NCAA Pre-Season 2025-2026

[irichluck21]

Sorry, I don't like Nola's floor at all. Too much.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Sorry, I don't like Nola's floor at all. Too much

Agreed

 

[QuietColours]

Too much for me too, but I do appreciate the commitment. Except for the moment in the middle where she stops all choreography and expression to prep for and do a shaky, not worth it wolf turn.

 

[rlayt]

I appreciate the floor routine and that it’s different from the usual. I generally prefer something unusual. However it doesn’t resonate with me like some other unusual ones do. I think choreography or the presentation can sometimes end up looking like a frog in a blender.

 

[Kittentoes]

Too much for me too, but I do appreciate the commitment. Except for the moment in the middle where she stops all choreography and expression to prep for and do a shaky, not worth it wolf turn.

I just feel it is so hard to make wolf turns on floor look organic and part of a whole piece.

 

[RedBirdie]

Its like BJ Das took Matthews' already weird routines and said "MAKE IT EVEN WEIRDER!" Meh. I'm was hoping Das could take Matthews to the next level with choreography, and instead we just ended up with a recycled try-hard routine.

 

[MaryClare]

Never got the fuss over Nola Matthews. She’s like Eythora. It’s just way too theatrical and OTT

 

[RedBirdie]

When Matthews showed up in 2022 with floor routine choreography that I can only describe as "inspired by Tim Burton" we all took notice because it is so unlike anything we see US gymnasts even attempt to do. It was the talk at 2022 nationals; some people loved it, others hated it, and some were like "what the heck was that?!" But everyone noticed and remembered it, which is more than I can say for 99% of the gymnastics we saw.

 

[irichluck21]

It's also only a two tumbling pass routine, with a whip to double tuck and a 1 1/2 front layout. We see more difficult tumbling in Division 3 routines.

 

[RedBirdie]

I've been very disappointed, but not surprised, at the level of tumbling from the top teams so far. The code encourages and rewards this sort of tumbling. Combine that with the judges not adequately using the deductions in the code to provide the separation they should, then there's no sense in taking risks with big tumbling or 3 passes.

It's the same thing with bars. Boring, low-skill routines that all look alike.

And I suspect that, as much as I agree that the NQS system needed and overhaul, counting 9 scores is just going to further entrench doing these low-difficulty safe routines.

 

[jezmerallia]

Never got the fuss over Nola Matthews. She’s like Eythora. It’s just way too theatrical and OTT

Not Thorsdottir catching strays.

 

[FrolovasDoubleLayout]

I've been very disappointed, but not surprised, at the level of tumbling from the top teams so far. The code encourages and rewards this sort of tumbling. Combine that with the judges not adequately using the deductions in the code to provide the separation they should, then there's no sense in taking risks with big tumbling or 3 passes.

It's the same thing with bars. Boring, low-skill routines that all look alike.

And I suspect that, as much as I agree that the NQS system needed and overhaul, counting 9 scores is just going to further entrench doing these low-difficulty safe routines.

This is the problem with using USA Gym Developmental Program rules, that are bastardized even further in NCAA. In Level 10, a floor routine with four saltos would have a 0,20 "Up to the Level" for the saltos being of D, B, C and A values - In NCAA it is good to go. Maybe it's time to revamp the rules - either going straight World Gymnastics or making a CoP that bridges Level 10 and World Gymnastics.

 

[IratePanda]

Never got the fuss over Nola Matthews. She’s like Eythora. It’s just way too theatrical and OTT

I never paid much attention to Matthews, but I watched this FX out of morbid curiosity. It looks like Rites of Spring fell into a food processor.

 

[Passion]

I've watched Matthews' floor a couple of times now; I don't think it's that bad. She's really good at moving her body. Maybe there is some growing bias against this style because she's been doing the same thing for four years now and people would like to see her try something new. I was getting a little tired of it myself by last summer, but I think this routine has a better quality of movement in it than her elite routines. She isn't doing the over the top emoting with her face that Eythora did, or my god, Thelma Adalsteinsdottir with her sleep paralysis thing.



Matthews' emoting is coming from her actual dance, and she's good at it.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

And I suspect that, as much as I agree that the NQS system needed and overhaul, counting 9 scores is just going to further entrench doing these low-difficulty safe routines.

I hadn’t considered this, but I’m pretty sure you are spot on.

It’s insane to me that the only event that is in a good place right now in NCAA is vault, which coincidentally is the only event they have tried to do anything about increasing the difficulty.

 

[RichardL]

Vault is the only event where the gymnasts have to be close to elite level to get the scores needed to make line-ups. Why is that? Makes literally no sense to me. We all know most of them can be doing more on the other events as well.

 

[MaryClare]

It’s very obvious why the required difficulty on bars is so low and why changing it would be extremely unpopular

 

[RichardL]

It’s very obvious why the required difficulty on bars is so low and why changing it would be extremely unpopular

Because it would separate out the teams more directly and make upsets harder to happen? Like in elite back when the good bars workers had a huge leg up in the AA because the range was so wide on that event?

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

Because it would separate out the teams more directly and make upsets harder to happen? Like in elite back when the good bars workers had a huge leg up in the AA because the range was so wide on that event?

But with routines so easy, that decreases the falls, which I would think leads to fewer upsets.

 

[cats]

It’s just because the broadcasters and schools want to market 10s and perfect routines. We could easily have a 10 system that makes sense if that pressure wasn’t around.

I am completely over the Maloney routine, but IMO bars actually was a lot better in 2025; for whatever reason a fairly decent number of gymnasts chose to do more. What I really have a problem with is floor. Two passes is not only too easy, it’s very boring to watch because basically no one can fill that much dance time. And 55 gymnasts had an NQS of 9.9 or higher on floor last year. Just why even bother?

On the positive front: I am very much looking forward to ending the workweek with Skye’s stunning Lopez (she’s about halfway):