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

Discussion in 'Alligator Alley (other sports)' started by ETGator1, Aug 23, 2023.

  1. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    My keys to UF winning - It happened in the regional final and it could happen at nationals too:

    Maintain a high level on vault - 49.575 - Check
    Improvement on bars - 49.500 - Check
    Win beam - 49.600 - Check
    Floor score of 49.600+ - 49.650 - Check

    The Gators season best 198.325 came as a result of a terrific team performance. It wasn't individually perfect, but it approached team perfection.

    The good news is the Gators still have room to improve. Scores can be better on bars. Those 9.8s could become 9.9, maybe should have been. UF would have been higher on beam had Leanne not strangely botched her dismount scoring 9.80.

    There is good depth too:

    On bars, we didn't see Gabby Disidore in the regionals. She is capable of hitting 9.9+ on her specialty. Hope Gabby isn't injured and CJR just tightened up on her lineup to get the current best practicing bars gymnasts into the rotation.

    Danie Ferris showed up in the regional finals on vault at 9.90 and floor which has been a late season addition at 9.925. Looking ahead to 2025 for Danie, we'll likely see her add bars next. She is a triple threat. I don't know that she can't do beam, but her elite beam scores don't jump out at you. Keep in mind that Danie graduated early to come to UF. She should be a high school senior getting ready for prom.

    There are several gymnasts capable of posting top scores on floor as well: Kaylee Bluffstone, Lori Brubach, Morgan Hurd, and Payton Richards. In the regional semifinal, Skylar Draser performed. In the regional final, Danie Ferris performed.

    While bars have been our performance Achilles heel, lack of vault depth could be an issue if anyone gets injured. Bri Edwards could help but hasn't. Payton Richards could help, but she hasn't performed since hurting her ankle/foot.

    Congratulations to our Gators on winning the Gainesville Regional. It's on to nationals hopefully for bigger and better. The sky is the limit.
     
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  2. washdcgator

    washdcgator Junior

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    Blakely is also depth on vault as well as Richards. 8 legit 10 vaulters is a nice luxury to have.
     
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  3. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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  4. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Absolutely, I didn't realize until this AM that Blakely wasn't used on vault in the regional.
     
  5. manigordo

    manigordo GC Hall of Fame

    As much as I as I admire JR, I have often been surprised when her teams disappointed at crunch time. (Though the whole team has been screwed by judging bias as well!)
    This year has felt different. Some of it may have been lowered expectations, some from watching the team improve steadily under her guidance and the way she has been improving line-ups.
    My wish is that she guides this team to an upset and wins it all THIS YEAR.
    I honestly believe they can.
     
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  6. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Except for Trinity Thomas' injury last season and Kayla DiCello deferring for Paris 24 along with Riley McCusker missing the season to injury, UF could be looking at repeat instead of OU looking at 3peat. I think CJR has done fabulous jobs the last 2 years.

    I do agree this team has a chance if it all comes together in the last 2 meets. The OU team that was being pushed as the first ever 199 team is finally being scored fairly in post season which gives solid contenders a punchers chance of winning. Unfortunately, it'll likely take 198.600 to knock off the sooners. I still feel like OU is the only team that can beat OU, but at least there is a chance of an upset.
     
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  7. washdcgator

    washdcgator Junior

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    I just don't understand this comment. I have been watching Gator gymnastics consistently for the past 40 years. I truly believe UF should have won the past two years and were within a whisker both times despite unfair scoring -- they excelled in finals when the competitive field has been more challenging than ever. She consistently wins SECs (this year was an aberration but she gets a pass b/c sometimes teams have bad meets). She recruits amazing athletes. I believe the team also was set up to win in 2020 before the pandemic killed the season. We are right there every single year consistently, this year included. I am thrilled with CJR. Oklahoma is just a touch better with a far more seasoned coach who also "underachieved" during her early years with OU.

    Every single prior dominant program has stepped back after losing an NCAA winning coach (try being UCLA or Georgia and Utah is sliding, and Bama has been inconsistent) except UF. That is due to CJR.
     
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  8. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Now that we have a top 8 for nationals, let's check in on my predictions for the top 12 on 12/10/2023 post #225:

    Going out on a limb and sawing it off as I'm revising my preseason top 12:

    ETGator1 Top 12 - Final NQS Added:

    1. LSU - 2
    2.
    Oklahoma - 1
    3. Utah - 5
    4. Florida - 4

    5. Michigan - 11 - eliminated
    6. California - 3
    7. Alabama - 8

    8. UCLA - 9 - eliminated
    9. Kentucky - 7 - eliminated
    10. Michigan State - 10 - eliminated
    11. Oregon State - 18 - eliminated
    12. Missouri - 13 - eliminated

    The surprise additions in the top 8:

    12. Arkansas
    19. Stanford

    Not too bad as I hit on 75% of the top 8 and 83% of the top 12.
     
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  9. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Rhonda Faehn won 3 consecutive national championships before leaving. Jenny Rowland came in from Auburn where she was an Assistant Coach. She has done a fabulous HC job with UF. The only thing lacking is national championships. It may be a longer shot in 2024, but I don't think any team will match UF's depth, experience and talent in 2025. That's all credit to Jenny Rowland.
     
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  10. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    It was a travesty that Coach Rowland wasn't named SEC Coach of the Year.
     
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  11. scrappygator

    scrappygator VIP Member

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    From floridagators.com article.
    GATOR PERFORMANCE NOTES:
    • Florida's 198.325 improves its previous season high of 198.225 which clinched the Southeastern Conference regular-season title at Kentucky on March 3. It was second only to Oklahoma's 198.40 in 2024 NCAA Regional competition.
    • In both rounds of NCAA Regional action, Florida used seven competitors. That is the nation's slightest number in a 2024 team meet.
    • Florida and Utah have met now three times in NCAA Regional action, with the teams taking the top two team spots each time. Utah won the 2004 NCAA Regional in Tucson, Ariz., with Florida winning the 2010 regional in Salt Lake City.
    • Ellie Lazzari reset her collegiate best to 39.65 to win a share of her first all-around title. Her previous best of 39.525 was reached twice as a freshman in 2021
    • Anya Pilgrim opened and closed her 2024 Exactech Arena appearances with all-around wins. In addition to sharing today's win with teammate Ellie Lazzari, she opened her Gator career by winning the Jan. 12 home quad
    • Victoria Nguyen equaled her collegiate floor best of 9.925 for the eighth time and the fifth time as a Gator
    • Skylar Draser's collegiate bars best of 9.90 today was her fourth collegiate best in NCAA Regional competition. In Friday's Second Round action, Draser turned in her previous bars high (9.85) and set her all-around best (39.50). She led off Florida's lineup in both rounds by matching her collegiate beam best (9.90).
    • Freshman Danie Ferris turned in 9.9 or better routines in both events competed – vault (9.90) and floor (collegiate-best 9.925)
    • THEY SAID:
      "It was a sweet night. Actually, it was more than sweet. It was sweet and savory – a great mix. Extremely proud of this team for leaving everything out on the floor tonight. Everybody stepped up from the very first competitor. Kudos to our beam team for setting a great standard of what tonight was going to look like. It allowed everyone to settle in and just do gymnastics. It really felt like an intrasquad for us. Nothing more, nothing less. Everyone was extremely present, calm and collected. Really proud that we get to keep dancing." – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland

    • Gators have claimed 21 Regional wins - 1982, '84, '85, '87, '97, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '21, '22, '24
    • Collegiate bests tonight:
     
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  12. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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  13. manigordo

    manigordo GC Hall of Fame

    There is nothing that you and ET have said that I would disagree with. As we have all said, biased judging had a lot to do with it. ET correctly added the injury factors that I didn't not. In addition, I have always been a great fan of JR, and, in fact have come to her defense when others have questioned her. But there have been quite a few, real and loyal fans who have worried about her in National Finals. All I said we that i had been disappointed. I doesn't make me less of a fan nor demonstrate lack of support for JR.
     
  14. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    I get being disappointed a bit, but you just can't have lingering disappointment when UF has finished in the top 4 in every season since CJR. Her record speaks for itself:

    Jenny Rowland - Gymnastics Coach - Florida Gators

    We all want to finish first, but after the pain of losing the last meet of the year, be happy. I feel strongly that CJR will get her 1st national championship soon with the way she recruits. This year is a long shot although not impossible, a puncher's chance, but UF should be a favorite in 2025 if not the favorite.
     
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  15. washdcgator

    washdcgator Junior

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    A little history lesson:

    Rhonda Faehn came to UF in 2003. By 2007, she had the #1 team in the nation, was equal or better than mighty Georgia, won SECs, and then came in 3rd at NCAAs after a "nervy" performance. OK, it was their first time being in that level of spotlight. In 2008, again the team was equal to or better than the mighty Georgia and Bama teams, came in very close 2nd at SECs, won regionals, and came in .... fourth at NCAAs. 2009 was injury riddled and fourth was considered a good finish. in 2010, again won SECs, beat Utah at Utah in regionals and came in with a top seed to NCAAs hosted in Gainesville and finished .... fifth. The stacked 2011 team did not even qualify for NCAA nationals. In 2012, Yoculan had retired and Georgia dipped. The door was open. National team recruits galore. Won SECs. Dominated regionals. And came in .... second after a nervy floor performance, when even the announcers thought UF would win it after three rotations. In 2013, which included the great Bridget Sloan, Kytra Hunter, Marissa King, Alaina Johnson, etc., won SECs, dominated regionals, finally won but only after not one but TWO beam falls in the first rotation. We only won because Bama also had two beam mishaps at the very end, otherwise we would have come in second. In 2014 we TIED Oklahoma for the title despite our loaded roster and easily could have lost with one less stuck landing. and in 2015, we eked out a win over Utah by 0.05 and everyone screamed that Alex McMurtry's bars were given "reputation" scoring at the end b/c we were the defending champs.

    In 2022, Oklahoma beat us by 0.1125 after what I considered to be "reputation scoring" for their vault rotation. I still firmly believe UF won. In 2023, Oklahoma beat us by 0.15. Two tiny bobbles difference. If Leanne hits her first floor pass, we win. If Trinity wasn't injured, we win. In both years, we scored well over 198 in the NCAA finals. And if you ask me, KJ Kindler is like the Suzanne Yoculan Cyborg, a true monster of a coach who stands in everyone's way.

    By the way, the format change in 2019 made reaching finals that much harder. If this were 2013, I would confidently say UF would reach the Super Six finals this year. Now they have to make final four, so even more pressure in preliminaries. I would argue that if UF did not have a bye right after the two beam falls in 2013, they would not have won. Now there are no byes. It is PRESSURE. And for the past two years, they have handled it just fine.

    On top of all this, we have a roster of exemplary student athletes who are also ambitious and delightful and put on a great show week after week. There are zero problems on the roster. Athletes stick around after graduating to student coach. Assistant coaches stay for years. Best choreographer in gymnastics. It is a very stable, top performing program. And they make us, and at least me, very proud.

    Want to complain? Try being an LSU fan -- never won the title despite having huge talent year after year. Or even worse, a Georgia fan -- that team is so far behind its glory years it is not even funny. Their fans are watching the afternoon session of SECs and crowing about how they came in third in NCAA preliminary round. How about Michigan, a recent NCAA winner who did not make it past preliminaries for a regional they hosted? Or UCLA, another former juggernaut who did not even make regional finals.

    If your only goal is winning it all, then you will in most years be disappointed. It is a bit of a crapshoot. It takes luck and yes, some reputation scoring. And maybe that secret sauce that KJ Kindler has which causes all those sticks. No one else seems to have it, but CJR is closest if you ask me.

    This is how close gymnastics is. Enjoy the ride.
     
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  16. manigordo

    manigordo GC Hall of Fame

    Thanks. Of course you are right. Fortunately, I have a much larger life than most, so my primary response to the world is gratitude.College sports is just a small bit.
     
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  17. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    To me the first goal of any coach at UF is to win the conference championship, regular season being more important than a post season tournament of some kind. Any post season titles are great and wonderful, but just icing on the cake. Look at Mary Wise. She's never won a national title, but has tons of SEC championships and I think she's the greatest coach UF has ever had in any sport, with the possible exception of Mike Holloway. Coach Rowland is doing great, IMO.
     
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  18. ETGator1

    ETGator1 GC Hall of Fame

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    ETGator1 going out on a limb and sawing it off post season predictions for nationals:

    Session 1 Advancers: LSU and California - Don't think either Arkansas or Stanford can stand up to LSU and California. Both are in a class below the Tigers and Golden Bears.

    Session 2 Advancers: Oklahoma and Florida - I have Alabama a bit below Florida and Utah which showed out over the course of the season even though the Tide had an upset win in Gainesville. Alabama lost Makarri Doggette in late February which has diminished their chances at the final 4. From College Gym News:

    Makarri Doggette Long term Torn left Achilles 02/28/24

    I have Florida over Utah because the Red Rocks have 2 events they struggle with. The Gators Achilles heel is bars, but the Red Rocks have issues on both vault and bars. Utah had close to or a season high on vault in Gainesville after having to count a fall on bars to advance to nationals over Missouri. I'm not going to bring in the report as I don't altogether respect CGN's scoring views, but they concluded some of Utah's vault scores do not withstand scrutiny. Whatever the case, I like the Gators advancing with the Sooners.

    Lightening isn't going to strike and my preseason prediction of LSU winning the national championship will be wrong. My preseason final 4:

    1. LSU
    2. Oklahoma
    3. Utah
    4. Florida

    I have Oklahoma pulling a 3peat national championship. The final 4 results:

    1. Oklahoma
    2. Florida
    3. LSU
    4. California

    Florida will do their best which is all we can hope for but will come up short. The Gators best is not good enough to beat the Sooners. Gators just go have a good time and put up your best scores, no pressure and perform with passion.

    LSU picks a bad time to allow Mr. Hyde to show up on beam instead of Dr. Jeckyl. LSU has the pressure of having to be perfect to try to upset the Sooners. The pressure will show up on beam.

    California has a very good team, no doubt a top 4 team, but the Golden Bears have been consistently over scored by the PAC 12 judges all season. The problem for California is the program has never been to the finals before so they have no idea the amount of pressure they will have or how to deal with it.

    Florida is going to finish #2 behind #1 Oklahoma for a third year in a row.

    Don't Worry Be Happy!

    Bob Marley - Don't worry be Happy (youtube.com)
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2024
  19. washdcgator

    washdcgator Junior

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    When do we learn rotation orders for finals?
     
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  20. manigordo

    manigordo GC Hall of Fame

    Puncher's chance!
     
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