As the top bars team in the country, Florida ought to be pretty comfortable on the road, where the Gators get to begin on a strength. However, this is only Florida’s second road meet of the year, and the first didn’t go exactly to plan. It would take a lot of nonsense for the Gators to be in serious danger of an upset by the Razorbacks, but a score north of 197.500 would go a long way toward cementing them as a genuine contender this week.
Arkansas, coming off a program record last week, benefits from momentum and confidence—not to mention some extremely friendly home judges. To have a chance today, the Razorbacks need to go big on bars, which has been a hot-and-cold event so far in 2023.
Rotation 1: Arkansas VT, Florida UB
Weaver (Ark): Nice FTY, slightly soft knees on the table and a hop back. 9.875
Blakely (UF): Maloney to Pak, nice half turn, she’s made progress on her toe point since last week. Toe blind, front giant, double front with a step forward.
Flatley (Ark): Some leg sep on the table, FTY with a medium hop back. 9.8
Nguyen (UF): Maloney to Pak, tiny leg separations, probably not deductable. Double layout with a little leg sep, essentially stuck. 9.9
Smith (Ark): FTY, pretty and dynamic, medium hop back. 9.825
DiCello (UF): Nice Ray, making the handstands, Pak to toe on to van Leeuwen. No leg separations. Full out with a tiiiiiiiiny right foot scoot. 9.925
Price (Ark): FTY, really nice, tiny left foot step. Commentator thinks it was stuck… you might be able to call that a pulling-heels-together movement. 9.9
Thomas (UF): Maloney to Pak, nice, patient on the handstands, van Leeuwen. Double layout stuck with an arm swing. 9.975
Sedlacek (Ark): One and a half, some slight knee form, big hop back. 9.85
Wong (UF): Maloney to Pak, these handstands aren’t EMPHATIC but aren’t obviously short either. There’s a great handstand on the high bar. Double lay, absolutely drilled. 10
Williams (Ark): One and a half, very slight touches of knees similar to Sedlacek, large-ish pace forward. 9.85
McCusker (UF): Maloney, shapey with leg separation, to clean Pak. Slight struggle on her half pirouette, stalder double tuck with a hop back. 9.65
Kelley and Richards are the exhibitions.
After 1: Florida 49.625, Arkansas 49.275
Great first rotation and great to see Riley McCusker back, though I don’t know if she’ll stay in this lineup. That DiCello-Thomas-Wong sequence was absolutely imperious from the Gators.
Rotation 2: Florida VT, Arkansas UB
Richards (UF): Yurchenko one and a half, slightly lock-legged and some confusing foot movement to salute. No idea how much of that they’ll take. 9.925
Swaney (Ark): Toe on to Ray, nice, shy on a handstand, Pak a little whippy, shy on a handstand again, double layout stuck-ish with a lean forward to hold onto it. 9.85
Wong (UF): Half on, pike half off, nice in the air with a big hop back. 9.875
Scalzo (Ark): Blind to Jaeger, a little loose-legged with soft elbows, to overshoot. Shy on a handstand, double layout stuck! 9.9
DiCello (UF): One and a half, bent her knees substantially to prepare for the landing, hop forward. 9.875
Drotar (Ark): Toe on to Maloney, a little shapey, to bail. Missed a handstand, double layout with a tiny step back. 9.925
Thomas (UF): One and a half twist, nice, medium hop forward. 9.9
Jones (Ark): Blind, a little late, to pike Jaeger. Nice Pak, not sure about that handstand, whippy double layout with a step back. Not sure she timed that release correctly. 9.85
Edwards (UF): Nice clean FTY, huge distance, medium hop back. 9.825
Pratt (Ark): Nice Ray, wayyyyyy short on a handstand, good bail to toe hecht, double layout stuck with an arm swing. 9.825
Blakely (UF): One and a half, lots of amplitude, big hop forward but square. Looks thrilled. On replay, she’s twisting onto the table quite a bit. 9.8
Flatley (Ark): Missed the first handstand, Jaeger, arched the bail, double layout with a hop back. This isn’t her cleanest day. 9.85
After 2: Florida 99.025, Arkansas 98.575
Fine not great Florida bars rotation, while Arkansas had a great bars rotation that keeps the Razorbacks in the hunt for a 197.000+ score.
Rotation 3: Arkansas BB, Florida FX
Gamiao (Ark): LOSO LOSO, great! Side somi, switch to split, full turn. One and a half twist stuck. Good one!! 9.85
Brubach (UF): Front lay to Rudi, awkward nad cross-legged, tour jete half Popa. Double back a little overrotated with a slide back. 9.8
Gianfagna (Ark): BHS LOSO great, full turn, kickover front comes in LOW but hangs onto it. Beat to straddle half, solid, one and a half twist with leg sep, stuck. 9.9 that was NOT better than Gamiao.
DiCello (UF): Front double full, FORM and a big cross step forward, think she missed the punch a little there. Switch ring switch half great, one and a half front full slightly awkward. 9.725
Swaney (Ark): Walkover mount, full turn, BHS LOSO LOSO with some form, looked off in the middle there but hung onto it. Nice switch split, one and a half twist stuck. 9.925
Nguyen (UF): Front double full to sissone, nice. Pretty leaps, nice Y turn, one and a half front lay and steps out. 9.625
Weaver (Ark): BHS LOSO LOSO, missed the back foot, gets it on with minimal drama. Split to straddle, one and a half twist good. 9.875
Baumann (UF): Nice double wolf turn, one and a half front full really good. Switch side to straddle is SO pretty. Double pike, really good. First actually good floor routine for the Gators. 9.875 potentially a little harsh.
Hambrick (Ark): Full turn, BHS LOSO with a little bit of form but steady. Switch switch side, borderline splits, beat to straddle 3/4 with a check. Gainer full stuck. 9.8
Wong (UF): Dos Santos, way short, but double stags out of it fine. Switch half Popa Popa is lovely, whip half front full great. Not sure what they’ll do with that first pass but everything else was great. 9.9
Flatley (Ark): Front aerial BHS LOSO, falls. Was off line from the BHS. One and a half twist, hop.
Thomas (UF): Double lay, I think that was a smidge short but she hops quickly to lunge so we can’t see anything. Tour jete half Popa Popa is less crazy than last week, front full front lay nice and clean. 9.95
After 3: Florida 148.275, Arkansas 147.925
Rotation 4: Florida BB, Arkansas FX
Blakely (UF): Front aerial BHS, nice. Switch switch half, adjustment, beat, that was a little off line. Gainer full with a hop back. 9.875
Jones (Ark): Front double full, good, switch ring switch half good, one and a half front lay really pretty. Nice front lay to Rudi. Great start. 9.9!
Richards (UF): Nice BHS LOSO series, switch half to beat really good, nice and steady. One and a half twist with a hop forward. 9.875
Lovett (Ark): Floor music became an entire situation, several false starts there and several quality reactions from Bailey. Double layout, flexed feet but good landing, double back overcooked with a substantial skid backward. Front lay front full, off balance but dances out. 9.9
Lazzari (UF): BHS LOSO LOSO, switch split, nice and steady, front aerial great. Side aerial one and a half twist, little hop. 9.9
Smith (Ark): Front lay double back, scoot back. Great. Stuck double pike! That’ll go high. 9.875
DiCello (UF): Candle mount, clean double wolf. BHS LOSO, front aerial with a tiny lean, BHS gainer full stuck. Nice!! 9.95
Williams (Ark): Full in, solid, steps kind of sideways but dances out OK. One and a half front lay really nice. Nailed the double tuck. Awesome. 9.95
Wong (UF): Waited out the cheer for Williams’ score before beginning. Switch to split, great. Great BHS LOSO. Super delicate full turn, front aerial to beat, double full dismount with some leg form but stuck.
Flatley (Ark): Triple twist, comes in a bit low with a slightly squatty lunge out. Front double full, feet slide and steps back, solid leap pass. Front lay front full, short, hop back.
Thomas (UF): Switch to split, good, full turn. One-arm BHS to LOSO, smiling as she lands, one and a half with a hop back.
Price (Ark): Double lay, a little overrotated, slightly awkward landing. Switch side Popa. Double pike, a little overrotated and bouncy. 9.925
FINAL: Florida 197.875, Arkansas 197.400
Solid meet all around, with some room for improvement. Florida needs to get the silliness on floor under control, this isn’t the first time this year that we’ve seen this sort of thing from the Gators. Arkansas did well considering that Flatley was really off today, but can obviously be better with her.
VT: Payton Richards 9.925
UB: Leanne Wong 10.000
BB: Leanne Wong 10.000
FX: Lauren Williams, Trinity Thomas 9.950
AA: Leanne Wong 39.775
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Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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