Live thread: 2009 U.S. Gymnastics Championships -- senior women, day one

6:07 p.m.: Samantha Peszek just tossed off a huge double layout in warmups and followed it up with a 1.5 twist through to a double back.

Kayla Williams is working her bar routine. Looks like she's planning to do a full pirouette into her double pike dismount.

Jana Bieger threw a full twisting double layout and is going through some of her new choreography. Ivana Hong just completed a lovely double turn with her leg up, and Rebecca Bross is tumbling.

6:21 p.m.: So many people are out with injuries that the 16 left standing will only compete three events at a time this evening.

Rotation one has Brooke Parker, Bross, Hong, Nastia Liukin, Bieger, Peszek and Bridget Sloan on vault. Annette Miele, Kimberly Jacob, Cassie Whitcomb, Morgan Stiegerwalt, Kaitlyn Clark and Chellsie Memmel will be on uneven bars, and Williams, Kytra Hunter, Alaina Johnson, Georgia Dabritz, Rebecca Clark and Mackenzie Caquatto will be on beam.

6:27 p.m.: Let's talk leos -- As with the juniors, the WOGA contingent is wearing the same leotards it competed in the CoverGirl Classic. The Parkettes are in bright blue with a golden flower/starburst on the side that takes about half the leotard. The GAGE look is black and elegant and filled with sparking rhinestones. Marvin Sharp's gymnasts, Sloan and Peszek, are in blue with dark blue sleeves covered in stones.

Bieger is in what looks like a salmon pink/orange and black leo that suits her well. Brooke Parker is in navy with a purple flourish. Williams is in blue, as is Whitcomb.

6:35 p.m.: Bieger's Yurchenko 1.5 looks as ever -- great distance and power.

6:43 p.m. : And there she is! All alone on the floor, dressed in WOGA's black warmup suit with the "WOGA" written on the back in coral block letters, the Olympic champion is running around limbering up, jumping up and down. She's soon joined by Peszek and Sloan, and the three chat for a moment and embrace.

6:49 p.m.: On the monitor, Nastia's beam from the 2008 U.S. Championships is playing. The arena is virtually silent as everyone watches.

6:51 p.m.: World Acro mixed pair gold medalists Kristin Allen and Michael Rodrigues are performing. Their skils are part tango, part ballroom dance, part dual gymnastics -- it's not unlike pairs figure skating, just without the ice and with more gymnastics, of course.

6:55 p.m.: The highlight reel of the 2008 U.S. Championships to the song "I'm Not Over" plays on the big screen after the lights are dimmed and the podium is lit by blacklights. Now there are spotlights on the floor and the athletes are marching in. Nastia, Bridget, Samantha, Chellsie -- the girls known by one name get huge applause. Nastia's is loudest, of course.

7 p.m.: Rotation 1: Here we go...

Parker, vault: 1.5 Yurchenko with a step.

Miele, bars: Jaeger, Tkatchev, full turn to bail, double pike. 12.85

Williams, beam:  two bhs to layout to two feet. Punch front. Full turn with leg up. Double pike with a step back. 13.8.

Bross, vault: DTY, landed a little hard on those legs. 14.45.

Jacob, bars: Full to Tkatchev, bail to low, stalders, Ray, Arabian dismount, almost stuck.

Hunter, beam: Front aerial, bhs layout stepout small check. Straddle jump. Switch leap to back pike. Fall on punch front. Switch side. Stuck Patterson dismount.

Hong, vault: DTY with two small small steps. Looked perhaps a tad underrotated. 14.6.

Whitcomb, bars: Tow on stalder full to bail; Geinger, front stalder, stuck full twisting double back. 14.8.

Johnson, beam: front aerial, bhs layout -- wobbled but saved, punch front, also saved. Sheep jump. Side aerial, big wobble. Back tuck. Double tuck.

Steigerwalt, bars: Tkatchev, full to Pak, Ray, sat down double front after releasing bar too early. 12.6.

Dabritz, beam: Press handstand, split jump, pike jump, switych leap, back pike, punch front, side aerial, wobble, fall on Popa. Bhs, layout, falls again. Crowd claps encouragement. Double pike. 11.8.

Bieger, vault: Sat down Yurchenko 1.5. Didn't get enough height. 13.05.

Clark, bars: Toe on Shaposh to bail, full turn, Jaeger, stuck full twisting double.

R. Clark, beam: Swicth leap, split leap, Onodi with small wobble, front aerial, bhs, layout, illusion turn, side aerial, wobble, side somi, does a little of Courtney McCool's choreo with her down on beam, 2.5 twist with a hop. Quality routine with great presentation. 14.5.

Peszek, vault: DTY with a step back. 14.55.

Caquatto, beam: Front aerial with a wobble, bhs layout, no connection, switch half, fall on punch front. Cool chest stand, draws "ooh"s. Double full.

Sloan, vault: Best DTY of them yet. Tight twist, small hop. End first. Standings: 1. Sloan 2. Whitcomb 3. Hong 4. Peszek 5. R. Clark.

Rotation 2:

Sacramone points out that for women, a DTY is worth a 5.8 but for the men it's worth a 6.0.

Bross, bars: Toe full, in bar full to Tkatchev, high Jaeger, full to Pak, nice, stuck full twisting double back. Beautiful. 15.05.

Jacob, beam: Tourjete half, front aerial with a wobble, missed combo with bhs layout. Punch front. Popa, nice. Double pike. Very good. 13.85

Hunter, floor: New routine for her...huge double layout, sky high double Arabian pike. Music is kind of Arabian, too...triple turn, switch, switch side half. 1.5 to front full. Switch side, Popa. Good Arabian double to end. Nice routine. Amazing first two passes. She looks satisfied.

Hong, bars: Stalderowrk on low bar, Ray to high, in bar full to Tkatchev, bail, back to high, double layout with a big step forward -- she's still letting go to early -- she's lucky to have made that around. 14.05.

Whitcomb, beam: Back tuck. Full turn with leg up. Front aerial, bhs layout with a wobble. On the mend from a back injury. Punch front with good landing. Fall on side aerial. "Those side aerials, man, they're so hard," Sacramone says. Foot slipped on her dismout and she did a double full. Looked like it meant to be a 2.5. 12.35.

Johnson, floor: Johnson, floor: Mask of Zorro...full in, stuck double Arabian, switch ring, 1.5 turn. 1.5 to back full, came out of 1.5 the wrong way and watered back, I suspect...double pike. 13.7.

Steigerwalt, beam: Press handstand, switch leap. Switch side. Front aerial. Backhandspring layout. Double tuck with a step back. 13.7.

Dabritz, floor: Full in pike. Double Arabian with low landing. Switch side half. Double turn. Fall on double pike (did she do a 1.5 into it?) Triple ful with large step forward. 11.65.

Bieger, bars: Overbalanced handstand, Tkatchev, full twisting double back, stuck. Looks like in places she overbalanced her handstands some and there was a big pause once on low bar, but she made it through. 14.35.

K. Clark, beam: Front aerial, wobble, bhs, layout. Punch front, wobble. Side aerial/ 13.4.

R. Clark, floor: Double pike. 2.5 twist to layout brani. Switch ring. 1.5 to front full. Nice double turn with leg up. Classical piano music but jazzy, kind of Bondish. 2.5 twist with step forward. 13.95.

Memmel, beam: Jumps. Punch front, solid. Switch, back tuck. Popa. Front aerial, bhs layout. Wobble on full turn. Little wobbl eon illusion. Side aerial. Double pike to big applause. 13.8.

Caquatto, floor: Sweet triple full. Double full. Her knee's wrapped. Ful turn with leg up. Switch ring, tourjete half. hip hop beat. 1.5 to front layout. Nice double pike. 13.85.

Sloan, bars: Stalderwork to toe on Shaposh, Church, very nice double layout. Great routine. 14.55.

Miele, beam: Front somi. Fall on bhs, layout to two feet. Side aerial. Switch, back tuck. Punch front. Double pike, stuck.

Williams, floor: New music --- Malaguena! Double layout. Double turn. 1.5 to double pike. Suits her better. Triple full side pass -- so awesome. Side aerial. New choreo too. Suits her mcuh better. Full in pike. Terrific.

Parker, bars: Toe on stalder, toe on half, hesitation, pike Jaeger, full turn, full twisting double back. 13.6? End of rotation.

Standings: 1. Bross 2. Sloan 3. Hong 4. R. Clark 5. Williams. Bross leads by 0.05 over Sloan.

Rotation 3:

Johnson, vault: FTY with a step. 13.4.

Hong, beam: 15.15 for very hit set.

Whitcomb, floor: Full in tucked. 2.5 to front layout.Double turn. Classical piece of music with violins. Switch, tourjete half. 1.5 to front full. Double back with step forward. 13.95.

Dabritz, vault: Yurchenko 1.5 with low landing. Almost sat down.

Liukin, beam: "My favorite female gymnast of all time," McCain says. Sacramone: "I take offense to that." 'On beam," McCain amends. Press handstand. Front bhs layout with a little balance check. Full turn with leg up. Switch half to wolf. Side somie with balance check.Onodi. Sheep with check. Side aerial. Switch ring, likely notto get credit. Double full dismount. 14.45.

Steigerwalt, floor: Full in pike. And then I watched Liukin. 13.6.

R. Clark, vault: 13.4.

This just in: Earlier Alicia and Nastia went to Target.

Bieger, beam: Front half. Switch half to back pike. Full turn with leg up. Fron aerial, bhs layout. Split jump, wolf. Punch front. Sat down double front dismount. 13.5.

K. Clark, floor: Arabian double. Double tuck. Double pike. Nice. 13.45.

Caquatto, vault: Very decent DTY. 14.7.

Peszek, beam: Standing full to back pike, NAILED. Front ariel, bjs layout stepiyut, solid. Switch side. Punch front with small balance check. She looks confident and solid. "Side aerial. Full turn with leg up. Wolf, switch, gainer layout. Double pike with a step back. Very very good. "Beam is one of Sam's favorite events," Alicia divulges. Sam looks happy. Hugs from Memmel and Nastia. 15.0.

Williams, vault: Beautiful DTY with smallish step back. Handspring front layout with a half. 14.45.

Sloan, beam: Fall on switch half! Front tuck to bhs, layout. Nice split jump, wolf jump. Front aerial, side aerial, no connection. Switch, back tuck. Double pike, almost stuck. Smiling ruefully, surrounded by her Olympic teammates. 13.95.

Hunter, vault: Nice DTY.

Parker, beam: Back tuck. Bhs, back pike. Switch. Punch front, balance check. Fall on side somi. Double pike with a hop. 12.75.

Jacob, floor: Turjete full. Arabian double. 13.05.

Bross, beam: Standing Arabian, solid. Front aerial, bhs layout small chcek. Switch back tuck. Sheep. Very sure of her landings. Right ankle is taped. Jups. Side somi, small check. Punch front. Sat down her Patterson dismount. Looks upset. Gets a hug from coach Valeri Liukin.

End third. Standings: 1. Bross 2. Hong 3. Sloan 4. Williams 5. Hunter 6. R. Clark. Even with the fall, Bross retains her lead.

 Rotation 4:

Steigerwalt, vault: Yurchenko 1.5. 14.2.

Dabritz, bars: Comeneci, Jaeger, full twisting double. Pleasant swiong, nice routine. She doesn't use grips. 14.05.

K. Clark, vault: 1.5. Yurchenko.

R. Clark, bars: Shootover, Ray. Toe half to Markelov. Comes off on Tkatchev. Full tiwsting double back. 12.85.

Bieger, floor: Full twisting double layout. Double layout. Sounds almost like trance music then transitions to kin dof action movie stuff. Front full to Rusi. Switch half. Double pike and stumbles forward, puts her hand down? Looked like it. Judges thought so. 13.3.

Caquatto, bars: Toe on Hindorff. Tow on Shaposh to bail, stalders. Jaeger. Tkatchev. Full turn, full in. Very nice. 13.6.

Peszek, floor: 1.5 to double tuck. High and good. Double layout, nice. Switch ring, switch half. Nice Arabian double front. Really playing up the choreo. Triple turn. High double pike with a little step back -- she looks in great shape. Hugs Bridget, who's waiting to go.

Miele, vault: 13.95.

William, bars: Jaeger. Pak. Misses half turn on low bar, has to repeat. Full turn to double pike. 12.3.

Sloan, floor: 1.5 to triple. Out of bounds on full in pike. Randi. Triple turn. Nice high double pike. 14.3.

Hunter, bars: Full piruette. Bail. Full twisting double.

Parker, floor: Big band stuff. Roundoff Arabian. 1.5 to double full. Switch, tourjete half. Roundoff double back. R/o double pike. 13.15.

Johnson, bars: Toe on full, Tkatchev, nice. 13.35.

Bross, floor: Handspring, front layout, double front, out of bounds. 1.5 to immediate front double full. Still using the National Treasure music. Switch ring, Tourjete half. Tourjete full. Muscled around her 2.5 to punch front. 14.35.

Hong, floor: Same music as CoverGirl Classic -- nice high full in pike. 1.5 to Rudi. Double turn leg up --some applauded it was so pretty. 2.5 punch front. 14.3.

End of day one. Standings: 1. Bross. 2. Hong 3. Sloan 3. Hunter 4. Caquatto 5. Williams. Bieger is 11th.

WOGA is being honored. Out on the floor are Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin and Valeri Liukin. Steve Penny presents them with the Presidential medallion.