Ohashi's FX Podium Training ('13 American Cup)

Here are my thoughts on Ohashi's new floor routine. It's just podium training so it's not a real floor exercise where she got judged. I'm not sure if I like it. I'll have to see the real final routine. Her dance is good for an American gymnast. I just don't like her style though. It's too stiff and not smooth enough. I know, I know I'm an artistry troll. But for an American she moves okay enough. In terms of the actual gymnastics she is one of the best in the world. This girl can twist. And she has fairly good execution.

Here is what she is going for:

Full in Pike (E)
Bwd 3/2 + Fwd 2/1 (C+D) 0.2CV
Switch Ring + Switch leap 1/1 (D)
Dbl Pike (D)
Memmel (D)
Gogean (D)
Bwd 5/2 + fwd 1/1 (D) 0.2CV

3.2 + 0.4CV = 3.6 + 2.5CR = 6.1 D-Score

2013 Russian Championships (March 3-7)

Check out the poster for this year's 2013 Russian Championships. Cover girl Aliya Mustafina and cover boy Denis Ablyazin are the featured gymnasts :D.

This competition will start on the same week as American Cup. No Russians will attend the American Cup (March 1-2). This competition will be used to decide the team that will compete at the European Championships (Moscow, April 17-21). Although Valentina Rodionenko has already announced that Mustafina, Afanasyeva and new senior Evgeniya Shelgunova will compete, the last spot has not been named source. The names could change because Russian Championships results will give a better indication of who deserves to go to Europeans. This year's European will only be individual events: AA, VT, UB, BB & FX. No team competition and only four gymnasts can compete for a nation. I'm looking forward to see how Grishina will do, hopefully she will compete this week. There isn't a participation list up yet but most likely all returning Russian Olympians will compete with the exception of Viktoria Komova. Komova is dealing with a back injury and is taking a break.

Schedule: source
March 3rd: WAG QF & AA finals 11AM-2:45PM
                  MAG QF & AA finals 4PM-8:15PM
March 4th: WAG Team Finals 3PM-5:30PM
March 5th: MAG Team Finals 3PM-6PM
March 6th: MAG/WAG EF (FX, PH, SR, VT & UB) 11AM-1PM
March 7th: MAG/WAG EF (VT, PB, HB, BB & FX) 11AM-1PM
-All times are Penza, Russia time.

Just Because (D+A mixed connections)

Ling Jie's 1997 beam routine and other gifs. This beam routine is one of my favourites. I like her flic flac + Onodi + front aerial (B+D+D) connection. In the new code she would of received a tenth for series bonus and another tenth for the Onodi + front aerial. Total connections for 0.2. I also liked her wolf jump + Rulfova for 0.1 in the new code.

 (Ling Jie gifs by: monigymnastics)

As the gymnasts try to work the new code for this quad I hope we get to see some interesting dance + acro combinations. I guess it's a matter of preference but for some reasons I don't like acro + dance. For example, front aerial +wolf jump, front tuck + split jump and even recently Arabian + sissone. It doesn't seem exciting to me but it's worth it for the gymnasts to get CV. I'm okay with D+D mixed connections because Onodi + Sheep jump or other variations are hard.

(Qiao Ya by: gymnasticsgifs)

(Jiang Yuyuan by: monigymnastics)

My ultimate favourite, Daria Elizarova

(Source: gymnasticsgifs)

My Thoughts on Katelyn Ohashi's Balance Beam

One of the hot topics this past weekend was Ohashi's beam routine from the WOGA classic competition. Ohashi is a new senior for the American team and is well known for her beam. Of course she is also coached by Valeri Liukin.


Watch more video of WOGA Classic 2013 on gymnastike.org

I personally like this routine. She's a bit stiff in her movements but not everyone can move smoothly. I'm thinking the layout 1/1 is a bit piked down but it's still incredibly difficult. With the new code acro + dance bonus I'm not really liking it. At first I thought it would look cool but now it's just going to be easy bonus points for some gymnasts. In some bizarre way I don't mind if the combo was done as dance + acro (which is eligible). Seeing acro + dance doesn't really get me excited. Although I am sick and tired of seeing switch leap + back tuck which is still eligible for connection. One thing that bothers me is the redundant front aerial skill in her routine. She won't get difficulty value for the second front aerial but she will get the connection values. I feel it just looks awkward. Maybe I just have to get use to it. If many gymnasts starts to do Front aerial + front aerial I'll probably have to stop watching beam. That is a trend I am not willing to enjoy. Slow easy forward connections are not exciting. Something like Livchikova's connections are exciting. Although Flic flac + loso + loso or some other kind of variations are redundant but they are more exciting to watch and more dynamic. I just hope many gymnasts does not catch on with the two front aerial connections idea.

I calculated Ohashi's beam difficulty at 7.1 and if she connects the onodi to front aerial she'll get an extra tenth for 7.2. There are no official D-score from the WOGA competition yet. So I don't know what her actual beam d-score is. She also missed her leap composition requirement -0.5. So I'm guessing her d-score was around 6.6, which is still a huge d-score.

Here are my calculations:

Arabian + Sissone (F) 0.1CV
FF + BHS + Layout 1/1 (G) 0.1SB, 0.2CV
Switch Ring Leap (E)
Onodi (D)
Front Aerial + Front Aerial + Sheep Jump (D+D) 0.3CV
Full Turn
Switch 1/2 Leap (D)
Double Pike (E)

3.9 + 0.1SB + 0.6CV = 4.6 + 2.5 = 7.1 or 6.6 for missed CR.
 

Just Because

Tatyana Groshkova 1989 floor routine. I absolutely love this routine. The difficult tumbling and artistic performance was outstanding. Her first tumbling pass is just out of this world. Double full in.

    (Source: Korbut Flip)

From London To Rio Gala Montage

Here is the montage of the gala, From London To Rio. It features many stars like Ponor, Izbasa, Afanasyeva, Pavlova, Paseka and so on. It's a teaser montage and I believe the show will be fully available on the 12th of February. I'm happy that this came out today especially on a snowstorm like today. Enjoy!

New Russian Senior Yulia Tipaeva

I was watching some Russian gymnasts on Youtube and then came across videos of a recently new Russian senior Yulia Tipaeva. Currently she is not on the main Russian team but she is a reserved gymnast. I personally think she has potential. She is a decently clean gymnast. Maybe with more time she can add more difficulty. She was on the 2012 European Junior team, which is where I saw videos of her. I don't know what is the current state of Tipaeva but I hope she can be named to the main team. If anything I just wanted to give some recognition to this gymnast.

I particularly like her bar routine. We don't really get to see the 1/2 turn to double tuck in elite anymore. She could work on her toe-point but pretty good bars when she was a junior.

(using 2013 elite code)
Inbar + Inbar 1/2 (D+D)
Jaeger (D)
Stalder + Stalder 1/1 + Tkatchev (C+D+D) 0.1CV
Pak Salto (D)
1/2 Double Front (D)

3.1 + 0.1CV = 3.2 +2.5CR = 5.7 D-Score

She could upgrade and connect Jaeger for 0.1, Tkatchev + Pak for 0.1 for two extra tenths. Still kind of low D-score but what she does does make it seem like she has a difficult elite routine. She could be used as a steady lead off gymnast.

2013 Floor Connection Updates

I haven't seen any new newsletter on the official FIG website but Gymnastics Canada has new updates on their website. I'm not sure why FIG is not updating 2013 newsletter to their websites but argh.

There are many new updates that you'll find useful. I'm going to touch on the floor connections. 

There will no longer be any "D(salto) + A (Dance)" connection value but it will have to be a dance element that is rated "B" or higher. Salto's that are rated "E" or higher connected with "A" dance elements are still eligible for 0.1 connection value.

D (salto) + A (dance) 0.1CV NOW: D(salto) + B(dance) = 0.1CV & E(salto) + A(dance) = 0.1CV

So no more of this allowed:

WHEEEEEEEEE Bye Bye

  (Source: hus-bands) 

But this is allowed:

WHEEEEEEEE!!!!

(Source: Starkofwinterfell)