Rachel Gowey

LIVE BLOG: No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 5 Florida

Event Coverage
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Tonight will be one for the books as the winners of the last five national championships face off in the electric O-Dome in Gainesville. Oklahoma has shown an uncanny level of readiness in its first few meets, but in Gator territory, they may have to fight to maintain that level of dominance. Florida, on the other hand, will be in the hunt for an upset, wanting to show that it has a chance at defeating the reigning national champions. Beam will be the make or break event for Florida, after a rough go on the rotation at Kentucky last week, which saw falls from stars Kennedy Baker and Alex McMurtry. And floor is the only place where Oklahoma has shown any weakness, and with floor regular Jade Degouveia newly on crutches, the Sooners may have to put someone in who’s more untested. All in all, this is already shaping up to be a bitter competition to the end!

6:44pm: Hey everyone! It’s Alumni Night in Gainesville tonight, so we may have a longer intro wait time than usual. I’ll be posting lineups as soon as they’re handed to me, so stay tuned!

There is a small Sooner contingent up in the section way back behind me, lots of whistles for their visiting team and now the OU chant. Always nice to see when the visiting team gets a decent cheering section.

6:56pm: Evy Schoepfer will be in floor for Jade Degouveia after performing exhibition routines the last two weeks.

7:02pm: Here we go! Rotation 1!

Foberg, VT: FTY, little bounce almost in place. great air too!

Jackson, UB: good first handstand, straight to piked Jaeger, nice. Bail is a little less than exact but fine, final handstand within range of no deductions but not perfect. Full in dismount was a little wonky and close to the bar but she looked like she stuck it?

7:04pm: Alexander, VT: nicely flared FTY, small-ish hop back.

Webb, UB: Good pak to Van Leeuwen, handstands are nice. Double front dismount stuck! Nicely done. Also cute to note, they call her Sash, probably short for Sasha.

7:06pm: Boren, VT: 1.5, deep-ish knee bend and stutter step back

Catour, UB: Big Ray, nice! Bail was solid. DLO dismount and another stick! Sooners got comfortable in this arena really quickly.

7:08pm: Baker, VT: 1.5, looked like she underrotated a little maybe, waiting for the replay. Yeah, wasn’t ready for the landing, had to stagger back.

Dowell, UB: Lovely first handstand, Ray is great. Bail dead on. A little shy on final handstand. DLO sticks it… but then delayed hop forward to salute? May or may not take that here.

7:10pm: Slocum, VT: huge height on handspring pike half, twists later than maybe I’m used to from her? Slide back.

Lehrmann, UB: solid first handstand, good on giant half, dynamic Jaeger. bail is straight on. she is so patient through this routine. Final handstand a little short. Dismount little slide it looked like?

7:12pm: McMurtry, VT: the season debut of her DTY! Stuck cold, wow.

Nichols, UB: Nice first handstand. A little close on piked Tkachev, pak is lovely and extended. Van leeuwen is textbook. DLO stuck cold! Two gorgeous routines back-to-back. Just a taste of what the rest of the night holds in store for us, I’m sure.

7:13pm: McMurtry gets a 10.0!

Chant will exo VT tonight! Tsuk full, slide back and to the side.

Marks, exo UB: overarches first handstand but saves it. good on bail. great floaty Tkachev, nice. Hop in place on full in dismount.

McMurtry’s 10.0 is the first of the year on vault in the country! I’m hearing some people saw a foot shuffle but even on the replay screen here, it looked like a stick to me.

The Sooners lead the Gators 49.5 to 49.475 after one rotation! It’s gonna be a close one!

7:22pm: Rotation 2 time!

Showers, VT: solid FTY, little hop back? They don’t do big screen replays for the visitors and I’m on the opposite end from the vault

Boren, UB: great first handstand! Tkachev not as high as she can go, but good. Nice second handstand, bail is good. Short on last handstand, stuck DLO dismount!

7:24pm: Lehrmann, FTY: great distance on her FTY! you can tell she’s training bigger

Baker, UB: gorgeous Ray, nice height. Dead on on her bail. Double front little hop.

7:26pm: Dowell, VT: Y1.5, little hop forward.

Foberg, UB: nice first handstand, lovely pak. crowd loves the Maloney to gienger connection, even if her legs do come apart on the release. nice stick on her full in!

7:28pm: Webb, VT: Omelianchik, pike form looked a little loose from here? hop forward.

Hundley, UB: lovely first handstand, super floaty on both Maloney and pak. leg sep on the Van Leeuwen, especially obvious after seeing Maggie’s gorgeous one. full in stuck cold!

7:30pm: Jackson, VT: twists so fast she can afford to twist a little later than her teammates, that’s amazing. Y1.5, little hop forward.

Gowey, UB: nice first handstand, Ray is good, though not the best I’ve seen her do. Pak is nice. Very short on final handstand, yikes. DLO, big step back. Not her best.

7:31pm: Nichols, VT: big air on her Y1.5, clean twists, and sticks it! Holds the squat for a second but didn’t seem like she moved her feet from here.

McMurtry, UB: lovely first handstand, great air on the Ray but not as extended as I’m used to from her. Bail is fine. Short on final handstand, hop forward on her dismount. Won’t get the score they were building to.

7:33pm: Skaggs exo UB: nice first handstand, Ray is good to immediate pak, wow! good on final handstand, DLO with a step back.

Scores after two:

Maggie went 9.975 for her stuck 1.5… I just think the judges were too bitter to give her an away 10.0 but maybe that’s just me?

There’s a carpool karaoke short on the JumboTron right now featuring the Gators, and one of the songs is “Zero to Hero” from Hercules, to which Slocum and Hundley are singing…. I’m in love! Great choice.

In other news, Brenna Dowell’s double front is just as incredible in person as you think it is. Maybe more.

Your OU floor lineup:

And Gator beam:

7:41pm: Here we go, third rotation!

Hundley, BB: Moana beam music! I’m obsessed. Front aerial, split jump is a little awkward but she fights for it. Bhs loso, good. Switch side, nicely done. Roundoff 1.5 twist, little bounce and then step forward into salute. Looks like Baker is out of beam this week after last week’s mishap.

7:43pm: Showers, FX: Double pike to open, solid. She’s really nice and aggressive with her choreo, I love it. Front full to front lay is really close to the line, cameraman in the way but I didn’t see a flag. 1.5 twist to front full to close it out, playing to the judges to finish up. Good lead off routine for her.

7:45pm: Skaggs, BB: Double wolf to start off, very nice. Switch to split jump, good, gorgeous position on the switch. Bhs loso, straight on. Cat leap to switch side, good. Side aerial to back full, looked stuck from here! And confirmed on replay, very much stuck

7:47pm: Dowell, FX: Double front to open is amazing. She is really committing to this choreography this week! Love the aggression. 1.5 twist to front lay, good. Hmmm maybe not as committed to this part, but I’m picky. Front lay to front full to finish, that’ll be a good one for her.

7:48pm: Boren, BB: Front toss landing is super deep but stays on fine. Bhs loso solid. Switch to straddle, nice positions. Cat leap to gainer loso, love. Cartwheel to gainer full, cross step, tries to fake into salute but that won’t fool the judges. Beyonce for her beam music though, love it.

7:50pm: Webb, FX: Oh, girl knows her angles. Giving it to the corner cameras from SECN+ from the beginning. Front double full to open, dances right out of it. Looked like 1.5 to something for her second pass, good. Rudi to finish, little bounce up with all that power but good control.

7:52pm: Gowey, BB: Switch to split, gorgeous positions. Bhs loso loso, looked like she was off but fought and didn’t bobble! So impressive. Front aerial to sissone, solid. Gainer full stuck! Another one of her good ones.

7:53pm: Schoepfer, FX: Double tuck to open, a little bouncy but keeps it controlled. She is having so much fun with this routine. 1.5 twist to front lay, has to whip it around a little to stay on her feet. Double pike to close it out, nice! Great time to have her best showing yet.

7:55pm: Baumann, BB: Onodi to bhs, looks off so she doesn’t go for the loso after. I wonder if that will be her series or if she’ll add another one. Jumps lovely. Front aerial to split jump very nice. Roundoff 1.5 twist, goes up on her toes so that may or may not be a stick.

7:57pm: Nichols, FX: Just the double tuck to open, waiting on the full in still. Front full to front lay step out, love that. Nice position on the switch ring, couldn’t see the second one. Double pike, great control to finish. Teammates are going crazy for her, super sweet.

7:59pm: Apparently Baumann got a 10 from one judge and everyone thought she got a 10? Crowd went bonkers. 9.975 for her though.

McMurtry, BB: Front toss, good. Bhs loso, lovely. Switch leap to shush to back hip circle, awesome. Roundoff double full, little bounce in place it looked like? Hard to tell from here. Loving You Easy, changing it up but sticking with Zac Brown Band for her beam music. Her score goes up crazy fast, she gets a 10. That makes her the second Gator to earn a Gym Slam, and the first to get two 10s in a single night.

https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/957056576992530432

Jackson, FX: Full in to open, love that open position from her. Whip half to front full for second pass I think? Good control on those landings though. I love that she kept some of her choreo from last year, I think that one will always be my favorite of hers. Double pike and she lands kinda funny, front foot off to the side and staggers on it. Looks like she might be having some issue with that.

8:04pm: Webb, BB exo: Switch to split solid. Front aerial, little bobble. Sheep jump, awkward position with her legs but stays on. Roundoff double full, guess I missed her series there. Nice to see her getting some experience!

Scores after three: we’re tied here in the O-Dome!! Oklahoma beam and Florida home floor remaining… if there’s ever been a more formidable matchup, I couldn’t tell you.

And your rotation four lineups:

Looks like Woodard earned herself a regular spot after her 9.875 last week.

8:12pm: Rotation 4, let’s goooo!

Catour, BB: Bhs loso, looked off in the air but shows no sign of it when she lands. Cat leap to switch side, good. Cat leap to front aerial, steady as a rock. Gainer tuck full off the end, that’s not the dismount I’m used to from her but she stuck it? Interesting.

8:14pm: Slocum, FX: Whip through to double pike is good right off the bat. I love her faces throughout this whole first section, she’s such a ham. And now it’s Mambo No. 5, and the crowd is already so into it. Front full front pike, great control. Rudi to finish, well done for her new leadoff slot.

8:16pm: Showers, BB: Looked a little off on her full turn but steadies herself. Bhs loso, solid. Switch to straight jump full, almost falls but saves it, has to skip her korbut though. Front toss to beat, good. Cartwheel to gainer full, stuck cold in a puff of chalk.

8:18pm: Skaggs, FX: Love the drama she brings to this routine. 1.5 twist through to double tuck, great control on the landing. 1.5 twist to front lay, layout did not rise up and was kinda whippy but who am I to be taking minor deductions like that? Double pike landing looked a little low and crunchy on her ankles but she kept her control.

8:20pm: Woodard, BB: Front toss to bhs, solid. Lovely scale from a front attitude, that’s gorgeous. Switch to split to beat, nicely done. Side aerial to back full, looks stuck to me. She’s gonna be a mainstay in that lineup, I have a feeling.

8:22pm: Foberg, FX: Full in to open, good. She was working DLOs in warmups and they did not look good. 1.5 twist to front full to front tuck? Saved that one. Double tuck to close, a little short, bounces forward. I’m not sure what this order is about cuz the routines seem like they’re getting progressively lower? Idk, that’s just me.

8:24pm: Lehrmann, BB: Love that mount sequence, really shows off her flexibility. Front aerial, rock solid. Cat leap to switch side, good. Bhs loso, very nice. Switch to korbut, oooh. Gainer full, nice.

8:26pm: Boren, FX: DLO, really short on that, bounds forward with a lean but stay on her feet. 1.5 twist to front lay, good. Double tuck to close, nice and high with good control. Gators aren’t doing themselves any favors here, this is gonna be so close.

8:28pm: Webb, BB: Missed the first part of this because WordPress was updating. Cat leap to front aerial, good. Switch to split, gorgeous. Side aerial to back full is a little crooked, but definitely a hit.

8:30pm: Baker, FX: Piked double arabian is gorgeous as always, more laid out this week than against LSU, maybe a little step forward? Double tuck, great control. Camera work on her leaps was horrible so I didn’t see the positions. Final pass into split jump, perfect control… that might be another 10 if the judges decide to be cracky again… 9.975, so close.

8:32pm: Nichols, BB: Looked a little crooked in initial choreo but no bobbles or anything, just maybe a slight lean. Bhs loso gorgeous. Switch to split, nice. She looks so focused, trying to drown out this crowd must be insane. Roundoff 1.5 twist, little foot slide.

8:34pm: Baumann, FX: Double tuck to open, no E pass for her this week. 1.5 to front full for her second pass maybe? Everyone and their mother is blocking my view. Double pike to finish, just a little short and bounces forward. She’d need a 9.925 to win, I don’t know if that’ll do it.

Looks like she gets exactly that. But apparently there’s an inquiry happening on beam?? Stay tuned!

It’s official: Florida goes 198.150 to win over the Sooners’ 198.125 by 0.025. It is absolutely bonkers in here, y’all, I can’t even begin to describe it. Maybe this tweet will help!

https://twitter.com/lstaff27/status/957066296809713664

The teams split the event titles, with McMurtry winning vault and beam with her 10s, Nichols and Webb tying for bars at 9.95, and Baker and Nichols tying for floor with 9.975s. AA title goes to Nichols easily with 39.775, which I believe ties Ebee for the highest individual AA score in the nation this year.

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