Friday Live Blog – February 12, 2021

Friday, February 12
Scores Stream
6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT – [6] Alabama @ [13] Georgia LINK SECN
6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT – George Washington, William & Mary @ Towson LINK FREE
7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT – [5] Arkansas @ [15] Kentucky LINK SEC+
7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT – [25] NC State @ [23] North Carolina LINK FREE
7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT – GymQuarters (Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Air Force, Illinois State, Lindenwood, SEMO)   FLO
7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT – [1] Florida @ [2] LSU LINK SECN
9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT – [19] Auburn @ Missouri LINK SECN
9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT – [11] BYU @ [18] Southern Utah LINK FREE

Starting with the one that started it all, Alabama/Georgia. I would like the Suzanne statue to do commentary on this meet.

Georgia’s mid-week tentative lineups have Magee on only beam. Bars looking fairly full. But those should always be treated as vague guidelines.

Latest meet news is that Stanford has canceled the Feb 20 meet against Arizona State. Stanford’s season opener is now slated for February 26th with 5 meets on the schedule, 2 away. You only need 4 meets with 2 away to get a ranking, so that’s still possible, but it’s getting down to the wire.

Miracle of miracles, George Washington is also actually able to get its season started right now.

Rotation 1

De Jong – VT – UGA – solid yfull, a good one for her – small hop in place – some piking. Nice. 9.850.

Someone went 9.900. Uh oh.

Waligora – UB – Alabama – the collar leo… – blind to jaeger to overshoot, strong amplitude – a couple short casts in here – DLO 1/1, hit, some piking, medium hop forward. 9.825

Baumann – VT – UGA – has the distance on her yfull but a fairly large bounce back – some pike again – better than her recent 9.6s. 9.800

Givens – UB – Alabama – solid first hs after hecht mount – jaeger, hit – pak, small leg break on catch – good casts – DLO is a little low this week, finds the stick but has to squat and swim. 9.775

Cashman – VT – UGA – another strong landing on her yfull, clear stick – deductions for dynamics and some piking, but great landing. 9.850

Machado – UB – Alabama – solid first cast on low – maloney to pak, leg breaks on both – toe on to van leeuwen, solid legs together – toe full to double tuck, late, into double tuck. 9.850

Lukacs – VT – UGA – stays with the full but a more controlled landing this week on it – small hop to the side, legs on block. 9.875

Blanco – UB – Alabama – strong first hs – maloney to pak, smoothly done, great form – 1/2 turn on low – nice casts – FTDT, slide back. 9.900

Ward – VT – UGA – Tsuk full with a pretty large bounce back, some piking, pretty much her usual. 9.825

Adams – UB – Alabama – good first hs – maloney to pak, great form – a bit short on hs on low – nice leg positions on van leeuwen – full to double tuck, hop back. 9.900

Roberts – VT – UGA – hits her Y1.5 well, some of her best control – a tad short, causing a hop back-sideward, not large – some knee bending. 9.850

Doggette – UB – Alabama – good first hs – tkatchev, solid counter into pak, strong – a bit short on 1/2 turn on low – DLO, small slide back. 9.900

After 1: Alabama 49.375, Georgia 49.250

Some improved landing control there for Georgia to record a much stronger vault number. Scores exactly as loose as we would have expected. But some sticks and other people getting closer to sticks.

Alabama with a huge bars score. Lots of really clean work on the bars, though they didn’t have the dismount control today and got three 9.900s for non-sticks. With Blanco, Adams, and Doggette we saw clean legs-together transitions and crisp handstands.

Rotation 2

Olsen – VT – Alabama – starting with her DTY – they took my advice! – lands short, medium hop forward. 9.750.

Cashman – Ub – UGA – tkatchev, hit – good cast hs – bail, nice toes, leg break in the air – solid casts – DLO, some legs, finds the stick. Good day for her so far. 9.725.

Waligora – VT – Alabama – larger lunge forward on her Y1.5 – will take down the score, but nice shape in the air. 9.850

Schild – Ub – UGA – Ray looks nice – htiting cast hs – toe on to bail, leg break on bail and short of vertical – nice cast hs on high – DLO, step back. 9.825

Adams – VT – Alabama – lands short on her Y1.5, fall. 9.275

Roberts- Ub – UGA – shortish first hs – toe full to maloney to bail, releases look solid, some form on that toe full – struggling to get up to vertical – DLO got low but found the stick. 9.825

Blanco – VT – Alabama – pretty Y1.5 – small hop forward, good leg positions – 9.875.

De Jong – Ub – UGA – toe on to Ray, high – some angle in next cast – bail hs looked nice – confident cast on hb – DLO, finds the stick with a little lean. Good. 9.925

Graber – VT – Alabama – large lunge forward on her Y1.5 today – great form as usual, finishes vault early, but a major landing error. 9.900 with a huge lunge

Nguyen – UB – UGA – good first hs – pak, pretty – short cast hs on low – maloiney to gienger, some legs on maloney, good position on gienger – DLO, a little low, stuck. 9.875

Quinn – VT – Alabama – they have her do the full because of a fall earlier – large lunge back on her full, kind of deep on landing, will be a lower score that has to count. 9.775

Oakley – UB – UGA – nice hs – higgins to piked jaeger, pretty – good cast on high – pak, legs together – gets a little loose on her 1/2 turn on low – hitting casts – FTDT, stuck. very strong work. 9.925

Alabama 49.150 on vault. Not the strongest score, had to count a couple 9.7s because of the opening fall. But I don’t think we can discount my Shallon leadoff score building strategy just yet because most of those scores after her were verrrry high. (*whispers* that was probably going to happen anyway, shhhhh).

After 2: Georgia 98.625, Alabama 98.525

Georgia a cleaner bars rotation. Much more complete lineup with both Oakley and Nguyen in there and not having to use someone like Ward. Scores are higggh but Georgia has been a bit stronger overall after that meh Alabama vault rotation.

Towson and GW have started. GW goes 47.425 on bars after counting an 8.7. Towson 48.850 on vault.

Rotation 3

Magee – BB – UGA – straddle to straddle 1/2, strong positions – bhs bhs loso, solid landing, comfortably extended – full turn, check – 1.5 dismount, step forward. Pretty. 9.850

I’m not going to be mad at the judge who went 9.900 here with two checks as long as that is a legitimate reward for her form and not just how we’re evaluating anyone with two checks.

Gaskins – FX – Alabama – double pike, overcooks it, large bounce back – using hair as weapon – y full to wolf 1/2 – switch ring to switch 1/2 – front tuck through to double tuck, secure landing, just some feet – 9.850

Finnegan – BB – UGA – bhs loso series, secure, a little tight – side aerial, slightly slow into wolf, keeps arms moving – switch, small hesitation into straddle 1/4 – 1.5 dismount, hop forward. 9.775.

OK that 9.900 Magee judge now went 9.700 for Finnegan’s beam. I’ll take it. That’s fine. You’re establishing form reward separation. Good.

Klopfer – FX – Alabama – double tuck, control, deepish landing – split leap full to popa, good popa, somewhat soft on split – back 1.5 to layout, slight lack of control on hop forward – double pike, lunge back – not her most controlled routine. Not bad. 9.800 pretty high.

Hawthorne – BB – UGA – bhs loso and falls. Resumes with kickover front from knee into sissone, hit, not her highest combo coming after that fall – 1.5 dismount solid. 9.325

Doggette – FX – Alabama – double tuck, bounce back – front full to front lay, gets a little low, some leg break – switch, split leap full to split jump full is a struggle somewhat, not up to those positions – double pike looked deep, lunge forward. Near knee down but not. Not ready yet there. 9.650.

A 9.750/9.550 split. I have some questions for 9.750.

De Jong – BB – UGA – switch to split looks solid – aerial to beat jump, great height – bhs loso, small check – split jump 1/2 from side, secure landing – side aerial to full, small hop back. Solid. 9.875

Adams – FX – Alabama – double pike, gets too far back on it and has to step to meet her lunge – switch 1/2 to tuck jump 1.5, great height, actually shows a tuck shape not just an afterthought – 1.5 to layout – double tuck and falls. She got NOTHING on that double tuck. Something’s off today for Shania.

Baumann – BB – UGA – side aerial to loso, very strong – beat to switch side, clean work – 1.5, tried to stick, step forward. Comfortable work on the beam. 9.925.

They were readdddddy to give that a 10.

Graber – FX – Alabama – high popa, good position – full in, lands chest up well, bounce back – switch side to wolf 1.5, hits her positions clearly – front tuck through to double pike, small movement on landing. Good one. 9.925

Oakley – BB – UGA – wolf single, good – gainer bhs bhs loso landing, love the rise into that loso, checks working out of it – split jump to split rign jump, hit – gainer full, stuck. Some of her more comfortable beam work. 9.925

Blanco – FX – Alabama – double pike, has the height and position – lovely dance positions although I will say that popa was not all the way around – double tuck, a little deep, slide back – front full to layout, hit. 9.900

Those floor scores are getting lofty…

After 3: Georgia 147.975, Alabama 147.650

Georgia looks better. This is a lot better than we’ve seen so far. Now, can they actually take advantage of home floor?

Arkansas and Kentucky is about to start as well.

Bunn stuck her full to start for Kentucky. Very nice.

Lovett – UB – Ark – Ray, good turnover – bail is a bit floppy, short of vertical – giant full to double tuck, open, slide back.

Oooooo, are scores already broken? What funnnnn.

Rotation 4

Klopfer – BB – Alabama – wolf turn, has to grab the beam to hold it, which should be deducted as an actual beam grab, we shall see, wolf turn falls/mistakes are never deducted as I would like in any division – aerial to bhs, nice – beat to straddle 1/2 – cat leap to side aerial, smoothly done – 1.5, very short landing, large lunge back. Weird one for her.

9.650 is a gift. My judge #1 did not come through for me there.

Perez-Lugones – FX – double pike, good control on landing – back 1/2 to layout, strong – switch side to popa to wolf full, gets her elements around clearly, gets a little soft toward the end – double tuck, pretty solid work. 9.875

Gaskins – BB – Alabama – candle mount, good vertical – side aerial, fairly signifcant arm wave correction – split jump 1/2 from side, more tentative today, didn’t quite get up there – bhs loso series is hit – switch to split to straddle, found herself getting off line in the middle of that combo with a check – gainer full, stuck. A tentative one. 9.775

Alicia also thinks gaskins’ hair is a weapon.

Austin – FX – UGA – high double pike, solid control – switch to split leap full, hits her positions but struggles to control the landing with some steppies – front full to layout, overcooks the layout with a lunge forward, she didn’t have to arch that around as much as she did – double tuck, chest down, lunge back, just does stay in bounds. 9.775

Adams – BB – Alabama – aerial, hit – bhs loso is smoothly hit, good form – wolf double is comfortable for her – switch to beat, slight hestation in switch – 1.5 dismount, step. 9.875

Roberts – FX – UGA – high pike full in, but a clear bounce back – front lay to front full, not the highest but fine – switch side to popa, a little tight – double pike, pretty secure, chest down. 9.850

The Kentucky vault scoring is giving me some crazy pills. Someone gave Worley 9.950 for a deep landing on her Y1.5

Graber – BB – Alabama – bhs to lay pike, very solid work – swithc to straddle 3/4, very short on position and a check on landing – cat to kickover to scale, very nice – gainer full, stuck. 9.900

Baumann – FX – Georgia – wolf double, hit – did that lineup just say Kendal Moss was going fifth? Despite the fact that she graduated from Auburn last year? – 1.5 to front full, under control, gets soft in the knees – double pike, high. slide back – switch to switch side, good height – 9.900

Doggette – BB – Alabama – bhs loso series, solid landing, some soft legs in her bhs – switch 1/2 to beat, small lean – side aerial to full, a bit short, hop forward. 9.850

Bars judges for this Arkansas rotation having a coffee klatsch about every routine.

Real talk: I feel like the composition of Doggette’ beam and floor is not showing off her best qualities.

Hawthorne – FX – UGA – double pike, high, small movement back – front lay to rudi to split, well controlled, just some leg crossing in rudi – split leap full to split jump full, a little slidey on landing – double tuck, solid. 9.900

Blanco – BB – Alabama – aerial, pretty – bhs loso loso, perhaps smal;l lean correction, great positions – switch to beat, nicely done – 2/1, near stick. Best beam routine of the day. 9.950 is still too high though, but what else is new.

Lukacs – FX – UGA – has her DLO, solid landing, some knees – 1.5 to 1/2 to shushunova, the half gets a bit low – switch side to wolf full – double pike, short, hop forward. 9.775

FINAL
Georgia: 197.275
Alabama: 197.000
Scoring: Nope

Scores were predictably in crazy town. For both teams. But impressive to see Georgia as the actual legitimate better team today as we didn’t see much sign of that in the first half of the season.

Meanwhile it’s Arkansas 49.325 to Kentucky 49.250 after 1 there.

And Florida/LSU is about to start.

Looks like LSU has Edwards back in the vault lineup today.

Kathy’s already like, “HEY JUDDGESSSSSSSS.” Same.

Rotation 1

Brock – VT – LSU – solid Yfull, has the height, good shape, medium hop back. 9.825. Legitimate.

Richards – UB – UF – good first hs – maloney with some legs into bail, hit, just a bit soft – FLO, flings some, finds the stick with a little pike down. 9.850

Shchennikova – VT – LSU – very strong Y1.5 – certainly her best ever, lean to the side to hold the stick. 9.925. I would have gone 9.900

Gallentine – UB -UF – toe on to maloney to pak, very good form – struggles up to handstand in 1/2 turn on low – works it out but a major break – good cast hs on high – DLO, deep landing, step forward. Will want to drop. 9.775. Got away with one there.

Arenas – VT – LSU – love her block – good height on her full – shuffle back – 9.850

Skaggs – UB – UF – great first hs – tkatchev to pak, lovely toes and position in tkatchev – short cast 1/2 turn on low – solid cast hs on high – DLO, small hop back, some legs apart in the air. 9.875

Edwards – VT – LSU – gets another good block – solid work, smaller step forward, finishes early. 9.925

Schoenherr – UB – UF – good first hs – toe 1/2 to jaeger, super highy – good cast – bail, nice – good line throughout – 1/2 turn late – double front 1/2, great stuck. A vertical position or two, everything else strong. 9.925

Johnson – VT – LSU – obviously much better on her DTY this week – small movement of the feet but otherwise great – small leg softness, usually forgiven in DTYs. Judges go 9.950 which is good for them. 10 would have been too high.

Thomas – UB – UF – good first hs – maloney to clear hip to pak, perfect – strong hs – toe on to van leeuwen, great – maybe slight hestiation on hast cast hs – DLO, stuck landing. Amazing routine. 9.975

Bryant – VT – LSU – handpsring pike 1/2 still working to control the landing but a little better, shuffle back, but clearly two small steps. 9.950. Really couldn’t go higher than 9.900 there because two steps.

Lazzzari – Ub – UF – hits hs – tkatchev, a little low but fine – some loose arch in cast hs – takes pak a little too close – short on some handstands – FTDT, step back. A rougher routine, should be the drop.

After 1: LSU 49.600, Florida 49.400

Very impressive LSU vault rotation. A world different than last week, having Edwards back in and Johnson ready to hit her DTY. Scores very high, and not enough separation because the scores are so far, but the routines mostly warranted insanely high scores. I’m not dying yet because the work was so strong.

Florida had some excellent moments on bars, like Thomas, where I think I’m fine with 9.975 because everything was perfect except one borderline handstand, someone took it and someone else didn’t. But, Florida had two ragged routines from Gallentine and Lazzari, one of which had to count. So LSU definitely stronger through one event.

“We did some number crunching. It was fun.” Kathy is my patronus.

Rotation 2

Lazzari – VT- UF – hit a yfull, good position, a little bouncy, a slide and then a hop salute – not the most distance. 9.775

Johnson – UB – LSU – pulls back first hs well – maloney to bail, legs together – a couple short hs positions – toe on to DLO, good stick. 9.925 a lot for those handstands

Skaggs – VT – UF – lovellly Yfull – excellent – great height – open, chest up, stuck. Maybe a half tenth for distance if you want. 9.875 comparatively low versus what they were doing for LSU. Should have been 9.900

Brock – UB – giant 1/2, short – hit tkatchev, short cast hs on high – bail is clean, good vertical – better cast hs on high bar – FTDT, lunge back. 9.825

Schoenherr – VT – UF – holds the stick on her Y1.5 well, her best of the season – a lean forward to hold the stick – and not her most distance actually – some knees. 9.900

Dunne – UB – LSU – good handstand – tkatchev to a pak, pak goes crazy with a straddle – 1/2 turn on low – short cast hs on high – DLO, flings out, pace forward. Not her strongest. 9.850 high.

Reed – VT – UF – lovely position on her Y1.5 – great distance, small shuffle forward – small form issues in replay. 9.925. Like Bryant, more could have been taken on landing.

Bryant – UB – LSU – good hs – blind to jaeger, hit well – solid cast – small loose back issue in bail – short cast hs on high – blind, a bit late, into double front, pace forward.

Thomas – VT – UF – NAILED her Y1.5 – damn that was an excellent stick. Perfect form, holds the stick. Started celebrating before she brought her heels together. 9.975 again. Definitely best vault of the day.

Shchennikova – UB – shortish hs – hits Ray, a little close into pak – 1/2 turn on low, slightly late – rather short on next cast on high – DLO, finds the landing, lots of pike. 9.950 is offensive.

I had 9.750. She missed three handstands and that form on the dismount.

Richards – VT – UF – just does the full. Fine – Small slide, not the most dynamics, but a solid vault. 9.875 is some rotation order scoring.

Durante – UB – LSU – great first hs – blind to jaeger, pretty – good cast hs – pak, good – 1/2 turn on low, pretty close to vertical there – shortish final cast hs – FTDT, small hop forward. 9.950. Because that was the same as Shchennikova’s.

Both teams 49.550 on that rotation.

Some both-sides-ism in scoring here as LSU had some form problems in several routines that were objectively ignored. LSU’s vault landings showed more control overall, they should have seen more spearation on vault.

After 2: LSU 99.150, Florida 98.950

Rotation 3

Desiderio – BB – LSU – switch to switch 1/2 to beat, lovely switch, a bit shor tin switch 1/2 this season – bhs loso series, very secure – aaerial is good – stuck gainer full. Strong. 9.900

Skaggs – FX – UF – music problems, not playing – extended delay – is it going to playyyyyyy this time – nope still wrong – wolf double, not all the way around for 2 turns – rudi to very high split jump – split leap full to split jump full, looked kind of off, might be angle – 1.5 to layout, good position on layout, some legs apart on 1.5. 9.850

Durante – BB – LSU – bhs loso, good series – aerial to split jump, cleanly done – switch to straddle 1/4, some form on switch – side aerial to full, holds the landing. Good. 9.925. The what now?

Richards – FX – UF – does her DLO, high height, chest up, slide back – back 1.5 to layout, good positions in the elements, that dance out was a little too much obviously a lunge out of the pass for me – double tuck, bounce back. 9.875.

When someone controls a landing. these judges are going to lose it.

Bryant – BB – LSU – aerial, small hesitation into bhs but covers pretty well – switch to straddle 1/4, again, not enough hesitation to break the connection but not entirely smooth – front tuck, step forward with arm wave – split to beat is perfection – full turn, small correction – punch rudi, hop back. 9.875

Lazzari – FX – UF – double tuck, nice shape in the air, bounce back – back 1.5 to layout to stag, lovely shape in 1.5, see it is possible to twist without crossed legs – hits her split positions – double pike is short with a hop forward. 9.825

Dean – BB – LSU – side aerial to bhs, lots of knee bending, small correction on landing – switch to split, good positions – aerial to beat, solid – side aerial to full, stuck landing. 9.925. It’s cool, I don’t watch people’s acro series either.

Reed – FX – UF – DLO, very strong landing, kept front foot down – front lay to rudi, pretty large bounce back there into the corner – switch 1/2 to wolf full, good rise in wolf full – double pike, strong landing. Two good passes, but the other will take the score down. Or not. Whatever. 9.925 with an objective full tenth bounce back. Minimum.

Johnson – BB – LSU – good full turn – bhs loso series, hit, check to the side – switch to switch 1/2, hit but another lean on landing, larger this time – kickover is solid – 2/1, stuck landing. She’s back. Much better. But a couple checks in there that need to be taken. But weren’t 9.925.

Thomas – FX – UF – DLO, amazing height, does well to control that front foot but there was the smallest movement – front full to layout to split, great – fab leaps and correct finishing positions – double pike was excellent this time. Fixed the control problems there.

It’s a 10.000 for Trinity. I mean they kind of had to given what they had given to literally everyone else. I would have been fine with 9.950 but it was excellent.

Campbell – BB – LSU – bhs loso series is a struggle, bend at the hips correction with a step – full turn is nice – aerial to sissone, lovely – switch to switch 1/2, good – 2/1, short landing, hop forward. Not her strongest. So probably a 9.950. Possible no salute controversy? 9.825, which is what you get for dying.

Baumann – FX – UF – double tuck, very secure landing – back 1.5 to full, dance out, mostly controlled – switch 1/2 to popa, a little odd line on that popa – double pike – bounce back. 9.900. Sure.

Another rotation where both teams go 49.550. LSU maintains a two-tenth lead.

After 3: LSU 148.700, Florida 148.500

There are some 198s a-brewing.

LSU would set a program record with a 49.700 on floor. Which given how things are going today, I’m not ruling out.

Rotation 4

Richards – BB – UF – bhs loso loso series, whips arms back to avoid a check – switch to split, a little soft in split – side aerial to full, stuck. 9.925.

Dean – FX – LSU – in for campbell in the floor lineup – double pike, flexed feet, slide back – 1.5 to layout, a bit short on layout, step back, some knee form – split leap full to split jump full – double tuck, good landing, cowboy. 9.875

I already died, so I can’t even talk about the scores anymore.

Skaggs – BB – UF – wolf turn single, wobble with an arm wave – switch to split, lovely split shape – bhs loso and falls, thought she was going to save that with arm wave corrections, but she comes off. Switch side, perfect – side aerial to full, small hop back

Desiderio – FX – LSU – DLO, nearly keeps front foot down, small step after all – solid landing – back 1.5 to layout wasjus tthe weirdest, she was very low on her layout but the floor kind of shot her up when you thought she might fall, major deduction though – double tuck, secure. Really locked leg on that layout in replay. Her leg almost came off, so it’s a 9.750

Lazzari – BB – UF – bhs loso loso, very lovely, extended, secure – switch to split, nice – solid full turn – side aerial to layout full, stuck. Really well done. Average has gone 9.925 so far today, so we’ll see what happens to good. 9.950

Shchennikova – FX – LSU – front 2/1, out of control with lunge forward, keeps it in bounds – back 1.5 to front full, better control – switch ring and switch 1/2 are comfortable elements for her, pretty work – rudi to split jump, solid control there. Just that first pass. 9.925. The hit score.

Baumann – BB – UF – bhs loso series, solid, got a touch soft in that series this time? – switch to split jump, excellent – aerial, strong work – full turn with a check – switch 1/2, holds the landing – 1.5, holds the stick well with a slight lean. Good. But of course with the scoring today you can’t reward her form because there are a couple things you have to take as well. 9.925

Ballard – FX – LSU – DLO is more solid this week – steps back, keeps the step in bounds – 1.5 to layout to stag, strong pass, I like it – switch ring to switch 1/2 is more of a struggle for her to get to those positions – double pike, hits it, a bit deep and steppy. 9.925. EVERYTHING IS 9.925.

Thomas – BB – UF – switch to split leap combination, good shapes, a little tentative in combination – one-arm bhs to loso, very smooth – aerial to beat to korbut, smoothly done, great elements – side aerial to gainer full, stuck. Excellent.

It’s going to get lost in the crazy scoring today, but this Thomas AA performance is one of the best four-event showings I’ve ever seen. She nailed this day. 9.950

Edwards – FX – LSU – front 2/1, a bit of a bounce off, more control than on Shchennikova’s frotn full to front full is well controlled – double tuck is short with a lunge forward. 9.875

Bart reports that Thomas’s score is the 5th best in NCAA. You’re welcome for the chart, SEC Network. But like actually, you are welcome to it.

Clapper – BB – UF – bhs loso loso, softer in shape, a check – switch to split, hit – side aerial to full, stuck. Pretty secure routine, score shouldn’t be as high because of some leg shape things.

Bryant – FX – LSU – double front, doesn’t have the control this time, lunge forward – front lay to rudi, solid – switch 1/2 to popa – ohhhhhhhhhh front 2/1 and falls. That was bizarre and gives the win to Florida. Wow. Among the things I did not expect to see today.

FINAL: Florida 198.150, LSU 198.050

Well, it was exciting! I’m going to need to go talk to some therapy about the scoring, but it was exciting.

There was really only one flinch in this meet, and it was LSU’s floor. I think the result is fair. Florida was the better team overall today despite starting slower than LSU’s excellent vault rotation. Though it will be important for LSU to show that they were as close to Florida as they were today. A major progress meet for LSU. A lot better than they’ve been previously this season.

Do you have another meet in you? We’re going to Mizzouri and Auburn now to see Aria Brusch fall on bars. So this meet is different.

Hufendiek hits a fine full for Missouri to end the rotation on vault – small hop back piking. They needed to drop an earlier fall, so that works. 9.750

Gobourne – UB – Auburn – good first hs – tkatchev to pak, good legs together on pak, just some feet on tkatchev – 1/2 turn on low, a little late – good cast hs on high – FTDT, hangs onto the stick with a lean. 9.850

After 1: Auburn 48.950, Missouri 48.825

Meanwhile Kentucky came back to beat Arkansas with a196.975 after Arkansas went to struggle town on beam. But, I mean, you didn’t even score 197 so get out of this conference…

Never mind, Kentucky’s score just got raised to 197.025. Because of course it did.

Rotation 2

Pa Smith – VT – Auburn – controls the landing on her full, was reallly close to the table – small hop, some piking. 9.775

Swanson – Ub – toe on to maloney to pak, leg breaks in combination – 1/2 turn on low – solid cast on high bar – FTDT, a bit flat, step back . 9.725

Pi Smith – VT – Auburn – medium bounce back on her yfull – soft knees, pike down at the end. 9.750

Seeing scores in the 9.7s is truly thrilling me.

Patrick – UB – MU – blind to jaeger, good distance – bail handstand, a little short of vertical, good feet – cast hs on high, very nice – DLO, comes in deep on the landing but holds the stick with a squat. 9.775

Sabados – VT – Auburn – bounce back on yfull again, a bit more distance. 9.775

Christensen – UB – MU – giant full to tkatchev, hit – rushing a couple handstands – bail, oooh arches and goes over the wrong way and has to come off – fall – sticks double tuck dismount

Stevens – VT – Auburn – goes for the full, lands a bit short, small hop forward, some better layout shape

Marshall – UB – MU – super high jaeger into overshoot, loses some feet in overshoot, short cast hs on high – FTDT is super high and a bit crazy in form, step back. Formies, but the height on her jaeger was sublime.

Watson – VT – Auburn – pretty solid control on her Y1.5, small hop to the side but then she did kind of hop salute out of it. Some knees, but mostly just that and the small hop. 9.875

Sheremta – Ub – MU – good first hs – blind to jaeger, another good amplitude series – very short cast out of it – bail, small leg break on catch – some cast hs issues – 1.5 dismount, hop back. 9.775

Gobourne – VT – Auburn – a bit short on her y1.5, step back – great form. 9.825

Schreiber – Ub – MY – maloney to bail, gets up to vertical – good cast hs on high bar – DLO, hop back. Easily best of the rotation. 9.875

48.975 for both teams in that second rotation. Everyone nudging themselves toward 196s.

After 2: Aburn 97.925, Missouri 97.800

Rotation 3

Gottula – BB – Missouri – bhs bhs loso, small flinch on series, some knees in combination – split jump to straddle 1/2, small hesitation in between – gainer full, stuck. Solid. 9.875.

Did Bridget just say she never trained jumps? I feel like the theme of her commentary is, “You guys I didn’t try at alllllllll.”

McLaughlin – FX – Auburn – back 1.5 to 1/2 to double stag, gets low on the 1/2 – gets low on her wolf positions – split leap 1.5, closeup of face so couldn’t tell whether it was around- double pike, lunge back, chest down. A hit. 9.775

Schaffer – BB – MU – bhs bhs loso, small check – aerial is secure – switch to split, not bad on positions – 1.5 dismount, shortish, hop back. 9.850

Oldham – FX – Auburn – double pike, looked like she stepped OOB but we were eclipsed – 1.5 to layout, control on landing, crossed legs on twist – switch side – double tuck, good tuck position. 9.750

McCrary – BB – MU – beat to kickover with a larger check, leg-up wobble – bhs loso, off line and falls.

Hollingsworth – FX – Auburn – open full in, lands short with a hop forward but survived – these floor camera angles are terrible – nice rise into her popa – front tuck through to double tuck, secure landing, chest down. 9.800

Marshall – BB – MU – kickover, hits into beat jump – aerial to bhs bhs, hits it, small lean – working quickly – hesitation on full turn – hits straddle jump – just does hit her 1.5 dismount, short with a lunge back. 9.700

Stevens – FX – Auburn – front lay to rudi, not her best layout, tucks it some and gets a little low into that rudi – switch ring to switch 1/2 – double tuck, good stick, just some chest down. 9.800

Sheremeta – BB – MU – beat – bhs loso series, lovely extension – split jump to split ring jump – aerial, smoothly done – kickover, also solid – gainer pike, stuck. Excellent work. 9.950 oh are we in LSU…?

Gobourne – FX – Auburn – open double tuck, chest up, small foot movement – switch side to wolf full, super high – front full to layout, good height, keeps that step pretty small – double pike, love the way she drops into that landing. 9.925

Schreiber – BB – MU – smooth full turn – bhs loso, small arm wave but basically nothing – beat to split jump 3/4, a little tentative, check – switch 1/2 to split to beat to gainer full, stuck. I like that she doesn’t make a meal of waiting to do her gainer full, does it in a mega-combo. 9.875

Watson – FX – Auburn – double arabian is very deep but I very much enjoy how she just turned those back lunges into running and never stopped – back 1.5 to layout, hit – double tuck, very small slide.

Missouri goes 49.250 on beam to get over 196 pace, Auburn will be at 49.050 on floor.

After 3: Missouri 147.050, Auburn 146.975

A close one!

Rotation 4

Brusch – BB – Auburn – aerial into split jump, a bit low in split – bhs loso series, small check – switch to back tuck, chest down with an arm wave check – gainer full, stuck. 9.750

Marshall – FX – MU – front tuck to double pike, hit, chest just a bit down – switch 1/2 to switch 1/2, a bit short on switch 1/2 position – 1.5 to front pike to stag, hit- double tuck, larger lunge back. 9.775

Watson – BB – Auburn – hit full turn – bhs loso series, check, small leans to each side – side aerial, hits it – switch to straddle 1/4 is solid – 1.5, leans to hold the stick. 9.825

Schreiber – FX – MU – double pike is quite short, lunge forward – punch rudi to loso is very smoothly done – switch full to split jump full, switch full around a little late but close. gets 9.425. That would have been SV but I’ll admit I wasn’t paying close enough attention to see what she missed out.

Pi Smith – BB – Auburn – bhs loso and falls –

Long delay for presvious score

Gottula – FX – MU – double tuck, large bounce back – good leap positions – her barani to 2/1 is under control this week – double pike, well short, lunge forward. Will be a tougher score to have to count. 9.700. Could have been worse.

Sylvia – BB – Auburn – full turn, small correction – aerial smooth into bhs loso series, good extension throughout – swtich to sheep jump, pause in between, check – lone korbut – gainer full, stuck. 9.850

Swanson – FX – MU – double pike, lands it comfortably enough, gets kind of steppy on the mat – switch 1/2 to wolf full, slightly short on switch, good rise into wolf – front 2/1, solid control – rudi, also secure. Good. 9.875

McLaughlin – BB – Auburn – bhs loso series, lovely extension there – switch to straddle 1/4, solid, good height – side aerial arm wave into split jump – gainer pike, stuck. really strong. 9.950. OK hello.

Sheremeta – FX – MU – front 2/1, lunge forward – switch side to popa, solidly around, good positions – rudi to loso is strong – 1.5 to front loso, pretty work. 9.900

Stevens – BB – Auburn – bhs loso series, solid landing, some knees – cat leap to switch ring, not enough closure/head release there – kickover to knee, very solid – 1.5, stuck. 9.750. Would be interested to know if they gave the ring. But of course we’ll never know.

Really high quality finish to this one.

McCrary – FX – MU – front lay to rudi, stuck landing, good – double pike, also solid – they should snatch the win with a normal 9.825 for her, which this routine will get

9.875 is enough.

FINAL: Missouri 196.175, Auburn 196.100

231 thoughts on “Friday Live Blog – February 12, 2021”

  1. LSU/Florida meet was an incredible display of amazing gymnastics. Both teams should be proud of what they put on the floor tonight.

    Having said that, that judging was an embarrassment to the sport. And unfortunately, to co-opt a phrase from other sports, “Floor don’t lie.”

  2. Great meet between LSU and Florida – easily the most entertaining so far this 2021 NCAA season. However, I hope there is an audit with the judging and some governing body uses this meet’s playback as an example of blatant overscoring, particularly for LSU. Yes, some UF routines were over scored, but way too many LSU routines were at least .2 too high! No deductions for obvious wobbles, form, etc. Disappointing but glad the better team tonight won.

    1. Yeah, the scoring issue was so much starker because of Trinity Thomas’ incredible AA performance. The judges failed to differentiate enough between her routines and others, and so didn’t properly reward her. A real shame. What accountability is there for NCAA judges? Genuinely curious if there are any mechanisms in place to deal with incompetent judging.

      1. I see other teams doing great routines yet continually only receive 9.8s, when clearly those routines are at least 9.0+. Wouldn’t doubt if some judges are intentionally underscoring some teams because they want the top tier to get the higher scores leading to more wins. Just an observation.

  3. Towson is quietly having a great year and continues to improve in every meet. They just put up a season high of 196.150 and also is their highest team score since 2018. Jay Ramirez is doing a great job over there in his 2nd year.

  4. that UF/LSU meet was one of the best meets ever! cant believe how amazing the gymnasts look at this point and under the current co ditions. wow! ok..Trinity. shes been one of my personal faves since i first saw her in a bumblebee looking yellow and black leo when she was a baby jr elite. god i love her! so why am i kinda sad and bummed and pissed? all i keep thinking about is her in the #5 spot. could she have scored a 39.95 i the number 6? who knows? maybe it’s me, maybe it’s nothing. difference for me is, i am at least taking notice of these details now; whereas before i didnt.

  5. UGA Lukacs great vault yet only 9.8+?? Will judges ever give her a 9.0+? Reminds me of UGA Vega never getting a 10.0 for her floor exercise routine. Robbed!!

    1. She used to get a 9.9 pretty consistently on vault. She’s working back from injury and only competing the full instead of the DTY. I’m a UGA fan and I think 9.875 was fair for her vault last night.

      Vega, Cheek, and Tolnay were gymnasts that I always thought got oddly held back from 10s. That’s not to say they should have had a ton of 10s each, but I think the judges never full appreciated their gymnastics (and the gymternet often under appreciated them too).

      1. Tolnay’s career also took place in that brief window where the judges showed some restraint.

      2. Tolnay was also on teams with Kupets, Herman, Eriksen, Taylor, McCool, and Ding. It’s harder to hit ten when you’re typically not the anchor and often not in the front half of the lineup which was the case on UB & beam-although she owned an NCAA 3rd on Beam and snuck out a SEC bar title one year. On VT she often had minor form going into the board. But their have certainly been lesser routines that hit 10.0.

  6. LSU Bryant toe snag on mat was sad to see; hoping she doesn’t feel she lost the meet for the team as it is a team effort. If she did not fall, she would have received an estimate 9.95 and LSU would have won probably by 0.50, which would have been the biggest upset meet of the season! All in all, most exciting meet so far! Congratulations to both teams, job well done!!!

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