Possible 2009 World USA Team

Taking all events into account (we don't have that ahmazing vaulters anymore).....

Possibilities:
Nastia Liukin
Bridget Sloan
Chellsie Memmel
Ivana Hong
Kytra Hunter
Jana Bieger
(Shawn Johnson)

VT:
Sloan - DTY, great execution.
Hunter - 1 1/2, but it's HUGE. If she's selected for worlds, she'll upgrade to a DTY almost for sure.
Hong - DTY, pretty good.
Liukin - 1 1/2, perfect. She's going to be used for vault in prelims if doing the AA, which I think she will. After all, she's the reigning olympic champion.
Memmel - will only vault if doing the AA.
(Shawn Johnson - Amanar, good form. Landing needs work xD)

UB:
Liukin - DUH!
Memmel - Another world champion.....
Sloan - only if they need her.
(Shawn Johnson - ?)

BB:
Liukin - given.
Memmel - If doing the AA.
Hong - if WOGA can give her the beam abilities of Nast and Carly, then for suresies. WOGA always has the best beamers. So light on their feet, like feathers (ech hem, Carly :P)
(Shawn Johnson - given if she shows up, cause she's um, lemme think..... another olympic champion!!!)

FX:
Liukin - Bronze medalist and needs it for the AA.
Kytra Hunter - WHOOOOO explosive. One of the best in the new code.
Jana Bieger - great tumbling.
Memmel - if doing the AA. Has good difficulty, could clean it up.
(Shawn Johnson - ?)


AA:
Liukin
Memmel
(Shawn Johnson)

If Liukin hits, I have a feeling she will come out on top. With Beth second. And Ksenia third. AND PAVS POWNS ALL!

We don't really need Jana Bieger.

TEAM: Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel, Ivana Hong, Bridget Sloan, and Kytra Hunter.
If Shawn does not show, either Jana or Mattie Larson might take her place. But I hear Mattie is out with ankle injury.

TQ
VT: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Kytra
UB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Bridget
BB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Ivana or Bridget
FX: Shawn, Nastia, Kytra, Bridget

TF
VT: Shawn, Nastia, Kytra
UB: Nastia, Chellsie, Bridget
BB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie or Ivana
FX: Shawn, Kytra, Bridget







EDIT: Thanks to Kennedy Sorenstam for telling me these worlds are individual and only four per country.


So I will re-do this.

Team: Nastia Liukin (WOGA), Chellsie Memmel (M and M), Kytra Hunter, and Ivana Hong (WOGA) or Bridget Sloan. Depends on how Ivana's shaping up at WOGA cause we haven't heard much from her.

(Possible: Shawn Johnson -Chows)

AA: Liukin, Memmel (Johnson)
VT EF: Nobody. Unless Shawn pulls out an Amanar and another vault such as a DTT.
UB EF: Nastia and Chellsie
BB EF: Liukin, Memmel (Johnson)
FX EF: Memmel, Hunter (who can pull out gold, has scored 15+) (Johnson)

Best New Code Uses

In this new code, to have a high start value, you (as a gymnast) will want routines with: Tons of connection, and difficult elements.

Best examples:

Nastia Liukin's ah-mazing bars, like, TEN skill connection (all d's or e's) worth 0.8. For one flipping connection. I'm stunned.

Shawn Johnson's beam: An F, G, and 2 E's. Pretty Killer connections. Shawn can easily add a pike back after her full twist for a 0.2 (?) connection.

Beth Tweddle Bars: F, E, D + D flight connection, E into D - Dismount, another E. She's going to do well. Clean it up, though.

Cheng Fei floor: G, E, Pretty big twisting connection, whip (A) into Triple (E)

Shawn Johnson floor: G, Whip into triple, Full-In (E), the crazy ability to stick that double double

Daiane Dos Santos floor (duh!): G, G, F, F, A into D. Yeah. Are you thinking 'Not human, man!' right now? But that's five passes: Ah-ha! SOLUTION taking the forward tumbling thing into account!

1st pass: Arabian Double Straight
2nd pass: Full Twisting DLO
3rd pass: Arabian double pike + Branny (tuck front 1/2) - 0.2 connection
Last pass: DLO (this could be interesting...)

That's 0.7+0.7+0.6+0.2+0.2+0.6 in that alone...who said you need leaps...that actually comes out to 3.0 (!) in just that, assuming she fills up all the requirements she has a 5.5, NOW comes the time for 2 'C' leaps and she has a 6.1 SV. Geez.

Li Shanshan BB: Not too many E's and zero F's, but she has good connections.


Anyways, what do you think?

And what's the current deal with Pavs?

What do you think?

First off, congrats to Shawn Johnson for winning DWTS! I'm so proud of you, except for the Lindy Hop.

I think Shawn will return to gymnastics. We haven't seen what she's ready to unveil at worlds! I think it will be big!

Shawn Johnson: She Better Win!

If she and Mark do not win, I will murder the person that does win.
I'm kidding.
:P LOL xD
This, IMO, is her best dance with Mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhef7oXqTlE
It won't let me freaking copy and paste, so I have to link.
Sorry 'bout that.
Why an eight? This deserved all three nines!
Whaddaya think?

New Code Record Holders

New Code Record Holders:

Cheng Fei VT 16.225 - ? (6.5/9.725)

Catalina Ponor BB 16.700 - 2007 Romanian Nationals (7.0/9.7)

He Kexin UB 17.300 - ? (7.7/9.6)

Shawn Johnson FX 16.200 - 2008 USA Nationals (6.6/9.6)

Can't wait for Euros to see if any records can be broken!
(I have to admit, I doubt it, with the only-9-skills-count thing. And nobody AFAIK* is performing a vault of 6.5 SV).

*AFAIK = As Far As I Know

Individual Apparatus Awards - Balance Beam

BB second.


Balance Beam awards are hereby presented to.....

Catalina Ponor for originality, difficulty, killer execution, and a gigantacus variety of skills. She remains the only one to connect 5 skills: Onodi, Aerial, Kochetkova, BFF, Layout. She is the record holder for highest BB score with a 16.700 (7.0/9.7). She is the 2004 Olympic Champion.

Tatiana Lyssenko for always displaying supreme control of the beam. She loves the beam "because it obeys me,". She is the 1992 Olympic Champion.

Anna Pavlova for beautiful, beautiful, times ten beam work. Simply stunning.

Anastasia Liukin for perfect execution and a wonderful variety of skills, and to cap it off, a stellar 2.5/Triple Twist dismount.

Shawn Johnson for Simply. Best. difficulty. ever. Not necessarily best execution, but a wobble is rare times ten for Shawn.

Olessia Dudnik for simply the best skills I have ever seen in my entire life, including my favorite combination: Free Aerial Cartwheel, Layout Stepout, Layout Stepout.

Pictures 'n Captions

The Couch Gymnast isn't the only one...
Mine are lackluster though.


Nastia: Uh, dad, you know...they're looking at me!
Valeri: Good. Let's not disappoint them, then.


Shawn: Sorry, folks. This really is my best death glance.


Dasha: I'm ti-yurrd of smiling! Snap the dang picture already!

Only three for now, sorry.

Gymnasts That Should Be Combined

Seriously, I have some good trios.

1. Anna Pavlova + Shawn Johnson + Nastia Liukin
2. Andreea Raducan + Carly Patterson + Tatiana Gutsu
3. Catalina Ponor + Courtney Kupets + Elena Zamolodchikova
4. Mary Lou Retton + Ksenia Semenova + Svetlana Khorkina

What do you think?
I'll try and get them into a poll.