Feeling Kinda Friday Live Blog – Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Missouri

Friday – 3/14/14
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – [3] Florida @ Missouri (Scores) (Video - all-access subscription)
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – Kentucky @ [1] LSU (Scores) (Video - school subscription)
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – [2] Oklahoma @ [16] Arkansas (Scores) (Video - school subscription)
8:30 ET/5:30 PT – [11] Auburn @ [4] Alabama (Scores) (Video - free)
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – [24] Southern Utah @ Utah State (Scores) (Video)
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – [12] Oregon State, Seattle Pacific @ Washington (Scores) (Video - free)
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – Northern Illinois @ [22] Arizona State (Scores) (Video - free)

Current rankings:

We'll get started a 7:30 ET/4:30 PT with Florida and Missouri facing off in the great battle for scores. Here are Florida's averages on each event both home and away for reference during the meet as to whether they are being more home or more away in this meet:

Vault: Home - 49.450, Away - 49.256
Bars: Home - 49.480, Away - 49.319
Beam: Home - 49.395, Away - 49.250
Floor: Home - 49.655, Away - 49.250

Floor is the big one, so those will be the scores to watch. It's not so much about Kytra, she can be worthy of a 10 anywhere, but how high the judges are willing to go for those early routines. Are they starting out 9.875-9.900, or more like 9.825? 

Important question of the day: Is Katherine Grable going to get a 10 on floor (or vault) on senior night?

We're not too far away from Florida and Missouri getting started, and then soon after we'll have Oklahoma and LSU at the same time, battling it out for the huge scores that will take them to #1. For Missouri, I'm looking for 48.8s and 48.9s. That's where they need to be. Vault and beam have been the lower-scoring events this year, so if they can get higher 48s on those and hit 49 on the stronger events, bars and floor, that's a very solid result. 

Getting ready to go now.
Rotation 1 - Missouri on vault, Florida on bars:
Kern - VT - Yhalf to start - step back. Fine opening. 9.850.

BDG - UB - Clean shaposh, hits her bail as well. Legs nice together throughout, handstands look almost entirely clean - and a stick/near stick on the DLO - legs apart in the second salto as usual, but high as usual as well.  9.875.

Eubank - VT - Yfull - lands very squatty, looked like she was going to sit it down, but she saves it with a large lunge back to stay on her feet.

B Caquatto - UB - Excellent Ray, she has exceptional handstands on this event each week, hits her bail, and sticks the DLO. Great, clean routine. Thought it was a touch stronger than BDG's, so we should see some 9.9s here.

Heimsath - VT - More distance on her yfull than the first two had on their vaults - not the amplitude we'll see from Florida, but solid. Step back. 

Hunter- UB - Exceptional power on her hindorff, bail looks OK, but completely overbalances her handstand after coming back to the high bar after her bail - didn't come off the bar but had to take a thousand extra swings. Step on the DLO. Now that is a scowl. Awesome face Kytra. Thank you for always telling us how you feel. This has been happening - bigger issues on beam and usually smaller issues on bars - but now a big issue on bars. 9.250.

Kapler - VT - clean yfull - best form on the team so far, solid distance, step back. Good vault.

Sloan - UB - Another strong Ray, clean handstands, the usual leg break apart in the bail, but that's really the extent of the issues there. Stuck DLO. Powerful and strong routine. Good recovery.  Boom. 9.975. So, we're getting excited by these scores. They're going high for both teams. It is often tough for the judges to see her leg break in the bail from a side angle, but it was there today. Great routine, though, so I would have been fine with 9.950.

Elmore - VT - Just a y-layout for her. Fine vault, but they'll need to drop that. No sixth vaulter? Ouch. I didn't know they didn't have five 10.0 vaults to use. That hurts a lot.

M Caquatto - UB - Very pretty shaposh to bail combo, great form throughout. I thought she looked clearly short on her final handstand, but she stuck her tuck full dismount well. I'm impressed by these landings so far. Lots of sticks, which they have needed lately.  9.925.

Johnson UB - Beautiful handstands and another powerful Ray, she also has a bit of floppy legs on her bail like Sloan, but the toe point is undeniable. She's another with legs apart on her DLO, and a hop back this time, but pretty on the bars themselves. 9.900. 

After 1: Florida 49.625, Missouri 48.750
It's the end of the season, and much like the end of the school year, everyone is just a little more excited, and we're seeing that in the scores. Florida performed a strong bars rotation, with clean routines throughout besides Kytra, but there were places to take - a couple of the bail handstands and a couple of the landings. Overall, though, it's good improvement in the sticking department for Florida. The Kytra consistency watch is on, however. She tends to be the most likely to eat a mistake on bars and beam. 

Missouri also got some benefit of the doubt on those scores, which were fairly charitable. I said we needed to see 48.8s, and the 48.750 is almost there, but with only four vaults of 10.0 start value, they couldn't really have asked for anything more. It will be interesting to compare Kern's 9.850 to what Florida scores, because Kern had a perfectly fine, normal yhalf with a definite step back, so if the judges are being consistent between teams, we could see Florida's vault lineup start out in the 9.9s.

Rotation 2 - Missouri on bars, Florida on vault:
Spicer - VT - Pretty good yfull, strong height and clean form- that's an improvement over the Missouri rotation - and a fairly significant hop back on the landing.

Elmore - UB - Good full turn, not completed late at all - hits her tkatchev,  couple cast handstands looked short there toward the end of the routine, but she sticks her double back dismount. Acceptable start. 

B Caquatto - VT - yfull - another who doesn't have her landing there yet. Pretty big hop back on that one. Everything else looked strong. Good height and distance and impeccable body shape.

Conkle - UB - She shows a gienger, which I always love to see, some form happening there but she catches it. DLO dismount with a step back.

M Caquatto - VT - Nice height on the yfull - not the same distance as Bridgey but a better landing. I'd give her the stick this time. She held it just a bit longer than she has done a couple times recently, when she leaned into a step salute and didn't get credit for sticking. Well done on that front.

Sander - UB - A couple floppy handstands here that will hurt her score, gets her straddle back - finishes with a clean DLO in the air - another with a step back.

Johnson - VT - Pretty yfull - no question about the stick on this one, very well done. Good body shape and height.

Eubank - UB - Nice height on her piked jaeger, and connects it directly to the bail. Best line and best handstands in the rotation so far, and a stick on her double front. That will be an upgrade in the scores for them by a solid tenth over he people going before.

Sloan - VT - Beautiful yfull - sticks it. Great vault - very well done. Best of the rotation so far. Chest up, and more distance than both Macko and Alaina, which improves the impression of her vault. 9.950.

Johnson - UB - Piked gienger to overshoot is well done, a little short on some of her handstands, but she has nice legs together throughout the routine on the bars. Lands a bit squatty on her double back with a lunge forward.

Hunter - VT - Y1.5 - The usual excellent, powerful, clean y1.5 that she has been receiving 10s for this season, but that didn't look like a stick this time. Not a step, but a shuffle on the landing. 9.950.

Trevino - UB - A little late and crooked on her opening full turn, goes for a gienger - lots of giengers on this team - and can't catch it, so they'll drop this score. Step back on the DLO.

Lauren Rose does exhibition on vault for Florida in her final routine for the team. Nice height on her yfull. Nice for her to get a final routine, even though it's not senior night for Florida.

After 2: Florida 99.125, Missouri 97.725  
A good vault rotation for Florida. They were hurt in the first two routines by not getting strong landings, which brought down the score for Bridgey in particular. Macko and Alaina vaulted very well - I don't think those scores reflected the quality of those vaults compared to some of the others in this meet tonight, but they do pop up on their vaults more than fly out. Potential chest position to take as well for Macko, but I'd want to see them again. Sloan and Hunter were immaculate as usual, and clearly Kytra would have been on the 10 train again with a true stick on her vault. Two rotations over 49.500 for Florida so far, so they are on the 198 road once again.

Missouri did about what they needed to do in that bars rotation. They just don't have the cleanliness throughout the routines that Florida does, so it will always be hard for them to go too far over 49, but Eubank has a very strong routine. I don't see how her routine scored the same as Johnson's. They looked very different in quality to me.

Elsewhere, LSU has opened with a 49.450 vault rotation (so edge Florida on that event so far).

Rotation 3 - Missouri on beam, Florida on floor 
McGill - BB - wobble on her opening loso series but she holds onto it without giving up too much. Sticks her gainer full dismount. Should be a solid start.


Boyce - FX - Enough control on her front double full mount, keeps that back leg in check while lunging forward, 1.5 to front pike middle pass - dances out of it, finishes with a rudi - chest down a little? Fine opening. 9.850.

Heimsath - BB - hits her standing loso along with her loso series, and sticks her three series dismount to a 1.5. Solid routine, not a lot of amplitude on the skills and some mushy leg form, but no wobbles there.

Spicer - FX - Pike full in opening - chest down as we have seen - and a little shuffley stumble this time, nothing major. Good front full to pike middle pass, stuck it. Split and wolf are OK, and just the smallest of absorption bounces on her double pike. A shuffle early, but a good hit.  9.900.

Kapler - BB - Also goes for her loso series, and you could see a fall coming just as she started. She was way off line and comes off the beam. They would be fine counting the first couple scores, so they'll just need hits from here on out. Otherwise it's a hit.

Johnson - FX - Strong landing on her double arabian, looked like she was going to land a little short, but she did well with one controlled step back - clean 1.5 to layout. Switch ring and split full look OK, and a fine double pike to start. Hit and solid. I thought it was slightly better than Spicer's so we'll see about the score. Same. 9.900.

Sander - BB - Small check on the straddle, hits her loso series, keeps her side aerial on the beam - it looked a little scary in the air but she hung onto it. Hop forward on 1.5 dismount. It's a hit. They'll take it.

Sloan - FX - We can barely hear the music at all on this broadcast, only the commentators and the team cheering. Sticks her front double full again. Split half looks fine, and the popa was excellent. Middle with a double pike - controlled enough. Small hop on the 1.5 to layout. Not her very strongest routine, but well done.

Bowers - BB - Pretty full turn to start, but comes off on her loso series, so they'll be counting a fall on beam. They really can't afford that in this close RQS battle to make Regionals. That's a shame. Hop forward on 1.5 dismount.

Hunter - FX - Great and big on the DLO and control the landing, great start. Middle pass - 1.5 + layout + fhs + shush - very well done as always. Hits her switch side and popa well. Just hangs onto the control of her landing on the open double back. She was not going to lift that second foot. They've givern her the 10.000 again. It's Kytra.

Conkle - BB - Nice form on the switch leap. Small wobble on the straddle. Goes for her loso, and comes off the beam. A three-fall disaster for Missouri. It was going OK before that. Low on her rudi dismount with a lunge.

B Caquatto - FX - Florida already has a 49.600 before this routine, so it's going to be something massive again, and good pace for a 198 for Florida. Woah, her opening pass with the front double full was fine, but was her sting mat lined up with the floor lines? I couldn't tell, but there were lines all over the place on that mat - it looked strange, and I got a little confused. I'm very sensitive. Rudi to split jump, strong straddles. Hits her double pike. 9.800.

After 3: Florida 148.725, Missouri 145.275  
Another big floor rotation for Florida. They'll drop the Bridgey score. Her routine looked strong, so she may have received a mat placement deduction. Kytra gets another 10, as we have come to expect, and everyone got huge scores. They just have to be pretty good on beam now to get that road 198 they've been searching for, but it's still beam.

A devastating result for Missouri on beam with a 47.550. Three falls, and there's no coming back from that.

So, we're really not getting the scores from Oklahoma and Arkansas aside from twitter updates? Are we Amish? Why are we regressing in terms of providing information to fans?

LSU continues the pace of 49.4s on bars, so they are just under 198 pace after two events with a 98.925. They have a 197.500 to drop for RQS, so they are still on pace to increase that if they can keep things going on the beam.

Arkansas 49.250 - Oklahoma 49.125. Katherine Grable 9.925 on vault. Arkansas's twitter is tough to translate because there's a lot of unnecessary hashtagging. #ALLIN. #NeverYeild. #WhereIsYourScoringPage

Rotation 4 - Missouri on floor, Florida on beam   
Boyce - BB - gets her aerial to bhs, and her bhs loso series. Her elements aren't the biggest or the cleanest, but she hits them like a leadoff should - now in this position in the lineup, which I like for her. That switch split looked a little wonky, but good split jump. Sticks gainer full.

Heimsath - FX - OK mount - double pike with a slide back - 1.5 to layout as her traditional middle pass - the amplitude on tumbling will be a big difference between the Missouri and Florida floor routines. Controlled double back dismount.

Spicer - BB - Hits her loso series as well, good full turn, holds onto her gainer loso and refuses to give a wobble there. Switch leap then down onto the beam. Remember when Brie Olson was forced to do that at the pro challenge? That still hurts me. Sticks her gainer full.

Conkle - FX - Front full to layout - hit. Well, that's some choreography, I'll say that. Really trying to be modern. Does a 2.5 for her middle pass, which is unusual - stumble on the landing. Good straddle positions, popa not quite fully around. Lowish on her rudi to finish.

In other news, LSU is fighting against a fall on beam for the final three routines.

Johnson - BB - aerial to bhs connection, looked like a small check. Very nice on the switch to split jump, strong full turn, side aerial to full dismount with a hop together on her landing.

Pokladnik - FX - Opens with a double pike, layout to front full as the second pass. Just some leg from here and there. Finishes with a rudi. Hit routine, another without a lot of amplitude, but no major issues.

Alabama opens with a 49.500 on vault. I'll be going there after this.

Sloan - BB - has to take a step back after her bhs + loso series, not under control and avoids the wobble, but it is a step. Hits her front aerial to scale - good switch and split dance combo - strong side aerial, and a great stick on her double full as she does every week. 9.950. That's high for the step on the opening series. 

Kapler - FX - She has very nice straddle positions - that dance combo was strong - but she has a stumble with a couple steps back on her middle double back pass, which will bring this score down. Low on her rudi.

It's a 49.100 for Auburn on bars in their opening rotation,

M Caquatto - BB - Very strong bhs loso series. Check on her aerial to swingdown, breaks the connection but she doesn't need the connection for her requirements. Good full turn. Switch to split jump is strong. Finishes with a gainer full. 9.925. 

Kern - FX - Nice height on her opening double pike, front full to layout is clean as well. She's one where the tumbling is stronger than the dance elements, which tends to be the more common identity. Rudi with some crazy legs but a controlled landing.

LSU had three big final beam routines for another score in the 49.4s.

Hunter - BB - Interesting that she has been moved to the final position. She has been struggling the most with consistency, so this can work to put less pressure on her going up after five hits, but if there's a fall before her, it works the opposite way. Small check on her loso series, switch side looks good, and a medium step back on the double back. 9.850.

Bowers - FX - Sticks her double pike mount with chest down - they need something great from her to get out of the 194.2s, but this will not be a counting score for RQS regardless. Front full to layout middle pass. Just saves her 1.5 to layout final pass but sneaking around that layout to her feet - looked like she would sit it down but she didn't.

BDG doing exhibition, but that will do it for Florida, a 198.200 road score. The 198 gauntlet has been thrown down again for the weekend.

Florida's RQS will increase to 197.790.

In the land of elsewhere, Oklahoma recovers from a lowish bars score with a 49.575 on vault, including a Scaman 10. Two 10s on the day so far, and the weekend is young.

LSU is on pace for a strong score, a high 197, but will fall behind Florida in the rankings after that result.

Over to Alabama and Auburn now - we're waiting on Kaitlyn Clark to anchor the bars rotation.

Clark - UB - They have a couple 9.7s so far, so they need a good hit. A few breaks in this routine - the legs come apart on the shaposh and she has to arch and hang onto a handstand, but she does stick her DLO. 9.875.

Alabama gets a 49.275 on bars, so they're right on mid 197 pace after two events.

After 2: Alabama 98.775, Auburn 98.300 

Oklahoma gets a 49.350 on floor in the third rotation to extend the lead over Arkansas by another three tenths. 148.050 to 147.300.

It looks like Florida has done enough with that 198.200 to take over #1, but we'll wait until we have final scores.

Rotation 3 - Alabama on beam,  Auburn on floor
Milliner - BB - Strong walkover as always, switch to straddle looks good as well, hits her bhs + loso series, no wobbles in this routine - front toss - just a small adjustment on the double full. Good hit.

Kadous - FX -punch front through to double back - chest down and a pretty big lunge back out of that - 1.5 to front tuck middle pass - double pike dismount with a similar landing to the mount. Just a little low but secure.

DeMeo - BB - Good GAGE handspring mount, clean walkover, hits her bhs to whipped layout series as well. Alabam is very good at refusing to give away wobbles, they just tense and freeze when it looks like they might. Great switch and split, low landing on the double pike with a large lunge forward. That's the risk of that dismount, but still a good routine. 9.875 is high just because of the dismount.

Kluz - FX -Good tuck full to start - popa looks fine - clean layout to front full. Remember to perform through the whole routine, not just in the "performance parts." Controlled dismount. Hit routine, should be a solid score.

Bailey - BB - Pretty L turn as always,just a small check on the loso series, good switch and tuck full jump, sticks her double full. Another strong hit. This is a great rotation so far.

Webster - FX - Nice pike full in - some legs apart issues, but I tend to be more forgiving of that on pike full ins unless I'm cranky. I'm not that cranky right now. She has clean twisting form, which I like to see from someone who also has the power to do a pike full. My criticism of Auburn's choreo is that it's a lot of "I'm going to stand and do arms now." Comfortable dismount.

A Sims - BB -hits her walkover, strong loso series. She's another who lands with her legs in different counties on that skill. The splits are a highlight of her routine. Strong full turn, and a great double back dismount. Small shuffle back if even that. Another great hit.

Demurs - FX - Sticks her pike full in - chest in the knees but stuck - dance elements are OK - sort of dancey-run-stumbles out of her front full. Low landing on her double pike dismount with a slide back. 

Clark - BB - Hits loso cleanly. Secure on the landing of her sheep jump as well, hit landing the front toss, sticks her 1.5. Another very strong beam rotation for Alabama, just fewer wobbles than anyone else is showing.  10.000. 10.000? Are we OK with that? I honestly didn't even consider it an option.

Atkinson - FX - Another full in, best one so far - split full to wolf full as her dance combo. They have lots of difficulty, but her tumbling is up to a different level. She has been carrying this team without Guy, and that's another excellent showing.

Jacob - BB - Good switch to popa to start. She's the one I would have thought was in 10 contention. Strong two loso series. The barani is back - Yay! And she nails it. And she sticks her 1.5. Well, if Clark's routine was a 10, then why not that one?  9.950. OK.

Walker - FX - Rudi mount to a bouncy split jump afterward. Layouts - also a little bouncy - as her middle pass. I assume she's in the final position to bump up her score a touch. 2.5 dismount with a small stumble. Still a solid hit.

It's a 49.650 for Alabama on beam after the 10 for Clark and 9.950s for Sims and Jacob.

After 3: Alabama 148.425, Auburn 147.550

LSU wins with a 197.800. A very strong score, and their third-highest of the season as well, but with a 197.500 coming off, they can't increase RQS by very much, and will go up to 197.720, behind Florida.

Rotation 4- Alabama on floor, Auburn on beam
Kadous is going on beam and hitting her routine until a big break on her series, but more importantly, Katherine Grable got a 9.975 on floor. Now, I'm not one to call for 10s all over the place, but this girl needs one before she graduates. That other judge and I are going to have a talk. Kadous has a fall, so Auburn has work to do on beam now. And Frost leads off for Alabama instead of Jetter with a hit.

Hlawek - BB - Hits her acro series without a wobble, gets her split full around - I would argue the split, but it was around. Front toss is low but right on the beam. Sticks her 1.5 dismount. She did well not to give away wobbles in that routine.

Jetter - FX - Sticks her double arabian - one of the best she has done that skill this season - split and popa look good as well - clean and secure 1.5 to front full as well. Automatic .200 deduction for car sounds in the floor music. Very good, floated 1.5 to layout finish. Nice routine, will score well.

Demurs - BB - Secure bhs loso series, switch to sheep. The sheep was very NCAA but no wobble. Side aerial to tuck full dismount and a stick. Two down, three to go.

Bailey - FX - Good double arabian, but not her strongest, small shuffle. Switch ring was fine, split full looked fairly short of 180 to me. Hits layout to front full well - and a solid rudi to finish. Good, regular, hit routine.

Rott - BB - Small adjustment between the switch and straddle, but I would give the combination. Huge break on her loso series and comes off the beam, so Auburn will be counting a fall. Lunge forward on front tuck but stays on the beam, hits the switch side. Step back on gainer pike dismount.

Beers - FX - DLO to open - a little short but controls the landing to hang onto its being a stick, strong layout to front full, just loses her feet a little on her final double pike with a strange step back - but she does stay in bounds.

Walker - BB - Just limiting damage time now for Auburn. They don't need what happened to Missouri. Hits her front toss. Small adjustment on loso series, full turn, split + sheep. Sticks her gainer full. Pretty routine.

Jacob - FX - Strong pike full in, like most of Auburn's the chest is very down, but no questioning the security of the landing, bounces back pretty far on her double pike - that's uncharacteristic - switch side and popa look good. And a strong 1.5 to front full to finish, but that middle pass will hurt her.

Atkinson - BB - Strong walkover, and a secure loso series, hits her switch plit and wolf jump positions well. Important dismount now - sticks her double pike. Wow. Great dismount after an excellent routine. 9.950.

Milliner - FX - Strong double arabian, just a little slide back - followed by a strong front layout to front full - the high 197 is already guaranteed, so this is just bonus now. Fine final double pike - hips going back a little bit there. Oh, so much crying on the floor now.

9.950 for Milliner gives Alabama a 197.925 for the second-highest score of the day, to Auburn's 196.175. They did well to save a 196 after counting a fall on beam, but it won't help them move up in the rankings.

The final from Oklahoma was a 197.425 to Arkansas's 196.650. Even though it's a big win for Oklahoma, the score is much more important for Arkansas than it is for Oklahoma. The Sooners move up only slightly in RQS and will be third in the nation now with a 197.660, to LSU's 197.720, and Florida's 197.790.