2023 Xfinity Nationals Podium Training Discussion

[blake]

Ashlee Sullivan did one of the scariest double fulls I’ve ever seen

She graduated from the Raisman School of Knees with high honors.

 

[makam]

Oh geez. Is this where Alicia or Chellsie should step in and say she needs to back off on that vault for now?

 

[blake]

I really hope so. 4 tenths is not worth a knee reconstruction surgery. It was just as scary at Winter Cup/DTB.

 

[RedBirdie]

And she’s been very injury prone. Why risk it?

 

[makam]

Vault has been so devalued, we’re going to get an Olympic medalist who vaults an FTY or something. (Maybe a slight exaggeration…maybe not) No point in murdering your knees for vault these days.

 

[rlayt]

Oooo that leotard is simple and elegant.

 

[MRR]

Chiles looked way better last year, across all events. She could make alternate or Pan Ams but right now I don’t see her on a World team of five.

Simone as expected, great Y2P on the 2nd and 3rd attempts; beam solid and bars more confident than Classics. Only the toe-full is nonsensical with the giant full already in: she is either short of HS or breaking form. Biles on floor went OOB.

Didn’t see Blakely on BB/FX but she seems to have found her groove on bars, nailing both sets. The DTY looks the best it has and her Lopez has some real flight.

Roberson looks raring to go, unfortunately. Cheng is crunchy and twisted but she gets to her feet every time. Other events were hit but with bars down to a 4.7 with no Gienger. Not sure what was going on with that punch front to DLO on floor. Seemed like she wanted to try it after her routine but balked.

Jones looks extremely good given the injuries and time away. Her one DTY was lofty but landed gingerly, bars was basically like last year (no Pak-VL though she tried), beam a pretty two foot layout series, GORGEOUS Arabian-split jump, then a bizarre fall on her back handsprings when trying her series again. She rolled out of her dismount and switch-switch 1/2 mount was jittery. Tumbling (Silivas, front full to double back, full-in) was fine, if anemic on the second pass.

Carey FX Moors, Silivas, front layout to double tuck, double pike. D is a 6.0; she may need the Tokyo routine to stack up against Joscelyn. Her Cheng had the usual block but is still better than Joscelyn’s, as is her DTY. Bars had a scary, forward flipping fall after a Ray-Gienger. Afterward she did Ray on its own and then with Gienger out of the routine.

Suni showed not much of anything on bars with several stops and falls. Beam was good by the second routine. I think the 5.8 UB attempted at Classics (also not shown start to finish) is a best-caae scenario for camp.

Miller’s UB was strong, comparable to Classics. Kaliya Lincoln showed a new Chusovitina. Wong I missed a lot of, strong connections on bars but missing handstands. Beam the usual but with connected aerial-switch-wolf 1/1. DiCello’s bars look improved from a few weeks ago, but I read she had struggles on floor.

 

[MRR]

 

[RichardL]

Shilese Jones is looking amazing on beam IMO. That set is team finals worthy for sure. I love the layout series which is much better than it was in 2021.

 

[YurchenkoLoop]

Jones could theoretically bomb here and still make the team. She’s TF worthy on every event, in one of USA’s most competitive years ever

 

[RichardL]

It’s true! I hadn’t seen her floor until today either. She’d be a great lead-off there for Biles+.

I’m less enthusiastic about Jordan Chiles after watching videos, but she’s a great competitor so we’ll see. I had her in my line-ups ahead of Jones on all events but bars before PT, but that’s changed now.

 

[makam]

Jordan seemed either underprepared or maybe just casual in PT. It could be that she has enough competitions on random equipment to not need to have everything exactly perfect during PT. Hopefully she kicks it up a gear for competition because it feels like she would be giving a pretty set spot away with a poor performance. Leanne and Kayla don’t look quite there either but could capitalize on a lackluster Jordan.

 

[MaryClare]

It’s interesting, since having such detailed access to podium training is such a new thing and we don’t have historic data to look at. There’s no, oh remember when Gymnast X looked terrible at podium training in 20XX then went on to have a fantastic championship.

I also wonder how they are all finding the Speith equipment? I’m guessing only the biggest of gyms will have been able to switch over

 

[RedBirdie]

Did we ever find out Lexi Zeiss’s status?

 

[RichardL]

Chiles on FX is the most perplexing to me. Did she learn nothing from Worlds? The judges loved her with a three-pass routine, and her highest score at Worlds was without the Gogean. Now she’s added the Gogean back in (which she also did for Worlds EF for her lowest score of the championship) and added a fourth pass, falling on both the 3rd and 4th passes in PT.

Jones is going to outscore her with a hit routine, IMO. And she’s in danger of being outscored by all of Biles, Jones, Carey, Roberson, Blakely, etc. You don’t bring her on the team for a TF DTY when you also have Biles, Jones, and Blakely on UB/BB.

 

[Kara]

As of 5 hours ago she posted pic in the podium training leo with a wrapped leg and that she would be doing an autograph session on Saturday. Nothing about why she didn’t participate in podium training.

 

[gymfan]

The 4th pass probably was intended to replace a leap with a 0.3 deduction. But she also did a switch full. I think she will take off a pass eventually. The D score will only drop by 0.1, but she will have the stamina to perform the dance and the passes.

 

[gymfan]

Probably it’s just an off day for her. She did pretty good DTYs for the NCAA season. Take some more rest and she will perform well tomorrow.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Chiles on FX is the most perplexing to me. Did she learn nothing from Worlds? The judges loved her with a three-pass routine, and her highest score at Worlds was without the Gogean. Now she’s added the Gogean back in (which she also did for Worlds EF for her lowest score of the championship) and added a fourth pass, falling on both the 3rd and 4th passes in PT.

I just don’t know what possessed them. The last few years have been a parade of self sabotaging dance elements. Is Gina herself holding the WCC cat hostage or something?

 

[RichardL]

I just watched more routines, and Wong is looking great on vault and beam. She added a new combination since Classics – side aerial to switch leap into her wolf jump full. The DTY is getting really nice block as well, and with the Lopez she could make vault finals at Worlds if somehow Carey isn’t on the team, even though it’s seeming likely to me that Carey will be going. This would be a nice team:

VT: Wong, Carey, Biles
UB: Blakely, Biles, Jones
BB: Jones/Wong, Biles, Blakely
FX: Jones/Blakely/Wong, Carey, Biles

Wong is the wild card – you can easily replace her in these line-ups with Chiles as well. Sumanasekera too if she gets the scores this weekend on her key events.

I’m really happy with how the new big three of Biles, Jones, and Blakely are looking, though. Those three could do all events in TFs.