I'm back with a new post! This time with a short series of my favorite moments and routines on each event. Today I'll be focusing on vault, choosing my top 10 vaults of the season. Rather it helped a team to victory, it's different and interesting, or it's the first time a gymnast stuck it, these are favorite vault moments! Feel free to comment your favorite vaults of 2018 below, these are just my opinion :)
1. Sarah Edwards (LSU) - Super Six Finals
It was the final rotation of the Super Six, and LSU still had a slim chance of capturing their first National title. They needed to stick most if not all of their vaults to do it, and that's exactly what Sarah Edwards did, scoring a 9.95. It was the first time Edwards had stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 cold all season, and she couldn't have done it at better time. She gets so much height and amplitude on her 1.5, it was one of my favorites to watch all season. Her reaction to sticking it is one of the best parts too!
2. Mykayla Skinner (Utah) - NCAA Semifinals
Skinner competes a double twisting yurchenko week in and week out, and that in and of itself is incredible. She has so much power that it's often hard to stick it, and sometimes her form isn't the prettiest. But in Semifinals she came out and did her best DTY of the season to be crowned the NCAA tri-champion on vault with a 9.9375. It was a well deserved title, and I hope we see her stick it more next season!
3. Brenna Dowell (Oklahoma) - Perfect 10 vs. UCLA
There were so many amazing things about this particular meet, and Dowell finally getting her well deserved Perfect 10 on vault was one the best! Her Yurchenko 1.5 is gorgeous, and she can stick it cold every time! It's not fair that she goes so early in OU's vault lineup, often taking away her chances of getting a 10. I hope to see Dowell moved down later in the lineup next year so she can get the scores she deserves!
4. Cami Drouin-Allaire (George Washington) - First DTY
Cami was one of GW's superstar seniors, competing as a top AAer every week. Her best event was usually vault, with a stunning full twisting Yurchenko capable of scoring in the 9.9s. But towards the end of her senior season, she debuted a great DTY, surprising all of us gym nerds. She didn't stick it in the video below, but she got great height and form on it for a 9.900.
5. Alex McMurtry (Florida) - FTY vs. Georgia
Obviously McMurtry has an incredible DTY, but I'm going to switch it up and say this stuck, flared out full twisting Yurchenko is one of my favorites this season. I've been obsessed with her vaults since she was freshman, I could watch them all day. She can sometimes get a little bouncy out of FTYs, but this one was perfect and I still think it should have been scored a "perfect" 9.95 instead of just a 9.925.
6. UCLA's 49.625 Vault Rotation - Senior Night
UCLA's weak event all season was vault, mostly due to only having two 10.0 SV vaults. However, everything came together with stick after stick during the Bruin's senior night. Was there some overscoring? Yes. But you can't deny that it was a fabulous rotation, and their best of all during 2018. With the help of 9.9s from Kyla Ross & Anna Glenn, 9.925s from Pauline Tratz & Felicia Hano, and finishing with a 9.975 from Pua Hall- UCLA counted nothing below a 9.9 to reach a season high.
7. Rachel Slocum (Florida) - 9.925 Vault vs. Kentucky
Rachel struggled a lot with her first two vaults of the season, which was surprising after her junior season on the event. But Slocum got back to her normal self in the third meet, successfully doing her handspring pike 1/2 like we know she can. I've always loved her vaults since she was Eastern Michigan because she can do a different vault from your typical Yurchenkos SO well. She didn't stick this particular vault, but it was an amazing moment that turned around her senior season.
8. Elizabeth Price (Stanford) - 9.975 DTY vs. Cal
We all know and love Ebee. Every single vault she did throughout her NCAA career was stellar, but her highlight vault of 2018 for me was sticking her first DTY of the season. I still think it is the best DTY we've ever seen in collegiate gymnastics, and I'm going to miss her so much. I definitely wouldn't have been mad at a 10 for this, but Price was consistently underscored throughout her career so...
9. Arianna Robinson (Cal) - Pac 12 Championships
I highlighted Robinson's FHS front pike vault in my favorite skills post, but I'm including her again because I was so happy to see her get the score she deserved on this vault. There is leg separation in the pre flight, but I still think the judges need to reward her when she sticks this vault. This was, in my opinion, her best vault all season and I think the 9.925 was well deserved.
10. Lexie Priessman (LSU) - 9.925 vs. Florida
This isn't necessarily my favorite vault, but it's definitely one of my favorite moments. Lexie is one of my favorite gymnasts of all time, and It's such a shame her career has been so injury ridden. But watching her have such great vaults the first half the season made me so happy. I may or may not have cried when she stuck this vault and scored a career high.
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Hey guys, I'm back with a leo ranking post! One of my favorite things about gymnastics is seeing all the pretty leos that teams and gymnasts come up with. So I thought it'd be fun to go through all the new leos NCAA teams debuted in 2018, and come up with my top 10 favorites. Remember this is just my opinion, everyone has different tastes in leotards :) 1. Maryland I'm obsessed with this leo, it's gorgeous and elegant. The ombre mesh sleeves, crystal pattern, back design, everything is amazing. My favorite part is definitely the cool way of integrating the Maryland flag into the back. 2. LSU This is by far one of my favorite LSU leos. The shade of purple is lovely, and crystal pattern is pretty too. But the back straps are definitely my favorite part, it makes the leo so much better. My one complaint is the key hole in the front, but the more I see it the more I like it. 3. Cal This is stunning. The white to navy blue ombre is one of my favorite color combinations, and the sparkle pattern is simple yet pretty. The mesh sleeves and and deep v in the back is beautiful. I also love that Cal is incorporating more gold and school spirit into their leos! 4. Florida Florida has a lot of pretty leos, but for some reason this is one of my favorites. Definitely my favorite that they debuted this season. I love the overall design, and it has just the right amount of sparkle. The simple sleeve design is lovely. My one wish is for there to be some orange though. 5. UNC I LOVE a Carolina blue leo, and this is no exception. The ombre and design is so classy and beautiful. I also like the crystal school logo. Probably my favorite UNC leo, honestly I have nothing bad to say about it. 6. Missouri This is such a cool leo. It's so different from Missouri's other leos, and I love it. The ombre, tiger claw marks, school spirit, it's all incredible. Mizzou has tough colors to work with, but they did great here. My favorite part is definitely the criss cross open back though. 7. UW-Lacrosse D3 really upped their leo game this season, but UWL's is definitely my favorite! I'm obsessed with the ombre mesh and all the sparkles. It's so sophisticated and elegant. I have no complaints, everything about it is gorgeous. 8. Oklahoma I either love or hate Oklahoma's leos but this is big win in my book. They always find a way to add a refreshing and cool design. The crimson with sparkly white sleeves and geometric design is fantastic. I love the "Boomer Sooner" and open back. If I had one minor complaint, it's that 3 OUs is a little much. 9. Michigan This isn't my favorite Michigan leo ever, but it's definitely my favorite they debuted this season. I love the throwback look. I could use a little more sparkle, but the overall design is really great. As usual, it has awesome school spirit but I especially love the "Wolverines" on the back. 10. UCLA I'm honestly not usually a fan of UCLA's leos, but I love this one. Especially because they actually incorporated some school spirit. I only wish we had some blue and gold too. But the sparkle design is amazing, and the simple criss cross straps on the back are lovely. Bonus- there's no potential for a wardrobe malfunction!
Hey everyone, welcome to my very first post! With NCAA season over and no major elite competitions happening right now, I thought I would post about some of my favorite skills I've seen done in NCAA. College gymnastics is full of unique and fun skills that you don't see done very often. So I've come up with a list of 15 skills that have caught my eye, for various different reasons. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, and I'm probably leaving out a bunch of skills I haven't come across.
1. Daria Bijak (Utah) - Double front-punch front
I found this skill when watching the 2009 Super Six Championships, I fell in love with it. I've never seen this done before, and the difficulty of it is incredible for NCAA gymnastics. There is some form issues, but honestly who cares when you're doing this. Bijak's ability to control her power and land it perfectly amazes me.
2. Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma) - Front full-front layout step out
Going along with front tumbling, here's a gorgeous front LOSO combination pass. I'm a sucker for any LOSO connection out of a pass, and Nichols switching things up with a front layout step out is the best. She does it perfectly every time, and it always looks so lovely.
3. Toni-Ann Williams (Cal) - Double front Beam Dismount So if you can't already tell, I love double front skills. This is very difficult and in NCAA it's not worth the risk, so Williams' competed it only a few times throughout her career. I'm choosing to ignore the form errors because it's still incredible that she can even do this skill. 4. Kennedy Baker (Florida) - Arabian double pike (Dos Santos)
Every NCAA gym fan knows about Baker's elusive Dos Santos. She's known for making it look effortless and basically doing it in a layout position. It's a gorgeous skill, and I think Baker's is the best I've seen. It's a shame we never got to see her compete the extremely rare Dos Santos II (layout position) before her career ended.
5. Maranda Smith (Florida) - Double front half out Bars Dismount
Like Bijak's skill, I came across this dismount when watching the 2009 Super Six. I've never seen it done in NCAA before, and I love it. The skill has potential to go wrong in many ways, but Smith makes it look easy and very cool. Also, that STICK!
6. Rheagan Courville (LSU) - Standing Arabian
A standing Arabian is a pretty common skill in elite, but it's rare to see in NCAA, and it's rare to see one as great as Courville's. Seriously, it's just so beautiful. I love that she hardly ever fell on itin her college career too.
7. Brittany Rogers (Georgia) - Back handspring 3/4 Stag
I loved Rogers' entire beam routine, but her 3/4 BHS directly into a stag handstand is definitely my favorite skill of hers. It's so unique and difficult. This is why I love NCAA. You would never see anything like this elite because it has no bonus or difficulty value.
8. Ruby Harrold (LSU) - Zuchold
I don't think anyone has done this skill since it originated besides Harrold. I was obsessed with it when she did it as an elite, and I'm so happy she's kept it for NCAA. It incurs built in deductions, but honestly I don't care. It just looks so cool.
9. M'rcy Matsunami (Alaska) - Toe on Counter Kim
In a world full of Tkatchevs and Jaegers, it's so refreshing seeing a unique release on bars. You rarely see it in elite, and I think Matsunami was the first to compete in NCAA. Honestly, she should've qualified to NCAA Nationals all 4 years of her career just for doing that skill.
10. Alex McMurtry (Florida) - Back hip circle
A back hip circle is typically a bars skill for a level 2, but McMurtry puts a spin on it and performs one on beam. It's simple with no value, and is just part of her choreography. But it's something that turns a cookie cutter beam routine into a unique one.
11. Kytra Hunter (Florida) - Open double tuck
A double tuck is far from unique, but Hunter's open one is beautiful. I love open positions in tumbling, and her's is no exception. She gets so much height on it and can land it perfectly every time, making it look effortless.
12. Peng Peng Lee (UCLA) - Bhardwaj
A Bhardwaj is fairly common in elite, but rare in NCAA, and Peng competes one like no other. She has incredible form, legs and feet perfectly together throughout the whole skill. It's what sets her apart from the others. I'll never get tired of watching it.
13. Arianna Robinson (Cal) - Front handspring-Front pike Vault
This is such a cool vault, and I love that Robinson does something different amongst your typical FTY's. You won't see a front handspring onto the springboard in elite because it's banned, but I hope more NCAA gymnasts do it in the future. I've always thought her vault was vastly underscored when stuck.
14. Mykayla Skinner (Utah) - Tucked Double Double
Say what you want about Skinner, but you can't deny that she is an incredible NCAA gymnast. She's competing the hardest tumbling pass ever done in the NCAA, and she makes it look easy. I appreciate that she goes all out on floor, even though she doesn't get any bonus for doing a double double.
15. Danusia Francis (UCLA) - Sideways side aerial Beam Dismount
I saved the best for last, Danusia's elusive (and crazy) beam dismount. I'm not even going to begin to describe it, just watch the Gif below. You would never see anything like this in elite because it's not worth anything, and this is why NCAA is the best. It's just such a cool dismount, and I really miss watching her at UCLA.
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