Things Are Happening – January 12, 2018

A. Swaggy Maggie

“Up until now, I was identified as Athlete A by USA gymnastics, the US Olympic Committee and Michigan State University,” Nichols said. “I want everyone to know that he did not do this to Athlete A, he did it to Maggie Nichols.”

Bloop. Miss Maggie has not only added her name to the 700-mile-long list of people who are so much better and stronger and more important than That Guy, she also filled in a few of the question marks in the timeline regarding just how instrumental she and her coach were in getting something to happen. Because of course they were.

Maggie revealed that hers was the “conversation overheard by a coach” that we knew about, and the coach in question was her own coach, Sarah Jantzi. Sarah then informed Rhonda, Rhonda informed Steve Penny, and that’s when the whole thing fell to pieces. Try to act surprised.

(Actually it fell to pieces in the 90s, but you know where I’m going with this. Steve Penny.) Continue reading Things Are Happening – January 12, 2018

Simone Biles: Courage To Sour — The Trailer

Last week, we were teased with a trailer for the Simone movie—Courage To Soar. And like a fool, I didn’t even do a shot-by-shot recap of this minute-long wilderness experience. Let this be an opportunity to make amends. I have the courage to sour. I mean soar. Yeah that.

We open with Betty Gossip-Pajamas, who has come to Simone’s room to ask Simone about Simone maybe possibly wanting to go to “the actual Olympics QUESTION MARK?????”

Simone wants to go to the actual Olympics???

No.

She wants to go to the fake Olympics.

Like a fake gymnast.

Pull your ass together.

She’s good enough, too. Because Jocelyn Shoulder-Angle is vaulting a U-shaped something-or-other—cut together with obvious floor tumbling—which will inevitably be whoosh-whooshed into a perfect Amanar.

Immediate 16.300.

Simone’s Whoosh-manar is perfect enough to get her an invite to the prestigious Karolyi Ranch If It Were Nice, where no chalk has ever been.

This is what gyms look like.

Simone sees Kytra Tricase-Raisman perform this *gasp* DOUBLE PIKE and immediately quits gymnastics forever out of intimidation. Continue reading Simone Biles: Courage To Sour — The Trailer

NCAA Week 2 – Schedule and Links

 

Thursday, January 11 Scores Stream
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – Southern Utah @ Boise State FREE
Friday, January 12 Scores Stream
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [1] LSU @ [7] Florida LINK SECN
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [21] NC State @ North Carolina
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – UW-Whitewater @ UW-Eau Claire LINK
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – UW-Stout @ UW-Oshkosh
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – [10] Arizona @ [12] Iowa State LINK ISU($)
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – Illinois State @ SEMO LINK
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – Gustavus Adolphus @ UW-La Crosse
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – [6] Kentucky @ [11] Arkansas LINK SEC+
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – Missouri @ [23] Auburn  LINK SEC+
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – Lindenwood @ TWU LINK  FREE
8:30 ET/5:30 PT – Georgia @ [9] Alabama  LINK SECN
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – Cal @ [17] BYU LINK FREE
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – Washington @ Sacramento State LINK
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – UC Davis @ Seattle Pacific LINK FREE
11:00 ET/8:00 PT – Cortland @ Alaska LINK FREE
Saturday, January 13 Scores Stream
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Illinois, Yale, Southern Connecticut @ Rutgers LINK
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Ursinus, Ithaca, Springfield @ West Chester
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – Utah State @ [22] Bowling Green
4:00 ET/1:00 PT – Nebraska @ [17] Penn State LINK BTN+
FLO
5:00 ET/2:00 PT – [20] Maryland, Northern Illinois, Winona State @ Minnesota LINK BTN+
FLO
5:00 ET/2:00 PT – Bridgeport @ [19] New Hampshire  LINK  FREE
6:00 ET/3:00 PT – Ohio State @ [5] Michigan LINK ESPNU
6:00 ET/3:00 PT – Oregon State @ Pittsburgh  LINK ACC+
6:00 ET/3:00 PT – [3] Central Michigan @ Eastern Michigan LINK EMU($)
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – Iowa @ Michigan State  LINK BTN+
FLO
Sunday, January 14 Scores Stream
12:00 ET/9:00 PT – Brown, Brockport @ Rhode Island
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – [14] Arizona State @ [16] West Virginia LINK FREE
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – [15] Ball State, Penn, Cornell @ [25] George Washington LINK GW($)
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Centenary @ Kent State
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Illinois-Chicago @ Western Michigan
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – [13] Temple, William & Mary @ [24] Towson FREE
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – UW-Whitewater @ Hamline
4:00 ET/1:00 PT – Air Force @ [8] Denver LINK DU($)
5:00 ET/2:00 PT – [2] Utah, [4] UCLA, Washington, Stanford (@ Reno, NV) FLO
6:00 ET/3:00 PT – Cortland @ Alaska LINK FREE
Monday, January 15 Scores Stream
2:00 ET/11:00 PT – Oklahoma @ Georgia LINK SEC+
5:00 ET/2:00 PT – Lindenwood @ SEMO LINK

*Meets marked ESPNU or SECN will be broadcast live on TV and may also be streamed online for those who have cable-subscriber log-ins or subscriptions to participating Sling, Roku whatnots.

*Meets marked SECN+ or ACC+ may be streamed on the WatchESPN app for those who have cable-subscriber log-ins or subscriptions to participating Sling, Roku whatnots.

*Meets marked BTN+/FLO may be streamed either through a paid subscription to BTN+ ($10/month) or a paid subscription to FloGymnastics ($30/month).

*Meets marked [School]$ are streamed through school-specific services and require a subscription to that school’s web streaming, which you won’t buy, so you can’t watch them.

*Meets marked FREE are streamed through school-specific services and require no log-in or subscription fee.


Marquee meet

[1] LSU @ [7] Florida

Sorry Georgia/Alabama, but times have changed. There’s a new marquee meet in town. It’s a shame this one falls so early in the season as it’s the most significant SEC meet we’ll see until the SEC Championship, yet will feature more Januaryness than we would prefer from such a high-profile contest. Because it’s January. Also because last weekend wasn’t awesome.

The pressure is on Florida to come back from that sluggish opening-meet tragedy, particularly as the home team—as well as the one ranked higher in the preseason polls. A non-cramped Kennedy Baker should help matters, but Florida also needs a higher level out of Amelia Hundley in that leadoff beam and floor role to build scores that will be aching to be built. At home, in a significant conference match-up, expect to see a Florida team that looks significantly stronger than the one that limped out of West Virginia last weekend. Continue reading NCAA Week 2 – Schedule and Links

Best Routine of Week 1 Poll

The routine of the week poll is back for 2018!

Your instructions
1. Vote for the best routine
2. Don’t get upset when this inevitably devolves into a twitter popularity contest. It’s not that important.

Criteria
1. Only routines scoring 9.925+ will be included in the poll
2. There must be video available of that individual routine. So, teams, if YarotskaNastiaFan hasn’t done your work for you, you have to get on that.
3. Each gymnast may appear only once per week. The higher score (or my discretion in the event of a tie) is used.


  1. Maddie Karr (Denver) – Vault


2. Elizabeth Price (Stanford) – Bars

https://www.tumblr.com/thor-has-a-bae/169490261522/elizabeth-price-100-bar-routine-1-8-18


3. Peng Peng Lee (UCLA) – Bars


4. Kennedi Edney (LSU) – Bars


5. Sarah Finnegan (LSU) – Bars


6. Kiana Winston (Alabama) – Bars


7. Alex McMurtry (Florida) – Bars


8. Myia Hambrick (LSU) – Floor


9. Olivia Karas (Michigan) – Floor


10. Alicia Boren (Florida) – Floor


11. MaKenna Merrell-Giles (Utah) – Floor