2024 US Nationals WAG Day 2 Session 2

[Aeris]

However, Lincoln was on the highest scoring team last year and still wasn't chosen for Worlds.

She was the 2nd highest scoring team, Zoe Miller was the #1. It was disappointing they were both passed over (and very satisfying they both went on to win their events at Pan Ams with huge scores), and that choice last year of simply taking the 5th best AA from trials, when that person's scores brought nothing to the team, has me worried. It's quite likely DiCello will end up placing higher in the AA than any of Chiles, Carey, Lincoln, but add less than any of them on the relevant events of VT/FX. I'll be upset if they yet again go AA rank order for this last spot on the team.

 

[rlayt]

We aren’t going to talk politics.

 

[dweiss324]

I'm resigned to be "upset". There's gonna be someone doing very well that we all love that won't make the cut. If Bi[les], Shi, and Skye are all "locks", Chiles fits the rhyme scheme, but Carey unfortunately does not. Just looking for a fifth with a hard "I" sound at this point, all around potential be damned.

In which case I'm a huge fan of Jide Carey, Sunisa Lie, and Kayla Diechello

 

[Puffin]

My thoughts of watching both days at stupid o'clock

Simone - is looking really good and looks much less tense than she did prior to Tokyo - I serious hate her FX although the acro is fantastic but the music just seems like a background. Will she be hit for big artistry deductions?

Skye - really impressed with her this weekend - although I feel a bit like I feel watching Ondine/1970s Dr Who - you peep round the sofa hoping that they make it.

Kayla - not really excited by her gymnastics. Her big selling point has been consistency - but not so much yesterday. Some of her scores seem inflated and I wonder if there will be a nasty shock in Paris?

Suni - beautiful on bb but needs to bring her A game on ub at trials as she didn't make top 3 on ub this weekend. I feel her prep has been distracted (defending her AA gold/getting skills named for her) but she needs to focus on what will get her on the team.

Jordan - up and down weekend. Good on ub but too many falls.

Hezly - looks very good but I don't see her in Paris - will likely do very well in 2025 ... unless she returns to Maggie Hanley post-suspension

Jade - also needs to bring her A game and show any upgrades she can do well. A pity for the odd fall on bb as if she had repeated her day 1 bb she would have been up there with Suni and Jordan.

Leanne - I like Leanne but I don't really see where she is in the conversation to make the team. The only place she breaks 14 is vt.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

I don't like Simones floor routine either, tumbling aside. But it won't matter, if she stays on her feet she wins. I also see no place for Leanne, which is so sad. She seems so sweet and hard working.

 

[makam]

Leanne and Kayla are both steady gymnasts most countries would love to have but they don't bring anything "special" to the table. If it were teams of 4, I could see one of them getting on the team as the AA focus would be greater, but with the luxury of 5 and none of the "better" gymnasts being really awful on anything, it is hard to make the case for someone who will always get twopered and usually be beaten by all 3. Jordan has also almost slipped into this category but so far her UB and sometimes floor has kept her in the upper tier of possibilities.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

She was the 2nd highest scoring team, Zoe Miller was the #1. It was disappointing they were both passed over (and very satisfying they both went on to win their events at Pan Ams with huge scores), and that choice last year of simply taking the 5th best AA from trials, when that person's scores brought nothing to the team, has me worried. It's quite likely DiCello will end up placing higher in the AA than any of Chiles, Carey, Lincoln, but add less than any of them on the relevant events of VT/FX. I'll be upset if they yet again go AA rank order for this last spot on the team.

I agree that it will be so disappointing if they take this approach. The only difference between DiCello and Chiles is beam, of which neither will go up on even in prelims. It makes zero sense to have the need for two backups for team finals on every event. The obvious hole with the four locks is floor, of which Jordan is a world medalist and has a much higher ceiling than Kayla does.

 

[Ginger]

Kayla - not really excited by her gymnastics. Her big selling point has been consistency - but not so much yesterday. Some of her scores seem inflated and I wonder if there will be a nasty shock in Paris?

DiCello messed up US Classic (tied for 12th place with Roberson) so not so consistent even before yesterday. Out of 4 comp nights this year, she hit two (Winter Cup, Xfinity night one) and missed two (US Classic, Xfinity night two).
Blakely also had some mishaps during US Classic but still was 5th there, just 0.05 behind Carey, and that was without Cheng.

 

[rlayt]

This will probably be the oldest WAG team in USA gymnastics history.

Biles 27
Jones 21
Carey 24
Blakey 19
Chiles 23
Wong 20
Lee 21
DeCello 20
Lincoln 18

 

[Passion]

2023 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.500
DiCello - 13.750
Chiles - 13.100
Chiles - 13.850

2023 Pan Ams FX
Prelims
DiCello - 13.633
Chiles - 13.200
AA
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - 13.533
EF
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - didn't qualify

2024 Winter Cup FX
DiCello - 14.050
Chiles - withdrew

2024 US Classic FX
DiCello - 12.650
Chiles - 13.350

2024 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.850
DiCello - 13.950
Chiles - 12.750
Chiles - 14.100

 

[ucrgirl]

She was the 2nd highest scoring team, Zoe Miller was the #1. It was disappointing they were both passed over (and very satisfying they both went on to win their events at Pan Ams with huge scores), and that choice last year of simply taking the 5th best AA from trials, when that person's scores brought nothing to the team, has me worried. It's quite likely DiCello will end up placing higher in the AA than any of Chiles, Carey, Lincoln, but add less than any of them on the relevant events of VT/FX. I'll be upset if they yet again go AA rank order for this last spot on the team.

Re: 2023 World selection and Worlds
I was in favor of taking Wong instead of a floor specialist. As I recall, the floor specialists added a couple of tenths but neither had significant international or team final experience. I don't think numbers alone should be used to make the best decision and that the "human factor/experience factor" should also be considered. We were taking a mostly event specialist with Skye and I felt that the team was better served taking someone who had Worlds (and World Team?) experience over a mostly specialist who added .2-.3 but had little experience at that level. When Roberson went down with an injury during warm up I was glad that Leanne was on the team and felt that justified team selection. Leanne wasn't great in that final so . . . the selection didn't work out as hoped but I still think the decision was justified without assuming they chose on the basis of rank order.


Caveat. I think Worlds 2023 happened around when my baby was born so your memory of the details is likely better.

 

[Caligym]

Was thinking more about how utterly dominate that performance from Simone was. Even if you built an AA out of the best single event performances from all USA gymnasts this year::

Blakely - Day 1 VT 15.0
Jones - Classics UB 15.250
Lee - Day 2 BB 14.9
Chiles - Day 2 FX 14.1
AA - 59.25

They still wouldn’t beat Simone, even on the day she COUNTED A FALL.

 

[ucrgirl]

2023 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.500
DiCello - 13.750
Chiles - 13.100
Chiles - 13.850

2023 Pan Ams FX
Prelims
DiCello - 13.633
Chiles - 13.200
AA
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - 13.533
EF
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - didn't qualify

2024 Winter Cup FX
DiCello - 14.050
Chiles - withdrew

2024 US Classic FX
DiCello - 12.650
Chiles - 13.350

2024 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.850
DiCello - 13.950
Chiles - 12.750
Chiles - 14.100

After 2024 nationals I would no longer take Chiles for her consistently or experience. She has to get the scores at Trials.

 

[KristyJ]

Why is Biles using a sting mat for the DLO half? Doesn't that just make it harder to leap out of it?

For me it would. For Simone? Probably not

 

[KristyJ]

Trials is 2 groups not 4, which suggests a maximum of 16. USAG probably won’t be able to negotiate on that. It’s USOC/NBC

I'll be honest, if I'm USAG and NBC tries to dictate how many gymnasts I can have at trials, I'm telling them to shove it
USOC would be valid but I don't think they mess with that too much

 

[Aeris]

Re: 2023 World selection and Worlds
I was in favor of taking Wong instead of a specialist. We were taking a mostly event specialist with Skye and I felt that the team was better served taking someone who had Worlds (and World Team?) experience over a mostly specialist who added .2-.3 but had little experience at that level. When Roberson went down with an injury during warm up I was glad that Leanne was on the team

Skye wasn't a specialist though? She beat Leanne in the AA 2/3 days in the selection meets and the only time she didn't was because of a fall on the new big skill in her FX (Silivas) that she could always downgrade and play safe. She could've covered all the events Leanne ended up doing and I really didn't like how Skye wasn't given another chance at beam after qualifying. Chelsie let Jordan do beam in 2022 after her terrible qualifying performance, when they didn't have the "Simone team event buffer" there, and Skye's routine has much better potential than Jordan's; it's something a fed should want to get the athlete experience on to position them as a potential medalist for the Olympics.

Another annoying thing about Leanne being on that team and given an AA role in qualifying is it meant Skye never got to do vault, when her Lopez looked more promising to turn into a Cheng - and now look who has a Cheng and who doesn't.

 

[glamafonic]

I really didn't like how Skye wasn't given another chance at beam after qualifying. Chelsie let Jordan do beam in 2022 after her terrible qualifying performance, when they didn't have the "Simone team event buffer" there, and Skye's routine has much better potential than Jordan's;

Chellsie talked about this in an interview at Worlds last year. It wasn't about her or the coaches being willing to give Skye another chance. They were willing to let her, but Skye didn't want to.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

2023 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.500
DiCello - 13.750
Chiles - 13.100
Chiles - 13.850

2023 Pan Ams FX
Prelims
DiCello - 13.633
Chiles - 13.200
AA
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - 13.533
EF
DiCello - 13.733
Chiles - didn't qualify

2024 Winter Cup FX
DiCello - 14.050
Chiles - withdrew

2024 US Classic FX
DiCello - 12.650
Chiles - 13.350

2024 Nationals FX
DiCello - 13.850
DiCello - 13.950
Chiles - 12.750
Chiles - 14.100

Jordan broke 14 at 2022 worlds twice.

 

[wishfulgoddess]

For me it would. For Simone? Probably not

Dude, Simone probably uses the sting mat BECAUSE it makes it harder to leap. If she didn't use it, she'd end up in the rafters or even busting through the ceiling.

 

[lovegymnasts]

Dude, Simone probably uses the sting mat BECAUSE it makes it harder to leap. If she didn't use it, she'd end up in the rafters or even busting through the ceiling.

My thoughts exactly. The leap is always too powerful.