It’s pride night in Gainesville! Florida is hosting its first ever pride night, and it’s the second pride meet in the NCAA this year. My fellow editors and I love this and are looking forward to seeing gymnastics celebrate diversity and initiate change in the coming years.
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Florida has been stellar so far this season and will look to continue to improve its overall average. The Gators left some points on floor with landings and execution, particularly on bars, which will be a focal point for the team tonight. Megan Skaggs is coming off her first career SEC Gymnast of the Week honor and all around title win, so we should expect her to be a large contributor tonight as well. Alyssa Baumann sat out of floor last week as a precaution but is expected to return to the lineup tonight.
Missouri is in the midst of a rebuilding year with a large handful of underclassmen competing, but the team has been able to stay in every competition until the end. Missouri’s floor rotation is one to watch with great performances from Hannah McCrary, Amaya Marshall and Jena Swanson. Alisa Sheremeta has also made strides in her performance on her three events from sophomore year.
It would be shocking if Florida does not pull off the win tonight, but crazier things have happened. I’m looking forward to seeing a good showcase of gymnastics from both teams.
Florida has pride masks on! If you got to wear them, might as well make the best of them.
Pretty powerful moment just now as openly gay @GatorsGym gymnast @sav_fs is introduced draped in a pride flag here. #NCAAGym
— Thomas Cluck (@ThomasCluck1) January 29, 2021
Megan Skaggs, Payton Richards, and Trinity Thomas are scheduled to be in the AA here for Florida. Missouri has Amaya Marshall and Sienna Schreiber scheduled to compete in the AA.
Florida’s shirts also say “More than entertainment on them”
Rotation 1: Florida VT, Missouri UB
Richards (UF): FTY, small hop. 9.75
Swanson (Miz): We haven’t seen her in the competition lineup since week one! Maloney to Pak Salto, some form issues, short on final handstand, FTDB Dismount, sticks it with a few forward arm circles. 9.85, Career High and one of the best scores for Missouri on bars all season. Okay her score was changed to a 9.775
Lazzari (UF): FTY, weird camera angle but she had a hop on landing. 9.85
Patrick (Miz): Blind Change to Straddle Jaeger, Bail Handstand, slight leg separation, short on final handstand, DBL Dismount, step back. Happy to see her hit a set! 9.775
Skaggs: (UF): FTY, She flares it out so nicely and has beautiful air position, Takes a small hop back. 9.875
Christensen (Miz): Giant Full, Tkatchev, lacks amplitude, Bail Handstand, nice final handstand, blind full to Double Tuck, underrated and has a squatty landing with a large hop forward. 9.65
Schoenherr (UF): Y1.5, Medium/large hop forward. 9.85
Marshall (Miz), Blind Change to Straddle Jaeger, love her amplitude, Bail. FTDB, small hop. 9.85 Career High
Reed (UF): Y1.5, Takes a large step forward. Can’t wait for the day she sticks it. 9.875
Sheremeta (Miz): Blind Change to Straddle Jaeger, nicely done, tad short on these handstands, bail, Blind Change to Rudi dismount, takes a small step back. 9.75
Schreiber (Miz) Maloney, leg separation, to overshoot, huge DBL, sticks it. 9.9
Thomas (UF): Y1.5, The Tiniest of hops forward, but her usual huge vault! 9.925
Okay..I really like Missouri’s leotards tonight.
Scores are definitely a little high here IMO, but I will say that was hands down Missouri’s best bar rotation this season. That’s exactly what you want to see at this point in the season. Florida was not able to stick a landing on vault, but the technique, amplitude and form is there.
AFTER ONE: Florida 49.375, Missouri 49.050
Rotation 2: Missouri VT, Florida UB
“Heck, I’m rusty coming into commentate” – Alicia
Schreiber (Miz): FTY, nice position in the air, takes a small hop back. 9.775 Season High
Richards (UF): Maloney, small leg separation Bail handstand, nicely done, great final handstand, DLO, small hop back. 9.875 Career High
Patrick (Miz): FTY, pikes down and takes a hop. 9.725
Gallentine (UF): Mounts low bar, Maloney, Pak Salto, Rushes low bar work just a tad, Beautiful DLO and sticks it! I would have to say that’s her best career performance. And it is a Career High 9.925
Gottula (Miz): FTY, Super crooked coming onto the table and landed to the side. Had to pike down a bit.
Skaggs: (UF): Tkatchev, Nice flexibility in her release, to Pak Salto, Florida is really hitting these handstands tonight. DLO dismount, usual leg separation, Sticks it. 9.95 Career High
Marshall (Miz): FTY, slight pike down and the smallest of shuffles on her landing.
Schoenherr (UF): Toe half to straddled Jaeger, toe hand to Bail handstand, Loose form, Blind half to double front half out, Sticks it. 9.925
Swanson (Miz): Y1.5, Huge step forward, but happy to see her take the step instead of sitting it down. 9.825
Thomas (UF): Mounts low bar, maloney, pak salto, goregous forms van leeuween, DLO, takes a small hop back. 9.925
McCrary (Miz): FTY, only does the full tonight, but has too much power and takes a large step back. 9.675
Clapper (UF): Blind change to piked Jaeger, slightly short of handstand, Bail Handstand, good, Blind full to double back, stuck.
AFTER TWO : Florida 98.975, Missouri 97.950
If the No. 1 team in the country had a weak spot, it was bars in the first weeks of the competition. However, tonight they changed that narrative with stunning handstands and stuck landings. Missouri is over a point behind Floria, but should be satisfied with the first two rotations. They were much improved from its first few meets. Hopefully, McCrary will update her vault after the bye week to the Y1.5.
In the pre-meet interview with Nya Reed and Alicia Sacramone Quinn, Reed talks about her decision to kneel for the national anthem and the importance of using her voice to speak up for human rights.
Haha, she’s only going to school with hopes of becoming an OBGYN and Alicia told her she could deliver her fourth baby if she decided to have one.
Rotation 3: Florida BB, Missouri FX
Richards (UF): bhs loso loso, small adjustment on landing, switch half straddle jump, would love to see more flexibility on that straddle, aerial back full, stuck. 9.85
Gottula (Miz): Double tuck, extra power and takes a small hop back, , Tour jete ½ to split full, doesn’t quite hit 180, front half to back 1.5, short on rotation, but pulls it around , Double pike, has to step forward. 9.75
Johnson-Scharpf: Punch front, good, bhs loso, completely off and falls, full turn, switch half to beat jump, Handstand, loso, full. Nice unique dismount. 9.35
Schreiber (Miz): Double pike, nice landing, Rudi to back loso, her legs were very far apart for that LOSO landing. Leap pass was very short of rotation and full split. Such a popular piece of music this season. 9.8
Lazzari (UF) bhs loso loso, solid, switch leap split jump, side aerial full, step back. Great pressure set from her. 9.875
Marshall (Miz): Front tuck to double pike, nicely done, Switch ring to switch half, Back 1.5 to front lay to stag, Double tuck, great. Marshall is a freshman that should not be slept on. She’s a key contributor now and for years to come for Missouri. 9.85
Missouri’s floor presentation has approved drastically since week 1.
Skaggs: (UF): Wolf turn, Switch leap split jump, stunning, bhs loso, front aerial, great, Cat leap switch side, Side aerial full, stuck. Very happy for Skaggs! two great routines in back-to-back week. 9.9
Swanson (Miz): Double pike, nicely done, Switch ½ to wolf full, Front double full, good, front lay to front rudi. Solid set for her. 9.85
Baumann (UF): bhs loso, holds onto the landing but wobbles, switch leap to split jump, nicely done full turn, switch half, RO 1.5, holds onto the landing for a questionable stick and squatty landing. 9.825
Skaggs and Baumann back-to-back on beam is just a beautiful clinic on how to hit 180 degrees in your leaps.
Sheremeta (Miz): Front double full, over rotated and takes a large step forward, not sure if she stepped oob, Rudi to back loso, good, RO Back 1.5 to front loso. I know I said this last week, but I really like the loso out of the tumbling passes. 9.8
Thomas (UF): Struggled the past two weeks. She changed her beam mount back. Switch leap to split, one hand bhs loso, perfect, front aerial to beat jump to bhs swing down, nice, side aerial full to a stick. 9.95
McCrary (Miz): Front lay to rudi, hop back and is OOB with one foot, Double pike, nice landing, Switch side popa. Not her best routine, but that was a solid rotation for Missouri.
Florida had the opportunity to hit beam pressure sets after SJS fell in the second spot. Meanwhile, Missouri continued to showcase some improvements on floor.
AFTER THREE : Florida 148.375, Missouri 147.000
Rotation 4: Missouri BB, Florida FX
Missouri will be looking towards hitting a nice set on beam. They should be in contention to achieve the team’s best score so far thus season. Florida will look to perform these floor rotations with controlled landings.
Gottula (Miz): bhs bhs loso, small check, full turn, good, Straddle jump to straddle half, Cartwheel gainer full, small step back on landing. Nice lead-off routine for the Tigers. 9.875, season high
Looks like Baumann and SJS are out of floor. Will see Lazzari make her debut on the event and Halley Taylor will make another appearance,
Skaggs: (UF) fhs rudi to split jump, good Tour jete half split full, ro 1.5 to front lay. Her toe point and flexibility in her dance is stunning. 9.875
McCrary (Miz): Kick over front toss, crooked but holds on, Bhs loso, nice, full turn, Split jump to double stag ring, Gainer pike and takes a hop forward. 9.75
Taylor (UF): Double Tuck, stumbles backwards with multiple steps and goes OOB, missed second pass but ended with a stag jump, switch side straddle full, Double Pike, sticks landing but chest was still low. 9.55
Schaffer (Miz):Full turn, Bhs bhs loso, way off the beam, Front aerial, wobbles, supposed to be connected to beat jump but does not, Switch leap to split leap, Ro 1.5. 9.0
Lazzari (UF):I’m very excited for this floor debut. The dancer in me is already obsessed with her opening dance sequence. Double tuck, beautiful, 1.5. to front lay to stag, nice, tour jete half straddle full, good, double pike, takes a step forward. Should be a decent score. That’s her second routine after a missed routine tonight as well. 9.825
Sheremeta (Miz): Beat jump, Bhs loso, has to turn her hips but stays on, split jump to ring jump, not sure if she’ll get full credit for that ring, Front aerial, Front toss, some small balance checks in this routine, gainer pike, stuck. 9.825
Reed (UF): DLO, great, she draws you in with her performance skills, fhs front lay to rudi, good, switch half wolf full, Double Pike, short on landing but manages to keep her chest up. 9.925
Marshall (Miz) Full turn, front aerial, falls off, redoes the front aerial to connect to bhs bhs, Split jump to straddle ¼ , Front aerial to gainer full, large step on the landing. 9.025
Thomas (UF): DLO, beautiful, front full front lay to split jump, gorgeous, tour jete to straddle full, love the way she shows off her flexibility in this routine, Double Pike, huge, but her controlled landing step does go forward. She will likely win the AA title with that performance. 9.95
Schreiber (Miz), Bhs loso loso, falls off, Switch leap ½ to split to beat, Gainer full. 9.275
Missouri was having its best competition until beam..
Richards (UF): DLO, nicely done some leg separation, ro 1.5 to front lay, straddle half popa, good, double tuck, may be deducted for a hop on the landing but she hid it very well. Good routine for her. 9.875
Florida will score a season-high team score in the NCAA this season with a. 197.850. The Gators also scored its highest bars event score this season with a 49.600. Missouri was solid in its first three rotations, but had to count two falls on beam. As confidence continues to increase, we should see them start to aim for the 196 range. Both teams will be on a bye next week.
Final: Florida 197.850, Missouri 194.800
AA Winner: Trinity Thomas 39.750
VT Winner: Trinity Thomas 9.925
UB Winner: Megan Skaggs 9.95
BB Winner: Trinity Thomas 9.95
FX Winner: Trinity Thomas 9.95
Live blog by Katie Walsh
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Anyone know a site to stream this meet? Live in Canada and really want to watch!