As it seems like the World cup portion has been cancelled on the Womens side I decided to take a look at the Junior Cup and it looks like it is going to be an excellent competition!
There are many exciting gymnasts listed from Romania, Russia and Canada (no USA yet).
Probably the most well-known gymnasts are Larisa Iordache and Diana Bulimar from Romania. They both have entertaining styles and big skills. Larisa's best pieces are beam and floor, below is her beam routine from Topgym 2009 which includes 2/1 spin and round off+flick to two+triple twist dismount. She won with a score of 15.050.
Diana is also strong on floor and has a nice bar routine too. Her floor routine from Topgym 2009 included a piked full-in and 1 1/2 step out into double tuck back. She scored 13.550 to win second place.
The Russian team has a lot of younger, more inexperienced gymnasts but one of them includes one of my favourite gymnasts Ekaterina Shtronda. She is a really elegant gymnast with beautiful dance and leaps. Check out her floor routine rom the Russian Championship last year.
Another interesting Russian who is only 12 years old is Maria Karpova. She has excellent form and toe point and it will be interesting to see how she performs. Below is her compulsory beam routine from the Moscow Championships last year:
Another Russian I like is Ekaterina Baturina she is a tiny, elegant little gymnast. Below is her beam from the Russian Championships last year, apart from the falls she shows great potential and is deceivingly powerful!
The Canadians have many gymnasts entered my favourite of which is Sabrina Gill. Last year she placed 6th at Elite Canada, she has a really nice style and huge potential especially on bars. She recently posted a training video where she is working on arabian (beam), pak, stalder tkatchev and some eagle giants. She is only going to get better and that is going to be great for Canada.
Another interesting Canadian is Riley Cholod who has been having a lot of success recently winning Elite Canada in December and this weekend winning the Nadia Comaneci Invitational. She has clean form and seems able to deal with the pressure well during competition.
Victoria Moors - is a really powerful gymnast especially on floor where her tumbes include 1 1/2 step out into 2 /2, tucked full-in, triple twist and double pike.
So even if there is no World Cup for Women and even if the USA don't send anyone, the Junior Cup will be an interesting competition.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Monday 22 February 2010
Buckeye Classic National Elite Qualifier
I spent a while watching the videos from this meet (big thanks to youtube user Beechurst10 who filmed nearly every routine!) and I was impressed with some of the gymnastics I saw. There seemed to be better quality routines than other recent qualifiers and quite a few gained the score to compete at Nationals. There were 2 sessions. In the Junior division the following earned the qualifying score of 52.00 to compete at Nationals (I'm sure some have already qualified before) : Kennedy Baker (53.950), Braie Speed (52.00), Amelia Hundley (54.500), Brianna Brown (53.90), Lauren Beers (53.60), Bailie Key (53.50), Lexie Priessmann (53.150). The only Senior who qualified to Nationals was: Chelsea Davis (55.250)!
Lexie Priessmann - She didn't have a great meet (falls on floor and beam) but at the end of her beam routine came a big suprise a FULL-IN! It was landed well with nice form. I really like this gymnast her floor routine makes me smile, I just hope she can keep it together to make the National Team this year. Watch her full-in below:
Chelsea Davis - She competed her first all around competition this weekend and she did well qualifying for Nationals. Her best score was Bars with 14.60, the rest of her routines were in the 13s. She has a new floor routine which I like and she definetely looked in better shape than at the Metroplex so lets hope she is getting back to her best. Her beam still needs work with some of the leaps and I personally think she should change the round off layout step out (which she is having trouble with) and work on a layout to two feet which surely is not going to hurt her back more and will give her more difficulty.
Bailie Key - She is one of my favourite little juniors and has a similar cute still and excellent form as Lizzie Leduc (shes from WGA Texans). She qualified for Nationals this weekend and had the highest score on beam (14.20) of the whole competition including both sessions and Junior and Senior!
Brianna Brown - She is another elite from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. She had a solid all around competition with mid to high 13s on all events, but my favourite routineof hers is floor because I really like the music! (its the same as Sui Lu)
A group of gymnasts I was impressed with this weekend were Monmouth Gymnastics Academy who I haven't heard of much before. They had 1 gymnast Courtney Horstman in the Junior competition but I was most impressed with the 3 Hopes gymnasts: Laurie Hernandez, Breanna Ray and Khayla Jennings. They all showed real potential and are still so young Laurie and Khayla were born in 2000 and Breanna in 1999!
Laurie Hernandez - She is still 9 years old and had some really BIG skills (maybe too much for her age) but her form was also really nice and she has actual SPLIT leaps. Her skills included double pike on floor, free walkover, sheep jump, split change+pike back and double pike dismount on beam! Check out her floor here she has a really interesting dance style which I personally like as its different. She has to work on consistency but she is definitely a future star:
Lexie Priessmann - She didn't have a great meet (falls on floor and beam) but at the end of her beam routine came a big suprise a FULL-IN! It was landed well with nice form. I really like this gymnast her floor routine makes me smile, I just hope she can keep it together to make the National Team this year. Watch her full-in below:
Chelsea Davis - She competed her first all around competition this weekend and she did well qualifying for Nationals. Her best score was Bars with 14.60, the rest of her routines were in the 13s. She has a new floor routine which I like and she definetely looked in better shape than at the Metroplex so lets hope she is getting back to her best. Her beam still needs work with some of the leaps and I personally think she should change the round off layout step out (which she is having trouble with) and work on a layout to two feet which surely is not going to hurt her back more and will give her more difficulty.
Bailie Key - She is one of my favourite little juniors and has a similar cute still and excellent form as Lizzie Leduc (shes from WGA Texans). She qualified for Nationals this weekend and had the highest score on beam (14.20) of the whole competition including both sessions and Junior and Senior!
Brianna Brown - She is another elite from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. She had a solid all around competition with mid to high 13s on all events, but my favourite routineof hers is floor because I really like the music! (its the same as Sui Lu)
A group of gymnasts I was impressed with this weekend were Monmouth Gymnastics Academy who I haven't heard of much before. They had 1 gymnast Courtney Horstman in the Junior competition but I was most impressed with the 3 Hopes gymnasts: Laurie Hernandez, Breanna Ray and Khayla Jennings. They all showed real potential and are still so young Laurie and Khayla were born in 2000 and Breanna in 1999!
Laurie Hernandez - She is still 9 years old and had some really BIG skills (maybe too much for her age) but her form was also really nice and she has actual SPLIT leaps. Her skills included double pike on floor, free walkover, sheep jump, split change+pike back and double pike dismount on beam! Check out her floor here she has a really interesting dance style which I personally like as its different. She has to work on consistency but she is definitely a future star:
Monday 15 February 2010
Juniors this Weekend - Review
Lizzy Leduc - I always loved this gymnasts character and clean form so I was interested to see what Valeri did with her. I had mixed feeling, her vault Yurchenko straight 1/1 was ok but it was at Nationals. Bars was not good with 2 falls on her overshoot and double layout dismount but she had some new skills and the routine was in a different order so the potential is there she just needs more competitions. Floor - I actually prefer her jungle book routine it used to make me smile, I don't mind her new music but I thought the choreography was boring. Her leaps were ok I wouldn't say better though, she had a nice double pike and back 1 1/2 into front layout 1/2 but I thought her back 2 1/2 was too low and not quite round. Beam - She had a lot of new skills: standing arabian (low landing), front tuck (low landing), Onodi+sheep jump but although her talent and skills are impressive on this event I don't see why she needs all those skills when she won't be senior until 2013. I think her execution suffered as she only scored 13.350 at her home meet (lower than Nationals with all those new skills). I still love her gymnastics though and hope she makes the National Team this year.
Madison Kocian - She is my favourite US Junior right now. Her bars have really improved but she took out her new piked jaeger from the Metroplex Challenge. My favourite is her floor routine and this weekend she added a back 2 1/2 into front layout and i thought her switch ring was better. I think her beam still needs work and time but her excellent form makes her amazing to watch.
Grace Mclaughlin - She won the Junior division of the WOGA Classic with 55.150 which would have won the Senior competition. On beam she added an arabian (v. low landing) Beam seemed a little shaky and there was definetely some missed splits in her leaps. Bars was much better scoring 14.30 with a nice high straddled jaeger and a good double front dismount and I actually think she can score higher than that later in the season. She is actually a Senior next year so I'm sure they will be hoping she makes the National Team this year so she can get some international experience.
Asuka Teramoto or Mina Sugimura (sorry I'm not sure which) - I really like this gymnast she has a rare mix of big skils and beautiful form, I had never seen her before so it was a nice suprise another talent from Japan. Her beam routine was really nice and included a double spin, free walkover to flick layout, split change+side somi and a front walkover mount.
Brittany Robertson - A mention to this New Zealand gymnast who showed some of the best leaps (switch ring+tour jete, tour jete 1/2) of the weekend, shame about the fall but well done to her for her leaps and presentation.
Madison Kocian - She is my favourite US Junior right now. Her bars have really improved but she took out her new piked jaeger from the Metroplex Challenge. My favourite is her floor routine and this weekend she added a back 2 1/2 into front layout and i thought her switch ring was better. I think her beam still needs work and time but her excellent form makes her amazing to watch.
Grace Mclaughlin - She won the Junior division of the WOGA Classic with 55.150 which would have won the Senior competition. On beam she added an arabian (v. low landing) Beam seemed a little shaky and there was definetely some missed splits in her leaps. Bars was much better scoring 14.30 with a nice high straddled jaeger and a good double front dismount and I actually think she can score higher than that later in the season. She is actually a Senior next year so I'm sure they will be hoping she makes the National Team this year so she can get some international experience.
Asuka Teramoto or Mina Sugimura (sorry I'm not sure which) - I really like this gymnast she has a rare mix of big skils and beautiful form, I had never seen her before so it was a nice suprise another talent from Japan. Her beam routine was really nice and included a double spin, free walkover to flick layout, split change+side somi and a front walkover mount.
Brittany Robertson - A mention to this New Zealand gymnast who showed some of the best leaps (switch ring+tour jete, tour jete 1/2) of the weekend, shame about the fall but well done to her for her leaps and presentation.
Seniors This Weekend - Review
This weekend's competitions (WOGA Classic and AOGC Elite Qualifier) were really disappointing to me, I know it is early in the season and new skills and routines are being tested but to me this should be no reason to have bad technique or lack of split in leaps. I expected falls but I also expected better from the National team girls and the new WOGA routines/choreography.
SENIORS
Rebecca Bross - I used to really like this girl and was sad when she didn't win worlds last year but I have actually changed my mind now and I'm glad Bridget won even though I'm not a fan of hers at least she makes an effort to have good form. I don't think it would have been good for the sport if Bross had won worlds with her form and choreography. I had actually hoped that part of her lack of form was due to injuries and had also hoped over the winter they had worked on her presentation but going from her beam routine this weekend I'm guessing they didnt! I thought her arabian was good but the dismount not at all and her split change and split jump weren't split and her back leg was knowhere near straight! You can watch it here if you want to! (I'm also looking forward to the American Cup even less now!)
Ivana Hong - Another gymnast I used to love especially in her younger years and I still do like her presentation but to me she seems to have lost some of her personality and charm when she performs. My thoughts on her beam routine this weekend: not really that bad ignoring the fall, I still don't like the mount and think she should bring back the McCool mount, her connections and leaps were good (apart from the ring) and I really liked dismount. But 14.250 wih a fall? Not sure how they got that! Watch it here.
Mattie Larson - She was one of the only Senior gymnasts I was impressed with this weekend I know how hard it can be to come back from a long injury break and I hope she gets picked to be the other US gymnast at the American Cup (not sure how likely that is). Her bars was nice with reasonable form, nice pirouettes and transition moves and a new doubvle layout dismount. I liked watching her beam routine she probably still needs a few more competitions before its really good, there are a few leaps that need work but I did see some sort of 180 degree split! Watch beam here. Good Luck Mattie I wish you an injury free successful season.
Sami Shapiro - This girl I have always loved because of her beautiful form and toes! But I'm not sure she has come back from injury as well as Mattie has. She obviously isn't ready for seriuos competition yet. Her Bars was just ok, a few short handstands and a fall on the dismount but I don't think she has reached her full potential on this piece yet, I just hope her body will let her. Beam was better with beautiful form, just a bit shaky on the connections and no dismount. I just hope they don't rush her back the Olympics are still over 2 years away and I want to see her there.
Kayla Williams - I wasn't impressed with her at all, her vaults were average at best, bars reminded me of a level 10 routine and I've never been a fan of her floor she has great tumbling but to me floor is more than that its about dance, leaps and performance and she has none of that. She also fell on her triple full this weekend, but I am expecting her to be much better later in the season you can tell she isn't back in seriuos training yet. Some of her routines can be seen here
Sophia Lee - She won the WOGA Classic with 55.00, her highest score was on bars (14.350) and I thought she looked much better than the past few elite qualifiers this year.
Mackenzie Caquatto - She won the Chicago Style Meet this weekend and in an interview on gymnastike she said she hoped to compete at the American Cup. She looked in pretty good shape, debuting a new piked Hindorff on bars (which was impressive) and side somi on beam. Her floor I think is more of a College routine which is fine but I don't like it as an elite routine (had an excellent double pike though). Overall all her routines seem almost ready to go so she must have a reasonable chance on competing at the American Cup, but I would prefer Mattie or a Junior I guess it depends what Marta wants. All her routines can be seen here at Gymnastike.
SENIORS
Rebecca Bross - I used to really like this girl and was sad when she didn't win worlds last year but I have actually changed my mind now and I'm glad Bridget won even though I'm not a fan of hers at least she makes an effort to have good form. I don't think it would have been good for the sport if Bross had won worlds with her form and choreography. I had actually hoped that part of her lack of form was due to injuries and had also hoped over the winter they had worked on her presentation but going from her beam routine this weekend I'm guessing they didnt! I thought her arabian was good but the dismount not at all and her split change and split jump weren't split and her back leg was knowhere near straight! You can watch it here if you want to! (I'm also looking forward to the American Cup even less now!)
Ivana Hong - Another gymnast I used to love especially in her younger years and I still do like her presentation but to me she seems to have lost some of her personality and charm when she performs. My thoughts on her beam routine this weekend: not really that bad ignoring the fall, I still don't like the mount and think she should bring back the McCool mount, her connections and leaps were good (apart from the ring) and I really liked dismount. But 14.250 wih a fall? Not sure how they got that! Watch it here.
Mattie Larson - She was one of the only Senior gymnasts I was impressed with this weekend I know how hard it can be to come back from a long injury break and I hope she gets picked to be the other US gymnast at the American Cup (not sure how likely that is). Her bars was nice with reasonable form, nice pirouettes and transition moves and a new doubvle layout dismount. I liked watching her beam routine she probably still needs a few more competitions before its really good, there are a few leaps that need work but I did see some sort of 180 degree split! Watch beam here. Good Luck Mattie I wish you an injury free successful season.
Sami Shapiro - This girl I have always loved because of her beautiful form and toes! But I'm not sure she has come back from injury as well as Mattie has. She obviously isn't ready for seriuos competition yet. Her Bars was just ok, a few short handstands and a fall on the dismount but I don't think she has reached her full potential on this piece yet, I just hope her body will let her. Beam was better with beautiful form, just a bit shaky on the connections and no dismount. I just hope they don't rush her back the Olympics are still over 2 years away and I want to see her there.
Kayla Williams - I wasn't impressed with her at all, her vaults were average at best, bars reminded me of a level 10 routine and I've never been a fan of her floor she has great tumbling but to me floor is more than that its about dance, leaps and performance and she has none of that. She also fell on her triple full this weekend, but I am expecting her to be much better later in the season you can tell she isn't back in seriuos training yet. Some of her routines can be seen here
Sophia Lee - She won the WOGA Classic with 55.00, her highest score was on bars (14.350) and I thought she looked much better than the past few elite qualifiers this year.
Mackenzie Caquatto - She won the Chicago Style Meet this weekend and in an interview on gymnastike she said she hoped to compete at the American Cup. She looked in pretty good shape, debuting a new piked Hindorff on bars (which was impressive) and side somi on beam. Her floor I think is more of a College routine which is fine but I don't like it as an elite routine (had an excellent double pike though). Overall all her routines seem almost ready to go so she must have a reasonable chance on competing at the American Cup, but I would prefer Mattie or a Junior I guess it depends what Marta wants. All her routines can be seen here at Gymnastike.
Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike
My next post will be opinions and review of the Juniors this weekend.
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