It’s time for the senior session of the US Classic, which begins at 5MT and airs on CNBC in the US. We’re down to a 13-member field now, with 10 of them scheduled to compete the all-around (Fatta, Juing-Ruivivar, and Booth are entered on just bars and beam).

Some of the news from training has been Leanne Wong’s new two vault life and her attempt to bring back the Bhardwaj (which was touch-and-go, so we’ll see if it makes it into the day-of routine), as well as Shilese Jones’ upgraded 6.3 bars routine, even without the inclusion of the Stalder layout Tkatchev. So all of that will be worth watching today. Hopefully we might even see an additional routine. Or even three!

Shot of Suni, shot of Eiffel tower. Here we go.

Laurie Hernandez smiling as she wipes Nastia’s blood from the side of her mouth.

I like how the start list is labeled “Rotation 2” on this broadcast. You thought you were going to see routines from rotation 1? LULZ.

Rotation 1

Matthews – VT – hits a yfull, bounce back, some piking in the air, but her normal. 13.000

“altitude and distance”

Wong – VT – excellent DTY! – nearly sticks it, only very small movement, a bit of leg crossing, some direction. 14.400. So that’s a 9.400 E score.

Wong will indeed be doing a second vault.

Wong VT 2 – Lopez is also very strong, pretty well laid out, only a small step to the side. Way off line though, lands both feet outside the area. 13.900

SO GLAD WE SAW TWO PEOPLE BEFORE THE COMMERCIALLLLL

In non-seen scores, Rosen started bars with 12.800, Pierson followed with 13.350, and Alipio went 13.300 for a Y1.5. Good for Alipio to get a hit score because she was falling all over the place on that vault in PT.

Roberson VT – ro 1/2 on front layout full is solid, medium lunge forward, good distance. She was also showing the DTY in PT but struggled on that landing. This one is worth more and was more consistent. 14.000

Disidore went 13.550 for an FTY after doing the DTY at American Classic.

Having a chart of deductions is an improvement.

Roberson VT 2 – She is indeed doing the DTY as her second vault and does get it around today, bounce back. Also an improvement on training.

Jones – VT – awesome DTY as usual, able to open out of it comfortably, bounce back, and then a step-salute. 14.400 for hers as well.

Fatta – UB – WAIT THERE ARE PEOPLE ON BARS – higher pike djaeger but close catch – Ray is hit – toe full, somewhat late into a pak, nice high pak – maloney to inbar gienger, a bit clunky but caught – DLO, a little shot, hop. 13.150

Jung-Ruivivar – UB – nice toe point on jaeger – stalder to Ricna to pak, some straddle in pak – van leeuwen, hit, some crazy legs – has to add in an extra kip cast – toe full, just pulls it around, somewhat late – FTDT, step back.

So we saw 6 athletes out of 13 in the first rotation and that feels like a huge improvement.

So, after 1 rotation Wong and Jones lead with their DTYs followed by Roberson’s 1/2 on lay full. The top bars score came from Charlotte Booth at 13.400, just ahead of Brooke Pierson at 13.350.

So, the slogan for OOFOS sounds like “Feel the ew.” Why are we doing this.

Rotation 2

Pierson – BB – side aerial, secure – bhs loso, nice extension and control in bhs – switch to sissone, hits her position – aerial, small check, some knee bending, breaks connection into split jump – side somi, secure – 2.5 dismount, pace forward. Good work. 12.650

WOGA’s leos in their 1994 wetsuit era.

12.450 for Alipio on bars.

Fatta – BB – wolf triple, shows control – switch to split to bhs + loso, nice combination and shows it without checks – aerial to straddle jump to korbut, also well connected – switch 1/2 is short of position – side aerial, big save, chest was way forward, leans forward and leg way up – switch side is hit – bhs bsh 2/1, bounce back

I like parenting stories instead of seeing routines too.

Roberson 10.550 on bars.

Jones – UB – Stalder full to stalder shap to tkatchev, good – toe full, pretty nice finish position into stalder tkatchev piked to pak – van leeuwen, hit – toe 1/2 to front giant to double front , good landing, step back. A very successful 6.3 routine. 14.500

Matthews – UB – inbar to toe full to stalder shap to ricna, good – jaeger, comfortable – pak – van leeuwen, some leg break in the air – DLO, holds the stick. A couple moments of loose back, some feet, but really strong. 13.900

Laurie is raw as a broadcaster but listening to her doesn’t make me hate everything, so that’s a good sign.

Wong – UB – stalder 1/2 to jaeger, hit – toe full is good, tries to connect to bhardwaj, looked like she had it but peeled off on the swing through – resumes with maloney to pak – van leeuwen is clean – DLO is lovely, slide back. Good moments, bhardwaj (as it is) feels unnecessary at this point, especially coming out of a pirouette because then it’s not even gaining anything in CV compared to the Pak, and gives away far more than it gains. But it’s just Classic. 12.850

Shilese Jones will have a massive lead after 2, and Leanne Wong will stay in 2nd despite the fall on bars. Nola Matthews currently in 3rd. Jung-Ruivivar, Fatta, and Booth are done for the day.

National team coordinator comes on the broadcast and I don’t immediately mute. What a world. Though this was just an “aren’t you great? You’re great.” Kind of interview.

Rotation 3

Jones – BB – loso mount and immediately falls – Arabian is excellent, a litle lean – side aerial to loso right to the end of the beam and falls, was realllly far down the beam there – front tuck, secure – switch to switch 1/2 is good – great amplitude on straddle jump, into sissone – split jump 1/2 from side is good – bhs bhs double pike, high, step back.

11.500

Back to see Rosen on floor – DLO full is secure, just a bit of piking at the end – DLO, bounce back, switch ring and switch 1/2 positions look solid – 1.5 to front layout, good crisp shape in the layout second element there – double tuck, secure landing, just some chest position. 13.700

The thing with Jones’s miss is that on the one hand it’s just Classic, but on the other hand, worries about consistency are basically the main thing keeping her from seeming like a lock for every team.

Matthews – BB – bhs mount, good – side aerial, stiff but hit, check – bhs loso, comfortable, good extension – solid leap combo – wolf double, hit, small hesitation at the end – switch, pause before switch 1/2, under on split position there, feet – aerial, checks, no connection – double tuck, step back. She’s having a good day through three. 12.500

Wong – BB – swith to wolf jump full, smooth connection – bhs loso series, smoothly done – L turn to full turn, comfortable – switch ring, Laurie and John are into the position, but the code wants more closure of foot to head in the apex – aerial to straddle jump to split jump, lovely – side aerial with an arm wave correction – side somi, another small arm wave – 2.5 dismount, only small movement. Excellent and comfortable routine.

13.550 and into first place by 4 tenths.

Alipio – BB – loso mount, lovely – side aerial to loso loso series, very confident – aerial, strong – full balance check on her sideways choreo – wolf turn double, lean forward to hold it – switch and a fall on the switch 1/2, was really short on the split as well – side somi is hit – gainer tuck full, stuck. Some really strong moments, but you know, fall. Eesh 11.400

Disidore – BB – handstand to bhs loso series, secure but knees – switch, pause before switch 1/2, well short, and probably breaks connection into korbut – side somi, lean holds it together – tight wolf turn single – switch side, pretty crooked – 2/1, bounce back.

So, we’ll have Wong in first by .4 after three events, then Jones, followed by Neal in 3rd, just like you thought. She’s only .250 ahead of Matthews.

Rotation 4

Neal – FX – good double Arabian position, a bit of pause before stag jump – FTDT, bounce back – double Y attempt, gets about 1.5 around – switch ring to split leap full, good split leap full – 2.5 to front layout attempt, magically gets it to her feet on a very low layout that goes through all the shapes at various points – double pike. 12.0, which is enough to get her AA qualifying score for nationals.

Laurie naming GAGE gymnasts starting with her era. She’s like, “GAGE classics like Maddie Desch.”

Matthews – FX – 3/1 first pass, raggedy legs but around – wolf doubel is solid – 1.5 to front full is under, sits it down – hitting her leap combination – good switch 1/2 positions – doubel tuck, shuffle back, chest down.

Both Neal and Matthews’ mistakes on floor let Rosen take the bronze from them with her hit Y1.5. Rosen ends on 52.500

11.700 for Matthews. She’s done on 51.100.

Wong – FX – L turn double drops under horizontal in the second turn – double double tuck is back and no trouble – piked double arabian is strong to stag jump (does Laurie think a stag jump is a sissone?) – L hop full is good – switch ring – 2.5 in combination is a big struggle, improvises a tuck 1/2 out of it to stay alive – double pike to follow is solid.

Good competition overall for Wong. Vault and beam looked great, and moments looked great on bars and floor, which is about as much as you’d expect at this point.

Wong still gets a 13.600 and a 7.9 E score even with that third pass.

Alipio – FX – double pike is clean – L turn 2.375, leg also just a little under – switch 1/2 looks nice – doubel y spin is very good, connects to an illusion – 1.5 to front lay, comfortable – wolf turn 2.375, leaning at the end – front 1/1, hop forward. 12.200

Back to see Rosen’s Y1.5 – solid, good layout position in the air, smallish crossover step. She’s followed by Pierson with her own hit Y1.5, also a crossover step but hers is over the line. Little in third, hits a FTY but not enough to get her qualifying score for nationals.

Armine just told everyone to hug each other. And then they hugged each other. Simon says hug.

Roberson – FX – popa is good – DLO, comfortable landing – L hop full to split leap full, good – double arabian is high, medium step forward – wolf 2.5 turn, position is a little high but controlled – 1.5 to front tuck, good. double pike, pulls it around with some soft knees, chest forward with a step. Good hit. 12.700 is 3rd on FX for now.

Jones – FX – double double tucked, strong – double L turn, good horizontal position – switch 1/2 – DLO, slide back – front tuck through to double tuck, jarring landing with a rebound – split leap full – wolf 2.17563 turn. Good one. Not nearly everything she can do.

Three strong events for Jones today, which also works for this point in the season.

Jones goes 13.650 for 2nd place overall.

Wong wins with 54.400 with a fall.

Shilese Jones in 2nd with 54.050 with two falls, which would be a very very competitive total for a full hit. Rosen takes third AA.

AA final
1) Wong – 54.400
2) Jones – 54.050
3) Rosen – 52.500
4) Neal – 51.650
5) Pierson – 51.450
6) Matthews – 51.100
7) Roberson 49.550
7) Little 49.550
9) Alipio 49.350
10) Disidore 48.850

One vault
1) Wong 14.400
1) Jones 14.400
3) Roberson 14.000

Bars
1) Jones 14.500
2) Matthews 13.900
3) Booth 13.400

Beam
1) Wong 13.550
2) Neal 12.950
3) Pierson 12.650

Floor
1) Rosen 13.700
2) Jones 13.650
3) Wong 13.600

What did we learn? Not really. Confirmation that Wong looks right on track to be a top contender and make the worlds team this year. Jones showed 3 strong events.