Visa Championships - Day 1 Senior Reflections

I didn't want to do a huge wrap up since it's only day one, so here are my thoughts so far:

• Nastia's Bars--I'm really upset that she couldn't pull through, and I really would like us to be able to rely on her for bars, at least as an alternate. She's admitted that she just started doing full routines about a week ago, so that scares me a little bit. I think what she does on Sunday will really make a difference in her chances at making the team.

Photo Credit-Charles Rex

Photo Credit-Debby Wong

• Jordyn Wieber/Gabby Douglas Tie--This really surprised me. I'm SO happy with Jordyn's ability to work under pressure on her floor routine. While I'm rooting for Jordyn to win, I'm also excited about Gabby's performance. I think this tie will really fire Jordyn up and she'll come out stronger for day two, especially on beam. It will also depend on how well Gabby can hit her Amanar and whether Jordyn can have another clean bars performance.

• Kyla Ross--She really impressed me. She was in first after the third rotation, which surprised me. I love her beam, and we could really use her on bars. I think she did well, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary and I don't think it drastically altered her shot at the team.

• Aly Raisman--Floor was absolutely stunning. The first pass was beautiful and everything looked even better than I thought it could. She finished with a HUGE 15.45, and looked really good on beam as well. She didn't do as well as she could have on bars, but I think she'll bring it back for Sunday and possibly challenge Gabby for the number 2 spot.

• Alicia Sacramone--I'm so happy to have her back, and I can really see her challenging for a specialist spot on the Olympic team. Her beam was fantastic-I especially liked the sheep jump. She has an amazing ability to come back and come back strong.

• Bridget Sloan--I was thrilled with her performance tonight. She finished 10th, which isn't the greatest, but her bars were impressive and I really see her as a potential alternate.

• Fashion Note--WOGA wearing the same disgusting leo is unacceptable. Gabby's leo was beautiful until you got to the flesh colored mesh and white striped sleeves. It had such potential. McKayla's would have been fine without the flowers, but that really overdid it. Loved Aly's; Jordyn's was pretty nice too. 

These are just a few of my major thoughts. I'd also like to mention the Tim Dagget/Elfi Shlegel white board fiasco. They made a team of about nine people, rightfully calling Jordyn a lock but also calling McKayla a lock and almost throwing in Elizabeth Price as a lock as well. They got called out on their huge team once they had put six people on the board, but then they just kept adding people! If you missed it, I'm sure it's somewhere on YouTube and you should really check it out.

Stay tuned for notes from Day Two!

I'd like to thank my friend, Rita H., for watching with me and contributing her thoughts to this post!

Best and Worst Leotards -- 2012 Secret Classic

Top 3 Best Leotards

3. Jordyn Wieber

Photo Credit-Heather Maynez

I didn't really like this leotard all that much, but there weren't too many good ones to choose from at this meet. I actually really like the color. It looks bluer in the picture, but in person it was a nice dark purple color. I'm not a huge fan of the lines bursting out from the side, but the color combo pretty much makes up for it. I'm kind of upset that she's just wearing a team USA leotard though, it's not new at all. However, it looked nice on her and was much better than many other leotards at the meet, so it makes my list.

2. McKayla Maroney

Photo Credit-Heather Maynez

I know, I know, she wore this before. Many gymnasts have worn this leotard recently. If you haven't seen it, check out Spanny's post on the many repeats. Honestly, I can't believe she wore it again. We all loved her for it the first time and agreed that her version was the best. This one is a slightly different color combination, and I actually like it better than the first one. The dark part is purple and the colors on the pinwheel are softer and more sophisticated than in her original one. The only thing I dislike about this leotard is the mesh on the sleeves, but I can look past it since it's so great otherwise. If she hadn't worn it before, it would be first on the list.

1. Mackenzie Brannan (Capital)

Photo Credit-USA Gymnastics

I'm sorry about the picture; I couldn't find many pictures of Mackenzie or her junior teammate, Nicole Lehrmann, so this is the best I could do. It's not so easy to tell, but this leotard was absolutely fabulous in person. Although I generally don't like having mesh on top, it wasn't bad at all and the color is gorgeous. It has just the right amount of sparkle and shine. The cut is interesting on top but there is by no means too much going on. This leotard immediately stood out to me and I still love it. The only problem is that it's a little bit boring in a picture, but it really did look great in the arena. It's super classy and very well done. Great choice, Mackenzie.

Top 3 Worst Leotards

Note: The top three worst were very hard to choose, since there were many bad leotards at this meet. I'd like to acknowledge that Elizabeth Price (Parkettes), among others, was very close to making this list.

3. Aly Raisman

Photo Credit-Heather Maynez

I love Aly, but this leotard was just a little too much for me. I'll admit it--pink is my favorite color, and I've actually liked some of the #hotpink leotards this year. However, this one was just way too much. For me, I don't think it was so much of the two shades of pink that sent it over the edge, rather it was the combination of the mesh and the shiny material. Beyond that (you can't tell very well in this picture), the leotard was symmetrical. Like, the neckline on the mesh side is shiny and the neckline on the shiny side is mesh. Same with the weird stripes coming out from the seam on the front. It's just a little overwhelming. If she had just used the shiny pink part, it actually could have been a decent leotard--the shade of pink isn't actually that bad. This, though, is just WAY too much.

2. Sarah Finnegan (GAGE)

Photo Credit-USA Gymnastics

There are so many reasons to hate this leotard. The most obvious is the color combination of hot pink, lime green, and black. There really isn't a way to make those three look good together. That was the first reason I picked this. But then I realized the more subtle reasons it just isn't working. The pattern, even if it were in cute colors, is just too angular for me. The sharp cut down towards the hip and the random pink triangles just don't form a flattering shape. Even beyond this, there's some weird continuation of the triangle on the wrists that really just doesn't need to be there. For some reason, this weird leotard seems to perfectly match my feelings about Al Fong, especially when he wears those awful gloves that escalate his creepiness tremendously.

1. Nastia Liukin, Rebecca Bross, and Grace McLaughlin (WOGA)

Photo Credit-Heather Maynez

It was a tough call between the GAGE leotard and this one, but I just had to give this to the #hotpink horror. Remember when I said before that I liked some of the #hotpink leotards? This one does not fall into that category. First of all, it's an awful shade of pink--more pastel than hot pink.  The design at the neck isn't doing it any favors either, and believe it or not it looked even worse in person. This is so far from the crazy, over the top, overused leotards that WOGA usually has, which just makes it seem to me that Queen Nastia picked it out herself. My apologies go out to the other WOGA girls who had to wear this as well. I'm not thinking Rebecca Bross is so keen on this #hotpink trend.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts! Tell me your opinions on which leos were the best and worst at the Secret Classic!

2008 vs. 2012: Alicia Sacramone vs. Aly Raisman

This is the comparison that everyone has been making since the moment Aly stepped onto the senior stage. Both girls are from the same gym, so that's obviously is where the similarities start. They both have a lot of the same strengths and are solid, mature, competitors.

Although Aly and Alicia do different vaults, they have very similar styles. Aly recently upgraded to a pretty nice Amanar, but before this she was performing her DTY amazingly cleanly and accurately.  Alicia, of course, also competes individually on vault, so she has two. One of the them is a DTY and it is also very neat, high, and accurate.
(Alicia's DTY starts around 1:55)

Bars is by far the weakest event for these girls. Alicia stopped training bars and now only focuses on her three best events, and many people think that Aly should do the same. Personally, I love seeing Aly compete in the all around, so I wouldn't want her to stop training bars. She's fairly consistent on the event (though obviously not as dependable as she is on the other three), and I think that if we needed her in qualifications she could be counted on. Even with her HUGE mistake on bars in the 2011 Worlds AA, she still finished 4th, which says a lot about how strong her other events are.

Aly and Alicia look very similar on beam. They're each very sure of every movement they make. Although their movements are fluid, they aren't super pretty or dance-like; they both have a much more athletic style. I especially love Aly's Patterson dismount and Alicia's front tuck mount that she continues to hit after her famous fall at the Olympics. 

I think the biggest difference between these two gymnasts is their styles on floor. Alicia is a good dancer, while Aly is a bit awkward. Aly is one of the best tumblers in the world, and while Alicia is a good tumbler, she's not as good as Aly. I think both of their routines are extremely entertaining and fun to watch. I absolutely LOVE Alicia's floor music, even though there are so many people in level 10 and NCAA who also use it. Even though Aly and Alicia differ on floor, I love both of their routines.

One of the biggest things people have commented on regarding these two girls is their leadership.  Alicia was the leader of the 2007 World Championship team and the 2008 Olympic team. After her comeback, she again led the team at 2010 Worlds. Even though she tore her Achilles during training before 2011 Worlds, she's explained that she gave the team a pep talk before team finals. This is where Aly's leadership comes in. When Alicia left Tokyo to get surgery, Aly was left as the only member of the team who had any World Championship experience. She stepped up immediately as the leader of the team.  Many say that she learned these qualities from working with Alicia in her gym. One of my favorite moments of worlds was when Aly talked to Jordyn and McKayla before floor:

(I know it's not great quality and it's hard to hear, but unfortunately, I couldn't find a better video)

I really like both of these gymnasts and I admire their dependability and athleticism. I'm rooting for both of them to make the Olympic team this year!

Let me know what you think and let me know any other comparisons you'd like me to make! 

Olympic Team Ramblings: Part 2

Part 2 of my thoughts on Olympic Team contenders. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

Kyla Ross has been generating a lot of chatter. She came in second to Wieber at Pac Rims and won the Jesolo meet with a .8 lead over Aly Raisman. I'm very impressed with this girl. If I had to make a team right now, she would be on it. She has amazing lines and a clean bar routine, which the US really needs right now. Her beam routine is beautiful but still has power and difficulty. She also has the now necessary Amanar vault and can execute well enough. I'm pretty confident in her abilities to deal with pressure, but I wish she'd been a senior for longer so I could have seen more of her gymnastics, especially on a world stage. I would definitely consider her a contender in the all around at Nationals and Olympic Trials.

Kyla's beam (from 2012 Pac Rims):

In my eyes, Kyla Ross is seriously challenging Aly Raisman in her bid for the Olympic Team. Everything was looking very solid for Aly until Kyla started posting great all around scores as a senior. I'll say it--I am a HUGE Raisman fan and I will always be rooting for her. As much as I love Kyla's lines and understand that we could really use her on bars, I will never get myself to choose her over Aly. I love Aly's strength and determination, I love her tumbling, and I love watching how she's learned from Alicia. I feel like people are cutting her out just because of her bar routine, but everyone is forgetting that she came in 4th at Worlds, even with a very large mistake on bars. And that was without her Amanar. She has beyond proven herself to Martha of her ability to be a solid, reliable competitor, and I think it's only fair to give her a shot. I desperately want her to compete in the all around in the Olympics, but the two-per-country rule would probably leave her slightly behind Kyla, and therefore out of the competition. I guess I'm being overly partial here, but I don't think it's fair to leave her off of this team. She has a legitimate shot at winning gold on floor and would be mature and dependable in qualifications and team finals.

Aly's Floor (from 2012 American Cup):

Another girl everyone has been talking about is Rebecca Bross. She competed bars and beam in Jesolo, and hit beam, but fell on bars. In my opinion, she hasn't been looking too strong.  I really do feel for her--she has such determination and wants to succeed so badly. Her injuries are holding her back, though. She keeps doing very difficult skills that are a little bit scary (most obviously her Patterson dismount on beam). I know we're getting very close to Trials, but I think she could have held back a little bit and not competed the landing she fell on TWICE at Nationals last year. As much as I admire her strength, I'm not sure I would feel confident putting her on the team. Even though she could be valuable as a bar worker, I feel more confident with Gabby and Kyla that we can count on for other things. I'm not sure what happened with her--maybe it was all of the WOGA "threepeat" pressure--but she just hasn't been able to come back from her injuries as well as many suspected.  Although I don't think I would put her on my team, I do hope she recovers enough to compete well at Nationals. She has worked so hard and really deserves it.

Rebecca's beam (from 2012 Jesolo):

I think that's enough for one blog. More to come! Let me know if there's anyone you'd like me to discuss!