Saturday Live Blog – January 23, 2021

Saturday, January 23
Scores Stream
1:00pm ET/10:00am PT – [17] Illinois, [22] Maryland @ Rutgers LINK BTN+
2:00pm ET/11:00am PT – Nebraska @ Penn State LINK BTN+
3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT – Arizona @ [6] Utah LINK P12N
5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT – [15] Arizona State @ UCLA LINK P12N
5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT – Washington @ Oregon State LINK FREE
8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT – [13] Ohio State @ [9] Iowa LINK BTN+
8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT – [14] BYU @ [25] Boise State LINK FREE

What a chill day of gymnastics we had yesterday. Oklahoma and Michigan both counted falls on multiple events, and I still say there was something wrong with that floor at Michigan. (#WheresBart) And UCLA hasn’t even gone yet.

Lowering blood pressure right now: Some of those Arkansas vault scores yesterday were in fact scoreboard errors and the real scores were more normal. And the Olivia Dunne bars score was more normal than I originally thought upon watching the replay. Cling to the little things.

Tap, tap, tap first meet. You’re supposed to be starting now.

Anyway, let’s talk about the news. Tomorrow’s SEMO/Illinois St meet has been canceled because of the COVIDs, while Bowling Green will still be traveling to Eastern Michigan for a meet tomorrow but will not bring enough gymnasts to get a team score. I imagine there will be pressure for teams to show up if at all possible this season because if they don’t show up to a dual meet at all, then the other team can’t get an eligible score.

So to summarize, EVERYTHING’S FINE.

OK we’re finally getting ready to start this tri-meet at Rutgers and play our favorite game show: Look Who’s On Crutches Now.

No Hannah Joyner for Rutgers.

And by getting ready to start, I mean the touch warmup has started.

Rotation 1

Zannella – VT – Rutgers – opens with a Yurchenko layout (“A good looking double layout”) small hop back, has the control, low SV, 9.750 start. Goes 9.575.

Ugh, is this one of those “home team only” streams? Well, Nebraska and Penn State start in not that long…

Ross – VT – Rutgers – a round-off full-on back tuck (“I believe a yurchenko full”) lands it to her feet, she had missed in warmup, but very short with a large lunge forward. 9.425

Burgess for Maryland went 9.525 on beam.

Apparently last week Maryland scored “199.875” DAMN LADIES.

Weir on beam for Maryland, which we’re seeing now – finishes bhs to layout 1.5 completely out of frame. This broadcast is awesome you guys. I’m having a great time.

Balser – VT – Rutgers – lands a Yfull to her feet, lunge forward and a bit to the side, has to tuck is pretty clearly toward the end. 9.550

Rouse on beam for Maryland has a check on her switch to straddle combination so will have to make up her dance series somewhere else, which we won’t see because we’ve cut away.

Newman – VT – Rutgers – best vault of the bunch so far, Yfull, a large bounce back and some feet but has the amplitude. 9.700

Ferguson – VT – Rutgers – lands short on her Yfull, a shuffle forward to control the landing. 9.500

Huang – VT – Rutgers – hits a Yfull, hop back, some knees,

Illinois – Borden 9.775, Biondi 9.800, Simons 9.825, O’Donnell 9.800, Takekawa 9.800, Ewald 9.725. 49.000

Silberman – BB – Maryland – hits her loso series – switch to straddle 1/4, secure – 1.5 dismount with a step-salute

McClure – BB – Maryland – aerial to bhs, smooth, slow but continued working throughout – switch to straddle 1/4, good extension – kickover, nice and high into a split jump, short back leg – some rhythm issues – front 1.5 dismount and stuck again. Good. 9.825

Barber – BB – Maryland – aerial, good extension, covers a possible lean, moving her arms into beat jump – bhs loso, small check – kickover to beat jump, another good kickover landing position – switch to split, solid leg position – 2/1, just a small slide back. Good one. 9.825

After 1: Illinois 49.000, Maryland 48.400, Rutgers 47.925

When Nebraska/Penn State starts, I’ll be switching over to that because this broadcast isn’t really doing it. Though I think I like the judging.

Pretty leadoff bars for Draus from Rutgers. Nice toes on Jaeger, a bit deep on giant full to double tuck with a hop. I see 9.700 for her.

Doherty-Herwitz follows with a fall on a Jaeger. And Newman with a Tkatchev fall in the third spot.

Nebraska and Penn State into the touch warmup now.

Rotation 1 – Nebraska/PSU

Howell – VT – Penn St – a fairly tucked Yfull – I think attempting layout – short landing with a lunge forward. 9.550

Lorange – UB – Nebraska – good first hs – maloney with some legs into pak, pretty nice – short 1/2 turn on low bar – giant full to double tuck, small hop. 9.700

Bladon – VT – Penn St – controls the landing fairly well on her Yfull, lands chest down and pikes int eh air, but not too big on the hop. 9.650

Thaler – UB – Nebraska – small arch in first cast – toe on to maloney, good legs into pak, very clean positions there – also will get deducted for the 1/2 turn on low – giant full to double tuck, hop back. 9.700

Johnston – VT – Penn St – better full from her, smaller step to the side – a little piking. 9.775

Colombo – UB – Nebraska – good piked jaeger – pak, legs together nicely – some hesitation getting up to hs in cast on low bar – an arm wave stepping up to high – high double tuck dismount and looks like she held the stick. Some short handstands. 9.725

Bonsall – VT – Penn St – good control on her Yfull landing, basically a stick. Just some piking and not the most distance. Nice.

Roby – UB – Nebraska – a bit shor ton first hs – blind to jaeger, well done – pak, had great form on it but couldn’t get her hand over the bar and peels off. Resumes to finish with high DLO, small hop. 9.175

Cross – VT – Penn St – hits a Yfull as well, a small stagger to the side, some chest position and piking. 9.725

Davis – UB – Nebraska – good first hs – Maloney to clear hip, nice vertical – hits Hindorff – one short hs – solid bail position – lots of D in this routine – DLO, small hop forward. Good. 9.825

Rushlow – VT – Penn St – best height of the rotation by far – nice Yfull, just a tiny hop. Important vault. 9.875

Piringer – Ub – nebraska – toe on to Maloney to bail, some feet on bail and misses the vertical position – large leg break on giant full, double tuck with solid position, small hop. 9.650

After 1: Penn St 48.875, Nebraska 48.600

Nice vaults from Bonsall and Rushlow get Penn State to a fairly competitive vault total despite having to eat some lower scores early in the rotation. Nebraska has trouble getting out of the 9.7s on bars, largely because of handstands, but avoided having to count a fall.

Rotation 2

Curtis – VT – Nebraska – strong distance on her full, a large bounce back but went far. 9.700

Verdeflor – UB – Penn St – blind to jaeger, pretty toe point – nice cast hs – good legs together on bail – giant full, right on top of the bar, double tuck. stuck landing. That’s one of the best bars routines she has done. 9.900. Dayum. But I can’t say it’s not deserved.

Piringer – VT – Nebraska – similar to Curtis, really solid distance on her full but a huge bounce back that will take away the score. Potential there with the form and power. 9.675

Johnston – UB – Penn St – short first hs – maloney to bail, good bail vertical, some legs on Maloney – very short cast hs on high – giant full to double tuck, nearly sells the stick, step forward. 9.625

Davis – VT – Nebraska – Sticks her Yfull, very strong landing – she has more form errors to take in the air, but will step up the scores because of that landing. 9.825

Cross – UB – Penn St – blind to jaeger, good height – solid cast hs on high – bail, hits her vertical position – short cast hs on high – giant full a bit later, to double tuck, slight case of mush legs with a step back. 9.800

Dujakovich – VT – Nebraska – still going with the full and it’s very strong, comfortably completed, good distance and form, full tenth bounce back. 9.800

Ayers – UB – Penn St – has to muscle up that first cast some – gienger, catches a bit close – toe on to bail, short of vertical on bail and collapses some – better cast hs on high – DLO, stuck landing. Pulled it out with a good finish but had some form things early to take away the score. 9.625

Lorange – VT – Nebraska – strong control on her Yfull landing, small hop in place – some piking – good distance. 9.825

Bonsall – UB – Penn St – maloney to bail, small leg separations – short cast hs on high – DLO, short landing today with a hop forward. 9.725

Press – VT – Nebraska – just a ylayout, large bounce back

Rushlow – UB – Penn St – good first hs – blind to jaeger to overshoot, nice toes on jaeger, some position on overshoot – giant full to high double tuck, stuck. Strong work. 9.925

After 2: Penn St 97.850, Nebraska 97.425

Penn State goes 48.975, again thanks to two really strong routines, this time from Rushlow and Verdeflor. Big improvement over last week. Nebraska has the power potential to get back toward where it used to be on vault (if not with the same difficulty) because the dynamics were stronger than Penn State but they didn’t have the landing control on most of those vaults.

Rotation 3 is underway now – Romagnano – BB – check to the side on her triple series, pulls it back – split to stag ring, very secure – side aerial to tuck full, stuck. Good finish. 9.750

Curtis – FX – nebraska – large bounce back on double pike – front full to layout, flat on the layout so has to arch it around – switch ring to switch 1/2- double tuck, solid landing, just a bit of chest position. 9.675

Ayers – BB – Penn St – aerial, initially looked like it would just be a check, but as she tried to connect out of it she ended up hopping off – gets back up and redoes the series – switch to straddle 1/4 with a check – side aerial to full, holds stick, chest forward. 9.125

Lorange – FX – Nebraska – double pike, hits, small slide back – front lay to front full, mostly under control – switch ring to switch 1/2, a little short – 1.5 to layout. 9.800

Johnston – BB – Penn St – bhs loso, good control to hold onto that series without a check – sheep jump, lean correction – side aerial, another check – 1.5 dismount, stuck. 9.775

Dujakovich – FX – Nebraska – double pike, chest up, bounce back, possible OOB but hard to tell from our angle – split leap full to popa, some flexed feet on the split leap – rudi, bounce back – 1.5 to front full final pass, good one, some knees, but good difficulty and control. 9.825

Verdeflor – BB – Penn St – falls into a pit of despair on her wolf turn, so Penn St will be counting a beam fall – her side somi to back tuck full dismount was excellent though

Higgins – Fx – Nebraska – 2.5, lunge forward keeps it in – pretty solid positions on switch side and popa – double pike is well short and falls, knee down – 1.5 to layout. 9.100

Cross – BB – Penn St – nice double stag handstand into bhs loso series, like it – good control – split jump to sheep, solid – kickover to beat, a little deep on kickover but connects out of it – 1.5 dismount, stuck. 9.525. Start value issue? Because that was a good one.

Utah and Arizona broadcast starting now.

Piringer – FX – Nebraska – hits her DLO, but comes up short with a lunge forward – 1.5 to layout, nice crisp position and good rise into the layout – switch side to popa, solid – 9.850

Rushlow – BB – Penn St – beat to a split jump 3/4, really nice split position – bhs loso series, secure – switch to split, great split positions – side aerial, hit – 1.5 with a fake stick, lunge-salute. She’s having a big day. 9.825

Press – FX – Nebraska – DLO, lands it to her feet but a large bounce back and OOB – split leap full, good rise into popa but bouncy on landing – 1.5 to layout, slight stumble on landing – I think a scoring error with her 9.750 because they haven’t taken the OOB. And a weird judging split. One goes 9.850? Huh?

Utah/Arizona starting

O’keefe – VT – Utah – not so much with the camera angle early – bounce back on her Yfull. 9.750

Linton – UB – AZ – tkatchev very close, butt-scraper but catches – bail, some hip angle – a couple short hs – DLO, small movement. 9.725

Isa – VT – Utah – also doesn’t have much control on her Yfull this week – good form and height but a large bounce. 9.775

Hargrove – UB – AZ – short first hs – giant full to tkatchev, hit, better amplitude – bail, really solid vertical position – nice cast hs on high – FTDT, holds the stick with a lean. Good. 9.775

Stanhope – VT – Utah – adds her Y1.5 and it’s a good one – smallish step to the side – good layout position, just comes in a hair deep. 9.825

Raskin – UB – AZ – post handstand 1/2 turn into jaeger, good amplitude – nice potential in her line and handstands, just a bit of angles – front 1/5 dismount, small hop. 9.775

Hall – VT – Utah – good Y1.5 from her as well – small hop forward, just a bit of knees and a flash of legs apart in the air. 9.900

McCabe – UB – AZ – blind to piked jaeger, good height – short cast hs on high – giant full it a bit late into bail, small hip angle – DLO, finds the stick. Good. 9.800

Burch – VT – Utah – stronger Y1.5 from her as well – small hop forward – legs on the block, pretty solid finish position. 9.900

Kane – UB – AZ – blind change was late and she peeled right off swinging through to a release – restarts routine – blind to jaeger and takes the jaeger too far, falls again – they’ll just have her salute and finish, need a hit in the 6th spot.

I want to know more about this mask claw that Arizona has.

Rucker – VT – Utah – also adds back her Y1.5 – a bit larger pace forward but will still be a good score – strong height and layout position. 9.875 for her.

Deets – UB – AZ – giant full to tkatchev, hit – bail, solid vertical position – DLO with a near stick, step-salute. Nice one. 9.875

After 1: Utah 49.275, Arizona 48.950

Good progress in that vault rotation for Utah, getting two additional Y1.5s out there and all four of them looked pretty solid with not-bad landing control. Arizona survived a zero to get a useful bars score. The freshmen who came into that lineup have potential to deliver competitive routines this season. That looked like a full lineup.

Nebraska has Higgins up 3rd on beam – beat to sheep is nicely done – bhs bhs loso series, a check working out of it with a leg-up correction – gainer pike, small hop

Rushlow – FX – Penn St – double tuck, chest up, solid control – split leap full was a little ragged – finishes rudi to split jump

Rotation 2: Utah/Arizona

Horton – VT – AZ – Y tucked full with a bounce back. 9.700 is high

Paulson – UB – Utah – maloney to pak, good legs together position – hits cast hs on high – giant full, not bad finish position into double tuck with a lunge. 9.775

Nosek – VT – AZ – Yfull, large bounce back, similar to the early vaults for Utah – solid straight position. 9.725

Sabado – UB – Utah – blind to jaeger, good, has the toe point – bail to toe shoot – good vertical on the bail, small leg break in the air – DLO, nice stick. 9.875

Herry – VT – AZ – yfull, more control on her bounce back than from Nosek – little pike throughout. 9.700

Burch – UB – Utah – pause in hop grip change – hits jaeger with some flexed feet – good vertical position on bail – casts look solid – DLO, stuck. 9.850

Bellows – VT – AZ – best full so far, smaller bounce back again – good direction – small pike. 9.800

O’Keefe – UB – Utah – a bit short on first hs – maloney to pak are excellent, great height on pak – solid 1/2 turn position on low – hitting casts – double arabian, sticks it. Good work. 9.900

Hargrove – VT – AZ – best position and amplitude of the fulls so far – bounce back, not large. 9.850

LeBlanc – UB Utah – blind to high jaeger to overshoot, great amplitude just flexed feet – DLO – small bounce back and a little step to meet it

Arizona had Castles in the 6th spot but will scratch her position and take a 48.775.

Isa – Ub – Utah – Ray is solid – hits vertical in bail – small arch in final cast hs – giant full into DLO, knees a bit mushy but holds the stick. 9.850

Penn State got a 9.925 from Astarita in the final spot but not enough to catch Nebraska. Nebraska 195.250, Penn St 195.100, both teams with a big score improvement over last week.

After 2: Utah 98.550, Arizona 97.725

Arizona did pretty well with its layout fulls on vault, but an incomplete lineup with just five competing and one of those five being a tucked full. Utah with another 49.275, a pretty solid rotation, some minor hesitations and body position deductions.

Rotation 3

Burch – BB – Utah – nearly had a choreopgrahy hesitation – bhs loso series, secure – split jump to stag ring, holds it – “stir the soup, then throw it away” choreography – cat leap to aerial, secure as well – gainer full, stuck. Very solid start. 9.850

Horton – FX – AZ – 1.5 to front full, controls landing, some knees – front full to front pike – switch to switch ring 1/2, not hitting the ring position there – rudi, solid – good control on landings, not the highest tumbling but a secure opener. 9.800

Gilstrap – BB – Utah – glad to see her on this event – single wolf – aerial, small hesitation into split jump, balance check – so glad we have a head-on beam view for a gymnast whose main thing is her lovely leap positions WE CAN DEFINITELY SEE THEM – bhs loso series, good extension, solid landing – switch to split to beat, nice – bhs 1.5, slide back. 9.700

I wonder what the Pac-12 Network staff situation is this year, because these are more like the in-arena camera angles we get from the RRP (or if you’re old enough to remember when we didn’t have a Pac-12 Network and Utah had, wait for it, free live streams and it was a DEAL), not a usual Utah meet on pac-12.

Nosek – FX – AZ – double pike, a couple bounces, neither large – front lay to front full, controls that one – split leap full to popa, good popa position – struggles on her double tuck, a couple large lunge forward. 9.650

Randall – BB – Utah – small hesitation on full turn – bhs loso series, crisply done – beat to sheep, hit – rulfova, good one – 1.5 with a fake-stick, step salute. Good. 9.850

Orman – FX – AZ – front lay to rudi, good lift into that rudi – switch side to popa, overturns the switch side some but hits a solid straddle shape – double pike,controls landing, a hair deep – 9.825

Isa – BB – Utah – nearly has a check walking on the beam don’t worry about it – bhs loso loso series, good, hits, it, leg nearly comes up on landing but holds it down – straddle 1/4 looks good – gainer full, stuck. 9.875

Deets – FX – AZ – doubel tuck, high, comes in slightly deep – split leap full to popa to split jump full, getting a lot of difficulty out of dance and looked like she got them around – double pike, bounce back – front lay to front full, the lay w as flat but controlled the final product. 9.750

O’Keefe – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso, strong – switch to split leap, good – perhaps a slight hesitation on full turn – cat leap to side aerial to full, stuck landing, just a little off line. Very good. 9.900

Castles – FX – AZ – 2.5 to front tuck, pulls the landing out securely, a little crossed legs in the air – Carmen not exactly an original choice, but she moves beautifully – 1.5 through to 2/1 was a struggle, short landing with a lunge – 9.750

Paulson – BB – Utah – side aerial to loso large check – bend at the hips to keep it on the beam – she has struggled more with that series this season – cat leap to side aerial to full dismount is stuck – the rest was excellent. 9.725

Hargrove – FX – AZ – double pike, good toe point but a large bounce back, possible OOB – back 1/2 to front full, efficient, not the highest but gets it around – double tuck final pass, comes up short and directly onto her knees

After 3: Utah 147.750, Arizona 146.500

Utah 49.200 on beam after having to count a 9.725. Not a terrible rotation total but not a Utah beam total. 197 should be very doable at this point, which is a good score for this weekend. Arizona has to count a 9.650 on floor for another 48.775.

Utah will be eyeing a 197.125 final score, which would be enough to tie Oklahoma in Monday’s rankings, 197.150 to move ahead. That’s 49.400 on floor

Jim telling us that Cal got a first-place vote in the Pac-12 poll even though Justin and Liz couldn’t vote for themselves.

Rotation 4

Stauffacher – BB – AZ – nice toe point in sideward roll mount – bhs loso series, good control – beat to split 3/4, more tentative there, a check and not quite up to split – aerial to split jump, good – gainer full, small rebound bounce. 9.775

Gilstrap – FX – Utah – Jim tell us again that you watched Utah/Oklahoma last weekend Challenge. double tuck, lovely, control on landing, legs together – front lay to rudi, some bounce – everything about how she moves is just CORRECT – switch ring to split leap full, perfect – front lay to front full, solid, maybe a little knee mush. Great. 9.850

Deets – BB – AZ – bhs loso series, good – hitch kick to switch side – cat leap to kickover front, way off to the side and falls. Finishes good switch to gainer full. 9.200

Randall – FX – Utah – double tuck, chest up, small slide – switch side to popa to wolf full, nice positions on each element, lands bouncy – double pike, some flexed feet – 1.5 to a low layout, loses her leg position at the end. 9.825. OK we need to talk about giving those two Utah routines almost the same score and then die.

The judges are having a little book group I guess I don’t know.

Herry – BB – AZ – full turn, good – bhs loso series, solid – side somi, leans forward to hold it – straddle jump to straddle 1/2, shorter on the 1/2 position – bhs 1.5, stuck landing. Nice. 9.800

Paulson – FX – Utah – front lay to front full to stag, rises in the front full, a littel soft in the lay – 2.5, good control on landing – switch and switch full, nicely done – 1.5 to layout – solid work. 9.850

Barile – BB – AZ – aerial to loso, extended – y spin, turns right into side choreography – switch 1/2 is short of split position – side aerial to full, step back

Stanhope – FX – Utah – big full in, flag up for OOB although from our angle it looked like she kept the heel up – double tuck, stuck landing, easy peasy – switch side to wolf full, around – 1.5 to layout, doesn’t get the punch into the layout, flat and tucks it. 9.650

Castles – BB – AZ – bhs loso series, good extension, sturdy landing – switch to split leap, smooth – aerial to sissone – wolf triple and pretty smooth – 1.5 dismount, stuck landing. Very strong. 9.900

You can actually see the Utah PA lady in the background, and she looks nothing like how her voice sounds. A shocking experience.

Rucker – FX – Utah – FTDT, nailed it, controlled landing, right into the corner – starts to lose the positions in her three dance element combination, the wolf shape at the end is short – front lay to front full, secure. 9.875

Linton – BB – AZ – tribute to Terin Humphrey makeup – wolf turn double, solid – bhs bhs loso, hit, maybe small arm wave – switch to split, solid – side aerial to full, slide back. 9.850

Soloski – FX – Utah – DLO, hits, keeps her front foot down – switch 1/2 to split leap full – front lay to full, slide forward – 1.5 to layout is more secure, good straight layout position. 9.925

FINAL: Utah 197.075, Arizona 195.650

Arizona will definitely take a mid-195 start. We’ve seen a lot worse. Castles beam routine a pleasant highlight there.

A 49.325 for Utah on floor comes up short of the mark they needed to pass Oklahoma, but breaking 197 and a season high does happen, which they’ll be pleased with in a meet that wasn’t really very cracky. Pretty sanely evaluated, at least relatively.

Short break before UCLA/ASU and Washington/Oregon St.

The latest developments: Chloe Lashbrooke will miss the season for UCLA with injury. Jenna Domingo will meet this week’s meet for Oregon State. She was one of the six who was able to go on bars last week.

UCLA lineups are out: Frazier in the AA, Campbell in the AA, Frida Esparza on everything but floor. No Norah Flatley, which is a concern. kooyman on beam. Andres and Hogan on floor. Taubman on bars.

Also heads up there’s a new link for the Oregon State meet up at the top.

UCLA/ASU and Oregon St/Washington up now.

Poniewaz – VT – OSU – Yfull, solid, good direction, medium hop back, some knees. 9.825

Killough-Wilhelm – UB – Washington – hop grip to nice piked jaeger into overshoot – hesitates on the hop grip but the combo was nice – front giant 1/2 to double tuck, stagger on landing with a slide back. 9.675

Peterson – VT – OSU – apparently someone melted while trying to score a Yfull so we have an inordinate delay – full on back pike, gets it around, large bounce back. 9.725

McNamara – UB – Wash – jaeger, hits, not the highest but hit, good toes – pretty hs – pak, large leg break – one short hs – late on giant full into double tuck, deep with a large lunge. 9.600

Bird – VT – OSU – hits a yfull, medium lunge back, some clearer knee bend on that one. 9.775

Bowles – UB – Wash – deltchev attempt but falls –

UCLA/ASU getting started now. Johnny Table on the call.

yanish – VT – OSU – good full, better distance, bounce back, has the power as always. 9.825

Tratz – VT – UCLA – HUGE Miss Val cutout in the background. Of course. Nice full to start, only small movement on landing – her usual strong distance. 9.850

Reeves – Ub – ASU – good first hs – blind to jaeger, high – bail, small leg break, good toe point – DLO, some leg break, small slide back. Good. 9.725

Poston – VT – UCLA – handspring pike 1/2, nearly sticks the landing, small movement and not the most distance, chest down, but again one of her strongest ones. They look ready on vault. 9.875

OSU’s other full on back pike from Sydney Gonzalez, lunge back but smaller than Peterson’s. 9.850

White – UB – ASU – van leeuwen, nice – bail, has a hip angle on catch – solid cast hs on high – DLO, pretty, stuck landing. 9.850

Frazier – VT – UCLA – full is short, lands chest forward and a hop, some piking. 9.725

Scharf – UB – ASU – maloney – small leg break into pak – 1/2 turn on low bar – pretty solid cast hs on high – FTDT, stuck. Nice one. ASU looks good. 9.875

Over at Oregon State, Madi Dagen stuck her y1.5 again this week. Very good.

Dennis – VT – UCLA – her full is back – great height and position in the air, small movement. 9.900

Madi Dagen goes 9.950 for that stuck Y1.5

Clark – UB – ASU – great jaeger, toe point – leg break on pak – nice 1/2 turn on low – a bit short on final cast hs on high – DLO, has to pike it down and lands short, lunge forward

Campbell – VT – UCLA – nails a Yfull, great stick as well – very similar to Dennis, has the height – what will they do because it was stronger in the landing and distance than Dennis but she was a little off line. 9.850. Pssh that’s kind of weird. Scores were high until then. She got Haleigh Bryant-ed.

Boyer – UB – ASU – good first hs – toe on to maloney, good legs together into pak, smoothly done – good 1/2 turn on low bar – FTDT lands deep, lunge forward, was very strong on the bars.

UCLA had Esparza in the anchor position but Dom has done the neck-slice motion, which I assume means they’re going to scratch her.

CLB – UB – ASU – a bit short on first hs – maloney to bail to pike shoot to high – solid form – FTDT, small slide back. Good.

After 1: Oregon State 49.225, Washington 48.000

Washington has to count a 9.325 from Brovedani (I saw her just scrape over the bar on a tkatchev) because of the miss from Bowles and ends up with a low total in the first rotation. Oregon State will be quite pleased with that vault number coming off last week. 9.950s help.

After 1: UCLA 49.200, Arizona State 49.150

UCLA vaulted only five and just the one 10.0 start, which may be an issue this year, but they’ll be heppy with most of the vaults they had. Very good ones from Tratz, Poston, Dennis, and Campbell. The only issue was having to count Frazier’s score and not having enough people.

Realllly good bars from ASU in a lot of places. Nice improvement over earlier weeks and noteworthy in the clean handstands. Really just a couple mushy dismount landings away from the lead.

Moment of truth as Oreong State goes to bars.

Rotation 2

Smith – VT – Wash – tucked Yfull this week – only a small hop back and some direction. 9.700

Young – UB – OSU – new into the lineup this week – clear hip to toe on to maloney, some legs apart into overshoot – sole circle up to high – some short handstands – DLO is a struggle, has to pike it but lands it, large lunge forward. 9.400

Killough-Wilhelm – VT – Wash – some solid height on her yfull – bounces back and some piking throughout. 9.800

Boyer – VT – ASU – hits her yfull, lunge back, some piking. 9.725

M Dagen – UB – OSU – bail, short of vertical – toe shoot to high – gets lose in a giant full and has to hop off. 9.100

Campbell – UB – UCLA – maloney, some leg break – goes into bail and misses a hand and ends up with a spectacular fall. She’s fine. A GIF-worthy disaster. Finishes double front with a lunge forward

Cunningham – VT – Wash – strong lift on her full – bounce back – some direction – that characteristic washington wide-leg landing. 9.750

White – VT – ASu – clean full, lunge back – good position in the air. 9.800

Hoiland – UB – OSU – hits a piked jaeger, short hs on high – hits her bail hs – giant full to double tuck, small hop. Oregon State’s first actual hit bars routine of the season. 9.775

Thompson – VT – Wash – great stick on her full, has the height and position, very strong. 9.900

Long delay at UCLA as the judges try to figure out what to do with Campbell.

Poniewaz – UB – OSU – toe on, some hesitation in Ray to overshoot, hit, some leg form – good cast hs on high – FTDT, chest down, step forward. Much better.

Washington has Lauren Thomas up next on vault with a Ylayout, sticks the landing well but just a layout, and it looks like Washington will have only five vaulters and have to count that score. 9.600

UCLA is STILL in a delay.

Taubman – UB – UCLA – jaeger is high, just does catch it – toe on – bail is a bit floppy but gets to hs in the end – solid cast hs on high bar – DLO, some leg break, nice stick. Pretty strong routine. Crying and whatnot. 9.825

Barbanente – VT – ASU – late turn on her full but works out – bounce back, some pike. 9.625

Peterson – UB – OSU – fronbt giant 1/2 to bail, short of vertical, legs together – flings out a double front and sits it down.

Kooyman – UB – UCLA – short first hs into maloney to pak, some leg breaks on both – short cast hs – DLO is pretty, good height and position, small hop. 9.800

Mangahas – VT – ASU – small slide back on her full, better control, small pike. 9.800

So that’s a 48.750 for Washington vault after using five vaulters and one Ylayout. Oregon State will count one fall and one 9.4 on bars, which is not great but sadly a major improvement over last week. 47.800 for Oregon St.

Esparza – UB – UCLA – good first hs – maloney to pak, legs rigth together – nice – smooth hs on low – van leeuwen, legs together – short cast hs on high – DLO, sticks the landing. Coming through with that potential. Pretty routine. 9.900

Smith – VT – ASU – lands short on her 1.5 but saves it with a lunge back – nice pop and pretty solid position in the air. 9.775

Frazier – UB – UCLA – good first hs – maloney with leg break into a pretty Pak – arches cast handstand on low quite significantly and has to pull it back to save the rotation – VL is very good – DLO, small hop in place. 9.800

Scahrf – VT – ASU – pretty full in the air, holds the stick but does have to lean forward to try to save that landing.

Tratz – Ub – UCLA – oh hello you doing a bars routine – a little short on first hs – maloney to bail, leg break in bail – toe circle up to high bar – giant full with leg breaks throughout – double tuck, solid landing. She got through a bars routine! When they needed a hit. Oh what a silly goose.

A magical 9.650 for Tratz on bars.

That will be 48.975 for UCLA on bars after counting the Tratz score. Frida Esparza the obvious highlight with a gorgeous routine. Taubman should stay in that lineup. Arizona State gets the same score on vault after Scharf comes through with 9.875.

After 2:
UCLA 98.175, Arizona State 98.125;
Oregon State 97.025, Washington 96.750

Allie Smith leads off floor for Washington, a lineup of five. She finishes with a 1.5 to layout, hit, a little flat, some staggeres in landings here but got through it.

Poniewaz hit first up on beam for Oregon St for 9.750.

Young – BB – OSU – aerial, small pause before back tuck which was solid onto the beam but a leg-up check working out of it – switch 1/2 to beat jump, short of position on split – split jump from side attempt and falls.

Frazier – BB – UCLA – switch to straddle is solid – aerial to back tuck, solid, keeps her arms moving, good individual elements – cat leap to side aerial – gainer front full, small movement – one of her more solid beam showings in college. 9.800

Peterson – BB – OSU – switch 1/2, a little short, secure – bhs bhs loso, solid – split jump to straddle 3/4 with a lean check – gainer pike, hop

Thompson – FX – ASU – double tuck, stagger on landing – doubel pike, more control there, just somewhat deep – switch side to wolf jump 1.5 – 1.5 to layout, didn’t have much punch in layout, has to whip around layout and loses form. 9.675

Washington will be counting a 9.450 on floor.

Poston – BB – UCLA – beat to straddle jump 3/4, good elements, slow in combination – bhs bhs loso, tiniest adjustment on landing – full turn, hesitant – 1.5, stuck landing. good. 9.775

Lexie Gonzales on beam for Oregon St tries twice to her get aerial to bhs connection but can’t.

White – FX – ASU – double pike, good form but lunges back and OOB – nice lift into her rudi but a large bounce back – front full to front pike, low but secure

Esparza – BB – UCLA – bhs loso series, good toe point, solid landing – straddle 1/4, great extension – aerial, a small lean but keeps it moving into beat jump – side aerial to full, stuck landing. Good work. 9.800, that’s a tight score for that routine. Wonder if someone didn’t give the aerial connection.

Clark – FX – ASU – double pike, slide back – double tuck, larger stumble there with a lunge back, stays in – switch to split ring 1/2 – 1.5 to layout, pulls it around. 9.675

Campbell – BB – UCLA – wolf turn double, a little wolf turny, but fine – bhs loso series, secure – cat leap to switch 1/2, a couple little steps landing that trying to keep it on the beam – gainer full, stuck. Good. 9.725

Boyer – FX – ASU – front lay to rudi, good height and position on rudi, slide back – doubel pike, large bounce backward and another OOB in this rotation – 1.5 to front lay, arches it around a bit. 9.625

Of note, I think they’re including the OOB deductions in the individual judges scores on the beaverlog software, which they’ve never done before.

Sakti – BB – UCLA – loso loso series, strong height, secure landing – switch to split, hits her 180s – side somi, holds onto it with a lean forward – side aerial to full, holds the stick with some depth. 9.900

Mangahas – FX – ASU – brings around her FTDT, chest down – front tuck through to double tuck, lunge back, just keeps her foot in bounds on this one – 9.850

It’s 48.550 for Washington on floor with five routines. 48.500 for Oregon State on beam after counting a 9.350

Kooyman – BB – UCLA – they will put up a sixth on this event – good extended press handstand and planche work in her mount – cat leap to side aerial, small adjustment – bhs loso series, secure – full turn with a large break, leg up and a lean – switch with a pause into back tuck, broken connection there – gaienr full, bounce back

Scharf – FX – ASU – front tuck through to double tuck, good chest up, small slide – front full to front tuck, popped right up in that front tuck but pulled it around, short and a step back – double pike, some stagger step. 9.875

49.000 for UCLA on beam, 48.725 on floor for Arizona State.

After 3: UCLA 147.175, Arizona State 146.850

UCLA gets the 9.900 from Sakti. Esparza also had a good one. Otherwise some tentativeness. Nothing disastrous. No falls.

We’re waiting on Washington’s opening beam score after Thomas had two falls.

Thompson – BB – Washington – candle mount, pretty psoition maintained – full turn with a lean – switch to split jump 3/4, hit – bhs loso and falls, off line. She’s following an 8.325. 9.125

Force – FX – Oregon St – double pike, high, small shuffle back – switch and straddle, some loose knees – front lay to front full, legs apart in layout – double tuck, good control. 9.850

Pac-12 Network trying to tell us that UCLA went 49.090 on beam. Mmmm, not a thing.

McNamara – BB – Washington – slight hesitation on full turn – bhs loso series, swings arms down to control – switch 1/2, small check before beat jump – side aerial, with a lean – side aerial to tuck full, stuck landing. a critical hit. 9.750

Bird – FX – OSU – rudi to straddle jump, under control – switch 1/2 to popa, really nice position on those leaps – 2.5, high, lunge forward

Bowles – BB – Washington – side aerial to bhs and is a wizard to keep that on the beam because she was quite off line, check – beat to wolf jump full, mostly around – beat to sdie aerial to full, stuck landing. Good.

Thompson on beam for ASU, a larger lean on her full turn but solid before that. 9.725

Andres – FX – UCLA – 2.5 to front tuck, overcooked the 2.5 so go no pucnch on her front tuck, basically completed it underground but did compete it and stayed on her feet – rudi, large bounce back – switch 1/2 to popa, pretty extension – 2/1, very smooth. 9.575

White – BB – ASU – bhs loso series, nice extension – aerial to beat, also quite nice on the aerial, great position – split to stag ring, strong – hop back on dismount. Very pretty. 9.850

Hogan – FX – UCLA – punch front 2/1 attempt, not all the way around with a crossover step – back 1/2 to front lay, lunge forward, keeps it in bounds – rudi, chest well down with a stagger on landing. 9.450

Looks like a third miss on Washington on beam from Killough-Wilhelm in the anchor position.

Mangahas – BB – ASU – good full turn – kickover front, very solid – bhs loso series, hit, soft back leg – switch to split, good – aerial, small lean – side aerial to full, step back.

Tratz – FX – UCLA – FTDT and takes it all the way OOB, a secure landing, but took off almost OOB – 1.5 to layout is clean – double tuck, another bounce back OOB. 9.650 is forgiving.

So, now the OOB scores look like normal, which means they just didn’t take the OOB on either of the ASU routines (or that Nebraska routine earlier).

Some of those vault landings were so good, but the rest of this meet is about what I would have expected from UCLA’s opener.

Scores got crazy pants for Oregon State in the final rotation (like one judge gave Yanish a 10 on floorfor a major bounce back on her first pass)

Clark – BB – ASU – bhs loso loso, very solid series – aerial, very smooth – pretty routine. 9.825

Frazier – FX – UCLA – whip through to double tuck, comfortable, small slide back – double pike, also a minor bounce back – split leap full to split jump full to popa, good finish position on those later element – butterfly – 9.900.

Reeves – BB – ASU – bhs bhs loso, secure, some soft knee positions – switch to split, some back leg on split – aerial to back neck stand, a little slow in combination this week – 1.5, stuck landing.

Campbell – FX – UCLA _ front 2/1 with a lunge forward – split leap full to popa, great height on that combinations – double tuck, drops right into it, good control – front lay to front full, small slide step but really strong work. 9.900

Scharf – BB – ASU – hits wolf opening – bhs loso series, small lean – side somi, solid – switch to split, some soft back knee, under control – 1.5, holds the stick. Good. 9.850

Dennis – FX – UCLA – double tuck, holds front foot down – saying “viral” totally negates the viral – front full to layout, clean position – split leap 1/5 to split jump full to straight jump, some indistinct landing positions – rudi to split jump, high. That was stronger than the last two 9.9s.

That will be enough to put UCLA ahead.

Dennis goes 9.950 .

FINAL: UCLA 196.150, Arizona State 195.950

UCLA got by on the skin of its talent. Some key 9.9s to lift the score into the 196s despite very depleted lineups and some rough moments. Most of those lineups are not full yet, so it’s going to be an adventure. Norah Flatley was misssssed.

Arizona State with a good number. Not as strong as the score last week but probably a better performance in every regard except floor. Bars and beam had some impressive moments.

FINAL: Oregon State 194.925, Washington 192.875

Washing with an exepctedly rough opening meet, not able to put up six on vault and floor and having to count a miss on bars and two on beam. Oregon State is like, “CAN RELATE.” Oregon State improved certainly in this meet. Bars is still a problem and beam had to count a low one, but vault was better and floor more controlled even if those scores were kind of ridiculous.

85 thoughts on “Saturday Live Blog – January 23, 2021”

  1. Long-shot question but I’ll take the shot: anyone know what’s going on with Tienna Nguyen of UNC? Was looking forward to watching her in college, but she wasn’t in any lineups this week, I didn’t spot her on the floor, and she’s been generally AWOL from the team’s social media the past few months.

    1. She is still on their roster so definitely wasn’t removed from the team or anything of that nature. My best guess is either nagging injuries preventing her from training fully or she’s struggling with the transition from elite to NCAA which happens more often than you might think. No matter the struggle though, her Full on vault would fit nicely in any lineup in the conference so I am guessing it has more to do with an injury

      1. Just sayin’ that the freshman with the torn Achilles has popped up on their social media more than Nguyen has….

      1. They are. Debuted a couple seasons ago. All major sports have a Ute Pride meet/game where they celebrate the Ute Tribe. At the football game, tribe members do a performance at halftime. It’s pretty awesome.

  2. Not as ghastly as the white leos of Arizona…no grown woman should ever be in a white leo , ever.

    1. my bigger issue is the terrible fit on every single athlete (further amplified by the terrible color); no college athlete should be dealing with that intensity of wedgie

      1. And – camera people need to switch angles so they aren’t focused on wedgies or crotch shots.

  3. I thought we were safe from Wolf Turns in NCAA. Clearly we are not. No shade to Gilstrap but please make this not become a thing. We do not need them

    1. Even worse was last night when Cam Machado from Alabama did “The Beast” – aka a triple wolf turn followed by a double wolf turn. She is a lovely gymnast and, to her credit, she did them about as well as wolf turns can be done but I hate that routine construction and it shouldn’t be rewarded. I believe it won’t be allowed in the next elite code and NCAA needs to stop rewarding it too.

    2. Castles just had a triple… (Isn’t the triple Wolf the George, of Cal’s Kyana George origin?)

  4. Amanda to Jim “I’m air punching you in the shoulder because thats what I normally do all day.” 🤣

  5. Wow really impressed with Arizona on beam. after the fall with the looking wait was almost and steady without a hint of a balance check anywhere. And Jessica Castles! Holy toe point – gorgeous 😍 Not to mention the triple wolf at the end of her routine which wasn’t even ugly. Really pretty rotation with such mental strength and you would never know there was a fall early in the lineup.

    Meanwhile, Utah demonstrates that its entirely possible to have well mixed music.

      1. GOOD NEWS for UCLA:

        Aly & AJ to the rescue!

        Aly will be doing vault with a much-needed 10.0 starting value, and AJ will be doing bars with some spectacular release moves.

        Each has four years of eligibility remaining.

        Maybe an occasional national anthem performance will be thrown in there as well.

        Regards,
        Uncultured Swine (oink oink)

  6. Re: Camera angles:
    They said at the Red Rocks Preview that there are no camera crew allowed on the floor this season so they’re all recording from the stands.

  7. The picture is of the singers of the song, Aly & AJ, maybe so they are allowed to use the song they included them?

  8. Emily White on bars – 9.85 is too low. That was a leo/ lineup order deduction, should have been 9.9+

    1. It seems like Sekai Wright gets forgotten about among all the other big names, but I’ve been dying to see her break into the floor lineup ever since her exhibition 2 years ago! Where is Sekai Wright?

    1. Yes, I found that odd. Surely she could do a better routine than Tratz. I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of Steele in general. Also, was Taubman the last minute addition after Flatley’s injury or was Tratz? Because clearly Taubman’s routine is stronger.

      1. I thought on the commentary they said Taubman came in when Flatley tweaked her ankle. Assuming if Campbell hadn’t had a fall they would’ve just left it with 5 routines like vault.

      2. I can’t imagine that they planned with Tratz. I think Taubman was planned – maybe the replacement for Steele, if she had to drop out earlier -, and Tratz was the last minute Flatley replacement.

      3. That’s a weird lineup choice then. Because I don’t mean any disrespect to Tratz, she did a good job to hit when she needed to. But Taubman should have been in the lineup over Tratz to begin with.

        Overall, UCLA looks much better than I was expecting, given the class that graduated and the restrictions they have had to training time.

      4. I believe Honest or the other commentator said Tratz was the substitute. It was merely Taubman’s first time in the lineup.

  9. I’m an instant Sarah Taubman fan, whose bars screams coach you can count on me.
    Tratz came through with an impressive hit. Even with the built in deductions, that was a much needed performance.
    Can Nia’s shoulders not bars?
    Where is Kaylany Steel?

    1. I would assume that Nia’s shoulder is the reason she is not in the bars lineup, because it’s a lineup that has needed her for two years.

    2. Absolutely – Taubman was great. Agree that she should stay in the lineup.
      I think they are resting Nia on bars because she is more important for floor and vault, and they don’t want to risk her shoulder. And usually, they should get a pretty decent bars line-up without her, counting on being able to drop Tratz’s score…

  10. She hadn’t competed until today, but junior Sara Taubman is widely considered to be one of the physically strongest athletes ever in UCLA gymnastics…You can check out Taubman’s 2-part Youtube video entitled “Zoom Workout with UCLA gymnast Sara Taubman”.

    1. I’m not quite sure what “widely considered to be one of the strongest athletes ever in UCLA gymnastics” even means… like she’s a weightlifter ? Because being “strong” has never gotten her into lineups before today and I’m wondering why the heck not because she’s definitely better than Tratz on bars and had a strong routine. I get that she wasn’t going to zoom ahead of the Kylas but the strong comment seemed odd.

      That said, she had a lovely debut and should remain in the lineup.

      1. Yes, physical strength like weights and one-handed fingertip pushups, etc. Crazy strong.

      2. She exhibitioned at least once last year, and definitely wasn’t lineup ready then. Definite improvements.

  11. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but some of the beam scores a weeeee bit tight at UCLA? Overall it’d be a great trend if applied evenly.

    1. I agree I thought the Esparza routine was 9.85 at least. I am fine with it too if it was applied everywhere but based on the ridiculous scoring in the SEC and occasionally Big 12, it’s lame when it’s only the Big 10 and some of the Pac 12 with tighter scoring.

    2. I was thinking exactly the same very tight scoringon Poston, Esperaza and Frazier.

      Like many I’m wondering what the status is of Lashbrooke, Steele, Flatley and Shapiro.

      1. Lashbrooke is out for the season, afaik. Flatley “is sitting out for precautionary reasons after tweaking her ankle in warmups” (says UCLA twitter).
        Nothing on Steele or Shapiro, though. And I think I saw Kaly in Pauley on the stream…

      2. Lashbrooke has a ruptured achilles and is out for season. No idea what’s going on with Steele. Flatley tweaked her ankle in warmups.

      3. Lashbrooke is out for the season, Flatley just got injured and I doubt they know how bad it is, she could be back next week or not compete this season at all.

        Steele, Shapiro, and Wright all bring very important routines and I hope we get an update on them. Bars especially looks weak without Flatley, Steele, and Dennis

    3. There was a lot of pausing in my opinion and some of the connections were really slow. If you stop moving, it’s supposed to be a deduction, so I think it was all fair.

  12. Ucla – everyone is saying the scores are tight but I actually am enjoying it not being crack every second. I think it’s been pretty accurate so far – I think everyone is just so used to crack that the scores seem low for the routines but are probably quite accurate except for a few weird scores. Ucla have been getting gift after gift for years so nice to see some accurate judging.

    1. I am fine with tighter scoring but when it’s wildly disparate throughout the country it’s harder to appreciate. LSU and Oklahoma this year have been given some ridiculous gifts already and when you are ranked based on the scores…it does not feel like there is a level playing field.

      1. It’s the same every year but ucla are usually the ones every single year getting the miss Val gifts. The most overscored team this year have been Arkansas at home. Florida Oklahoma Michigan and lsu have had gifts. I even think within this meet ucla are getting some gifts I just think they can’t give them anymore gifts as there first meet has been rough. They are not up there with the other teams this year at this time and are getting scored accordingly. I know lots of injuries and significant covid disruption but it just a fact they are struggling a lot in the first meet and the scores reflect that. Even with the overscoring I still think the rankings are pretty accurate at this time looking at daily results on road to nationals expect for ark being too high .

    2. exactly the scoring isnt even right ucla have been overscored since Katelyn Ohashi went viral so people are used to routines with bobbles getting 9.9s

  13. Who would have EVER thought that UCLA might take a step back after losing last year’s seniors: Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, Felicia Hano, Grace Glenn, Gracie Kramer, etc.

    1. Well they are missing Flatley this week who can go 9.9+ on three events, plus important routines from Wright (VT), Steele (UB), and Shapiro (BB).

      But on the other hand OU also lost seven important routines from Nichols and Degouveia, but they brought in 8 new freshmen to help fill the void, of which at least three (Davis, LeVasseur, Lynn) have shown routines they’d want in postseason. UCLA has Campbell and Esparza but not a lot else…

      1. Well they expected to have Chiles, Malabuyo and Moors in this class so it’s not like they didn’t have people, but due to COVID they all deferred.

      2. They will certainly rely on Campbell and Esparza, who both look great. To lose that many seniors and then have over half your incoming freshman class defer (with Moors redshirting) is a lot to overcome – on top of a pandemic!

      3. Even next year though Florida, OU, and Utah have a group of incoming freshmen at least as strong if not stronger than UCLA though. Chiles and Padurariu will deliver but Malabuyo with her injury history and Moors with her form might struggle with the college transition.

        UCLA recruiting in general is a step behind those other three schools (plus LSU and probably Alabama and Michigan too).

  14. Yeah they need to bump up the recruiting. They’ve been super strong in some recent years (last year’s class obviously), not as strong in others. Florida’s incoming freshmen next year will be incredible. And I am so excited to see Eaker and McCallum compete in college.

  15. So Washington couldn’t handle Elise Ray being honest with them so she was forced out. Ha. Not working out too well for them…

      1. Probably the same person who claimed that all the athletes hated Ray, which is the reason why she left.
        Which is entirely untrue.

        Another troll trying to stir the pot.

      2. Honestly, her departure screamed “parent diagnosed with a terminal illness” so loudly to me that it never occurred to me to speculate about anything else. I wish her family well.

    1. She wasn’t forced out. Her husband got a job in his hometown so Elise could spend time with their newborn and toddler and be close to extended family. UW was one of last teams to report, they’ll do better. Weird how some people make up stuff. Jealous of Olympians I guess.

  16. UCLA gymnastics had one positive Covid test right before Christmas, so the team was forced to take an extended quarantine break, and coming out of that they only had 10 days of training before this first meet. There was concern that they wouldn’t be ready.

  17. Delayed observation as I catch up on yesterday’s meets…did Wieber bring the Miss Val “IDGAF about your boobs” leotard design aesthetic to Arkansas?

  18. I agree UCLA is not the strongest with recruiting, especially when it comes to gambling on injury prone former elites who end up unable to compete. Hint: avoid Texas nightmares. Walk on’s bail them out time and again. They need to focus more on ninja level 10s instead of mediocre injured elites with poor form.

  19. I was LOVING the new line-ups for UCLA, necessity or not. No chance in hell of a championship probably for years (sorry Chris) because Utah and Florida have ALL the Olympic potentials but… loving the lack of Val, loving Taubman on bars (I thought I saw Kyla crying a bit), loving the unpredictability, loving Kooyman’s beam mount, just good to see a variety. Sad Lashbrooke is out. Loved her floor last year.

    1. I agree. In retrospect, last season were the last flares of the Miss Val era (especially with that boatload of seniors). Now, it is really Chris Waller’s team – and his job to get that programm back to championship level and leave an impression. But on the day after, they did a good job in their first meeting and given all the circumstances.

    2. With UCLA it seems they have three exceptional routines on each event equal to the top routines from OU/Florida/Utah/LSU/Alabama/Michigan but are a few steps back on the first three places in the lineup.

      VT – Dennis, Campbell, and Poston would make any lineup in the country. Tratz is pretty good too, and then the last two spots are unclear but are 9.8 at best (Esparza? Frazier? Flatley? Wright?)

      UB – Frazier, Flatley, and Esparza are the top 3 with 9.9+ potential The best of the rest are definitely Steele, Kooyman, and now Taubman, but as we saw yesterday there’s very little depth (Campbell and Tratz are last-resort options). This lineup really misses Dennis’ shoulder.

      BB – Sakti, Flatley, Esparza would all make lineups anywhere. On BB there is more depth at least with Poston, Campbell, Shapiro, Dennis, and Frazier all capable of 9.8+, but those last three are not reliable.

      FX – Campbell, Dennis, and Frazier are fantastic. Flatley with another 9.9+ will make FX the best event for UCLA once again. After here the best options are probably Tratz and Andres (inconsistent) or Esparza (?), but we don’t know how that will turn out.

    3. Also loving the lack of Val! So much more interested in rooting for this version of UCLA even if it’s a scruffier team.

  20. I watched the floor routines for UCLA and Utah. Frazier Dennis and Campbell were great entertainment and all received 9.9. Then I watched Gilstrap from Utah. Her routine is slower but her control was incredible. Does less bounce always overshadow grace and control. Don’t eat me alive but UCLA has scrapped by on show over gymnastics (Dennis excluded. She’s the literal package). But both Campbell and Frazier had obvious errors but still got the 9.9. Gillstrap souls have received the same score. She was elegant and complete

  21. I watched the floor routines for UCLA and Utah. Frazier Dennis and Campbell were great entertainment and all received 9.9. Then I watched Gilstrap from Utah. Her routine is slower but her control was incredible. Does less bounce always overshadow grace and control. Don’t eat me alive but UCLA has scrapped by on show over gymnastics (Dennis excluded. She’s the literal package). But both Campbell and Frazier had obvious errors but still got the 9.9. Gillstrap souls have received the same score. She was elegant and complete

Comments are closed.