Hair me out, please.

Today's rant? Competition hair.
I'd just like to ask a question to the gymnastics community:

WHEN DID IT BECOME OKAY TO HAVE RATTY, HALF-*SSED HAIR FOR COMPETITIONS?!

Answer: It never has been, nor will it ever be okay. I have told my little gymnasts that if they ever show up to a competition with a ratty, messy bun/tucked ponytail thing, I will cut their ponytail off. Needless to say, they always show up with their hair well-done.

That being said...
Let's play a nice game of The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly, shall we?

Oksana has a nice pony tail with a ribbon, which is just as easy as doing Vasiliki or Nastia's tucked ponytail. Millousi's  hair-do is not quite as half-*ssed as Nastia's. Maybe one quarter-*ssed.

All three of these girls are beautiful. Unfortunately, only Aliya's hair reflects that. And even more unfortunately, one is named Nastia which automatically implies bad competition hair. Luckily, I think she dyed it back to her normal color recently.

Nothing need be said.

Mundane Mondays

Mondays are hard, guys.

...But at least you're not these people.

Mom, look what I can dughaewfff.

Anyone else's face burn when watching this?

Even when you think something's going well, life turns around and kicks you in the crotch.

Ludmilla Tourischeva, you are a beast.

I honestly have no clue if this was a horrendous jaeger or an attempt at a completely unheard-of skill.

Alright, who let this girl compete level 3. 'Fess up. 

Don't rely on your friends for help, either.

Peace out, Monday, I'm going to bed. 

Choreographically Speaking...

Some routines are worth a second look. Here are my personal favorites! :)

I can't even wait to post this last, so I'm going to go from the top down.
1. Cheng Fei 2004 Team Finals
Her tumbling is amazing, her choreography is amazing, just everything about it is amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvz9XrnVCv4

2. Oksana Omelianchik 1985

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIf8Cu1Hesk

She got many 10.0s throughout the '85 season, and rightfully so! I just love this. She just takes flight out there, which I guess is fitting with all of the chirping. Some may disagree (including some of the girls I coach, who said it was "weird") but here's a news flash…

3. Ana Porgras
Of course I couldn't leave a Romanian out of the mix! Her dance work is exquisite. Most like her 2010 routine better, but this one was just gorgeous to watch. UGH why did she retire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N12Z8ngs1og

4. A bunch of others that I really loved but can't really rank in any specific order.

Henrietta Onodi 1992 Olympics

        Choreography was great. The 90's hair…not so much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoaA-3tgC3g

Jiang Yuyuan: 2008 Olympics

      Even Elfi complimented this one! Wish the 2008 CoP would've allowed for more choreography

      and less skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_2WZDPIFiA

Lilia Podkopayeva: 1996 Olympics

       How could this not make the list? Take me back to the era of barrel leaps..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXErjoDojE

Anna Pavlova: 2008 Olympics

      I would kill to have a switch ring like Pav's. Everything she does in this routine is so pretty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yWI7R-bsYE

Nadia Comaneci: 1976 American Cup

     I think this routine is so underrated. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y87BO6tnB08

Well, this coach has things to do…so I leave you with this Gymternet:

My current homework success level

May your legs stay straight and your toes remain pointed.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--Part 2

Recently, we reviewed the bad and the ugly. So let's get to the good part, shall we?

Honorable Mention: Russia's 2012 EC Leos
Russia produces beautiful gymnasts and beautiful leotards. The purple was a nice change for them.

5th Place: USA 2011 Worlds Leotard

I thought these were some of the best leos the US has ever had. Love how they incorporated red, white, and blue.

4th Place: Maria Paseka 2013 EC Uneven Bars Final

Yeah yeah yeah. I love Russia's leos. & I know Maria wears blue for like everything,

but she rocks it.

3rd Place: Sui Lu 2011 Worlds Beam Final

I really really really liked this leo. Granted, it is still the red and mustard yellow

that China uses for 99.7% of their competitions, but this red was a little darker and

the mustardy yellow wasn't so overbearing. Had the perfect amount of sparkles, too.

Sui Lu owned this leo…and this beam final.

2nd Place: McKayla Maroney 2012 Visa Championships

I am not usually a big flower person, but this is an exception.

I thought Mack looked gorgeous in this leo.

1st Place: Musty's 2011 EC All-Around competition

I'll probably get some flack for this one. But I am in love with this leo. Minus the sports bra showing, I love everything about it. This photo does not do it justice. So therefore, I leave you with a link. Yes, it is the one you probably guessed it was. Queasy stomachs beware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsI0-FrZ8bM

Blinded by the Leos

Today's Rant: Leotards.
Ah yes, the magnificent 'tard. Unlike fine wine, leotards seem to get uglier with time. Thought I should rank the 5 best and worst leos (in my humble opinion) and share them with you guys. Let me know what you think. Let's start with the bad ones, shall we? Spoiler alert: WOGA is a repeat offender. Surprise surprise!

Honorable Mention: WOGA Juniors' P&G Championship Leos

At a glance they don't look that bad. But look closely into the sea of lime green and you will see what looks like some black chunk that makes it look as though she was shot under the left armpit.

Honorable Mention: Whatever these are.

"Ouch." -My eyes

5th Place: MG Elite's 2013 P&G Championship Leos

Laurie, please return this odd, vine-like tan and black leo to whatever forest creature you stole it from.

4th: WOGA 2012 Visa Championship Leos

       Yep, the infamous dog collar one. Lest we forget the white blob that looks like a radioactive spider lunging for Rebecca Bross' throat.

3rd: This Nasty Stripper Leo

      Don't know who wore this and when but I hope they caught their grip buckle on it and ripped it open and were forced to buy a new leo. Let's just pray the back isn't sheer..

      

Tie for 1st: Simona Amanar's 2000 Vault Final Leo and 

For a country with typically good leotard taste, Romania really screwed up with the mustard yellow here. Also, they made Sandra's leo a canvas for a pre-school finger painting party. Tragic.

You know what I hate?

D scores.
You either love 'em or you don't. I am of the latter.
Now before you go rambling about the flaws of the 10.0 system let me explain why I hate the current scoring system.

1. Execution SUCKS.
The fact that people can ride their d-scores to victory is crap. I get it. I understand that to win nowadays you have to actually have the best skills. But we can't just neglect execution! Like has anyone looked at Nabieva or any of the Russians (esp. on vault)? Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the Russians. I think they are gorgeous gymnasts and fierce competitors. But my GOD how can the Rodionenkos allow their gymnasts to even attempt anything more than a double full twist with the form they have sometimes?!

Just look at that form. Yum.

I don't understand why gymnasts don't fight to get their E scores higher. Whatever. Another rambling for another day. 

2. Artistry?

NBD. Just choppin' invisible wood.

I mean Simone is a beast. And she certainly isn't the worst when it comes to lack of artistry, but my gosh. Can anyone express themselves please? Even the JUNIORS are better at this. (4 for you Sydney Johnson-Scharpf! You go, Sydney Johnson-Scharpf!!!) Does it have to be ballet? NO. I love ballet as much as the next person, but I'll admit, it'd get boring! Just sell your floor routine. Make it enjoyable. And for God's sake, pick some music that actually makes that possible. Once again, Simone Biles you are on my list. 

Senior ladies, take note. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvz9XrnVCv4

One of my personal favorites. 

3. No real success from small countries.

I love the Big 4 countries and I think their gymnastics is stellar…..

I cannot believe I just placed that adjective in a sentence. 

I think the US has butt-tastic artistry but their skills and execution are phenomenal. Russians, Romanians, and Chinese gymnasts are absolutely wonderful too. (Before I forget, props to Yao Jinnan for her Mo Salto.)

BUT, what about the other countries? Yeah GB, Canada, and Italy are alright. Germany is okay. But they do not have a legitimate chance at winning a whole lot of titles because they simply do not have the difficulty levels that the other four countries do. Many of the countries do not have the gymnastics funding to provide adequate training for super high-level athletes. How is someone like '96 AA champ Lilia Podkopayeva from little ol' Ukraine to win nowadays? It's just not gonna happen.
Imagine if Rosa Galieva was competing today for Uzbekistan. She wouldn't stand a chance. Tragic. If anyone uses Oksana Chusovitina as a counter-argument, I am automatically counting it invalid. She was Soviet-trained, people.

Anyways, I gotta go coach. Peace out, gymternet!

Boom! Look who's totally (un)popular.

Yo gym world!
Hello to you all (…all 4 of my followers). Welcome to my blog. 
My name is Kara and my life is basically centered around school and gymnastics. I started the sport when I was 16 and competed for about 2 years. I was about a level 7 when I graduated. Certainly no late-blooming prodigy. Regardless, I am pretty much an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to gymnastics and its elite scene, thanks to millions of youtube videos and a few elite gymmates of mine. Gymmates…is that a word? I'm getting the old red line underneath it from Blogger. Whatevs. 
But yep. Here it is. Love it or leave it. :) Enjoy!