Highlights

Only the Best – Week 2

21 Comments

The 10s

Kyla Ross – UCLA – UB

Katelyn Ohashi – UCLA – FX

The 9.975s

MyKayla Skinner – Utah – VT

Katelyn Ohashi – UCLA – BB

The 9.950s

Trinity Thomas – Florida – UB

Sydney Snead – Georgia – VT

Jade Degouveia – Oklahoma – VT

Brenna Dowell – Oklahoma – UB

Maggie Nichols – Oklahoma – UB

Natalie Wojcik – Michigan – VT

Derrian Gobourne – FX – 9.950

MyKayla Skinner – Utah – FX

Shani Remme – Boise State – BB

21 thoughts on “Only the Best – Week 2”

    1. Skinner was better and far more difficult stuck landings with no bounces. Maybe not as crowd “happy “ but 10’s aren’t awarded for that

      1. Yes. It’s distressing that Ohashi has become such a social-media starlet she gets 10s now for showing up. Her gymnastics is extremely fine, but these imperfect 10s are a Very Bad Thing.

  3. I’m a bit over the Ohashi love fest as well. Also, I’m over the forced enthusiasm / excessive cheering by teammates on the side that seems to be rampant in NCAA women’s gymnastics right but especially at UCLA.

      1. Miss Val, time to get off the internet. Ohashi shows a lack of control and bounces out of many of her landings. A routine like that simply should not be receiving a 10 just because it’s entertaining the watch.

    2. Me too. UCLA was/is my favorite team because they’re exciting headcases but I’m super tired of their PR stuff and their attention-seeking coach.

      I like the NCAA celebrating but it seems devoid of meaning because they do it so much. The teams all shriek and holler and high five for every single routine – falls, average performances, everything gets reacted to like it’s a stuck landing in the last rotation of Super Six. Then when there is a truly great routine there’s nowhere to go. And it’s so awkward when a gymnast falls and then everyone has to pretend to be SO HYPED anyway, especially for the girl who just fell. What about just some low-key high fives/back pats/handshakes/hugs/applause for support and then let the poor gymnast talk to the coach about how to fix her mistake next time.

      Love Ohashi but I’ve seen her do way better FXs and I … don’t think she is underrated, by anyone, ever.

      2. Exactly. I’d prefer Miss Val not to go out THIS way, ugh. She has had many virtues as a coach and person, but.

    3. These are world class athletes competing in a sport where your mental game is everything week in and week out. Who are we to judge how they keep themselves in the headspace that supports them in bringing their best gymnastics when it counts? Or, heaven forbid, putting on a show that generates more funding for their program.

  4. Ditto to those above. Nothing against Ohashi as a person – she’s a brilliant gymnast, but I’ve grown tired of the UCLA love-fest. It feels fake, artificial, and is quite distracting. They’re a talented group of gymnasts, so why not let their talent do the talking?

    1. IKR? I love Ohashi’s gymnastics and have always loved Miss Val’s teams and I’m SICK of this nonsense already.

  5. Also Kyla’s first handstand went past vertical (only a little, but still). But of course she’s Kyla, so no one cares. I hate the bouncing out of passes (or wish my team would do it if it means you can get a 10 without ever sticking a landing).

    1. It’s easy to say that rebounding leaps out of passes is a way to mask out of control landings, until you see a pass where the leap is out of control or not rebounded at all and realize you have to be on for the leap to be on.

  6. I appreciated Brenna Dowell’s comment before the meet against Auburn. She specifically talked about OU gymnastics “not being a show.” Nice little shot at UCLA.
    Right now, we are seeing programs leverage their likability factor to improve scores; unfortunately, that’s not how the sport of gymnastics is supposed to be judged. And regardless of how entertaining a floor routine is there are requirements that need to be met and scored.

    College gymnastics is teetering on this ledge of “girls just want to have fun” and competition. I would prefer to watch them compete full-out, but know that’s probably a pipe dream….and we all know that fair judging is completely unattainable, brand and name recognition will always win out over quality of gymnastics.

    1. I like how teams have their own personalities, many clearly hate “the show” at UCLA, but I love it and couldn’t give two hoots about scores so long there is an entertaining party and they shut it down on floor! Oklahoma is such a bore for me, there are a couple of truly great performers on that team but the overall vibe is subdued and I generally get tired with them. It doesn’t make them less of a team, or “ruin” NCAA gym for me, it just means I appreciate different aspects. fingers crossed that the dance party and the show continue long after Miss Val’s retirement!!

  7. Love UCLA but also appreciate Oklahoma’s relative chill and any team that has their own distinct vibe. OTOH, the forced super-excitement over every single thing annoys the fck out of me.

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