We're almost halfway through the season, and we're going to see a switch to the Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) in a few weeks. Now that the jitters and novelty of the new season is wearing off, we're starting to see some clear trends emerge. "Slow Starters" are making big improvements while "Early Leaders" are finding new teams nipping at their heels. As we head into the "mid-point shakeup", here are some observations.
OU still holds the top spot in the Men's Poll, but there has been activity in the poll this week. PSU is now in 2nd and Illinois in 3rd. Both received a first place vote in this week's poll.
Bridgeport won the quad meet with another season high. Sasha Tsikhanovich won the floor for the Purple Knights, while Amber Hill won UB and Rachel Dicarlo won BB. For West Chester, Majesta Valentine won the AA with a 38.775. Urisinus' Kristina Steffenhagen won the vault.
Link: Bridgeport Release
We're a full month into the season and we're going to take a break from our regular weekly recap to take a look at how judges score routines. But rather than explaining the basics, we are offering a course in "Scoring 201": an intermediate look at some of the deductions beyond the obvious and clear deductions taken by the judges. We are hoping to shed light on where the judges in more strictly judged meets are taking their deductions, for fans that may be unfamiliar with the more subtle points of scoring. We're not experts, but this will hopefully serve as an intermediate lesson on some of the key things that you can usually watch for.
Another weekend has passed, and we've see more questions open up about the season as the rankings have shuffled once again. Team that started strong have since wobbled a bit, while others with some early stumbles have steadily climbed. And we've seen some others that have been steady and consistent in the meets thus far, and have solid Top 25 positions to show for it. As 197 becomes the new 196, let's see how the week has gone....
The College Gymnastics Association (CGA) posted their week three rankings for the men, for the week of January 26th. The rankings, unlike for the women, are based on a survey of coaches. Oklahoma leads the poll, followed by Stanford and PSU. OU was not an unanimous choice this week; one first place vote went to PSU.
Cal held off DU to win a big quad meet at home. Frosh Toni Ann Williams led the way, winning VT, FX and the AA (39.475). She also shared the UB title with teammates Charlie Owens and Emily Richardson, and San Jose State's Maddie Herr. Cal's Desiree Palmares won the BB.
Link: ASU Release and Results
The second full week is in the bag (the third weekend overall) and we are already seeing the fan excitement, enthusiasm and in some cases, speculation and angst, build. It's a been a wild weekend full of standout performances and rising stars. And, unfortunately, we're seeing injury and scoring variation dominate the conversation. Here's our weekly recap...
The College Gymnastics Association (CGA) posted their week two rankings for the men. The rankings, unlike for the women, are based on a survey. Oklahoma leads the poll, followed by Stanford and Illinois.
Representatives from 65 schools in the five largest conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) and 15 student-athlete representatives (three from each conference) met to vote on changes enabled by the NCAA's new autonomy structure, which enables the Big Five to set certain standards. They approved several important changes, including raising the limit on scholarship money to cover the "total cost of attendance". This could mean that certain schools and athletes in certain sports could see more money, to cover expenses like travel expenses and academic-related supplies. The delegates also approved a change that prevents a scholarship from being revoked for athletic reasons.
Link: NCAA Release