Monday, June 8, 2009

Vics Day 4

I have been spending ten to twelve hours each day at the venue so please excuse me for any errors or ramblings. Please also excuse the brevity, I need my bed and I need it NOW. I was there at 6am today, before the outside lights were on or the doors were open and was home just after 7pm.

I spent most of the morning typing up results round-ups and media releases of the previous day's sessions, and then compiling short biographical notes on various competitors for the announcer to read out. And then it was back to mad scribbling of notes during the actual competition. Go me. *clap clap*

Everybody boo and hiss at the family that sat next to me and INSISTED on leaving their seats fifty times to go and get food or burp the children or speak to the girl they were cheering on (before her rotations were finished I might add) and who constantly made me shift in my seat to make room. I ended up moving. And then moving again after taking a phone call. I never sat in the same seat twice!


I saw Amber Fulljames sitting in the stands, with Amaya and Tianye, cheering on her Queensland IDP counterparts. As she got up to leave (senior warmup would be startng eventually) I approached her and Amaya shyly and said, "Um, hi, sorry, um, I'm a big fan of your gymnastics. I'm one of many, actually. And... we're really excited you're here and I hope you have a great competition today, good luck!" and they said thankyou. I wanted to bundle them up in my pocket and take them home as cute charms. They're great.

Unfortunately Amaya had what must have been the crash of the day, if not the competition. Early into the general warmup, she slipped on the vault runway and plummeted onto the beatboard, smacking her face. She didn't get up for a little bit. To her credit she returned for the competition sporting a big red bruise near her eye. She didn't do so great on beam, an early fall rattled her but she did really well on floor to make up for it (stuck double pike, double twist, lovely leaps).

Amber again sat down her double arabian and went OOB on her double pike on floor but her cause was helped by a steady beam routine that earned her a massive hug from G-Bo. She also caught a lovely straddle jaeger on bars and had a near-stick on the dismount.

Despite showing herself to be a cool, calm, quiet operator, Shona showed some uncharacteristic mistakes today. She had a big flappy-arm wobble on beam, sat down her 2.5 twist punch front and suddenly lurched forward on her double front bars dismount going into a roll. It was an otherwise good round for her (see below).


Alexandra Eade, poor dear. Had three false runs at vault. Not to be outdone, Amie Martin of Grips experienced music problems AGAIN (it happened on Saturday) and was presented and re-presented about four times before starting the routine.

Emma Dennis and Shona showed off double Yurchenkos, Britt did a 1.5. The final vault standings ended up being just that - Dennis 1, Morgan 2 (even though it was stuck like crazy, think Dasha in Stuttgart prelims, she had slightly bent knees), Greeley 3.

Had there been some horrible surface-to-air ginger-seeking missile launched at the venue today, Waverley's senior and junior lineups would be mostly wiped out. Thank heavens such a device has not yet been created. I loves me the redhead frecklies. Doin' it for the pale, sun-sensitive ones, woohoo!

Rachel Collister is a star of the future. Ditto Laura Hingston (filling Hollie Dykes' prima ballerina shoes), Alex Eade, Alex Byers-Armstrong, Amelia McGrath... hell, the MLC program full stop! These girls have got some big skills done with some serious style. I stood to the side of the floor while presentations were going on. I remarked to one of the MLC coaches as another girl won an umteenth medal that, "I guess it doesn't get much better than this being a coach, eh!" and she replied, "Nope, and I'm really happy, they did well today!"

On the MAG side, Luke Wadsworth, Vincent Lam, and the "Raging" Bull brothers (nickname courtesy of my non-fan friends) are proving the MAG program is not all doom and gloom. Teeny-weeny Lachlan Fitzgerald and Caelen Bacon scored some medals in the lower levels, as well as some fawning hearts, over this weekend. Them + Bambi in the same room = I wouldn't be able to stop going "fwaaaaaw...!"

In IDP 5, the visting New Zealand gymnasts took the bulk of the honours; almost all final placings had a 'residential' medallist sharing the position.

Grace Flood won the IDP 8 division, over club mate Madelaine Lleydin and Jets gymnast Isis Lowrey. Isis is the one who looks like a Russo/Larson clone, with a cute little sister to match! She has great presentation on floor, and along with her fellow all-around medallists is definitely one to keep an eye on. Grace also took out the beam, bars and *I think* vault titles with Madaleine winning floor. IDP 6 was dominated by MLC. Due to a computer error, the IDP 5 all-around was re-presented. The original winner turned out to be ranked second. Oooops!


Happy Birthday to Hannah Johnston of BTYC and Samantha Bognar of the HPC!

SHONA MORGAN is our new state all-around senior champ, with BRITT GREELEY in second and FIONA COLEY in third!!!

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, that's pretty good for Emma and Shona to do DTYs since they both did only FTYs on day 1. Yay for them! And I think that qualifies Emma to nationals too, if you only compete vault but do one with 5.8 or higher you're in.

VicGymFan said...

I also think two girls qualified for National Championships today. Annaliese from Grips and Alex Byers Armstrong from MLC. Listening in on the parent chatter in front of me, Alex from MLC just had to catch a release on bars (jaeger i think?) to qualify, apparently she had only ever caught one in training and learnt it in a month! Overall, I think all the girls did a fantastic job, lots of falls but also lots of new skills. Seems the MLC have really snuck up on everyone, they have added lots of new tricks and I for one love all their floor choreography.
Bring on nationals!

Anonymous said...

Sorry but Emma and Shona both did FTY's both days. The new code really punishes imperfect form so it looks like Emma has taken it with a lesser vault but with lovely execution. Both have competed DTY's last year so we might see them upgrade, particularly Emma as her fitness returns.

Mez said...

Are you sure? I could've sworn I counted two revolutions...

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what the scores were? That will probably tell us what type of vault is was. Yeah I have heard that vault execution scores have gone down under the code because they are cracking down.

Anonymous said...

Was anyone else a little disapointed ith the HPC and Queensland girls over the weekend?

With the exception of Britt Greeley they looked messy, inconsistent and fell everywhere. Amber appeared to have a better day yesterday than Saturday, but still not what I expected from a seasoned senior. I thought they were well out performed and outclassed by Waverley and the MLC girls (Even the girls from Grips looked sharper?) The big improver for me was MLC - congrats Georgia Wheeler on the Jnr AA Crown (And of course ShoMo who blitzed the Snr AA title (but did we really expect anythin less!!!)

I just expected a little more from the state run programs.
Dissapointed I guess.

By the way does anyone know where the tall Chinese coach from Grips is from? I heard he was the one who used to coach Katarina etc at the AIS. Can someone confirm this?

When did the coach from Bulleen move to Queensland?

BTW I think on vault Emma D did a DTY and ShoMo did a FTY. This is why ShoMo's score was lower even though she stuck her landing.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't dissapointed in any of the Vic girls from anywhere but i have been following them all since trial one and have seen them all improve up to today. HPC - I thought Britt was great on Floor and Beam - i really like her style. Tierra still looks a little awkward but seems to have filled out those long legs a bit which has given her more stability in Beam. I heard that Laura had injured herself quite badly in training either just before or during Vics and so she probably had a bit of a hard time but good on her for competing anyway - she is very "fine" boned and will probably take another year to grow into her body type and find her centre of gravity. Ebonie too has had an injury right through trials and has not competed all apparatus but she is a lovely floor worker. Alex is going to be one to watch in the 2016 cycle - not sure what happened with her vault (i believe she had 2 false runs at vault - not 3 Mez)as always there area that tends to let them down is Bars. MLC - Georgia Wheeler - i am so happy for her as she was quite consistent this weekend and also for Alex if she has qualified (haven't seen the scores yet) but i too believe that she only needed her release so well done. Love Amelia on floor - she always looks nice and much nicer floor routine than before WGC - Angela as always loveley on Bars, Shame for Emma that she didn't get to compete day 2 - i missed what happened to her - did she injure herself and how? Great to see Rachel back and her bars and vault were nice but her beam needs to improve greatly. I thought annalise from grips looked the best at this competition than i have seen at both Trials but i thought that Amy's (Grips) beam was quite overscored.
All in all i thought that the competition field was quite level in Junior and IDP 10 across the 4 apparatus. I would have liked to see Zoe and Svetlana from HPC - hope to see them at Nationals.

Anonymous said...

I'm a little disappointed to hear the Queensland girls weren't as sharp as they should have been, but I'm not surprised. From what I've heard the QAS programme is a total mess these days. What a way to squander a great legacy!

I hope the QAS girls will find themselves a good club when the academy closes its doors, as seems likely to happen.

I look forward to seeing the MLC girls' floor routines.

Anonymous said...

Yay for Madeline Green from Jets who used Metallica's "Enter Sandman" for her floor ex music!!

Yay for Britt Greeley not wearing the gym shoes on bars and for heaps of improvement!! Great new floor ex!!

Yay for great announcing as always by Ade!!

Yay for Fiona Coley still having a go at 20 years of age!!

Yay for all MLC girls having great floor routines!!

Boo for the crappy lighting at the hockey centre therefore crappo photos.

LMNOP said...

Emma injured her knee during apparatus warm-up on floor.
She had it bandaged quite heavily and lots of ice.

Anonymous said...

QAS is running fine? It won't close and despite some administration issues that impact the program this year, it's on track and is not as stated, 'a mess'. Just have to go and watch training anytime to confirm that.

As all HPC's are in the same boat with funding issues QAS is no different, and coaching staff changes can take a while to effect programs. QAS's goals for attending Vic's were not high as i have heard, just wanting to qualify the girls they had to continue building. As i know, it's their first competition this year for most of the 5 that went, so it was a starting point. I really didn't think they were disappointing at all. I think i have a bot more faith in the coaches to honor their responsibility to keep the program where it should be. How can a 2nd (.133 off first) and 3rd place all around in IDP8 be disappointing? Amaya was strong too, despite that fall on day 2. She qualified on day 1, her goal for the comp. Also bonus was catching her first Jaeger in comp since breaking her neck and back last year with that skill. Amber is rebuilding from a long rest last year and it's first time out for her also, and has longer goals in sight than Vic championships..

Anonymous said...

I agree re QAS. They will inevitably need to adjust with a new head coach but I'm confident they can do that. Any programme is much more than the head coach (although important) and all of that infrastructure and experience remains. QAS are vital to Aussie gymnastics and I'm confident they will deliver.

On the other hand, I do see the Victorian HPC are certainly in a rut. Britt is the shining light but for too long, they have lacked serious depth. The big question I have is why did the VMHPC decide to withdraw from the team competiton in both IDP10 and Jnr/Snr.

In IDP10 they had...
A. Eade 45.55
L. Hingston 42.5
E. Boucher 30.017 (no bars)
That would have given them 2nd place??

And in Int. Sen/Jnr team they had...
Britt 52.317
Fiona 48.65
Tierra 45.467
This too would have given them 2nd place.

Could it be that VWHPC withdrew their teams so it was not on the record that they came 2nd to two clubs MLC and Waverley? In doing that, they have denied 6 of their gymnasts creditable 2nd place trophies.

Shame on VWHPC for doing that. Shame on the organisers for allowing their results to be manipulated.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to believe that QAS is doing fine, but from what I've heard not everyone agrees it is.

Don't get me wrong, I want QAS to do well. I've always loved the gymnasts QAS produced. But I have to say I don't find their current crop of athletes very impressive. They seem sloppy and uninspiring. Amber still has tons of potential but I hope it's managed well. The other girls are obviously talented too, but where's the spark? I'm sorry to say I can't see it.

Anonymous said...

Well thanks for posting that Amaya broke her neck and back!

Great promo for the sport. And you even said it like it was nothing - happens all the time!

That was really something the parents and athletes who read this blog need to hear about!!!

Anonymous said...

From VicGymFan's post:

"Alex from MLC just had to catch a release on bars (jaeger i think?) to qualify, apparently she had only ever caught one in training and learnt it in a month!"

This comment sums up everything I hate about modern gymnastics. Competing a skill you've only ever caught once in training? No wonder scores are so low these days. God, whatever happened to properly mastering a skill and performing it with confidence, safe in the knowledge that it would look good?

Anonymous said...

11.54 - you have to nominate your team before the end of general warm up so no one would have known at that point what sort of results would be reached. I'm a bit over reading how the VHPC lacks depth - i read about it all the time on these boards and i am yet to see it. They always seem to have girls in Australian squads and representing Australian teams. Why is it people always comment on VHPC and not other programs such as WAIS - who also seem to have only a few girls qualified for Nationals. VHPC has - Britt, Zoe, Svetlana, Tierra, Ebonie, Laura, Simone, Grace C - all 2012 eligible girls.

Anonymous said...

"Could it be that VWHPC withdrew their teams so it was not on the record that they came 2nd to two clubs MLC and Waverley? In doing that, they have denied 6 of their gymnasts creditable 2nd place trophies."

that is exactly what happened. They did not nominate teams prior to the competition, therefore the other teams placed "by default" a very poor attitude to have if you ask me.

Anonymous said...

I had heard a rumour that the HPC had 'withdrawn' their teams, but did not believe it.

I thought the teams must have been 6 with 4 to count therefore no Senior/Junior team and Idp 10 did not make any sense - but it was 6 with 3 to count.

What poor sportsmanship. Sadly I can't say I am surprised though...

Anonymous said...

"anonymous June 9, 9:03am re Grips coach"

yes the Chinese coach was from the AIS but im not sure if he coached 'Katerina' but most likely, he was there for a while.

Anonymous said...

Definately entered then 'withdrawn'.

Anyone who was at podium could see the how weak the HPC gymnasts were compared with MLC and Waverley at their respective divisions.

What other possible logical reason is there for 'withdrawing' a team???

Maybe the HPC wanted to give the clubs a chance to win???
Maybe it was raining outside???
Maybe the sky was falling???

Anonymous said...

I fail to believe the alegations made at the HPC program are true.
I do not know what the reasons were for the HPC 'withdrawing' their teams if that is infact what happened, but I am sure thay would be legitimate.

I am sure GV and the GV board would be extremely upset if this were infact true (not to mention the parents and gymnasts of the HPC) and I cannot imagine Tracey and Misha doing something so unsportsmanlike.

Anonymous said...

"What poor sportsmanship. Sadly I can't say I am surprised though..."

Why would you say this - there would be a pretty good reason for this withdrawal and if i was a parent at the HPC i would be really insulted by this comment even if you think your comment is made towards the coaches perhaps you should put forward an arguement to your point. The HPC girls who have been fit have attended both trials and the Vics - how are they unsportsmanlike?
Why can't people just support all the Vic girls instead of continuosly bashing High Performance Centre's these girls read these boards and your constant bitching and moaning will put people off. Get over yourselves and start supporting all girls

Anonymous said...

Ebonie didn't do bars so the team scores wouldn't have counted anyway because you have to count three scores. They had 2.

mistysakura said...

Thanks for the reports, VicGymFan and 9:40! 12:24: surely breaking your neck and back is a fact? What's wrong with reporting facts? It's not like they were reporting malicious gossip. I have no comment on the HPC situation because I'm an outsider and don't know enough to form an opinion. Mez: sorry I didn't check my phone yesterday! Hope you found her anyway! And I thought Shona did a DTY on Day 1 as well, but the scores say otherwise... Shame about Emma Collister not competing Day 2, but she was a star on Day 1. Awesome roundoff double arabian.

Anonymous said...

Mistysakura, thank you so much for your videos. I'm incredibly grateful to you for uploading them, but I do have one humble request. Would you please consider stopping interrupting beam and floor routines to show vaults? I don't know how others feel about this but I find it incredibly jarring to move away from a beam or floor exercise mid-routine just to see someone else's vault. Frankly I'd rather miss a few vaults than see the routines I'm watching interrupted. But perhaps that's just me?

Criticism aside, I love your videos. Thanks again for taking the trouble to shoot and upload them, and keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

I think comments made about the QAS a ridiculously harsh and you people need to stop bagging them out!!! you rant and rage on about how gymnastics needs more support in Australia yet you are willing to pretty much say that QAS sux and they are going to close, i dont think that is supportive and besides if this gossip was true a great way to support would be to help in what ever way possible!!! so give them a break! and for the record if parents or viewers of this site cant deal with comments staing a gymnasts injury they have clearly got their child in the wrong sport because we all no these things happen!!!

i think Amber and Amaya were looking pretty sharp apart from a couple of falls but i hear it was just for comp experience, getting back out there and for Amaya to qualify!!AND the IDP girls toppled the HPC girls anyway!!

Anonymous said...

Mistysakura - I think you have stacey Anderson and Holly Moon mixed up for the beam video's.

Anonymous said...

the girls from MLC have new skills but it seems that their quality has done down hill a bit
I also agree that they should master their skills first otherwise its dangerous.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed all the MLC floor routines but Georgia Wheelers shes not such a good dancer seemed really rushed at parts. I agree skill level has done up quality down.

Anonymous said...

Gee, Anonymous 2:54, overreact much? Could you use any more exclamation marks?

I agree that the QAS girls at Vics didn't look too bad. No worse than the Victorian HPC girls, certainly. But I've seen some of their other girls this year and I wasn't at all impressed. Also, I'm comparing the current crop of girls with the sophisticated-looking gymnasts QAS used to produce, and well, let's just say that they're coming up short, in my humble opinion. As far as I can tell the QAS programme used to be stronger. But I'll shut up now, before the QAS people reading this have a collective aneurysm.

Anonymous said...

On the bright side, I liked the MLC girls a lot. It was great to see some proper dance and poses on beam and floor. Kudos to MLC's ballet teachers and choreographers for coming up with some beautiful routines!

gym junky said...

well done all who competed your many hours of training and commitment are to be commended. ALL THE BEST for those who are going to nationals in JULY....

nade00 said...

I actually liked the QAS performances. I was expecting Amber to be a bit better, but I really enjoyed Amaya's work on beam and floor. The rumours about QAS are not just rumours however:
http://springfield-news.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/vaulting-into-focus/

I find it so amazing that people take it upon themselves to jump to conclusions of poor sportsmanship re: VWHPC. Do you actually know why they pulled out? It just seems ludicrous really.

To be honest, I think the real issue people should be focusing on is not the weakness/strength of a single program, but the fact that bars seems to be becoming an achilles heel for every program. AYOF showed that too, and I really don't recall many bar routines that didn't have form breaks, stops, or multiple falls. Even the lower valued routines were generally not performed well. Perhaps that is somethnig important to address.

People need to give these girls time, they are trying to take a step to be more competitive internationally and are competing some skills that are perhaps not consistent. They are doing pretty well IMO. Once you crack a 5.0 D-score and get all your CR you're well on your way as a junior. A few girls still a couple of years off senior were showing some difficult stuff and nearing or exceeding 5.0.

Also, overall there were few routines that were done with poor form, even if there were falls and wobbles.

I just want to say that Amelia McGrath put in truly terrific performances on beam and floor, and IMO her work is the epitomy of what artistic gymnastics should look like. While others also had beautiful dance and polish but were maybe a little weaker on the tumbles, she combined both aspects superbly and I look forward to seeing what level she can reach.

I completely agree about MLC dance. All their girls had perfect technique and control on the dance skills.

Anonymous said...

wow what excitement on MEAGAN SILVERS face after her beam. Wish all gymnasts could feel that way. WELL DONE.

Anonymous said...

I don't want to sound negative but what is the deal with bars?
I was looking at the results from the WA winter challenge on the weekend and Emily only got a 7.600 in one of her sets. Even Lauren only scored an 11.600 on one of her sets. I don't want to put people down but considering bars is the highest scoring apparatus nationally it is a concern. What were the bars like at Vic State champs.

Anonymous said...

why was Amelia McGrath using a mat on beam didn't she compete that last year at nationals??
Confused
I love Amelia shes so cute!!

Anonymous said...

What were Shona's scores?
Can anyone confirm whether she or Emma did a FTY or a DTY?

Anonymous said...

i really enjoyed watching clare o'donnell, amber fulljames, britt greeley and alex byers armstrong on floor. very nice choreography from all.

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see how the juniors and int levels gymnasts go at nationals. I guess we will also get an idea of who might be on the worlds team after nationals.It will be very interesting considering only 2 AA spots and two apparatus specialists and only three compeitors on each apparatus.

Anonymous said...

Fact: Gymnastics is a dangerous sport - there are injuries. If you are involved in the sport you already know this.

The point being made with regards to Amaya was not how bad one can be injured, but that she is on her way back from injuries and this should be taken into account. As stated Vic Championships was just to qualify for QAS gymnasts....that was the goal.

Goal achieved.

The only disappointment felt is over the negative comments registered and targetted at programs which serve no purpose to anyone.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:48: Could you please explain why the QAS girls chose the Victoria State Championships rather than the Queensland State Championships to qualify? Or will they be at the Queensland champs as well? Just so as we're clear, I'm not attacking you. Just genuinely interested.

I hope Amaya will continue to recover well. I was shocked to hear about her injury.

Anonymous said...

Re QLD at Vics.
I understand that Vics came at a convenient time for Qld in the path towards getting their girls qualified for and competing at Nationals. I'm sure they plan to compete in their homew State as well.

Nade,

As an icon of our sport, you carry my utmost respect. In particular, your measured responses whenever the discussions become a little robust.

I must however take issue with your comment..

"I find it so amazing that people take it upon themselves to jump to conclusions of poor sportsmanship re: VWHPC. Do you actually know why they pulled out? It just seems ludicrous really."

It is a fact that Misha, having previously nominated a team, withdrew that team during the competition. That fact was witnessed by at least one other and can be verified with a phone call to Alistair Edgar. No explanation was forthcoming from Misha as to why he wanted to do that.

What possible reason could there be to withdraw both IDP10 and Jnr/Snr teams when both were eligible. Their IDP10 team would still have a valid counting score even if Ebony Boucher did not compete bars. Both teams would have placed 2nd in the competition. That gong is a significant achievement and should now be in the CV of the gymnasts involved.

You can draw your own conclusions but I will stick with poor sportmanship.

Anonymous said...

yes qld states are in a few weeks time. the intl 10 , jnr and snr girls most probably performing the night of the 27th.

Anonymous said...

What were the actual team rules - if it is a 5 member team or 6 member team with 3 up and 3 count then the HPC wouldn't have had a team in Jnr/Snr. is there anywhere on the GV website that gives the rule?

Anonymous said...

the Qas program has been bad mouthed for an extended period of time now and i feel this bad mouthing has also been aimed at the gymnasts of that program. i think considering their circumstances those girls have done a pretty remarkable job. they lost stacey as a coach number 1, then Vladamir, Mardi Watson (anyone remember her i think she still judges), then had min but i hear that did not go to well, then min left, got some romanian chick, she left, then a nother china coach, he left, then they had Mark, he left and now an ex. sydney coach Darren. so by the amount of coaches they have had to get use to and then be seperated from i think they are pushing on quite well. i think there program will get its feet back on the ground its all in a metter of time. there is a few girls there with a bundle of talent including Amber, Amaya and Karina, so lets hope for them that the Program get settled.

nade00 said...

I'm sorry, but even if he did pull the team, I just don't think it's acceptable to smear a program's reputation when you admittedly don't know the reasons behind the decision.

The competition was 3 up 3 count. In IDP 10 they only had 2 scores on bars.

Is that not reason enough? Why would you enter the IDP 10 competition with one less score than required if you knew the other team had 3 gymnasts on every event? Just so you could get a medal by default? There's no point to that anyway.

To be honest, team competitions at state level for elites are pretty unecessary and don't hold much weight, so even if they did place behind the others frankly I don't think they would be that concerned.

There are so many things that can affect the final lineup on the day, like injuries and skill inconsistency.

Coming 2nd in the team comp is hardly a definitive statement about the quality of these programs and the potential of their gymnasts.

nade00 said...

To clarify my post,(I can't edit it), it was not 3 up 3 count (obviously teams like MLC had more gymnasts to put up) but 3 scores were indeed counted per team.

Anonymous said...

OMG - I'm so amazed at some of the comments!

I'll admit to being a parent of a vwhpc idp5 girl and I watched nearly every session. The QAS girls were lovely, the MLC girls were gorgeous and waverley were terriffic. My heart was of course with vwhpc girls and I thought they were magnificent.

All in all, don't forget they're just young girls doing an amazing job. Yes things didn't go perfectly and it's heartbreaking to see so much work go into every day training and not have them shine at that comp... but isn't part of what the competitions are for is to see where you lack and build on it?

Some girls definately had a "character building" experience but I'm sure everyone - both girls and coaches used the comp as a positive stepping stone.

Anonymous said...

Just wondering how old Georgia Wheeler is?

Anonymous said...

Georgia i believe was born in 94 so turning 15 this year or already 15

Anonymous said...

she's turning 15 later on in the year.

mistysakura said...

Anonymous who left a comment about my videos: thanks for the feedback! I stopped filming the vaults a couple of videos in because I realised it was interrupting the flow. But I thought the Waverley girls might be doing harder vaults worth filming. Anyway, I won't do that next time. Thanks for the appreciation!

Anonymous said...

Amaya did not "break" her neck and back as previously stated.

Anonymous said...

Amay frcatured her neck and back pretty close to a break....she slipped off bars twice!

Anonymous said...

i noticed some new skill on the floor on the weekend!
Shona-shap
Britt-11/2 on vault
Amaya-shoot over, jeagar and a side aerial flip on beam
emma c- double arabian
Amber- toe 1/1 on bars, sheep jump, double arabian
so a few goods with the few errors on the weekend!

Anonymous said...

wow is georgia Wheeler only 14 she looks alot older for a gymnasts

Juanita's Blog said...

Hmmmm I wonder who is defending the QAS program??? Interesting considering that they have been through a gazillion coaches. Most have been substandard seemingly only qualified to coach kinder gym and the good ones were scared away by the useless managaement of the program. Countless, highly talented gymnasts gave up their dreams due to the lack of adequate and professional coaching and quite simply, their ages caught up with them. Judges have been mumbling amongst themselves about the lack of "quality" coming from the QAS girls for ages.
So defend the QAS all you want, babble on with your excuses if you must. But as with everything, ACTIONS speak louder than words!

Anonymous said...

well im speaking for the QAS as an ex gymnast here and i no how hard it is to be a gymnast. these are not excuses but plane old reality and to make snide comments about the gymnats performances is not at all encouraging. so what their quality is not there YET but honestly is any of the other states quality whwer it should be? from what i no it isnt. so have alittle faith would you.

Juanita's Blog said...

Just thought I'd add, that the QAS gymnasts are not the target here, rather the coaching and management inadequacies. That's pretty obvious when a certain "important" person in gymnastics advises the gymnasts to refer to the book instead of the coach for clarification of skills etc. I know how hard these kids work and I know what they have to contend with. The gymnasts are not letting the QAS down, in fact it's quite the opposite. Such a shame!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Darren will stay there for a while and bring some stability to the program - i think given al the changes that have been going on at QAS the girls are doing really well just to stay focused and in a very short time all those skills they have been working on will come to fruition. Amaya has lovely lines and Amber is great to watch when she is at the top of her game - obviously they were still pulling things together at Vics and it was very wise of Darren to bring them down to start getting them to put their stuff out there onto the competition floor.
Gee Amber is tiny. I think she must be one of the smallest of the Senior/Junior girls out there.

Anonymous said...

she is isnt she, i mean amber being so tiny! wow , she looks likr a 12 year old. no wonder why she is good at gymnastics.
and agrred both amaya and amber have nice lines and are enjoyable to watch. keep up the work girls!

Anonymous said...

from what i heard the QAS girls only had a couple of weeks to get ready for this comp so i think they did pretty well considering

Anonymous said...

Posts 11.02 8/6 and 7.31 9/6. Emma and Shona had start values on thei vault of 5 which is a Yurchenko full, Britt had a start value of 5.3 which is a Y1.5. If you watch Misty's vids of Britt and Emma you will see that Britt lands facing front and Emma lands facing vault.

Anonymous said...

well i read through these comments, they were not to bad. o i quess there was abit of fire in the air, regarding the QAS and GA in general but most kept an open mind, its good to see that people really appreciate gymnastics!
mez, i think you should keep commenting the way it is. it is a good way to throw ideas an express opinions without coping some sort of back lash...as long as people tame word usage etc. i think it should stay!

Anonymous said...

QAS girls photo has Amber, Amaya & Brittney in it. Tianye is IDP8.