ChompTalk.com

I am coming in HOT from my week at work away from home, but I am here!

Here’s the TLDR of this matchup: Florida’s season to date has been hot and cold, Alabama’s has been uncharacteristically messy. I’d say Florida is favored, but crazier things have happened. Florida needs a 197.8 (and some help elsewhere) to pull ahead of LSU this week, but in Coleman Coliseum, that may be a tall order. Last week was great for Florida, with Leanne Wong winning Gymnast of the Week and Victoria Nguyen earning Co-Specialist of the Week, but every week is new in gymnastics.

The first two rotations have already elapsed – I walked in to see Wong stick the HELL out of her vault – and from what I can gather, the Gators had a mid-to-alright bar rotation and a pretty great vault rotation, highlighted by a 9.975 on vault. The Tide seems to have done the opposite – mid-to-acceptable vault, pretty great bar rotation. And lo and behold – they’re tied at the half!

AT THE HALF: BOTH TEAM 98.875

8:46pm: Rotation 3!

LaCoursiere, Bama BB: Dance series is lovely as usual. Front aerial… bobble… to bhs, another bobble – will she get credit for that?? Roundoff 1.5 twist – very low punch but still somehow sticks it? This must be where Bama is having problems this year.

Nguyen, UF FX: Front double full to sissone, SUPER well controlled. One of her good ones. Switch ring to switch half, absolutely beautiful. 1.5 to front lay, great control into the arabesque. An awesome start! She’s turned into such a rock on this event, who would have believed it when she was a Georgia freshman…

Fuller, BB: Front aerial to split jump, knees not fully extended. Bhs loso, little lean to the side but snaps her arms down and does not move. Switch leap to split jump, pretty clean. Roundoff 1.5, little hop forward.

Disidore, FX: Rudi to stag to open, some wildness in the air there. Channeling Sakggs there a little, especially with the double buns tonight. 1.5 to front lay to arabesque, pretty well controlled there. That’ll do, but that’s not a postseason routine just yet, I don’t think.

Rybicki, BB: Bobble on her series, but stays on. Lean on her full turn. Split to split 3/4, great split positions, some feet? Fun little forward split roll on the beam. Punch front full, couple shuffles on the landing, every one of those should be a deduction.

Clark, FX: BIG straddle jump to open the routine, sets the tone. DLO for her first pass, REALLY well controlled, maybe her best to date. Tour jete half to Popa, great split positions. Punch through to double tuck, also great control – her best all season!!

Bunagan, BB: Full turn to start is clean. Bhs loso, nice and floaty, snaps those arms down. Split to ring stag, takes her eyes off the beam and comes down sliding off of it, ouch. Bhs gainer full off the side is stuck, but that stings.

9pm: Wong, FX: DLO, looked a little low but she made it around fine and didn’t crunch down. Triple dance series is so crisp and so clean. Whip half to front full, super well controlled. Should be a good score!

Hudson, BB: Front aerial to bhs, very clean and well connected. Switch to switch, both definitely not 180, she is nerrrrrvous. Full turn is fine. Side aerial to beat, very clean. Roundoff 1.5 twist, sticks it! They needed a hit routine.

Harris-Miranda, FX: Front through to double back, SOOOO high, just drops it right in like she picked the spot beforehand. Switch side to straddle 1/2, excellent amplitude. 1.5 to half to double stag jump to one knee – it’s so quick, so crisp. Should be an excellent score!!

Gladieux, BB: Bhs layout 2ft! Very solid, amplitude is great, pretty clean body position too. Front aerial to beat jump, quick. Switch to split, 180s are good, some feet though. Roundoff double full dismount, stuck cold! That should help Bama a lot.

Ferris, FX: Half in half out, much better controlled than in previous weeks. Dance series has good positions in the air, and she gets nice height too. The choreo is mostly posing but she hits all her marks well. 1.5 to – ooh, just a front tuck instead of her front lay? Hopefully that’s still up to the level it needs to be.

Sears, BB exh: Bhs layout 2ft as well! Really clean. Full turn is fine. Dance series is a little muscled but certainly cleaner than some of her teammates previously. Sticks her tongue out during her low beam choreo, that’s so precious. Tuck front full dismount – stuck.

Bui, FX exh: Opens with a chomp! love that. Double wolf turn, pretty steady. Double tuck, good control in her lunge out of it. Triple element dance series is alright, last element felt like an afterthought a little. 1.5 to layout in the same spot as Ferris – Bama should check that corner, there was something a little funky there too, though not as bad this time.

AFTER THREE: UF 148.4, BAMA 147.875

9:22pm: Rotation 4!

Draser, UF BB: Bhs loso, super steady this week, well done. You can see her breathing through this routine. Switch to switch half, flexed feet there for sure, but good 180 it looked like. Sloooow full turn but perfectly comfortable. Roundoff 1.5 stuck! What a great routine, especially after some challenges last week.

Sears, Bama FX: Double pike, big amplitude but front foot slides back quite a ways as she lunges. Lots of energy in this choreo! Huge amplitude in her series, ridiculously good oversplit. Front through to double tuck, just a little underrotated, had to hop forward.

Pilgrim, BB: Bhs loso, super calm and solid. Cat leap to front aerial, just lays it in. Switch leap, hesitates, split leap – I don’t think she’ll get that connection. Bhs gainer full off the side – they may need to drop this one.

Adams, FX: Double wolf turn to start, gorgeous. Double pike, good power, well controlled. Dance series is pretty good, wolf element is maybe a little off axis? A great choreo section in here – really playing to the crowd, hitting her moments in the music. 1.5 to front lay is clean to finish.

Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs, so quick, so clean. The shoulder flexibility is incredible. Switch to split, somehow didn’t have a break despite the fact that her foot nearly came off the beam? Roundoff 1.5, couldn’t see if she moved at all on the landing with the camera angle…

9:30pm: LaCoursiere, FX: Double back to open, textbook. Incredible. Front lay to Rudi second pass, very clean in the air and well controlled. A little sluggish it seemed in her leap series but positions in the air were really nice. Front lay to front full – not often we see three passes these days!!

Wong, BB: Switch leap to split leap, super clean. Front aerial, bobble. Don’t love that. Bhs loso, gooorgeous. Being really patient with it. Switch ring, excellent. Gainer tuck full off the end, sticks it!!! This is the first week she’s stuck this dismount!

Rybicki, FX: Double tuck, good control to start. Good straddle positions in the air on her dance series. 1.5 to front full, basically sticks it – Bama will take that!

Harris-Miranda, BB: Bhs loso bhs, so solid, smiles as she lays the third element in. Switch to straddle 1/4, great 180 positions. Full turn is clean. Roundoff 1.5 is stuck!

Hudson, FX: Front lay to front double full! That’s a HARD pass. Really firing up the crowd with this choreo in the middle. Dance series is very clean. 2.5 twist to close, really well controlled.

Arana, BB: An interesting choice! We’ll see how she does. Bhs loso, super patient with it, just lays it back. Front aerial, steady. Switch to switch half, does not reach 180 on the half at all. Gainer full off the side – it’s a hit!

Gladieux, FX: Full out to open, WOW, great amplitude, solid control. Super crisp on her dance series, great split positions in the air. Some fun choreo shenanigans with her teammates in the corner, that’s cute. Front lay to Rudi to split jump to close – that should be a huge score.

Bui, BB exh: Switch to split, a little awkward in the feet maybe? Bhs loso, flexed feet but rock steady. Split 1/2 from side stand, much cleaner than the last time we saw it. Bhs 1.5, little adjustment on the dismount.

Paradise, FX exh: Glad she’s getting this chance on senior night! Double pike to open, solid. Front lay front full, little stutter step on the landing but keeps it in bounds. Maybe a little shy of 180 on the first element in the dance series but good landing positions. Double tuck, a little crunchy but stays on her feet – what a great moment for her, especially after tearing her Achilles on floor last year.

FINAL: UF 198.025, BAMA 197.45

Wong wins the AA, vault, and ties for beam with teammate Harris-Miranda, who won bars as well. Alabama took the floor title with a 9.975 from Lilly Hudson.

An away 198+ score will be a HUGE boon for the Gators going into this last stretch of the regular season. This could bring them over LSU, depending on how the Tigers do tonight. They really needed this with the low away scores they stumbled into earlier in the year – talk about being well-paced. I’m breathing a little easier after the recovery and consistency this week.

That’s all for me tonight – thanks for joining me! I WILL be back (and on time!) for senior night vs. Kentucky next week. Hope to see you then!