The Alabama Crimson Tide will return next week and we expect to see a much better performance on beam and floor for Pink Meet night against the Kentucky Wildcats.  This is the cause near and dear to Coach Patterson’s heart, so hopefully we will see a sell-out to support the breast cancer survivors who will be in attendance.

Tonight Alabama started off red hot on the vault (49.450) and uneven bars (49.325) but struggled on their signature events – balance beam (49.050) and uncharacteristically on floor (48.650) by their veterans Marissa Gutierrez and Diandra Milliner, who both touched down their landings of the final difficult double pikes, so Bama had to count a fall on this event for the first time in years.  But we expect these elements will be stuck next week – looks like a combination of breathing and holding the pike too long for Marissa and opening up a little too early for Milliner per Coach Patterson.  More stuff to work on in the practice gym.

Thanks Bama Nation for coming out in huge numbers tonight! Roll Tide and we will see ya’ll next week for Pink Meet here at Coleman Coliseum!

Coach Patterson is happy with tonight’s performance but noted that the Tide has to improve their consistency on beam and their endurance on floor to get those scores going up, which the coaches have been pushing with them in the past few weeks upon returning from the holiday break.  She complimented LSU and their athletes, noting that the Bama crowd obviously was appreciative of the floor routine by sophomore Lloi Hall especially and cheered for the gymnasts on the bars to get back up after their respective falls.

Kayla Williams expressed appreciation for the great crowd showing. A wonderful vault – stuck it cold tonight (Y 1/1) – working on the Y 1.5 – when it is ready she will deliver it but wants to make sure it will score high.  She states she is training floor but has some room to catch up and knows there are 6-7 gymnasts ahead of her - will try and get the bar routine out there first.

Brooke Parker is being interviewed now – a 9.725 tonight on the floor – she had a little trouble with her second pass – upgrading this pass – training all four events – hopes to get into the line-up on beam and vault as well this year.  A minor back injury tends to flare up back handsprings on the floor, hence she has adapted her tumbling to a round off to immediate double front Arabian or double pike – it’s amazing how much energy she garners that transfers to amplitude with the elements – crowd is always amazed to see this.

Sarah DeMeo – solid double pike to open – 1.5 to front layout – full turning jump (straight body) – 2.5 twist to close – nice control on landing right into that corner – beautiful dance sequence and pose at the end – love it! 9.900!

Brooke Parker -double front Arabian to open – beautiful position in the air – trouble on the second pass – has to do a tuck instead of a layout out of a 1/1 – closes with a double pike – nice landing – a little leg split – but she completes it chest high.  Deductions will come from her leap series – form and extension problems and a little stumble on landing.  9.725

Ashley Sledge – opens with a tuck through to round off to double tuck – beautiful landing – two front layouts out of a front handspring – closes with a double pike – feeds off the crowd – excellent height and landing from the senior. 9.850

Marissa Gutierrez -super double layout to open – front handspring to front 1/1 to front layout – right in that corner – but she crunches down and forward on the landing of the double pike to close – stamina not quite there yet. 9.300

Kim Jacob – opens with a pike full in – super landing – 1.5 to a front 1/1 – excellent control – closes with a round off 1.5 to front layout – no trouble – great routine! 9.900

Diandra Milliner -awesome opening double front Arabian – front handspring to front layout to front 1/1 – closes with a double pike but crunches the landing as well – held it too long – 9.375 – too much excitement from the crowd? Need to breathe to finish that last pass, gal! Loved the dance and fierce look from the opening sequence. 

Exhibition: Lora Leigh Frost – double pike to open, double tuck to close – solid routine.  9.800

LSU: Balance Beam: 48.650

Ericka Garcia – planche strength mount – bhs to back pike – nice – front aerial to wolf jump – full turn – switch split leap to straddle 1/4 turn – very confident – side aerial – gainer back pike dismount, hop on landing. 9.800

Kaleigh Dickson – full turn – 1 arm bhs to loso (falls on second element) – switch split leap to straddle 1/4 turn – front handspring – gainer back pike dismount. 9.00

Jessica Savona – side Somi – small balance check – bhs to loso – another balance check (swinging of arms) switch split leap – drops shoulder and stops and then does a switch half – another balance check – does a tuck beat jump – dismounts with a round off to double pike – step back on the landing. This will be hit for several missed connections and balance checks throughout. 9.325

Lloimincia Hall – a few balance checks here and there but she completes her elements and dismounts with a double tuck – a few steps back on landing. 9.775

Rheagan Courville – front aerial – hesitates before the split leap out of it so she may not get full combo – switch splitleap to another split leap 1/4 turn to try and make up for this – punch front tuck then hesitates before completing the gainer back pike – hop back towards the beam. 9.90 -

Jessie Jordan – nice flow and rhythm to this routine – just a few minor balance checks – sticks the 1.5 twisting dismount. 9.850

Alabama heads to the final rotation and must hit their tumbling passes chest high and in bounds to secure this victory tonight.  No nerves allowed!

Marissa Gutierrez – senior spirit – switch split leap to straddle 1/4 jump – front aerial – bends forward to balance – bhs to loso – nice recovery – full turn – beat jump to gainer loso – nice – dismounts with a hitch kick to gainer full twist – stuck landing.  Deduction will mainly come with the front aerial balance check and the “setting up” of a few of her elements – judges want to see smooth, confident rhythm from one element to the next. 9.800

Diandra Milliner -front aerial to beat jump – front kickover – solid – full turn – bhs to loso – balance check – foot lifts but resettles – crowd goes “oooo” – switch split leap to straddle jump – dismounts with a double twist – hop on landing. 9.750

Kayla Williams – switch split side leap – front punch (tuck) nice – beat jump to Korbut – bhs to loso – nice – Popa 3/4 – full turn – a little tentative here near the end – 1.5 twist dismount – one step forward on landing – really wanted to stick that one. 9.775

Sarah DeMeo -front handspring onto the beam to double stag leap – front aerial – balance check and leaves out the beat jump out of it but does it a few seconds later, so she misses some bonus combination - bhs to loso – switch split leap to split jump – dismounts with a double pike – one step back – solid! 9.750

Ashley Priess -straddle jump to sheep jump – front aerial to Korbut – full turn leg horizontal – switch split leap to gainer full twist dismount, stuck! 9.850

Kim Jacob – mounts with the V-press to back pose – switch split 1/2 leap – flight series is solid – bhs to lo to lo – 3/4 Popa – Barani – small hop forward on the 1.5 twist dismount. 9.875

Exhibition: Kaitlyn Clark – strong routine from the sophomore – small step on the dismount (1.5 twist) – 9.775

LSU: Floor Exercise

Kaleigh Dickson – opens with a Rudi  to loso – crunches her ankles on landing the double pike (second pass) but stands it up – leap series – closes with a front handspring to front 1/1 twist to front pike. 9.750

Jessie Jordan -double pike to open – slide back but stays in bounds – front handspring to front 1/1 to front layout – switch split full to split full jump – closes with a round off to 1.5 to 1/1 twist – a little loose in the legs on the second element but she stands it up.  9.775

Jessica Savona – opens with a double tuck – tuck full in for her second pass – slides back though into the corner – just staying in bounds – lots of energy with this routine – Michael Jackson medley – moon walk – crowd cheers – nice double pike to close – solid routine. Crowd claps heartily in appreciation! 9.85

Maliah Mathis -chest down and step forward on the opening double layout – front tuck to round off to double tuck – nice control and position in the air – closes with a double pike – crunches it forward as well at the knees, with a step to balance, so that will be deducted as well. 9.725

Rheagan Courville – opens with a double front Arabian – small hop back on the landing – legs together – just a little off center – front tuck to round off to double tuck – sliding check step back – ring leap split full (a little labored on execution) – double pike, check step forward, head down as well. 9.850

Lloimincia Hall - her choreo enthralls the crowd from the opening sequence – double layout – check step forward, head down a bit – front handpsring to front 1/1 to front layout (stuck it!) – closes with a double tuck – stuck – wildly entertaining. 9.900.

Ashley Sledge -great opening routine in response to Dickson’s stuck vault. Beautiful double layout that she stuck cold. Happy gal! 9.900

Becca Alexin – solid routine – some split on the legs during shaposh transition from low to high bar – nice pak salto – hop on the double tuck flyaway out of a giant 1/1 turn. 9.850

Kim Jacob – much better routine this week in terms of her handstand positions though she still misses at least two - Ray release – stuck double layout dismount – chest high as well!  Crowd loving it! 9.775 – ouch!

Kaitlyn Clark – toe on toe off to Ray release – missed last handstand – double layout – step back on landing. 9.775 – judges are hitting you hard if not perfect on those handstands and toe extension!

Ashley Priess – solid routine -toe on toe off – Tkatchev to pak salto – double layout dismount – small hop on landing. 9.900

Sarah DeMeo – giant 1/2 to straddle Jaeger – very nic full twisting double layout dismount – needs a little more distance for maximum scoring – tiniest hop on landing. 9.900

Exhibition: Kayla Williams – wow! Great effort from Kayla Williams with this routine – nice straddle Jaeger – tuck full in dismount – for a 9.800 – her first bars routine for UA.

Exhibition: Carley Sims

LSU: Vault

Kaleigh Dickson -Y 1/1 – stuck it cold! Bob says “Yeah!!!” Good start for the Tigers! 9.875

Lloimincia Hall – sits down the Hristakieva vault. 9.350.

Jessica Savona – beautiful Y 1/1 – stuck it cold as well – not much distance from the table or amplitude, so this is where the judges may choose to deduct. 9.875

Maliah Mathis – Hristakieva – step back on landing toward the vault table – pretty form in the air – limited distance from the table however. 9.850

Sarie Morrison – Y 1/1 – off center and hop back – 9.850

Rheagan Courville -Y 1 /1 – hop back – well-centered and excellent distance for a 9.900

Kim Jacob – Y 1/1 -legs split on entry – small scoot on landing.  9.825

Kaitlyn Clark – Y 1 /1 -light and fluffy in the air to a stuck landing – 9.900

Ashley Sledge – Y 1/1 – hop back – off centered a bit as well – pretty form and great amplitude in the air. 9.850

Kayla Williams – Y 1/1 – stuck vault – beautifiul in the air.  Needs a little more distance from the table. 9.925

Marissa Gutierrez – Y 1/1 – marvelous distance – legs separated on landing – scoot back – a little off center too – pretty form and excellent amplitude while in the air. 9.850

Diandra Milliner – Y 1.5 – awesome vault – tiniest scoot/hop on landing – crowd roars with approval! 9.925

Exhibition: Ria Domier – Pike 1/2 – nice push off the table – one step on landing – form good in the air. 9.750.

LSU: Uneven Bars

Jessie Jordan – nice form –  giant 1/2 to straddle Jaeger – missed handstand on bail to low bar – toe shoot to high bar – two small check steps on landing the double layout – Jay Clark spotting her all the way. 9.750

Jessica Savona – leg split on the Yezheva – shaposh – Tkatchev – small hop on the double layout – nice difficulty but form problems and piking throughout. 9.750

Lloimincia Hall – straddle Jaeger – double layout dismount – steps back - form problems throughout and missed handstands along the way. 9.700.

Randii Wyrick – falls on her kip cast to hanstand. Giant full turn to Tkatchev – double layout dismount – stumble hop back on landing.  Foot and extension (form) problems.  Good difficulty. 9.275

Rheagan Courville – falls on the straddle toe shoot from low to high bar – crowd cheers her on to get her back on the bars with confidence – nice tuck full in dismount, small hop on landing. 9.100

Sarie Morrison – very nice routine – attacks the bars with determination – hits the release move and the toe shoot from low to high bar – sticks the tuck full in dismount, bent at the waist a bit but happy gal regardless – “Good job!” from Jay Clark, who again is spotting these girls on every landing tonight.  9.925.

Wonderful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by the UA horn ensemble.  Fireworks galore!

LSU is wearing their Mardi Gras leo – deep purple with yellow swirls and sequins, black lower contrast.

Alabama is wearing a ruby red sequined leo with the script A on their left side wrapping around to the backside – sequin lines on the upper bodice and back area. 

Video highlights from the last year are being shown as the team prepares to run out for formal introductions.  Crowd has arrived!

Tide gymnasts are introduced with their GPAs (team GPA was 3.68 for the fall semester – 7 with 4.0). Coaches are next.  Roll Tide!