Full Twist contributor Anna Rose Johnson gives her general impressions from the 2014 P&G’s WAG Podium Training.
We saw some fabulous routines today at podium training for the P&G Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this post I’ll share some of my general impressions of routines that stood out in my mind:
MyKayla Skinner performed a full floor routine with the following passes: double-twisting double layout, double-twisting double tuck, full-twisting double back, and 1 ½ twist to 2 ½ twist. She pulled off the incredible difficulty amazingly well! She looked even better on uneven bars than she did at the Secret Classic, and she had beautiful leap extension on balance beam.
Brenna Dowell is going to compete only on the uneven bars at P&Gs, so she only did full sets on bars. As at the American Cup, her connections were breathtaking, especially her toe-on, Tkatchev-half to Bhardwaj! Fingers crossed for Brenna that all goes to plan unlike at Classics 2 weeks ago.
Macy Toronjo is planning to compete the all-around, a step up from Classics where she only did bars and beam. Her uneven bars routine, in which she swings a clean double layout dismount, is definitely one to watch. She also did a nice Y scale on balance beam.
Madison Kocian’s uneven bars and balance beam have such lovely lines! Her routines are so refreshing. She will be doing only bars and beam in the competition.
The consistency of Simone Biles and Kyla Ross is always amazing! They rocked in Pittsburgh today!
Maggie Nichols’ uneven bars routine was remarkable—she practiced several sets in training and looked superb.
Amelia Hundley has upgraded her double twist off balance beam to a double tuck! She was extremely solid on beam and seemed even more confident than at Classics.
Unfortunately Chow’s Rachel Gowey suffered a fractured ankle whilst dismounting beam and has been forced out of the competition.
Rachel Gowey has withdrawn from the #PGChamps with a fractured right ankle, which she sustained earlier today on a balance beam dismount.
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 20, 2014
The uneven bars routines of juniors Jordan Chiles, Taylor Lawson, and Jazmyn Foberg will be quite interesting to watch in the competition, as they all include Giengers! Also, Emily Gaskins’ unique routine should not be missed. The junior bar rotations were one of the highlights of training for me! (There were even more highlights from training—too many to list!)
Good luck to all the competitors at P&Gs tomorrow!