Dear O Dear

As Oregon State University's competitive season trucks along, there have been mixed fortunes for the two Australians in their gymnastics lineup.

Olivia Vivian is getting better and better on beam, floor and bars and contributing weekly to The Barometer. Olivia was lucky enough to recover from a finger injury and a bout of sickness recently.

Mel Jones, superb on floor last week, hasn't been so lucky, according to this extract on the team's progress from the Gazette Times:

Freshman Melanie Jones was forced into action on the vault last week for [injured teammate Kelsi] Blalock. Jones has been slowed by a long-term left shoulder injury.

Most of her scoring contributions have come on the beam three times. Her 9.675 vault and stellar 9.900 floor exercise at Cal were the first time she scored on those events. She performed exhibition before.

"Melanie is doing very well," Chaplin said. "She came in and did an OK vault. She just needs her chest a little higher. She's scoring a little higher and needs to continue those improvements. Her confidence is getting better."

Jones injured her shoulder more than a year ago in Australia and waited until after the Olympics for surgery. There was another setback in the fall at OSU on the bars.

She won't be able to do a bars routine this season. Chaplin has doubts she'll ever do one again.

"It's been a slow start getting back onto everything," Jones said. "Hopefully, I can get back on everything next year. Back in Australia (training) was more intense with more hours and harder skills. Here is more relaxing and less intense. So it's easier to cope with."

That's a bit of a downer. But Mel, like Olivia, has been able to stay strong for her adopted team and compete as best she can despite niggling setbacks. Both wear the orange and black as proudly as they wore the green-and-gold and their perserverance is to be commended.

I'm not yet commenting on the business that's going on the previous post's comments until something more official is made public.

In further green-and-gold news, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony is on now (1pm), I thought it was to be midnight! I spotted Dave so I'm happy.