Why I Love UCLA

UCLA is my absolute favorite college team.  The Pac-12 Championships are happening as I write this, and there is nowhere I can watch them.  So, instead of trying to update you through other people's quick hits and the live scoring website, I thought I’d tell you why I love UCLA.

First reason: Sam Peszek. Sam is an elite that I feel has really done well on the college scene. I absolutely LOVE her gymnastics. One of the most notable things she’s doing right now is her “Bluetooth” beam routine. Sam injured her wrist during mid-terms (I’m pretty sure it was tendonitis due to writing), so she changed her routine to be completely hands free—thus it was dubbed the “Bluetooth” routine.  Watching the routine knowing that she never uses her hands makes it so entertaining. Besides the fact that she doesn’t use her hands, Sam competes a standing back tuck with a full twist. If you aren’t aware, this is a skill that Shawn Johnson performed in her gold medal winning Olympic beam routine.  Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas, among others, also perform this skill. Sam is the first person to compete this skill in the NCAA. Sam really goes for the difficulty, even though it doesn't really get her any bonus. I also love Sam’s floor—it’s so powerful and energetic.  And it has difficulty—her first pass is a double layout. She is a very strong all arounder, and so much fun to watch. Here's her "Bluetooth" routine:

Second reason: Mattie Larson. Everyone was so excited to have Mattie come to UCLA and perform Miss Val’s choreography. The resulting floor exercise is a little strange, but enjoyable, and of course I still love watching her artistry and amazing lines.  My favorite Mattie event, though, is beam.  I would argue that he leap series is one of the most beautiful in NCAA and elite gymnastics. Her lines are so pretty on this event—I am obsessed. I’m so happy to see her transition well into college gymnastics, especially since her Worlds in 2010 didn’t go as she had hoped. Here's her beam routine (love the leaps at 0:42):

Third Reason: Tauny Frattone’s vault. It’s nice to see a deviation from all the FTYs. It’s really fun to see something different. And she got the Pac 12 Special performance of the week (week of March 5^th) for her stuck, perfect 10 vault. It was beautiful. Here's that vault:

Fourth Reason: Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs' floor routine. She is very entertaining and engaging. I love the salsa-esque choreography she has this year. It suits her very well. The crowd always gets into her floor routines and you can tell she’s having fun.

Fifth Reason: Vanessa Zamarripa. She’s a really fun all arounder to watch, not to mention her amazing vaulting.  Her bars are also very neat—she really hits her handstands.

Sixth Reason: UCLA has by far the classiest leotards in the NCAA. Although they can sometimes border on ice-skater-ish, I love that they are never too shiny.  Really, I think the perfect word to describe them is classy. On the same style note, I also love the fact that UCLA doesn't wear any bump-its or over excessive makeup. Some examples:

Photo Credit-Gym Examiner

Photo Credit-UCLA

Photo Credit-The Couch Gymnast

….As I finish writing this, UCLA, despite falls from Sam Peszek and Olivia Courtney, has won the Pac 12 Championships with a final score of 197.425. See the rest of the scores here.

Congrats UCLA and good luck in the rest of the post-season!