2013 NCAA Champs Prelim 2 Live Blog with @CattyComments

All of your live vid link/scores/rotation needs are in this one single handy-dandy page by UCLA.

Kittens it's me, Catty Comments! Prelimino Numero Uno was fabu (except for the sad Stanford Trees - knee gods heal the Ivana!), but just saw that there were not many blogging kittens, probably because of the feed issues.

So I, The Catty, shall blog Preliminario Numero DOS!. One of my advantages is that I'm in the arena, with a lovely view, and hopefully not a target of CRAZY PUMP UP THE ARENA guy. He's like John Macready except without the dances or knowledge of gymnastics or the gymnastics trivia questions he himself is asking. Or a t-shirt gun, or funny moves or the ability to be funny. THE MEET IS OVER, PEOPLE HAVE CLEARED OUT. ALL TEN OF YOU STILL HERE, LET'S DO THE WAVE!

The live feed will commence at 9pm EDT / 6pm PDT, but I'll be back in the arena 75ish minutes before that and will start posting updates. Lmk if you have questions in the comments. I'll also try to capture the routine highlights that are not picked up on the feed, and we can comment on the feed.


The lineups are in! Here are the lineups.

I'm in beam nirvana right now - first row next to Oklahoma doing one-touch. In related news, Mr. AJ has officially gone straight for Megan Ferguson. That's right, she is so amazing AJ actually has lust for a woman.

Diandra Millner just ended fx warmups with a perfectly stuck double Arabian. Wow. On the downside, Bama is warming up in the dreaded sleeveless crimson leo with a gigantic 'A', which is not body-flattering. Utah is in bright silver & black leos with the lengthwise squiggle, but Dabritz literally makes any leo flattering.

Rene ex-Cook Lyst has been spotted, and the 4" black stilettos do not disappoint even though the Razorback music cuts do. The Razorbacks are in black leos with many tiger diagonal red stripes.

6pm - oh noes, here's UCLA's CRAZY FLOOR ANNOUNCER GUY! In other news, UCLA is doing a Project Runway avoid - a low-cut front and back. With three strips to hold the front V and 5 strips to hold the back V. It's a little bit glitter and a little bit S&M. Kittens, if you don't know what that means, look at ex-Cook's stilettos.

6:04 - is it just me, or do the NCAA streaming vid announcers (Allison Taylor & Joe Cristelloshmo-dude) not have sound? Awkward.

6:05 - Time to find out if UCLA will compete tomorrow - beam time! Baer is up and no one else is competing yet. Scary side flip with small bobble. Albright is on fx for Oklahoma with a scary front double full that she saves.

6:07 - and we have audio! Yay! Baer hit her routine and locks in a 9.75 - unanimously! Wong is up.

6:11 - Wong in with a 9.8 and DeJesus is up. Miss Val is positively young mom tonight, with a white shrug, hair in ponytail, and a grayish shift dress. DeJesus nails her acro series and front toss to changement. One step on running front full dismount.

6:14 - DeJesus 9.825 (one judge flashed 9.9), and Courtney is up. Giant bobble on her acro series, probably touched the beam.

6:18 - Courtney has a 9.425 as Zam mounts. She is wearing a flower in her hair - how San Francisco! Gorgeous Onodi. Bobble on her front aerial. Saves the bhs layout stepout. Effortless leap series - she is the only gymnast competing. Easy double full, hop back. No AA title for her, but goreous nonetheless.

6:20 - Olson from Olsonhokma is powering her way through floor. Zam gets a 9.8 and Francis is up with a Silivas mount. Perfect front aerial, bhs. Smiling at the judges while posing. Sticks her acro series dismount!

6:22 - Francis goes 9.9 and gives UCLA a 49.075, saving their beam rotation and Supah Six hopes. Scaman powered through her fx, and Shaffer (Ohio State) lands her beam dismount double tuck really low and takes 2 steps forward. Bri Guy on fx now - huge double layout alert!

6:25 - We are rotating! Btw, the Oklahoma leos are much flashier in person than on video. It's insanely sparkly in here. How nice - individual rotator cuff Caitlin Atkinson of Auburn joins the Utaheans in a "Utes Rock the House" cheer. Good times!

6:34 - ATay just had to tell Joe Schmo announcer dude that Bama isn't wearing "gloves" on bars - those funny things are grips! Somehow I don't think that other NCAA championships have to suffer through male announcers that don't know what the equipment is.

6:36 - huge score discrepancy for Michigan's leadoff beam - one judge giving her a 9.7 start value. She ends up with a 9.775 - huh?

6:40 - now the 2nd Michigan gymnast has gone 9.55, so we'll see how Miele cookware can do. She hits a high double pike dismount, but with a step back. Looks like Utah had major problems with Del Priore's floor, and their 2nd routine gets a 9.625. Wilson appears to have finished clean, so they'll probably get back on track.

6:41 - Miele for Michigan just went 9.6, so now they have serious problems. Sampson just took a step on her gainer full dismount. This is Sampson - how do you step on a gainer full dismount?!

6:42 - Dabritz hits her huge piked full-in mount, and nails a whip double full second pass to "The Race,", because 1993!!!

6:44 - Dabriz finishes with a lovely, almost over-rotated triple full that's actually too easy for her. Zurales hits beam for Michigan to the delight of Bieber fans everywhere! Sorry, that's the Michigan team that inexplicably screams as high as 12 year-olds with Bieber Fever, like Anne Frank.

6:46 - Damianova on fx for Utah, and it's just not the same without the female Ute announcer yelling, "Nancy DAMN-E-YAN CAN COOK-OVAH!!!"

6:48 - Casanova anchors beam for Michigan because she has the most gorgeous hair in the arena. Has a bobble on a side flip that could be .1 or .3, but beautifully stuck dismount. And some judges go .1, and some go .3 - the scores range from 9.7 to 9.85, and she goes 9.75.

6:51 - Atkinson on fx for Auburn - opens with a huge pike full-in, and has lovely clean, big dance to go with her lovely, big, clean tumbling and ponytail. Sticks her double pike dismount clean, and hopefully we'll see her in fx EFs.

7:03 - Francis leading off fx, Millner leading off beam for Bama. DeJesus hits her opening double pike and middle double tuck. She milks the dance in front of the home crowd, hits her 1.5 to front layout, and the crowd goes bonkers.

7:04 - Millner gets a leadoff 9.85, Clark mounts, and DeJesus earned a fx leadoff 9.875. Sadiqua "Smurf Knees" Bynum starts fx for UCLA and miraculously hits her middle pass. Clark goes unanimous 9.80 on beam and Bynum actually hits her double tuck dismount. This Bruin team is on fyeahhhhhhh.

7:07 - Williams is full-on Sarah Crack rocking out this beam routine - in her mind, she's currently anchoring Supah Six. Zam starts her Anchorman routine, kicking out of a huge, easy double pike. And the video people aren't showing her. Are they insane? No, they're discussing Bri Guy's vault. And now they're watching Arkansas on bars. REALLY VIDEO PRODUCERS? REALLY? The Bama fans are applauding Zam's routine, literally as good as she can to it.

7:10 - Nowwww they're showing Zam on floor, while gorgeous DeMeo is hitting beam for Bama. Eeeediots.  Pritchett drops out of the sky on the easiest, cleanest tucked full-in ever. She is putting more energy into the dance than she ever has. Williams goes 9.9 & DeMeoMcCool goes 9.85.

7:13 - Jacob is rocking beam, and only hops the landing. She is more in love with her fringe & ponytail than I am. Now Courtney on fx - sticks the opening huge double Arabian. 2nd pass 1.5, barani, back layout. Jacob goes 9.85 as Courtney skies a double pike, and should go 9.9+. Standing O from the UCLA section, which is full-on Bruin cracked out now.

7:16 - the arena freaks out as Courtney's fx goes 9.95, and we'll see if Sawa can keep the UCLA momentum going. The first 5 routines have gone 49.425.

7:18 - Sawa is a great example of Val's lineup - huge opening double tuck, then bigger double pike, everyone claps along to her routine. Final pass of 1.5 to front layout, by putting Zam up 3rd, then having lesser-known Pritchett go better than her, then the strong Courtney, then the unheralded Sawa, this is a prime example of score-building. The judges don't go along, and Sawa goes 9.825.

7:21 - UCLA finishes 49.45, and Stambaugh prepares to mesmerize on floor. Gorgeous first 2 passes, and she breaks my heart by biffing the 3rd pass. She would've brought a hell of a lot of class to fx finals. Sob.

7:26 - Halfway point and the top 4 teams (Bama, UCLA, Utah, Oklahoma) are within .05. Advantage UCLA & Bama, who have already completed beam, and Oklahoma, which loves to rock beam.

7:34 - Fourth rotation, and we're all kind of - hurry up meet. UCLA now vaulting, and S:37 - awa leads off with a matching 9.825. Pritchett sticks her fty, which she just learned during the second rotation.

7:37 - Michigan starts to lose energy - usually they're solid and now they're starting to crack on landings. Now for UCLA, Wong actually sticks - the team is now on the Val crack. NOW BAER STICKS. WTF.

7:39 - It's getting loud in hear, because the crowd is now on ValCRACK with a Courtney stick with foot slide. Zam is about to go, and the arena is doing ValCRACK flying arms. Gorgeous with a right foot slide, but lovely. She goes 9.9, shoulda been 9.925. No EFs for Zam.

7:42 - Utah is going to have to bring it, because Bama has floor & vault to go, UCLA went 49.5 on vault and OU matches with 49.5 on bars. FYEAHHHHHHHHH.

8pm - Starting Rotation 5 with Ashley Priess opening fx for Bama and Mooring nailing a great leadoff beam for Oklahomaha, with a hop forward on her ro-1.5 dismount.

8:02 - Wilson leads Utahhhh off on bars with a 9.8, and Hughes is now swinging for the Utes with sloppy legs and a hop on her dismount. This rotation may take them out of the running even before beam.

8:06 - Sampson nails her vault for a 9.95 and finishes just behind Sloan in the AA with a 39.525. Kmieciak has a balance check on her beam acro series for Oklahoma OK! HO! MA! Oklahomaaa! A step on her dismount shouldn't be too much off, but they need to start sticking more to keep up. She goes 9.825.

8:08 - Dabritz "no gloves" Georgia is now up on bars for Utah, following Damianova 9.925. Hitting handstands, even on her bail, and sticks her full-in dismount cold. And Utah keeps themselves in to fight to qualify to Super Six on beam.

8:11 - No Gloves goes 9.95 and Kim Jacob hits floor as there is a bad fall from Caitlin Atkinson. She peels off the low bar onto her face, and we'll probably have to have the medical team out - she is dowwwwwn.

8:13 - Atkinson is sitting up, and is now getting up. I still think she should stop & get checked out. Millner sticks her double Arabian COLD - stunning pass. Hits the middle pass, and skies a double pike - probably little too much lunge on the end, but lovely routine.

8:16 - Bri Guy hits a great beam routine with a large step forward on the double back dismount, only minutes after her teammate had a scary bars faceplant. And Rodgers from Washington performs on floor to C&C Music Factory, because 1990!!!! Why NCAA programs, why dig out old old old music? New music is made alllllll the time. It's called iTunes - look into it.

8:20 - One rotation left, and Oklahoma is in the gate with a 197.2. With my shaky math, I think UCLA needs a 49.2 on bars to pass them, Bama needs a 49.225 to pass Oklahoma, and Utah needs a 49.25 to pass Oklahoma. UCLA is the MOST vulnerable in a tie-breaker - their 6th scores include the 9.425 on beam. Utah has a 9.725 to count. Seriously, Bama (so far) and Oklahoma have gaudy 6th scores - nothing less than a 9.8.

8:27 - UCLA starts with a 9.825 on bars and Bama starts with a vault leadoff of 9.85 from Willams, the 2009 vault world champion.

8:29 - Wong goes 9.75 for UCLA on bars, which is not the direction they want to go. Weirdly, Preiess has a wonky fty for Bama, but then Clark sticks her fty. The crowd just went bonkers as DeJesus stuck her tuck full-in dismount.

8:31 - DeJesus goes 9.9, and De La Torre is now up - covers a handstand that goes over, and hits the hop full to double layout dismount with one step. Scary times for UCLA!

8:33 - De La Scary scores range 9.75 to 9.9, and her 9.825 pretty much seals a Supah Six for them. Utah is out with an uncharacteristic fall from Lopez, even before Lofgren & Dabritz compete.

8:35 - Courtney goes 9.8, and Zam was doing a perfect routine until she did a Stanford-like low double layout and step forward. No matter, because Utah has taken themselves out on beam. Zam goes 9.825, finishing 197.2 - they tie Okalahoma!

So congrats to the now-lucky UCLA S&M leotards! Congrats to the Bama of Ala! Congrats to O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A-H-Aaaaaah Oklahomaha! Congrats to AA champion Bridget Sloan - post-Olympic years are YOUR YEARS. Farewell crowd dude! See you kittens tomorrow for Supahhhhhh Six!