WCSN is proud to welcome Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and gold medalist, to discuss the U.S. women’s team performances at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, World Cup in Stuttgart and Glasgow Grand Prix.

See all of these routines and more gymnastics at www.wcsn.com.

Anna Pavlova’s vault:

For Anna’s first vault, she performed a strong Yurchenko double twist. For those of you who are avid gymnastics watchers then you know about Anna’s power and strength on this apparatus. Her body line was beautiful, though she had a small form break with her crossed legs throughout the twist. She finished up with a solid landing with a small deduction.

Anna’s second vault was a round-off entry vault to a half on, front layout half off. She performed this vault quite well. Her stretched body line in the layout half was impeccable. While many gymnasts fail to perform the second part of this vault in a fully stretched layout position, Anna did not disappoint, showing her strength and amplitude.

Elena Zamolodchikova’s vault:

Elena performed a Yurchenko double twist for her first vault. She is known for her strength and power, but not for the cleanest lines. There a small form break throughout. Elena faltered on the landing, costing at least a two-tenths deduction for the steps.

Elena’s second vault was a round-off entry vault to a half on, front layout half off. She lacked amplitude on this difficult vault. The judges look for a completely stretched body, which was lacking. Her body remained pike throughout the layout half portion. Form breaks were evident, in her legs and feet. She finished up with a small hop on the landing.

Beth Tweddle’s bars:
This was definitely one of Beth’s stronger routines. Her beautiful toe point, clean lines and ability to keep the routine swinging put this routine in contention for gold. What impressed me most was Beth’s ability to hit all her handstands. This shows strength and attention to detail. Something the judges look for and when accomplished, they are certain to reward the gymnast. She finished up the routine with a half-in, half-out dismount with a small hop on the landing. For those who watched the dismount, I am certain that one took note to her impeccable form (toes and legs together). Impressive! Again, her coach’s attention to detail is clear.

Dariya Zgoba’s bars:

Dariya began the routine with a unique mount, which not only captures that audience’s attention, but the judges’ as well. She performed her routine with good form and nice lines. The routine was packed with difficulty, while showing beautiful stadler work, performed in both a straddle and pike position. Though caught, her pike jaegar was sluggish and close to the bar. Dariya did a good job staying committed to the routine and the swing. She wrapped up the routine with a nice double front dismount with a small hop on the landing.

Steliana Nistor’s beam:
This was a good performance; it was packed with acrobatics and nice flexibility but there was nothing eye-catching. Steliana began with a difficult back handspring back full twist with a small bobble on the landing. Then performed a front aerial to back handspring layout, those there was a significant pause following the aerial, which would eliminate any combination bonus. There was a small bobble on her full turn and then she finished up with a solid front and side somersault. She dismounted with a clean double pike.

Dariya Zgoba’s beam:

I really enjoyed this routine! Dariya’s performances are eye-catchy. She began with a beautiful straddle planche, performed flawlessly. Throughout the routine her flexibility was emphasized on an impressive ring leap, a full turn with her leg in at her ear, and her straddle planche mount. Her turn resulted in the largest deduction of the routine, though she fought to stay pulled up and on the beam. Next, she performed a round-off back layout, which had nice amplitude but had an obvious straddle of her legs. Also, there was small deduction on the landing as she lifted her leg to fight to stay on the beam. There were missed connections on two elements, her aerial combination and her front tuck to sheep jump. If these connections were performed well her score would reflect that. Dariya finished up with a double pike dismount with a small hop on the landing and a small (straddle) form break.

Beth Tweddle’s floor:

This hometown girl started off the routine with a strong 1 ½ to a double Arabian with a stuck landing. With this upbeat music, the crowd immediately got into the routine. Beth then performed a difficult double Arabian in a piked position. She flew forward and out of bounds which quickly took her out of medal contention. She wrapped up the routine with a nice triple turn, and ended with a 2 ½ to front full, which was performed with great form. Though she ended this competition with a fall, she should still be pleased with her performances overall. This was a great time for Beth to perform well internationally to build her name prior to Bejing.

Sandra Izbasa’s floor:
Sandra began the routine with a nice combination pass, back 1 ½ to front layout full to front tuck full. Then she performed a tuck full in, showing her back tumbling ability. One aspect that stood out for me in this routine was the unique and fitting choreography for Sandra. Her performance was impressive and I am certain it added to her overall score. Sadly, she faltered her triple turn, but she finished up with strong tumbling. Her 2 ½ to front layout, with small form break) and then a triple twist, with crossed legs throughout. Sandra did a fabulous job fully completing the triple twist but she failed to put her feet together on the landing, which should result in a small deduction. All-in-all, I enjoyed this routine and look forward to Sandra having a strong showing in future competitions.

WCSN is proud to welcome Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and gold medalist, to discuss the U.S. women’s team performances at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

See all of these routines and more gymnastics at http://www.wcsn.com.

Oksana Chusovitina’s vault:

1st vault: front handspring, front full. This is a difficult vault. Oksana had a slight pike throughout which will be a deduction. Also, there a few forms breaks, slight leg separation and she bent her legs as she was landing. Other than deductions, this vault was performed quite well. She had great amplitude and only had small deduction for the hop on the landing.

2nd vault-Tsukahara 1 ½ twist: This is an impressive vault. From my experience, it is easier to twist from a round-off entry versus a half-on (Tsuk). Oksana did a fabulous job fighting to control the landing. There were a few deductions throughout; the vault needed more amplitude so that she could have finished the vault and not stumbled off the mat. Her landing was slightly short, due to the lack of amplitude. Her shoulders were not over top of her feet, which is why she did not have control on the landing. Since she felt the landing was short, Oksana bent her knees so that she would make the vault.

Anna Pavlova’s vault:

1st vault- Yurchenko double twist. Anna is a powerful vaulter. She made this vault look easy and, from my experience, it is not. Her lines were beautiful and she had great amplitude. The deductions that I saw were her crossed legs throughout the twist and the large step on the landing. Other than that you would have to look really close to find many more.

2nd vault-Yurchenko ½-on, front layout ½-off: Again, Anna made this vault look easy. She performed this difficult vault with beautiful form and straight lines throughout. The straight body is what the judges are looking for when you call a layout vault. Anna accomplished this. There was a small hop on the landing, which resulted in a minimal deduction. Polina Miller’s bars: I enjoyed Polina’s bar routine. I did not compete against Polina, nor had I watched any of her performances prior to this one. Her body lines were impeccable in almost all skills. The first thing that stood out to me was her high glide (on high bar) kip to cast handstand. There was no question that she hit the handstand in full. This was a great way to start off the routine, showing great form and swing. Though her routine was impressive, there were a few deductions that I witnessed. Throughout the majority of the routine her heels were apart, which is a deduction for each move where this form break exists. In the beginning of the routine, she performed an awesome layout Yaeger. She wrapped up the routine with her dismount that had a form deduction and there was a step on the landing.

Jana Bieger’s bars: Jana starts the routine off with trouble. She began with her jump to handstand mount, then proceeded to perform a front stadler. At the end she did a great job fighting to complete the skill. Even though she did not fall, there is a deduction for the break in swing. The remainder of the routine was the strong bar performance that Jana is known for. However, there were a few positives and negatives that I will point out. While Jana performed all release moves with great amplitude and control, there were many areas in the routine where her arms were bent (casting to handstand) and legs separated.

I believe she improved her feet perform in comparison to her performances at the World Championships last week. She was a little loose on her full pirhouette at the end of the routine. She finished up with a fabulous dismount that rose above the bar, with a small deduction on the landing.

Oksana Chusovitina’s bars:

Oksana’s routine was packed with a multitude of skills! I am certain that keeping up the new code of points is causing gymnasts to lengthen their routine to add more difficulty and combinations, and for some, this means more skills. She had nice swing throughout. I enjoyed her pirouette combinations, especially her hop full, giant full, to Dawes, which is a giant 1 ½ pirhouette. I was impressed. However, on her hop full there was a deduction due her loose body on the catch. There were a couple form breaks in the routine; first, there were leg separations on her kip cast handstand, and then her toes did not look fully pointed on her dismount. Other than her feet form the dismount was executed to near perfection, great amplitude, legs together, and a stuck landing. The German audience had to be proud!

WCSN is proud to welcome Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and gold medalist, to discuss the U.S. women’s team performances at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

See all of these routines and more gymnastics at www.wcsn.com.

Natasha Kelley’s floor routine:

This was a gutsy performance out of Natasha. She competed in the team preliminary competition and then had many days to just train and watch everyone else compete—and she still comes out and rocks an awesome floor set.

She started off with a nice double layout. Then she performed an impressive double Arabian with a small hop on the landing. I enjoyed her side pass, a handspring front double twist. Her routine was packed with jumps and leap bonuses, which is imperative with the new code of points. Her final leap was a little flat and will result in a small deduction. Judges look for amplitude not only in tumbling but in dance and leaps as well. Her final two tumbling passes were performed well: two whip-backs to a back 2 ½ twist and, finally, a clean double pike.

Jana Bieger’s floor routine:

Jana has made a name for herself at these World Championships. Her floor routine started off with a clean double layout, though she was a little short on the landing. I am sure she is feeling the fatigue in her body from the many days of competition. However, when you go through this fatigue, your adrenaline kicks in and gives your body the boost it needs.

Throughout her routine, the tumbling was impressive; her double Arabian was high in amplitude and she did a good job in controlling the landing. There was a leg separation on her round-off leading up to this pass. Her front full to triple was nice, but there was a small form break that the judges are keeping their eye out for. I would bet that Jana’s coach (mom!) will work on cleaning up these small form breaks. She ended with a sky-high double pike. In reality Jana could have stuck the landing. Though her lunge did not result in a deduction, a stuck landing adds value and separates one gymnast from another. Just think about when you watch Vanessa Ferrari’s routine and the control she shows in her landings. Impressive!

Vanessa Ferrari’s floor routine:

Tasha is right, Vanessa is a firecracker. I have enjoyed watching her performances at these Worlds. This wasn’t her best routine, though she can not be disappointed with the way she wrapped up this competition.

First, what a unique leo. I liked it. She started with her impressive double-double, showing full control on the landing. She followed with a tuck full-in, with a small leg separation on the second somersault. Vanessa did a good job saving herself from going out of bounds on her third pass, only resulting in a landing deduction from the large hop, which is better than stepping out of bounds. She ended with a beautiful double pike. Other than Vanessa’s elegant dance and difficult tumbling, what sets her apart is her landings. She aims to stick and not just to use a lunge to gain control.

Cheng Fei’s floor routine:

This was by far my favorite routine to watch during the event finals. She mounted with an impressive double-double. In my opinion, this tumbling pass was by far the best in the women’s finals. Then she performed a whip immediate triple twister. Again, impressive though there a small pike down on the landing. Cheng showed wonderful flexibility throughout the routine on all leaps and jumps performed. On her triple turn there was a little wobble at the end, though I believe she was given the value the judges may have taken a small deduction for not having complete control. Cheng ended with a beautiful pike full in. She had a small form break, flexed feet and slight leg separation. It may sound like I am being very particular, but she didn’t have many errors which is why she is now the World Champion on this event.

WCSN is proud to welcome Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and gold medalist, to discuss the U.S. women’s team performances at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

See all of these routines and more gymnastics at http://www.wcsn.com.

Alicia Sacramone’s vault:

This gymnast is a powerhouse. Both vaults were high in difficulty and well executed. Her first vault, a Rudy, was a stronger vault than the team competition. She landed closer to the center of the mat, slightly more distance, and good amplitude. There were some small form breaks, her legs were slightly crossed and she kept her body is a slight pike shape. Sacramone’s second vault was quite impressive. She performed a sky-high Yurchenko double twist. Great distance and amplitude. Her form was, by far, the best on the U.S. team of vaulters. She took a small hop on the landing which cost her a tenth or so, depending on the judge’s discretion.

Cheng Wei’s vault:

Now I was quite impressed with this vaulter. The Chinese women are known for their strength on the bars and beam, it’s not typical to she a great Chinese vault. As Cheng has proven for some time now, the Chinese women are now a threat on the vault as well. The reigning World Champ on vault did not disappoint.

Cheng definitely played it safe performing a Yurchenko double twist with ease. Now playing it safe with a double Yurchenko is amazing. I anticipate that Cheng will surpass her 2 1/2 Yurchenko vault by 2008 and surprise us with a triple. That would be a thrill to watch. Her form on the double was impeccable. She ended this vault with a small hop on the landing.

As for Cheng’s second vault, she performed a round-off half-on, 1 ½ off. Again, this was an impressive performance. She did have a slight separation of her feet, which may not have been seen to the naked eye. Cheng will certainly celebrate this win and will look to keep this winning streak going in hopes of securing gold in Bejing.

Jana Bieger’s bars:

For those who watched Jana spray water on the bar prior to her performance may have questioned, why add water and not just more chalk? From my international experience, it is not uncommon for the bars to be slick after competitors that do not use grips. The use of sugar water is common for many international gymnasts. This combination of sugar and water creates a sticky texture for a gymnast that swings bars bare handed or with gause or tape grips. Now, for the gymnasts who wear leather grips, the texture is left slick because when the sugar water dries on the bar, it creates a hardened film. This is why you will she grip wearing gymnasts scrape the bar, re-chalk and spray the bar down with water. Just a little insight on Jana getting a good grip!

I was looking forward to Jana correcting the mistake she made during the team competition. She had an error on her blind half prior to her reverse hecht release move. Jana did correct the mistake that she made the other day. Though this release was amazing in amplitude, the momentum proved too difficult to control. She hit her feet on the low bar while trying to gain control of the swing prior to her kip cast hand. She dumped her cast handstand over, which forced her to pirhouette out of it to stay committed to her routine. She has incredible resolve throughout. She finished up her routine with a solid dismount with a stuck landing.

WCSN is proud to welcome Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and gold medalist, to discuss the U.S. women’s team performances at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

See all of these routines and more gymnastics at http://www.wcsn.com.

Jana Bieger’s vault:

I am certain that in the back of Jana’s mind was the fall from the previous day on this vault during team competition. More amplitude and finishing the vault was key to her making it this time during the individual all-around. She was much more explosive and got her feet under her on the landing. As I mentioned the other day, Jana’s form on this vault is impeccable, this is due to the fact that she blocks (pops) first, then thinks ‘layout then twist.’ This way she can keep her legs squeezed together throughout, instead of crossing her legs, which is a typical error on a twisting vault.

Jana Bieger’s bars:

This was a routine packed with a lot of difficulty. She began the routine with a creative mount: jump to handstand in a reverse grip. Jana had great amplitude on her release moves and bar transitions throughout the routine. She did a great job fighting to get back in handstand after over shooting her feet on her Stalder blind change prior to her release move. The fight was impressive, and so was her execution of the release that immediately followed. Though this may have seemed scary for the audience, I can guarantee you that Jana has had to perform this release from worse–that’s what practice is for. You are taught at a young age to commit to a skill and keep the routine going. Finally, there were some form breaks throughout, such as her leg separation on handstands and loose feet throughout. I am certain that in time Jana will clean these form breaks up and then she will she her score rise significantly.

Ashley Priess’ floor:
I enjoyed watching this routine. It looked like a fun, upbeat routine, and I am certain the audience was entertained. She started off the routine with a solid pike full-in. Ashley ran into problems on her back 2 ½ punch front layout. Instead of starting off with a strong set, she was quick to dump her shoulders back and twist right off the floor. This resulted in her over-rotating the landing of the 2 ½, which makes it extremely difficult to punch front layout out of. She fell to her bottom with both feet out of bounds, all resulting in a major deduction and taking her out of the running for a top all-around ranking. Though this was definitely disappointing for Ashley, she did a great job finishing up the routine with strong dance bonuses and a clean double pike dismount.

Jana Bieger’s floor:

Jana finished up the all-around competition with a spectacular performance on the floor. She began with a solid double layout, in a straight body position. Then she followed with a front full step out to a triple twist. There was a form break on the triple, crossed legs throughout. Nice leaps and dance throughout, except for her missed double turn. Sometimes the easiest skills, like turns and solo jumps, can be a gymnast’s nemesis in the competition. I was anticipating her double Arabian. This was the tumbling pass that she had an error on during the team competition. Just as she fixed her problem from the vault the day before, she followed suit with a dynamic double Arabian. She stayed in bounds and completed the pass with ease. The only error that I saw on this pass was a slight form break on her round-off: leg separation. Jana wrapped her performance with a sky-high double pike!

Vanessa Ferrari’s floor:

Now this Italian’s routine was impressive. She performed five — count them five — tumbling passes. She has some serious endurance. I thought doing five passes back in the day was hard. Wow.

Vanessa started out her routine with a double-double or, as some call it, a full-in-full-out. Her form and height were spectacular. Then she immediately turned around and performed a full-in, which is a significantly easier skill then her first pass. Ironically this pass had a form break, a leg separation at the end. It was obvious that Vanessa has a background in dance, or there is a concentration on dance in her daily training. Her form, lines, toe point and dance moves were remarkable. While she did miss her triple turn, which would have given her routine added bonus, her five tumbling passes ensured that her routine was still packed with bonuses. She finished up her routine was a quick triple twist with a small hop on the landing and ending with a flawless double pike, while sticking the landing. What set her apart from the other competitors on this apparatus was her emphasis on her landings and five solid tumbling passes. I am certain we will hear Vanessa Ferrari’s name as a contender leading up to Bejing. Congrats to her being the first Italian woman to win the all-around at a World Championships!