This and That

Workout Wednesday with the Gym Cats.  You can make your own decisions regarding Taylor Rice's floor routine.

In surprising news, Ashley Priess decided to go to grad school at Alabama and use her fifth year of eligibility.  This is out of character for Priess, who said she would NOT return for a fifth year at the start of last season.  Priess infamously quit at 2008 Nationals after riding to the airport in a hot pink limo with MLT and friends.  Being a bars girl with more consistency than Shayla Worley, she had a decent shot of making the team in some capacity.  It may have been wise to go out on top while she could, as Priess is not exactly someone with a ton of skills left in her arsenal.  Still, this is a huge boost for Alabama.  The much-maligned Mary Lee Tracy attended the NCAA Championships (as she does almost every year) to cheer on her former students.

Handsome Homo Hunk Ioannis Melissanidis is making a comeback this summer's Olympic Games.  God Bless.  He will compete at the upcoming Osijek Grand Prix, which most European women will skip in preparation for the European Championships.  Peng Peng Lee will make an appearance.

If you can't beat em, join em.  Riazonova and Tkachenko are the newest members of Team Canton.  Bobrova, the skater like meat with no salt or pepper, and her partner and now training with Sasha Zhulin.  In more exciting news, Navka and Zhulin are back together.  Navka's estranged husband told the Russian newspapers that he never should have married her, which explaining her rough showing at the beginning of Ice Age.

Yuzuru Hanyu is now going to train with  Brian Orser.  Perhaps this could curb Javier Fernandez's reputation of being a hot partying Spaniard and lead him to have the stamina to make it through a long program late in the season.

A montage for the GAGE girls of 2004 done by Al Fong.  Note the fierce Soviet compulsory coaches who mold the young girls and prepare them for life with Armine.  The GAGE girls of the '80s and early '90s never had form or hands like that until Armine came and attempted to convince us all that it was politics that kept her off of the Olympic Team.  While her gymnastics may have been sloppy, she makes it a mission for her girls to be precise to the point of Ivana Hong-locklegged rigidity.



Larisa Iordache led the Romanian women to kick some French ass last weekend.  Iordache, Ponor, Izbasa and Bulimar are expected to make the backbone of the Romanian Team.  Ironically, it looks like they may have to take Raluca Haidu as a bars specialist, as she is one of only two Romanians to break 14.00 on bars.  Low Standards.

Videos:

Iordache- UB, BB, FX
Ponor-  BB
Izbasa- VT, UB, BB, FX
Bulimar- BB
Chelaru- BB, FX
Racea- BB, FX

Dufournet- VT, UB, BB