Surprise: Upgrades, upgrades, upgrades. What struck me from watching the Universal Sports online coverage and Gymnastike's excellent coverage of podium training was how many gymnasts there are in the U.S. who have upgraded dramatically from last year. There's Mykayla Skinner's double twisting double on floor, Mattie Larson's double layout, Katelyn Ohashi's full twist on beam, Amanda Jetter's Patterson dismount and Alexandra Raisman's ambitious Amanar, Arabian double pike on floor and new combinations on uneven bars, just to name a few.
Upgrades are hard, especially when you try to add a bunch of them at the same time. Raisman looked very comfortable in her skills at the American Cup and the Trofea di Jesolo, and I think they would have been enough, combined with the new bar routine, to win her the title in Chicago. Perhaps she should think about watering back to her initial (already hard routines) at the U.S. Championships.
Surprise: The bucking beam. Maybe we've been spoiled by Carly Patterson, Chellsie Memmel, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson for the past couple quads. They were four clutch beamworkers who rarely missed in competition. To see so many falls -- from World medalists like Rebecca Bross as well as newcomers like Jetter -- is a bit dispiriting if you're Martha Karolyi. The juniors didn't fare too much better. Although Katelyn Ohashi is one to watch, she was one of the few junior WOGAettes not to fall.
Surprise: Scary landings. The sight of Samantha Shapiro lying down on the mat after hyperextending her knee(s) landing her vault is a sober reminder that this is a sport where people can get hurt. The sight of Raisman sustaining a landing that looked downright perilous to her left knee, combined with the memory of Jordyn Wieber landing the same vault lock-legged at the 2009 American Cup, is jarring and sours me a bit on the Amanar. Like all gymnastics moves, it's awe-inspiring when done well, and frightening when not.
No surprise: Jordyn Wieber's domination. Best in the world right now? Debatable. Top three? Probably. There ought to be a junior World Championships.
Surprise: Did you see Alicia?! Yes, Virginia, you can take a year off and come back looking better, more powerful, less injured and more relaxed. Just ask Alicia Sacramone. I doubt Sacramone would compete if she wasn't looking good, but I think few were expecting quite this good. World team, anyone?
Sacramone's supporters expressed themselves in Chicago. Photo/Greg Long
Surprise: Kytra Hunter. Amidst all the talk about Olympians, World champions and junior sensations, this Hills gymnast quietly walked away with top finishes on vault, beam and floor in the senior division. Hunter, never much talked about as one of the big names, simply refuses to stand aside. World team, anyone?
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Comments
Lizzy did not fall on her beam routine
Sorry, Connie -- didn't mean to insinuate that Katelyn was the only WOGA gymnast not to fall on beam, just that she was one of the only ones, Lizzy of course being another one. I'll modify the sentence. -- Blythe
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