2012 US Olympic Team thread

[wandrewsjr]

The atmosphere was truly amazing, and as others have said, was great to get to see every routine. Some of the highlights for me: Gabbys bars are even more impressive in person, release moves are spectacular, and the save on the Pak was great. Maroneys vaults are also equally spectacular, her combination of power and beautiful execution leaves me in awe.

Some lowlights: Maroneys balk on bars was more scary than any of the falls, there is nothing scarier than a gymnast trying to stop herself in the middle of a big trick. And I am underwhelmed by the overall quality of the US girls dance, SO many botched turns. Hope they can clean things up a little before London(Please , please can we see at least a little more releve on beam!)

Agree with what was said about the guys, they truly look like they are having so much fun. And they truly CHEER each other on during each others routines. Got to sit near the rings one day, and they looked amazing! But have to say pommel was underwelming. The guys have gotten so muscular, it's a wonder they can even reach behind themselves let alone swing smoothly on pommel.

 

[mustlovejumping]

wandrewsjr, I totally agree with you about the dance stuff!! McKayla is the only one I saw who actually has good dance technique. I'm in love with her double pirouette in her floor routine Not an extremely difficult skill on a dance floor, but very hard to do with correct technique on what basically feels like carpet. I love Kyla, but a double turn is not a double turn if you put your heel down in the middle. I know I'm super picky but bad dance technique makes me cringe and want to jump out there and fix it

 

[iwannacoach]

And I am underwhelmed by the overall quality of the US girls dance, SO many botched turns. Hope they can clean things up a little before London(Please , please can we see at least a little more releve on beam!)

^^^my sentiment exactly^^^

I would love to see them move through their floor routines with the "full body" expression of the dance elements exhibited best by Mckayla. She moves so effortlessly,"like buttah". What's the use of including any choreography when arms and legs are simply moving up down and around as if they aren't even a part of the body.

All the work for such awesome tumbling skills, all that wear and tear on the body, and the dance portions outside of the actual elements are left so un-developed.........

 

[taylortumbles]

Have you actually watched any of Kim Kelly's gymnastics... that is the reason she was left off the team. Why she is still bitter about it and feels the need to tear down some of the current gymnast just shows how delusional she is.

Back then, there was no selection process in the rules. It was based on your results at Trials. Kim Kelly made the team fair and square. Then they decided a 'closed' selection process to petition some additional athletes on the team. Then when one of the petitioned gymnasts got hurt (Michelle Campi), they put in Wendy Bruce who placed under Kim Kelly.

I was not a fan of Kim Kelly's gymnastics, but the way they did her was wrong. They were direct quotes that it was due to her body type.

I haven't heard anything of Kim Kelly since then, so to hear that she is 'tearing down some of the current gymnasts' is a surprise! I didn't hear of that at all.

I'm not a huge Alicia fan either, but I felt she looked solid and has past experience as being a good leader. I felt she would've made an excellent choice for an alternate.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

I'm so happy that McKayla made the team, her vault is amazing and and she has alot of power on floor but at the same time is able to mix it with some artistry and quality dance. Also she has such a great personality that is really seen in her interviews, it makes me smile how authentic she seems. "Its not like that puppy you want for Christmas! Its the Olympics!"

 

[wandrewsjr]

McKaylas turn stood out so much that there was a significant cheer from the crowd when she completed it, as if she had just landed a difficult tumbling pass. Was nice to see her execution recognized by the crowd. I also prefer Aly's simple full turn to the labored bounce, bounce, bounce double leg up turns.

 

[JessLW]

I agree. I love Kyla too but that turn she does on floor is shameful. She has to bounce that thing around several times, and it is every time, I don't think I've ever seen her do a clean one. Do they get credit for it if they do that? They shouldn't, imo. I know it is hard to turn on carpet, but if you can't do the turn legitimately, do a different one.

 

[marie83]

(Please , please can we see at least a little more releve on beam!)

Totally agree with this - it seems very out of fashion to releve at the moment - here in GB too - I really noticed it at our Nationals!

 

[marie83]

I agree. I love Kyla too but that turn she does on floor is shameful. She has to bounce that thing around several times, and it is every time, I don't think I've ever seen her do a clean one. Do they get credit for it if they do that? They shouldn't, imo. I know it is hard to turn on carpet, but if you can't do the turn legitimately, do a different one.

I don't think it will be credited at the O's unless she can clean it up. Like mustlovejumping said - spins stop when the heel touches so if she puts her heel down after 1 turn it will only be credited as a full spin. Any earlier and it won't be credited at all.

Not sure whether Jordyn's 'connections' on beam will count either (I don't think a couple of them did at Nationals did they?)

 

[bogwoppit]

Jordyn's FHS on beam is really a FWO, I am always amazed when she gets credit for it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Back then, there was no selection process in the rules. It was based on your results at Trials. Kim Kelly made the team fair and square. Then they decided a 'closed' selection process to petition some additional athletes on the team. Then when one of the petitioned gymnasts got hurt (Michelle Campi), they put in Wendy Bruce who placed under Kim Kelly.

I was not a fan of Kim Kelly's gymnastics, but the way they did her was wrong. They were direct quotes that it was due to her body type.

I haven't heard anything of Kim Kelly since then, so to hear that she is 'tearing down some of the current gymnasts' is a surprise! I didn't hear of that at all.

I'm not a huge Alicia fan either, but I felt she looked solid and has past experience as being a good leader. I felt she would've made an excellent choice for an alternate.

i would like at add that i was there at Brown's for training. obviously i can't say who i was there with or i would out my own self. with that said, Kim busted her butt and didn't miss a routine. she was 100% hit. she got screwed under the selection process of that day. and they DID say disparaging things about her body. that's a fact, Jack.

as for Alicia. she got screwed also. part of this years selection was day 1 and day 2 of championships and day 1 and day 2 of Olympic Trials. she competed 2 events. 4 routines on beam and 4 vaults at championships and the same st Olympic Trials. she didn't miss 1 thing. hit, hit and HIT!

now review the statistical hit ratio of another replacement athlete... life is not fair, but Alicia is certainly 1 classy young woman who deserves everyone's respect for not whining about what happened. it's called good sportsmanship.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I am curios Dunno, whose spot on the team do you think Alicia should have had?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Anna Li. we need Alicia's beam and vault MORE than 1 bar routine if someone were to go down. Sloan's injury on bars was a fluke. practically no one goes down on bars. history has shown that they consistently go down on floor and vault. Alicia's beam is consistent with the other 2 alternates. BUT Alicia has 2 vaults. and they love her internationally. i think they made a mistake. my opinion. i hope it doesn't bite us in the rear like 08.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i would like at add that i was there at Brown's for training. obviously i can't say who i was there with or i would out my own self. with that said, Kim busted her butt and didn't miss a routine. she was 100% hit. she got screwed under the selection process of that day. and they DID say disparaging things about her body. that's a fact, Jack.

as for Alicia. she got screwed also. part of this years selection was day 1 and day 2 of championships and day 1 and day 2 of Olympic Trials. she competed 2 events. 4 routines on beam and 4 vaults at championships and the same st Olympic Trials. she didn't miss 1 thing. hit, hit and HIT!

now review the statistical hit ratio of another replacement athlete... life is not fair, but Alicia is certainly 1 classy young woman who deserves everyone's respect for not whining about what happened. it's called good sportsmanship.

oops... i meant 2 beam routines and 4 vaults at champs and the same at Olympic trials. so, 4 beam routines total over 4 days of competition and 8 vaults over the same. all HIT!

 

[gymkat]

Well, the problem is that Alicia and Anna would cover different gymnasts. Alicia could only replace McKayla on vault (and a hit Amanar from Ebee would outscore Alicia in TFs) or Aly on beam (and Sarah has a massive D score but is more wobbly).

All three of the TF bars swingers are AAers and could go down on floor/vault. Alicia obviously can't go in for Kyla, Jordyn, or Gabby, unless you want McKayla or Aly swinging bars in TFs. Thus, Anna would most likely cover for one of those three, and we'd hold our collective breaths with Gabby or McKayla (probably Gabby) on beam. (Love Ebee on vault/floor, but she shouldn't have been anywhere near a 15.3 on bars at Trials.)

McKayla probably won't touch anything but vault in TFs, but she can cover floor, especially if she figures out that ridiculous third pass (take out 1 1/2 for a .1 decrease in D score...). Sarah would go in for Aly, and they'd probably compare prelims scores to determine whether she or McKayla would compete floor in TFs. If anything, I think you could argue that Alicia could replace Sarah because Alicia is more confident on beam, but then the team is kind of screwed if the Olympics becomes the Hunger Games and you have two alternates who can only do three events between them.

I think the biggest mistake is not competing Anna at Worlds last year to see how her Shushunova would get scored internationally, and now she has two questionable skills.

 

[wandrewsjr]

oops... i meant 2 beam routines and 4 vaults at champs and the same at Olympic trials. so, 4 beam routines total over 4 days of competition and 8 vaults over the same. all HIT!

OK, I can see the arguement for giving Alicia Anna's alternate spot (from your first post I thought you were hinting that she should have been one of the main 5, and was having a heard time figuring that one out). BUT 2 of the the vaults you are listing as hits for Alicia were her 2 yurchenko fulls at VISA's, and I'm not sure those should be included in a brag list of hits, just sayin'

 

[gymnast695]

Anna Li. we need Alicia's beam and vault MORE than 1 bar routine if someone were to go down. Sloan's injury on bars was a fluke. practically no one goes down on bars. history has shown that they consistently go down on floor and vault. Alicia's beam is consistent with the other 2 alternates. BUT Alicia has 2 vaults. and they love her internationally. i think they made a mistake. my opinion. i hope it doesn't bite us in the rear like 08.

Completely agree! I predicted the entire team correctly accept for this, and when I saw Anna Li run out on the floor and not ASac I was very confused and upset! Nothing against Anna, but I'm a 100% fan of Alicia and believe she would've been a great mental coach for the girls competing, even if her alt spot was never needed.

 

[CenturionMAC]

I heard a rumor that Alicia turned down alternate status - that she was still a little concerned about her injury, and if she didn't make the main squad, then she would bow out completely. Not sure how much truth there is to that, but it seems relatively legit. If you're not 100% convinced you're healed, and you'd be going in in place of another gymnast, then there might by a problem.

 

[txgymfan]

Dunno, what do you think about the above rumor?

 

[ivyagogo]

She didn't look like her injury was causing any problems at Nationals or at Trials. She looked really strong.