Pan American Games – Women’s Team Live Blog

Subdivision 1 (4:00pm ET/1:00pm PT)
Team Canada
(Ellie Black, Brooklyn Moors, Shallon Olsen, Victoria Woo, Isabela Onyshko)

Team Mexico
(Daniela Briceño, Paulina Campos, Anapaula Gutierrez, Jimena Gutierrez)

Team Argentina
(Martina Dominici, Luna Fernandez, Abigail Magistrati, Valeria Pereyra, Agustina Pisos)

Jamaica
(Danusia Francis, Toni-Ann Williams, Kiara Richmon)

Dominican Republic
(Yamilet Peña, Alondra Echavarria)

Cayman Islands
(Raegan Rutty)


Canada begins on beam, Mexico begins on bars, Argentina begins on floor, and the remaining athletes begin on vault.

Nicolle Castro has withdrawn, so everyone is doing all the pieces for Mexico. Toni-Ann Williams is slated to compete bars and beam (why Jamaica won’t have a team score). Canada will have Black, Moors, and Woo in the AA. Onyshko will not do vault or floor, and Olsen will not do bars or beam.

Dominici, Fernandez, and Magistrati in the AA for Argentina.

I like that Rutty’s name is Raegan Amelia Rutty. It’s like what you’d name the hamster you got during 2016 Trials.

The US meets announcer guy is here too, it seems. Where isn’t he? His Spanish-language name work is usually fun.

If you click on the stream that’s just called “Pan American Games” on the watchespn list, you can get Bart and Kathy.

Rotation 1

Pisos – FX – very clean double pike, good control – split jump 1/1, around – double tuck, also under control, a little legs apart – switch to split full, not quite hitting her 180 there – switch 1/2 – front full, a bit mushy coming into landing there – 2/1, small hop. Good landing control overall. Attempt at some solid pain of a nation choreo but a little sleepy.

The world feed is just like, “The only team is Argentina” and Bart’s like, “I’m sorry…”

Fernandez – FX – switch 1/2 – double tuck, overcooks it with a bunch of lunges back and OOB – looks like they’re having clock problems, it was stopped for the beginning of her routine – front full with a large hop – back 2/1, just a hop up in place, pretty solid form on that one, but the score will be lower.

The results page is down. Fun!

Francis – VT – Bart and Kathy are like, “WE KNOW THIS ONE! WE KNOW THIS ONE!” Samesies. Yfull – pretty clean in general, pikes at the end and a hop back. Would be 9.800 at home, 9.750 on the road in NCAA.

11.800 for Fernandez.

We’re going to check back in on Woo’s beam

Woo – BB – candle mount, good secure handstand position – bhs loso, small lean correction and a bit of feet, mostly solid – aerial to split, another tiny adjustment – double turn attempt, large break and grabs the beam to save it – side somi, another small check – side aerial, another bend at the hips – switch to split leap, broken connection, good 180s – 2.5, step to the side. Two large breaks there will take down the score. 12.600

Dominici – FX – big open full in – larger hop back with a borderline OOB – double Arabian, bounce forward, pretty solid leg position on the skill though – high angle makes it tough to evaluate leap position on floor, these look well under but it could be angle – switch full – double tuck with a bounce back – double pike, pretty secure, small hop forward. Nice start for her.

13.350 for Francis on vault.

13.200 for Dominici. Good floor score. Watch that one. Anything over 13 is useful there.

Bart keeps apologizing for the host feed. We know it’s not your fault!

Echavarria does a Tsuk layout on vault with a lunge back.

Apparently everything went terribly for Canada on beam. OH JOY.

We’re checking back in on J Gutierrez on bars – gail full to a crazy-straddle bail – gets through with a hit – deep chest on FTDT with a hop. Lots to take this E score into the 7s. Finishes with 12.250.

Ellie Black got a 12.950 with a miss to lead Canada on beam. So that’s how that went. Although 12.950 might honestly hold up. Moors scored in the 11s, so everything is stupid and awful.

After 1:
Argentina – 38.950
Canada – 38.100
Mexico – 37.325

Canada to floor in rotation 2.

Bart: Here are the scores and…
Kathy: BROOKLYN MOORS

Olsen – FX – double double, bounce back and OOB – split leap 1.5, may not get credit for that – piked full in, much more comfortable, small hop back, some leg separation – front tuck through to double tuck, short with a hop, legs apart – one inch of amplitude but also Shallon – 3/1, under with a lunge. She’s struggling on the landings today, but no falls or anything.

“Unless you live with a Romanian,” BLOOPS Mr. Comaneci casually.

12.600 for Shallon.

Woo – FX – DLO, comes up short, lunge – double L turn is nicely completed, definite credit – precise straddle position, falls out of turn, I’d credit triple – controlled landing on 2.5 – split jump 1.5 attempt, I’d go full – double pike, a bit short, slide. Short landings a theme for Canada in this floor rotation.

Shoutout to Toni-Ann hitting her 2.7 D on bars for a 10.800 total less than six months after her Achilles tear.

Still waiting on Planck’s constant that is Woo’s floor score apparently.

Black – FX – popa, hit – front full through to 3/1, just a tad under with a hop – back 2.5 to double pike because Ellie – hop forward – split leap full – front 2/1, controlled step out, nicely done. Solid three-pass showing. Good comeback from beam.

13.100 for Woo on floor in the end.

12.875 for Francis for a hit bars routine.

Current audio scape: “If a flute got a tramp stamp.”

13.550 for Black on floor. Best score so far.

Moors – FX – Podkopayeva, nailed it, small hop back – front 2/1 to front layout, landed short on that layout with a little stagger – falls over of her double attitude turn but covers well into choreography – switch ring – split ring 1/2, which almost becomes acceptable when Moors does it, almost – 2.5 to front tuck. Lovely and good control on the tumbling.

Dominici – ro 1/2 on pike 1/2 – good hit.

13.500 for Moors, a half tenth lower than Black, but both of those scores will make it back for the final. So it’s going to be OK.

That Dominici vault we saw was her second vault, following a DTY. She’s into first in the vault standings.

Rutty – UB – Yezhova attempt, crazy form but nice to see in her routine – toe shoot – horizontal handstand – and a double tuck to her hands. Very low score coming.

Mexico maxes out at 12.250 on beam. OUCHIES.

If Toni-Ann had been able to vault, Jamaica would be well ahead of Mexico right now.

Absolutely the best part of this broadcast has been Bart pointing out how terrible this world feed is and how slowly this competition is moving compared to SECN meets.

Meanwhile, Dominci is 1.3 ahead of Black in the AA right now, and Francis is 3rd. On the strength of those last two excellent floor routines, Canada has moved a half tenth ahead of Argentina in the team standings.

We’ve lost the English language feed. Back to Spanish.

Campos – FX – double pike, chest down, slide back – switch ring to switch 1/2, not bad on the positions, not great but not bad – 2/1 with a large bounce back – split leap full was quite nice, pointed toes and whatnot – falls out of a triple turn attempt – low front full but pulled it around, one inch of amplitude

Moors – VT – Handspring front layout full attempt, hand down. “Bueno.” Actually no. I wouldn’t credit layout shape there.

Woo went up before her, scoring 13.550. Commentary doesn’t know this isn’t her.

Fun fact: If we don’t see Francis on beam, the world will burn in a hail of magma.

Black – VT 1 – goes for hs layout full, not the rudi. Comfortable, just a little bit of mushy knees after the initiating pike – small hop –

Back to see Dominici on bars – toe full, a bit late – toe Shap to pak, only a small leg break there – toe shap 1/2, nice legs together through that – piked jaeger, hit – 1/2 turn on high bar, quite quick – double tuck, small slide back. VERY nice routine from her.

Black – VT 2 – Tsuk 1.5, very comfortable , small bit of leg form and a hop forward. Will score quite well.

“I would rather see Anapaula Gutierrez standing near the floor than Danusia on beam or Shallon on vault,” – an old gymternet proverb.

A Gutierrez – FX – attempts combo into 3/1 first pass, around but short on the 3/1, lunge forward – double L, drops too early there – 1.5 through to double tuck, does well to keep it in bounds, hop forward – L hop full – wolf double – 1.5 to front tuck, just does pull around that front tuck, legs akimbo.

Replay of Danusia on beam, phew -neck stand mount – side somi, small adjustment – split jump from side, arm wave – bhs loso series, hangs on with her toes, NOT coming off, check – switch – breaks connection into split leap wolf jump, but good individual elements – aerial to split to bhs, will get her series bonus there – Y spin – transverse aerial to back full! Hit!

12.950 for Francis on beam. Same score as Ellie Black but into first on the E score tiebreak. See you in EFs?

Echavarria tried to do a back handspring salto series showing all three shapes in the air on a single salto, fall. Nice amplitude on her switch side, but the back leg dropped – back tuck – just does save a straddle jump 3/4 with a lean forward – front layout dismount, tucked with a step back

Looks like Olsen did not attempt full difficult on vault and currently sits in third, behind Black and Dominici. She did not do the Amanar.

13.350 for Dominici on bars is the high score so far there.

Rutty hits her double spin on beam, a little out of control with a couple steps but keeps it on – tentative loso series, hit – hesitation between sissone and wolf might be a problem for leap combination requirement – straight jump 1/1 from side position is hit – falls on lone back tuck – finishes back full with a step.

Mexico didn’t break 12 for anyone on floor. This is such a depleted team, but they’re also having a rough day. Highest E on floor was 7.450.

Canada comfortably ahead of Argentina now by 3.5 points. Dominici still has a tenth on Black in the AA, followed by Woo, then Francis.

Bart and Kathy commentary is on ESPNU now, so I’ll switch back to them for the final rotation of this first subdivision.

Pisos – BB – bhs loso series, medium check – switch to switch 1/2, back foot but not bad in the split position – aerial, little adjustment – side somi, leg-up check – split leap to side aerial, arm wave deduction, will get the combo – 1.5, small hop. Lot of little things. Nickle and dime score.

13.100 for Moors on bars. Strong score for her there.

12.725 for Pisos on beam.

Briceño – VT – so glad we got to see this piked down Ylayout while Francis is going on floor

12.950 for Onyshko on bars.

Woo – UB – clear hip Shap to clear hip full attempt that went crazy but she kep going somehow – bail it hit – back to high – 1/2 turn with a pause and leg separation into piked jaeger – DLO, nice and high. That went extremely crazy, but it’s kind of a miracle that she kept it going. Both she and David have “that was a miracle” face about it as well.

DTY attempt to Jimena Gutierrez and falls.

12.800 for Francis on floor. She finishes with 51.975 in the AA. That score would have come a tenth short of making the AA final at worlds last year.

Black – UB – Toe Shap to Hindorff – clear hip piked tkatchev – piked jaeger into pak, went a bit crazy on the pak – toe shap 1/2, some legs – toe tuck half, great landing on that one.

55.100 for Black in the AA

Dominici – BB – switch 1/2, a bit short but secure – round-off layout and steps backward off the beam – and the stupid springboard was left there, good thing it was a soft fall, otherwise that was an ankle injury waiting to happen. Side aerial, good – double pike, lunge back.

She’ll still be comfortable for the AA final even with this fall.

52.850 for Dominici still puts her 2nd AA.

Team scores:
Canada – 160.600
Argentina – 153.425
Mexico – 147.025

That Argentina score went down closer to Mexico’s after Argentina had three 11s on beam. Brazil, even today’s depleted Brazil, will think that Argentina number is beatable.

Black leads on vault and bars (and Brooklyn Moors could actually make the bars final here, you guys) and floor. Danusia Francis leads on beam. Brooklyn Moors is the 3rd ranked Canadian, so she cannot advance to the AA final.

Only a short break before subdivision 2. The fun part of that subdivision will be seeing the eternal mystery that is Cuba.


Subdivision 2 (6:20pm ET/3:20pm PT)
Team Cuba
(Yesenia Ferrera, Marcia Vidiaux, Yumila Rodriguez, Mary Morfi)

Team Chile
(Simona Castro, Franchesca Santi, Makarena Pinto, Maria Del Mar Perez, Maria Del Sol Perez)

Team Puerto Rico
(Paula Mejias, Andrea Maldonado, Karelys Diaz, Nicole Diaz, Bianca Leon)

Guatemala
(Ana Palacios)

Colombia
(Angie Rodriguez)

Venezuela
(Katriel de Sousa)

You have a few teams here that would never normally expect to be able to outscore Mexico, but would look at those Mexico scores today like, hmm…

Rotation 1

Rodriguez – FX – Cuba – split leap full is an early struggle for position – 2.5 attempt, steps OOB with leg separation throughout – double pike is nicer, flexed feet but a pretty controlled landing and legs together – she’s getting these complex leap attempts around, just short of split – near stick on double tuck, but a small shuffle forward – stumble out of popa – front full attempt, well short and sits it down

Angie Rodriguez – VT – COL – this is her second vault – it’s a Y back tuck with a bounce back.

Mejias – UB – PUR – low gienger bit some feet but caught – bail, amll leg break – hits clear hip shoot to high – giant full, quite late – double tuck 1/2 out dismount?, well short and falls.

Just a 10.700 for Rodriguez (Cuba) on floor.

10.400 for Paula Mejias on bars. Never mind about that passing Mexico thing.

Waiting for Simona Castro for 78 hours because nothing else could be happening.

We see a huge full-in on the background screen from Ferrara, possible OOB – 2.5, comfortable landing – 1.5 to front full, hit – random short of bars – big height on split leap 1.5 attempt so may get credit there – switch 1/1 attempt was a little short for me, but good height again – double pike, tries to keep it in bounds and ends up landing short with hands down. FML.

De Sousa – VT – VEN – Yfull is not bad – large bounce back and some piking, but a reasonable showing, good speed in run, cleaner technique

12.050 for Ferrera on FX.

Vidiaux – FX – split jump 1/1, also nice height there – whip triple full and overrotates it with a bounce back – front tuck through to 2.5, hop forward – cannonballs a full-in a little bit but lands it, step back OOB – switch and switch 1/2 look nice – double tuck, stuck landing right in the corner.

That saves the rotation for Cuba.

12.800 for Vidiaux, so they will be well ahead of Mexico’s FX score.

After 1: Cuba has 36.850, Puerto Rico 34.350, Chile 33.250

Ana Palacios went 14.200 on vault for a 5.4 D score and the top number of the rotation.

Cuba is going to put up only 3 vaulters. So, you know, here we go.

Rotation 2

Makarena Pinto – CHI – what is this choreography – sweetie, are you just vamping to clapping to we will rock you? – split leap 1.5 was excellent – 1.5 to front full, nice twisting shape but a step out of bounds – simple difficulty on these later elements but mostly clean, pretty technique – I can’t with this routine, though. You’re just slapping your thighs and inviting the crowd to clap. That’s not a floor routine. This is not a rodeo.

Maldonado – BB – punch front, fine, small hop forward – bhs loso off line from the start and falls. Good thing she wasn’t next to the springboard that was, once again, sitting right there – back tuck, hit – switch 1/2, short of split and falls again. Oh Puerto Rico. Split jump and sissone are fine – straddle jump 1/2, large break – 2.5 dismount, good power, lunge forward.

Vault 2 for Ferrera – it’s a round-off 1/2 on layout 1/2, lunge off to the side – pretty solid shape maintained, a little piking but not as rough as this vault is for most people – but the large lunge off the mat will hurt

She’s into 2nd place on vault after hitting the DTY as her opening.

Santi – FX – Chile – clean double pike, bounce back – 2.5 to layout, solid shape maintained in the layout, hop forward – switch side a little too tight there – cutting to a dismembered punch front on beam in the middle of this floor – double tuck, really well controlled – split leap full attempt is quite short of split – 2/1, stuck. Nice acro.

12.100 for her.

Vault 2 for Vidiaux (because you only need to see the second vault…) – rudi to her knee and a massive stumble forward, avoiding running into the table and instead running forward onto the adjoined podium.

Vidiaux had hit her first vault, but is not down in 6th after that effort.

Leon and Karelys Diaz both broke 12 on beam for Puerto Rico, so that was nice.

Those first vaults really helped Cuba. They have 79.050 after two rotations, ten points up on Puerto Rico. But they have to do bars next, which is going to be the problem.

Rotation 3:

Maldonado – FX – randi first pass (first said it was a rudi, but it was a randi), step back – switch full, I’d say it was a 1/2 – she has solid form on her front twisting elements, which is a theme for her routine, solid split positions, just not all the way around on the turns she attempts – hilarious landing on her double tuck, like she was going to do the Felicia Hano but it was very much an accidental rebound and OOB – 2.5, lunge forward and OOB

Del Sol does a Y back pike on vault.

We’re OK if I just call them Del Sol and Del Mar right?

Morffi – UB – close catch on jaeger but is able to cast out of it – piked jaeger is better – toe full – giant – bail with feet – clear hip hecht to high bar like it’s 1992 – double pike dismount with a controlled landing. Nice job.

Vidiaux – UB – stalder full, quite late, into a huge tkatchev that she fingertips somehow – front stalder – bail to shoot – some short hs but they’re hitting – FTDT is nice, small hop

K Diaz – FX – gets her double L around – double pike, nice and clean, short with a hop – 2.5 to front tuck with a bounce, some legs on the twisties – split jump 1/1, solid position – split leap full – double tuck, lunge back OOB and a little staggery in addition – 2/1, hop to the side

11.500 for Ferrera is the final bars score for Cuba, but it could have gone worse. Nice higher 12 from Vidiaux, who is having a strong meet so far.

Santi – VT 2 – comfortable landing on a Tsuk full, medium hop back, keeps the layout shape fairly well, just some piking down at the end

Shallon Olsen is safely in 4th on vault, but there are a couple really close behind her. That might have gotten…interesting.

Cuba only needs a 31.550 on its three beam routines to pass Mexico, which should be doable.

Vidiaux could challenge Francis and Woo at 3-4 in the AA standings if she hits beam.

Rotation 4

Angie Rodriguez casually hanging in her self-care opening pose on floor for 80 years. Double pike, hit – deep landing on double tuck but saves it with a lunge back – switch leap and switch 1/2, not bad – front full, lunge forward – switch side, a little bouncy – 1.5 to an aborted stag jump out of it that ended up just being kind of a stumble.

Vanessa Leliebre up on beam for Cuba – love that roll into candle position enough to forgive the legs on her flank mount – switch ring – loso series, large break at the hips which is a shame because she had nice leg position – falls on side somi, tries to squeeze and save for a year but can’t do it – aerial with a broken connection into split ring – falls again on Y spin – 1.5 with lunge

De Sousa with some pretty form on her 2.5 twist, double tuck, small slide back – we’ve seen some nice moments from her so far – short of 180 position on a couple leaps here – front full, legs and a shuffle – switch 1/2 – 2/1, bounce back

Vidiaux – BB – bhs layout, high, some leg form, small step adjustment – switch with a pause into switch 1/2, saves it with an arm wave – side aerial, a couple adjustments – sissone to split leap to side somi, another huge break but she’s saving all of them – split jump 1/2 from side position, great 180 – punch front, step and check – bhs bhs 2.5 and sits it down. ALL THAT WORK TO SAVE ALL THOSE WOBBLES.

Cuba just needed a 10 from her to pass Mexico, so…

Judges like, “We couldn’t give it a score. It was too sad.”

11.200. So Cuba does move ahead of Mexico with Ferrera still to go on beam.

Ferrera – BB – aerial with a pause into standing front tuck, attempted combination I think – large break on front tuck but keeps it on – bhs layout, HUGE layout – check – switch to switch 1/2, gets the height and position on switch 1/2, which is an accomplishment in itself, but a large wobble again – fake out wolf turn and just drops to split, the best kind – split jump 1/2 from side, another large break and is over it this time, can’t save it – sissone to split leap to side somi, hit – slightly constipated side choreography – bhs bhs double pike, short with a lunge.

She’s just so talented, but…

So, we’re done with two rotations.

Team: Canada 160.600, Argentina 153.425, Cuba 150.300, Mexico 147.025, Chile 145.500, Puerto Rico 145.150,

Vidiaux is into 6th in the AA with a 50.900, just ahead of Ana Palacious who did well to get a 50.000, then Ferrera from this subdivision.

We go to the full 24 for the AA final here, so even a 46 is going to make it back.

Guys. Danusia Francis is currently 5th on UB (when you take into account 2-per), and I’m deeply concerned she’s going to end up first alternate for that final. I need her in a bars final.

In the final subdivision, Aleah Finnegan and Maria Arauz are the only people going for the vault final, so I would consider everyone except for Marcia Vidiaux in 8th place to be safe. Vidiaux is currently at 13.650. Finnegan’s 2-vault average at Classic was 13.900.

We’ve got a couple hours to go until the US subdivision. See you then.


Subdivision 3 (9:30 ET/6:30 PT)
Team USA
(Riley McCusker, Morgan Hurd, Kara Eaker, Leanne Wong, Aleah Finnegan)

Team Brazil
(Flavia Saraiva, Thais Fidelis, Carolyne Pedro, Lorrane Oliveira, Jade Barbosa)

Team Peru
(Sandra Collantes, Arianna Orrego, Venere Horna, Fabiola Diaz)

Costa Rica
(Heika Salas, Luciana Alvarado)

Bolivia
(Diana Vasquez, Maria Arauz)

El Savador
(Paola Ruano)

Uruguay
(Pierina Cedres)

In his update (which we very much appreciate), Tom Forster said that there are no injury problems with the US team. Now, that should probably be coupled with **that Al and Armine are willing to divulge to me and not keep secret** let’s be honest. But, if we take him at his word while also reading between the lines, the implication on this update is that Leanne Wong must have looked really rough in training if the decision was made to use Eaker’s 1.5 over Wong’s DTY in order to produce “the best chance of creating the best team score.” Interesting days.

Also, I’m worried about Brazil due to this injury situation. End of lesson.

I commit to not letting gymnastics get in the way of my Saturday alcohol schedule (heroism), so this should be fun.

We just saw a sign that said “Vamos Valentina” and there’s no Valentina in this competition, so I’m going to assume it was a sign for Valentina Rodionenko. In which case, thank you.

Brilly McCooster is also my favorite member of the US team. (Insert criticisms of how I pronounce non-English names, I know, I know.)

Time for the walking in and whatnot. Leotard+parka, the classic combination

Upon Peru’s introduction, we just learned that there are people in these stands.

Brazil starts on vault and the US on beam.

Bart and Kathy now in progress on ESPN2.

Rotation 1

Fabiola Diaz – FX – Peru – double pike and a huge bounce back OOB – Bart already apologizing for how many Peru routines we’re going to see – Hurd in the background with her leap series on beam – double tuck with a hop – split leap full, short of 180 – split jump full. not quite there – switch ring, loses her step trying to do her passage of dance – I wouldn’t give it – front lay to front full

It’s 13.100 for Hurd on beam. The top beam score so far. 7.800 E score.

Saraiva – VT – very comfortable DTY, nice height, only a small hop. Very strong.

How did Flavia grow 8 inches if she’s only 7 inches tall?

Flavia had a stray bedazzle she had to pick off her forearm, which is my favorite.

Collantes – FX – hits her full-in, bounce back, keeps it in bounds – switch ring – switch 1/2 – popa, good extension in most of these leaps – 1.5 to front full, fairly controlled on the step out college style – double pike, bounce back – good routine.

It’s cool. I wanted to see this Coldplay replay montage instead of Leanne Wong’s beam too.

“Either that or her coach forced her to smile.” Kathy is a gem.

13.650 for Wong.

McCusker – BB – wolf turn triple, comfortable – wolf turn double, the same – split leap and a pause before the aerial to straddle jump, small check, more tentative there – bhs bhs layout series, hit, just a little hop in place – switch to switch 1/2 to Korbut, a little short on switch 1/2 – side aerial, check and a step back – bhs bhs double tuck, large lunge back.

Much more tentative than at Classic, a few more broken series and checks, so expect the SV to be far lower than that 6.4 she got.

Orrego – FX – full in with a bounce back – double tuck, the same, bounce back but normal size – switch ring – switch 1/2 to popa in combination like a proper NCAA gymnast – 1.5 to 1/2, pikes down that 1/2 with a bounce back – double pike, super secure landing. Nice.

14.250 for McCusker. US has the top three beam scores of the meet, and Eaker still to come.

Eaker – BB – switch leap mount – split ring, two parts as usual – Y spin, overturned with an extra 1/4 – aerial to split ring to bhs, good combination, just short on the ring position – side aerial loso loso was hit well – split leap to side somi, well connected – switch ring leap with a check – broken connection in Korbut – switch to switch side, good – ro bhs bhs 2.5, and stuck.

A couple broken connections and wobbles in there, but that was excellent and will be the top beam score.

Brazil went 41.500 on vault. Good number.

Ruano – UB – ESA – jaeger hit, fully straddle pak – toe on to toe shoot – double back, step back-

Eaker 14.850 on beam. Eaker and McCusker will go to the beam final for the US. No surprise there. Big advantage for Eaker over Hurd in the AA race that can keep her safe as we go to vault and bars. Hurd will have to pick up some ground on floor if she’s to make the AA final.

Cedres hits a close Jaeger – finishes up on bars with a giant full – crazy legs – then double pike with a couple small steps back

So after 1, the US has the top 4 beam scores of the competition.

Collantes had Peru’s best floor score with 12.550.

Rotation 2

I know we’re supposed to be all “SHOW THE US ROUTINES” but let’s be honest I’m most interested in Brazil’s rotation here on bars.

Finnegan – FX – false start, steps off the floor – Armine going to cut a bitch as usual – double double tucked , nice open, bounce back out, but she completes it comfortably – double arabian to “stag” that was basically just a lunge out – split jump full, good – 2.5 to layout, sticks it, just a little arch over on the layout but nicely done – front 2/1, a little mushy and under with a quick dance out. Good hit.

The general “I wish this were LSU/Florida” vibe of Bart and Kathy’s commentary is FELT.

Oliveira – UB – Maloney to Pak to VL is quite nice – late on her front giants, but nice piked jaeger – giant 1/2 is short – front giants to double front, step forward.

Good full from Collantes. 9.825 NCAA.

Long wait for Finnegan’s floor score. Brazil scoring well on bars.

Saraiva – UB – piked tkatchev to pak, small usual break on pak and Maloney – broken combination out of the shaposh – tkatchev, hit -toe full, pretty good finish position – double front, gorgeous position in the air and a little step forward. Some things, but a good Flavia hit.

Hurd – FX – DLO, nice position, two steps back – front lay to front 2/1 with a dance out – gorgeous switch ring, and the switch 1.5 was around for credit – double tuck, well short with an awkward chest-down stumble – split jump 1/1 – double pike, a little deep with a lunge back. Same difficulty as Classic. A few struggles on the last two passes.

Good Brazil bars rotation. Finishes with 13.150 for Pedro. It can be a journey, and they got through with a strong number.

13.300 for Hurd on floor. 13.750 was Finnegan’s mark.

Eaker – FX – this music cue for Kara Eaker walking around—SAME. Front lay to front double full, short with a shuffle back – long wait in the corner – 3/1, bounce back but controls it – double Y spin was glorious – 2.5 to front full, good twisting shape and control on landing – a little rushed through her leap combination, looked like she didn’t hit the positions as well as she can, but also our high angle – double pike, solid, small shuffle. Finishes switch ring 1/2, a little too quick.

13.850. Extends her advantage on Hurd.

McCusker – FX – full-in, bounce back, good – front 2/1 to front tuck to stag, was a little under on the 2/1 but didn’t matter in combination – double pike, bounce back, just keeps it in bounds – wolf turn triple, gets it around, a little slow for me – switch ring, pretty – switch full, borderline credit, good 180 – double tuck, smae bounce back as the double pike

I’ve never felt more connected to Morgan than her reaction to her mom on the big screen.

14.050 for McCusker is the top floor score.

Team update: The US has crushed everyone like a bug.

Vasquez – BB – BOL – side aerial, hit, feet – switch to wolf, short of position, loso series, pretty solid – attempts a split jump 1/2 from side position that was nowhere close and shouldn’t receive split credit – Kathy is silent. Same. Except not. I can say it. That leap was very bad.

Brazil is in good shape for a team medal but still has to beam now. The US dominating obviously.

In the AA race, it’s Eaker with 28.700, McCusker with 28.300, and Hurd with 26.400. Hurd is capable of making back a point on Eaker on bars, but she’ll need to do some work on vault now as well to try to get back up there. Eaker very strong through the first two events.

Rotation 3

Eaker – VT – Y1.5 – great vault run face – nailed the landing on her vault. NCAA 9.950. Just a knee bend. 14.200. Strong, strong score. She’s having a great day.

McCusler – VT – DTY – not a super strong DTY – short of rotation and short on landing with a lunge forward and to the side. Like one of her older DTYs. We were wondering about Eaker/Hurd, but it could be McCusker in the hot seat now.

We’re basically seeing exclusively US routines now. Wonder if there was a “LOOK WHO PAYS THE BILLS” conversation somwhere

Diaz for Peru finishes bars, flung out and forward rolls out of it and out of frame entirely. Cool highlight to go back and show?

13.850 for McCusker

Hurd – VT – DTY, OK, a hop to the side and just a hair under-rotated, but nicely done.

Collantes – UB – good Jaeger – bail, nice legs togehter – good final cast hs – DLO, a little short with a hop forward. Yes, those are Boise State handstands.

Fidelis – BB – full turn – bhs loso series and falls. Oh Brazil. Side aerial is nice – punch front, large leg-up break – well controlled double pike landing.

14.300 vault for Hurd. 14.700 first vault for Finnegan.

Finnegan qualifies 4th on vault. Good result for her.

12.200 for Fidelis after a lengthy wait.

Saraiva – BB – ro bhs mount is very pretty – smooth swingdown – ro layout, didn’t get the height she normally does and had to check, but kept it on – split leap to sissone, nice – bhs loso loso and falls. Of course her subsequent aerials and rings are perfect – double pike, little hop.

Banter about Jade’s name, and a sigh afterward.

Bart and Kathy really having vamp with another beam judging delay.

Pedro – BB – split leap to switch leap mount combination – quite a lot of flexed feet and lack of split in these early split elements, though I think she was attempting a legit tour jete, which is cool – bhs loso series, good amplitude, well done – oveturns a full turn – aerial with a check, broken connections – back tuck, shuffle back – sissone to wolf – double tuck, cowboy, hop back

“A little bit underdeveloped on her feet.” I’m always looking for good euphemisms for ugly dance elements.

Flavia will still get into the vault final with that fall.

Brazil still in fine shape. Just needs mid-11s on floor to pass Argentina for bronze.

Similarly, the US needs to average 11.000 on bars to win team gold.

Rotation 4

Pedro – FX – whip to double arabian, shuffle forward – full in with a shuffle back second pass – “WHY CAN’T YOU BE MORE LIKE FLAVIA” – double tuck, a stumble back – split ring done in two parts – double pike, solid. Good routine.

Collantes – BB – bhs loso series, knees, good control – punch front, deep but hit, check – switch, pauses into tuck jump full, large break with lots of different various wobbles in it, good save – switch side, crooked – 1.5, hop

Fidelis – FX – 1.5 through to double arabian, GORGEOUS in the air, but did go OOB – super comfortable on her full in – the leaps are more of a struggle – double tuck, also just a small hop, legs together, strong form – switch ring, not quite enough closure there – double pike, similarly solid, small bounce

13.800 for Eaker, which will clinch her spot for the AA.

56.700 for Eaker. Dear lord, that’s an excellent score.

Wong – UB – inbar – inbar Shap to pak to stalder Shap 1/2 – only minimal legs apart on these – jaeger, high, flexed feet but has the amplitude – toe full with a little leg break, but holds it – DLO with a college stick-salute. Fine.

Flavia – FX – easy DLO with a hop back – great lift on her split leap – full in, small hop again – switch ring, excellent – split leap 1.5, around – 1.5 to front full, crossover step – Y spin 1.5, if she was going for the double, she won’t get it – double pike, feet but good and efficient tumbling, little bounce. Strong showing.

13.800 for Saraiva puts her in 3rd overall on floor. Brazil in behind Canada but comfortably in 3rd place.

Salas vaulting – Yurchenko layout and almost falls.

This meet is so slow.

14.250 for Wong on bars.

US is in bronze position even without enough scores.

McCusker – UB – stalder full to Maloney, some legs – into tkatchev, hit – Ricna to pak to Stalder Shapo 1/2, pretty – 1/2 turn into front giant into dismount stuck. Her best dismount ever.

We’re all just standing around for some reason.

14.900 for McCusker.

Hurd – UB – inbar Shap to stalder full to tkatchev – Ricna to Pak is excellent – small arch on low bar again but pulls it out agin – inbar 1/2 to front giant 1/2 – toe full lovely into FTDT and kind of sells the stick, college slide salute. Good. Hopefully that will get her into one final.

Orrego – BB – bhs loso series, very solid – full turn, a little tentative – side somi, holds it, tries to connect into split jump 1/2 from side, doesn’t get the combo but hits the individual skills – side aerial, small adjustment – switch to switch 1/2, well short of split – aerial with feet to split jump to bhs – 1.5, stuck landing. Strong set.

Hurd ends up the same as Wong and loses the tiebreak on E. Interesting. Thought she would be higher. So no finals for Hurd.

Good days for Wong and McCusker to take the two spots in the AA final.

Really good 5th place for Peru, coming in ahead of Cuba.

TEAM: 1) USA, 2) Canada, 3) Brazil. No surprises there.

AA qualifiers:
Group 1) McCusker, Eaker, Black, Saraiva, Dominici, Fidelis
Group 2) Francis, Woo, Orrego, Vidiaux, Collantes, Palacios
Group 3) A Gutierrez, Ferrera, K Diaz, Alvarado, Castro, Campos
Group 4) Maldonado, Fernandez, Salas, Ruano, De Sousa, Del Sol Perez

Event qualifiers:
VT) Black, Ferrera, Dominic, Finnegan, Olsen, Palacios, Santi, Pinto
UB) McCusker, Wong, Black, Oliveira, Dominici, Pedro, Moors, Magistrati
BB) Eaker, McCusker, Francis, Diaz, Black, Saraiva, Orrego, Pisos
FX) McCusker, Eaker, Saraiva, Black, Moors, Fidelis, Dominici, Magistrati

So Brooklyn Moors made the bars final, you guys. That’s what I’ve taken away from today. What have you taken?

I won’t be able to live blog the men’s team competition tomorrow, so see you Monday for the AA finals.

80 thoughts on “Pan American Games – Women’s Team Live Blog”

  1. This stream sucks. LIKE WHAT STREAM DOESN’T SHOW ELLIE BLACK AND BROOKLYN MOORS ON BEAM!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!

  2. Jamaica won’t have a team score because they didn’t qualify a full team, only two individuals. They were awarded a 3rd athlete when one of the countries with one athlete declined an invitation.

  3. Too bad Dana Duckworth didn’t come with Shallon. I think they could have used some of her beam talks.

    1. During an interview after the team final where Canada won silver, Shallon Olson is quoted as saying it’s great to be back with her Canadian teammates because there’s a real feeling of support and friendship, which is the opposite of what college gymnastics is like.

      1. Here’s a snippet of the article with Olson’s quote:

        Black’s 19-year-old teammate Olsen says they’re a tight-knit group — and that’s something special in this sport.

        “We’re all pretty close with each other, definitely different then what I’m used to. Since I’ve been to school in Alabama, I feel [closer] to my Canadian teammates than I ever have with my teammates in Alabama,” Olsen says. “It’s just that close connection and that bond that we share.

        “I feel like we can all have each other’s backs and all count on them if we need anything.”

      2. Are you insinuating some sort of drama? Olsen was just a freshman and only with her teammates for a few months. She has been with the Canadian girls a lot longer, and shared the Olympics with them. I would say it is more natural for her to feel more of a connection and closer feeling to this small group of athletes as opposed to 15 college girls that she hasn’t know very long.

      3. Non insinuating anything. I just found it to be an interesting quote because usually former elites say the opposite.

  4. anyone have a link for the english commentary? i haven’t been able to find it on my watchespn page

  5. Anyone know if I can view from NZ, I have no logins for any providers…

      1. Yep, I can get it at that link without doing anything (from NZ too) 🙂

      2. I didn’t even try 😂 I just always have my trusty VPN. Thanks!

    1. They just added the link to the watch live portion of the app. Click on the espn2 link and not espn3 link. 2 is gymnastics and 3 is boxing

  6. Well that was a riveting 5 minutes of watching someone dig around in their gym bag. Fix your life, Peru.

  7. Should we talk about how they think Leanne Wong is Kara Eaker? And then try to show her beam score but Kara gets in the way and the camera guy is like “move out of the way other girl”.

  8. Where is Valerie? Does he not come to meets? Im impressed by Brazil’s bars

  9. Morgan’s block gets scarier every time I see it. She just had about half her hand off the side in that last warmup vault!

  10. why are they playing a recorder version of eye of the tiger . please stop

  11. So were they dragging out the beam in order to let the Peruvians finish up the meet last?

    1. BB scores were taking forever last night. The entire third rotation went by before Saravia went 2nd on BB.

      It was ridiculous all day.

  12. “Good days for Wong and McCusker to take the two spots in the AA final.”

    Eaker, Spencer!

    1. I think Spencer was serious when he said gymnastics wasn’t getting in the way of his alcohol schedule 😂😂😂 Flavia is also getting into the vault final even after her fall on beam

    2. There is a lot of criticism on Gymcastic for other broadcasters for confusing Wong and Eaker, so it absolutely needs to stop here. Wong and Eaker were confused in the US Classic love blog and again here…..”Good days for Wong and McCusker to take the two spots in the AA final.” Wong didn’t even compete in the all-around!!! Eaker did all-around, and Eaker qualified!!

      1. Yeah I generally don’t want to complain TOO much about coverage that people are providing for free, but this is a repeated mistake that needs to stop.

      2. Maybe Wong and Eaker are actually twins, separated at birth, which is why it’s so easy to confuse them… 🙂

      3. Yeah, it isn’t a good look to consistently mistake two Asian gymnasts. Especially as a gymnastics expert. And this isn’t really live—you make a mistake, you edit.

      4. I think there are enough circumstances on Spencer’s blog to give some grace- it’s an individually run blog, they were one after the other on beam iirc and my recollection is that he has been known to make mistakes like that with white gymnasts as well, and he did say he would be drinking on this post. The thing is, I’m not sure Gymcastic would be willing to extend that grace, at least not universally.

        I’m also really not sure why those two seem to trip people up. They really don’t look much alike. (Though for some reason I always confuse Fatta and Alipio, so what can I say.)

      5. Yes in team sports I always love the red head or the bald person – easy to know who they are, unlike other members of the team who are hard to recognize out of uniform.

        Three cheers for red heads!!!

  13. It’s Eaker and McCusker into AA finals, right? I thought Wong only competed 2 events.

  14. Rough day for Morgan relative to what she is capable of. You could see Slava comforting her after FX. Hopefully she is saving the big performances (and upgrades) for Worlds trials.

    Great to see such a strong AA showing from McCusker and Eaker especially. I just hope that this doesn’t represent peak form for them this season. I worry also that competing so much this week will be fatiguing – Riley is going to be in four finals. Hopefully that won’t backfire on her as we get closer to Worlds.

    Beyond the US, I was impressed today by Argentina and Peru. Argentina, especially Martina Dominici, looked really good. Also loved how adoring the Peruvian crowd was of their home team. Really sweet to see, plus a couple of Peruvian gymnasts made AA and EFs.

  15. Seeing how this went I would’ve put Wong in for AA and Hurd just for UB and FX. Wong might have still been the #3 AA but I just don’t see why Hurd needed to do AA here, we all know she peaks later in the season, and Wong is a world championship team prospect so it would have been good to see how she handled competing AA at a major event, the U.S. won by almost 11 points. It wouldn’t have been a big gamble. Maybe Hurd thrives the more of an underdog she comes across, but in my opinion this was a pointless competition to do 4 events at.

    1. I’m also left wondering why Morgan even wanted to be on the Pan Ams team. Does she need the extra experience, or to convince the team coordinators that she is reliable? Probably not. And if she’s not showing upgrades, why do the extra routines? Could just stay home and work on them, or if she’s having nagging pain or injuries, get a bit of a rest.

    2. Re why did Morgan want to do Pan Ams, maybe she wanted to go to a multi-sport event? This type of a thing is a fun experience for the athletes, getting to stay in the village, meet athletes from other sports, etc. The Olympics are a year away and as we can see, there is no guarantee who will make it. Why begrudge her getting to do this. This is probably the next best thing for many of these athletes who don’t make it to the Olympics.

      1. No one is “begrudging” her the opportunity to go to Pan Ams 🙄, we are just confused about why she’d choose to use energy going to extra competition at which she isn’t competitive. She has said repeatedly that her strategy is to peak for Worlds in 2019 and to make a run for the 2020 Olympics. So we are questioning why she’d make a decision that doesn’t seem to be in keeping with those objectives.

        “Because it’s fun” would be a perfectly good reason and I hadn’t thought about the mini-Olympics vibe of Pan Ams – that’s a good point.

      2. Ok, calm down, there is no need to roll your eyes over what might not have been the best word choice. It just seems that everyone is getting after Morgan and coming down really hard on her over this choice. That’s all.

      3. That’s true! We’re all super quick to jump to whatever conclusions… and we still haven’t even had nationals yet. I don’t mean to harp on Morgan, and I do think she gets a bit more criticism than she otherwise would because some people think she got lucky to have snagged that 2017 AA gold and resent it.

      4. I agree about Morgan. The competition is going to be stiff for the Olympic team (Hurd is basically the Bridget Sloan of this quad – win Worlds in Year 1 and then try to hang on as the competition gets stronger. The only difference is Sloan was the “baby” on the 2008 team while Hurd was too young to qualify for the 2016 team.)

        But I disagree that there are “no guaranteed spots” on the USA Olympic team – I believe one spot is reserved for the one and only Simone Biles.

      5. Haha fair enough Simone has a guaranteed spot, I should have said, “except Simone”. Assuming she stays healthy of course (knock on wood)

    3. Given how well Finnegan did on floor and how Hurd struggled on floor, I probably would have put Hurd on beam and bars, let her rest the leg events and had Wong in the AA. But I agree with your overall point that Hurd didn’t need to do AA here.

  16. Floor and beam finals have stacked fields! Could be very competitive if everyone hits.

    I worried about Flavia for a second after her beam fall, but, nope, she qualified easily.

    1. My heart needs Flavia to perform to her fullest potential and nab a medal… or at least show off how gorgeous that double lay can be in her FX.

    2. “I worried about Flavia for a second after her beam fall, but, nope, she qualified easily.”

      Which demonstrates the absolute shit show that balance beam was last night, including the judges whom took forever to come up with scores for routines. It is unacceptable that an entire rotation is completed and the 2nd athlete on the team hasn’t competed yet.

      Other than the US team everyone else was a disaster on BB. It has easily become the most unwatchable event and I hope major changes happen on this event 2021-2024. It is insane that execution scores in the mid 7s are the norm now.

      1. I can’t remember her name, but there was a great Peruvian beam. After a 5 minute wait on the podium, no less!

        I do agree, the judges taking forever was super unfair to the next athlete up on beam. Every. Single. Time.

  17. Can we talk about how the US basically got domestic scoring at this event? Compare Morgan Hurd’s vault to Shallon Olsen’s and tell me why Hurd scored higher? Or Hurd’s floor to Thais Fidelis where they scored the same. Thais had .1 lower in D score and an out of bounds but there should have been more differentiation on the E score. Or if we want to pick on someone other than Hurd, why did Brooklyn Moors get a lower E score than the rest of the US team on floor?

    This stuff is annoying because the US team is already really good and going to win anyway. They don’t need this type of help from the judges on top of it.

    1. Oh and I almost forgot the most outrageous score, McCusker’s beam score. I was expecting it to be about a full point lower than it was with all the mistakes she had.

      1. They just want you to emotionally prepare you for Worlds, where Eaker will be getting all her funky rings credited and McCallum will get higher E scores on bars than the Chinese gymnasts.

      2. The thing about Riley is her form and positions are so clean that her only E-deductions are those obvious wobbles and the step on the dismount, and when you numerically count those up and subtract, her score is fair. She had 3 small wobbles and one average one, plus the dismount, but absolutely nothing else. She doesn’t let the judges take away on the small things that add up. Her routine is also fairly short, similar to Ragan Smith’s, where there’s less opportunity for deductions.
        Agree Morgan’s vault score seemed very high, and Riley could have scored lower there too, although vault is so short, it’s hard to take away too much. But Riley’s vault was pretty bad. Her bars were stunning though. Best one I’ve seen her do.

      3. McCusker’s beam positions really aren’t always as clean as people keep saying they are? Her new 2-foot layout includes a big leg separation and flex feet…

    2. It could also be the result of being in the final subdivision and the judges being lax. Hopefully with all the top gymnasts competing together instead of spread across, the scoring will be consistent amongst them.

  18. So Kara is officially an AA contender now, right? Showed consistency between nationals and Pam Ams. Now just waiting for that DTY! So proud of her!

  19. As we are all asking why use kara 1.5 over wong dty but what if that was deliberate as in they want kara to do AA?

    1. I think it was clearly deliberate. Kara was ready and doing well here is a huge confidence builder for her.

  20. To be blunt, Morgan has no case to be on the Worlds team this year, much less the Olympic. She’s virtually tied with four other girls on UB this year, otherwise, isn’t even top 5 on anything else, including all around. Even putting back in upgrades, it makes no impact against her competitors. That’ll make an awkward Olympic channel “special” moment.

    Also, I don’t understand why people keep talking about Jade being on the team either, she isn’t. She earned her special spot OFF the team in Tokyo, but she’ll likely walk away with a couple of medals anyway.

    Which really means, Simone for AA, Kara for BB (possibly more), Riley for BB/UB (possibly more) and one other person to fill in the blanks for Tokyo. That last spot could make sense for many of the other girls, depending on who the AA will be, but I think Grace, Sunisa, Leanne or Mykayla are the top contenders for the last spot. If we’re talking worlds, then maybe they’ll let Jade in for the 5th spot, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

    1. I can’t believe anyone is trying to predict Tokyo spots right now with this group. Still too many unanswered questions for me and so many things can change in a year with respect to injuries, hitting puberty, etc.

    2. I’m also not super confident about Morgan making either the World or Olympic team – she would need to upgrade, and she doesn’t look fully healthy.

      But it’s just ridiculous to declare – in July – that she has no place on these teams. It’d be ridiculous for any gymnast, but especially for her – she was lackluster midseason in both 2017 and 2018 and then went on to be the US’s top-placed non-Simone AAer at Worlds AND won medals in EFs. Riley and Kara both looked great in July 2018 too – and then they didn’t hit at Worlds.

      Like the above Anon says: You really can’t predict teams, especially for Tokyo, this early. People get injured. People grow unexpectedly. People don’t hit at selection camp. Etc.

    3. I think Arin was responding to the commentators who referred to Morgan as the leader and the advertisements for On The Road to The Olympics in which she stars during the Pan Am games.

      I love Morgan’s style, but agree that out of the girls that performed here, she’s one of the least likely to get a spot at Worlds in two months. As far as the Olympics, a lot can change, but she’s absolutely a part of the B team within the National Team this year.

      1. Morgan is the only one that didn’t qualify for any event final and she competed on all of them. Why did she go? Actually, why did they even let her go? You either upgrade your skills significantly every year or you’re yesterday’s news.

      2. Morgan is the leader of the team in terms of being the one with the most international experience.

        I definitely understand feeling annoyed if Morgan’s not your favorite, it probably feels like she’s being overrated or overhyped, especially with the attention from the tv show. I still think is it ridiculous to insist that the game is over for her and she has no future as an elite based on two meets in July.

      3. Morgan’s TV show – does this mean Morgan has gone pro and won’t be going to college to compete in the NCAa?

  21. Morgan went because she placed 6th at US Classics and then Forester went by placement order. Also, Morgan wanted to go and said she was hoping to be picked for Pan Ams before the competition. She watered down her routines and didn’t do full difficulty. I am not sure if she is injured or just playing it safe so she doesn’t get injured before Worlds. But yes, Eaker and Wong seem to be gaining ground on Hurd for the moment. Let’s see what happens at Worlds Selection camp.! I feel bad that there is so much talent and not enough spots. Let’s go back to a six person teams for Worlds and Olympics!!!

    1. Is the US not doing a national championship in 2019?

      Because upgrades could be shown at nationals which presumably will happen before worlds selection camp (August vs. September).

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