should Nastia go to Trials?

Of many, many commentaries of the women’s Visa Championships, Andy Thornton‘s is easily the best I’ve read.

The Elephant In The Room… Should Nastia Have Made Trials? And Other Competition Notes…:

… Should Nastia Liukin have been asked to come to the Olympic Trials? Is it “fair?” …

… We could argue on and on about how unfair it is that Chellsie Memmel wasn’t even invited to NATIONALS after missing one beam routine, and yet Nastia Liukin is being invited to the Olympic Trials after hitting just 1 routine out of 4 at that nationals and looking nowhere near ready to even do a dismount at the end of her bar routine. …

… would I personally have accepted Chellsie Memmel’s petition to the U.S. Championships? Absolutely. Would I personally have allowed Nastia Liukin through to the Olympic Trials? I think I would have, simply because I want to see her compete there, and due to the fact that she is still potentially right in the mix if she can put that bar routine together. She also has shown two world class beam routines in competition and hit a 15.1 on Day 1 …

Certainly it was a public relations blunder not to invite beloved Chellsie to Visa Championships.

What would have happened in the public mouth if they had not asked Nastia?

via Sports Illustrated – Liukin shaky again but determined to go to trials

With Shawn out, it’s good publicity to have Nastia in the Olympic Trial. I’m looking forward to watching her there myself.

… But if that Bar routine’s not together in the next couple of days, she should find a way to gracefully opt out.

Here’s one more tidbit from Andy’s lengthy dissection:

… I was surprised Elizabeth Price wasn’t shown ONCE on NBC’s coverage, particularly after Tim Daggett specifically pointed her out as a potential Olympic team member. After watching her routines, I believe she was a bit underscored today …

I leave you with these four underscored routines from today’s competition:

Bridget Sloan – Bars
Elizabeth Price – Bars
Elizabeth Price – Floor
Anna Li – Bars

To watch those routines and read Andy’s commentary, click through to American Gymnast.