Andi Li was the MVP of this meet. Did you see she got her 9.9 on floor??
Also, the leadoff spot in any event is incredibly mentally taxing - for Andi to set the pace, consistency and score for Cal consistently on both bars and beam is huge. It's a big ask of an athlete, and there's a reason why specific gymnasts are chosen to leadoff. A 9.875 to open both events sets the table for the remaining gymnasts.

This felt like an off meet for Cal. Mya being rested (at least, that was the information given) was an interesting choice, but I trust it was the right one. Coaches used to "rest" athletes more often in collegiate gymnastics (travel and AA competition each week takes a beating), but now the way the rankings and regional seedings work, some are more hesitant to rest their stars, looking for that big score every week. I have every faith that Justin and Liz are making solid choices for the good of the athlete and the team. They travel to Texas this week to face off against Oklahoma (but also Arkansas - don't sleep on them! They came out of the gate white hot this season, but have had a couple off meets the past couple weeks), so maybe there is some strategic planning in the works there. I think they switch to NQS to determine rankings fairly soon instead of just the overall average of all team scores.

No sticks on vault, a below average day on bars minus Maddie (but no falls - a fall off any apparatus is an automatic .5 deduction - and often more if the gymnast falls and *also* fails to complete a skill or connection), and a beam rotation that most would like a do-over (again, no falls, but uncharacteristic wobbles and missed connections.. the little things that add up).

That said, the positives: the Bears came roaring back on floor, an athlete got a much-needed weekend of rest, and the team tested its depth and gave some gymnasts more competition experience. We have become spoiled by these Bears competing so consistently, and I'll admit that I was hoping this might be the weekend they broke 198, but realistically, all teams (even those near the top) can have an off meet. I'm betting the Bears will come roaring back in Texas!

Up until now, rankings have been determined just by the average of each team's scores. Shortly (maybe in a week?) we'll switch over to NQS (national qualifying score). So for each team, they'll take their top six scores - at least three of those MUST be road scores (Cal has actually already banked some good road scores). Then, they'll toss out the highest score (this helps for some of those meets where the judges may have done a bit too much home cooking), and average the remaining 5.

Cal had an amazing floor rotation last night, and decent vault (although zero stuck vaults, for the second week). I'm pretty positive I saw Casey Brown exhibition a Yurchenko 1.5, and while she took a step, it looked good. Would be great to see another 10.0 vault slide into the lineup. Beam was wobbly. I heard bars scoring was tight across the board, but I didn't get a glimpse of Mya's 9.8 or Maddie's 9.825 to see if there were any "glaring" issues. I will say Gabby's 9.875 seemed pretty stingy after watching the routine. I also watch most of the SEC meets, so it can be a bit frustrating watching some of the SEC scoring. Tons of talent and depth in the SEC.. and also lots of "benefit of the doubt" scoring. Cal hasn't received a lot of loose scoring at all this season.. even (especially?) at home. Last night's meet was also another podium meet - which is great training for post-season, but can sometimes take some adjusting (apparatus can sometimes feel bouncier on a podium).

The last couple of weeks haven't been the strongest. But Cal has some much improved floor. I maintain that if they can hone in on some of their vault landings, and return to their "typical" bars and beam rotations (again, we really have been so spoiled), they are a top 3 team. Some teams have crazy depth; huge skills (LSU). Some have set the bar for performance level (UCLA floor, Utah beam). Cal and OU both have a focus on presentation and technically sound gymnastics that I do believe will continue to keep Cal on its upward tragectory (sp?) as the team continues to upgrade its skills. Go Bears!