It’s the slow season. We’ll take what we can get. And what we can get right now is the Junior Pan American Championship.

The stakes here are predominantly the chance to be like “TROPHY,” but also seven qualification spots to this October’s Youth Olympic Games.

There is already some drama in that regard because the US women have never sent anyone to YOG before and were not intending to send anyone this year. But then when Sunisa Lee had to be replaced on the US team, Tori Tatum was selected (By someone…? At some point…?), reportedly because she was born in 2003 and is therefore age-eligible for the YOG—the competition the US wasn’t planning on sending any women to.

So fine and good. Definitely organized. Everything has been thought through so well. I, for one, feel extremely empowered.

I appreciate Argentina’s federation providing us with a broadcast of this meet, complete with multiple camera angles and athlete identification. The first subdivision did end up being a little haphazard with 17 random shots of the judges in the middle of every floor routine, so this may be less quick hits and more “here’s the general idea of what’s going on” but we’ll see.

Based on apparel, it appears to be -1000000 degrees in this gym.

Everyone is waiting to march out now as we listen to a greatest hits of NCAA edm floor music.

And now we’re finding out what the Peruvian coach thinks of Buenos Aires. I’LL BE SURE TO LIVE BLOG THE PLAY BY PLAY. The cool thing about seeing these people have to be interviewed by these little girls is that their facial expressions are the exact same as when people arrive at our GymCastic station in the mixed zone at worlds.

Sarah Jantzi keeps being in the way of the judges as the march out no matter where she moves and it’s delightful.

Brazil and Chile begin on floor. USA and Ecuador on bars. Canada on vault.

ROTATION 1

First vault from Canada is a Yfull, fairly loose in knees, small hop back.

Scott – USA – UB – inbar Shap, some legs – hit, connected to Stalder and a huge Ray, very good Ray – hits Pak – Toe Shap 1/2 with legs together well – full turn to stalder 1/2 to jaeger, hit – DLO, somewhat short with a lunge forward. Not bad. Some legs throughout – 12.800

Stronger Yfull from ZAB from Canada – good legs, small hop back.

Our first floor routine from Chile starts with a double full, we’re rather jumping around on the events now. Solid on her leaps, though.

Tatum – UB – USA – toe full to toe shap to Pak, nice legs throughout – Toe Shap 1/2, caught it – 1/2 turn to piked jaeger, quite close but kept her swing – some legs toward the end – DLO, just a touch short with a hop in place. Nice set. 12.700

Big stumble back on an opening double tuck from Chile’s second up on floor, kept on her feet though.

Wong – Ub – USA – inbar to Stalder Shap to Pak to Stalder to Toe Shap 1/2 – long connection, all lovely – toe full, fairly late – stalder 1/2 to Jaeger, good – 1/2 turn to DLO, stuck. Cleanest of the group for the US so far. Nice technique, very composed routine. 13.150

We see the tail end of a Colombian beam routine, 2/1 with a hop.

Bowers – UB – toe shap to Pak to Shap 1/2, hit, a little loose at the end of the combo – piked Jaeger, nice – hits jaeger as well – 1/2 turn on high – FTDT dismount with small step. Good hit. 13.700.

Looks like a rotation of four hits for the US on bars. No major breaks at all.

Canada throws in a Y1.5 at the end of the vault rotation from Paterson, ends up landing a little squatty but pulls around a hit vault.

Now the warmup for the second 1/2 of rotation 1.

Oooh we have identifying graphics for the non-Americans now! That will help me. I don’t know these other juniors. Valeria from PUR did a an actually nice split jump from side position on beam! Take lessons everyone.

Bezerra – FX – Brazil – nice double Arabian! Good legs together. She had been struggling with that in the moments of warmup we saw – she’ll get hit a little for these split positions – 2/1 a little hop – the pommel horse we see in the background looks like it has been in an attic since the 50s. Finishes double tuck. Good tumbling.

Siqueira was first up on floor for Brazil with 11.650.

Dos Santos (not her) – FX – BRA – double tuck, major stumble backward, stays to her feet but multiple lunges – back 1.5 to layout – 2/1, a little hop – low difficulty routine, mostly C elements, hit but will get majorly deducted for the first pass. 11.150.

Da Silva – BRA – FX – took her double Arabian so far she landed the entire thing OOB. You could see that one coming based on where she took off for that pass – like Maroney’s double tuck but without the inexplicable ability to pull it back every time – front full – switch split – these have to be words in this floor music right? – Short on double pike final pass with lunge forward

So we’ll have the US moving to beam and Canada moving to bars now.

ROTATION 2

Solid full in from Colombia irst up on floor – step to the side. 2.5, another step to the side. Double pike, a little short.

Tatum – BB – USA – split jump from side, OK, no wobble – all we’ve seen of that routine. Cut back to it later for full turn – back tuck with check – 12.300

Carcamo – VT – Chile – Tsuk back pike with large stumble.

Next for Chile – Y layout with hop back.

Emma Spence finishes bars with a double tuck with some cowboy and a hop back.

Wong – BB – Moment of an aerial, it was lovely, and then she disappeared, as did everyone.

The fake-out shots of choreo and then cutting away to another routine are my favorite.

And now the live feed is down.

Back up.

Scott – BB – split leap to side aerial with a fairly medium check – Finishes with just a layout dismount. She has not been 100%. 12.55.

We’re seeing a bit of Bowers on beam – nice aerial to splits combination. Switch ring, solid, very creditable. Bhs bhs double pike, multiple steps stumble back on landing.

Second 1/2 of second rotation will warm up now. Hopefully stream issues resolved. LOL.

Hit full from our first vaulter from Brazil. Hop back.

Gibson – BB – Ecaudor – switch leap to split with a check – loso series, another check – goes for a switch 1/2 and keeps it on the beam with a check.

Bezerra – VT – Brazil – handspring front pike somewhat off line with hop –

Venezuela on floor now, using that music everyone uses because of DRAMATIC and the name I can never remember.

A couple solid fulls from Brazil on vault. Nothing bigger than that. Some going up with Ylayout second vaults.

The whiteboard to show the vault numbers is my favorite part.

That’s the end of the second rotation. US moves to floor, Canada to beam.

ROTATION 3

Tatum – FX – USA – strong full in, comfortable, step back – 2.5 to front pike with a medium bound forward – split jump full, a little short of 180 – split leap 1/1 is stronger – front double full, secure and connected to stag – switch 1/2, fine – double tuck final pass, does well to hold the landing when appeared to be coming in a little short. 12.8

I like how the other Canadian coaches are starting to style themselves like Elvira.

Bowers – FX – double front, attempts to connect to stag but traveling a little too forward, does stag and stays in bounds though – solid second pass – switch ring to split ring full, makes the Ferrari look OK actually – triple turn – front 2/1 to front tuck, a little bouncy – double wolf, slightly overturned but just a tad – double pike, a little short with a step. She appears to be having a nice day. 13.2

Close-up showdown between Zoe Allaire-Bourgie and Leanne Wong. BUT WHICH ONE WILL THEY SHOW?>??

Allaire-Bourgie – BB – aerial to split to tuck jump 1/2, nice – side aerial, controlled well –

Wong – FX – double Arabian to stag, hit and kept in bounds – quite bouncy landing 3/1 and hops OOB – double pike, verrrry short and hands down – L hop full – pulls around a double L turn – 2/1, hop back. The first weak routine I’ve seen from the US so far today, but we got only bits and pieces of beam. 11.4

Scott salutes on FX just to Shannon it but isn’t competing. She also didn’t fully dismount beam, no clearly not risking it.

Mia St Pierre – Canada – BB – back pike with a check – falls on split jump 1/2 from side position – MERICA GONNA GETCHA. actually looked nice in the air though – nice high back tuck in a series, that was strong. Actually cutting to shots of the judges in the middle of skills now. Another fall on a side aerial. Hits double tuck dismount

Second group of rotation 3 in warmup now.

Hit floor from Genesis Gibson first up for Ecuador.

Montoya – BB – CRC – three series to layout stepout, hit with a check – aerial to split, solid – L turn may not get credit for dropping below horizontal – hits split jump 1/2 from side position but well short of 180 – side aerial, small check, solid – switch, check – sissone to wolf jump – 1/5 dismount with hop to the side.

Escoe – BB – CRC – switch to split to split – standing back tuck and falls – falls again on loso series – solid split jump 1/2 from side position – aerial with small arm wave – hits side aerial – pulled it together for second half of this routine – 1/1 dismount with hop back

ROTATION 4

Scores? OH LOL OF COURSE WE DON’T HAVE SCORES.

Palamara – CHI – BB – falls on her opening loso series – small check on aerial – hits nice side aerial – switch to split to back tuck, stumble back but keeps it on the beam – front tuck is low but held well – side jump 1/2, bend at waist – front full dismount with hop.

St Pierre ends FX with hit double back

REALLY good DTY from Tatum on vault. Huge height and just a little hop in place.

Tatum does a Y1.5 second vault with a lunge forward

Colombia on bars with a clear hip 1/2 to giant swing forward to fall.

We’re seeing bits of choreo from Paterson on floor and then cutting away.

Casella from Chiles falls on aerial on beam. Falls again on series.

DTY from Wong, seeing it for real now, very strong, hop back.

Spence – FX – Canada – stumble on double back first pass and OOB. 1.5 through to 2/1, a little slide and some legs.

Chile having the worst possible time in the entire world on beam. Most with multiple falls. Merino will two falls and a beam grab so far. The coach just smashes her jacket onto her face like ugh.

Allaire-Bourgie – FX – we cut away in the middle of her front 2/1 because HEAVEN FORBID WE MISS SOMEONE FROM CHILE SALUTING AND THEN IMMEDIATELY FALLING ON BEAM.

And None For Canada Bye: The Broadcast

Not sure if this Chilean gymnast we’re seeing TEARS CLOSEUP of is crying tears of sadness after missing beam or tears of joy because she only fell once, compared to 150 times.

Just one half of a rotation left in this one.

I identify with the desultory vocal tone of the English-translation PA announcer.

Our first beamer for Brazil totally missed both feet on an aerial and slid off but ended up grabbing the beam with her legs as she fell and stayed on (fall onto the apparatus) and it was excellent.

Shout out to this Costa Rican using “Belle” from Beauty and the beast as her floor music like a proper US L5.

Bezerra – BB – Brazil – hit side aerial – full turn, good – long pause before bhs back tuck series but hit with a check – switch to staight fump full, a little short on switch – hits wolf 1/2 – side jump 1/2, short but hit – side aerial, good, split positions will be heavily deducted – 2/1 with hop back. First hit beam we’ve seen in a while!

Next up for Costa Rica on floor, opens with a double tuck to her hands.

Silva – BB – Brazil – nice layout 2 feet series, very confident! side aerial to break at the hips – double pike dismount, hit. Very good routine aside from the one wobble.

Annnnnd apparently that’s it? The stream is offline now. We’ll see if more of the scores start trickling in.

Oops fake out!

Araujo Dos Santo – BB – Brazil – finishes beam with layout full dismount.

Annnnd now it’s over?

Bowers – 54.750
Wong – 52.950
Tatum – 52.600

That Bowers score will definitely be the top AA total, but we’ll have to wait for all the official whatnots.

ABACUSES FOR EVERYONE.

All-Around (2 per country)
1. Jordan Bowers (USA)
2. Zoe Allaire-Bourgie (CAN)
3. Leanne Wong (USA)

4th place went to Emma Spence, Araujo and Fernandez from Argentina went 5th and 6th, and Da Silva and Bezerra from Brazil went 7th and 8th.

Everyone was announced last name, first name except Bowers.

Team
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Argentina

So there we have it.