Some more videos from the Pacific Rim Women’s Event Finals (and a couple more from the team/all-around)

Huang Qiushuang Bars 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Well she may not be the most consistent gymnast on beam and floor, but one event where she is consistently spectacular is bars. I would be SHOCKED if we don’t see this gymnast on their world team this year, as she is not only one of their top bar workers, but I feel she’s their best all-arounder as well when she hits all four events. I would consider her an all-around medal threat at the very least at worlds this fall…as long as she can just get on that team. She won bars here with a fantastic 15.45, ahead of Rebecca Bross’s 14.7.

Rebecca Bross Bars 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Well maybe not the most flattering angle to watch her bars because of her bowed feet, but this is still my favorite event to watch her on. That was quite an amazing save on that handstand! Obviously not her very best set, but I think fighting through little things like that is probably the best thing for her right now. She just needs to continue getting international experience ands tart polishing up some little things, and she could be right up there in the all-around at worlds again.

Rebecca Bross Beam 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

A solid hit for Bross (1st place with a 14.925), but her legs really straight on those leaps? I know her legs sometimes look a little bent because of her muscularity, but if you pause the video during some of those leaps it sure isn’t very pretty…definitely one of those little things she needs to be polishing right now. Another is her tendency to get a little off balance in between her big skills. I’ve noticed she frequently has these little balance checks while simply standing there or turning around…probably indicative of concentration lapses or being “rushed.”

Rebecca Bross Floor 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Wow…that leap out of her double front really worked! That was perfect…definitely saved her about 0.3 from what she normally does. The jumps out of tumbling passes are definitely getting popular very quickly, and with good reason…when done in a controlled way they really can look very good and prevent landing deductions. My biggest criticism here is the same as it has always been…someone has GOT to get this girl to start dancing! Who in the world is choreographing her floor routines? They are truly awful…a series of abrupt poses, some of them very unfitting to the music, with absolutely no grace or elegance at all. It’s still better than her old one, but she doesn’t dance for one second during this routine either.

Kyla Ross Vault 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Very nice straight body as she always does…aside from the slight leg split there’s not too much wrong with it at all.  She outscored Wieber here (15.1 to 14.925) to win the junior vault title.  I’m sure an Amanar is on the way soon!

Kyla Ross Bars 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

How can a routine so simple be so pleasing to watch? She really is developing a really nice line as she is growing taller, and her mechanics and and form are excellent. I love how she pays attention to every detail of the routine and hits all her handstands cleanly…this is a smart routine for her to do right now, and I’m sure more difficulty is on the way. This routine only had a 5.0 D-score, but received a 9.25 in execution! A rare example where the judges actually correctly rewarded great form and basics.

Kyla Ross Floor 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

She just seems like exactly the type of gymnast you want on your team…very solid, very clean, and very reliable. Again, not all the difficulty is there, but these passes look very easy for her, as I’m sure they are.

Jordyn Wieber Vault 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Jordyn Wieber Bars 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

I’m just so impressed with how well she is swinging bars…her timing is just right on with every skill, and I love the aggressive casts all the way to handstand.

Jordyn Wieber Beam 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Well I guess Jordyn is human after all…I suppose we’ll allow her a mistake here and there, especially on such a difficult skill like that. All she really needs to demonstrate is that she can let a fall like that roll off her back likes it’s no big deal. It’s the gymnasts who completely freak out and have those basket-case reactions to falls who worry me. She hardly seems like that type!

Alexandra Raisman Beam 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

SOLID AGAIN. She just looks like you couldn’t knock her off the beam with a bulldozer. What an incredible break-out year this has been for her.

Alexandra Raisman Floor 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Almost identical to her routine from the first day, and once again I hope she is going to start making better use of her power.

Alexandra Raisman Vault 2010 Pacific Rim All-Around

This was from the team/all-around, but I wanted to show it because this was the highest execution score of the entire competition…a 9.55! Although I’m sure they would have found at least five more tenths to take off at most other competitions, it sure is nice to see a score like that once in a while!

Tan Sixin Beam 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

The judges loved it! She received a huge 9.15 execution score here and won the junior beam title with a 15.35 overall score. Definitely one to watch for from China.

Sabrina Vega Beam 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Unfortunately Sabrina was a bit overshadowed at this meet by Wieber, Bross, Sloan, and Ross, but she really did do a great job. Her 56.6 in the junior all-around was actually third among all the juniors, but unfortunately they didn’t give her a medal because the max was 2 per country. She did win the silver on beam here with a strong 14.475, behind Tan Sixin of China.

Ksenia Afanasyeva Bars 2010 Pacific Rim Event Finals

Another hit for Ksenia. She didn’t connect the toe-on full to the dismount here, and I think this shows that she probably shouldn’t be because the dismount was definitely better without the connection…although she still doesn’t really do that dismount very well. She can work on tightening the knees a bit on all her casts, and finding a couple more smart combinations to use.

Ksenia Afanasyeva Beam 2010 Pacific Rim All-Around

This was from the team/all-around, and definitely worth watching! This is the Ksenia that can help the Russian team tremendously at the world level…extremely calm, confident, and solid. She has a wonderful blend of great acrobatic skills (one of the best Onodi’s) and great dance skills (very nice turn combination). Although I don’t have her routine from finals, she scored almost identical execution scores both days…8.925 and 8.95. This competition probably just changed the rest of her year with the Russian team significantly.