HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year from Gym Chat! I hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful 2009. I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that it's a better year than 2008. :P

Within a few days, I'll be reporting on the new senior elites this year. Don't miss it! :]

With love...
Kayleigh

Well.

I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake, because this was posted a month ago on Sam's official website.


Sam has moved gyms from DeVeau’s to Sharp’s Gymnastics in Indianapolis. Her coach is now Marvin Sharp.

Sam’s coach at DeVeau’s, Peter Zhao, is moving to China to help out with his family business, so Sam needed an elite coach in order to accomplish her goals for 2009. Sam was at DeVeau’s for 14 years and was coached by Zhao for 8 years.

Sam is looking forward to training with her Olympic teammate Bridget Sloan and being coached by Marvin Sharp!


Hmm. I wonder how that will work out for her. Only time will tell...

Shawn and Nastia Heart Uggs

So Shawn and Nastia made some pretty Ugg boots for UGG Australia’s sixth annual Art & Sole Collection, which raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Who's do you like better? I can't really decide. I think Nastia's are classier, but I like Shawn's too! :]

Aww!

Justin proposed to his girlfriend at one of the shows, and someone got the moment on camera! :]

So cute. Oh how I love Justin Spring.

(ps... another post will be coming later tonight that's chalk-full of (eheh, no pun intended there folks!) montage-y goodness!)

New Layout Up!

Now that didn't take long!

But I was inspired, seeing as the holiday season is now officially upon us. Hoorah!

Enjoy the new layout, guys. :]

Happy Turkey Day!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving! Hope the turkey and the pumpkin pie is delicious. :]

And to those of you getting up tomorrow at 4AM like I am... I wish you all the best of luck in your bargain hunting. :]

New layout coming ASAP...

Love,
-K

Happy November!

Hola everyone!

A new month, a new layout. And now, we're getting into the Thanksgiving swing of things with a fabulous fall layout. I'll make the matching banner ASAP, I swear.

And maybe if something EXCITING would happen in the gymnastics world would happen, I'd post. But nothing is going on, so here I sit. I'm gonna have to dig to find something. I can tell you guys that I'll have a report from Cleveland after the tour stop there on November 6th... I'm so excited! The 2004 tour was a big reason I started competing, so I hope this will energize me in the same kind of way...

One thing I know... you can expect to hear about it HERE! :D

-xoxo
Kayleigh

New Layout is Up!

I stayed home from school today since I wasn't feeling 100%, so I made the layout for October! Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I would highlight that in the layout. :]

As always, stay tuned for any info that happens to pop up in the gym world. You'll see it here, I promise!

Oh, and be sure to head back over to cccam's blog, as she has returned to her amazing sarcasm-ness! Good to have you back in the blogging world! ;)

-K

Well...

I'm quite sorry I haven't posted since the Olympics - I really don't have an excuse. I just didn't post, I won't lie. I hope I still have people out there that are reading! :)

Nothing much of importance has happened in the world of gymnastics lately. The FIG did investigate the ages of the Chinese team and they said that they were legit. Surrrrrrrre. I still don't get how you can look at He Kexin and say, "Oh, she looks 16!" -_-

But enough on that.

I'm working on a new layout - I'll hopefully have it up by Friday. I'm thinking a halloween or autumn type theme... And then comes Christmas! The time when every little gymnast wants Santa to bring leotards and grips down the chimney. Get excited, fools... only 79 days, 3 hours, and 25 minutes until the big day!

I'm sleep deprived. I'm going to bed now.

-xoxo
Kayleigh

Things I've Loved About Floor Finals

1. Shawn ROCKED her routine. And she held on to first for a good while as the first athlete to compete - jeez!



2. Jiang Yuyuan's floor routine. I can't get over how playful and fun it is - it really does bring the crowd to it's feet! That's what gymnastics should be. Even if she is Chinese... and I do quite loathe them and their lying ways. Oh... and her smile scares the living crap outta me. -_-

3. Anna Pavlova's double layout. Holy cow... it's actually quite pretty compared to most other gymnasts'. Actually, Anna Pavlova's whole routine up until the fall was awesome!

4. Cheng Fei blowing it TWICE tonight. I really dislike her.

5. Nastia's opening pass. Especially when it's compared to her second pass. -_-

6. The fact that Nastia's routine is so based on ballet! Everyone in the competition should watch and learn, because THAT's what gymnastics should look like!

7. Sandra Izbasa's stuck first and third passes. But the first WAS sloppy. :(

8. While Sandra Izbasa doesn't have the best form, her routine was REALLY good. Her landings were the best of anyone in the competition.

9. Shawn didn't even flinch when she realized she got silver. It amazes me that she has that kind of sportsmanship. That's why she has the fanbase that she does!


Expect a similar post for beam and bars finals as well. :)

Nastia Gets GOLD, Shawn Gets SILVER!

WOW.

To anyone who stayed up until the boonies of the morning to watch, what a great AA Final!

I'm so glad that Nastia won... of course, I feel bad for Shawn too, but she still got a silver! That makes ShawNastia the first US women to go 1-2 in the All-Around Final.

AWESOME job to both! :D

Sigh...

Well... if you didn't know by now, China won the team portion of the Olympics.

Alicia Sacramone fell on beam AND floor... and I was ready to shoot her. Isn't she supposed to be the team leader? :/

Well... let's hope that this all plays out like 2004. Team silver, AA Gold!

A Couple Updates

I've been on vacay for the past week, so I wasn't able to post much (the internet at the hotel was dial-up... never again, friends). So here's a few things I missed;

1. Chellsie is only going to be competing bars at the Olympics. That sounds OK to me... bars is where we need her most!

2. It's a Hamm-less Olympics! Morgan pulled out a few days ago. He was replaced by Sasha Artemev.

3. Speaking of the men's team, they already competed in qualifications. They finished in 6th place, which moved them forward to team finals. I hope they can pull it together, it would be great to see them finish on the podium after such a tough quad.

4. The women's qualifications have also already happened (stop reading if you want to watch the TV airing!). The USA finished 2'd to China. China finished with a 248.275, and the US with a 246.800.

Uh oh. :/

Uh Oh.

BEIJING, Aug. 3, 2008 – U.S. Olympic gymnast Chellsie Memmel has injured her ankle in training. Memmel is still expected to compete in the Olympic Games.
“USA Gymnastics is monitoring Chellsie on a daily basis,” said USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny.


That's from USAG's website. Hopefully everything will be OK... I would not be pleased if she had to pull out and be replaced by Jana. :/


On the other hand, I'm VERY excited that Raj is going to the Olympics! :D

!@&#&@^@!

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/gymnastics/news?slug=ap-gym-hammout&prov=ap&type=lgns

NOOOOOOOOO!


Paul Hamm is out. He withdrew from the team... he felt his hand didn't get better in time. :(

All I'm gonna say is this; IT BETTER BE RAJ.

*cries*

This Video is Really Cute!

Thank you to for this really cute video! It's the national team girls talking about hair and makeup.

It's nice to see that they're just like us! I know that I'm always concerned about what to do with my hair and makeup before a meet... and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

New Layout!

In anticipation of the upcoming games, and in light of tonight's announcement of the USA Olympic Team, Gym Chat has a new layout! I hope you like it. As always, let me know what you think and if you're having any bugs with it.

-Kayleigh

USA's Olympic Team!

Your USA Team:

1. Shawn Johnson
2. Nastia Liukin
3. Chellsie Memmel
4. Samantha Peszek
5. Alicia Sacramone
6. Bridget Sloan!!!

Alternates:

1. Jana Bieger
2. Ivana Hong
3. Corrie Lothrop


My thoughts: I think that this is going to be a really strong team! I'm so happy to see Bridget snag that sixth spot. I'm also super happy for Chellsie and Alicia for sticking around. They finally made it! :D I think that Jana and Ivana are where they should be. It's a simple fact that we can't risk having someone fold into the pressure there, and that's exactly what happened here. And Corrie Lothrop... never really expected her to even get alternate, did we? I was surprised, but she did have a really good meet. I wonder if she'll try for 2012?

Well... what are your thoughts?

Live From the Ranch - Part 2

I'll be updating this post as the night goes on.

From NBC Sports:
-------------

4:27pm: Just got the announcement that Paul Hamm is on the Olympic Team. The women are warming up.
-------------

4:43pm: Mary Lou Retton is here, talking to reporters.
-------------

4:53pm: Start lists have been distributed. These line-ups are subject to change.

Vault: Ivana Hong, Chellsie Memmel, Bridget Sloan, Corrie Lothrop.

Bars: Ivana Hong, Chellsie Memmel, Bridget Sloan, Mattie Larson, Nastia Liukin, Jana Bieger, Samantha Peszek, Chelsea Davis, Shawn Johnson. (Everyone but Sacramone and Lothrop.)

Beam: Chelsea Davis, Shawn Johnson, Samantha Peszek, Alicia Sacramone.

Floor: Alicia Sacramone, Jana Bieger, Nastia Liukin, Corrie Lothrop.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - Looks like Martha has everyone where they need to be. Especially bars!)
-------------

5:03pm: Shayla Worley is here, in the training room.
-------------

5:13pm: The girls have gathered in a circle, Alicia Sacramone is leading the pep talk. Shayla Worley dropped her crutches and has joined the huddle.
-------------

5:22pm: Alicia Sacramone is on floor. After a nearly flawless full-twisting double and Arabian double, she had a low landing on her 2 1/2, front layout. Closing double pike was a little short again.
-------------

5:26pm: Jana Bieger stepped out of bounds on her full-twisting double layout and looked like she did on her final double pike. Her double layout was landed perfectly.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - Yes, you step out of bounds Jana! That way I have more reason to not like you! -_-)
-------------

5:30pm: Nastia Liukin went out of bounds on her third pass. A back 1 1/2 to Rudi. Everything else was landed perfectly, especially her first pass of a double front.
-------------

5:35pm: The final competitor on floor, Corrie Lothrop, continued the string of strong floor routines. She did a 2 1/2 twist into a front full for her first pass and a full twisting double tuck for her second. Big cheers as she finished. The athletes are now getting ready to rotate to their second event.
-------------

5:39pm: Unofficial scores on floor: Sacramone, 15.4; Bieger, 15.0; Liukin; 15.4; Lothrop 14.85.
-------------

5:45pm: Ivana Hong took one step back on a Yurchenko double full.
-------------

5:48pm: Chellsie Memmel just did a Yurchenko double full, stepped back. She has a large cheering section here.
-------------

5:50pm: Bridget Sloan vaulted a high Yurchenko double full with a small step on the landing. A bigger, better vault than yesterday.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - Go Bridget, go Bridget, It's your birthday... XD)
-------------

5:52pm: Corrie Lothrop vaulted a Yurchenko double full with a step back.
-------------

5:53pm: Vault scores: Hong, 14.95; Memmel, 14.65; Sloan, 15.1; Lothrop, 15.2.
-------------

5:56pm: The gymnasts are warming up on uneven bars. Bela Karolyi is still pacing and greeting people.
-------------

6:02pm: Alicia Sacramone and her coach, Mihai Brestyan, are deep in conversation.
-------------

6:03pm: Ivana Hong hesitated on a handstand on the low bar and had a low landing on her dismount. landing so far away from the high bar that she took a step off of the mat.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - Oh Ivana... at this rate you'll be seriously lucky to get alternate.)
-------------

6:05pm: Jana Bieger is sitting in the corner of the gym behind the vault with her mom, back turned to the rest of the competitors. Mattie Larson is getting a back rub from her coach.
-------------

6:06pm: Chellsie Memmel's cheering section was very vocal through her entire bar routine. A little bit off on a pirouette and a small step on her dismount.
-------------

6:09pm: Bridget Sloan caught her toe-on Tkatchev a little close to the bar.
-------------

6:10pm: As soon as Mattie Larson's name was announced, her cheering section starts up.
-------------

6:12pm: Bars scores so far: Hong, 14.85; Memmel, 15.9; Sloan, 14.9.
-------------

6:13pm: Larson takes a small step back on ehr Arabian double front dismount.
-------------

6:16pm: Nastia Liukin had problems with her Pak salto (back flip between the bars) during her warm-up, but had no problems during the competition. Steppped to the side on her dismount.
-------------

6:19pm: Svetlana Boguinskaya is here, sitting in the front row of the bleachers. Liukin got a 16.65 on bars. Bela is still pacing.
-------------

6:22pm: Jana Bieger fell on her a stalder-Tkatchev. Stuck her dismount, but she walks away without even looking at her mom and goes back into the corner, sits down and faces the wall.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - Well. That'll do it. Can you say c-h-o-k-e? I'm thinking it's Bridget's to blow now.)
-------------

6:26pm: Big smile from Samantha Peszek after her dismount. Shayla Worley was cheering her through every move.
-------------

6:29pm: Chelsea Davis hit a great bar routine, very quick swing and great handstands. Almost stuck her dismount, but circled her arms after she landed.
-------------

6:33pm: Shawn Johnson hit her usual solid bar routine, stuck double-double dismount.
-------------

6:35pm: The girls who have finished competing have joined Shayla Worley on the sidelines.
-------------

6:37pm: More bars scores from the longest rotation: Bieger, 15.0; Peszek, 15.4; Davis, 15.1; Johnson, 15.75. Coach Marvin Sharp was talking to Bridget Sloan about her bar routine, looked like he was saying something about her piroetting skills -- which weren't completed in perfect handstands. Again, it's hard to see the angles as we're in back of the bars.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - How is it the Jana scored higher than Bridget with a fall? I didn't think their difficulty was too far apart...)
-------------

6:41pm: We're down to the final four routines of the night: Sacramone, Johnson, Davis and Peszek.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - And then it's the time we've been waiting for for 4 freakin' years! :D)
-------------

6:45pm: Chelsea Davis hesitated on the connection between her front aerial, back handspring, layout. The rest of her routine was solid.
-------------

6:49pm: Shawn Johnson's front pike on beam is much improved. She didn't wobble except for a slight waver on her full turn. And that turn, her trouble spot on beam, was also improved -- she held her leg up at the end long enough to probably get credit for the skill. Really, no wobbles. It's like she's magnetic.

(Kayleigh's thoughts - "It's like she's magnetic"... I think I just died a little inside! XD)
-------------

6:51pm: Davis scores a 15.2.
-------------

6:53pm: Samantha Peszek wobbles after her standing full, so it's not connected to the back pike. Everything else is solid, including a front pike and double pike dismount. She had a great competition, even though she said her first two days of practice were very rough.
-------------

6:58pm: Alicia Sacramone finally connects her front pike mount to the back tuck. Had to save her flip flop layout. Big cheers when she lands, but she doesn'tn look happy. Samantha Peszek almost tackles her with a hug. The gymnasts get a standing ovation from the crowd.
-------------

7:03pm: Shawn Johnson, 16.3. Samantha Peszek, 15.7, Alicia Sacramone, 16.2.
-------------

7:06pm: Martha Karolyi exits, saying 'The clock is ticking.'
-------------

7:09pm: Shayla Worley is talking to the media. "[My leg has] been sore and bothering me for a while. I keep hoping I'm going to wake up and it's a nightmare. It's devastating. It's still my team."
-------------

When the meet ends, the athletes are going to the Clubhouse here at the ranch while the committee meets.


Oh boy guys, we're getting close! Look out for the new post with your official US Olympic Team within the hour! :D

Quick Hits from Camp

http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/news/newsid=152042.html#narrowing+down

^You can read details of routines from camp there.

It sounds to me that Bridget had an awesome meet. Jana fell on bars (that'll hurt BIG TIME.), so I can pray that Bridget will get the spot now. :)

Chellsie apparently got whiplash after her double lay on floor. She sat out vault and bars, but came back to do a great beam set for a 15.9.

Mattie seemed to hit. Hopefully she'll get an alternate spot... I don't see any way that she'll get that sixth spot, but alternate would be awesome for her first try!

The team will be named on Sunday. I'll be waiting. :)P

I THINK I JUST DIED A LITTLE INSIDE.

I was just surfing through youtube... I came across a montage by ClayBabe6 that was called "I Will Remember You"... so I clicked on it.

The info said that SHAYLA BROKE HER LEG. AT SELECTION CAMP.

Apparantly (I found this in a comment, so take it for what it's worth) she was doing a turn on beam and something just popped. Wow. That poor girl just can't get a break.

This obviously means that her Olympic dream is being cut short. Much as I dislike her, I can't help but feel bad. :/

Oh my gosh, PLEASE no Jana now... Bridget FTW!

I'm Dying Here...

Because we're being COMPLETELY uninformed of what is going on at the camp. Boo.

They aren't going to tell us anything until the team is named. BOO.

Is anyone else just dying to know who it's gonna be?

And finally... who do you think should get that 6th spot?

Do Gymnasts Everywhere a Favor

And vote for Shawn as Choice Female Athlete in the 2008 Teen Choice Awards! :D

She's listed under the "Other Stuff" catagory with a bunch of other athletes, including people like Serena and Venus Williams. Let's make Shawn number 1 and bring some attention to our favorite sport!!!

Faster Than You Could Say Double Twisting Double Back

The new layout is up! I hope you guys like it.

Also, thank you to the always fabulous Gymnweb for the great pictures. :)

Oh Carly... PLEASE follow your dentistry dream...

I think the music video speaks for itself. -_-

I'm SO SO Sorry!

I'm well aware that I haven't posted since June 19th, but please understand that things have gotten slightly crazy. This summer has been completely nutty so far, with the trip to Philly, which was AMAZING, gymnastics camp, and everything else. I know that there's no excuse, but just bear with me here. I promise you that in the lead-up to Beijing, you'll see all the news here first.

Well... besides on USAG.com... they tend to post there first. But that's beside the point! :)P

I'm working on the July layout as we speak. It's going to be awesome!

Love,
Kayleigh

Shawn Article...

I just found this really good article about Chow's flooding and what Shawn was thinking... take a minute to read it.


Flood doesn’t slow Johnson
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Go home and rest, Shawn Johnson’s coaches insisted, there was nothing to worry about. Her gym would be safe from the fast-rising river, and nothing was going to disrupt her training in those last few days before the Olympic trials.

When Johnson woke up in the middle of the night, though, and found that her parents still weren’t home, she knew something was wrong. She drove to the gym, and found water from the Raccoon River lapping at the parking lot and volunteers stacking sandbags around the building.

By the next morning, there was a foot of water inside the gym.

“We definitely haven’t been hit as hard as others. In some cities, houses have completely gone under,” Johnson said Wednesday after her practice at the Olympic gymnastics trials. “(But) it’s hard to see our own gym go under water and to know a lot of equipment was damaged. We’re there every day of our lives, basically, so it’s kind of like seeing your home go under.”

There are all kinds of obstacles athletes encounter on their way to the Olympics: injuries, fatigue, doubt, financial hardship.

Mother Nature, though, isn’t usually on the list.

Johnson and coach Liang Chow’s relatively smooth road to the Beijing Olympics was in disarray late last week after floods ravaged Iowa. Yet for as much as it tested their resolve, it reminded them even more of their strength.

“It’s a real warm feeling, having these kind of people behind you,” Chow said. “It’s a bad flooding, but it was a great effort, a great community effort, a great (reminder) of people’s hearts. It was just tremendous.”

Johnson and teammate Nastia Liukin are considered the favorites for gold in Beijing. They were 1-2 at the national championships two weeks ago, and few are expecting anything different at this week’s trials, where the top two earn automatic bids to the Olympic team. The rest of the six-woman squad will be chosen July 20.

All Johnson had to do was stay her consistent self, and that trip to Beijing was hers.

Then the rain began to fall.

Johnson lives in West Des Moines, and neither her nor Chow’s home was threatened. But the gym, Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, is in an industrial park only a few blocks from the Raccoon River, and Chow kept one eye on the water and one on Johnson while she trained last Thursday afternoon.

“I dismissed all the classes early,” said Chow, who coaches Johnson with his wife, Li Zhuang. “It’s not life-threatening, it’s not close to that, it’s that water is coming to the parking lot. Li was teaching Shawn on beam and she was trying to squeeze every last minute. I said `Li, we have to finish up class RIGHT NOW.”’

As the water level climbed higher and higher, parents, city officials and people Chow didn’t even know began showing up at the gym. They filled sandbags and piled them outside the building in a makeshift barricade. They wrapped plastic around the outside walls. They hauled mats and balance beams and vaults and uneven bars off the floor, carrying them up to a balcony where the water wouldn’t touch them.

Johnson wanted to help, but Chow and Li shooed her away. They were leaving for the Olympic trials in four days, and she needed to rest.

“I wanted to help so bad,” Johnson said. “My coaches wanted me to be as safe as possible. They didn’t want me wasting energy. I understand that, but it’s really hard to stand back and watch when you’re normally helping and in the activity.”

When a city engineer surveyed the area and assured Chow the water wouldn’t rise beyond the parking lot, the coach breathed a sigh of relief. He left the gymnastics floor intact, moved some mats back down to the ground floor so Johnson would be able to train Friday morning and went home.

“I slept pretty good,” Chow said. “I got there early in the morning (Friday) and oh my gosh, the parking lot is full of water, up to my hips. … I was thinking, `There is no worse timing than this.’ The Olympic trials are coming up and I was thinking about Shawn’s training.”

Said Johnson, “When you think flooded you think, `OK, there’s water on the ground.’ But we went there and it’s waist-deep throughout the whole gym and the parking lot was even deeper. It was crazy. People actually brought out canoes.”

Training was out of the question. Not only was there a foot of water in the building, but the gymnastics floor was ruined.

“I was most worried about where I would train. I felt almost guilty thinking about that, just kind of selfish,” Johnson said. “Being that close to trials and seeing, I don’t know, almost my place slip away, it kind of scared me. … I helped get things cleaned up at first and then Chow just told me not to worry about it, don’t stress out, we’ll have a place and you’ll definitely be ready.”

While Johnson trained Friday and Saturday at Iowa State, about 30 miles north of her hometown, a small army of volunteers—parents, other gymnasts, Johnson’s high school classmates—began the massive clean up. They hauled equipment out to the parking lot to dry in the sun, hosed down mats and scrubbed floors.

They even rebuilt the gymnastics floor—though that led to one more bit of drama. Johnson’s father, Doug, a carpenter, tore his right biceps while he was rebuilding the floor, and will have surgery to repair it next week.

The volunteers worked so quickly Johnson was able to train in her own gym again Sunday.

“It really touches your heart, warms your heart,” Chow said. “You feel like this is my family, this small community of people is just wonderful. … They’re just trying to help us and to help Shawn achieve our goal. I feel like not only our community, but the state of Iowa is behind us.”

And Beijing in front of them.


Good, right? Gotta love her. :)



And with that said...



Who do you think it will be? Shawn or Nastia? Or could someone from behind pull out in front and surprise us all? It's highly unlikely, but ANYTHING can happen. And yours truly will be there to witness it! :D

Which means I probably will not be able to blog until Monday when I get back... I'm leaving in about an hour, so no posts today either. So until Monday...

Go Shawn!

Chow's Gymnastics is Flooded...

If you didn't already know, there's been some serious flooding problems over in the mid-west for the past week or so. Well... I was just browsing The Chalk Bucket, and Jamarie there said she was watching the news and they said that Sahwn Johnson's gym is indeed flooded. That truly stinks for her, what with trials starting for her on Friday. I guess she'll be training at Iowa State University until Chow's is functional again. :(

I hope this doesn't mess with her mind. She's worked too hard to let something like this affect her.

In Other News, the Pope is Catholic!

Shawn (as expected) won the Senior US Nationals last week (yeah, my bad. School's out now, so I should be able to post things when they actually happen. :P). Saint Nastia came in second, followed by Chellsie in 3'd. Yay! Samantha came in 4th, Ivana in 5th.

The rest of the results are as follows:

6. Jana Bieger
7. Mattie Larson
8. Corrie Lothrop
9. Randy Stageberg
10. Mackenzie Caquatto
11. Olivia Courtney
12. Alaina Johnson
13. Christa Tanella
14. Britney Ranzy
15. Ashley Stott

Which means Ashley missed making it to Trials by just two spots. Bummer. :(


Anyways, individual event medalists - A Sac wins vault, as usual. Saint Nastia wins bars in a landslide, as well as beam. Shawn got floor. :)




So there's your '08-'09 national team. All of them are proceeding to trials (oh. em. gee. I leave for that on Thursday! *dies*). So here's your complete list of competitors for next weekend:

*Jana Bieger
*Mackenzie Caquatto
*Olivia Courtney
*Chelsea Davis
*Darling Hill (I still don't like your new name, dahhling!)
*Ivana Hong
*Alaina Johnson
*Shawn Johnson
*Mattie Larson
*Nastia Liukin
*Corrie Lothrop
*Chellsie Memmel
*Samantha Peszek
*Britney Ranzy
*Alicia Sacramone
*Bridget Sloan
*Randy Stageberg
*Amber Trani
*Shayla Worley


Mmkay... I think I'll go die now. Just to warn you, I may update from trials... so if you want to watch it on tv without spoilers, I'd avoid this blog. :P

Part 2

ROTATION 3

Vault -

Mattie Larson does a DTY with a small step on the landing. 14.900
Corrie Lothrop also does a DTY and steps on the landing. 14.700
Jana Bieger does a Yurchenko 1 1/2 pretty solid. Step on the landing. 14.500

Bars -

Alaina Johnson does a solid routine for a 14.050
Randy Stageberg also does a good routine for a 13.250. Lacking in the difficulty department. She only has a 5.4 start for difficulty.
Britney Ranzy hits her routine, has two steps out of her double-layout dismount. 13.300.
Saint Nastia Liukin becomes the first American gymnast to score a 17... and that was with a step on the landing! She wound up with a 17.050.
Shawn does a great routine, only taking a very small step on her double-twisting double-layout dismount. 15.400.
Christa Tanella takes an extra swing before her overshoot. 13.550.

Beam -

Olivia Courtney does a good routine, but stumbles out of her double-pike dismount. 14.600.
McKenzie Caquatto does a good routine. 14.800.
Chellsie Memmel hits a GREAT routine, and sticks her double pike. Yay! 16.050. Glad to see she's back and still good. :)
Amber Trani also does a decent routine, just a step on the dismount. 14.850.
Ivana Hong hits a strong routine for a 15.250
Kimberly Jacob hits a really nice routine, even sticks her handspring full. Then she went and fell on her double-pike dismount. Boo. 13.850.


Floor -

Darlene "Darling" Hill (what's up with the whole "Darling" thing? Not a fan, personally...) does a nice, solid routine, but is a little short on her double pike. 15.100
Alicia Sacramone also does a good routine, but steps OOB. 15.500, which still got her second place.
Samantha Peszek steps out on her double double, and has a few steps out of her other passes. 15.200.
Ashley Stott has LOADS of OOB's. She stepped out on her apparantly super-high arabian double front, landed out on her 1 1/2 through to 2 1/2 layout, and stepped out on her double-pike. Ouch. 14.150... there was .7 of out of bounds deductions!



ROTATION 4


Vault -

Darling Hill does a Yurchenko 1 1/2, but takes a BIG step OOB. 14.300
Alicia Sacramone does a good handspring Rudi, just a small hop on the landing. Her second vault was a Yurchenko double, again having just a small hop on the landing. 15.900.
Samantha Peszek also does a Yurchenko double and almost sticks it, but takes a small step. 15.000.
Ashley Stott does a Yurchenko double and had just a tiny hop. 14.600.

Bars -

Mattie Larson falls on her stalder chaposh, and has a step out of her 1/2 in front out dismount. 14.200.
Corrie Lothrop falls on her stalder 1/2, and steps out of her full twisting double-tuck dismount. 14.000.
Jana Bieger does a pretty solid routine for a 15.450.
Katelyn Mohr falls on her tkatchev, which hurts her score in a big way. Her A score is only 5.4... she got a 13.350.

Beam -

Randy Stageberg has a solid routine, but has a large step out of her double-pike dismount. 14.500.
Saint Nastia does a very nice routine and just steps out of her dismount. 16.100.
Shawn Johnson sticks her fantastic handspring handspring layout to two feet, my favorite thing ever. She stepped out of her roundoff full-in dismount. 16.000.
Christa Tanella falls TWICE - once on her side semi, and once on her dismount. Her foot slipped a la Nastia at 05 nationals. 12.350. Ouch.

Floor -

Chellsie Memmel does a really good routine that earns her a 15.100. Oh, she's back (sorry cccam! :P)
Amber Trani steps OOB on her arabian double-front, but the rest of her routine was pretty good. 14.100.
Ivana Hong does an OK routine. She was a bit low on her 1 1/2 to front full, and had a small "shuffle" (thanks USAG, for that wonderful quote... :P) on her double-pike. 15.150.
And to finish out the meet... Olivia Courtney does a pretty decent routine for a 14.450.


So there's your day 1 of nationals. It's going to be broadcast June 7th at 4pm. Set your TiVos!!!

Is This Really a Shock?

Jordyn Wieber is definately leading the junior nationals, and Shawn is in the lead for the seniors. Here's some quick hits from USAG...

FIRST ROTATION

Vault -


Ivana Hong does a double twisting Yurchenko, steps over the OOB line. 14.500
Chellsie Memmel does a Yurchenko full with a small step on the landing. 13.900
Amber Trani also does a double twisting Yurchenko and steps out. 14.100

Bars -

Sam Peszek does a clean routine, small step on the dismount. 15.150
Ashley Stott does a nice routine up until her full-in layout dismount. Falls. 13.150
Bridget Sloan does a nice routine, hop on the dismount. 15.750 (where'd that come from... and holy cow, could we possibly use her for Beijing if she hits like that?)

Beam -

Corrie Lothrop hits a solid routine for a 14.600.
Jana Bieger scores a 14.950 with a decent routine.
Katelyn Mohr also does a decent routine... but she doesn't have much difficulty in there. 14.150

Floor -

Shawn Johnson hits a good, clean routine for a 16.050. Just a small step on her full-in.
Randy Stageberg has a few steps out of her passes, scores a 14.600.
Britney Ranzy actually does a nice, clean routine for 14.600. Again, lacking in the difficulty department.
Saint Nastia was a bit off... stepped out of her first pass, fell OOB on her double front, and stepped out of her 2 1/2 lay... and still managed a 14.250. Only on American soil, my friends...


SECOND ROTATION

Vault -

Britney Ranzy's first vault was a DTY. Small step. Second vault was a Podkopayeva, had a small hop. 15.050.
Saint Nastia Liukin does a Yurchenko 1 1/2 and sticks it. Praise the Lord! 14.900
Shawn Johnson does a Yurchenko 2 1/2 and has a step. Gets a 16.000

Bars -

Kimberly Jacob doesn't start in the best of ways - she falls on her jaeger. Other than that, she had a step on her dismount. 12.850. Ouch.
MacKenzie Caquatto does a good routine, just a step on her full-in dismount. 14.400
Chellsie Memmel does a great routine complete with a stuck double-front dismount. 16.000. Yay, she's back!
Ivana Hong also does a good routine, and she stuck her dismount as well. 14.950.

Beam -

Alicia Sacramone hits a good routine. Small step on her double-pike dismount. 15.700
Bridget Sloan also does a decent routine. Step on her double-pike dismount. 15.200
Samantha Peszek nails her standing back-full to back pike... which is quite possibly one of my favorite skills that anyone out there right now can do. Also steps her double-pike.

Floor -

Jana Bieger goes OOB on her first pass, a double layout full. She hits the rest of her passes for a 15.050.
Mattie Larson has a great routine, including a stuck double-pike. 15.450.
Corrie Lothrop has a good routine as well. She needs a bit more difficulty if she wants to be competitive, though. 14.650.




Expect Rotations 3-4 tomorrow morning. :)

US Women's Nationals Begin Today

The 2008 Visa Championships begin today. The junior women start at 1pm, and the seniors take the floor at 7pm. It looks like everyone who has some sort of name in gymnastics is there. Chellsie is back, Nastia, Shawn, Shayla... and Jana is back as well. Media day was yesterday, and there's a bunch of pictures on USAG's website.

Can't wait! It should be an interesting nationals, especially considering what's at stake. Remember, nationals counts as 20% towards the Olympic team selection.

You can find the main page for nationals HERE

Expect results posted tonight, for juniors at least.

New Layout is Up!

In honor of this month's Olympic Trials (which I happen to be going to! *dies*) and such, I thought I'd make a banner and a layout to support it. Let me know if you have any problems with it, and let me know what you think!

-xoxo
Kayleigh

New Layout Coming Tomorrow

Just to let you guys know, I'll be posting a new layout every month. Tomorrow being June 1st, I'll be putting a new one up. It should be VERY cool, I'm excited to put it all together. :)

-xoxo
Kayleigh

Gym Chat has a Myspace!

I'm proud to say that Gym Chat now has a Myspace!

In an attempt to attract more readers, I've started a myspace at www.myspace.com/gymchat for people to learn about Gym Chat and what it is.

If you have a myspace, feel free to add Gym Chat as a friend, and spread the word around!

US Classic - Seniors

So the Senior US Classic was a pretty empty field. There was only one score above a 15 in the entire competition. None of the major players such as Shawn or Nastia were there, since they've already qualified to nationals. With that said, Ashley Stott of SCEGA won the all-around by .2 over Corrie Lothrop.

ALL-AROUND

1. Ashley Stott

VT: 14.550 (5)
UB: 14.200 (5)
BB: 14.950 (1)
FX: 14.550 (3)

AA: 58.250 (1)


2. Corrie Lothrop

VT: 14.900 (2)
UB: 14.700 (1T)
BB: 13.700 (6)
FX: 14.750 (2)

AA: 58.050 (2)


3. Randy Stageberg

VT: 14.800 (4)
UB: 14.150 (6)
BB: 13.450 (7)
FX: 15.300 (1)

AA: 57.700 (3)


Individual Event Medalists

VAULT:

1. MacKenzie Caquatto - 14.950
2. Corrie Lothrop - 14.900
3. Britney Ranzy - 14.850


UNEVEN BARS:

1. Corrie Lothrop - 14.700
1. Christa Tanella - 14.700
3. MacKenzie Caquatto - 14.500


BALANCE BEAM:

1. Ashley Stott - 14.950
2. Sarah Persinger - 14.300
3. Christa Tanella - 14.150


FLOOR EXERCISE:

1. Randy Stageberg - 15.300
2. Corrie Lothrop - 14.750
3. Ashley Stott - 14.550


Full results can be found HERE

New Layout

I finally discovered that you can change your layout pretty easily through Pyzam, so I changed GymChat's look! Hope everyone likes it. Let me know if you have any problems with it...


On a side note, the Senior division of the US Classic is happening as I type. Expect results tomorrow.

US Classic - Juniors

As expected, Jordyn Wieber completely swept the titles at the US Classic, winning the all-around over 2'd place Kamerin Moore by more than 3 points.


All-Around Winners:

1. Jordyn Wieber:

VT: 15.000 (1)
UB: 15.000 (1)
BB: 15.400 (1)
FX: 14.950 (1)

AA: 60.350 (1)


Kamerin Moore:

VT: 14.350 (4)
UB: 13.400 (7)
BB: 14.600 (4)
FX: 14.650 (3)

AA: 57.000 (2)


Cassie Whitcomb:

VT: 14.050 (9T)
UB: 14.800 (2)
BB: 13.800 (10T)
FX: 14.100 (5)

AA: 56.750 (3)



Individual Event Winners:

VAULT:

1. Jordyn Wieber - 15.000
2. Asi Peko - 14.900
3. Annette Miele - 14.550


UNEVEN BARS:

1. Jordyn Wieber - 15.000
2. Cassie Whitcomb - 14.800
3. McKenzie Wofford - 14.450


BALANCE BEAM:

1. Jordyn Wieber - 15.400
2. Amanda Jetter - 14.900
2. McKenzie Wofford - 14.900


FLOOR EXERCISE:

1. Jordyn Wieber - 14.950
2. Amanda Jetter - 14.700
3. Kamerin Moore - 14.650


So how long until Elfi and Tim are calling Jordyn "the chosen one"??? XD

Shawn is on a Coke Box... glamorous!

Well you know your cool when your face is plastered on millions of coke boxes!

"Dubbed the “six pack,” these athletes will l be featured on collectible packaging and in-store materials. In addition to Johnson, the “six pack” includes gold medalists Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Steven Lopez (taekwondo) and Sanya Richards (track & field); and Olympians LeBron James (USA basketball) and Andy Potts (triathlon). The six will be featured in vignettes that will appear on NBC during the Games, as well as on mycoke.com. These athletes also are serving as Coca-Cola “ambassadors of active living” to help encourage and inspire people to lead active, balanced lives."

As per USA gymnastics. :)

On a Personal Note...

I competed at PA State Championships for the second year in a row this past weekend, and I was really pleased with the way it turned out. It was only my 4th Novice/Prep Optional meet. :)

Here be the scores:

UB: 9.0 (a nice way to start things off, no?)
BB: 9.275
FX: 8.95 (I thought that was a bit low... :/)
VT: 9.025

AA: 36.25


Holy cow! Where did that come from?! So I wound up having the best meet of my life, and I wound up with 5th on bars! Bars, of all things, which I've had problems with all year. I was very proud. I thing that 5th on bars might even mean more to me than the gold on beam from last year. I know I had to work my ass off to get that medal... it just means more. :)

-xoxo
Kayleigh

Video Game + Nastia Liukin... say whaa?

Well here's an interesting story!!!

"SEGA of America has announced it is partnering with top U.S. gold medal contenders Amanda Beard, Tyson Gay, Nastia Liukin and Reese Hoffa to appear on the cover of the upcoming video game Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and for the PC.

The company said the U.S. athletes represent the elite in each of their respective sports and are among the favorites to hoist the American flag and bring home gold this summer in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games."


This is a step in the right direction! You know your sport is popular when you're on video game covers! :)P

First 17

He Kexin broke the first 17 at a national Chinese competition. She (obviously) won with a score of 17.0.

I'm still wondering if the girl really is 16... she sure doesn't look it. :/

Thanks to http://addicted2gym.blogspot.com/ for the info... go check out her site, it's pretty cool too! :)

Georgia Gets 4th NCAA Team Title

Well... I was secretly rooting for Florida. But I'm happy Georgia won. 4 in a row, that's insane!

Results:

1. Georgia - 197.45
2. Utah - 197.125
3. Stanford - 196.75
4. Florida - 196.7
5. LSU - 196.35
6. Alabama - 196.125

Who thinks they're going 5 next year? I believe they would be the first team to get 5 in a row, and it would put them at #1 for most NCAA titles.

Up-and-Comer Melissa Metcalf

Holy Bejesus!



Watch that video, and check out her super amazing skills! Things start to get crazy at about 1 minute. She's definately the one to watch, in my opinion. :)

GORGEOUS New Photoshoot of Nastia

WOW.

I especially like the ones on the railroad tracks. Gosh, is she pretty or what? She could be a model. It's nice to see her looking like a normal person for once. :)

I Want This Tank

I must have it. :)

I think that, by far, we here in the USA have the most stylish team apparel out there. It's clean, plain, and just all-around (ah hah, no pun intended!) nice-looking. What are your opinions on our team wear, or any other countries?

The Magnificent 7 to be Inducted Into the U.S. Olympic Hall Of Fame!

The Magnificent Seven, the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team that won the team title at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, will be among the 2008 inducteees into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Presented by Allstate. The induction ceremony will take place June 19 in Chicago. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 is comprised of nine Olympians, one Paralympian, an Olympic Coach, Veteran, Team and Special Contributor.

O Hai Orange Shawn!

"Paul Hamm and Shawn Johnson were on hand to throw out the first pitches of the Philadelphia Phillies game on Sunday, April 13. Both Paul and Shawn had been at local gymnastics meets earlier in the day to interact with up-and-coming gymnasts and help promote the Olympic Trials which will take place in Philadelphia June 19-22 at the Wachovia Center."


Bad self-tanner much there, Shawnie? She looks as orange as an... well, orange.

Paul looks like an old man.

Pacific Rim Champs on TV

NBC Sports will broadcast coverage of the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships presented by Gillette Venus on April 13 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Viewers should check local listings to confirm times in their locale. The USA won a total of 41 medals in men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, men’s and women’s trampoline, and rhythmic gymnastics.

Courtesy of USA Gymnastics.


PS. I'm super excited. Vanessa Hudgens's single is about to premiere! :D

Shawn Johnson is Chuck Norris PART 2!

Shawn Johnson's tears cure cancer. Too bad she has never cried.

Shawn Johnson doesn't read books. She stares them down until she gets the information she wants.

Shawn Johnson built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Shawn met all three bullets with her bare hands, deflecting them. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.

There are no disabled people. Only people who have met Shawn Johnson.

Shawn Johnson is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for her left and right legs.

It was once believed that Shawn Johnson actually lost a fight to a pirate, but that is a lie, created by Shawn Johnson herself to lure more pirates to her. Pirates never were very smart.

If paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper, what beats all 3 at the same time? Answer: Shawn Johnson.

If you can see Shawn Johnson, she can see you. If you can't see Shawn Johnson, you may be only seconds away from death.

On the 7th day, God rested.... Shawn Johnson took over.

Although it is not common knowledge, there are actually three sides to the Force: the light side, the dark side, and Shawn Johnson.

If you want a list of Shawn Johnson's enemies, just check the extinct species list.

If Superman and The Flash were to race to the edge of space you know who would win? Shawn Johnson.

Some people wear Superman pajamas to bed. Superman wears Shawn Johnson pajamas to bed.

Shawn Johnson does not use spell check. If she happens to misspell a word, Oxford will simply change the actual spelling of it.

Shawn Johnson knows where Carmen Sandiego is.

There is no such thing as tornados. Shawn Johnson just hates trailer parks.

Shawn Johnson is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

When the Boogeyman goes to bed he checks his closet for Shawn Johnson.

Shawn Johnson can slam a revolving door.

Shawn Johnson has counted to infinity. Twice.

When Shawn Johnson does a pushup, she isn’t lifting herself up, she’s pushing the Earth down.

Shawn Johnson does not get frostbite. Shawn Johnson bites frost.

Shawn Johnson can kill two stones with one bird.

Shawn Johnson is Chuck Norris

Guns don't kill people. Shawn Johnson kills People.


There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Shawn Johnson allows to live.


Shawn Johnson does not sleep. She waits.


The chief export of Shawn Johnson is Pain.


The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. Shawn Johnson 3. Cancer.


Shawn Johnson is my Homegirl.


Shawn Johnson doesn't go hunting.... SHAWN JOHNSON GOES KILLING.


Shawn Johnson uses pepper spray to spice up her steaks.


Shawn Johnson flipped so fast that she broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.


Crop circles are Shawn Johnson's way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.


Shawn Johnson is ten feet tall, weighs two-tons, breathes fire, and could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing.


The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Shawn Johnson out. It failed miserably.


Contrary to popular belief, Shawn Johnson, not the box jellyfish of northern Australia, is the most venomous creature on earth. Within 3 minutes of being bitten, a human being experiences the following symptoms: fever, blurred vision, beard rash, tightness of the jeans, and the feeling of being repeatedly kicked in the shins.


Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Shawn Johnson has 72... and they're all poisonous.


If you ask Shawn Johnson what time it is, she always says, "Two seconds 'til." After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" she face washes you.


When Shawn Johnson sends in her taxes, she sends blank forms and includes only a picture of herself, crouched and ready to attack. Shawn Johnson has not had to pay taxes, ever.


The quickest way to a man's heart is with Shawn Johnson's fist.


Shawn Johnson invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.


CNN was originally created as the "Shawn Johnson Network" to update Americans with on-the-spot ass kicking in real-time.


Shawn Johnson can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.


Shawn Johnson is the only woman to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.


Police label anyone fighting with Shawn Johnson as a Code 45-11.... a suicide.


Shawn Johnson doesn't churn butter. She double twists her way at the cows and the butter comes straight out.


Shawn Johnson doesn’t wash her clothes, she disembowels them.


A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Shawn Johnson and that you will be handicapped if you park there.


Shawn Johnson will attain statehood in 2009. Her state flower will be the Magnolia.


If you spell Shawn Johnson in Scrabble, you win. Forever.


Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Shawn Johnson once and she will face wash you.


The opening scene of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" is loosely based on games of dodgeball Shawn Johnson played in second grade.


Shawn Johnson once shot down a German fighter plane with her finger, by yelling, "Bang!"


Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Shawntatorship.


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on a true story: Shawn Johnson once swallowed a turtle whole, and when she crapped it out, the turtle was six feet tall and had learned gymnastics.


Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... yes, these are some of Shawn Johnson's warm-up exercises.


In the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine. But then Shawn Johnson turned that wine into beer.


Shawn Johnson can hit you so hard that she can actually alter your DNA. Decades from now your descendants will occasionally clutch their heads and yell "What The Hell was That?"


Time waits for no one. Unless that person is Shawn Johnson.


Shawn Johnson doesn't shower, she only takes blood baths.


The Shawn Johnson military unit was not used in the game Civilization 4, because a single Shawn Johnson could defeat the entire combined nations of the world in one turn.


In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Shawn Johnson could use to kill you, including the room itself.


According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Native American "Trail of Tears" has been redefined as anywhere that Shawn Johnson competes.

When Shawn Johnson goes to donate blood, she declines the syringe, and instead requests a hand gun and a bucket.


There are no steroids in baseball. Just players Shawn Johnson has breathed on.

Shawn Johnson sheds her skin twice a year.

Wow...

I thought that perhaps Cccam was exaggerating when it came to Mileycyrus990 on youtube.

She's not. One of her videos (link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OZBfWhvaQCE ) which, surprise, she actually made herself got commented by someone named horsegirl04. Basically, here's the conversation:

horsegirl04: you are being so rude to cccam. just some info, it makes people loose respect from you. which is happening if you havent noticed.

the oh-so-mature mileycyrus990: you just shut up

cwgcGymnast: dnt tell her 2 shut up u shut up!

Me: Yeah. Don't expect to get many more viewers and friends that way. Word spreads, and people lose any respect they had for you. And I can tell you that everyone has been flagging your videos for copyright, so don't expect them to be around much longer. Stealing work is wrong.

mileycyrus990: real nice lie but your still a pig face:>):#

Me: Oh, was that aimed at me? And is that the best you can come up with? By the way, it's not a lie. Everyone at Chalk Bucket knows now.

mileycyrus990: every one who talks to you knows about yoiur face you should get fixed!!!!!!

Me: Yes, everyone knows my face. But not because it's ugly, I can tell you that much. By the way, how old are you? Because you're acting about 6.



Wow. How mature is she? Do me a favor, go and flag her videos. She doesn't deserve any attention. :S

Holy Tkatchev!

Check out the height on this Tkatchev!




It could use to travel backwards a bit more, but the height on that is NUTS. Props to her! She's a level 10 right now. She's 15.

Something That Annoys Me

The fact that WCSN never updates their freaking page!

http://web.wcsn.com/sport/index.jsp?id=34012

It still says "Liukin Beats Johnson at Am Cup; Hamm Looks Good"... you know, the same thing it's said for the past MONTH!

Agh. They also haven't updated their schedule in a while, since it still says "Upcoming Events: FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships".

Um, yeah. Upcoming in 2009. :P

Molly Moyer and Shannon Vafiadou head to Regionals!

Molly Moyer and Shannon Vafiadou of the University of Pittsburgh Gymnastics Team are headed to Northeastern Regionals!

Here's a video of Molly that I took at a dual meet with WVU this season:




Molly is competing solely on floor exercise, while Shannon is going for all-around. I could be wrong, but I believe Shannon will advance to Nationals no matter what, and Molly will advance if she wins floor.

Other competitors include:

TEAM:

1. Georgia
2. Auburn
3. Denver
4. Penn State
5. Brigham Young
6. Iowa State

ALL-AROUND:

1. Marissa Rosen, Pennsylvania
2. Alina Liao, Yale
3. Shannon Vafiadou, Pittsburgh
4. Lorraine Gallow, Bridgeport
5. Laura Sevarino, Rutgers
Alt. - Maddie Pearsall, Cornell


INDIVIDUAL EVENT SPECIALISTS:

Vault - Helena Diodati, New Hampshire
Alt. - Justine Turner, New Hampshire

Uneven Bars - Helena Diodati, New Hampshire
Alt. - Rebekah Porter, New Hampshire

Balance Beam - Taryn LaFountain, New Hampshire
Alt. - Chelsea Steinberg, New Hampshire

Floor Exercise - Molly Moyer, Pittsburgh
Alt. - Lauren Gildemeyer, Brockport State

The competition will be on Saturday, April 12th at Penn State University. The competition will begin at 6PM. Good luck to both of the girls! They both totally deserve it. :)

Well That Didn't Take Long

Let us begin by watching Nastia Liukin's disasterous bars event finals performance at Pacific Rim Championships:



And here comes my opinion on the whole thing:

Number one, she looked nervous and unfocused from the very start. She wasn't hitting her usual vertical handstands or generally doing as well as normal. Two, I'm pretty sure the fall on the geinger was a fluke.

On a random note, the whole "running off the mat to get chalk after a fall" thing seriously bothers me, especially on beam... but that's beside the point.

Ooh, random note number two. What the heck goes flying off her hand when she's getting ready to jump back up? It looks too big to be chalk. Sorry, that's my OCD coming in... *shifty eyes*

Anyways, she jumps back up and does a decent straddle tkachev and then comes the pak salto.

And it seriously bothers the hell out of me. She pulls into the bar so close it looks like she's about to eat it.

Next, I spy another mistake. She didn't make the pirouette around after the pak salto, and had to do a switch kip.

The remainder of the routine is decent, but that dismount is horrible. I really wish she'd go back to the double layout. It worked so much better for her, and it didn't look even remotely close to sloppy. I'm assuming she changed it because of her ankle, but one would think the landings are similar, right?

After this whole fiasco of a routine for her, she proceeds to get a 15.225. That put her in second place. I'm sorry, but if you fall on a routine, it shouldn't medal unless the rest of it was superb. Here, it obviously wasn't a fantastic routine. This is why the new scoring system is so messed up and so difficult to follow, especially if you're a first-time spectator. :/

PS. That leotard she's wearing? It definately reminds me of the baby-barf pink Parkettes leos. :)

PPS. I don't hate Nastia. I'm just pointing out the flaws of this routine. Most of the time, she's a fantastic gymnast. :)

Welcome to Gym Chat!

Where I'm free to post my opinions on the wonderful sport of gymnastics and all who are involved with it! :)

Ugly leotards? You can count on me to point out every flaw. Bad gymnasts? Yep, I've got that covered too. That means if you're easily offended, you should probably leave.

Anyways, about myself. I'm a Prep-Op. gymnast at Arcadia in PA. It's a love-hate relationship. But hey, most are, so I'm not concerned. I'm 14 years old, a freshman at a performing arts school called Lincoln Park (from here on known as LPPACS). My birthday is August 21st so make sure to send me lovely messages telling me happy birthday, or to say that I've just been here 15 years too many. :P

Hoping to start blogging away soon.

Love,
Kayleigh