Bama was red hot tonight and secured another Pink Meet victory for Coach Sarah Patterson and the sell-out crowd.  Despite Arkansas’ shaky routines here and there (bars, beam primarily) they remain one of the top 8 teams right now in the NCAA but tonight just did not have the polish and power past Pisani and Grable to seriously contest the Tide.  Both of these gymnasts will be vying for the SEC and NCAA all around titles and were super impressive tonight. 

Some good news past the routines that counted – exhibitions from Ria Domier on vault, Kim Jacob on uneven bars, Kaitlyn Clark on balance beam (some form and balance problems but stayed on) and mighty but tiny Brooke Parker on the floor exercise, who stuck her first two tumbling passes without requiring a controlled step on landing.

Freshman Kayla Williams stuck her first vault of the season and led off for the Tide on this event as well for the first time in 2012.  Bama will be counting on her to anchor this event in the near future. And last but not least, great floor performance tonight from freshman walk-on Lora Frost, who notches the 9.90 for a terrific double layout to open and a great double tuck to close. Crowd was behind her all the way and she got the greatest response of the night.

Bama hits the road again next week for a Friday night contest against the LSU Tigers in Red Stick, so join us on the radio and gymtide.com for all the action.  Roll Tide and goodnight from Tuscaloosa.

Kim Jacob – opens with a double pike – crowd clapping along to her music – 1.5 to front 1/1 – switch side straddle to straddle 1/1 to straddle drop down on the floor – closes wtih a 1.5 to front layout. 9.825

Lora Leigh Frost – opens with a double layout – solid – punch 1/1 to front layout – no problem this week – must be strong for the final pass – Ten Troupe is behind her – beautiful landing this week – way chest high – fans on their feet in the Ten Troupe corral – so excited for her success.  9.900

Diandra Milliner – showing some swagga coming out of that double front Arabian with her dance move – front handspring -front layout to front 1/1 – step forward to control the landing – no steps on the final landing of the double pike – a little leg split on the landing however. Great routine. 9.925

Marissa Gutierrez – opens with a double layout – super landing – huge smile – front 1/1 to front layout – right on – ring leap to wolf 1/1 – closes with a double pike - good landing.  Teammates thrilled for her. 9.875 -

GSE – opens with a double front Arabian - a little labored on the landing, head down, body forward a bit as well - front 1/1 to front layout – closes with a great double pike – embraces the sky with her final Shushonova jump down to the floor – crowd loving it – 9.95 – that’s a little high considering that opening pass landing.

Ashley Priess – the icing on the cake  – opens with a double tuck, chest high landing - no problems with her second pass – 1.5 to front layout – closes with a strong double pike – funky dance in between – double twisting jump in tuck position – muscle dance leap at the end shows her athleticism right before she finishes with an elegant pose. Crowd loves it. 9.950

Exhibition: Brooke Parker – opens with a DFA - stuck landing, no movement –  1.5 to front pike – nails that landing as well (no movement) – switch leap to wolf 1/1 combination – closes with a double pike – one step forward on landing, head down a bit – excellent effort from the freshman.  9.825!

Arkansas on Balance Beam

Jordan Salsberg – raise leg and waves arms a few times to stay on after completing the flight series – switch split leap to gainer bloso – bends at the waist after landing the second element – dismounts with a double twist – good landing. Some form deductions as well throughout. 9.600

Shelby Salmon – front aerial – back tuck – small hop on landing the second element – side aerial – bends at the waist to stay on – switch split leap to wolf jump 1/1 – a little hesitancy between these elements so she may not get full credit – running tuck 1/1 dismount – hop forward. 9.650

Sammi Kolbas – looking good with her tumbling elements so far – switch split leap to straddle – needs a little more amplitude and split – double tuck dismount – chest down but she holds the stick for a 9.700.

Scarlett Williams – lots of difficulty in t his routine – dismounts with a bhs to layout to 1.5 twist – falls during earlier flight element unfortunately. 9.250

Jaime Pisani – front handspring onto the beam – a little wiggle – front toss to wolf jump – double twist dismount – solid routine with a few balance checks here and there. 9.800

Katherine Grable – solid routine – front toss to straddle jump – beat jump to tuck 1/1 – dismounts with a difficult double pike but lunges forward mightily on the landing towards the beam and that will be the largest deduction in her routine. 9.850 – a little high considering the dismount execution problems.

Diandra Milliner – flight series – leap series looking solid – front toss looks good – sticks the double twist dismount – that’s why she is now leading off. 9.825

Kim Jacob – switch split 1/2 – bhs to loso – solid – flutter jump to straddle 1/1 – full turn – barani – looking really good so far – double twist dismount – sticks it beautifully. 9.90

Marissa Gutierrez – switch split leap to pike jump – nice amplitude – front aerial to flutter jump – slight shoulder check but she keeps moving – bhs to loso – nice – full turn – switch split leap to straddle 1/4 turn jump – gainer full twist dismount – sticks the landing. Happy gal. 9.800

Sarah DeMeo – front handspring to double stag leap – front aerial to flutter jump – bhs to loso – solid so far – press shoulder stand down on the beam – full turn – switch split leap to split jump combo – dismounts with a gainer full twist – slight leg separation on landing.  9.775

GSE – switch split leap to split leap (nice amplitude on the second leap) – bhs to loso – major balance check on the second element landing but stays on – front aerial to bhs – flutter jump to sheep jump looks good – nice round off to 1.5 – good landing. At least 3 tenths deduction on that balance check. 9.700

Ashley Priess – hits her routine – flutter jump to sheep jump – front aerial to back layout down onto the beam - split jump to gainer full twist – stuck. 9.925

Exhibition: Kaitlyn Clark – some form and balance checks for a 9.575

Arkansas on Floor

Bailee Zumwalde – whip-bhs to double pike – solid – side straddle to wolf 3/4 – 1.5 to front layout – Pink Panther music and moves – closes with a Rudi – a few form deductions on that front handspring into the final element. 9.775

Stephani Canizaro – falls on the opening double pike – chest down and forward step on the double tuck second tumbling pass – finishes well.  9.075

Jordan Salsberg – opening double pike – slides back to control landing – stays in bounds – double tuck to close – leg separation on landing – music is Requiem for a Dream. 9.775

Kelci Lewis – opens with a nice double front Arabian – 1.5 to front layout – jars her landing forward a bit – closes with a beautiful double pike – good difficulty to start and finish.  9.800

Katherine Grable – double front Arabian – lands it on a dime – 1.5 to 1/1 to barani? – nice double pike to close – legs together – 9.900

Jaime Pisani – half in half out to open – controlled step back on the landing – very nice in the air  – double pike to close – some minor leg split on landing, quick step to control it as well. 9.925

Tide needs to keep pouring it on – Arkansas is confident and eager to show their mettle on floor exercise to put pressure on the GymTide.

Kaitlyn Clark – solid routine – hop back on the double layout dismount. Missed vertical on one handstand. 9.800

Becca Alexin – bounds forward with a few stumbling steps on the double tuck dismount, so this will be a huge deduction. Some leg split as well on her shaposh release. 9.625

Sarah DeMeo – terrific routine – no trouble this week with the bail to handstand on the low bar – straddle Jaeger – stuck the double layout dismount. Crowd getting into it. 9.850

Ashley Sledge – catches that Gienger release way too close but keeps going – small hop in place on the dismount of the double layout – soaring in the air. 9.850

Geralen Stack-Eaton – great routine from the senior – Ray release was huge – nice pak salto – sticks the double front Arabian dismount, feet separated a bit on landing. 9.900

Ashley Priess -nice routine as well – toe on toe off – Tkatchev to pak salto – double layout dismount – hop in place on landing – bent at waist a bit as well. 9.900

Exhibition: Kim Jacob - Ray release looks solid - nice bail to handstand – stuck double layout dismount – good distance from the high bar as well – 9.800.

Arkansas on Vault

Kelci Lewis – Hristakieva vault – two stumbling steps back towards the vault. 9.675

Stephani Canizaro – Y 1/1 – small scoot on landing – off center just a bit relative to the vault table as well. 9.775

Scarlett Williams – Hristakieva – nice stick – a little form deduction in the air. 9.875

Jordan Salsberg – Y 1/1 – big vault – legs split unfortunately on landing, so that will be a deduction. 9.900

Jaime Pisani – stuck Y 1/1 – small leg separation on landing – 9.925 

Katherine Grable – 9.925 -  Podkopoyaeva  - walked out of it just a bit as she tries to hold the landing – some leg separation as well but by far the best distance from the vault table of the Arkansas gymnasts.

Kayla Williams – Y 1/1 – stuck – 9.875 – good distance from the table.

Kaitlyn Clark – Y 1/1 – stuck – 9.900 – some leg separation, not as much distance as Williams.

Ashley Sledge – Y 1/1 – 9.875 – hop back on landing.

Marissa Gutierrez – Y 1/1 – 9.875 – one foot back on landing – off center a bit as well.

Geralen Stack-Eaton – Y 1/1 – 9.95 – stuck.

Diandra Milliner – Y 1.5 – a little leg separation on landing, step too – 9.925

Arkansas on Bars

Salsberg – 9.775 – nice straddle Jaeger release – some form deductions -

Canizaro – 9.75 – pike Jaeger release – hop back on dismount of the double layout – very nice form.

Grable – 9.825 – nice form – pike Jaeger -

Pisani – 9.850 – tuck full in dismount

Salmon – 8.750 – fall on release move.

Howdeshell – 9.75 – nice release moves (2 – straddle Jaeger, Tkatchev) but takes a stumbling two steps forward on her double layout dismount, chest down as well.

Arkansas is wearing a metallic light and hot pink with black stripes criss-crossing from the upper right shoudler down to the left hip.  Alabama is wearing hot pink and black with winking sequins throughout.

Alabama is currently 7-0, 4-0 in the SEC, and tonight they go up against arguably the most competitive Arkansas team we have seen in their 10 years of NCAA competition. Led by senior Jamie Pisani and sophomore Katherine Grable, the Razorbacks are not here tonight simply to visit for Pink Meet, they intend to win. And the Alabama coaches have prepared the Tide gymnasts that they will have to compete tonight the way they did against Florida to bring home the victory. This means focusing on Bama routines only while striving for the sticks from the opening vault by freshman Kayla Williams to the final tumbling pass double pike on floor that Ashley Priess will be called upon to anchor.  Alabama is one of the top vaulting teams in the country and will have their chance to take command early but they must avoid the hippity hopping that we saw last week in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats.  Moving to the uneven bars in rotation two, Alabama will see freshman Kaitlyn Clark lead off and her routine must be strong to set the tone, as Arkansas is a very good vaulting team too and will be going for a high score of their own. Sledge has been moved into the fourth spot to garner the highest score possible with her high-flying double layout dismount. Seniors GSE and Ashley Priess must be strong leaders on this event to close out with the big scores to withstand the Razorback attack on vault.  Finishing on balance beam and floor exericse, Bama needs to keep their same recipe for success – polished flight series, stuck dismounts and stand up those tumbling passes chest high and in bounds on floor.  This will definitely be one of the best SEC competitions of 2012 and a sold-out Coleman Coliseum would put the icing on the cake for this Alabama Gymnastics Team.

Jacob, Milliner, Sledge, Gutierrez, GSE and Priess warming up in this order.

Exhibition on floor – Frost and Parker.

Final few minutes of warm-ups – Tide is getting ready to retire to the locker rooms. Arkansas continues to refine a few more moves on the beam and then group together for last pep talk as well. Ten Troupe is on their feet, ready to cheer the Tide to victory tonight!

working through their reps after the main line-up completes their reps.

Arkansas on floor will feature senior Jamie Pisani and Katherine Grable who are expected to score high for the Razorbacks on this event and compete for the all-around title.  Mariah Howdeshell is their anchor on uneven bars and has two major release moves and is now dismounting with a double layout.