Skinner's rash beam exercise construction

[Denn]

Here’s my opinion. What do you think?



I really want her to do well, but her coach is hurting her chances with this exercise construction. The E-score is going to be below 8 guaranteed. Some elements are actually built-in deductions to her score that override the gains.

• Back dive to candlestick (D)
• Flip- flop full (B + F + 0.2)
• Korbut (+0.1) No gain, but it gets her low to the beam
• Aerial + Split + Straddle (DBB+ 0.2)
• Switch split + switch half + back tuck Even at its very best, the switch half will lose 0.3, guaranteed. She’ll likely lose 0.1 for rhythm and 0.1 on the back tuck, too
• Straddle half + jump full. (D + D + 0.2) –0.1 for amplitude on each element, 0.1 for form on each element (straddle position and leg separation on the jump full) –0.1 for rhythm. Net gain, I guess.
• L spin + full spin + Illusion (C + A + D + 0.2). The L and Illusion spins never hit a solid position, the Illusion is incomplete, and there’s balance deductions. It’s just not worth it.
• Dismount (G+0.2 or D)

ARTISTRY

• MISSING: combination of movements low to the beam
• MISSING: complex and creative movement
• MISSING: substantial work in relevé.
• MISSING: variation in rhythm
• MISSING: personal style
• AT RISK: Confidence
• AT RISK: Fluency

Revised D-score: 6.2, down 0.6 (5.7 if she does a double tuck)
Revised E-score: Up 1.5… Something like 0.8 for execution and 0.7 for artistry.

Net change — up 0.9, almost a full point. Making these changes could lead to a very confident, well-executed shorter exercise with lots of room for real choreo.

 

[Sasha]

My only thought is that I saw “Skinner’s rash” and thought this thread had a very different topic.

Sorry. Wish I could add something of substance.

 

[RedBirdie]

I delight in the consistently terrible choices her coaches make, if only because it will keep her from subjecting us to her awful gymnastics in Tokyo.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I’m not sorry you didn’t.

 

[candycoateddoom]

Honestly same. No one needs to be subjected to that. And then she can go back to Utah, graduate, and disappear.

 

[Doug1233]

@Denn I agree that with the candlestick Mount, the BHS full, and the RO full in should form the basis of the routine. Everything else is filler, and should be focused on “how can I hit all the CRs with as little damage to the E Score as possible?”

I totally agree with your routine. She needs to add in a turn for the CR. And I’d put some choreography between the full and the korbut, just in case any of the judges thought she was trying to connect and hit her with rhythm.

Maybe she could do some unusual low to beam choreography to try and not get the 0.1 complexity deduction.

 

[emmade]

I hate the mount. It looks like she barely muscles it around, although maybe it is just because the mat is there. The dismount is so crunched over it looks like she is going to knock herself out on her knees.

I actually think she is much improved in the artistry department. I think she waves her arms around just as well as others, but that doesn’t say all that much.

I still think she should just cut her losses and head back to NCAA. She is going to be disappointed all over again.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I very much wonder whether she’ll be bothered for going back to college gymnastics. If she were to return, it’d be two and a half years since she was in an NCAA environment that there were already signs she’d had enough of in 2019. She’s going to be turning 25 and at a completely different life stage to most of the others. And since her family apparently have money, the prospect of being able to do the final year of her degree without being charged, in return for doing something she’s not that into, isn’t going to be as much of a draw as it would be to someone without those advantages. In that situation, if someone goes back it’s because they really want to.

 

[irichluck21]

This routine is garbage. Of course they went the wrong route with her routine composition.
So many questionable connections in there and built in deductions. I don’t see a hit routine going above 7s for execution either.

The candle mount is one of the worst I’ve seen, she literally dumps herself onto the beam and doesn’t hold the candle shape. If she is in the same beam rotation as McCallum it will stand out and not in the good way.

 

[Doug1233]

@irichluck21 you’re right. The mount is gross. But: 1. What other D acro does she have which is deduction free? 2. Whatever mount she does she’s gonna get a deduction anyway, unless she does like a tuck jump on or something (is that even a mount anymore?) 3. I can see her only getting 2 tenths max in E score deductions for it.

So it’s not pretty, but it’s a D (overvalued) and it gets her up there with relatively little pain.

The key with an athlete like Skinner (and really any gymnast) is to make the beam routine as short as possible. It’s why the Candlestick Mount is so popular and it’s also why the FIG is bringing it down to a C in the next code (I think?)

 

[Jack]

I cannot believe she is still doing that switch half 8 years later.

That illusion turn looks like she is peeing on a fire hydrant.

 

[irichluck21]

I would have to go back to the COP and look but maybe some sort of press to handstand mount maybe with a turn in it ? Her issue is that she is trying to load up on the difficulty in order to bring her score up because her execution score will be low. However, I think if she got rid of some D that is going to get heavily deducted her E score would balance out. I thin she might even get a higher overall score if she removed some elements.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

She’ll be introducing that upgrade at Trials.

 

[Doug1233]

@irichluck21 Totally. Which is what Denn’s routine above essentially does. It completely removes whole sections of her routine and doesn’t replace them with anything.

A press handstand mount - she’s gonna wobble. She’s gonna have a back arch. She’s gonna have flexed feet. To get a D you need to do a full pirouette on the hands, and with a stoop through to straddle or pike sit. I doubt she can even physically do that.

With Skinner - it’s all a mess. She might as well keep the Candlestick. She can do it. It seems like limited risk. It’s a D. She’s not gonna get smashed on execution for it. It get’s her up on the beam and satisfies the low to beam. I think it’s a “better the devil you know” type of choice.

 

[makam]

So, if she changed her mount to something like flairs and a planch/pose or redux of Moceaneu’s beam mount, it wouldn’t be worth many points (would it?) but maybe it would satisfy some of the artistry/style/movement points, right? If you do one really cool/unique move is that enough or do you have to do multiple throughout the routine?

 

[cats]

I can’t imagine that Utah wouldn’t find some kind of non-gymnastics scholarship for her to finish off her degree if she decides to jettison her eligibility.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I wonder if she’d ever show an interest in team manager type roles, use it as prep to work in coaching.

 

[irichluck21]

They would figure something out for her.
With their entire team coming back next year, minus one senior non contributor this year, and Eaker and McCallum coming, Utah is already an early favorite to win the 2022 Four on the Floor. Even if Skinner just did VT and FX would be big scores for them.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I don’t doubt for a second that Utah would gladly have Skinner back to compete her final season, they’d be daft not to. I just think it’s less certain that she would actually want to.

 

[irichluck21]

It also depends how much more of college does she have left. IIRC she was still doing courses online and had always planned to finish up her degree. She might be able to still do that from home.

She seemed to be completely done though at her last meet and often complained about the judges scores and not getting 10s like others got.