We’re back at it again for the very important second day where everyone cosplays as a bars and beam specialist now.

The gymnasts compete two events today, and only Jade Carey (vault instead of bars) and Addison Fatta (floor instead of bars) will be diverging from the UB/BB route. We love a rebel.

Also the meet starts an hour earlier than originally scheduled (now 4:15 CT), so that’s helpful for everyone.

Rotation 1

Oh we’re right into it today.

Carey – VT 1 – solid Cheng, looked like a bit better control today, the expected leg crossing

Fatta – FX – back 2.5 through to 2/1, floor chucks her back OOB – DLO, hit, a little short with a hop – wolf double – split jump full, hit – front 2/1, good, controls her step and gets the double around today – solid dance elements to finish.

Carey – VT 2 – DTY, much better today on that one, easily completed but a large bounce back

And it’s over! See you later!

Now we warm up for the first rotation, full version.

Still waiting on those first routine scores.

Zhou – UB – inbar to stalder full, hit, no connection out – now maloney to pak to toe on to van leeuwen, very clean, legs rigth together – toe 1/2 to jaeger, nice – 1/2 turn, late – FTDT, good stick.

DiCello – BB – candle mount, hit – wolf triple is comfortable – bhs loso loso, secure landing, soft knee position – switch to switch 1/2 to split, well under on the switch 1/2 but connected and secure – aerial, hit, knee – side aerial, holds it, no check – long pause for dismount – double pike, chest well down but controls landing, small hop back.

Yesterday seemed a big number and this was better, so expect it to fly. If we get scores at some point. 

Matthews – UB – jaeger, a little close but fine – Stalder tkatchev, hit – pak, solid – toe full, good finish into van leeuwen, hit – stalder – toe on – DLO, hop back. Didn’t connect a lot at the beginning but good hit.

Zeiss – BB – hits bhs mount – bhs loso, big struggle, lots of form and a step back and wobble but saved it – wolf double, hit – side aerial, holds onto it with a lean – split jump to sissone is good – switch 1/2, secure landing – aerial, knee, small arm correction – double tuck, deep, small hop forward

Wong – UB – clear hip 1/2, late into jaeger, nice – toe full to bhardwaj, hit – solid hs on low – maloney to pak, legs together – van leuween, clean – DLO, excellent stick. Another good one.

Lowe – BB – nice switch mount – split ring leap probably not – bhs bhs layout 2 feet, secure, and then a small lean after – switch, good position, no connection to switch side, a bit crooked – side aerial to loso, comfortable – aerial, knee, connects to split straddle korbut – side somi, good – hits 2/1

OK, Carey went 14.800 for her Cheng, which is a multi-tenth step up. DiCello gets 13.950 on beam.

Jones – UB – stalder full to stalder shap to tkatchev, hit – toe full to stalder tkatchev piked to pak to van leeuwen, got the combo today, nicely done – toe 1/2 to front giant to double front, hop forward.

Barring any undisclosed foot hits today, that will be a big number.

Wong’s bars is in at 13.900. That’s a tad under her 13.95 average from nationals and camp day 1

Disidore – BB – immediate fall on loso mount – big save on her 2 foot layout, turns to the side and leg up but manages to keep it on – split jump to straddle – handstand to bhs loso is hit – switch, pause before switch 1/2, under, another little pause before korbut – wolf single – side somi, large break, has to grab the beam to keep herself on – switch side – over time – double pike, chest forward, hop.

14.850 for Jones on bars.

We have a long wait for the Disidore beam score before Roberson can go to finish the first half of that beam rotation.

Lincoln – UB – good first hs – stalder full, late – stalder shap to tkatchev, solid – Ray to pak, small leg break but clean – little arch on hs on low but pulls it back – toe on to van leeuwen, hit – blind to front giant 1/2 – doubel tuck, stuck. Nice one for her.

11.200 for Disidore

Roberson – BB – tuck full, solid – switch to switch 1/2 to back tuck, under on switch 1/2, gets the series – side aerial to loso loso, large break, bend over at the hips, keeps it on the beam – onodi, knee but hit – connects to split and pike jump – straddle jump from side – bhs bhs double pike, lunge back.

12.600 for Lincoln.

Blakely – UB – stalder 1/2, late to piked jaeger, good – stalder tkatchev piked and falls – SKYE WE DIDN’T NEED THIS – she resumes with her usual hit. For me, Blakely’s position was solid enough that this should not influence that.

Johnson – UB – stalder full, nice, to stalder shap to toe on, elbows, to Church, hit – pak, connects to van leeuwen but falls on the vl, can’t catch – resumes with toe 1/2 to jaeger, good feet – double tuck, holds onto landing

Sumanasekera – BB – candle mount, hit – bhs bhs layout 2 feet, secure, not the highest but good – aerial, small pause before split to korbut – switch to switch 1/2, solid – split ring jump – side aerial, some arms wave before wolf sissone – full turn – bhs bhs double pike, and sits it down. It was going so well until then.

Blakely still on 13.000 on bars with a fall.

Roberson went 13.400 for her beam again.

Chiles – BB – squat through mount – bhs loso loso, hits today – aerial to straddle to bhs, smooth – side somi, lean forward, holds onto it – switch, pause – sissone to wolf jump, small check – side aerial, no trouble – switch side, just a small foot adjustment – double pike dismount, step back. Much better.

Miller – BB – full turn, hit – bhs loso loso, some knees in first loso, secure landing – aerial, pause before split jump and back tuck, nice split jump shape – switch to switch 1/2, way way way short on switch 1/2 with a  check, short to the point where you could hear someone yell “that’s OK Zo” in the background, which you pretty much only ever hear for a fall – side aerial, hit – sissone to wolf – bhs bhs double pike, step back.

Chiles went 13.100 on beam for that hit.

12.950 for Miller.

Biles – BB – switch mount directly to switch 1/2 to back pike, arm wave, gets the series – wolf turn triple, hit – aerial to split to straddle, comfortable – bhs loso loso, little arm circle but secure – she’s moving quickly – side aerial, solid – bhs bhs FTDT, little hop. She was MAD and it WORKED.

So that was the first rotation. The one miss on an important routine came from Blakely on bars, but she’s hit every bars before that one. And unless it’s Morgan Hurd Selection Camp 2019 (too soon?), one bars miss after a season of good hits shouldn’t make a difference.

Biles goes a subtle 14.900 on beam

Rotation 2

Wong – BB – side aerial, pretty but no connection – switch to wolf jump full, hit – bhs loso, smooth – L turn to full turn – switch ring, big break, bend at the hips and an arm wave – side somi, little lean forward, holds it – aerial to split jump to straddle, nice – 2.5, good control, just a little movement. That switch ring wobble will hurt though.

Lowe – UB – toe full, hit into gienger, leg break – blind to jaeger, good amplitude – pak – cast 1/2 to toe shoot – toe on – FTDT, bounce back. 12.800

There’s just some loose GAGE floor music happening in the background as we wait for scores to come in.

Disidore – UB – stalder 1/2, late into jaeger, good lift – Church, hit – pak, solid amplitude – van leeuwen, legs apart – toe full, very late – double tuck, hop back.

Jones – BB – switch mount to switch 1/2, little slow but nice elements – arabian, holds onto is well, solid – bhs bhs layout 2 feet, slight check hesitation on landing – side aerial to loso, leg up check – switch to sissone, pretty – bhs bhs double pike, leg separation, step back. Good, a little checky but will be another big beam result for her.

Wong gets a 13.700 on beam, which is a nice number even though it was so tantalizingly close to being a 14 routine.

Roberson – UB – clear hip 1/2, late into yezhova, hit – toe full, legs but around into maloney to gienger, caught, straddle – clear hip, toe on – DLO, solid landing. Through it.

Big 14.350 for Jones.

Lincoln – BB – wolf triple, nice – bhs layout 2 feet, solid – aerial, knee into a nice split to straddle combination – switch, pause before switch 1/2, check, good positions on both – side aerial, check – bhs bhs doubel pike, lunge back.

Sumanasekera – UB – stalder full, some back looseness but hit, into maloney to pak, good – van leeuwen, leg separation – stalder to blind to front giant to jaeger, flexed feet but good height – giant 1/2, leg separation – FTDT, step back.

13.050s for Roberson and Sumanasekera on bars.

Chiles – UB – toe full to tkatchev pike to pak, clean – maloney to gienger, legs together well – piked jaeger, solid – bail to toe shoot – shorter final cast hs – FTDT, hop back. Solid one. She came alive today on her two events.

Blakely – BB – wolf triple, nice – back tuck full, solid – fhs to front tuck, little step forward – switch to switch 1/2, good positions, little arm correction on landing – aerial, knee, connection to split, little pause before bhs – side aerial, hit – double pike, step back. Good comeback.

Chiles 14.100 on bars.

Johnson BB – wolf double, hit – bhs loso loso, secure, some better knee extension here – onodi, hti – side aerial, some feet, small check – aerial to split to bhs 1/1 – switch to switch 1/2, good toe point – double tuck dismount, short landing but gets it, step forward.

Miller – UB – inbar full to stalder shap 1/2, leg separation biut hit – inbar 1/2 to jaeger, nice – stalder tkatcehv pike to pak, connected, slight leg separation, van leeuwen, hit, heel cross – DLO, step forward. Second hit in two days.

14.500 for Blakely on beam.

Biles – UB – weiler 1/2 to maloney, large leg break, connects to giant full tkatchev piked to pak, hit – van leeuwen, got it today – toe full, later finish today but fine – FTDT, hop back

Zhou – BB – switch, pause before switch 1/2, check, leg up, broken connection into korbut – wolf 1.5 – bhs loso loso, good positions, small wobble – switch ring, better closure than most today, check – side aerial, another bigger wobble, lean to the side – aerial, arm wave before split and straddle – struggling to get her connections today – 2/1, little hop.

Looks like DiCello’s bars here was a program joined in progress – we see the pak, hit – van leeuwen, legs together – FTDT, small step.

14.050 bars for Biles today.

13.600 for DiCello on bars, so sounds like a hit.

Zeiss – UB – toe full – van leeuwen, hit- small pause in handstand cast out of it but gets the yezhova – shap to pak, clean – malioney to gienger, low gienger but hit – FTDT, larger lunge back.

Matthews has another of the wildest stagger falls on her beam series today – wolf triple is nice – switch to split jump 1/2 very short back leg, large break, has to grab her legs to stay on – hits side aerial – finishes double tuck, hop back

13.350 for Zeiss to finish the bars gymnasts. Now we just have Carey and Fatta to go on beam.

Carey – BB – forward roll mount – aerial, solid into split jump to korbut – bhs loso loso, securely done today – switch side, hit – switch to switch 1/2 to straddle jump – side aerial – bhs bhs double pike, chest forward, step. She ditched the side jump today, which was good. Carey and Chiles came back well in their performances on day 2.

13.400

Fatta – BB – wolf triple, hit – bhs loso, chest down, holds onto it with a bit of a check – aerial, small hesitation before split to straddle – side aerial is secure – switch, good – switch side, a bit angled but secure – 2.5 dismount, hits with sideward lunge out.

And that does it! Now we wait.

Today…didn’t really change all that much. When we combine all the days of nationals and camp, the highest team is Biles-Jones-Blakely-Roberson-Lincoln (using both average and best scores), with a team where Wong goes in for Roberson just a tad behind, but providing more coverage for…in case something happens to a bars worker. On camp alone, averaging the two days, you’d have Miller in for Lincoln given how much she adds on bars.

OK, we have the team, which is Biles, Jones, Blakely, Roberson, and Wong, with DiCello as the traveling alternate. We’re just doing the AA standings from the first day of camp again, but they’ve gone in and put DiCello in there as alternate (which is where I thought Lincoln would end up). It looks like Dicello would instead be top 6 in the all-around standings if you give everyone their best score over the two days.

It’s an absolutely terrible method for picking a team because it doesn’t take the team final format, the actual competition that you are selecting a team for, into account. Though that’s nothing new. The selected team of five is a solid group with safely redundant event coverage but one that sheds just shy of 4 tenths on nationals-camp average compared to the highest-scoring team. Certainly Lincoln has reason to be aggrieved at performing as well as she did and getting such useful floor scores for the team total and earning a spot and not even getting alternate.

The Pan Ams team is DiCello, Chiles, Lincoln, Miller, and Sumanasekera (with Jong still listed as individual qualifier, which she got because of junior pan ams), also the AA standings. The surprise omission there would be Carey, who is doing Swiss Cup.

Now to debate whether Wong or Blakely should do AA in qualification.