UCLA, BSU at CSUF, 1/18/02

by BruinsFan

 (note:  report is exclusively on UCLA)

This was a fun meet because we got to see so many gymnasts we wouldn't normally see. I saw next to nothing of Cal State-Fullerton and Boise State...sorry.   I thought it was very cool that Michelle Conway sang every word of the national anthem. And it was great to see Kellie Francia there after all that's happened to her over the past week.

Bars

Valerie Velasco - straddle over; Gienger (leg sep)-overshoot; double front-half (step forward) (9.675)

Michelle Conway - straddle over; giant half-giant (not sure if this was planned?)-Kim pirouette-front giant 1/2-bail; split to sole circle; double tuck. She struggled through this - a lot of it was labored. (9.4)

Natashi Desai - squat-on, healy (slight stall in HS)-healy-straddle back (a little short); squat-on to tucked sole circle; rudi dismount (fall) (9.175)

Kristin Parker - hecht vault mount-uprise HS-high Tkatchev; blind change-piked Jaegar-overshoot; slight arch on last cast HS; new dismount of double layout (not a ton of lift, but straight body position) (9.825)

Onnie Willis - jump to HB; blind change-front full (stops in HS and reverses swing)-Tkatchev-straddle back (slightly over)-toe on shoot to HB (smooth); double front-half dismount (hop forward) (9.8)

Doni Thompson - straddle over-uprise HS-giant full (right on top)-high Tkatchev.  Now this is where it gets cool. She continues swinging past the Tkatchev (as if about to do a straddle back), does a full turn (think Lysenko) and then the straddle back (just short); full-in (small hop back) (9.85)

Beam

Michelle Conway - Homma flairs mount that ends straddling the beam (beautiful); illusion (nailed); ff-layout (fall); double turn (fall); switch leap-split jump full; front full dismount (8.55)

Jamie Dantzscher - ff-ff-layout (slight wobble); straddle jump-straddle jump (solid); punch front-wolf jump-Korbut (nice); ff-gainer 1 1/2 twist off the end (9.825).  It is SO nice to see her hitting these beam sets!

Jamie Williams - straddle-3/4 (nice save); ff-layout (underrotated and stepped forward); switch leap (small break) into 2 straddles; really nice section down on her back; gainer back tuck off the end dismount (9.25)

Valerie Velasco - ff-layout (break at the waist); switch leap-straddle 3/4; hitchkick-layout side somi (break); gainer-full off the side (9.475)

Kristin Parker - switch leap-gainer layout; ff-layout; 2 straddle jumps; gainer full off the side. SOLID routine! (9.875)

Alyssa Beckerman - full turn with leg horizontal-wolf jump; front aerial-ff; switch ring leap (slight break) to switch ring leap-beat jump; GORGEOUS full turn in Y-scale; gainer full off the side (9.925)

Trishna Patel (exhibition); front-on; ff-back tuck; punch front (fall); switch leap (small break) to wolf jump-beat jump; tucked front-full off (8.65)

Floor

Michelle Conway - Spanish guitar music; double pike; front full-front pike; double tuck (9.775)

Jamie Williams - double pike (hands down); front-full; handspring-front layout (warmed up two).  There are some nice sections in this routine but she doesn't seem comfortable selling it. (8.8)

Christy Erickson - double pike; 1 1/2 twist-punch front; double twist (9.6).  Val was going crazy on the sidelines, jumping up and down, etc. when she landed that last pass. She seemed nervous in warmups, and I know she sometimes has problems with the second pass (lands low or sits it down), so this was a GREAT routine for her!  Same "Party" routine as last year.

Kristin Parker - Arabian double front (small hop forward); RO-whip half stepout-RO-layout stepout; Johnson-Popa, then she missed the planned wolf-full and just did an awkward-looking straddle jump and then rolled down to the ground, lowering her SV by a tenth; double pike (9.8).

Yvonne Tousek - triple twist; 2 1/2 twist punch front; outside double turn-Popa; whip-1 1/2 twist (left out the punch front); new routine to violin music, same ending as last year (9.95)

Jamie Dantzscher - double layout (awesome); RO-1 1/2 twist-barani-full twist-layout stepout; Johnson-Shushunova; Popa-wolf full (gorgeous); double tuck (10.0)  As soon as she landed that last pass there was absolutely no doubt this was a 10. WONDERFUL routine!

Vault

Christy Erickson - piked Tsuk (step back, a little sloppy) (9.325)

Natashi Desai - handspring-1 1/2 twist (stepped around to cheat a double at the end) (9.225)

Jamie Williams - piked Tsuk (stumble backwards) (9.15)

Trishna Patel - front tuck (sat down) (9.1)

Valerie Velasco - front pike (very low landing, almost sat down) (9.45)

Michelle Conway - Hristakieva (tucked the end, underrotated) (9.6)