“Watching a previous broadcast and wondering why it’s ok to say HEIGTH on TV. HEIGTH is NOT a word. The word is HEIGHT!!! (sans ‘th’).” -Once again, the world is a cesspool and Aimee Boorman is the only one we can trust.
Simone won
The U.S. Classic happened. In a surprisingly splat-free competition, Simone Biles flexed her pinky toe and won the GK U.S. Classic with a 60.0 despite flying right off the floor and straight back to Texas, y’all! The Pan Ams team was named at the end of the competition; Kara Eaker, Aleah Finnegan, Morgan Hurd, Riley McCusker, Leanne Wong, and Shilese Jones (alternate) are all Peru-bound. Snubbed again, Simone!
In upgrade news, Biles did the layout out of her Biles but held off on her triple double and her double double beam dismount, though she did the former during podium training and we got another clip of her doing the latter. She also says she’ll do the triple double at nationals.
McCusker came in second with a fabulous performance, and Grace McCallum also did very well for third. They were followed by Eaker, whose always-gorgeous beam routine gave her that title; Wong; and Hurd, who just barely edged out Sunisa Lee’s beautiful bars for that title.
MyKayla Skinner did well in her comeback meet, showing off her Amanar, but skipping bars and perhaps saving her new giant full to Fabrichnova for later. Jade Carey did the all-around, thriving as per usual on floor. Trinity Thomas was solid on bars and beam. Results, Live blog.
Konnor McClain won the junior all-around title, finishing with an incredible performance on beam, followed by Sydney Barros and Olivia Greaves. Results, Live blog.
Malabuyo withdrew. Emma Malabuyo withdrew from competition with a fractured tibia, leaving fans upset and making us once again wonder what Disney witch Texas Dreams managed to piss off.
More Simone things. She’s not so sure anymore whether she’ll retire right after Tokyo, she and her WCC teammates made their entrance in capes, her leo said “Biles” on the back in bedazzle, and she hates adulting just as much as the rest of us. It’s been a real whirlwind.
The Hopes Championship also happened. Rafaela O’Neill took the title with a 51.600. Live blog.
More team rosters. Brazil also named its Pan Ams team.
Wut else happened
Sara Teristi said #MeToo. Former gymnast Sara Teristi has come forward as a survivor of Larry Nassar, also telling Time magazine that former Olympic team and Twistars coach John Geddert viewed the abuse firsthand in 1988.
Teristi joins other Twistars gymnasts in accusing Geddert of emotionally and physically abusive training methods that created an environment that allowed Nassar to thrive. Her testimony makes her one of the earliest known survivors of Larry Nassar.
Rachael Denhollander tweeted that she’s “So proud of Sarah [sic] for speaking up.” Rita Wieber also responded, tweeting, “As long as Twistars remains open this narcissist makes money and continues believing he is above it all.” Geddert did not respond to requests from Time for comment.
We have questions about Maria Caire. UCLA gymnastics team member Maria Caire had no record of competitive gymnastics before joining the team, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times. The Times found no evidence that Caire competed for Club Champion Gymnastics, the club she where she ostensibly trained, and found that a coach there hadn’t heard of her.
Caire’s uncle has a relationship with former UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field. Miss Val said her connection with Caire was not a recruitment factor, that she was brought on for vault, and that she has yet to compete due to medical issues.
Riegel was suspended in 2015. Chris Riegel, the former U.S. gymnast who last week publicly accused his former coach of sexual abuse, was suspended by USA Gymnastics in 2015 for making “inappropriate comments” to a female gymnast, according to the Orange County Register.
Report: Changes needed at USOPC. A report commissioned by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (formerly the USOC) found that the USOPC needs a new board and funding system that prioritizes athletes over medals. USOPC chair Susanne Lyons said in a statement, “We look forward to reviewing the full report and taking appropriate actions.”
Writer and survivor advocate Dani Bostick slammed the report on Twitter, saying it erases the experiences of non-elite athletes and minimizes the pervasive problem of abuse in sports.
Required reading
- How one Olympian turned devastation into inspiration (Tedx Talk with Jordyn Wieber)
- Laurie Hernandez’s incredible power comes from her parents (Refinery29)
- MyKayla Skinner will not be ignored (Slate)
Star status
Comebacks. Laurie Hernandez says she won’t start competing until 2020, and Roxana Popa says she wants to come back at this year’s worlds.
Upgrades. Aleah Finnegan has a double double (when did we start calling it a Silivas?) and a standing arabian on beam.
NCAA corner
Full Out 2 needs you. Who’s ready to fulfill their gymnerd destiny and be a part of gymnastics’ proud cinematic tradition? Full Out 2, a film about the University of Oklahoma gymnastics team, needs actors.
Upgrades. Maddie Karr has a new series and it’s like buttah.
Pac-12 wants more money. Pac-12 submitted a proposal to increase the number of scholarships for NCAA gymnasts from 12 to 14.
Staying social
Scary news. Shawn Johnson and Andrew East opened up about pregnancy complications. Our thoughts go out to the East family during this difficult time.
Brb, panicking. This clip made me almost as stressed as watching Romania on beam.
International friendships ftw. Morgan Hurd and Angelina Melnikova share a birthday and had this adorable exchange.
Same. At one point Aly tried to do a Y turn and failed, but presumably she wasn’t doing it in a shower like some of us.
Dear diary. This is Heath Thorpe’s most embarrassing moment, but honestly since it doesn’t involve period blood I can’t sympathize too much.
New career moves. Danell Leyva competed on American Ninja Warrior.
Last words
I’m in Austin, and am honestly a wonder woman for getting this done this week (pats self on back).
Want to help out and qualify for super fun rewards for as little as $1/month? Check us out on Patreon!
The Gymternet 
just so everyone know, simone also drop a hint at the end of her Classic interview about a “possible” vt upgrade also…. I mean why retired in 2020? i know she said her body is broken but maybe she’s just underestimating herself again? lol…. i think as long as she still enjoy it and still on top, why not keep going. once you stop, coming back is just gonna be harder…
hmm, i gues hernandez is trying to pull a nastia comeback? at this point, not very optimistic about it. only simone has done a less than 1 yr comeback successfully and she was only out for 1 yr, not 3 yr like hernandez
The selection for this year worlds will be insane. too much depth and not too many spots….even a 7 spot team you would still leaving out a lot of very deserving people.
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Agree. Both Shawn and Peng are probably doing well in terms of money making and I respect that, but their going full YouTube influencer now and look to be on track for an influencer apology video. I liked Shawn’s YouTube when she wasn’t campaigning for views and Peng’s UCLA blogs, but they now seem to be changing their personalities for the camera.
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Woops. Meant to reply to the comment below.
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My dream for Simone is named skills on every event. If we’re optimistic (seems reasonable) and assume TTY and triple-twisting double tuck get named in this quad, we have Biles and Biles II on both floor and vault and probably double double off beam. That’s five already, just leaves bars. How many does/did Khorkina have before Nelli Kim took a hatchet to the code?
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her only submitted one so far is the weiler kip full turn just in case she ever accidentally do it. i don’t know if we will ever see it. I think we will see the double double off the beam before she gets any ub moves though.
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I’m so glad that Shawn and Andrew’s baby is okay, but disappointed with the way they milked it. In an Instagram story she said they knew the baby was fine before they release part 1 of the Youtube video – which purposely ended on a ‘cliffhanger’. I think its great that they are sharing their lives…but I’m slowly stopping watching as everything seems for clicks and she’s gone the full route of a true ‘youtuber’. Looks like Peng is trying that as well….
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I shudder to think what they will share when that child is born. People really have no boundaries anymore.
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The baby already has it’s own Instagram account! I think we need to find a way to remove ‘YouTuber’ from the list of acceptable careers 🙂
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Yes, me too. I wish she’d stop doing this. It just comes across really desperate for clicks and followers, and she’s “milking” something as precious and innocent as her own child for it.
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I just cringe now when I watch their videos.
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Yeah I lost so much respect for Peng after watching one of her videos. I wish I hadn’t and just remembered her awesome gymnastics. Also, if this is what young people like now, I’m sad for the next generation.
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Why exactly are we reporting on the (already handled) 3 year old misconduct of a victim? All the parties agree that he never touched or physically abused anyone and it was a case of poor judgemnt in the moment. The headline makes it sound like he engaged in the same behavior as Nassar or Moyer. I’m sure this wasn’t your intention, but it feels like you are promoting the retaliation against a survivor. Which is not to say his behavior was appropriate, he obviously did cross a lone but it wasn’t criminal and I’m not sure I’d classify it as abuse. Regardless, bringing it up now seems odd.
On alighter note, who the heck would want to see Aly doing a Y turn haha.
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Two things can be true at once. Rieger is a survivor, but his past actions are also inexcusable. Inappropriate remarks of a sexual nature are classified as sexual harassment which is actually illegal. The fact that he is himself a sexual abuse survivor doesn’t protect him from being called out over inappropriate behavior, and the athletes who he sexually harassed deserve to tell their story just as much as he does.
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Laurie wont start competing until 2020? Oh dear. Nastia sit in corner shaking head ” Laurie, you in danger girl “
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What is going on at UCLA? What was reported above sounds a lot like the well-to-do families faking their kid’s way into colleges by using fake sports/activities scenario that blew up earlier this year. Please post more information when you have it. I absolutely hate the idea of such a high-profile program being dragged into this mess.
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Colleges everywhere has been doing this for decades. There are most likely high profile programs other than UCLA that have done this.
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That is so rich of Val asserting that Maria was recruited for vault…from an athlete with no gymnastics competition or experience. What a slap in the face to all the L9s and L10s who have trained for 10+ years (and many are homeschooled too) for a coach to suggest someone can do a 9.9+ vault in just a couple of years!
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It’s a slap in the face in saying it, but it is never truly meant- and the young woman in question did not take someone’s place on the team. The ‘scam’ (if UCLA is guilty of it) is when a coach tells the school’s admission department that, yes, the team is recruiting the student, even if the student has nothing to do with the sport. The school then, on the word of the coach, moves the student up in the admissions line. When the kid then gets into the college, she’s on the team roster, but never is actually on the team and never competes. It is a way to get a student into college- not a way to get them onto an actual team.
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“(when did we start calling it a Silivas?)”
When Nelli Kim started taking away all the other names in the code that weren’t Nelli Kim? 😉
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I think there’s an erratum in the second paragraph. In the latter clip, Simone’s doing a double double bars dismount
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It’s saying that she held off from debuting her double double off beam
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But can we talk about this accusation that Geddart firsthand witnessed Nassar’s abuse thirty years ago?!?!?!?!
To think of the girls who would have been spared had he spoken up. I want to see him behind bars for life. Criminal and inexcusable.
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Do we know what happened to Jordan Bowers? Is she injured? She was one of our top juniors not long ago, and now it’s as if she disappeared.
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All I know is that her mother posted on Twitter that she/her family had had some sort of falling out with her gym (Solid Rock) and she had to move to a different gym that no/very few even level 10s. I’ve since tried to find any updates but have been unsuccessful so far. Seems like she’s in a really difficult place and probably isn’t competition-ready. She was one of my favs 😦
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People are making me root for Skinner. I read in one of the youtube comments in her vault vid with her AMANAR in the comp, after struggling with it in podium and her first classics in years — ” God I hate the clapping as she’s walking down the podium. Looks like a snob.” UGH! Oh please! Women have to be modest, and humble, they can never show that they are proud of their efforts, like a man could without being judged harshly for it. Like if a woman is ever complimented she is supposed to cover her mouth, and giggle and say, ” No, no, I’m not that great, or good, ” giggle, looks down at the ground, twirls pigtails….. Drives me nutso! If I am proud, if I feel good, if I clap my hands after achieving something, I’m considered a snob! lol I cant.
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I agree… Check out mckayla moroney after her 2012 TF vt …
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FULLY agree. I cannot *stand* that crap, policing women’s reactions. The USWNT got it in the World Cup as well. These are incredible, world class athletes and when they do incredible, world class athletic feats they are allowed to celebrate! “Looks like a snob” and you sound like a CHILD. The male gymnasts fist pump after every one of their routines and they are NEVER criticized for that. It’s disgusting.
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Laurie Hernandez had a reddit session : ) The tea was : She hopes to be at camp end of year. She has a new floor routine that is completely different, still very sassy! How far along is she in the comeback – ? ‘On beam I’m doing full routines with a soft dismount landing, but as for the other events I’m still perfecting skills!’ Asked what the hardest part of her comeback is ” The hardest part about coming back hasn’t been relearning my skills believe it or not. My muscle memory is pretty good! However leaning out and actually getting back those muscles and getting strong again is a whole other story..’ Can read the rest here. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ch9ngt/im_olympic_gymnast_laurie_hernandez_2016_gold/
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I read that too and it was so lame! Didn’t answer any deep questions that any true gym follower wanted to know. I only noticed about 10 questions answered though – so not sure why it fizzled out!
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https://sennedersin.biz
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