NCAA Gymnastics

ptvvibezz

neither here nor there
Messages
316
That beam routine from Aleah was amazing :cheer2:

So happy for Cal for finishing second and loved seeing Florida come back on floor after that beam rotation

Utah… :shuffle:
 

kwanfan1818

RIP D-10
Messages
38,114
I'm someone who pops in once in a while to watch gymnastics, and this time it was getting ESPN+ and finding the earlier rounds on the schedule. I can't say exactly why, but I really liked California's gymnastics the best. Florida has the talent to go far. I don't know if there's something like a sophomore slump like there is often in skating. But the Freshmen on Florida were really impressive, and I hope there's not. I could watch Anya Pilgrim all day long.
 

firstflight

Well-Known Member
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585
I think the Howells are the best NCAA coaches over the past decade. They share a lot of what Kindler and Co managed to do at Oklahoma, and they of course didn’t manage to win 6 championships. But the big difference, IMO, is the starting point. OU was hovering around 8th when Kindler was hired.

My reasoning is based on:

1) The climb. The 4 seasons before the Howells took over, Cal finished 57th, 55th, 50th, 49th. They were an irrelevant team at that point.
By the Howells’ 4th season in, Cal already climbed to 7th- from 49th! And now in their 12th season, Cal finished 2nd.

2) Consistency amongst all the up-and-coming teams. For the up-and-coming programs like Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan St., etc, there are breakthrough spikes in ranking followed by solid finishes but not near the National semifinals.

Cal finished in the top 10 six out of the last nine seasons.

3) Identity. Once the Howells took over, Cal began to take on this distinct look. It’s a style that a lot of neutral fans appreciate. Bars were and continue to be precise with amplitude. And this season, the beam sets are just a step above in the balance of difficulty, rhythm, and choreography.

By the way, what was the “permission” for Perea to throw the back full on beam, even as she struggled with her series? I think it must have just been needing 5 hit sets preceding her turn.
 

HeatherC

Searching for Sanity
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12,157
I haven't been able to watch the entire meet yet due to being out most of the day but I am SO happy for LSU! I honestly would have been happy for any of these four teams to win the title, but I've watched a lot of LSU this year thanks to the SEC network and really enjoy their gymnastics. I'm so thrilled that they were able to put everything together when it counted at Nationals and their reactions at the end were so sweet. Congrats to the whole team and a special thanks to DD Breaux who was the catalyst to put that program on such solid ground for all those years! :cheer:
 

Coco

Rotating while Russian!
Messages
18,718
I think Perea actually needs the full for bonus to get to her 10.0 start value if she loses bonus with mistakes on earlier skills.
 

Aceon6

Wrangling the duvet into the cover
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30,242
Whoa! So much for the GymDawgs losing the best recruits to LSU and Florida. The top level 10 women will have some serious thinking to do.
 

Seerek

Well-Known Member
Messages
5,789
Does this mean Lori Strong-Ballard/Sierra Ballard achieved a rare feat of mother and daughter as NCAA Team Champions? (I think it's been done only one other time in recent memory)
 

HeatherC

Searching for Sanity
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12,157
So happy for Jordan and Jade! :cheer:

And just to put a cherry on the top of that news, I found out recently that Ohio State is hosting a women's team quad meet this coming NCAA season and none other than UCLA is one of the teams that will be part of it. Guess who will be getting tickets to that meet the MINUTE they go on sale, LOL :biggrinbo
 

Lara

Bonjour/Hi to everyone at Worlds!
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19,433
@HeatherC I believe UCLA’s going to be same conference as OSU with the Pac12 dissolving so should have chances to see them live every season from now on. :) Lucky!
 

Karen-W

Well-Known Member
Messages
40,438
@HeatherC I believe UCLA’s going to be same conference as OSU with the Pac12 dissolving so should have chances to see them live every season from now on. :) Lucky!
Uhm, you need to be explicit about which OSU you're talking about here. I see OSU and I think Oregon State (home of Jade Carey). I know other people see OSU and think Oklahoma State.

But, yes, UCLA got dragged along to the B1G when USC (Southern Cal) abandoned the Pac12.

As an Oregonian with a family of divided loyalties to both Oregon and Oregon State, while I understand why the Pac12 has fallen apart the way it has and I understand Oregon & Washington also jumping to the B1G when the offer was made, I'm still a little salty and angry at how Oregon State and Washington State have been left scrambling outside the now Power 4 conferences.
 

skatfan

Well-Known Member
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8,774
I hope Suni is able to return as well and winds up somewhere besides Auburn where she can have as great of an experience as Jade, Jordan, Kayla and Leanne have had.
I could be wrong, but I doubt Suni will head to the NCAA anytime soon. She didn’t have a good experience with teammates expecting perfection week after week, she was stalked, her health is an issue and she’s even higher profile now. After the tour, I think she needs to rest and have some fun.
 

Theatregirl1122

Needs a nap
Messages
31,667
Seems like Suni is planning to be in NYC for a bit? Which doesn't suggest NCAA.

I do think another school could have handled her situation way better than Auburn, but I think that experience may have made her uninterested in trying again.
 

Karen-W

Well-Known Member
Messages
40,438
I thought OSU was Ohio State :shuffle:
The only way I figured out that Ohio State was the OSU being referred to was the mention about the Pac12 dissolving and UCLA being in the same conference as the OSU mentioned.

As I stated in my response there are THREE universities that go by the initials OSU and, seeing that there are at least two with decent WAG programs, it would make more sense to refer to them by either their full name - ie Ohio State, Oregon State, Oklahoma State - or their nickname - ie Buckeyes, Beavers, Cowboys.
 

Lara

Bonjour/Hi to everyone at Worlds!
Messages
19,433
As an Oregonian with a family of divided loyalties to both Oregon and Oregon State, while I understand why the Pac12 has fallen apart the way it has and I understand Oregon & Washington also jumping to the B1G when the offer was made, I'm still a little salty and angry at how Oregon State and Washington State have been left scrambling outside the now Power 4 conferences.

I don’t blame you - Oregon State and Wash definitely got screwed and it’s sad to see a conference with a long history end. Pac12 also had pretty good coverage on their network (appreciated the international YouTube stream too) that will be missed. B1G does a good job when they actually air meets on their main network, but those are far too few across the season and the BTN Plus streams are often not great quality.

Hopefully Oregon State can leverage Jade and get some high profile opponents next season.
 

Karen-W

Well-Known Member
Messages
40,438
Hopefully Oregon State can leverage Jade and get some high profile opponents next season.
I'm hoping they're able to work out a 1-season agreement with the Big 12 for their WAG to compete there while they figure out the path for the Pac2 going forward.
 

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