Gymnastics

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Although I think she could definitely upgrade the difficulty of her tumbling, I enjoyed her routine a lot more than most of the other FX we see these days where everyone is doing the exact same elements for bonus points and the "dance" sections between tumbling passes with absolutely no feeling or fun at all.

[HartofDixie]

http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/article/24300690/little-girls-pretty-boxes-new-forward-olympic-gymnast-jamie-dantzscher

[CeeBeeGee]

Oh my God, I FLOVE this floor exercise!

I watched most of Euros but not the floor final--I understand she took the bronze. Fantastic choreography!

 

[HartofDixie]

Roster for this week's Nationals: https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=22345#field

[HartofDixie]

Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian have been added to the Nassar list. 

[HartofDixie]

Yelena Shushunova passed away

http://eng.gymnovosti.com/yelena-shushunova-passed-away/

[HartofDixie]

Podium Training

Juniors

 

Seniors

[CeeBeeGee]

Shoush was young. Rest in peace, awesome gymnast. Her floor routine in Seoul was incredible.

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Podium Training

Juniors

 

Seniors

Thank you! 

[scarynikki12]

9 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian have been added to the Nassar list. 

I hope this man lives a long time and suffers every single day. Have we hit 300 yet? It has to be closing in at this point. Fucking monster. 

I knew it wasn’t likely that Kyla escaped abuse, as he went after her teammates with no repercussions, but I’m sorry to be right. Same for Madison. 

[SophiaD]

It's absolutely sickening what those young women and girls went through.  My heart breaks for them all.

I'm watching the USA Men's Competition right now, and Sam Mikulak has to be one of the most frustrating athletes I've ever seen.  He's like the Sasha Cohen of men's gymnastics.  He has these crazy good skills, but he has the weirdest mental lapses on easy elements.  I almost wish he would retire, because it's so nerve-wracking to watch him.  Speaking of figure skaters, it was nice to see Nancy Kerrigan in the stands.  She looks amazing.

Akash Modi is delightful.  

Allan Bower also just had a really odd mental lapse.  I hope this isn't a thing.

Yul Moldauer isn't doing all that well, either.  

It's going to be really interesting to see who manages to put together a decent Night 2.  I'm looking forward to seeing Simone tomorrow.

[HartofDixie]

14 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I hope this man lives a long time and suffers every single day. Have we hit 300 yet? It has to be closing in at this point. Fucking monster. 

I knew it wasn’t likely that Kyla escaped abuse, as he went after her teammates with no repercussions, but I’m sorry to be right. Same for Madison. 

Ashton Locklear and Morgan White were added to the list a few weeks ago when they both attended the Senate hearing.

If you want to watch day 1 for the Juniors.  I believe the Senior competition will air on The Olympic channel and not NBC.

[HartofDixie]

http://www.insidegymnastics.com/news-features/margzetta-fraziers-challenging-journey-to-ucla-nationals-and-beyond/

[IvySpice]

Dude. YUL. YOUR HAIR. Do you have to go THAT over the top? Mike D and the Situation would be embarrassed to rock that look on the Jersey Shore!

[MostlyC]

I saw an interview on cbs and I did not like how the UCLA coach seemed to wave off any responsibility of the Karolyis.  Even if they didn’t know (and I think they knew something. I suspect they know where all the bodies are buried), they didn’t care.  Medals > Kids being safe.  

I’d rather have the USA team win zero medals and come home happy than win golds and be abused and terrorized into performing well.  

[tanyak]

Random note,  but it looks like Terry Gannon has permanently replaced Al Trautwig as the play-by-play announcer.  I didn’t hate Al to the extent that others did,  but I really like Terry with figure skating.  Interested to see how he does here. 

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, tanyak said:

Random note,  but it looks like Terry Gannon has permanently replaced Al Trautwig as the play-by-play announcer.  I didn’t hate Al to the extent that others did,  but I really like Terry with figure skating.  Interested to see how he does here. 

The really cool thing about Terry is that he does his homework and really listens to what the pros tell him as they do the play-by-play for figure skating.  Whenever I watched him with Peggy Fleming and Dick Button, I'd always forget that he doesn't have a skating background (his competitive sport was college basketball until his coach told him he'd be better off going into broadcasting).  I think he'll do very well with gymnastics if he keeps up his habit of studying, listening, and asking the right questions of the experts around him.

[Indy]

6 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

The really cool thing about Terry is that he does his homework and really listens to what the pros tell him as they do the play-by-play for figure skating.  Whenever I watched him with Peggy Fleming and Dick Button, I'd always forget that he doesn't have a skating background (his competitive sport was college basketball until his coach told him he'd be better off going into broadcasting).  I think he'll do very well with gymnastics if he keeps up his habit of studying, listening, and asking the right questions of the experts around him.

ITA. Terry is great. Not only does he do his homework, but he lacks the general air of contempt for gymnastics that Al has. And manages to not come across as an ass every time he opens his mouth. I hope he’s permanent. I still don’t love Tim, but Tim is so much more tolerable without Al. And Nastia seems much more comfortable too. 

[Jeddah]

Simone is just amazing! She does harder skills when she doesn’t even need to!

I like Morgan Hurd too. I thought she got underscored on floor. I liked her routine a lot.

Poor Ragan. She is not healthy, and it is not fun to watch her when it looks like she could injure herself further at any moment. She is clearly incredibly tough.

Nastia kept talking about Riley’s beautiful lines, but I feel the opposite. The way she bends her wrists just destroys any graceful lines she would otherwise have. 

I second the Terry Gannon love! I was always annoyed by Al Trautwig, but I really started hating him after he tweeted that Simone’s parents aren’t her parents because she’s adopted. What a terrible thing to say.

Terry, Tim, and Nastia all had NBC polo shirts on. Just imagine if NBC did that in figure skating and tried to make Johnny and Tara wear polo shirts!

[IvySpice]

I don't understand why we have to have a non-expert calling the meet at all. It's like a law that you have to have this random white Sports Guy on the panel along with knowledgeable athletes who have become competent broadcasters. Nastia could handle this business as the leader.

[tanyak]

21 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Whenever I watched him with Peggy Fleming and Dick Button, I'd always forget that he doesn't have a skating background (his competitive sport was college basketball until his coach told him he'd be better off going into broadcasting).  I think he'll do very well with gymnastics if he keeps up his habit of studying, listening, and asking the right questions of the experts around him.

Right. Whenever I see anything on the 1983 N.C State basketball team (which won the NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion), he’ll pop up on the screen and I have to remind myself, “oh yeah, he was on that team.“

I agree about Ragan Smith.  I really don’t mean for this to sound like it might sound, but I wonder if part of that is just learning to flip with her new body.  Two years ago in the run-up to the Olympics, I absolutely refused to believe that she was 15 going on 16.  She was so incredibly young looking and had this tiny little girl’s body. Now, you can tell that she has definitely matured and looks her age.  I hope she’s able to stay healthy.

Edited August 19, 2018 by tanyak

[ML89]

So I hadn’t watched most of the men’s before for a long time  - Tim is the coach of Oklahoma? Do they ever say that or is like Tracy Wilson on skating?

Hearing Miculak hasn’t won an individual world or Olympic medal, I wonder if Terry was having Jeremy Abbot flashbacks. So enjoying hearing him on gymnastics.

[Jeddah]

7 minutes ago, ML89 said:

So I hadn’t watched most of the men’s before for a long time  - Tim is the coach of Oklahoma? Do they ever say that or is like Tracy Wilson on skating?

Hearing Miculak hasn’t won an individual world or Olympic medal, I wonder if Terry was having Jeremy Abbot flashbacks. So enjoying hearing him on gymnastics.

But the annoying thing is Jeremy Abbott does have an Olympic medal. The team won bronze in Sochi in spite of his abysmal short. Sometimes I get filled with rage thinking of skaters like Kurt Browning, Todd Eldridge, and Johnny Weir never getting an Olympic medal, yet Jeremy Abbott did. But I digress...

Back to gymnastics: good for Sam. He did earn it today. It is a little pitiful that it’s a HUGE DEAL when the national champion actually stays on his feet the whole meet. Now let’s see if he can actually do it internationally! 

I get frustrated watching the American men because they always have potential, but then    make weird mistakes. But I also love watching them because they are always so supportive of each other. 

[HartofDixie]

Simone is in a league of her own. 5 titles and she won every event – last time that happened was Dominique Dawes in 1994.

[cesstar]

It's so enjoyable watching and getting to know the new up and coming gymnasts, I am loving Morgan Hurd, Trinity Thomas and Shilese Jones. I really like McCusker on bars, she has a lovely swing.

Hurd's floor was my favourite, she really performs and sells it, and it also has a high degree of difficulty (although obviously nowhere near the insane tumbling that Carey and Biles have in their routines!). But overall while I can appreciate the incredible tumbling technique, I enjoyed watching Hurd the most.  I also suspect that she will be scored a little higher by the international judges who definitely reward the artistry and performance more than the US judges tend to.

Trinity has a lovely elegance to her work, it would be great to see her on the worlds team although she doesn't really have a standout event.

I must mention after the eyesore that was Classics, Simone's leotard on night 1 was divine! The black and gold suited her to perfection, I hope she wears it again some time. Also on point was Chiles on night 2, a Wonder Woman leotard, brilliant.

[Good Queen Jane]

9 hours ago, cesstar said:

I must mention after the eyesore that was Classics, Simone's leotard on night 1 was divine! The black and gold suited her to perfection, I hope she wears it again some time. Also on point was Chiles on night 2, a Wonder Woman leotard, brilliant.

 Simone's teal uniform had a special meaning.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

 Simone's teal uniform had a special meaning.

As if she wasn't heroic enough....

[Jeddah]

I’m sad that wolf turns don’t seem to be going anywhere. Nobody does them well.

I hope Simone and Morgan go 1-2 at Worlds. 

Jordan wins for that Wonder Woman leotard! 

I hope Ragan does not make the training camp. Let her just go home and rest that ankle until next year.

I wanted Grace McCallum to edge out Riley for the bronze. Mostly because Grace knows how to straighten her wrists and not hold her hands like claws, and Riley doesn’t. I think it just grates because she has a lot of ballet choreography in her floor routine, but she can’t even do what three year olds learn in ballet class which is how to hold your arms.

I’m confused by the new 4 person rule. Isn’t it that 2 event specialists can also qualify? So shouldn’t they be able to send 6 people, and just 4 for do the team event? Or is that just for the Olympics? 

[CeeBeeGee]

On 8/18/2018 at 7:24 AM, Indy said:

ITA. Terry is great. Not only does he do his homework, but he lacks the general air of contempt for gymnastics that Al has. And manages to not come across as an ass every time he opens his mouth. I hope he’s permanent. I still don’t love Tim, but Tim is so much more tolerable without Al. And Nastia seems much more comfortable too. 

LOVE Gannon. From our mouths to NBC's ears--please keep him!

 

On 8/18/2018 at 9:05 PM, Jeddah said:

But the annoying thing is Jeremy Abbott does have an Olympic medal. The team won bronze in Sochi in spite of his abysmal short. Sometimes I get filled with rage thinking of skaters like Kurt Browning, Todd Eldridge, and Johnny Weir never getting an Olympic medal, yet Jeremy Abbott did. But I digress...

Back to gymnastics: good for Sam. He did earn it today. It is a little pitiful that it’s a HUGE DEAL when the national champion actually stays on his feet the whole meet. Now let’s see if he can actually do it internationally! 

I get frustrated watching the American men because they always have potential, but then    make weird mistakes. But I also love watching them because they are always so supportive of each other. 

He won't. He can but he won't, because that is American men's gymnastics in a nutshell right now. They qualify well, they airpunch like crazy afterward but they never actually deliver. It's maddening because they have the talent. If they were genuinely not able to medal, I wouldn't mind so much.

I absolutely loved Grace McCollum's zero-fucks-given face whenever she was preparing to go on. She was in beast mode for sure. I quite like her gymnastics. Thrilled that Riley has now had two strong meets in a row!

As they said, SImone is competing only against herself--and getting the highest bars score of all is fantastic!

Gutted for Ragan. She needs to rest and recuperate this season.

[andromeda331]

Simone's easily my favorite. Its just so much fun to watch someone with that much power and energy, and someone to takes on harder and harder skills and nails them every time.  She looked awesome in the black and gold. I love the meaning of the teal. 

I kept waiting for Ragan to be as good as they claimed and she wasn't. I understand she was injured and hope she sits it out and lets herself heal. Its just not fun to watch someone injured trying to compete. I spent the whole time watching her hoping she didn't end up injury herself more. 

I liked Jordan and Grace a lot. I wasn't a fan of Riley's.  But maybe she'll be better next time.

Is the Worlds the next competition or is there something before then?

[Shangrilala]

I've only watched Friday night's competition (still have to catch up on last night) but I won't lie, when I saw Simone compete, I said "holy shit" outloud to nobody in my living room.  It's the first time I've seen her since the Olympics (haven't watched any competitions, training videos or anything like that) and I know she just came back, but if she stays at this pace, imagine what she'll be like in 2020?  The amount of power in that young woman is amazing.

It was also my first time to paying attention to Morgan Hurd.  And I love her.  She has personality, her gymnastics is unique and for once I didn't feel like I was watching a floor exercise that had dance elements that were actually created for the music.  I haven't loved a gymnast like that in a while.  

Did they show Olivia Dunne on Sunday night?  I know she's young and relatively new to the senior team and not really on the NBC radar yet, but she's a local girl, so I'm curious to see her compete.  

[andromeda331]

I forgot about Morgan Hurd! She was really good too! Right up there with Jordan and Grace after her. She was amazing.

[PepSinger]

Jordan Chiles wins for that Wonder Woman leotard. I want it. NOW.

It was painful to watch Ragan compete. She needs to take the rest of the season off immediately.

There are no words to adequately describe Simone Biles. She is in a league of her own. Her only competition are the laws of physics. Loved that Black Panther-esque leotard from night one.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

I get frustrated watching the American men because they always have potential, but then    make weird mistakes. But I also love watching them because they are always so supportive of each other. 

I'm not frustrated--I'm mad.  The US men are lazy and undisciplined.  THAT'S why they CHOKE.  Years ago, John Roethlisberger complained about the women getting all the publicity.  To paraphrase a famous Romanian coach, "Gentlemen, compete!"  

Quote

You usually get 10 years to watch the men grow and change while the women are usually one (Olympics) and done. 

Several of the US women HAVE competed in multiple Olympics -- Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kathy Johnson, and the current Olympians.  You get 10 years to watch the men because the training is just as weak with the younger male gymnasts so they too are lazy and sloppy as compared to their talent.

Quote

Terry is great. Not only does he do his homework, but he lacks the general air of contempt for gymnastics that Al has. And manages to not come across as an ass every time he opens his mouth. I hope he’s permanent.

I agree with one caveat:  he's getting as bad as the other commentators in that he always inserts ANNOYING FACTS during the most dramatic parts of the routines.  This is especially true during the dramatic figure skating routines when he has to interject:  "Did you know his father is a truck driver in Gdansk and his mother was a champion high school tap dancer!"  He's getting worse, not better.

At the same time, when Dick Button was at his pompous worst, he could come back with a funny comment ... Button:  "His routine is reminiscent of the great Greek god Archimedes and his dance of the great wolves of the Macedonian era."  And Terry would say, "Remember, folks, you heard it here first." 

He is better than Trautwig, who was magnificent when he was doing the narration for a traditionally dull sport like cross-country skiing and could impart a sense of drama and excitement.  But his drama was out of place in skating and gymnastics which had enough drama already.

[HartofDixie]

7 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I’m sad that wolf turns don’t seem to be going anywhere. Nobody does them well.

I hope Simone and Morgan go 1-2 at Worlds. 

Jordan wins for that Wonder Woman leotard! 

I hope Ragan does not make the training camp. Let her just go home and rest that ankle until next year.

I wanted Grace McCallum to edge out Riley for the bronze. Mostly because Grace knows how to straighten her wrists and not hold her hands like claws, and Riley doesn’t. I think it just grates because she has a lot of ballet choreography in her floor routine, but she can’t even do what three year olds learn in ballet class which is how to hold your arms.

I’m confused by the new 4 person rule. Isn’t it that 2 event specialists can also qualify? So shouldn’t they be able to send 6 people, and just 4 for do the team event? Or is that just for the Olympics? 

This is a good explanation of qualifying for 2020.  I just wish they had gone back to 6 person teams!

https://balancebeamsituation.com/2018/06/11/2020-olympic-qualification-explained-but-like-actually/

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Simone's easily my favorite. Its just so much fun to watch someone with that much power and energy, and someone to takes on harder and harder skills and nails them every time.  She looked awesome in the black and gold. I love the meaning of the teal. 

I kept waiting for Ragan to be as good as they claimed and she wasn't. I understand she was injured and hope she sits it out and lets herself heal. Its just not fun to watch someone injured trying to compete. I spent the whole time watching her hoping she didn't end up injury herself more. 

I liked Jordan and Grace a lot. I wasn't a fan of Riley's.  But maybe she'll be better next time.

Is the Worlds the next competition or is there something before then?

I think we have the Pan Am Games before Worlds.  Not sure if a team has been named yet.

[HartofDixie]

59 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

This is a good explanation of qualifying for 2020.  I just wish they had gone back to 6 person teams!

https://balancebeamsituation.com/2018/06/11/2020-olympic-qualification-explained-but-like-actually/

I think we have the Pan Am Games before Worlds.  Not sure if a team has been named yet.

Pan Am Games is mid September.  The team has been named: Jade Carey, Kara Eaker, Shilese Jones, Grace McCallum, Trinity Thomas.  Alternate is Alyona Shchennikova.

[cesstar]

6 hours ago, Shangrilala said:

Did they show Olivia Dunne on Sunday night?  I know she's young and relatively new to the senior team and not really on the NBC radar yet, but she's a local girl, so I'm curious to see her compete.

I was watching the international feed and they showed her beam and maybe floor . She was obviously injured because her beam was watered down (just a layout dismount) and her feet were heavily strapped. 

28 minutes ago, HartofDixie said:

Pan Am Games is mid September.  The team has been named: Jade Carey, Kara Eaker, Shilese Jones, Grace McCallum, Trinity Thomas.  Alternate is Alyona Shchennikova.

Great team! Very excited for Shilese and Trinity to get some international experience. Grace looked very consistent at nationals, I wonder if she will get an alternate spot for the Worlds team?

[healthnut]

Thumbs up to Terry Gannon, thumbs up to NBC uploading the entire event on YouTube. 

Thumbs down for all those awful Terin Humphrey turns. Are they worth a ton of points or something? It’s like watching a zillion bad Beillmann spins in figure skating. 

Edited August 22, 2018 by healthnut
Misspelling

[ElectricBoogaloo]

20 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I’m sad that wolf turns don’t seem to be going anywhere. Nobody does them well.

 

6 hours ago, healthnut said:

Thumbs down for all those awful Turin Humphrey turns. Are they worth a ton of points or something? It’s like watching a zillion bad Beillmann spins in figure skating. 

ITA - I think it's an ugly turn even when it's executed competently (which is almost never these days), but it's even worse to watch because everyone is so bad at them. At least when a Beillmann spin is done well, it can be very pretty. I can't say the same for the Wolf/Humphrey turn.

For your viewing (dis)pleasure (bonus points for the hilarious music choices by whoever made this video):

Edited August 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ML89]

On 8/20/2018 at 9:02 PM, AuntieDiane6 said:

At the same time, when Dick Button was at his pompous worst, he could come back with a funny comment ... Button:  "His routine is reminiscent of the great Greek god Archimedes and his dance of the great wolves of the Macedonian era."  And Terry would say, "Remember, folks, you heard it here first." 

Dick: References a ballet "first performed in 1910"  Terry: Were you there? Dick: Yes, I was in the front row.   I'll be watching more gymnastics now (I'm sure Terry is happy he can stick with his polo shirts a la the first two days of golf coverage).

The Wolf turn video is great. They look awkward - yes, it's like the Bielmann spin and all those spiral variations where someone caught their foot too. 

[Snow Apple]

Is the wolf turn a requirement? I've never seen it until recent years and almost none are perfect. One poor girl even fell on floors. Heck, even Simone bobbled it up on beams.

[PepSinger]

The wolf turn is an abomination. I don't understand the point of it. I've danced for several years at this point, and I cannot think of a dance related turn that is that close to the ground. 

[ombelico]

The wolf turn has only become popular in recent years because it is given a high level of difficulty (and thus, points) in the current Code of Points. If it were de-valued, the problem would solve itself as fewer gymnasts would feel compelled to do it. At minimum, though, there should be a rule prohibiting doing two of them in a row, like in McCusker's routine with the triple immediately followed by the double turn.

[cesstar]

https://www.wlns.com/news/local-news/former-msu-gymnastics-coach-kathy-klages-charged-with-lying-to-investigators/1390735429

Klages was the gymnastics coach at MSU and multiple gymnasts testified that they had reported Nassar's actions to her but she refused to do anything, in some cases actively encouraging them not to go to police. Klages claimed to investigators that no concerns were ever raised with her. However she has now been charged with lying to investigators.

[Mittengirl]

Is the wolf turn named after a gymnast named Wolf?  Because it certainly isn’t something I can picture an actual wolf doing.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Larry Nassar Loses Appeal Of His Federal Sentence For Child Porn (you can read the full decision at the link)

Quote

Nassar’s federal court-appointed appellate attorney filed an appeal in April, arguing that Neff erred when she used his 10 sexual assault convictions in state court, for which he had not been sentenced at the time, in calculating the sentence guideline range. Nassar’s attorney also argued that it was ‘procedurally unreasonable’ for the federal judge to order Nassar’s state sentences to be served after the federal sentence.

The three judge panel ruled that Judge Janet Neff, who sentenced Nassar in federal court, acted appropriately when she sentenced Nassar to three consecutive 20-year sentences. The appeals judges said that given the scope of Nassar’s crimes, the harm he inflicted on so many people, and the risk he poses to the public, it was acceptable for Neff to sentence Nassar consecutively. The panel also acknowledged that not all of Nassar’s victims were in Michigan, “and thus at least implicitly recognized that Nassar’s state sentences for first-degree criminal sexual conduct would not account for all of his criminal behavior.”

Nassar has two more appeals pending for his sentencings in Ingham and Eaton counties in Michigan. Nassar’s court appointed lawyers have already tried, without success, to get Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who sentenced him in Ingham county, removed from the case.

[HartofDixie]

7 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Is the wolf turn named after a gymnast named Wolf?  Because it certainly isn’t something I can picture an actual wolf doing.

I thought the wolf turn on beam was called the Humphrey after Terin?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, HartofDixie said:

I thought the wolf turn on beam was called the Humphrey after Terin?

The Humphrey is a wolf turn with 2 1/2 rotations on beam. 

[legaleagle53]

On 8/23/2018 at 11:13 PM, Mittengirl said:

Is the wolf turn named after a gymnast named Wolf?  Because it certainly isn’t something I can picture an actual wolf doing.

That makes me laugh, because for years the phrase "flying Kamel" for me conjured up a mental image of a winged camel soaring through the air.

Edited August 25, 2018 by legaleagle53

[ombelico]

I think the wolf turn derives its name from the wolf jump (once the gymnast starts turning, the position is similar to that achieved in the jump), which itself seems to have derived its name from the comparison to the sheep jump.

The only wolf turn that made me go "wow, that was amazing" was Simone's at Classic this year. Fast and absolutely perfectly balanced. And the unintended comedy of last year's "Wolfkino" by Jordan Chiles was such a gift. But those two amazing examples do not justify needing to sit through countless ugly ones.