The top five most impressive routines from the Women’s Visa Championships…

#5

Rebecca Bross Beam Day 1

Not only is this one of the most solid routines she has EVER done, the routine is starting to appear much more fluid and much less choppy.  Her routine used to look like a random assortment of difficult skills with some rushed poses and careless wobbles in between.  Though there’s still some awkward “choreography…” if that’s what we want to call it…it flows together a whole lot better now, and you can’t deny it’s an extremely difficult routine.  This is about as confident as she has ever looked.

#4

Kyla Ross Beam Day 2

What was especially cool about this routine was she used it to win her second straight national title, as it was her last routine of the competition.  What incredible composure this girl has.  Beautiful form and technique, nice style, not a single wobble in the routine, and a stuck beam dismount that we never seem to see anymore.  She really does have a very Carly Patterson like quality to her gymnastics – they both have a very calm demeanor and very soft landings that make the skills look effortless.  This kind of poise will serve her extremely well in 2012 when she tries to make that Olympic team.

#3

McKayla Maroney Vault Day 2

Is this the first ever stuck Amanar for a female?  I’ve seen a couple with just small hops (Monica Rosu and Jade Barbosa come to mind), but NEVER have I seen one stuck cold.  Hers is clean, powerful, and technically precise – one of the most effortless appearing Amanars in the world.  She scored a huge 9.6 E-score and 16.1 final score, something our senior team could use dearly.

#2

Vanessa Zamarripa Vault Day 1

Unfortunately we’ve just received word that Zamarripa won’t be trying for a spot on the world team this year, but the good news is that she is still planning on training elite over the next year with the goal of increasing her D-scores. One area that doesn’t need any increase in D-score is her vault. This stunning “Cheng” she threw on Day 1 of the competition was not only the highlight of her meet, it was one of the big surprises of the entire competition. If she combines this with the DTY she is capable of doing, she would immediately be one of the top three vaulters in the entire world.

#1

Mattie Larson Floor Day 2

Few would argue that this routine was the absolute highlight of the competition.  In fact, many might argue that this floor routine was one of the most beautifully executed floor routines ever done in a competition arena…it’s THAT good.  She has a phenomenal blend of tumbling…a spectacular double layout with perfect form, a perfectly executed triple full, her trademark crisp 2 ½ to front layout, and a double pike that she not only finally landed well…she NAILED it!  But it’s got so much more than that…dance that makes you actually want to WATCH, a perfect triple turn, superstar confidence, and a performance quality that one in a million have.  Tim Daggett was absolutely right when he said “This is a routine you remember.”  I couldn’t agree more!