girls look taller and somehow create the illusion of longer lines, but I'm not sure where the bow fits in.

[Misslindsey]

Quote

I see what you mean about Aly. She's a consistent and solid gymnast, and she showed that meddle last night. But I've also never been wowed by her gymnastics. That doesn't take away from her talent or her work ethic, mind you. I just don't find her particularly memorable. 

You summed it up better than I could. She is talented and has a great work ethic, but like you said not particularly memorable. So many of the other gymnasts are more memorable for me because they do a particular event or skill extremely well. Though being a solid all-arounder like Aly is nothing to sneeze at. It has served her well. I just prefer Gabby, Simone, Laurie, and some of the other ladies over her style.

Quote

I think Gabby will do better. If she hadn't fallen off the beam, she could have moved up to 3rd place. At worst, she would have remained at 4th. But I just don't see her surpassing Simone or Laurie. Those women are at their peak, as Gabby was in 2012. I wish the commentators would acknowledge how hard it is for a gymnast to be at same high level that she was four years previously. But who knows. If Simone had been born 3 months earlier, she would have been eligible for the 2012 London Olympics. She's won the worlds and the nationals every year since 2013.  And three years later, she's still at the top of her game. So age doesn't affect everyone the same way, I guess. 

I hope Gabby does better Sunday. Oh I do not think she will surpass Simone or Laurie either. I guess I would just like her to make the team and have the chance at a team medal. I would think Nastia would know how hard it is to come back four years later and compete. As great of gymnast as Simone is, I do not think she will be at the same level four years after this olympics if she tries for another one and is healthy.

I am always surprised how tiny Simone is when she stands next to some of the other gymnasts. She always appears taller to me on events and such. I am probably not making any sense.

[Shangrilala]

I'm not so sure I think that Gabby should be on that team.  I don't think that she needs to be on that team.  And I'll be honest, I'm not sure she really wants it.  I think she thinks she does.  I think she's training like she does.  But I think deep down she doesn't.  She just seems to be missing that spark.  At the P&G it was really obvious, and then even last night when the commentators were talking about how the old Gabby was back, how the prior week was just her trying to seem fierce, my reaction was "where?"  I'm not talking about her skill level or the level of difficulty, I'm talking about the spark that pulls it all together when a gymnast competes.  And quite frankly, Marta doesn't need her.  She has 3 strong all-around contenders.  She has her bar specialist who could also step in on other events.  And she has others to choose from to fill that 5th spot.  

Just my opinion. I felt terrible when she fell off that beam, but it also looked like she just stepped off, there was no effort to save it, and when they showed the move in slow motion it looked like she could have.  Even Nastia was like - I don't get it, she didn't even try to fight for it and she could have.  I give Nastia more credit for her commentator than Al.  She's been there.  Recently.  

That said, I'm not sure who that 5th gymnast should be.  I think it's between McKayla and Gabby.  Who do you take?  The gymnast who is coming by from an injury and is looking better and better but still isn't 100% back and needs probably another month?  Or the gymnast that you see starting to slip but you hope can hang on for another month?  It's  gamble either way.  

[EVS]

3 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

It looked like a lot of the gymnasts were a bit off their game last night. 

I have always liked Gabby so I would like to see her on the team and at least possibly get a team medal. I hope she does better on Sunday.

I like Simone, but the commentators/media act like all she has to do in Rio is show up and she will get all the medals. They need to ease up a bit. I really like Simone, but I wish there was a bit more competition for her to make it a bit more interesting.

I think Aly seems like a great person and pretty consistent gymnastic wise, but I have never warmed up to her style of gymnastics. I have no idea why.

I actually do not mind the high ponytail/topknot. I am not a fan of the bows or scrunchies. I actually hate some of the girls make-up more. I do not mind a bit of make-up (They are on television after all), but some of the eye make-up is a bit much for me. I could not tell for sure, but in some shots I thought Simone was wearing fake eyelashes.

I agree about the make-up. I like Ragan Smith and can relate to looking young ( I'm 5 ft tall and at her age looked like I was about 12 also), but, imo, that bright lipstick made her look like a child who had gotten into her mommy's make-up drawer. 

Edited July 9, 2016 by EVS

[SophiaD]

Laurie Hernandez is my new favorite, after Simone.  I love her spark and energy and that she's just having fun and laying it all out there.

I think the team definitely needs Aly, to help them stay grounded.  

I almost don't want Gabby to make the team, so she can get on with her life, but she'd be crushed.  I definitely think she's good enough, but am not sure she wants it either.

[irisheyes]

Gabby looked miserable. Honestly, she looked like she'd rather be getting a root canal than competing. I think she is completely at loose ends. She's done competing at an international level, but she doesn't know what to do with herself. She couldn't compete at college, so that was out. I think she needs to find something else to love, but her whole identity is tied up into being "Gabby Douglas, Olympic champion gymnast."  Hopefully, after this year, she'll find something else to do.  She should chat with Nastia. There's always "Dancing with the Stars."  :)

[Sarahendipity]

Totally agree with the 2 previous posts. Gabby's floor routine was awful, totally by rote and no spark there at all. Laurie Hernandez is great.  Loved her floor exercise. She hit every music cue perfectly,  while Gabby stood around waiting.  

[kathyk24]

Gabby Douglas shouldn't make the team. Her gymnastics hasn't been great and she looks miserable. I'd rather see athletes who want to be there even if they don't win the gold.

[choclatechip45]

I think the team will be Simone, Aly, Gabby (unless she self-destructs falling off bars), Madison, and Laurie. Not sure who replaces Gabby I would bring Ashton for bars. Realistically it will be between McKayla and Maggie.

Edited July 10, 2016 by choclatechip45

[Chicken Wing]

I agree about Gabby looking miserable. I was curious to see how she and Aly have changed or not since London, and right away I noticed one main difference with Gabby: she doesn't smile anymore. At all. I can't imagine the pressure she's feeling, defending Olympic all-around champion, hoping to prove herself worthy of another trip to the Games, an "older" gymnast lobbying for a spot alongside fresh ingenues like Simone who is basically the new her. It's pressure. But damn, did she look reluctant to even be here. Still, I think she'll make the team, barring a catastrophic meltdown tonight. Aly should also be a shoo-in. She's technically excellent although, I agree with a poster above, her exercises lack a certain "oomph" that makes the gymnastics look beautiful and elegant. But they need her steadiness, especially on beam. Simone will be left off the team only if she falls off beam at least two times, misses the high bar on a release skill, flubs a tumbling pass and steps out of bounds, and misses the springboard and crashes headfirst right into the vault.

I did enjoy watching Marta's Miranda Priestley faces.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[filmfan2480]

Who I really feel for is Maggie Nichols.  Lovely girl.  This wonderful gymnast was on the rise, big time.  She was the #2 behind Simone Biles for most of last year.  She was doing very well this year until injury.  She's "coming back", but it all seems too late.   Pre-injury, she would have contributed on Vaulting (needed), Beam, and Floor (last year's World Bronze medalist there).  She's also solid, if not amazing on Bars.  Now ... she seems to be at about 75-80%.  That is still better than most gymnasts around the world.  But with only 5 slots and Hernandez/Gabby seeming to take the slot she would have (or Skinner too, really), it seems like the best she could hope for is an alternate slot.  I hope I'm wrong.  I hope she can bring it tonight and show Marta that she'll only get stronger in the coming 3-4 weeks of training.  Time will tell.

[Steph619]

I also agree about Gabby. She's so serious nowadays compared to the 2012 Olympics. I think that she either doesn't really want to compete in gymnastics anymore or she's just feeling a lot of pressure to perform up to people's expectations. She's been inconsistent recently, but I still think she'll make it on the Olympics team.

Laurie Hernandez is great. She's a lovely gymnast who really seems to enjoy being out there like Simone. She's a lock for me to be on the team as well as Simone. I hope all the hype doesn't get to Simone though. There's not one routine where the NBC commentators don't talk about how she can do wrong and how she's the best. 

Aly is not one of my favorite gymnasts, but I love watching her on floor and I'm glad to see that her comeback has been successful so far. Her experience, maturity, and skills will all be assets to the Olympics team if she gets chosen which I think she will.

[Dots And Stripes]

I'm torn on the Gabby smiling "issue." On the one hand, this is a judged sport so I get the focus on presentation. On the other hand, I can't help but shake the feeling that a little bit of the old trope of telling women to smile more is coming into the narrative. Serious question but are male gymnasts expected to smile? I think the Gabby situation is complicated by the fact that we are comparing the 16 year old to the 20 year old and she had a disappointing night on Friday. For me, if Gabby were to go out there and hit all of her routines without smiling I'd be all for it. As long as her routines are on point I'm fine with whatever expression she has on. Unfortunately, Friday was not her best.

NBC also needs to cool it with following gymnasts after a bad routine. Once we saw tears in Ashton's eyes after her fall off the beam that was enough. We get that she's heartbroken so no need to keep the camera focused on her that long. Kudos for her to keeping it together as well as she did.

[Mittengirl]

As I recall, the men generally seemed more relaxed than the women, but since the women have to do well at two competitions in a row, it is somewhat hard to compare them.  Also, since the men are almost all older than the women, and have competed both internationally and in college, maybe they are a little more accustomed to the high pressure.

Has there ever been any explanation why the men and women have different qualifiers?  I can't offhand think of another sport where the men's and women's teams/athletes are chosen differently.

[Dots And Stripes]

12 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

As I recall, the men generally seemed more relaxed than the women, but since the women have to do well at two competitions in a row, it is somewhat hard to compare them.  Also, since the men are almost all older than the women, and have competed both internationally and in college, maybe they are a little more accustomed to the high pressure.

Has there ever been any explanation why the men and women have different qualifiers?  I can't offhand think of another sport where the men's and women's teams/athletes are chosen differently.

I disagree about the men seeming more relaxed. From what I recall many of them were also very nervous and showed it. I recall a lot of serious faces. What I'm unsure of is whether they are told to smile more while competing or if it's considered okay for them to look serious.

The selection committees for men and women take multiple competitions into account. According to NBC, the women wanted to have the trials closer to the Olympics while the men wanted to have the trials earlier. I believe they said this was the first year the two were separated like this.

[choclatechip45]

Apparently the men selection committee wanted more time to prepare after the meltdown in the 2012 team finals.

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

I'm torn on the Gabby smiling "issue." On the one hand, this is a judged sport so I get the focus on presentation. On the other hand, I can't help but shake the feeling that a little bit of the old trope of telling women to smile more is coming into the narrative. Serious question but are male gymnasts expected to smile?

For me, that has nothing to do with it. Many female gymnasts -- including Aly, now that I think of it -- don't smile much during their routines or otherwise. I don't think anything of it. It stands out with Gabby now because, one, she was known for her huge, wide smile before and there's not even a hint of a grin at all anymore, and also, she just looks unhappy. The others don't smile but they don't look like they're unhappy. Gabby looks unhappy.

[Misslindsey]

I think if Gaby was hitting routines more consistently she would be smiling more. It is easy to be smiling when you are doing well. She might be unhappy with herself and how she is performing, because I have seen her do a lot better this year and last year on certain events. Her not smiling does not bother me. People would hate me if I was a gymnast, because I would not smile until after the competition was done and I had made the team. I cannot imagine sitting and waiting during however long the selection process may take. If I did not make the team it would be a safe bet that I would be in tears.

[topanga]

6 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

NBC also needs to cool it with following gymnasts after a bad routine. Once we saw tears in Ashton's eyes after her fall off the beam that was enough. We get that she's heartbroken so no need to keep the camera focused on her that long. Kudos for her to keeping it together as well as she did.

I totally agree. The camera was fixed on Gabby a full 2-3 minutes after her beam routine. She kept her back to the camera as much as possible, so we watched 3 minutes of her drinking water. How is that interesting for anyone? 

[Mittengirl]

Seeing Nadia in the audience, sitting with Kobe Bryant(??), made me think of her husband Bart Connor, which made me think of Kurt Thomas.  Does anyone know what Kurt and Bart are up to?  I'll bet they would be good announcers.

[greendog78]

Bart Connor used to do gymnastics commentary on the Universal Sports Network. Oooh can they replace Tim Daggett with him?

What's with all the commercials?

[WhitneyWhit]

Dear Tim,

Shut up. Simone is great, she is the most dominant gymnast in the world, but not the most dominant female athlete; see Serena Williams and her seventh Wimbledon title.

Dear NBC,

If your coverage is so expensive that you have to air 57 commercials to one routine, then maybe you need to reign in your expenses; you can start by firing those morons you have for commentators, I would rather have silence than those morons.

[Chicken Wing]

Okay, why does Gabby keep doing that twitchy eye thing?

[topanga]

9 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

Okay, why does Gabby keep doing that twitchy eye thing?

An eye twitch is usually a sign of stress or lack of sleep. In Gabby's case, it might be both, unfortunately. 

[Misslindsey]

 I  really hated The Adams Family floor music. 

[Mittengirl]

Why did they cut the teams from 7 to 5?

[topanga]

48 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Seeing Nadia in the audience, sitting with Kobe Bryant(??), made me think of her husband Bart Connor, which made me think of Kurt Thomas.  Does anyone know what Kurt and Bart are up to?  I'll bet they would be good announcers.

You really weren't sure if that was Kobe? No judgement. It's just that I live in a household with 3 males, and I don't have a choice but to know every prominent athlete out there. 

7 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

 I  really hated The Adams Family floor music. 

Ha-Ha! The commentators have said that Ragan was using the music to complement her small size. I don't understand. Is she supposed to be Wednesday Addams?

[Mittengirl]

No, I knew it was Kobe, it just struck me as odd that he was there.  Maybe he has a daughter that is into gymnastics?  Because I would imagine that Kobe can get tickets to whatever events he wants.

O.k., did they just come back from 5 minutes of commercials, show Gabby pacing around, then cut back to 5 more minutes of commercials?

[shoregirl]

22 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

 I  really hated The Adams Family floor music. 

I do too. It comes off as very immature to me especially because she looks so young. 

[Pickles]

The commentators. Ugh. Tim Dagget is so annoying. Too much talking. Stating the obvious, "Simone should pack her bags for Rio!!!". Omg, be quiet. Nastia does not say much at all. 

[Dots And Stripes]

So Simone, Aly, and Laurie are definitely with Gabby and Madison rounding out the team? For what it's worth, MyKayla finished fourth, Regan fifth, Maggie sixth, Gabby seventh, Madison eighth. 

[Minneapple]

I love how all the gymnasts rushed over to hug Laurie. Then she had to tell Aly not to cry or she'll ruin her makeup. Then I got teary because I'm a sentimental fool. I love them all. I want them all to go to Rio!

Ragan Smith is tiny but looks fierce!

If someone could just put some of that tape that the gymnasts use over Tim Daggett's mouth, that would be great. In fact I would do it myself.

[Jillibean]

The commentators are absolutely ridiculous tonight. I like Nastia a lot, but the guys are a mess. I'm fairly certain that Tim butchered the name of Gabby's new floor coach, which was closely followed by Al declaring that it was "ironic" that her other coach who she kicked off the floor was sitting near the vault, where she fell--oh, whoops, actually she fell on beam. And then there was Tim informing us that Gabby had been too "stoy-ick," and that if she could do two clean routines after bars, she should pack her bags for Rio. Cue Gabby falling off the beam and Tim announcing that if she put four tumbling passes to her feet, she could pack her bags for Rio.  

I can't believe Terrin Humphrey left the hotel room with her hair looking like that, much less showed up to a nationally televised event.