AGB is coming to you live from somewhere not anywhere near Australia.
Hello there! Can't tell you all how much I've missed you. Especially you there, with the hair.
Just wanted to pop by and say yes, I am still alive and kicking here in the middle of the ocean. My cruise is coming to an end but I wanted to update you on our final port of call.
Yesterday we hit Singapore after stops in Malaysia and Thailand, and I am extremely pleased, proud and privileged to say that our visit happened to coincide with Singapore's National Day celebrations! The city was nearly deserted as everybody was inside their homes preparing for festivities (including a street parade and a bunch of concerts) but you could definitely feel a buzz in the air. Every building sported numerous red and white national flags ou their windows, whole apartment blocks and courtyards were trussed up. I navigated the subway system with aplomb, and come 1:00 when celebrations were kicking off in the city centre, the underground was awash with red-and-white-clad partygoers heading into town for the big national bash.
Of course, I was also excited to be in Singapore to see the preparations for the Youth Olympic Games. Unfortunately my walking tour didn't have a lot of 'personal wandering time' after formalities so I didn't get the chance to stop in front of a banner to take a picture. But I can tell you that there were heaps of them around on poles and walls (almost rivalling the number of flags) and I even saw a double-decker purple bus with the Games mascot on it. I felt super excited even though I wasn't even going to be there for the actual event. I can tell our athletes will have a fantastic time in Singapore, it was a clean and organised place, with very friendly people willing to help visitors like myself.
The moment of the day for me came when our ship pulled away from port. It was 8pm and the whole city was lit up like a Christmas tree... even the cable cars above the city had flashing lights on them! It was a remarkable sight and I am disappointed my video footage doesn't quite do justice. As our ship finally sounded its horn and started pulling away, we could just glimpse fireworks over the building.
AGB IS HENCEFORTH DELCARING THAT IT FRIGGIN' LOVES SINGAPORE.
I wish I could have you all here with me, but the ship's already full (I should know - our request for a stateroom upgrade got rejected). I've been out of the loop on gym news but if my inbox is anything to go by, you've all been keeping yourselves fully entertained. I should be home in about 6 days.
Best wishes to all our gymsporters heading to Singapore, I hope you have as much fun there as I did in just one day.
GO YOU BIG RED FIRE ENGINE!
Salty seadog love,
~ M.
Oh I wish I could have a holiday like this. But I guess being a supporting parent of an elite gymnasts has it's sacrifices. Please enjoy for me as well :))
ReplyDeleteHey guys, I'm trying to do some calculations on our start scores for Commonwealths.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of questions if anyone can help me out.
1. What vault will Bonora do? 1.5 or double twist? Does she have a second vault?
2. Will Mary-Anne perform the yurchenko full or does she have a more difficult vault?
3. Who is likely to be the second all arounder?
4. Any chance that Mary-Anne might take the floor spot from Ashleigh?
Mary-Anne is going to kick some international butt. Go Mez..
ReplyDeleteCommonwealth games usually allow three in AA final. Last commonwealth games there were three AA performers in quals and finals with the 5-4-3 format. I suspect Lauren, Georgia and Emily will be competing AA and Mary-Anne and Ashleigh the apparatus specialists. I would be surpried if Georgia had anything more than a 1.5, I never heard anything about her doing a double. I don't think she's shown a 1.5 in competition since the olympics as she has had ankle problems. I don't know if she has a second vault. I'd be surprised if Mary-Anne took the floor spot from Ashleigh considering floor seemed to be hard on her ankles. I think Mary-Anne will be on bars ahead of Ashleigh, vault not sure because neither Mary-Anne or Ashleigh are that strong on vault, not on the moment anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'd be thinking vault
Lauren 5.8
Emily 5.8
Georgia 5.3
Ashleigh 5.2 or Mary-Anne 5.0
Not really sure about other appartus though.
Bars maybe
Lauren 5.6
Georgia 5.3
Emily 5.3
Mary-Anne 5.6 at the moment but hopefully better.
I think Lauren, Georgia, Mary-Anne and Ashleigh should have 6.0 or close to it, which makes me think that maybe there could be a possibility of only two AAers and Emily not compete beam but there have been three AAers at Commonwealths in the past.
Floor
Lauren had about a 5.9 last year.
Geogia had about 5.3 at nationals.
I am not really sure about the other girls. Ashleigh might have mid 5s, I know Emily's difficulty isn't very high, don't know about Mary-Anne.
I hope Lauren has recovered from her injuries because I think team will have to rely on her to compete well on every apparatus because there seems to be a bit of a weakness on bars and the fourth vault may not be that high.
Thanks for your analysis, it is interesting.
ReplyDeleteLooking at that list, we really need Larrissa to step up on bars for worlds, but I've heard that is unlikely to happen and that she is unfortunately pulling away from the sport :( which makes me sad.
Georgia Wheeler can maybe save the day if she can improve her bars start value and upgrade her vault as she hoped to, because we should be strong enough on beam and floor. If she has a double twist and can hit it at the end of the day it's going to be useful. Her beam and floor inconsistency won't matter so much because we should be covered on those events.
It was a big mistake for them to not to include Shona. She has 5.6 on bars and would have been invaluable at worlds.
Georgia is working some great connections on bars so hopefully this will get her start score up there and she will be a great contender for Worlds.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame if Larrissa is slipping away from the sport.
ReplyDeleteAt least at worlds this year as long as the girls finish top 24 then a team will qualify for next year. Next year I think will be the big problem. Top 8 now are guaranteed olympic selection if Australia finish 9 to 16 then they will have to have another competition in early January 2012 to decide those four teams. It would be great if Australia could finish top 8 next year but they are going to need strength on every apparatus, I don't think beam and floor are a problem but bars and to a lesser extent vault could be a bit of a problem. Although a lot can happen between now and then.
I think the problem is that the juniors coming through are all poor on vault - most are only still doing layout yurchenkos. The best - Angela, Amelia, Georgia Rose - are weak there. Maybe Nikola Chung could be good for a VT/UB spot.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to be hoping for 4 double twists to count in quals. It is a more reliable way of boosting your team score than new beam connections for example.
Apparently Angela now has a FTY which is at an upgrade. Exactly 4DTYs would be great. Aside from Lauren and Emily I am not sure who else would be able to do a DTY by next year, Georgia W maybe? I don't know if there is much hope of Dasha returing because it would be great to have someone who was good on VT/UB. To me it is very much a concern that many of the juniors are still doing a layout yurchenko the year before they turn senior. Do they really struggle that much on vault or is difficulty not encouraged?
ReplyDeleteJust some D scores from this year.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia nationals
Vault 5.0
Bars 5.3
Beam 5.7
Floor 5.1
Emily from Pac Rim
Vault 5.8
2nd vault 4.6
Bars 5.3 (but was less in apparatus).
Beam 5.5
Floor 5.3
Mary-Anne - Nationals
Vault 5.0
Bars 5.6
Beam 5.9
Floor 4.9
Ashleigh I think had
Vault 5.2
Beam 5.9/6.0
Lauren worlds last yeat
Vault 5.8
Bars 5.6
Beam 6.3
Floor 5.8
I have just gone over the stats from Nationals for the Senior girls. We definitely have a problem with vault in Australia as there are very few good vaulters. Going on the start scores, Sophie Budack has more chance at getting her DTY than Wheeler. If Sophie could get her DTY the team would have three DTY's. From memory her floor is not too bad either. Does anyone know how Sophie is going up there in Queensland?
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Wheeler has competed a FTY before to standard.
ReplyDeletei think that maybe harder vaults should be encouraged as juniors that way it is not such a step up to have good vaulters as seniors. Sophie probably needs more than a dty and an okay floor to be on the worlds team. Georgia w is quite good at bars when she is at her best and that is the other apparatus which is a bit of a worry.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Dennis?
ReplyDeleteHer FTY was great at Vics and Nationals and we know she has competed DTY before. She is also a good back up AAer. Could fill a few potential holes...
Emma Dennis is the perfect back up AAer I reckon and could ably fill in on vault and beam...even floor imho. She is a hard worker and will hopefully be included on the worlds team
ReplyDeleteWhoever said they should've included Shona on the CWG team - she's retired - it was not a matter of picking her so much as her taking ehrself out of the running by announcing her retirement.
I agree with annon 11.06. How STUPID are these selectors? seriously people. Shona should have been on that team without question. Now she has decided to move on (and good on her for doing so) we have lost one of our most experienced and consistent athletes when we need her most. When is enough enough?
ReplyDeleteAnnon 2.31
ReplyDeleteThe comm games team is made up of 5 athletes. 2 of our team are so unfit they were unable to even compete on one apparatus at nationals and another could only compete on one day then had to withdraw due to injury. It is clear if you wish to be selected for a team, Don't compete!
I am not 100%, but I thought shona retired after the team was announced?
I don't think the selectors are stupid at all. Don't forget it's all about 2012. All we need to do at this years worlds is top 24. So we need a team strong enough to do that. Also we need to start or continue preparing our potential Olympic team so that we can be top 8 next year. Who would you have taken off the team in order to place Shona on? I think the team was chosen for the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree 3:15! CWG are important but so are the Olympics. We have two years to get better, and Delhi is simply one stepping stone of experience a lot of the girls need under their belt to make 2012 a success for Australia. Give them a chance. They still have time.
ReplyDeleteI believe the team selected for Delhi is the right one. Don't be stupid and say that you obviously need to pull out of nationals to be chosen for the team. Lauren, Ash and Emily were chosen because they are reliable performers who Peggty knows she can count on and who can bring in reasonable scores. It wasn't just because those three girls are the flavour of the month. They earnt selection through their reputation from previous performances.
we need to accept the team and move on, but in fairness I don't think it was chosen based on reliability. Shona is the epitomy of reliable, she just happened to be sick at nationals.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh, on the other hand, has fallen in every beam routine attempted in competition this year - VWHPC invite, state trials, both days of vics, and day 1 at nationals. Come on now.
Whats done is done now but I just hope next years worlds team is very carefully picked. Considering top 8 there is a priority.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where Mary Anne will be training after the AIS closes down? I hope she makes a good choice. Very exciting for whoever gets her.
ReplyDeleteI just saw Ashleigh's picture in the Herald Sun today and am impressed with how fit she looks. You can't tell everything from a picture of course, but she is looking better than at Nationals I reckon!
ReplyDeleteThat is great if Ashleigh's fitness has improved. I remember someone commenting that she still looked a bit out of shape st vic trial 2 of states so if she is fit now then hopefully her performace will be better in Delhi.
ReplyDeleteHey does anyone know how Britt's back is doing?
ReplyDeleteI was really looking forward to seeing her compete this year and it would be great if she at least got to compete at some meets before the end of the year. Best wishes to her for recovery.
AT the moment she is down to compete worlds trials in a month so I hope she will be ready and strong to show her stuff!
These girls are being trained to peak at Comms and worlds... Nationals doesn't mean much and you can't be at your peak for 4 months straight. The coaches and selectors know what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic picture of Ashleigh Brennan in yesterday's herald Sun. Really clever and different, well done! Ash look great
ReplyDeleteIf anyone could scan or link to the photo/article, that'd be ace (I didn't find anything when I looked online moments ago).
ReplyDeleteI'm so behind on everything! Though I have received one or two tidbits since I've been gone. Cheers to those people.
I'm home Monday evening.
Y'all be nice to each other, now.
Here's a link for Webcasting from the Youth Olympic Games.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtholympicgames.org/index.html
USA nationals online here (if anyone wants to watch!) http://www.universalsports.com/video/assetid=871c8e3b-ddbb-41f0-bedb-5758341ee481.html#live+now+womens+finals+nationals
ReplyDeleteRebecca Bross - WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteBross scored 120.3 over the two days. That is huge under the code. The US judges can overscore a bit but it still must have been a great performance.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to that pic of Ashleigh and Scott Martin from last week's Herald Sun.
ReplyDeletehttp://newsphotos.com.au/ImageDetail.asp?RefNum=81150485
Yeah it's a clever photo I guess....but I'm not really into the 'smallest' business I think it can lead to generalisations/gossip from the general public about gymnasts being underweight/too small etc. I guess some publicity is better than none. I don't mind the 'tallest' 'shortest' scenario they sometimes put in the paper, but not smallest biggest.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, don't forget that Angelia is competing today!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone got any news from the junior camp this week, skills etc? what is the youngest age/level they invited?
haha, I mean Angela. I do know how to spell her name!
ReplyDeleteThe HPC have got some information on their website and they are sending Laura, Ebonie, Svetlan, Tierra and Georgia who are all Juniors and Grace, Maddy and Alex who are IDP10 girls. MLC are sending Amelia and Clare who are Juniors and Isobel, Kristina and Stella who i think are all IDP10
ReplyDeleteWhat subdivision is Angela in?
ReplyDeleteangela is sub div 2. she's on at 2.30.
ReplyDelete