2011 Worlds: WAG Qualification

Hi all.

Australia's women are in preliminary competition tomorrow - 3:45pm Tokyo time, so 5:45pm AEDST. I'll do my best to advise you of streams, or cross-post whatever information I can.

I hope that by the time you read this new article, the thumbnail is actually of Lauren and not some bearded guy.


You can read Brigid's report from yesterday's training session, and see some of her photos, here.



7:01 AEDST

Hello from my new working laptop!
Australia has just kicked off another WAG training session.

They've started on beam again, and all signs point to good! Mitchell just did a layout dismount though... at floor, Miller is excelling. Has apparently stood up her double arabian to stag twice and showed one standout triple turn. Monckton is resting her ankle in a brace (eeep!)
Vault - a real mixed bag but some nice ones in there according to Brigid's reports. I don't love hearing that there is balking going on. Ash great Tsuk 1 1/2s.
Bars also turns out to be a mixed bag with hits and misses across the board. Little the standout with two good completed routines. Miller much more shaky than previous sessions on this apparatus.

I'm going to be so nervous tomorrow!

UPDATE 10:02 AEDST - prelims lineup announced


Australia has announced its lineups for the preliminary competition tomorrow.


Beam: Little, Brown, Monckton, Brennan, Mitchell
Floor: Little, Brown, Miller, Brennan, Mitchell
Vault: Monckton, Brown, Brennan, Little, Mitchell
Bars: Little, Monckton, Brown, Mitchell, Miller

Brigid has supplied a training report.

Highlights:

Georgia Rose Brown’s perfect Memmel turn.

Larissa Miller on floor in general.

Mitchell’s DTY sticks.

Ash Brennan beam in general.

Little’s full-twisting double tuck.

Monckton sticking FTY, despite what are possibly sore ankles.

2001 Worlds: WAG Training 4

Achtung achtung!

Brigid says Aussie WAGs hit the training hall again in approximately 4 hours. I'll update you as much as I can.

In the meantime, you can see new photos of Lauren and Maryanne in this gallery at Inside Gymnastics (thanks to the wonderful Grace Chiu).

3:36 AEDST
Brigid reports that Australia has started training beam in the Yoyogi arena. I suggest you 'like' Brigid The Couch Gymnast McCarthy at Facebook for a detailed report as the session unfolds.

Beam - All the girls recorded at least one fall, but generally improved upon repetition of skills. Brennan and Brown the best of the lot. Lauren having wolf turn, acro and switch ring difficulties. Mihai Brestyan and Marta Karolyi watched Lauren's routine.

Floor - Also shaky. Not altogether a write-off, but not as good as podium training. Mitchell serious issues with front layout.

Vault and Bars - the best apparatus on show today, going by B's brief notes. Everyone got through their routines okay but there are still some nerves on show. She says she will have a detailed report up tomorrow. I believe there was some visible distress on their faces.

Sorry to be so vague, everyone. I was writing this post in my last hour of work, then had to come home and try wrangling my modem (which, after much wringing of hands and cables, I have now done).

An extended podium training gallery by Brigid McCarthy can be seen here.

2011 Worlds: MAG Training

The boys have not been forgotten!



GA have put up a brief update and some photos of the men's team as they prepare for Podium Training. I thought this was a nice touch:

Our Men's and Women's Teams will be wearing special patches on their GK competition uniforms to recognize the tremendous hardship that our friends in Japan have had to endure since the tsunamis that rocked this island country earlier this year. It will be our small way of acknowledging the resilience and fighting spirit of the people of Japan.

Good luck, guys!

2011 Worlds: WAG Training 3

Good morning, comrades!

Photo credit Brigid McCarthy

The Couch Gymnast has really come through for her fellow Aussies, staying for the rest of yesterday's podium training session when everyone else dashed off to cover the rockstars of Team USA. She has put up a nice photo gallery.

On the men's side, there is a GA update about their prospects here.

The ladies of team Aus are back in the training hall at 10:30AEDST so stay tuned!

(Awwwww!)

Edit - Brigid says the Aussie team is not in the training gym. So she may have accidentally got the time wrong, or they've opted out like the USA did the other day. Either way, I will keep my ear to the ground and update once they're in action again. Many apologies!

If you would like a nice, detailed listed of who has been filmed and on which events thus far, check out the excellent directory here.

GA have made a sub-page for Tokyo news here and made the following remarks about the podium training session:

A number of highlights from the Podium session were:

• Consistent performances from the whole team on our starting apparatus Beam
  
• Numerous comments from the judges on our Artistry on Floor (many thanks to Stacey Umeh and Lisa Bradley)
• Some fantastic vaulting performances - in particular from our 2/1 twisting Yurchenko athletes Emily Little and Lauren Mitchell
• Larrissa Miller’s performance on Bars
• Ashleigh Brennan’s leaps on floor
• Mary-anne Monckton had an opportunity to show her 1/1 twisting Tkatchev
• Georgia-Rose’s artistry and gracefulness on floor
• Reserve Nikki Chung had an opportunity to gain experience on the World Championship Podium.

Tomorrow the girls will have a slightly lighter training session, and then begin their final preparations for Team qualification on Friday.

Unfortunately, I can't say much about the men's side except that they have had a training session in the Yoyogi stadium (training gym).

2011 Worlds: WAG Podium Training LIVE!!!

Australia stretch their legs again in approximately one hour's time.

(pic courtesy of Gymnastics Australia. Click for larger)

Edit: I'm following TCG and TGE's Facebook updates 6:00pm AEDST. I'm kind of amalgamating their observations so forgive me!

Australia is in the red and black leos from last Worlds and rocking that famous unified walk. Martine thoroughly sussed out the beam before the gymnasts had even marched out.

Beam: Good reviews for Brown.
Monckton one hand down on a flight series but got it the second time around. Mitchell sticks BHS -flic-layout. Came off on the ring leap but got it on another attempt. Little great double pike dismount. Brennan "very sure of herself... Australia is lucky to have this routine"! All signs point to good for our bogey apparatus!


Floor: Brennan warms up a full-in with a spot, adds a split jump afterward; 2.5 twist to sissone. Nice double tuck to finish. Also a double arabian in there? (Blythe is unsure)
Little stuck all her tumbles - tucked full in. Double tuck to good landing. 1.5 twist to double full twist. Double pike with a small hop. "Very good" says Blythe!
Monckton double tuck with a shuffle back. 2.5 twist to punch front, stag jump. Switch ring to tour jete full to tuck full. Double full to a high straddle jump [I am guessing she means pirouette?], double pike.
GRB her striking music with vocals. Double pike, had trouble controlling the landing. Front double full to single stag. Memmel turn? Brigid says "gorgeous" ring leap! 1.5 to front tuck to another single stag. Double tuck to end, a little low.
Brennan "huge" tuck full-in. Double tuck to stag. "Nice, just like a pro". Front layout, front lay full, sissone. Double pike slightly under-rotated and had to step forward.
Mitchell - whip to arabian to stag jump, earns a "WOW!", heehee. Crashed her 2.5 twist to front layout, tucking the layout and landing on her bum. Double wolf turn. Ends with double pike to split jump.
Miller double arabian to stag, stands it up. Front lay to double full. Double turn. Hands down on 2.5 twist at the end.
Chung - (we finally get a look at our exciting alternate!) Double pike to open, nice and high. Single wolf pirouette on floor. Punch front through to double full. Nearly lost it on double tuck at end.
Mitchell re-performs her 2.5 to front lay nicely. Miller re-does her 2.5 twist, first connected to a front tuck, then a front layout. Redid her full-in as well. Monckton practising her pirouettes.

Vault:
Maryanne - Yurchenko full a little low.
Georgia Rose - Yurchenko full piked down slightly.
Ashleigh - Brigid says 'half on full off?' with one step to the side. Could this be her Tsuk 1.5?
Emily - Baitova with slightly bent legs, lands with one small step.
Lauren - Baitova, lost form a little in the air, landed in crouch.
Nikki - "Very nice" Yurchenko full
Mez VT2 - no indication of the vault (whether or not it was the Yurchenko again), deep landing. Brigid compares her style to that of snappy Swiss expert Kaeslin.
Georgia Rose VT2- Pikes the landing a little, has to jump back
Ash VT2 - "Great, one little step but very nice"
Emily VT2 - Better, nice and high Baitova
Mitchell VT2 - Very good, a bit low on landing.
Mez VT3 - "Totally stuck" Yurchenko full!
GRB VT 3- Same vault as last. Struggles with landing.
Ash VT3 - Near stick, one step to the side.

I am assuming they all did one vault three times...?
(EDIT: Brigid says yes, they all vaulted the same thing three times)

Bars:

Ash is prepping the bars while the girls line up.

Little - neat but low jaeger. Stuck double layout dismount.
Monckton - caught shush and tkatchev, split legs on pak salto, lost it a little but kept going (banana back I guess?), small leg separation on DLO dismount but stuck it!
GRB - Low geinger but nice jaeger. Wonky stalder, giant half to double front with a spot.
Mitchell - Lot it on first pirouette, came off, remounted for just her double front dismount.
Miller - stalder, full turn to geinger good. Had to pause in her handstands a few times. Full twisting double off (Brigid is unsure about this).
Little - same as before, sticks DLO again. Messy feet on straddled moves.
Monckton - Lost her swing, walked away, did not reattempt.
GRB - Foot flexed in geinger, lost it in the giant after her jaeger and finished up there
Mitchell - Lost it again, on the first pirouette. Dismounted, is being coached about it.
Miller - repeated stalder, giant full, geinger "GREAT!", jaeger very high this time. Crouched a little on dismount.
Little - "Lost it, walked away".
Monckton - full routine. Hit shush, very high tkatchev. Same leg form on pak, haf to be spotted through full pirouette on low bar. Stuck DLO again but with low landing.
GRB - "Was doing really well but lost it on her upswing to high bar. She is back on and landed ok, just a couple of shuffle steps."
Mitchell - Straight to high bar. Did her jaeger. She did the rest of the routine but it was a little slow and slack, and she sat down her double front.
Miller - "Exquisite" giant full into her dismount, which was stuck.
As the music came up for the session to end, Lauren re-attempted her routine. Still a bit off, but landed her dismount to her feet.

Oh boy.

Hang in there, team, you can do it! We're all cheering for ya!

2011 Worlds: WAG Training 2

The Couch Gymnast has an extended training hall report and lovely photos up, including a couple of purple-clad Aussies. Thanks, Brigid!

(I hope the world falls in love with this girl, like they did with Hollie Dykes...)

The VWHPC at Facebook also has some rather nice photos of the girls in training as well. These guys are always good for on-the-scene updates, so if you've not already liked their page, do it do it do it do it!

And, not to be outdone, the ever vigilant fan site Gymnastike has videos! Woo, as I rightly hear you say, hoo!

2011 Worlds: WAG Training

The Couch Gymnast, The Gym Examiner and Gymnastike are all inside the arena in Tokyo tapping, filming and snapping as fast as their fingers will allow!

Brigid (TCG) Facebooked the following brief remarks from Aussie podium training who are rotating as we speak!

Emily Little pounding out a solid beam set. She looks quite polished on her back tumbling and switch side. Nice high double pike off.

Mez Monckton training terrifically. Solid skills, great back pike, best leg up full turn today. Fell on switch half but got it again and AWESOME double pike dismount!

Mitchell BB looks fab... Combined wolf turn with single pirouette. Great ring leap! Timer off. Yep, the slow cook approach works for her. She is IN form.

GRB beautiful on beam as ever, but having trouble with full turn in split.

Missed a bit of floor [had battery issues]. Miller sat down two passes, but recovered her double arabian later. Mitchell crunched toes on a pass but generally looked okay. Chung fell on double tuck but looked very pretty. Missed HPC girls.

While Blythe (TGE) adds...

This team has two first-time Worlds competitors in Mary Anne Monckton and Georgia Rose Brown, and both look to be adapting to this climate very well, particularly Monckton, who was all power and drive on beam (very nice double pike dismount).

Props to Ashleigh Brennan of Australia, who looks totally fit and in control of her gymnastics here. Her floor is very nice (full in, front layout to front full to single stag third pass) and she's one of the steadiest on beam.

Seeing some nice tumbling on floor from the Aussies, particularly the powerful Emily Little (great half in half out) and Lauren Mitchell, who appears to be getting a handle on her whip to Arabian double.


No word on leos yet.

Gymnastike hopefully gets some Aussie-related videos!

Check this page at FullTwist for an excellent breakdown of competition session times.

Now, just a quick note to the Pedantic Pollies who like to pop up now and then.

1. Please don't take what happens in training as outright indication of how the team will perform later. That's just presumptuous and pointless.

2. The people reporting from this event are being extremely gracious with their time and resources (I do also point out my one known Aussie contact cheering on the team in Tokyo who will probably have some nuggests for us as well). They could very well just sit and watch the competition but instead they are in dedicated fan mode and getting information for other fans around the world as it happens.

Please please PLEASE do not pipe up with, "I think you'll find x-gymnast does Y-skill, NOT z-skill!" or "BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION X-GYMNAST/TEAM!? THEY'RE THERE TOO YOU KNOW!" or "You spelled that wrong, duh!" and things of that nature. It's just rude, and says more about you than it says about gymbloggers. Mistakes do get made in reporting due to speed - you've sat in a gym competition, you must know there are multiple things going on at once - and the author usually does their best to correct errors as soon as time permits during or after live coverage. Something like a World Championship is a fast and furious time and they do the best they can under the circumstances. I myself made an honest mistake this afternoon and was VERY RUDELY advised of it in comments. Thanks so much for that! Hope you get spoken to in that manner one day and can learn how it feels!

Please keep comments civil, and be mindful how much work is being put it in to bring you coverage of the event.

There. I'm off my grumpy stool now. Back to the gymnastics.

2011 Worlds: Australia in Prelims

Ok, hit a slight snag setting up my ADSL modem *untangles self from cables* but the good news is I should having working internet at home by Wednesday evening. Which, happily, is right before prelims kick off!

Australia WAG: Subdivision 3, Friday October 7th. Starting on beam.
Australia MAG: Subdivision 7, Monday October 10th. Starting on p-bars.