Obviously, no one is trying to peak at Classics, but there was plenty of interesting stuff going on tonight to talk about!
1.) The return of Nastia
You gotta hand it to Nastia, she looked in shape and sharper than most on beam today. Obviously, her chances of making this team without a standout bar routine are nil, but on a night where most girls were nervy and shaky on beam, a hit routine after 3 years away from competition is nothing to sneeze at.
2.) The rise of Finnegan
Sarah Finnegan, competing 3 events, had a great meet. As a first year senior, she has definitely been overshadowed by Ross, but that's going to be over after tonight, especially for a 15.2 floor routine and a solid, if not spectacular, bar set. Flying under the radar for this long may turn out to be the best thing that happens to her, as she's been able to get on with her training without being subject to a lot of scrutiny.
3.) Questions remain about Gabby
Scratching vault after a disastrous podium training and nearly falling off beam are not going to do a lot to assuage concerns about Gabby's consistency. She hit the highest bars score of the night, which, let's face it, is the only reason she is still part of the Olympic conversation. If she keeps hitting bars, she'll stay in the mix. If not, all bets are off.
4.) Raisman the Rock
Aly is, as far as I'm concerned, is a complete lock for this team. Is she a lock for the second AA slot? Not by a long shot. Are her bars worse than ever? Possibly. But for a team performance, she is completely indispensable. Can anyone remember the last time she didn't hit in a TF? Has that even ever happened? Any team in the world would kill to have a performer this consistent, not to mention the incredible difficulty she has on floor and beam.
5.) Goodbye, Chellsie
With the denial of her petition to Nationals, this is most likely the last time we will see Chellsie Memmel in a competition, which sucks so much. She is one of the most unlucky gymnasts of all time, an amazing competitor, and someone who represents the best of USA gymnastics. To have her last competition end this way, in my opinion, is a damn shame. I wish the committee had let her go out on a better note than this.
The USA is definitely the team to beat going into London, but the 5-3-3 format, in my opinion, hinders them more than some of the other squads. There are so many possible combinations of gymnasts, as they have so many standout athletes, but each one seems to have a downside.
For one, I am having a harder and harder time picturing Maroney as a member of this team. She simply doesn't bring anything to the table on any other event, though her vaulting is as sublime as ever. There are so many other athletes with Amanars that her potential value to the team, as compared to a bars specialist, is just not as high. Unless she turns up to Nationals with a stunning floor routine, I think she's out. Which blows.
UNLESS, of course, Nastia does turn out to have a bitching bars routine, in which case things are going to get really interesting. If you ask me, taking Nastia means you couldn't take both Gabby and Kyla, but you could take Maroney. Gabby is not useable in a team final except on bars, so taking her plus Nastia, a bars/beam specialist, makes no sense. Kyla's strengths also lie in bars and beam, so it's the same issue. Kyla is usually seen as being less of a favorite of Marta's, but has demonstrated greater consistency as of late.
SO, here are just a few possible combinations, using the parameters that Wieber and Raisman are locks:
Team #1:
V: Raisman, Wieber, Finnegan/Ross
BB: Raisman, Wieber, Finnegan/Liukin
UB: Finnegan, Ross, Liukin
FX: Finnegan, Wieber, Raisman
Team #2:
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Raisman, Wieber, Ross/Liukin
UB: Ross, Wieber, Liukin
FX: Wieber, Ross, Raisman
(You could also replace Ross here with Finnegan, or Douglas if you were feeling super risky/she starts hitting all day every day)
Team #3 (not my top picks, but what many people on the gymternet are thinking):
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Ross, Wieber, Raisman
UB: Douglas, Ross, Wieber
FX: Ross, Raisman, Wieber
Team #4 (if Nastia's bars turn out to be nonexistent):
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Wieber, Raisman, Finnegan
UB: Ross, Douglas, Finnegan
FX: Finnegan, Wieber, Raisman
Basically, I do NOT envy the selection committee's job one jot.
1.) The return of Nastia
You gotta hand it to Nastia, she looked in shape and sharper than most on beam today. Obviously, her chances of making this team without a standout bar routine are nil, but on a night where most girls were nervy and shaky on beam, a hit routine after 3 years away from competition is nothing to sneeze at.
2.) The rise of Finnegan
Sarah Finnegan, competing 3 events, had a great meet. As a first year senior, she has definitely been overshadowed by Ross, but that's going to be over after tonight, especially for a 15.2 floor routine and a solid, if not spectacular, bar set. Flying under the radar for this long may turn out to be the best thing that happens to her, as she's been able to get on with her training without being subject to a lot of scrutiny.
3.) Questions remain about Gabby
Scratching vault after a disastrous podium training and nearly falling off beam are not going to do a lot to assuage concerns about Gabby's consistency. She hit the highest bars score of the night, which, let's face it, is the only reason she is still part of the Olympic conversation. If she keeps hitting bars, she'll stay in the mix. If not, all bets are off.
4.) Raisman the Rock
Aly is, as far as I'm concerned, is a complete lock for this team. Is she a lock for the second AA slot? Not by a long shot. Are her bars worse than ever? Possibly. But for a team performance, she is completely indispensable. Can anyone remember the last time she didn't hit in a TF? Has that even ever happened? Any team in the world would kill to have a performer this consistent, not to mention the incredible difficulty she has on floor and beam.
5.) Goodbye, Chellsie
With the denial of her petition to Nationals, this is most likely the last time we will see Chellsie Memmel in a competition, which sucks so much. She is one of the most unlucky gymnasts of all time, an amazing competitor, and someone who represents the best of USA gymnastics. To have her last competition end this way, in my opinion, is a damn shame. I wish the committee had let her go out on a better note than this.
The USA is definitely the team to beat going into London, but the 5-3-3 format, in my opinion, hinders them more than some of the other squads. There are so many possible combinations of gymnasts, as they have so many standout athletes, but each one seems to have a downside.
For one, I am having a harder and harder time picturing Maroney as a member of this team. She simply doesn't bring anything to the table on any other event, though her vaulting is as sublime as ever. There are so many other athletes with Amanars that her potential value to the team, as compared to a bars specialist, is just not as high. Unless she turns up to Nationals with a stunning floor routine, I think she's out. Which blows.
UNLESS, of course, Nastia does turn out to have a bitching bars routine, in which case things are going to get really interesting. If you ask me, taking Nastia means you couldn't take both Gabby and Kyla, but you could take Maroney. Gabby is not useable in a team final except on bars, so taking her plus Nastia, a bars/beam specialist, makes no sense. Kyla's strengths also lie in bars and beam, so it's the same issue. Kyla is usually seen as being less of a favorite of Marta's, but has demonstrated greater consistency as of late.
SO, here are just a few possible combinations, using the parameters that Wieber and Raisman are locks:
Team #1:
V: Raisman, Wieber, Finnegan/Ross
BB: Raisman, Wieber, Finnegan/Liukin
UB: Finnegan, Ross, Liukin
FX: Finnegan, Wieber, Raisman
Team #2:
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Raisman, Wieber, Ross/Liukin
UB: Ross, Wieber, Liukin
FX: Wieber, Ross, Raisman
(You could also replace Ross here with Finnegan, or Douglas if you were feeling super risky/she starts hitting all day every day)
Team #3 (not my top picks, but what many people on the gymternet are thinking):
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Ross, Wieber, Raisman
UB: Douglas, Ross, Wieber
FX: Ross, Raisman, Wieber
Team #4 (if Nastia's bars turn out to be nonexistent):
V: Maroney, Wieber, Raisman
BB: Wieber, Raisman, Finnegan
UB: Ross, Douglas, Finnegan
FX: Finnegan, Wieber, Raisman
Basically, I do NOT envy the selection committee's job one jot.
No comments:
Post a Comment