Today’s the day. Ish. There’s also a second day of selection competition tomorrow, but it’s not being streamed. So that’s fun. I’m here for all your live blog needs so you don’t have to subscribe to FLOburger. I’ll be sure to tell you who’s being weird. And maybe also about the routines. Action begins at 5:40ET, 2:40PT.
Our six competitors today are Ciena Alipio, Kayla DiCello, eMjae Frazier, Olivia Greaves, Konnor McClain, and Leanne Wong. The team will be announced tomorrow. With only six people, they’ll all be rotating together in a single group, one event at a time.
It looks like they’re going to start on vault rather than follow the rotation order for qualification at worlds, which will have them start on bars. Not that it really matters. Vault order is McClain, Greaves, DiCello, Frazier, Alipio, Wong.
In case you’re curious, the feed right now is wall-to-wall scoliosis commercials, with people standing around for a sec in between.
We just saw Greaves warm up a DTY. YFull with an extra mat for Alipio. Mostly the scoliosis commercial. Warmup DTY from Wong, a bit short with a hop to the side.
Looks like the pre-meet warmup is over now, so presumably there will be a little break and then intros/start.
National anthem and more scoliosis in between. BUT WHAT ABOUT RESPECT FOR THE MILITARY.
Touch warmup starting on vault now. McClain warms up nice looking DTY with bounce back. FLO thought it was her competition vault. Greaves warms up DTY, DiCello DTY (a little shorter than her usual), Frazier DTY, Alipio warms up a Y1.5 with a lunge forward, and then Wong with a DTY. So, we’re looking at 5 DTYs and a Y1.5.
Rotation 1
McClain – VT – solid DTY from her, good power, a bit of a rebound back, not short, OK direction. 14.500
Greaves – VT – big struggle on her DTY, didn’t get the same block as in warmups, goes off to the side with a large lunge forward and out of the lines, possible hand down. 13.25
DiCello – VT – no trouble with her DTY, has the height, chest more forward/down than McClain, hop to the side. 14.550
Frazier – hits her DTY, hop to the side, a little crooked on her block but ended up with solid direction, some leg crossing. 14.150
Alipio – VT – 1.5 is hit with a fairly sizable lunge forward – nice direction, solid form, just doesn’t have the same D.
Wong – VT – MUCH shorter run than everyone else – a bit short on her DTY and a somewhat jarred landing with a hop in place, has to pike it at the end. Not her strongest but a hit. 14.25.
FLO now tells us that’s there a break in the action and we’ll be back at a time in the past. Good good. If we got a score for Alipio’s vault, I didn’t see it. The twitters say it was 13.900.
Rotation 2
Important rotation for Greaves here. Bars is her event and she’s in a big AA hole after vault, so she has to make her event argument.
Valeri pulling down his mask to spot is a nice touch.
Looks like they have different bars height setups for Greaves/DiCello and the rest on two separate sets of bars.
Greaves – UB – stalder full, cast – stalder shap 1/2 – 1/2 to piked jaeger, good – Downie to pak to van leeuwen is quite nice – toe on – FTDT, hop back. Solid hit. She broke an early connection and had some leg things, but her combo was great.
DiCello – UB – stalder full to maloney to tkatchev, hit – small hesitation in cast – piked jaeger, hit – Church, a bit close, elbows – pak, hit – van leeuwen, clean, legs together – FTDT, small absorption on landing. Good. Didn’t connect everything but didn’t give away a lot in form.
We now have to drag the computer table over to the other bars.
Frazier – UB – Church quite close – pak, lots of legs – toe full to maloney, hit and connected to tkatchev – front toe 1/2, slight struggle – DLO, legs but hit. Won’t be a high E score but through it.
We don’t have any scores for this rotation so far I believe.
Alipio – UB – stalder 1/2 is lovely to piked jaeger, fingertips but got it – pak, some legs – toe full a bit late but connects to maloney – bhardwaj, form gets crazy at the end and while she grasps the bar, she can’t continue, has to support against the bar – resumes, also has a horizontal handstand at the end – dismount just double tuck. Will be very low score.
Trying to follow the scores of a FLO meet. Foolish.
Wong – UB – toe full, some legs into maloney to pak to van leeuwen and falls – resumes with van leeuwen, nice – stalder 1/2 to jaeger – 1/2 turn, solid vertical – stalder – DLO, clean and stuck. Of course the resumption is perfect.
McClain – UB – weiler 1/2 to toe on to stalder shap to giant full to giant to very close Church – pak, quite arched – van leeuwen is smooth – good cast hs – double pike with a shuffle back. I have some composition questions but she survived a bars routine.
So now we move to beam. No idea about scores, but I’m sure it doesn’t matter. And now FLO is telling us the action is over.
Well, if the action isn’t over, things are in a rough state for Greaves, Wong, and Alipio for their AA scores after misses, though Greaves should have received a good number for her bars. Wong is going to need hits on beam and floor now.
We’re back for the next rotation.
Rotation 3
DiCello – BB – hits candle mount – (LOL at Tom recording these routines on his phone) triple wolf and double wolf hit well – side aerial, solid – switch to sissone, good positions – bhs loso loso, secure – aerial to straddle to split, slight hesitation but probably gets the combo here – straddle 1/2 from side – long pause before dismount – double tuck was a real adventure but she got it around, chest well down. Solid routine, very secure. She’s right on track.
Frazier – BB – aerial, pause – split jump to straddle, nice positions – front tuck, holds it – split ring jump, check – side aerial, arm wave – split jump 1/2 from side – bhs layout 2 feet, secure – switch ring, arm wave check – double pike, shortish with a hop. Lots of checks but none of them huge. Stayed on. Staying on events while others fall will be her game now.
Alipio – BB – wolf double, hit – side aerial to loso loso is secure – aerial, pause to split jump straddle jump – switch to switch 1/2, short back leg – split leap to side somi, holds it – split jump 1/2 from side, not bad – straddle 1/2, hit – oh a gainer tuck full dismount, stuck. Pretty secure, some form things but held her skills well.
Interesting that they have the choice between AAI and Spieth beams here. Alipio the first to use AAI. I guess with Taishan at worlds they’re like, you could try a tree branch?
Wong – BB – switch to straddle, nice – side aerial to loso, hit, a little low – L turn with a check – switch ring, focuses on back leg closure, a little awkward – side somi, secure – straddle and split 1/2s, not her highest split positions – aerial is pretty – 2.5, a bit short, hop back. Stayed on, back on track.
McClain – BB – back tuck full, nailed – bhs bhs layout and falls – so high – sigggghhh. switch to switch 1/2 to back tuck, connected, small arm wave at the end – aerial to split to straddle, good – side aerial – switch ring , credit but falls a second time – bhs bhs double pike, lunge to the side
Konnor really opened the door for some Tomfoolery with that two-fall beam…
Can we carrier pigeon some scores up in here?
Greaves – BB – wolf triple a little teeter but around – same on double – aerial to split to straddle, conneted, somewhat tight on straddle – bhs loso, secure – switch to split leap to bhs – Nabieva-at-Voronin-Cups out some side choreography – split ring jump , secure – side aerial, hit – double pike, small hop. She has come back well from vault.
OK so that’s three rotations.
Even though we don’t have scores, DiCello is obviously crushing everyone’s face in the AA and should get the automatic spot as long as she doesn’t die on floor.
Rotation 4
Frazier – FX – double double, nicely done, comfortably completed – DLO, hop back – switch ring to split ring 1/2 ish that was well short of split on the front leg (like a ring jump 1/2) – front through to double tuck, shuffle – split jump full – switch 1/2 to split 1/2 – double pike, lunge.
It was a good hit. Her 4-event hit day…I can see being quite convincing to this regime.
Alipio – FX – double tuck, chest down, slide back – doubel L – switch ring to switch 1/2, smooth – double y, falls out at the end but I think she got 2 around – 1.5 to front full, some leg crossing, hit – double wolf, gets hung up a little at the end – double pike, deep but around.
Good final two routines for Alipio but I don’t see her having done enough to make the team today. She needed to make her AA case with all these other people falling, and the bars miss really hurt that.
Wong – double L, pretty but maybe dropped a little early – double double, gets it around, chest down but secure – popa – whip to 3/1, stumble back out of it, stays in bounds but a couple steps – leg up full to switch ring, a little shy on switch ring position – 2.5 to front full is quite secure – double pike, hop back.
Good difficulty, she gave away a lot on the triple full landing but had some other solid ones. It was a typical Wong day where she can’t hit four events at the same time, but I would certainly take her.
Important routine for McClain now.
McClain – FX – DLO 1/1 attempt, well short with a lunge forward, no fall but lots to take on landing – DLO is better, chest slightly down, under control – switch ring to switch 1/2 – back 1.5 to front full, hop – switch leap full was short of position – did not get wolf double around, wolf 1.5 – double pike is a disaster, barely didn’t land on her head and then rolled forward onto it.
I…
If it were me, I’d still want McClain for potential, but I don’t know how you pick her based on today.
Greaves – FX – DLO 1/1 is hit, some clear piking but landed under control – full in is a huge problem, stumble back and OOB and then sits it down after 58 lunges – front tuck through to double tuck, stagger on landing – switch ring – switch 1/2 – double pike is nicely done.
Eesh.
DiCello – FX – double double hit, a little shuffle – 1.5 to front full, hop forward – wolf triple roll to wolf double, fine – switch ring is nice, split leap full is short – double pike, lunge back, stays in bounds.
So DiCello definitely won the meet, even though we don’t have scores. She’s your lock for the team.
Since they’re SOOOO all-around based it’s tough to know the deal without scores. It would also be nice to know whether tomorrow is being used for realsies or not.
A laptop flashed by the screen and we saw a 13.6 on floor for Dicello.
Greaves had two misses, McClain had 3 falls, Wong and Alipio had 1 fall, and Frazier hit all four.
I could see them going with DiCello, Greaves because of bars, Wong because of beam, and Frazier because of floor. For me, I would still give McClain the chance to see if she could hit beam and floor tomorrow. Because you really do WANT McClain on the team because she has medal potential if she could stay on apparatuses, but she did not earn a spot with today’s performance. Basically you want to find any excuse to put her on the team, but she has to present one.
Scores are out. The big surprise being McClain ending up ahead of Greaves in the AA in 4th despite an extra fall. That’s a big deal.
- DiCello
- Frazier
- Wong
- McClain
- Greaves
- Alipio
Top 3 on bars were DiCello, Graves, Frazier (!). Top 3 on beam were DiCello Wong Alipio. Top 3 on floor were Wong, Frazier, DiCello.