Super 16 NCAA Challenge presented by Ozone (January 6-7, 2023)

[MaryClare]

There’s a difference between lacking experience (see SJS) and just coming across as amateur. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the producers told him to look after her. It’s like listening to a 10 year old girl

 

[RichardL]

Hernandez currently has no business commentating at this level. She acts like the judges’ scores are entirely arbitrary and that she has no idea what’s really going on. But I do like her and I hope she improves.

 

[irichluck21]

There’s a difference between lacking experience (see SJS) and just coming across as amateur. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the producers told him to look after her. It’s like listening to a 10 year old girl

Again, does not excuse the way that her co-commentator Roethlisberger treated her.
But, he has always been the sort of douche-baggery type, trying too hard to be like Tim Daggett.

 

[ucrgirl]

The thing that is strange to me is that when she had her first sort of commentator gig (2021 Olympic trials?) I seem to remember her getting rave reviews. If I remember correctly, we wanted her to take Nastia’s spot.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

Im not a fan of Laurie either. Shes just a little too, something for me. Too sweet, too giggly, im not sure of the word but she needs a bit more work. Dana was good though!

 

[irichluck21]

It doesn’t help that Laurie is so far removed from level 10 that it is likely more difficult to know the rules and start values since she never did NCAA and had done elite since she was 12 years old. Her entire career was elite.

 

[QuietColours]

I liked Laurie when they had her as the reporter on the floor talking to the athletes. Her personality and gregariousness worked very well then, and the athletes seemed to respond well to her.

 

[rlayt]

I liked Laurie when they had her as the reporter on the floor talking to the athletes. Her personality and gregariousness worked very well then, and the athletes seemed to respond well to her.

That was my opinion too and it seemed at the time like it was the majority opinion. Maybe because she was talking to and about elites. Maybe she didn’t know enough about NCAA and needs to get up to speed. I think she will continue to get work because the younger fans will know who she is.

 

[KristyJ]

I honestly didn’t mind Laurie as a commentator especially the second day. I wonder if after some meets last year they told her to be less critical, as I remember one meet where she pointed out a lot of deductions, and she swung too far the other way. On the second day here she was pretty good at pointing out some of the errors as well as being positive. I do agree that she could tone down the bubbliness a bit. The “were you nice to them” comments from John really were weird and off-putting though.