(GYM) ***CLOSED***Gymnastics 2023 - 2024***CLOSED

The announcers said ESPN made a mistake posting 9.975 as the score was actually 9.925.

An Alabama floor score was adjusted several times, first down and then up higher than the original score. The result was UF went from leading to a tie headed into the final rotation. Just more crappy judging. I also didn't like the 9.9 bama's Shania Adams got on the beam as she had two balance checks while on the beam but stuck her dismount.

 

From Dr. Sam and as what Trinity said in an interview last night:

Dr. Sam, PhD on X: "ALERT TRINITY THOMAS PLANS TO COMPETE AA AT WINTER CUP." / X (twitter.com)

Trinity is going to compete in all four events at the elites Winter Cup. I hope it is televised. NBC has a broadcast of the 2023 Winter Cup.

2024 Winter Cup • USA Gymnastics

 

Nobody is on the US Olympics Team yet. There will be stiff competition for the slots.

 

Perspective after the bama loss:

Bama was winnable. The Gators just didn't get it done.

Nobody is going undefeated in the SEC, so nothing has been decided insofar as the SEC is concerned.

Highest to lowest SEC scores in week 4:

Kentucky 197.950
Alabama 197.575
Florida 197.425
Missouri 197.325
Arkansas 197.225
LSU 197.225
Auburn 196.675
Georgia 196.650

As bad as we saw the Gators perform, UF has the 3rd highest SEC score this week to go along with a probably .500 upside when at peak performance. If the Gators can get to the peak, UF is a likely final 4 caliber team. UF probably has more upside than any other SEC team.

There is a clear top 6 in the SEC this week and for the season. UF goes to the bottom at UGALY next week. UGALY losing one of their top gymnasts for the season in warmups prior to the opening match has set the poodles back. UF should win and hopefully with a good road score.

LSU had the meet wrapped up last night at Missouri before their Achilles heel struck. Aleah Finegan, one of LSU's top gymnasts, fell off the beam in LSU's last performance of the night. For LSU, it was their Morgan Hurd end of meet performance, just on the road.

Nationally, UF is likely to end the week at #8 again. Missouri at #9 fell slightly further back from the Gators, winning over LSU but with a lower home score.

 

Talking about Olympic hopefuls, Shilese Jones has been removed by College Gym News from the list of 2024 recruits and UF's future roster. She has all of her eggs in her Olympics basket.

If it comes down to Trinity Thomas, Kayla DiCello, and Leanne Wong or Shilese Jones, you know darn well I'll be rooting for the Gators.

Kayla showed up at the bama meet to support the Gators on Alumni Night. I saw her several times during the meet. I bet she wishes she could have been competing for UF for one night.

 

Yes, but she doesn't value education, so I do not see it happening. CJR commented on those signing in the 2024 class that they valued education. I don't think she was saying that about the signees as much as implying the reverse for Shilese Jones since she refused to sign with UF.

 

ETGator1's Top 4 After Week 4 Plus More:

1. Oklahoma
2. California
3. Kentucky
4. Utah

Until the tiggers straighten out the balance beam, I cannot include LSU in my top 4.

Alabama may have peaked after scoring 197.575 for 2 consecutive weeks, a good team but not great.

The good news for UF is the Gators continue to improve even if modestly at this point. UF's 3 scores on the season as we didn't start until week 2:

Week 2 - 197.125
Week 3 - 197.325
Week 4 - 197.425

Actually, the season is unfolding so far just about as I thought in preseason except that I didn't see Cal and UK delivering consistently at such high levels. If our veterans can refrain from mistakes and the freshmen can grow up as the season progresses, the Gators could be a candidate for nationals depending on who UF draws in the Gainesville Regional. Missouri or UCLA could give UF trouble getting out of the regional.

I can't help thinking about how good this team could have been with Kayla DiCello and Riley McCusker. On Riley, midseason will be 3 months out since she had surgery on her ankle/foot. I've been wondering if she might get well soon enough to practice and rejoin the team for 1/2 the season. CJR would be prudent not to allow it even if she could. She'd be better off taking a redshirt to extend her eligibility for a full season. UF would be stronger in 2025 and 2026 too.

 

spill it for us non-payers. we have a right to have anya's 9.825 cleared up.

 

1. Bart Connor has called out the judges for not enforcing the code used for NCAA gymnastics judging, see post #334.

2. Last summer, I posted an article about NCAA rules for judging changes as reported at College Gym News. In the article, to go along with doing away with the college stick by requiring a 1 second hold before saluting on a stick, the NCAA changed the rule to only 2 passes required. The article disclosed that 59% of the gymnasts were already doing 2-pass routines instead of 3 and that the practice was actually good for the gymnasts to help reduce risk of injury for performing way more often than elites are required to perform during the collegiate season. Alyssa Baumann used to do 2 passes and graded out at 9.9+ on a regular basis. I'll try to locate that post # tomorrow.

3. Put 2 & 3 together and the sport now has judges who make up their own damn rules on how they are going to judge collegiate gymnastics as witnessed by Anya Pilgrim being down scored for only doing 2 passes. These are the rogue out of control judges that I have been complaining about since the start of the season, plenty of posts by me here.

4. When I get the chance and if the meet is available on demand on the ESPN app, I'll watch to see if Anya did the 2 leaps to 180 and if the judges were consistent on this throughout UF's and bama's floor routines. Even if you take off .05 for each leap, Anya's score would have been a 9.900 instead of 9.825.

5. Bottom line, these judges who enforce their own personal code of rules should be thrown out of collegiate gymnastics. The sport is tainted with corruption until someone takes action against these judges.

EDIT 1: This is not the article that included the rules changes for reducing college sticks and only requiring 2 passes, but I found it first and will be looking for the other article:

Two-Pass Floor Routines Are Becoming the New Normal - College Gym News

EDIT 2: Code of Points as published by College Gym News:

Code of Points - College Gym News

For two tumbling pass routines
No D element in one pass and minimum D or 0.20 connection bonus in other pass 0.10

According to the code, 2 pass-routines are okay when the required elements are included. If Anya left any required element out, this is correctible and should have been corrected prior to the meet in practice.

EDIT 3: Rules and Modifications for the 2024 season as published with links by College Gym News:

New NCAA Gymnastics Rules, Modifications, and What They All Mean for the 2024 Season - College Gym News

I don't think all judges are uniformly enforcing the 1 second rule on landings.

There is no mention of 2-pass routines, but that was covered in edit 2. They are allowed with requirements. Additionally, the code does not provide for increased points for doing a 3-pass routine. It's the gymnasts and coaches who decide between 2-pass and 3-pass routines under the code. The judges cannot mark down a properly completed 2-pass routine. Those who do have to be taken out of college gymnastics.

 

Week 4 Road to Nationals Standings (1/29):

Standings (roadtonationals.com)

UF holds steady at #8 with 197.283.

Next up: at #21 Georgia with 196.313.