Sunday, August 16, 2009

Worlds Team Trial Countdown

Thanks to the Anon who pointed out this new article on Fiona Coley. I didn't realise she was nearly 20, I thought 18 at the most! Good on her for staying in the game; it reminds me of Karen Nguyen c. 2006, talking to the media just before worlds trials about what it's like being the older athlete in the squad, battling to not be overlooked for all the young hopefuls and enduring the long chase for the big dream... hmmm... could selection indicate a sentimental element of the vote in addition to ability/consistency being taken into account? Only time will tell.


And, in a new segment I like to call, "Ummm... are you seein' it?":

In his analysis of the senior women's AA final at US nationals, Dwight Normile notes that Georgia Dabritz of Ace Gymnastics in Massachusets looks like our own Dasha Joura (only with slightly longer hair).

(These photos are a little bit dated. If I find a good quality one from '09 I will post it to help with comparison)

12 comments:

nade00 said...

I can't wait to see who makes the team! My only hope is that Emma Dennis makes it if she trials, other than that I'm not so fussed. I really wish Amber was fit, I thought she'd make great strides this year.

If Georgia and Emma aren't ready, then to me the obvious team is Larrissa, Shona, Lauren and Britt, though if they are ready I could see them bumping off Larrissa and Britt, since neither really have a chance for finals.

Anonymous said...

I have a really good feeling the team will be Emma, Shona, Lauren and Georgia. All reports have been great that I've heard about Emma and Georgia's progress. I have high hopes for them. It will be such a good opportunity for Emma too. Would be great experience for Larissa and Britt too but I think this is not the right year for them and with more work they can have a great year next year with so many great teams to try to make it onto.

When do we find out who makes the team?

Off topic - I thought Karen came straight from Oz and had trouble cos she didn't even have a passport? Or was the big deal in getting to Germany first because she didn't even have a passport?

Brinds

Anonymous said...

I hope the team is Lauren, Shona, Emma and Georgia too. I think they will be the most competitive. Georgia's surgery was in November last year so I expect that she would be coming along well. I think Emma really deserves a chance at a major competition but I keep thinking that she is the most likely to miss out of the four girls just because Peggy and GA don't really like her. Lauren and Shona would almost certainly have the AA spots, I would think.

Anonymous said...

Why do you say that Peggy and GA don't like Emma? Have they said that? Is there any evidence? Is it because of previous selections? The reality is that if you are not top 2 AA in Australia there are many considerations which determine who else makes a team. I also hope she makes the team if she is fit and ready, because all elite girls work so hard and deserve opportunities to compete internationally. Does anyone know if there is a list of who is trailing?

Anonymous said...

I think Georgia, Fiona, Emma, Britt, Larissa, Lauren and Shona are all there trialling - not sure about Amber

Anonymous said...

When ever Peggy about Australian gymnasts Emma never seems to get a mention. When the Australian Sports Commission was handing out funding for next years Commonwealth Games Emma was not in the Olympic Squad when she had been for the two years prior. She was injured at the time apparently but so were Dasha and Georgia and they received funding. Maybe I'm reading too much into things but I just think she isn't their favourite.

Anonymous said...

Amber is there, good luck to all the girls trialing they have all had there ups and downs and deserve to be there. They all train the same hours they spend all there time in the gym, they all have there set backs that we the public will never fully understand, so leave it to those who do when it comes to chosing the gymnasts. Whoever gets pick I'm sure they will do themselves proud and Australia.

Anonymous said...

Well said Anon 2:58. They all deserve the chance to represent Australia. All do the hard work. Coaches and selectors know who is ready and who isn't. Good Luck to all.

Anonymous said...

Glad to here Georgia, Emma, Amber and Fiona are there. There are no visiting athletes listed under the squad members so I was a little worried.

Anonymous said...

They did a media release and it is the announced seniors plus Amber, Fiona, Emma and Georgia. Trials are today and tomorrow.

But honestly, can GA learn punctuation in future?
'alongside Beijing Olympian’s Georgia Bonora and Shona Morgan'

It looks totally unprofessional to have errors like that in media releases.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you could list the correct way to state that sentence--oh Grammar Guru.

Anonymous said...

In that particular sentence 'Olympians' should be spelled without the apostrophe. Apostrophes are not used to indicate that something is plural; they are used to indicate a possessive relationship. Like so:

'Dasha and Lauren are Olympians.'

'An Olympian's task is to represent his country to the best of his ability at the Olympics.'

I agree, GA could do with a proofreader. Many of their press releases look quite unprofessional.