Rick Mc

Mustafina – Army of Me

Another routine hitting machine.

Tribute to our European Champion 2013.

Oklahoma 2nd at Championships

Many, including me, predicted Oklahoma would win NCAAs if all the other teams weren’t perfect on the night.

OU did the easiest routines (overall) of the Super 6.

By easy I mean SMART construction. Most likely to hit and stick. They hit 48 for 48 in Team, I believe.

Beam is the exception. Most in the Arena felt Oklahoma was the top Beam team both prelims and Super 6. Wonderful quality of work and good difficulty.

An amazing night saw the Sooners finish second at the NCAA Championships, tying a program best.

Click PLAY or watch a wrap-up video on Sooner Sports.

http://www.soonersports.tv/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=26456449&width=400&height=224&property=soonersports

Oklahoma is as well coached as any team in Collegiate gymnastics. Congratulations on another excellent season.

NCAA Apparatus Finals

Vault
1. Diandra Milliner-9.9250
1. Rheagan Courville-9.9250
3. Olivia Courtney-9.9167

From my vantage, it looked like Olivia had the best vault. Will review video.

Bars
1. Alaina Johnson-9.125
2. Georgia Dabritz-9.9
2. Bridget Sloan-9.9

Beam
1. Bridget Sloan-9.9
2. Katie Zurales-9.8875
2. Hanna Nordquist-9.8875

Fan favourite = Danusia Francis

I liked Minnesota’s Hanna Nordquist best. Interesting composition.

Floor
1. Joanna Sampson-9.9375
2. Diandra Milliner-9.925
3. Emily Wong-9.9125

I expected the Zamarippa show at UCLA. We got the Bridget Sloan show.

GymCastic – Finals Quick Hits

NCAA Men’s Apparatus Finals

FX: 1. Howard PSU 15.80; 2. Penev 15.55; 3. Mikulak 15.45
PH: 1. Newburger 15.45; 2. Mannon 14.90; 3. Martin 14.775
SR: 1. Squires 15.775; 2. Funicello 15.675; 3. Rosenthal 15.40
VT: 1. Hartville 15.425; 2. Robin 15.325; 3. Courter 15.275
PB: 1. Mikulak 15.50; 2. Caesar 15.45; 3. Chamberlain 14.925
HB: 1. Mikulak 16.10; 2. Phillips 14.95; 3. Caesar 14.925

The Michigan standout won individual crowns on the parallel bars and high bar – scoring an impressive 16.1 points on the latter apparatus – to cap a big weekend for the Wolverines at the NCAA championships.

Mikulak had already won the all-around competition Saturday night, helping Michigan take home the team title on the home floor of Big Ten rival Penn State. …

Olympian Sam Mikulak adds 2 more titles at NCAAs

IG – Mikulak Adds Two More Titles at Men’s NCAAs

IG – Mikulak Leads Michigan to NCAA Title

European MAG Finals – day 2

The host Russians won three out of five gold medals Sunday as the 2013 European Gymnastics Championships ended in Moscow. …

Vault
1. Denis Ablyazin 15.383
2. Flavius Koczi 14.887
3. Artur Davtyan 14.866

P Bars
1. Oleg Stepko 15.766
2. Lucas Fischer 15.633
3. David Belyavsky 15.533

H Bar
1. Emin Garibov 15.433
2. Sam Oldham 15.133
3. Alexander Tsarevich 14.833

full results MAG & WAG with commentary on IG – Russians Rule as Moscow Europeans End

Great to see Oleg Stepko take Gold home to Ukraine. They need big results like this.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Alexandrov still coaching Aliya

… just before European Championships, Alexandrov’s name was replaced on the list of coaches for the Russian delegation, with the name of her beam coach, Raisa Ganin.

This raised speculation once again, that the relationship between the coach and gymnast has somehow deteriorated. …

However, when questioned by Sovetsky Sport yesterday, Mustafina insisted that the coaching change was merely because it made sense to have her bars and beam coach present, as these were the two events she most needed coaching with.

Just because Alexandrov did not accompany does not mean he ceased to be my personal trainer”, she said. “He was and will be.” …

Couch Gymnast – Mustafina on preparation, the Amanar, and Alexandrov