Hello and happy Groundhog’s Day from Stegeman Coliseum! As we speak, sports fans the world over are anxiously awaiting the start of that big sportsball game later tonight. Luckily, we gymnerds have found a more constructive way to pass the time: Auburn versus Georgia gymnastics.
Georgia has seemingly gotten a grip on its bars situation (see what I did there?), going 49.2-plus the last two meets to keep pace with its other event scores. Similarly, Auburn has only posted one sub-49 event score since its lackluster season opener at the Collegiate Challenge. Both teams seem to be hitting their respective strides, which means we should be in for a close and exciting meet!
The SEC is always hyper-competitive, and this season is no exception. Only a point and a half separate top-ranked Florida and No. 7 Auburn, and just over two tenths stand between the Tigers and the Gymdogs. Tonight’s results could potentially shake up the current standings (one way or another).
Also, it’s Alumni Night, so be on the lookout for various Georgia gym legends (Karin Lichey, if you’re reading this, HMU).
Wow, there’s a solid contingent of Gymnasties here! Luckily they’re seated on the exact opposite side of the arena from the Bulldogs’ student section.
Rotation One: Georgia vault, Auburn bars
Baumann (UGA): Yurchenko full; nice height, slightest pike-down and a step back. 9.775
Stevens (Aub): Beautiful first handstand. Ray caught a little close and some toes. Good position on the bail. DLO with minor form and a near-stick. 9.75
Cashman (UGA): Nice block on her Yurchenko full. Similar to Baumann, just a slight pike-down. Small hop. 9.800
Sabados (Aub): Overcooks the first handstand, but recovers. Good Tkatchev, again with some feet. Also overarches the bail, but saves it. Very nice stuck DLO.
Ward (UGA): Tsuk full with a small hop to the side. Good form in the air. 9.825
Brusch (Aub): Pretty Maloney to bail. Lovely, precise handstands throughout. Fantastic DLO with a medium step back. 9.800
Vega (UGA): Way far back on the vault, but still manages a decent block. Has to pike a bit and hop back, but still good. 9.825
Watson (Aub): Beautiful handstand, but catches her Ray way close, clips her forearm. Recovers well with a nice bail and perfect handstands. High, tight FTDT with a hop. 9.675
Hawthorne (UGA): Pretty Yurchenko full, but goes a little sideways and has to swim to get upright. 9.750
Day (Aub): Lovely positions and extension. Blind full to straddled Jaeger, a touch close. Really well done tucked double Arabian with a step to finish. 9.775
Lukacs (UGA): Giant Yurchenko double. Just a small hop on the landing, one of the best she’s done this season. 9.900
Gobourne (Aub): High Tkatchev. Handstand juuust past vertical, but she doesn’t care. Beautiful Pak. High FTDT with a definitive stick. 9.900
AFTER ONE: Georgia 49.125, Auburn 49.100
Strong starts for both teams. Georgia’s still holstering the 10.0 SVs for now, but their Yurchenko fulls are very competitive, so it’s working for them. Landings are looking cleaner, too. Auburn really has some lovely technique on bars. Very impressed by the attention to details (e.g., deliberate handstands, tight form) demonstrated by the entire lineup. This is shaping up to be a tight competition, and I am extremely okay with that!
Also, my childhood hero Karin Lichey Usry just got an award, and I’m totally not screaming and crying on the inside. Nope, I’m a professional…
Rotation Two: Georgia bars, Auburn vault
Glenn (Aub): Lovely stuck Yurchenko full. Can’t ask for a much better start.
Lukacs (UGA): Low Tkatchev, but she gets it over. Way overarches a handstand, but holds on. Very nice Pak. DLO with a slight pike and a small hop back. She kept that from going off the rails. 9.750 is a little high
Sheppard (Aub): Very nice Yurchenko half, stuck. Slightest pike in the air. 9.825
Cashman (UGA): Beautiful handstands. Nice Tkatchev, some leg form. A little short on the last handstand. Very nice DLO with a college stick. 9.825
Day (Aub): Yurchenko 1.5, almost stuck. Didn’t get a great block, and was very close to the vault. 9.850
Hattaway (UGA): Piroutte a bit late. Geinger with some form. Some legs and a little sideways on the bail, but she’s powering through. Lovely DLO with a small hop. 9.800
Stevens (Aub): Nearly stuck Yurchenko 1.5, very nice. 9.850
Roberts (UGA): Beautiful Maloney. Bail to stepout, great. Her handstands throughout are perfect. DLO with some piking and a baby hop. 9.875
Watson (Aub): Excellent Yurchenko 1.5. Tiniest hop. 9.900
De Jong (UGA): Fabulous Ray, maybe a hair close. Doesn’t quite hit the bail. Stalls a bit on her squat-on. Great handstands throughout. Very nice DLO with a hop. 9.850
Gobourne (Aub): Yurchenko 1.5 with a crossover step. Her amplitude and distance are fantastic. A step and a foot drag, but the most powerful we’ve seen today. 9.875
Oakley (UGA): Beautiful handstand. Blind change to piked Jaeger, on. Flawless Pak. Gets a little hung up on her half pirouette, but doesn’t faze her. Fabulous FTDT, drills the landing. 9.925
AFTER TWO: Georgia 98.400, Auburn 98.400
Auburn has this vault thing figured out! I would’ve liked a bit more separation between the scores (especially the Yurchenko 1.5s), but that was an excellent rotation. Georgia officially looks fine on bars. Are there issues that need to be addressed? Yes. Is it a total disaster? Absolutely not. Again, I’m impressed by this team’s ability to work through mistakes instead of compounding them.
Rotation Three: Georgia beam, Auburn floor
Magee (UGA): Beautiful straddle to straddle half. Bhs bhs loso, right to the edge of the beam; so precise. Little bitty hop on her round-off 1.5 dismount. Fabulous lead-off. 9.850 (I’m very okay with that)
Slappey (Aub): Front lay to Rudi, stutter steps out of it. Shushunova half, yay! Switch half, split full, double stag; doesn’t quite hit 180 in any of them. Double tuck to finish, low chest and has to take a step forward. 9.700
Lukacs (UGA): Hip check after her front toss. Bhs loso, and she steps off. Crowd’s cheering her back on. Back tuck *pause* beat to straddle half, very nice. Nails the double tuck dismount. Strong finish. 9.175
Stevens (Aub): Fun choreo to open, and she’s really into it. Beautiful double pike, slides back just a bit. Switch ring to switch half; honestly, didn’t have a great angle. Front lay to Rudi, looks like she didn’t get a great punch but she pulled it around and stuck it. Double tuck with chest low and a hop back. 9.800
De Jong (UGA): She is always smiling on beam. Kicks out of the full turn, so pretty. Switch split to split with a minor leg-up check. Front aerial beat, gorgeous. Bhs loso, well done. Straddle half, a tiny bend at the waist, but she recovers well. Side aerial to stuck full. Even with the bobbles, a very nice routine. 9.850; don’t think this should have tied Magee, tbh
Brusch (Aub): Bounces out of a powerful double pike. One and a half to low front lay, has to bend the legs a bit. Switch full to split full, great amplitude. Love her energy and showmanship. Kicks out of a big double tuck, her best pass. 9.800
Oakley (UGA): Such a pretty wolf. Gainer bhs bhs loso, solid. Switch split to ring with a small check, well-covered. Side aerial, great. Cartwheel gainer full, stuck. She’s ecstatic and is getting mobbed by the team. Great day for her. 9.900
Sheppard (Aub): I like that Auburn’s music and choreo are all different. Balked on the first pass and just did a layout, not sure what happened… Switch full to Popa, good positions. One and a half to front lay, looked a little sideways. 9.050
Baumann (UGA): Straddle mount, lovely. Side aerial to loso, fabulous. Kicks out of the full turn. Beat to straddle quarter, well done. Round-off one and a half, and swims for the stick. Great routine. 9.900
We’re still waiting on Sheppard’s score, so I’m going to put this right here…
One reason I love KJC: instead of saying that Rachael Lukas "lost focus" she said she "put too much pressure on herself". I like it because 1) it's not infantilizing and 2) it's actually true. They don't get here by not caring.
— Kelly Ann (@engiNERD548) February 2, 2020
Watson (Aub): Great double pike. Switch half to Popa, well done. One and a half with some ankle crossing to front lay, still good. Gorgeous double tuck with pointed toes, a really big lunge out of it. 9.775
Vega (UGA): Switch split mount, always so pretty. Switch split to ring, good. Front aerial to split, bang on. Bhs loso with a hip check, but she covers well. Side aerial to stuck full. 9.925
Gobourne (Aub): Hugely huge double tuck that bounces out of bounds. Switch ring to switch full, so dynamic. Fhs full front lay, just floats it. Massive double pike to finish, back foot goes out of bounds. So. Much. Power. And such beautiful form. 9.625
AFTER THREE: Georgia 147.825, Auburn 147.100
Obviously not the floor rotation Auburn wanted. They just never really hit their groove, but definitely have the potential to score big on this event. Gobourne, especially, is electrifying (even when she lands out of bounds). That ended up being a great beam rotation for the Bulldogs! Again, their ability to shake off mistakes as a team serves them well (I’d argue its their biggest strength this season). Their attention to detail–finger extension, taking the time to finish each skill completely–really sets this lineup apart.
Rotation Four: Georgia floor, Auburn beam
Slappey (Aub): Bhs loso with a large hip check. Switch split to switch half, front leg a tad low. She’s still smiling, keeping her cool. Cat leap to a stuck tucked full. 9.825 is high
Perez-Lugones (UGA): Slightly short on her double pike, lunges forward. Whip half to front full, fantastic. Love her dance so much; she is so expressive and just sass personified. Switch side to Popa, great. Big double tuck to close. One of her best this season. 9.875
Brusch (Aub): Kicks out of the full turn. Front aerial to beat, well done. Bhs loso with a well-covered hip check. Switch split to back pike, little leg up. Bhs one and a half stuck. Very nice. 9.775
Cashman (UGA): Wow, toes in a huuuge piked full-in. Front lay to Rudi, well done. YAS! Cashman making it rain. Good amplitude on her straddle series. Giant double tuck to finish. Excellent routine. 9.925
Stevens (Aub): Bhs loso, very nice. Switch ring, not quite at 180. Front toss to her knees (a.k.a. “The Hawthorne,” named after Georgia freshman Soraya Hawthorne). Well done one and a half dismount with a hop. 9.825
Baumann (UGA): One and a half to front full, so good. L turn to full, very nice. Strutting, and the crowd loves it. Big double pike with a scoot back. Switch ring to switch half, great amplitude. 9.925
Sylvia (Aub): Pretty low beam work on her back. Front aerial *pause* Rulfova, a little off on the twist. Sissone to sheep, pretty. Always love a scorpion. Cartwheel gainer full, well done. 9.900
Hawthorne (UGA): Good lord, her double pike is so high. Slides back, but well in bounds. Big air on her switch full series. Front lay to Rudi to split, great control. Love her performance. Kicks out a double tuck with another small slide back, great position in the air. Georgia’s cruising… 9.900
Watson (Aub): Bhs loso, soft knees but so solid. Hitch kick to side somi, good. Switch split to straddle quarter, very nice extension and positions. Floaty stuck one and a half, small hip check but feet don’t move. 9.875
Lukacs (UGA): Soars on her DLO, slight leg sep. One and a half to whip half to Shushunova, love it. Dynamic switch full to wolf full. Huge double pike to close, and she’s stoked. 9.900
Sheppard (Aub): Bhs loso, little hip bend but nice. Hitch kick to side aerial, well done. Cat leap to straddle quarter, good. Small bobble on the full turn. Her choreo reminds me of Peng. Nearly sticks her one and a half dismount. 9.825
Vega (UGA): You can seriously feel her energy Gorgeous FTDT. One and a half to front lay to Sissone, excellent. Ring and switch full I think were good? Camera guy was in my line of sight. Great double pike to close. Crowd’s on their feet with that one. 9.95
AFTER FOUR: Georgia 197.425, Auburn 196.350
Auburn did a really solid job on beam, but just couldn’t keep pace with the Bulldogs’ lights out floor performance. This is a usable away score for them, though, and a really good performance overall. Georgia was just in the zone today. Their beam and floor are just a lethal combination; if/when they get the vault and bars closer to that level, they could reasonably contend with any of the top ten teams.
Article by Claire Billman
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