The Secret Classics: Strong enough for a man, butt PH balanced for HUH!!!

Oh the Classics.  How I love thee... but also, how I hate your guts.  Let's start with the LOVE!!

Love:  Our first look into the depth of what the US has to offer in Londontown.  With 9 former world champions/medalists and a slew of new talent, it is truly an exposition of our stremph.  The new senior have SOOOO much to prove if they want to take the place of the veterans.  And the Veterans have EVEN more to prove.  They have to prove they're still somewhat relevant, in shape, and recovered from whatever injuries they've had.

Favorite newcomers:

The Finnz:

Powerhouse Price:

Double front pike Brenna:

I know that the last two have a SLIM chance of making the Olympic team, but I can't wait to see the show they put on.

What I HATE about the classics:  Where the hell is the all around?  Almost NO ONE is competing on all 4 events.  There's no pressure to.  There's still 2 more meets to determine the team, so everyone is "saving" themselves.  I always feel bad for gymnasts like Raisin and Vega who go all out and compete everything, and seem to get little to no recognition for it.  Liukin is only doing beam (and probably a watered-down set at best), Wiebz is only doing two events, and Maroney is rumored to only do a couple as well.  I want to see these girls go ALL OUT!!  If I was on the selection committee, seeing that someone is already ready to go, with only needing some cleaning up, on all four events would stand out so much more to me.  Anyone agree?

Also a major player in the classics is the uneven bar event finals.  Here's a rad article highlighting that event:  http://theepanel.blogspot.com/2012/05/absolute-classic.html

Can't wait for Saturday!!

Gagging for HUH!

Until the 2011 nationals, I had never really heard of one Mizz Sarah Finnegan.  Now she's one of my favorite picks for the 2012 Olympic team.  She's throwing some amazing skills on Beam, is rumored to be training an Amanar, has a respectable bars set, and most of all is GIVING IT on floor.  She's has that gorgeous presence that GAGE is known for similar to elite-level Courtney McCool and Terin Humphrey... Only with more difficulty.  We here at GQL lived for her FX in Jesolo this year, and if she really upgrades to a double-double mount on floor, she may such a factor this year.

Here's the Jesolo FX:

Looks like helmet-hair Armine can teach some grace!!

And that Dos Santos mount is sickening.

NCAA GURLZ

So i realize this is the NCAA Gym off season and we are now only focused on those gals who are not yet of age (and grandma Chuso), but let's take a lil' break from the "home schooled" darlings to check in w/ some current NCAA starz.

Sam Peszek. Girl....HELL YES! Work it out with that no handed beam routine complete with a standing full! The floor routine to "Welcome To the Jungle" complete with the Axel Rose scream vocal? Rock out boo! The freshman season was a bit oofey with injuries but you came back BIG MAMA! Like bench press and leg press twice your weight big. YES!!!

Shayla....chyld...Maybe Suzanne coming out of retirement (is that happening?) after Jay Clark's (effed up) dismissal will get you to PULL IT 2GETHA!! Girl......the falling? Ooof. The "hit" percentage is nawt cute and the NCAA gymternet is NOT HAVING U. I know you sometimes serve us 9.95s on beam and GORGEOUS flo choreo, but.....girlllll. Pull it together for your senior season! Learn a one armed Onodi on beam and raise a middle finger to all the doubters with the unused arm!!

Awww cute....here they are in Elites bein' all cute!

But now all I see is THIS:

I meaannnn oooooof!:

Guurrllllll!!!!:

"OK Sam let's move on to that Onodi with one arm in middle finger position that was suggested on GymQueenzLive."

New Wiebz

Of all the amazing videos USA gymnastics has been posting, I found today's on Jordyn Wieber's FX the to be most exciting (minus Elizabeth Price's new bars combos) yet.  She's showing a new double layout, which I'm guessing would be her second pass and take the place of her double pike (and dismounting with her 2.5 full to split leap).  If so, this raises her D score .2 and gives her even more of an advantage going into London.  Her form is sickening to boot!

Here's the Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh4WOK5G9Zo&feature=g-u-u

I'd embed the video, but USA Gymnastics is super weird about not letting people do it.

On Ponor's hip bonez...

Now I'm kinda the opposite of conservative, but Ponor's hip bones are making me a little nervous.  I know she's probably riding high on her success at last year's world championships and especially from this year's euros... But isn't there some sort of neutral deduction for slutty-euro-trashiness?  Actually, I believe it's .2

And in motion:

I'm sure she's a nice girl, I just don't want her to get the Longines prize for most likely to go to Planned Parenthood.  No shayde.

Give a twirl, girl!!

Hey!!  So Japan released it's nominative Olympic team a few weeks back, and the whole gymternet is a little confused as to why little Mai Murakami was left off.  This bitch included.  I mean... she fierces a 6.2+ D score on floor and has the potential to get a new pirouetting element named after her in CoP.  Can we glitterbomb someone til she's picked?

Her quad turn on beam:

Her FX from last year:

And rumor has it she's training a Produnova vault.  I wanna see what this firecracker's capable of.  Bring on someone new, not those that peaked in 2009.  No shayde, Tsurumi.

Get it Gurl...

I know it's not breaking news, but I wanted to post about Josh Dixon.  I live for this kid.  He recently came out of the closet, and even more recently place second at the national qualifier in Colorado Springs.  He's heading into nationals and the Olympic Trials with a great chance of making the London team and I couldn't be more proud.  In all of the 2008 Olympic games, there were only a handful of queens that were open about their sexuality.  Here's a great article summarizing Dixon's achievements.

http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2012/05/06/josh-dixon-comes-out-as-gay-aims-for-spot-on-olympic-gymnastics-team/

get it gurl.

Breaking news!

Hey Mares... This just in!!  I'll be blogging/commenting/bitching live from the US Olympic Trials this June in San Jose!  I can't wait to stalk DILF Andy Memmel!!

Also, there's a 90% chance I'll have a queen correspondent live from London.  Don't trip.

Vault Pow-a!

In the lead up to the London games, it is very apparent that a major player in the team final, the AA, and event finals (pffft, duh) is the Amanar vault.  It's a Yurchenko style vault with 2.5 twists in the main flight phase.  It is valued as the second hardest vault in WAG (women's artistic gymnastics), and in some cases, it's also the scariest.  I just want to say that as an Amer-I-Can, I am proud to say that there are more Amanars being done by American gymnasts, than in the rest of the world combined.  THESE (gay) COLORS DON'T RUN!!  But I still think Monica Rosu in 2004 had the best of all time.  Here are a couple of my faves:

Chen Fei 2007 WC TQ:

The Pavs 2008 Olympics EF (the first vault):

Jiang Yuyuan 2008 Chinese nationals:

ANY of the gorgeous McKayla Maroney's:

Monica Rosu 2004 Olympics EF (The second vault):

And let's not forget where it all began:

God bless their knees (Mustafina)...

Dear Blondra, meet VO5 treatment.

Jussayin... It was cloot when she debuted the new wig in 2010...

But what in Vidal Sassoon is going on now?  She needs to condition... and not just her lack of endurance on FX, but also her rug.  Can I get a AY-MEN?!

At least she's not this baaaaaaad (and I live for this gurl)

everloving,

your hot oil treatment =)

The Clam Slam Diaries:

Ouch!! Being of sound male genitalia, I have no idea how bad this could hurt!!  I dare not imagine.  Some of us here at GQL have taken HAAAARRRDDD falls, just not on the balance beam.  This tops our list.

And in conclusion, may I just add... OUCH!!

Bar babes 1

For our first entry into "Bar Babes"... May I present Daria Bijak.  I'm sure in the future we'll hear more about her time at Utah from our NCAA correspondent (dizzygym), but for now let's look at her under appreciated bar routine from the 2008 Beijing games.  I mean... the piked geinger?  It is one of the most rarely competed "D" level release moves, and yet one of the most beautiful.  This is the Milla Jovovich of flight elements.

Please don't get me started on the leo that looks like a giant red deodorant stain!!

Fierce Flo 1

Just wanted to share one of my favorite floor routines of ALL TIME.  The 2000 Olympics were plagued with so many travesties (the vault, the Khorkina meltdown, Raducangate), but there was some pretty fierce gymnastics that came out of Sydney.

Produnova's floor was one of my favorites.  Not necessarily pretty, and kinda the opposite of your typical Russian ballerina, but damn this bitch had POW-WURRRR.  Not a huge fan of the clam slam at 0:47, but I like that I feel like she could kick my ass.  This is the first entry into my Fierce FX collection.

E+A = My favorite connections

Watching the videos from the European Championships in Brussels gave me a new appreciation for Vanessa Ferrari.  I've been back and forth whether I really like her or not since her big questionable win in 2006.  I do respect that she's served in the military, she's of an older age (for female gymnasts), and that she's RELENTLESS with tweezing her brows.  But there's just always been something I didn't quite like about this little cannoli.  I take it all back now.  She's the definition of ferocity in WAG right now.  This FX just proves it.

I mean... besides her great form in her double-double mount... THAT SECOND PASS?!?!  It's an E + A which gives it a +.2 bonus, which I don't think is nearly enough.  There should be some originality bonus for this rare connection.

It reminds me of another favorite floor worker: Anna Myzdrikova.  Whee the hell is she?  She was only really around in 2009 (minus being an alternate to teams and some minor universiade success).  She fierced an E + A skill that is still one of my faves.  The second pass...

I'm learning to excuse her pepto-pink leo, cause that tumbling makes dis dude hap-pay.

Grishina too "hungry" to make the team?

So I've been studying and scouring over all the videos from the recent European championships (like every 30 year old male, right?)  and have come across a few videos that either make me laugh, or the skills shown just blow my gay lil mind.

This recap of all the champions is amazetits for many reasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mUXyDrodsVg

What really caught my eye is Grishina's look towards Komova at 1:23.  I live.  She looks as though ready to eat Komova alive just to make the team.  I mean...

I'm sure she's a nice girl and all, but she looks a lil cray.

welcome, ladiez.

Welcome to GymQueenzLive!  This is my first post and want to welcome everyone who's stopped by.  I LIVE for gymnastics and thought I'd share some of my opinions with the gymworld.  If interested in helping with this site, shoot me an email, and we'll set something up.  If I seem snarky in some of my upcoming posts, it's all outta love and is meant in good humor.  Don't trip, boo.

-M