Romania

[phoenix7]

I think the assumption now is that the three will all try to juggle both, but we have no idea how that will go in reality with all the travel, adjustment, missing their entire offseason, etc..

At the very least having actually usable depth (it was abysmal by the time Paris rolled around with injuries, I don't think they even named an alternate when the procedures said they'd name two IIRC) never hurts

Yes definitely. Will be great to have Oprea back and I am excited about Golgota. Yes they seemed to give up on an alternate - Oprea was in the running but injured, like Ceplinschi, like Puflea ...

When I look at how much Germans and Italians seem to do in local leagues, it makes the sport seem such a different experience from one country to another, even for elites. Really hope NCAA will be good for them.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

FRG is pretty secretive about injuries, but I was at Szombathely 2023 and saw Duta's retrospectively career ending injury - her knee bent backwards ~50° on a double Arabian after it had already looked very scary the week prior at nationals too

That is one upsetting description. I'm not surprised she never managed to fully return!

 

[irichluck21]

Puflea retired.

 

[makam]

Ella Oprea's bars from podium training. Shocked by the double layout, as the double tuck was quite low! If she's added back the Van Leeuwen from 2023, her D score should be between 5.3-5.5 (sane range as Cosman, Golgota, Ghigoarta)

Hindorff ; Pak ; Stalder 1/2 + Endo + Endo 1/2 ; Van Leeuwen ; toe on 1/1 ; double layout

I'm not usually a foot form purist, but even on that tiny screen, I can see she has lots of foot form deductions...

 

[KristyJ]

Both her Pak and her dismount feel very sling-y with very little float. I hope they keep working on technique on them.

 

[phoenix7]

Romania starting on beam and ending on bars yet again!

 

[Bob]

Both her Pak and her dismount feel very sling-y with very little float. I hope they keep working on technique on them.

unlikely lol

 

[phoenix7]

Watching the AA now - Denisa Golgotha looks so happy competing these days, and she'd have medaled without that one fall. (As would most of the top ten, I know).

I wonder how much of Ana's new-found composure comes of having such a seasoned team-mate to take some of the pressure off?

Would love to see Ceplinschi and Ghigoarta back in the mix - Romania is really starting to build momentum.

 

[makam]

Watching the AA now - Denisa Golgotha looks so happy competing these days, and she'd have medaled without that one fall. (As would most of the top ten, I know).

I wonder how much of Ana's new-found composure comes of having such a seasoned team-mate to take some of the pressure off?

Would love to see Ceplinschi and Ghigoarta back in the mix - Romania is really starting to build momentum.

And then you have Sabrina and Camelia who always seem to bring the team vibe down. Sabrina is undoubtedly talented but her struggles to bring it at the major competitions--especially after constantly being pimped out at the only good thing on the team--hurts the whole team.

 

[MaryClare]

Unless Sabrina gets a new coach and actually trains, Romania are going to struggle until they can justify not selecting her

 

[Hatsumomo]

And then you have Sabrina and Camelia who always seem to bring the team vibe down. Sabrina is undoubtedly talented but her struggles to bring it at the major competitions--especially after constantly being pimped out at the only good thing on the team--hurts the whole team.

The petty side of me enjoys seeing Barbosu shine after the Voinea camp and its supporters bullied her so badly she nearly quit.

 

[Annie]

I agree the team is building momentum and it's Barbosu who is leading it, not Sabrina. I absolutely loved seeing Golgota back. I don't know what Sabrina needs but the mother-daughter coach-coachee isn't it.

 

[IratePanda]

I've developed a lot of admiration for Barbosu since the Olympics, and it's definitely heartening to see Romania on the upswing (pun intended). I also recently noticed that Barbosu bears some facial resemblance to a young Courtney Kupets (ca. 2003-04).

I wanted to add something deep and provocative about the Voineas, but I'm struggling to find the right words (often a sign that what I wanted to say isn't worth saying). I'll just leave it at this: I always found Camelia the least appealing member of Romania's '85-'88 teams. Aside from the hip-hop FX (which wore thin after two or three viewings), she was pretty unremarkable. I sometimes wonder if Camelia is living vicariously through Sabrina while also trying to ensure that her daughter's achievements never surpass her own. (There, I think I said what I wanted to say, albeit badly.)

 

[phoenix7]

Team Romania has slain the bars dragon!

 

[Aeris]

I sometimes wonder if Camelia is living vicariously through Sabrina while also trying to ensure that her daughter's achievements never surpass her own.

Why on earth would she not want her daughter to do as well as possible. It would just give her more glory, being able to take credit for Sabrina's accomplishments. It's not as if Camelia had any records that she is scared of someone breaking.

 

[IratePanda]

Why on earth would she not want her daughter to do as well as possible. It would just give her more glory, being able to take credit for Sabrina's accomplishments. It's not as if Camelia had any records that she is scared of someone breaking.

That's precisely my point.

 

[flappergirl]

That's precisely my point.

I noticed that in my Mom; she never wanted to support me in areas that she aspired to, but I didn’t realize it until I was an adult and grew to understand her aspirations and her shortcomings (in her own mind). As a kid, I just felt like a failure

 

[Aeris]

That's precisely my point.

I don't see any point? Where is the evidence that Camila wants her daughter to fail? She simply seems to be an incompetent coach and maybe a not-so-good mother.

 

[IratePanda]

I noticed that in my Mom; she never wanted to support me in areas that she aspired to, but I didn’t realize it until I was an adult and grew to understand her aspirations and her shortcomings (in her own mind). As a kid, I just felt like a failure

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I think some parents struggle to balance the desire to see their kids succeed against their own vanity and insecurity. I know my mom did and still does--even though I'm now 54 and she's 80. We ended up in completely different fields, but that never stopped her from projecting her own aspirations onto me while belittling my accomplishments.

 

[MaryClare]

My impression is that there are 2 issues. Camelia probably isn’t a good enough coach for this level. For any gymnast (has she ever coached another elite?). But she is particularly unsuited to coaching her own child. From what I have heard, there is no plan, structure or discipline to Sabrina’s training. They turn up and they do what they want. Not because Sabrina is rebelling against her mother, it’s just never been enforced by Camelia. This was the large part of the issue between the Voinea’s and the previous national team coaches, Sabrina and Camelia weren’t willing to put the work in that was expected of everyone else.