2023 US Classic (Pre Meet and WAG Juniors Discussion)

[Passion]

How did we go from the 1992 Triplecast to absolute crap. The technology is available.

We’re getting a live stream of every second of the competition, including podium training, for men, women, and juniors. Every individual routine and full broadcasts are all being uploaded to YouTube right after the competition. What more could they possibly do? Outside of strapping a camera to each athlete so you can watch them walk from the hotel to the arena, we’re seeing everything.

Like, 20 years ago in 2003 we were sitting in a chat room refreshing quick hits and relying on people texting into the chat from the stands to find out what was happening at Nationals, because NBC would only be broadcasting a bit more than an hour of the competition 24 hours after it happened. I found out Carly Patterson won the 2004 Olympics sitting in a chatroom with quick hits. In 2006 we were being blocked from even uploading fan-taken videos from the stands to YouTube. In 2010 for the only available video of women’s team finals at Worlds was from a fan in the stands (NBC broadcast to follow days later.)

We have everything now. Every single routine, full broadcast (that there even is a broadcast!!), every single session, live and on YouTube for just the US Classic. All this for just a qualifier to Nationals, and USAG is doing it all. Fans aren’t having to cobble this together anymore, USAG is uploading it all themselves for us. This is excellent coverage.

 

[makam]

In 2010 for the only available video of women’s team finals at Worlds was from a fan in the stands (NBC broadcast to follow days later.)

In 2022, the only video of worlds was a sideways fan stream ( that was last year, right? …it was so terribly awful of the organizers that I might have blacked it out of my memory)

 

[Passion]

2022 Women’s Team Final was streamed live on Peacock.

 

[RedBirdie]

You’re both correct. None of prelims was broadcast or streamed, but team, AA, and EF were.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Yep, that’s all we got for prelims at the time. Particularly annoying because when there was a worlds in GB 30 years ago, the BBC put prelims highlights on prime time evening TV. And that was back when they only had 2 channels.

The coverage we get of finals at worlds is generally good now, various gormless commentators notwithstanding. But there’s a gap where prompt prelims coverage as standard should be- routines uploaded at the end of the competition isn’t the same. It won’t do, not when the majority of the competition don’t qualify to a final.

And don’t even get me started on how Euros does it…

 

[irichluck21]

2022 Women’s Team Final was streamed live on Peacock.

With no replay available, so if you couldn’t watch live, (I couldn’t I had to work) no other option was available until it was on YouTube. This also went against what was initially told to viewers and those interested.

The point is it is 2023 and coverage in terms of being available to viewers is no better than it was 30/20 years ago.
With all of modern technology available, this is really unacceptable.

Especially considering all of the talk that FIG has had about expanding the sport and wanting to extend into other countries. If there is no media available, how is that going to happen?

FIG puts up routines later on, why can’t they live stream and have links on their (very outdated and not user friendly) website?

I can literally live stream from my computer or iPhone anything I want.

Not hard to set up some basic webcams. The quality wouldn’t be like a traditional broadcast, but it is at least something for the fans.

If they can get a decent broadcast together for a World Challenger Cup, why can’t they broadcast Worlds prelims?

 

[Passion]

The point is it is 2023 and coverage in terms of being available to viewers is no better than it was 30/20 years ago.

20 years ago there was nothing. There was no live coverage of Worlds for you to miss because you were at work. There was no live coverage at all. Nobody, at work or at home, was watching US Classic, US Nationals, or World Championships live in 2003 unless you were physically inside the arena.

It doesn’t make any sense to say things are no better today, when your complaint is that there wasn’t an immediate replay of the live stream for Worlds last year. There was no live stream to even have a replay of 20 years ago.

Now, in three weeks, you will be able to watch every session of the US Classic live. USAG will upload every routine and the full broadcasts to their YouTube channel at the conclusion of the competition. You can watch the replays, free on YouTube, as many times as you like. So yeah, that level of coverage is light years ahead of where we were 20 years ago. 2003 US Classic had no broadcast, no coverage at all, and the only videos to ever exist of the competition were taken by fans sitting in the stands.

 

[Passion]

Especially considering all of the talk that FIG has had about expanding the sport and wanting to extend into other countries. If there is no media available, how is that going to happen?

FIG puts up routines later on, why can’t they live stream and have links on their (very outdated and not user friendly) website?

The specific issue with 2022 World Prelims was FIG sold the broadcasting rights to Eurovision who then didn’t want to air qualifications.

That will not be an issue with the 2023 US Classic.

 

[MaryClare]

I don’t think people realise just how big of a factor broadcast rights in different countries comes into play here

 

[rlayt]

We’ll have to wait and see how it turns out. All the coverage has been promised before. Replays have been promised in the past and didn’t materialize.

 

[Yarotska]

I do recall the worlds organizers eventually putting up a stream after everyone basically bullied them into providing one. They had a couple of sessions streaming live on facebook, but I think it crashed before USA took to the floor.

 

[irichluck21]

20 years ago there was nothing. There was no live coverage of Worlds for you to miss because you were at work.

There was absolutely live coverage of Athens available online. I watched it in my dorm room.

 

[MaryClare]

There was absolutely live coverage of Athens available online. I watched it in my dorm room

Athens was the first Olympics where BBC and NBC both trialed some online live streaming of events, but were largely inaccessible to many people since typical domestic internet wasn’t fast enough to stream.

But outside of the Olympics, there was not any online streaming of gymnastics for years to come.

 

[ucrgirl]

Yes. I think most of the problems come down to broadcasting rights.

 

[RedBirdie]

Draws are up! Ticket & Event Info | Core Hydration Classic

Suni Lee has withdrawn.

MDJDS is in the first session. There are some curious decisions in how the senior women sessions were split.

 

[Sasha]

Suni Lee has withdrawn.

Aw, that’s unfortunate. Hopefully she’s able to petition to Nationals.

Edit: nevermind

 

[QuietColours]

Session One:

Starting Vault
Michelle Pineda
Avery Moll
Avery King
Myli Lew
Norah Christian
Kellse Wooldford

Starting Bars
Ella Murphy
Addison Fatta
Nola Matthews
Madray Johnson
Alicia Zhou
Leigh Anne Elliott
Paloma Spiridonova

Starting Beam
Annalisa Milton
Melanie DJDS
Joscelyn Roberson
Charlotte Booth
Zoe Miller
Brooke Pierson

Session Two:

Starting Vault
Skye Blakely
Lexi Zeiss
Levi Jung-Ruivivar
Elle Mueller
Kalilya Lincoln
Jade Carey
Ashlee Sullivan

Starting Bars
Katelyn Jong
Simone Biles
Leanne Wong
Tiana Sumanasekera
Shilese Jones
Jordan Chiles
Dulcy Caylor

Starting Beam
Marissa Neal
Kayla DiCello
Malea Milton
Amelia Disidore
Chloe Coe
Eveylynn Lowe

 

[QuietColours]

Particularly interesting to me that Roberson and Miller got sorted into the afternoon session and Blakely and Sumanasekera into the evening session

 

[RedBirdie]

Other than DiCello, the whole beam rotation is making me go “huh?! That’s who they want in the prime time session?!”

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

maybe they’re planning to focus on two events at a time, and disregard one of the apparatuses?

Not that the USA is ever going to begin TF on BB, but I’d think it would be useful to test some of these gymnasts and have them start on BB