US Championships 2022 (Aug 18-21)

[cftmoonlight79]

Who is everyone rooting for this weekend? Im rooting for Wong, but mostly just want to top girls to look good and not have a splatfest.

 

[crdubb17]

I’m rooting for Shilese to have her breakthrough moment here. If she’s consistent she really has a legit shot at the title, but she would have to do something she’s never done before (go 8 foot 8). Hopefully her toe issue is minimal and doesn’t impact vault or floor.

 

[ucrgirl]

I agree with your point about rooting for the top girls to look good and not have a splat fest.

I would love to see top form Wong and Shilese. I can’t decide who I want to win. (Although is Shilese doing AA? I thought I read something on the internet that made me wonder.)

I would love to see a confident Konnor.

I would also like Jade to do well enough here and eventually make the World team and get the laid out Triple Double named after her. (Honestly not sure if that is her plan. But I would like to see it.)

 

[GLeigh]

She’s on the start list for AA, but I’m pretty sure she only did bars and beam for PT

 

[JaJa]

Who is everyone rooting for this weekend?

Mostly Jade.

 

[irichluck21]

Zoe Miller also is still in the hunt for spot #5 if Jones, Carey, Wong, and McClain are on the World Team.
Specifically just for bars. That will mean that Carey is out of the AA for sure as she is the weakest of the 5 on bars. Jones or Carey for beam in team finals is a scary thought though, and I would definitely put up Carey if I had that choice.

It all depends on how Miller’s back is doing, but I don’t see her not getting an invitation to selection camp. Hopefully Sacramone instructed her to skip nationals and rest her back. Since she was never going to factor into the top 10 AA anyway and she’s been taking several times to compete on USA teams for just bars.

I hope Memmel and Sacramone move forward with this strategy of encouraging athletes to skip selection events for the sake of their bodies or a lack of preparedness. They were both two athletes that were locks for specific teams and were pushed too far in the selection process and as a result either had injuries or were past peak form.

 

[irichluck21]

Lock or close to locks:
Carey, Jones, McClain, Wong

One more of/ Alternates:
Miller (out of nationals), DiCello, Blakeley, Chiles

No one else is in major contention for this team IMO. However, there are a few darkhorses.
Nola Matthews could be looking at a potential spot on the team for her bars if she can hit 2 days in a row and also at selection camp. However, it is unlikely that she go above 14 (which is something Miller can do) so it isn’t a huge issue to say put up Chiles or McClain on bars for a 13.6-13.7 when its less than 3 tenths difference. Plus Chiles has three usable events and while Matthews does AA the other 3 events aren’t useful for the team.
Lexi Zeiss had a great Pan Ams but doesn’t have any stand out events that the USA is in need of.
Kaetlyn Jong was a strong junior but her routines at the senior level do not stand out amongst the rest, especially with Chiles, Wong, and Carey returning.
Olivia Greaves has a bars set that could also be in consideration but she has been out for so long due to her injury that it is hard to tell. That and she is only doing bars which leads me to believe that she’s not fit for the AA.
Ciena Alipio could also fit the team on bars and beam, although her bars isn’t anything great, she is also capable of winning balance beam with a hit set, although we know she is about 50/50.

Out:
Joselyn Roberson and Addison Fatta. While the former has a 2nd vault she is rendered obsolete by Chiles, Wong, and Carey who all have 2nd vaults (though I didn’t see Chiles do 2 in podium). Fatta’s best are her DTY and FX which are not needed for the team.

 

[RedBirdie]

International judges would eat Roberson alive.

 

[Caligym]

Can I ask your reasoning for concluding Carey is clearly weaker than McClain on UB? I would have put them about the same, maybe Carrey slightly ahead. Is it something in the new code or something you saw in podium training?

 

[Ginger]

So true. And so sad. I wish she changed gyms. She won’t get any better if she stays with NETE.

 

[irichluck21]

Can I ask your reasoning for concluding Carey is clearly weaker than McClain on UB? I would have put them about the same, maybe Carrey slightly ahead. Is it something in the new code or something you saw in podium training?

Carey went 14.133 in Tokyo prelims which was questionable and then went 13.500 in all around finals.
Her scores at nationals and trials were also below 14 and one was an 11. She hasn’t competed bars internationally since the Olympics. Even in 2021 she was far from consistent.

McClain has been in front of international judges twice in 2022 at both DTB and Jesolo and went 13.933 and 13.733 so she is at least consistent in her scoring internationally and that the judges are willing to go close to 14 for her hit set.

Let’s see what happens at Nationals of course, but I do think McClain is the better fit for bars over Carey and one of them will likely not do bars in team qualifications at Worlds as Wong and Jones are pretty much guaranteed. But you never know, perhaps Carey and Wong do AA in TQ and McClain is left off.

I would be comfortable in having McClain do bars as lead off in both TQ and TF. Even with a double pike dismount she is clean and scores well in execution, something that does not always favor Jade.
I wouldn’t want Jade doing bars in TF and missing for an 11.9.

 

[JaJa]

Zoe Miller also is still in the hunt for spot #5 if Jones, Carey, Wong, and McClain are on the World Team.
Specifically just for bars. That will mean that Carey is out of the AA for sure as she is the weakest of the 5 on bars.

Really hoping Jade gets her shot at AA

 

[irichluck21]

Really hoping Jade gets her shot at AA

Well I think Wong is a given since she is reigning AA silver medalist from Worlds. Jones will be doing bars. McClain is likely given her AA success this year. Jade could do AA in prelims, but that will mean these 4 do bars so the 5th is not up for bars. However, the US could use a big UB score to combat Italy and China, if that is the case and Jones is a necessity for bars and if there is a bars specialist then one of McClain, Wong, or Carey would have to sit bars in TQ and eliminate them from the AA.
Carey was left off bars in 2018, didn’t compete in 2019, and only did bars in Tokyo because she was an individual.

 

[tsarinajen]

Mods, are you leaving this as one thread for the competition? I’m just thinking once the women get going it may be hard to follow.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

I was just gonna ask about separate threads. How many make the World team, 4? Also, what is everyone expecting from the men? Brody Malone is the fave? Vitaliy G is out, and Wiskus looked pretty bad last time out IIRK.

 

[RedBirdie]

We will make a MAG thread, jr WAG thread, and separate threads for each day of sr WAG.

5 will make the world team.

 

[Doug1233]

That will mean that Carey is out of the AA for sure

Depends how she places AA this weekend.

 

[Passion]

USAG is changing it’s logo from the “Begin Here, Go Anywhere” thing they’ve had since 2003 to this new logo with flames with the tagline “The movement starts here”

USA Gymnastics kicks off National Congress, unveils refreshed brand • USA Gymnastics

USA Gymnastics President and CEO Li Li Leung officially opened the organization's 2022 National Congress Thursday afternoon, unveiling a refreshed look and feel to USAG's visual brand that reflects the organization's ongoing evolution.

usagym.org

The tagline, “The movement starts here,” “embodies the physical movement of gymnastics that is so central to almost every sport, the movement to a better future for all participants and for the entire community, and the movement together from grassroots to the Olympic movement,” Leung said.

The new logo is anchored by a flame, whose segments represent constituencies of the gymnastics community, and is led by an abstract rendering of an athlete, signifying the athlete-centric focus of the organization. The italicized USA conveys forward motion grounded in gymnastics as a foundational sport.

 

[Doug1233]

Just an off-topic friendly reminder that this was 14 years ago.

FOURTEEN.

 

[Milkshakedonut]

Rooting for Leanne, Jade, and Jordan!