It’s Iron Bowl season, kids!! It’s a testament to how bizarre the 2021 season is that nobody’s really bothered to hype this matchup, but the SEC Network at least recognizes its importance, bringing in the commentary A-team for the job. I’ll make sure to note any particularly delightful Kathy quotes as they come.
While Alabama’s peak has seemed steadily more limited since 2013, the Tide has retained an advantage in this matchup due to its consistency while Auburn is typically talented but with an element of chaos. One meet with a score that starts with 194 is routine for the Tigers, and luckily that’s already out of the way. But Auburn has a great deal more work to do to contend today, especially if key contributors like Cassie Stevens remain missing. On the other hand, Alabama counting a fall on beam last week lead to a narrow miss versus Missouri, but the team seems fundamentally predictable and that might be all it needs to win.
Rotation 1: Alabama VT, Auburn UB
Adams (UA): Fine FTY to get started. 9.800
Hollingsworth (AUB): Big leg separation on her Pak and again on the van Leeuwen. Full in with chest down and a step back. 9.7
Waligora (UA): Great Yurchenko 1.5, just steps her feet together! Could have a bit more amplitude but a good start. 9.875
Sumner (AU): Toe on to Tkachev, a little flat, pretty Pak. Double layout with a one-foot scoot, good one. 9.8
Quinn (UA): 1.5 and lands totally dead on her butt. Pretty form but not rotated and didn’t anticipate the ground at all. Tough one.
Smith (AU): Toe on to Maloney to pak, bits of leg separation but nothing dire. Another really pretty DLO with a hop back. 9.85
Olsen (UA): Yurchenko double with a hop forward. Bama bringing out the big guns for the rivalry meet. KJC has been surprised by both Waligora and Olsen choosing to do their 10.0 vaults. 9.775
Watson (AU): Big Ray, a touch close, slight arch in her bail. Full out with chest way low but near stick. 9.675
Blanco (UA): Pretty 1.5, step forward. 9.825 is lower than I expected.
Sabados (AU): Ray, slightly archy catch. Double lay piked in the first salto and with leg separation in the second. 9.775
Graber (UA): Big and gorgeous 1.5 with a hop forward to salute. If amplitude is what the judges have been waiting for they’ve got it. 9.9
Gobourne (AU): Tkachev to Pak, huge and clean. Step on her FTDB. I never remember how good she is on bars. 9.825
After 1: Alabama 49.175, Auburn 48.950
Solid start for both teams. Alabama really gunning it with the vault difficulty is great to see and it paid today, though not as much as it could in the future. Auburn has cleaned up some form issues on bars, which was needed.
Rotation 2: Auburn VT, Alabama UB
Smith (AU): Okay FTY, body position a bit crunched but good amplitude and a hop in place. 9.775
Waligora (UA): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, pretty, FTDLO with a hop-scoot back. Solid start. 9.75
Hollingsworth (AU): FTY flung way out, little hop in place. That thing was not high but it did go far. 9.75
Givens (UA): Jaeger, position a bit closed, the most dead, slow switch kip on the low bar I’ve EVER seen. She’s basically doing an L hang down there. Double lay stuck. 9.7
Machado (UA): Maloney to Pak, hits the bar head on and loses some swing and some form. Solid van Leeuwen, blind full double back deep but stuck.
Guys, I’ll be honest with you, I’m live blogging another meet right now and Auburn keeps having identical blonde girls doing identical FTYs and I have NO idea which is which. The vaults are fine, ok?
Blanco (UA): Maloney to Pak, absolutely stunning. FTDB tightly tucked and gorgeous with a little hop forward. She’s just so lovely to watch.
In the side view you can see she caught her Pak quite close and had to muscle through. Was much less clear from the original angle, so it’ll be interesting to see what the judges do.
Watson (AU): One and a half, throws it way out and almost bounces back off her heels as she lands. Falls onto her hands sideways. 9.3
Adams (UA): Maloney to Pak, van Leeuwen, love to see so many shaps in NCAA. Something to double back stuck-ish.
Gobourne (UA): Hop in place on the 1.5. She’s good under pressure, that was a gorgeous vault. 9.875
Doggette (UA): Tkachev to Pak, double layout super clean. This Alabama bars lineup is PRETTY.
After 2: Alabama 98.375, Auburn 97.850
Nothing catastrophic happening for either team here. To me the story is that Alabama is just a technically superior team, all else being equal in terms of number of routines hit. Drew Watson’s vault is a situation this year. Would love to see her get it back under control soon, it’s a favorite of mine.
Rotation 3: Alabama BB, Auburn FX
Klopfer (UA): Front aerial BHS, little check on split half. Cat leap side aerial with a little lean. One and a half stuck. 9.9 umm?
McLaughlin (AU): One and a half front lay, feels a little low throughout. Travels like two yards horizontally on her turning leaps. Barely around on her tour jete full. 9.725
Machado (AU): Triple wolf, double wolf, steady and easy. BHS LOSO with a leg up check, barely gets it back. Cat leap side aerial, BHS gainer full stuck. 9.625
Oldham (AU): Wolf 3/2 jump, lots of leap difficulty today for Auburn, good double pike. One and a half front tuck, I think that should have been a layout but she missed the punch. Good save considering. Pretty switch side, great double back. Judging conference on this score… probably a question on the wolf jump at the beginning. 9.675
Adams (UA): Split leap front aerial, BHS LOSO nice and steady. Double wolf turn. Switch split, good, one and a half twist with a hop to the side. 9.825
Cheney (AU): Whip double tuck, rotating too slow in the air and yanks the last bit around and then falls backward because she didn’t kick out. Falls again on her Rudi.
Apparently she was out for COVID contract tracing reasons, though apparently didn’t have it herself. Stamina still an issue when you’re out of training for awhile.
Graber (UA): Cartwheel over the beam, one of my favorite mounts. Full turn, BHS pikeout, okay. Switch to straddle 3/4, good, cat leap to Liukin, gainer full stuck. 9.875
Hollingsworth (AU): Full out, fantastic. Landed with her back foot on the line and avoids stepping it OOB. Switch half Popa, front through double back and she’s out on that one. Oopsie. 9.65
Doggette (UA): Full turn. I blinked and definitely missed something. Beat to switch half to split, she’s one of the best switch half-ers in the country. Side aerial back full and tries to stick but ends up shuffle-saluting. 9.9
Watson (AU): Missed first pass, got distracted because apparently she had COVID in November. 1.5 front lay good, great double back. Redemption! 9.8
Blanco (UA): Nailed the triple series! Switch split, going steady, double full with a step back. Could have been a 10 until the step honestly. 9.925, okay, the judges would have definitely gone there.
Gobourne (AU): Open double back, great, super secure on her leaps which can be a sneaky deduction for her because she’s so bouncy that it’s hard to get that landing clean. Front full front lay. Hop on the double pike. I need people to stop throwing away 10-potential routines with hops. 9.875
After 3: Alabama 197.800, Auburn 146.575
Even without a whole bunch of landing mess there, Auburn just doesn’t have the score ceiling to compete with Alabama going this clean. Genuinely a great meet for the Tide.
Rotation 4: Auburn BB, Alabama FX
Watson (AU): BHS LOSO with leg form good leap series, stuck 1.5. Very quick efficient routine. 9.725
Gaskins (UA): Overrotated double pike, in bounds but scooted. Y turn wolf jump 1/1 with a hop. She’s just so BOUNCY. Switch ring switch half, front thru double back still a bit scooty but better controlled. 9.875
Hollingsworth (AU): Full turn, BHS pikeout with a little lean. Switch switch half, short of split. Split jump 1/2 from side, BHS BHS 1.5 twist with leg separation and a hop. 9.7
James (UA): REMEMBER TO SALUTE OK?? Front lay to Rudi, legs a bit staggered before lunging, switch half wolf full great. Double back, looks like she has it and then sits it. Weird. 9.025
Smith (AU): Front walkover mount with a check, BHS LOSO great. Switch switch 1/2. BHS 1.5 stuck. Okay. That was great. 9.9 is warranted.
Mitchell (UA): Good to see her! Slight bounce on the double back. Switch half I think, wolf full to wolf 3/2. That’s a dangerous series. Front thru double back good. 9.9
Sylvia (AU): Full turn, pretty, Kathy is obsessed with her ankles. Front aerial BHS BHS is such a great series, I’ve seen a bunch of them around this year and I like it a lot. Split to sheep, check, good Korbut, gainer full stuck. 9.75
Klopfer (UA): Double back, super super control in the lunge. Tour jete half Popa really pretty, one and a half front lay a touch low and shuffly. Double pike, awkward landing.
Gobourne (AU): BHS LOSO, check, great leaps, double full off to one side but stuck. 9.7
Olsen (UA): She’s really such a pretty dancer. Hop forward on the double double. Switch to tour jete full to split full I think, visible oversplits. Front thru double back, hop in place. Alabama has lunge problems and that isn’t news but with a very big score in reach like it is now it gets a bit frustrating. 9.75
McLaughlin (AU): BHS LOSO, switch to straddle 1/4. Full turn, side aerial to split, gainer pike stuck. Good. 9.875
Adams (UA): Huge double pike, little scoot forward. Switch half tuck 3/2 with a bounce, one and a half front lay pretty good, lunges properly on the double back.
FINAL: Alabama 196.925, Auburn 195.675
Easy Iron Bowl win for the Crimson Tide, just looking cleaner and more prepared across four events despite room to improve itself. Some missed opportunities, memorably including Luisa Blanco’s beam routine which I maintain the judges would have happily given a 10.000 had she stuck the dismount, but this is a season high for Alabama and will allow it to jump a spot in the rankings.
VT: Lexi Graber (UA) 9.900
UB: Cam Machado (UA) 9.875
BB: Luisa Blanco (UA) 9.925
FX: Sania Mitchell (UA) 9.900
AA: Shania Adams (UA) 39.325
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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