Welcome to the third and (presumably) final Battle of the Baumann Sisters. The series is tied at one win apiece: In 2019, then-freshman Rachel and seventh-ranked Georgia upset Alyssa and third-ranked Florida at home. Last season, the Gators returned the favor, besting the Gym Dogs at home by over a point.
Florida is the heavy favorite in this match-up after a fantastic season opener against Auburn last weekend. The Gators scored a massive 197.500 despite an uncharacteristically lackluster bars rotation, and secured their spot as the team to beat in the national rankings. Juniors Trinity Thomas and Nya Reed earned Gymnast of the Week and (Co-)Specialist of the Week honors and officially kicked off 10.0 Watch 2021.
https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/1347720513880133632?s=20
The Gym Dogs, meanwhile, notched their highest bars total since 2019 en route to a win at home over Missouri. Though it couldn’t match Florida’s final score, Georgia certainly made a statement, with both sophomore Soraya Hawthorne and junior Mikayla Magee garnering mainstream attention for their performances.
https://twitter.com/UGAGymnastics/status/1348047138803036161?s=20
OK, this is cute 🙂
https://twitter.com/GatorsGym/status/1350226214993055750?s=20
Rotation 1: Florida vault, Georgia bars
Richards (UF): Yurchenko full. Landed a little forward and has to hop forward. 9.750
Cashman (UGA): Nice Tkatchev. Overcooks her first handstand, but bail is good. Beautiful DLO with a slight slide back. Great opening for Georgia. 9.750
Lazzari (UF): Near-perfect Y full. had the tiniest hop forward, but that was lovely. 9.825
I appreciate John fan-girling over CKC (as he should).
Ward (UGA): Nice Shaposh. Major break on her bail, but stays on somehow. Finishes strong with a DLO and medium hop back. 9.525
Skaggs (UF): Big height and distance on her Y full. Slightly off to the side and has to scoot, but covers it well. 9.850
de Jong (UGA): Really pretty (and high) Ray. Good form on her bail. Slightly shy on her final handstand, but a gorgeous DLO with a tiny hop back. Great routine. 9.800
Schoenherr (UF): Some leg form in the air and slightly underrotates her Y 1.5, hop back. 9.825
Roberts (UGA): Toe blind change full, good. Shaposh to bail, a little form but good control. Doesn’t get a ton of height and so a little whip-pikey on her DLO, tiniest hop. Good routine. 9.850
Alicia’s mentions her favorite event is vault, and John says, “Well, yeah… You’re like a sixteen time world champion or something.”
Reed (UF): Twists a hair early onto the table, but a POWERFUL Y 1.5 with a hop forward. Definitely the best so far. 9.850
Nguyen (UGA): Pretty Pak. Shaposh to in-between bars Gienger, well done. Pretty DLO with a freshman step back. Fantastic. 9.800 feels a little low next to Roberts’ 9.850 (or vice versa)
Thomas (UF): Y 1.5 and has to take a big hop forward. Her usual perfect form in the air. 9.90
Oakley (UGA): Gorgeous piked Jaeger. Short on her handstand, but pretty Pak to pirouette. HIGH FTDT, opens a little early and has to take some steps. 9.850
AFTER ONE ROTATION: Florida 49.250, Georgia 49.050
Nice starts for both teams, though we didn’t see the sticks from Week 1. The scores were generous, but nothing really over-the-top on either event. Both teams will be happy enough with those scores for the second week of season.
Rotation 2: Florida bars, Georgia vault
Baumann (UGA): Tons of distance on her Y full. Goes up on her toes, but really nice start. 9.875
Richards (UF): Some legs on her Shaposh. A little loose on her bail. Just short on her handstand. Pings off the bar for her DLO. Gets a lot of distance, but legs come apart and she hops back. 9.750
de Jong (UGA): Very nice Y full with a slide back. 9.825
“All vaults are NOT created equal.”
Gallentine (UF): Gets hung up on her first handstand, but recovers nicely. Shaposh and Pak were great. BEAUTIFUL DLO with the smallest foot shuffle. Great to see her rebound from last week with a hit. 9.825
Nguyen (UGA): Y full. Doesn’t get a ton of height and has to pike down slightly and take a hop back. 9.800
Skaggs (UF): Overarches her first handstand. BIG Tkatchev to Pak, great. A tiny big shy on her handstand. Some leg sep on her DLO and a big hop back. 9.825
Ward (UGA): Really high Tsuk full, a bit of pike down and a small hop. Nice. 9.850
Schoenherr (UF): Another overarched first handstand. Blind half to straddled Jaeger, catches close. Double front half with a slight scoot, gorgeous.
Roberts (UGA): Overcooks her Y 1.5, has to take several bounding steps forward. 9.525
Thomas (UF): Beautiful Shaposh to free hip to Pak, great. Van Leeuwen, perfect. Allllmost sticks her DLO. Awesome. 9.950
Lukacs (UGA): Y full instead of her usual double. Small hop back. Not too shabby given she has a broken finger. 9.825
Clapper (UF): Blind full to piked Jaeger, good. Tight position on bail. Late pirouette to double tuck with some movement. 9.800
John to Alicia: “Way to be vague… I love it when you’re indecisive.” I’m crying…
AFTER TWO ROTATIONS: Florida 98.475, Georgia 98.225
A much better bars rotation for Florida this week (not surprising given Trinity Thomas doing Trinity Thomas things). Georgia looked really strong on vault. Impressed they kept it this tight given Ward’s miss and Lukacs only doing a full. I’m not expecting it to stay this close, but I wouldn’t be mad if it did!
Rotation 3: Florida beam, Georgia floor
Richards (UF): Sorry, missed the first part of her routine. Bhs loso loso, solid. Switch split to straddle, great position. Big pause before side aerial back full. Comes up on her toes, but doesn’t move. 9.875
de Jong (UGA): In for Roberts. Beautiful opening double pike. RO 1.5 to lay, good. Switch full, wolf full, nice. Double tuck with a small foot slide. Great start, especially given the last-minute substitution. 9.850
Johnson-Scharpf (UF): Front tuck, solid. Bhs loso, very well done. Switch half to beat, front leg a tad low. Handstand loso full, stuck cold. 9.875
Roberts (UGA): OK, so I guess de Jong is in for not Roberts then? Piked full in, very nice. Front lay to full, well done. Switch side to Popa, maybe a hair short? Didn’t have a great angle. Really enjoy her dancing! Stuck double pike to close. Great routine. 9.875
Lazzari (UF): Bhs loso loso with an extra step out. Good height on her leaps. Front aerial, beautiful. Side aerial to full with a small hop. Lovely. 9.850
Cashman (UGAA): Floaty double pike to open. This choreo suits her really well. RO 1.5 to front layout, good control. Switch half to Popa, slightly off 180. Tight double tuck with a tiny hop back. Great! 9.825
Clapper (UF): Bhs loso loso, great. Smiling through her choreo. Switch leap to either a high-legged Sissone or low split jump. Side aerial to full, stuck. Very clean routine. 9.925
Hawthorne (UGA): Yaaas, Prince FX! Kicks out of her double pike, tiniest bounce back. Front lay, Rudi to split jump, another tiny shuffle. This choreo is fantastic, and she definitely sells it. Split full. Slightly short on her double tuck and takes a step forward. 9.875
Baumann (UF): Love her low beam choreo. Bhs loso, perfect. Switch split leap to split jump, great oversplit. Front aerial, no problems. Switch half with a finessed hip check. RO 1.5 with a step back. 9.850
Perez-Lugones (UGA): She is just a joy to watch on floor. Alicia says, “Alyssa keepin’ the Friday night dance party going, and I AM NOT MAD ABOUT IT!” Stumbles out of her double pike. Front full to front lay to front tuck, good. Switch half, Popa, wolf full; a little wild on the landings. Very nice double tuck to finish. 9.700
Thomas (UF): Switch full mount. Split leap series, beautiful. One-armed BHS to loso and she comes off. Ugh, too bad. Front aerial to Korbut, lovely. Luckily, the Gators’ current low score is a 9.850. Side aerial to full, small hop back. Strong finish. 9.250
Baumann (UGA): Just overrotates her double wolf, but makes it look controlled. NAILED her Arabian double front. L turn, lovely. Such delightfully weird choreo. RO 1.5 to full to Shushunova, great. Split screen to sister Alyssa cheering her on, begrudgingly. Great routine. 9.925
John: “Pretty sure I did those dance moves at prom.”
Alicia: “Come on, John… We both know you didn’t go to prom.”
AFTER THREE ROTATIONS: Florida 147.850, Georgia 147.575
Great beam rotation for Florida, even with Thomas’s fall. Really not a lot to take across the board. Georgia floor is always fun to watch, and this was no exception. They’ll want to work on refining landings and splits to have execution to match the performance quality. Really excited by how close this is.
Rotation 4: Florida floor, Georgia beam
OK, sounds like Nguyen is out with an unspecified injury. Nice to see the Dogs have the depth to make these last minute subs…
Schild (UGA): Press straddle handstand, love it. Front aerial to bhs bhs with slight bobbles and some leg form. I think she’ll get the connection? Needle scale. Side aerial to beat, a little nervy. Switch leap to split, good positions. Gainer pike, stuck. She’s pumped. 9.600
Clapper (UF): Chomp! Good control on her opening double tuck. RO 1.5 to lay to stag. A little bend on the lay, but nice. Switch half to Popa. Pretty double pike to end. Great start. 9.800
Unrelated, my dog Otto is snoring and making little yippy sounds in his sleep, and it’s precious.
Perez-Lugones (UGA): Judges are taking a while (guessing a SV discussion for Schild?) so APL is slow dancing with herself. John says, “Also like my prom.” Ugh, she comes off on her front tuck mount. Thanks, judges! One handed front walkover, balks on the connection. Split jump. Bhs loso with a hip check. Stuck gainer full. 8.850
Richards (UF): Big DLO. She looks like she’s having fun. RO 1.5 to front lay. Straddle half to Popa, good. I will never be mad at Tom Petty music in a routine. Ouch, underrotates her double tuck and lands on her toes. Falls forward to her hands. 9.325
Hawthorne (UGA): Bhs loso, really floaty and lovely. Switch leap to switch split, good. The Hawthorne with an arm wave to Sissone; might not get the connection but not disastrous. RO 1.5 with a jump forward. Great way to bounce back. 9.650; I guess they didn’t give her the connection.
Johnson-Scharpf (UF): Big double Arabian. RO 1.5 to front lay, kind of walks out of it (may be choreographed, though). Switch half to twisty Shushunova thing that Hundley used to do. Powerful double tuck, slides back just a bit. 9.900
de Jong (UGA): Switch leap to split, lovely. Love the Moana in the background. Front aerial with a large check. Bhs loso, another large check. Transverse straddle half. Side aerial to stuck full. 9.700
Baumann (UF): Slide down to straddle. Fabulous double tuck to open. RO 1.5 to full, a little uncontrolled on the landing. Switch half to straddle full, obviously gorgeous. Big double pike to end, excellent. 9.925 to tie Rachel.
Baumann (UGA): Straddle mount. Side aerial to floaty loso, so beautiful. Kicks out of her full turn. Beat to switch side, doesn’t quite get feet together, but nice. RO 1.5 with some minor foot shuffles back. Great routine. 9.825. So one title each for the sisters.
Reed (UF): Big ol’ DLO. FHS front lay to Rudi, great. Switch half to wolf full, excellent. Fanning herself off, love it. Double pike with absolutely nothing to take. Awesome. 9.975. Saving the 10.0 for Trinity?
Roberts (UGA): Bhs loso with a tiny check. Overrotates her full turn, but covers well. Beat pause to side somi, won’t get the connection. Switch leap to Johnson. Side aerial to full, stuck. A little nervy, but a strong finish for Georgia. 9.875
Thomas (UF): Flooooats the DLO. Fhs full to front lay to Sissone, excellent. Leap series was beautiful. Slides OOB on her double pike, ugh! So good up to that. 9.800
AFTER FOUR ROTATIONS: Florida 197.250, Georgia 196.075
Both teams had some pretty significant issues on their final events. Florida’s looked like basic start-of-season rust and lack of endurance, not too worried about it. Georgia got hammered on the missed connections; I wouldn’t be surprised to see some revamped routine construction, because those errors tend to cascade through the lineup (as we saw tonight).
The Gators swept the event titles with Thomas winning vault and bars, Clapper winning beam, and Reed taking floor. Georgia’s de Jong snagged the all around win in her first time competing all four events for the Gym Dogs!
Live blog by Claire Billman
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