Gymnastics #24 - The Road to Paris

[Tesla]

I don’t think TPTB are worrying about Simone. Judging by the article about her and Suni, she has confidently stopped into the leadership role (which I think freaked her out in Tokyo, in addition to other issues). The bigger worry is Shilese and her shoulder, though if this is a chronic injury, she’s probably managing it very well.

 

[Tesla]

Obviously I'd think Shilese is in to, but I still want to see how she performs and how she's recovering from her injury at trials.

Did she have this injury last year? This year, there are more selection competitions because of the Olympics. She and her team may be just picking the ones to get her through selection.

 

[Karen-W]

Did she have this injury last year? This year, there are more selection competitions because of the Olympics. She and her team may be just picking the ones to get her through selection.

Yes, she's been dealing with the torn labrum since 2022. Clearly skipping championships was a choice to keep her healthy prior to Trials which are far more important.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Simone Biles Is a Lock for the U.S. Gymnastics Team. Then It Gets Complicated.

https://www.wsj.com/sports/olympics/us-gymnastics-team-simone-biles-sunisa-lee-jade-carey-a885f3bf

 

[dramagrrl]

I have to admit that even for someone with no knowledge Jade's "dance" was kind of missing so it's probably pretty easy for the judges to "mark down" I don't feel like she's "selling" it to the judges. (And as Jason has taught us "selling it" gets you points )

I find her FX so, so awkward. I thought she had made progress leading up to Tokyo in terms of making her "dance" look more fluid and disguising her artistic weaknesses, but her most recent FX outings look almost as bad as when she had just come up from Level 10. If you compare her to someone like Shawn Johnson, who was an extremely strong tumbler but never much of a dancer, Shawn found ways to disguise her weaknesses and actually sell FX choreo convincingly (mostly with bombastic music + "power" choreo), while Jade is just tumbling and awkwardness. (Of course, Shawn also had much better form than Jade in general.)

I really hope USAG doesn't waste a team spot on her because I would prefer literally any of the other contenders, and would even put Hezly Rivera or Tiana Sumanasekera above her.

I also think that comparing Jade to Aly Raisman is an insult to Aly Raisman.

 

[Coco]

Jade has some of the most honest and relatable facial expressions when she's not on the floor or beam. I wish a really talented choreographer could work with her and bring out some intensity.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I find her FX so, so awkward. I thought she had made progress leading up to Tokyo in terms of making her "dance" look more fluid and disguising her artistic weaknesses, but her most recent FX outings look almost as bad as when she had just come up from Level 10. If you compare her to someone like Shawn Johnson, who was an extremely strong tumbler but never much of a dancer, Shawn found ways to disguise her weaknesses and actually sell FX choreo convincingly (mostly with bombastic music + "power" choreo), while Jade is just tumbling and awkwardness. (Of course, Shawn also had much better form than Jade in general.)

I really hope USAG doesn't waste a team spot on her because I would prefer literally any of the other contenders, and would even put Hezly Rivera or Tiana Sumanasekera above her.

I also think that comparing Jade to Aly Raisman is an insult to Aly Raisman.

I take it you won’t be creating the jade Carey fan page anytime soon

 

[canbelto]

I said this before but the gymnast Jade reminds me most of is Gina Gogean. In both good and bad ways.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Oh my goodness, YouTube caught onto my algorithm and served me a video I almost wish I had not seen. Did you guys see Lavi Crain’s fall off the bars at the core hydration classic?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I just watched it again. They’re being pushed too far. Also she doesn’t seem to have the muscular strength yet for a routine like this.

 

[Carolla5501]

So yesterday, a business trip got thrown on my schedule for the last week in June to Minneapolis!


So I extended this trip one night, bought a ticket on stub hub and I’m going to the first night of ladies trials in Minneapolis

 

[ilovesalchows]

I think the most frustrating thing to the casual fan about Jade's floor is selling a routine is the one thing we ourselves could actually do in gymnastics, so we don't understand why she doesn't just flip a switch and do it. Obviously it isn't that easy, as we see many talented gymnasts, skaters, etc who seem to only be able to concentrate with a blank face and steady level of outward excitement.

I would be out there winking at the judges, myself. But that's because I wouldn't be able to do anything hard.

 

[museksk8r]

I think the most frustrating thing to the casual fan about Jade's floor is selling a routine is the one thing we ourselves could actually do in gymnastics, so we don't understand why she doesn't just flip a switch and do it. Obviously it isn't that easy, as we see many talented gymnasts, skaters, etc who seem to only be able to concentrate with a blank face and steady level of outward excitement.

I would be out there winking at the judges, myself. But that's because I wouldn't be able to do anything hard.

Jade is very introverted and reserved, much like Shannon Miller was. Khorkina was the queen of selling a floor routine. Of course, the ability to sale and exude an “IT” factor makes the sport more exciting to watch. There’s equal room for athletes who possess a steely focus and a consistent ability to deliver under pressure. This new code certainly does force introverted athletes to come out of their shells and use their acting skills. Obviously, this does not come naturally or easy to a personality like Jade’s. I really relate to her as a fellow introvert.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Jade is very introverted and reserved, much like Shannon Miller was. Khorkina was the queen of selling a floor routine. Of course, the ability to sale and exude an “IT” factor makes the sport more exciting to watch. There’s equal room for athletes who possess a steely focus and a consistent ability to deliver under pressure. This new code certainly does force introverted athletes to come out of their shells and use their acting skills. Obviously, this does not come naturally or easy to a personality like Jade’s. I really relate to her as a fellow introvert.

true and this translates to figure skating …. how many figure skaters have we talked about in the past that are just stonefaced and don’t emit anything to an audience. Where it’s nice to see Jade smile and everything when she is between apparatus and the camera just catches her having fun in her way. Some people aren’t natural born performers Ala Nicole Bobek.

 

[canbelto]

Jade is very introverted and reserved, much like Shannon Miller was. Khorkina was the queen of selling a floor routine. Of course, the ability to sale and exude an “IT” factor makes the sport more exciting to watch. There’s equal room for athletes who possess a steely focus and a consistent ability to deliver under pressure. This new code certainly does force introverted athletes to come out of their shells and use their acting skills. Obviously, this does not come naturally or easy to a personality like Jade’s. I really relate to her as a fellow introvert.

Shannon Miller's floor choreos expertly worked around her stone face though. I feel like they keep trying to give Jade rah-rah choreography and it doesn't work with her personality.

 

[Allskate]

Jade is very introverted and reserved, much like Shannon Miller was.

I thought that Shannon was expressive on floor. And she used her body to do it. The dance elements aren't about how much you smile.

 

[Garden Kitty]

On a different note, MyKayla Skinner's husband was on American Ninja Warrior last night and she was in the audience cheering for him. He won a run off for the last spot to progress to the next stage. I think they mentioned she was expecting a baby.

 

[her grace]

Went back and reviewed the team's performances at 2022 and 2023 worlds, and I'm reminded that the era of the American automaton gymnast is over. There were a lot of big mistakes at Worlds: Wong's score in the 11s on beam in finals. So when looking at the relative consistency of the team, I'd also look for who had the bigger mistakes v. who just wobbled and stayed on or struggled on a handstand and kept going.

For some of the big match-ups, here's who I would trust more:

Vault
Blakely v. Carey. Carey. She's hit that vault so many times in international competition. Of course, you could just take both.

Bars
Lee v. DiCello v. Chiles. Lee, definitely with the easier version. Jury's still out on the harder version. Of DiCello v. Chiles. Chiles, however, she did totally miss her bars prelims at the last Olympics so still a little nervous here. Also note: I had forgotten that Blakely did bars in Team Finals in 2023 and she did well there. Which ironically makes me feel a little better about her vault since most of her worlds problems are on beam and also like she could be an okay back-up on bars.

Beam
Lee v. Blakey. Lee. She's more experienced, of course, but also seems to really pull it off when she needs to.

Floor
Carey v. Chiles v. DiCello. DiCello for now. Carey, I would expect to hit, but would get nailed for artistry. Of course, if she brings the biggest tumbling back, that could help her pass DiCello score-wise. DiCello beat Chiles at nationals on floor, but also at their last big international meet, the 2023 Pan Am Games. If Lincoln's injury is healed by Trials, though, she's been better than all but Biles domestically, though she never gets chosen (ok, just never for a worlds team, she did win gold on floor at 2023 Pan Ams)!

And while I'm griping, now that camps are less frequent and less intense (a good thing!), there really aren't enough competitions/comparison points to make good decisions. It's time to go back to the pre-00 era and go compete around the world like Shannon Miller did.

 

[4rkidz]

I have changed my team post nationals & classic, my five are Simone, Sunisa, Shilese, Skye. And Jordan with Jade the alternate. This could change after trials with upgrades etc ( Jade).

 

[bardtoob]

If healthy, my five member team and two traveling alternates are:

Simone, Shilese, Skye, Suni, Jade

Alt: Jordan, Kayla

Right now, I could interchange Skye, Jordan, and Kayla and they could fill Shilese's spot (but not Shilese's scoring potential) if she isn't healthy by the Olympics. Of the three, Skye is the most consistent as of now.

It should be noted that:

"The final line-up determination will be announced a minimum of 24 hours prior to Qualifications (Competition I). This determination will be made by the traveling High Performance Team Leader and credentialed coaching staff."

 

[Hedwig]

I have changed my team post nationals & classic, my five are Simone, Sunisa, Shilese, Skye. And Jordan with Jade the alternate. This could change after trials with upgrades etc ( Jade).

All S on the team and all J as reserve. Very neat and tidy :-D

I would not exclude someone because of a mistake but when mistake get to them. So a fall on the beam - okay, can happen. But a fall and THEN a shaky dismount: Out. In the 3 up 3 count it is crucial to be able to let a mistake behind you.

So Suni to be able to recover after the fall on jump is actually a point in her favor.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I have changed my team post nationals & classic, my five are Simone, Sunisa, Shilese, Skye. And Jordan with Jade the alternate. This could change after trials with upgrades etc ( Jade).

I agree with yours, but I swipe in Jade with Jordan. Possibly Skye depends how she does at trials.

 

[Winnipeg]

I always found Miller to look unhappy (dreading what she was going to do) but likely it was just her concentrating.

 

[Hedwig]

I always found Miller to look unhappy (dreading what she was going to do) but likely it was just her concentrating.

Her floor at 1992 was genius in choreo. She really made the most of it.

 

[canbelto]

Between Jade and Jordan I think they should choose the gymnast less likely to be dinged by international judges.

 

[her grace]

Carey outscored Chiles on both floor and (obviously) vault in team finals at their last world championships together in 2022.

Also, judges were fairly lenient with Chiles’ leaps at nationals. Her D score could drop internationally.

 

[canbelto]

I feel like Jordan's bar is more valuable than Jade's though, although neither are bar workers in any sense

 

[just tuned in]

Jade could at least pick up her head when she dances.

Hmmm, which JC mini-fluff is more valuable to NBC: (a) Jade is coached by her dad, or (b) Jordan’s floor ex uses music from Beyoncé, and her leos (at Nats) looked like Bey’s costumes? Which of the two bounces around when the camera is on her?

jk, NBC does not have a say in team selection.

 

[Carolla5501]

Jade could at least pick up her head when she dances.

Hmmm, which JC mini-fluff is more valuable to NBC: (a) Jade is coached by her dad, or (b) Jordan’s floor ex uses music from Beyoncé, and her leos (at Nats) looked like Bey’s costumes? Which of the two bounces around when the camera is on her?

jk, NBC does not have a say in team selection.

They’ve already milked that dad thing to death. I’d go with Beyoncé if I were them.

 

[canbelto]

Don't forget that Jordan was named after His Airness and she has a gazillion Air Jordans at home.