Nastia won't be at worlds

Joint statement from USA Gymnastics and Nastia Liukin regarding her withdrawal from consideration for ’09 World Championships Team


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 31, 2009 – 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, has withdrawn her name from consideration for selection to the U.S. Team for the 2009 World Championships, Oct. 13-18, in London, England. The first selection camp for the women’s team is slated to start on Sept. 8 at the Women’s National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.

“I have given a lot of thought to this since the 2009 Visa Championships,” said Liukin, who competed in the Visa Championships in Dallas earlier this month. “Getting back into the gym and competition has been a major goal for me this summer, and I have worked hard to balance my training and obligations. This past year has been wonderful and a whirlwind. With the selection process for Worlds beginning next week, I realized I need to take some time to get myself where I need and want to be competitively. Competing at a World Championships is an incredible experience, and I look forward to supporting my teammates as they prepare for London.

“The 2012 Olympics in London remain an important goal for me. I have more to accomplish in this sport.”

Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, said, “We totally support Nastia’s decision regarding this year’s World Championships. This is just another example of the integrity and sportsmanship that is an integral part of Nastia. We look forward to her continued participation at a high level and are confident that she is making a decision that is in her and the team's best interest.”

Well, in a way, I know that Nastia would hate to appear at a Worlds in less-than-top-notch form, plus it leaves the door open for someone else who has been training all year, so I'd have to say that I'm pleased.

Whoops, spoke too soon

Nastia wished to set the record straight.



This afternoon she tweeted:

NLiukin: For everyone asking about my floor music... No, it's not "Carmen"....


hmmm....what then?

I knew it!

Nastia's new floor ex music is...CARMEN!

The Leak

If it's anything like Sasha Cohen's 2002 short program, it'll be stunning.



Interestingly, Nastia originally had Ivana's music, which was Sasha Cohen 2002 short program music. Which is all the more interesting because I have always seen tremendous similarities between Sasha and Nastia. I see them as similar because in the spiral sequences Sasha was one of the only skaters I've ever seen to come to a complete 180 split in her legs, and she exceeds that in her split leaps. I feel like Sasha forever changed the sport in that this became the expectation, similar to how Nastia's handstands became the expectation. They are also both so technically good but prone to small mistakes here and there, that that is why I never expected Nastia to win the Olympic all-around gold. They are also both of Russian heritage, and they both have a mastery in technique, which leads to gorgeous artistry.



<3 Can't wait!

Heated Debate!

I am having a somewhat heated discussion with the fellow fanatics on the IG Message Board.

Fishbulb says: Bleh. I don't understand the execution scores at all. It doesn't make sense to me that a short handstand on bars can be worse than a FALL. I might get pummelled for this, but... why does Ivana get such low scores on bars? Before you freak out, mind you I'm not a code expert, and obviously I didn't get the memo about short handstands = death. I can see that her tkatchev is bad, but other than that (and the HANDSTANDS) how does she barely score better than Jana?

AGREED. Neither gymnast is THAT sloppy. Jana gets picked on, bur seriously, from an 8.4 you'd think she was horrid. But how can Ivana only score .2 higher than that? Yes, handstands and low Tcatchev, but... hmm for YEARS these things didn't matter like they do now. which leads me to his second point...

I feel like the FIG picks one new thing every code to focus on, and kind of forgets about everything else. Now it's this no-lunge landing thing. Can I just mention that this may be the stupidest thing to ever happen in gymnastics. IMO. I spent a million hours as a kid practicing throwing my head back and stepping back just the way the elites did it. Now that's gone. WHY? They give some BS answer about this being the only way to show lack of control, but isn't that the judges job? Aren't the supposed to watch and decide if someone is in control or not? I see it controlling the girls into a bunch of snapped ankles.

So, to be clear, the two most important things in gymnastics are handstands on bars, and landing like a dude on floor. Not so much skills, artistry, creativity, expression, staying on the apparatus... It's a few tenths for a fall, and 72380189710980 tenths for a missed handstand. HURUMPF.

Precisely. This year it's execution. Oh well if you're consistent and hit 8-for-8, like hong. If you can land like a guy, and hit handstands, you're good as gold.

And, I'm sorry but it's ludicrous to say that the "lunge" girls have done for years shows a lack of control. I'm not a judge, but even I know the difference between a lunge that shows a controlled landing and one that does not!!

Not favorites technically, but....

Do you (any of my ?? readers...if I have any?) have any gymnasts that, while technically are not your favorites, they have a compelling story that makes them kind of a favorite anyway? I was thinking about this the other day.

Like, for example, Morgan White. Back in the "dark quad" era. America needed a shining light. By late 1999, Vanessa Atler had dimmed. Morgan had some sloppy things here and there, lacked power, and IMO, did something kind of funny with her arm placement.

That said, she came a long way between 1999-2000, especially between Nationals, where she fell on vault, to Trials, where she landed her Yurchenko 1.5. THAT was a big deal for her. Morgan was so teeny and fragile and lacked a lot of confidence, I think, but to her, just getting that vault to her feet was huge. She may not have been Elise Ray that year, but just watching her "grow" and improve over that two-year period, to making the team, I found to be very touching.

And then she broke her foot.


Another one is Courtney Kupets. While I could never get into her strange choices of floor exercise music, and choreograpghy that lacked grace, MAN you have to give it to her for coming back from not one but TWO torn Achilles tendons. In an interview recently I heard on an NCAA competition, whomever the commentator was (can't remember), she noted what a true champion Kupets was, because in the interview, Kupets made note of how she actually looked forward to the comebacks from injury, and fighting her way back. Wow, who likes that?! Who looks forward to that? Who doesn't want to scream and throw a fit an an injury like that?!



Also, as a side note, Kupets needs to teach the world how to do Tchatchevs, Never seen a better one from anyone.

I want to know more

About Rebecca Bross.
Dear Al Twautwig, Please do a fluff piece on Bross for your next broadcast!

Like I said earlier, she's different from Nastia, yet she's the clear heir apparent (despite her mistakes). I wonder how many of her mistakes were because of injury v. nerves?

I like that in a world of glamor and girlie leos, Bross comes in with plain hair, no make up, all business, with only her teeny little stud earrings. I like that she invokes the seriousness of the "gool 'ole Iron Curtain" days. I like her intensity. I like that she's a power house.

I really, really like her FX music. I think it suits her personality: intense. But what I don't like is that she starts with two tumbling passes, back-to-back, then does a whole lot of dance until the final pass. And it's not stellar dance at that (she's not Amanar but she's not Nastia either). It makes for an imbalanced routine. Additionally, look how solid her tumbling was here in 2007:





She mounts with a full-in (correct me if that's a half-in, half-out or a full-out) (check the landing!). Then: back 1.5 to Rudi; FHS, bounder, double twisting front; back 2.5 to layout punch front with half.

Look at the control in all her landings and check the height of the double twisting front, her third pass. And look how the choreography flows better with the fourth pass added.

Let's move to bars. Someone on the IG message bourd commented about her legs/ankles.Yup, she's got the Ksenia Semenova legs. That being said, who cares? It doesn't bother me. I am all about her quick pirouettes on top of the bar, and the height on her Tchatchev (Hong needs to study that w/ Bross) and her kick-butt Jaeger. Wow, talk about torque, as her arm rips off the bar.

I like that's she's a power athlete with the ability to score exceedingly well on bars. (Ha, note "ability." It's not her forte). I love the way she kind of "kicks" her legs into a really tight pike position when doing an inside stalder. Anyone else notice this? ha, or just me? And love the legs together on the full-in dismount.

Beam. Phew girl, she makes me nervous here! Like I said before, you never know how hard a dismount, or any skill for that matter, is until someone misses it. Was it just me, or was she taking off not close enough to the edge of the beam? I felt like she was too close to the beam and in danger of hitting her head. That, and the locked knees on the landing on night 1, and her being off to the side on night 2. Perhaps Valeri will change the dismount. I noticed that when several of Nastia's skills caused problems again and again, they did away with them (her old beam combo that included and back pike, and her scrapping the triple twisting dismount for a 2.5 off beam, and her Randi on floor). I think she clearly let the nerves get to her on night 2, with the little bobble she had on a simple dance move. I TOTALLY thought she was going to fall on her side flip. Nice save.


Vault. I think the ability's totally there, which was evident in night 2. What I don't know is how much of a factor injury and lack of repetition played. I'd love to see her do an Amanar though.

OK but moreover, I want to know about her as a person. Here's what I've been able to find.

She was born on July 11, 1993 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I'm taking a guess her parents are divorced (last names Bross and Brugge). She is 5 feet tall. Her favorite apparatus is beam and her favorite subject is math; she's home-schooled. She likes Chinese food and R & B music.

I can't wait to see more of her. I feel like she's a shoe-in for the World team. And if I had to pick to all-arounders for the U.S., as of now I'd go with Bross & Sloan.


Thoughts?

Getting ridiculously excited.

Off to buy a bottle of my favorite wine.

VCR & DVR are set. And double-checked.

This will be my 12th Nationals that I have watched live.

And 17th that I have on tape.

It takes me back.... 12 years ago, I was watching and rooting for Vanessa Atler. Ahh...memories.

Word on the street is that Nastia had breakfast with "special friend" 2009 World Figure Skating Champion Evan Lysacek. hmm...wonder if he's gay?

OK off to buy my wine. :)

Ready for Nationals Day 2

I have my Nastia t-shirt (white w/ pink Nastia + heart logo) and I plan to have a sushi dinner, including a Rainbow Roll (Nastia's favorite). Need a nice bottle of wine. The DVR & VCR are ready. WAHOO!

2009 Nationals: Day 1

Dwight Normile's thoughts here: Bross Leads Hong at U.S. Championships

Photos here: USA Gymnastics

My thoughts.
The heir apparent?

I really like Bross in a way that's quite different from Liukin. She's got a tough-as-nails look about her. She muscular, compact and boyish. She lacks the grace of Liukin but has raw power. It's got to be tough to be the third gymnast from your gym in a line of Olympic all-around gold medalists. And looking on to 2012, I think the super stars of those Games are likely juniors right now. That being said, at least Bross is age-eligible to compete at worlds ad start gaining experience. Her dance needs some work, but it was a testament to her for hitting bars, not a strong event for her, and for having the meet-high on the event so far. On her Patterson dismount off beam, apparently she missed it in warming up as well. It's amazing because, I know a double Arabian off beam is tough, but in all the years watching Carly do it, I can't remember her falling on it. In other words, it's easy to forget how hard some skills are! Another thought that occurred to me: could you ASK for a better mentor than Nastia?

The Queen Returns

I am really digging these WOGA plum-colored leos. And Nastia's dramatic eyeliner. And her little French braid on the side. That being said, I've never seen her look so tentative. She actually looked nervous, versus at the Classic when she missed her Onodi and switch-ring leap in practice but hit in competition, here her practice looked better but competition not as good. No meltdowns though, and I mean, seriously, who even expected her to be here?! I really wish she would have just bit the bullet and done bars though. Like she has said several times, you have to start somewhere. Even if it's not spectacular, why not just give it a go, just to debut it?

The Rock Wobbles


I would have expected Sloan to have been more solid. I think she's coming into her own as a gymnast, but she still gets rattled by mistakes. Like the fall on beam. She couldn't let it go throughout that routine. And her piked full-in on floor? She normally lands that two-footed! What was her landing about?

Other random notes:

I am digging the sideways-bang-poof thing, as well as Sloan and Bieger's buns over their previous ponytails.

Love Hong's FX music (it's the old Sasha Cohen short program skating music from 2002). (Yes, I am a geek like that).

What is with the no lunging rule on FX? I know that's the new rule but, even when gymnasts looked like they landed and had control, they still took the step; they didn't even look like they were trying to land two-footed.

I remember the days of the 1992-1996 Quad, with Miller, Strug, Dawes... these were the years I grew up watching. And I must say, we NEVER saw a camaraderie like we see now. It's so refreshing. Especially among gymnasts who don't even train in the same gym. so nice.

Chellsie Memmel once again proves she's tough as they come.