2024 Winter Cup

[Puffin]

Who was the gymnast who was really pretty on beam but then just sort of fell off the end for her dismount?

 

[JaJa]

I think there is a major shift happening and it is a combination of several factors I think.

1. The LN situation and the fall out of the leadership team and system that was created to allow the culture in which abuse can take place has dissuaded parents. My brother and sister in law refuse to put my niece in gymnastics because of the bad press USA Gymnastics received (and rightfully so for them to feel that way) and know other parents who are hesitant about gymnastics.

2. The increasing popularity of NCAA and the increasing parity of teams, along with NIL, make NCAA more attractive and possibly more lucrative than going the elite route. Especially with the increased broadcast coverage of NCAA meets.

3. The Olympics have lost a great deal of prestige over the decades, and to be honest, I wonder how many more Olympics are left before they are phased out completely. It will be interesting to see if LA 2028 does anything for the US at least in terms of creating excitement.

Definitely a combination of factors IMO, but these are some of the major ones.

All true.

 

[tempest]

Watching the senior elite, I did not know it was mag lol
How old are these gymnast? Where are they in the grand scheme of things level wise?

 

[Ginger]

Who was the gymnast who was really pretty on beam but then just sort of fell off the end for her dismount?

Audrey Snyder?
Around 1:39.20, right after Kayla DiCello's bars

 

[Puffin]

Audrey Snyder?
Around 1:39.20, right after Kayla DiCello's bars

Yes! that was the one - I liked her bb .... until,the dismount where she got absolutely no lift/height on what I "think" was a double full and ended up sat in a heap on the floor at the end of the beam. Such a waste

 

[Ginger]

Watching the senior elite, I did not know it was mag lol
How old are these gymnast? Where are they in the grand scheme of things level wise?

I suppose you mean Elite Team Cup, as it's the only MAG competition streamed today.
From the event page:
Formerly the Elite Regional Championships, first held in 2014 and now referred to as the Elite Team Cup, this premier event features nine men’s Regional Teams, each consisting of six junior elite gymnasts.

Looks like there may be some levels 8 or 9, I suppose it can happen if a region doesn't have enough gymnasts on elite level.
Check it yourself, each of the participants has his profile on USAG webpage:

2024 Elite Team Cup Rosters | Winter Cup

wintercup.com

 

[RedBirdie]

MAG junior elite is different than WAG. Levels 9 and 10 are considered junior elite. There's not totally separate junior elite program like there is in WAG.

 

[Laura722]

CaMarah Williams' first tumbling pass was insane! I missed her routine earlier.

 

[Doug1233]

DiCello got some pretty wild E Scores.

I had a 7.4 for her beam and I think they gave her an 8.2.

But then again, some of the World Cups have been scoring pretty loose (even looser than Liverpool), so I never know how my scoring will sit.

I also thought Lincoln's FX was wildly overscored - by like, almost a point. I was within 0.1 for both Trinity and Matthews, so you win some and lose some!

 

[Beamer]

No one explicitly mentioned it but DiCello upgraded her 1.5 + front full on FX to a 2.5 + front full, for an extra .2 in D-Score. That was the upgrade I was most impressed with.

She had been scoring incredibly well in E-Score on floor but had lacked in D-Score. Now she's a Team Finals contender on FX. And that is important given that while she was good everywhere, she wasn't really TF material on any one event. Now she is IMO.

 

[jezmerallia]

I’m really curious as to how she will contribute to UCLA given their track record of gymnasts arriving and losing all of their most difficult skills.

Is that still true with Janelle McDonald at the helm?

 

[RedBirdie]

All senior women routines:

 

[Ginger]

Ella Kate Parker won Nastia Liukin Jr. Division.
I didn't have time to watch but I fast forwarded looking for certain gymnasts, and there was one I wasn't even looking for but grabbed my attention. Kylie Smith. She placed 5th there, far youngest among the top 8. I looked her up and she placed 3rd at '23 Hopes Championship (Jaysha McClendon 1st, Daisy Lesperance 6th).
These three, plus Lavi Crain (and maybe also Lavi's younger sister Vivi) will be fun to watch in the next years.

 

[Dex]

Was it me or is the NL cup really devaluated? It used to be a fun competition, on TV with commentators and a really big deal, now it is just mwah..

 

[Passion]

Damn, I want Paul Juda as a future commentator.

He's in the booth for a rotation with Sam and John. We've suffered through so many newbie commentators, Juda sounds like he's been doing it for years. Has he been commentating NCAA meets or something? He sounds like a professional.

Maybe say silky smooth five or six less times lol.

 

[RedBirdie]

Men's senior team:
Fuzzy Benas — Richmond, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Jeremy Bischoff — Santa Clarita, Calif./Stanford University
Cameron Bock — Tustin, Calif./University of Michigan
Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo./Stanford University
Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas/Stanford University
Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy
Paul Juda — Deerfield, Ill./University of Michigan
Josh Karnes – Erie, Penn./Penn State
Riley Loos — Folsom, Calif./Stanford University
Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics
Yul Moldauer — Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
Stephen Nedoroscik — Worcester, Mass./EVO Gymnastics
Curran Phillips — Naperville, Ill./EVO Gymnastics
Fred Richard — Stoughton, Mass./University of Michigan
Colt Walker — Cedar Park, Texas/Stanford University
Donnell Whittenburg —Baltimore, Md./Salto Gymnastics Center
Shane Wiskus — Spring Park, Minn./EVO Gymnastics
Khoi Young — Bowie, Md./Stanford University

Senior development team:
Landen Blixt — Fowlerville, Mich./University of Michigan
Kai Uemura – Chicago, Ill./Lakeshore Academy of Art Gymnastics

Early spring assignments for men and women will be announced at some point today.

 

[irichluck21]

Was it me or is the NL cup really devaluated? It used to be a fun competition, on TV with commentators and a really big deal, now it is just mwah..

I thought the same thing.
I believe with Nastia and NBC parting ways, so did the coverage and prestige it once had.

Sadly, NCAA meets have better coverage.

 

[Ginger]

Early spring assignments for men and women will be announced at some point today.

Suni for Baku please, and I would take Trinity Thomas too.
It would be good for Trinity to dip her toes into the waters of international gymnastics again, and I expect the top three to get other international assignments thorough the spring.
And Suni, well, needs that twisting Jaeger named. Hope they take it into consideration. Fingers crossed!

 

[QuietColours]

Along with just the competition experience, I feel like it would be good for everyone to find out how Suni's body copes with traveling internationally. Gymcastic mentioned Graba is preparing foods for her in his hotel room--I suspect she has dietary requirements that need special management. The Olympics mean long, sedentary hours on a plane, a food and rest environment she can't entirely control, and separation from her medical team. Better to do some trial runs on that well ahead of time.

 

[RedBirdie]

I think I saw that Trinity had indicated she's not interested in Baku.