Ghosts vs Goblins 2005

It was another shocking, awe-inspiring venture into the world of Alabama Gymnastics this past Sunday, October 30, 2005.

The UA gymnasts were going all out during the annual intra-squad to impress the coaches and fans alike.  The end result (183 Goblins to 181 Ghosts) was partially credited to David Patterson for coming up with such a balanced team line-up on both sides.  The gals came away feeling that each had made definite strides on this date.  They also had clearer views of where they need to be in the next two months of practice in order to make the line-up at the Super Six Challenge.  This first excerpt will focus on highlights of each gymnast’s performance in the intra-squad. Another analysis will follow later in the week that will focus more on how the team is looking six-deep on each event in the wake of this competition. 

Ashley Miles

Goblins

Ashley Miles (Senior)

Vault: Yurchenko 1/1 – beautiful form, height and landing (on the regular mat)

Uneven Bars: Shaposhnikova transition, Hindorff release, double layout dismount.  Just needs polishing of form at this point.

Balance Beam: Wolf full, switch leap to switch side leap combination; gainer back handspring to layout step-out; switch leap to back dive (Korbut); shoulder roll along the beam; double twist dismount. Very nice concentration and execution of these skills.

Floor Tumbling: Double layout, double pike, front-front full-front layout. 

Terin Humphrey

Terin Humphrey (Sophomore)

Vault: Yurchenko ½ on – front pike – ½ off (pike out)  (medium soft mat)
          Yurchenko 1/1 (foam pit)

Uneven Bars: Toe-on toe-off to ½ turn to Markelov release; giant with a full twist to Gienger release move; double layout dismount.  Still working on her timing for the Gienger.  Not quite ready for competition despite beautiful form and execution of these skills.

Balance Beam: Humphrey mount; full twisting back handspring to back handspring to layout step-out; switch leap to ¾ twisting back handstand to split position before moving down onto the beam for another pose; front aerial to tuck/wolf drop down position onto the beam; worked a double twist and timers for double tuck dismount and a simple gainer full twist off the side of the beam for this intra-squad.

Floor Tumbling: Double front Arabian; pike full in; double pike; 2½ twist (bounded out of this first one); overall, very nice form and technique.

Melanie Banville

Melanie Banville (Freshman)

Vault:  Yurchenko 1/1 and 1 ½  - solid execution of both vaults, just a little leg separation mid-air on the more difficult 1.5  (regular mat)

Uneven Bars: Exhibited a complete routine that included a toe-on toe-off to full turn on the low bar; giant full turn to Tkatchev release on the high bar; transition from high bar to perfect handstand position on the low bar and toe-on toe-off straddle release back up to the high bar and a double layout dismount, stuck!   Loud applause heard from everyone in the gym practice arena.

Balance Beam: Split leap full (perfect position in the air and on landing), switch leap to switch straddle side jump (just missed landing the second element); back handspring to layout step-out (very nice); punch front; switch ¾ straddle leap (a little balance check on landing); double turn; straddle full jump; double pike dismount. Amazing difficulty and concentration throughout.

Floor Tumbling: Pike full in; 2 ½ twist; double pike

Dana Pierce

Dana Pierce (Senior)

Vault: No vaults thrown on this date (ankle roll from a few weeks back)

Uneven Bars: Giant full turn, ½ turn to front giant to another ½ turn to transition to handstand on the low bar, giant to a Tkatchev release, reverse tuck off the high bar (dismount).

Balance Beam: Excellent routine thrown, including the two-footed back handspring to layout step-out, switch leap to straddle-straddle combination; switch side leap (very confident) and a new punch front!  Dismounted with a round off gainer full twist off the side.

Floor Tumbling: None on this date due to ankle roll.

Ashley O'Neal (Freshman)

Vault: Front pike ½ twist – looked very good in the warm-ups but over-rotated during the intra-squad and ended up on her bottom.  Lots of power and height.  This will be a good one once she harnesses her energy with this vault.

Ashley O'Neal

Uneven Bars: She is still putting her routine together but we saw a nice giant full turn, a Tkatchev release, double tuck dismount; she also threw a double layout into the foam pit. 

Balance Beam: A unique mount: handstand on the springboard, arch over onto the end of the beam in the straddle position to immediate forward body roll in the straddle position (lost balance after her back came down out of the roll onto the beam, just a little off center).  Other skills were executed with small balance checks only: punch front, back handspring to layout step-out, switch leap to straddle-straddle combination and a double front (tuck) dismount that wowed the crowd. 

Floor Tumbling: Huge double pike, a double front, front-front full-front layout (very nice form and extension).

Bianca Puello

Bianca Puello (Freshman)

Vault: Front ½ on ½ off, confidently executed. 

Uneven Bars: Highlights included a full turn to Gienger release (a little too close to the bar on re-grasp but she pulled it around) and a ½ in ½ out dismount.  Still working on form and technique but this routine, when complete, will have excellent potential. 

Balance Beam: Very nice back handspring to layout step-out; encountered trouble during the punch front landing (fell); switch leap ½ turn; switch leap to straddle jump; switch leap full turn; double twist dismount.

Floor Tumbling: Double pike, 2 ½ twist, front through to a Rudi (1 ½ twist) to a layout step-out (very nice).  Beautiful handwork as she completes these moves.

Rachael Delahoussaye

Rachael Delahoussaye (Senior)

Balance Beam: She did not perform her tumbling skills on this date but did show a beautiful wolf full jump and a side switch leap and a gainer back pike for her dismount.  She appeared to be a bit under the weather.

Ghosts

Mari-Christine Bayer

Mari-Christine Bayer (Senior)

Vault: Yurchenko 1/1 into the foam pit (nice form, little late in the twisting).

Uneven Bars: Full routine on this date: giant ½ turn to pike Jaeger release, transition to perfect handstand on the low bar and perfect handstand positions during her giant uprises; full turn to double tuck dismount, one step on the landing.  Performed a very nice double layout dismount on the medium soft mat later.  If this new dismount is ready to go by Super Six, look for Mari to start the line-up.

Balance Beam: Front aerial to back handspring to back dive (Korbut); standing side split leg pose; switch leap ½ turn; double stag leap; switch leap to switch side straddle jump; back handspring to gainer full twist off side of beam.

Floor Tumbling: Double pike, double tuck, front-front full-front tuck

Courtney Priess

Courtney Priess (Freshman)

Vault: Front pike, stuck the landing, nice power and height; will be going for a front pike ½ twist and has also been working a Hristakieva and a Yurchenko 1/1.

Uneven Bars: Very smooth routine, glide uprises to handstand positions reminiscent of Jeana Rice; full twist to Tkatchev, straddle back to handstand position on the low bar; dismounted with an Arabian double front.  Yowza!

Balance Beam: Switch leap to switch side straddle jump; split leap full turn; straddle-straddle combination; punch front; back handspring to layout step-out; switch leap to gainer back pike dismount.

Floor Tumbling: Double pike, 2 ½ twist, front to front full

Kaitlin White

Kaitlin White (Sophomore)

Vault:  Yurchenko 1/1, nice effort, slightly piked down but landed well.

Uneven Bars: Had a great routine going but touched forward on the dismount of a double tuck out of a full turn.  Highlights included a strong Gienger release to pak Salto combination.

Balance Beam: Switch leap to straddle full (balance check on landing); back handspring to layout step-out (nice); tuck full; straddle-straddle combination and a switch side leap (nice amplitude and control on the landing).  Working a double twist dismount.

Floor Tumbling: Double pike, front through to a double full;

Cassie Martin (Freshman)

Vault: Shock and awe performance of the day: she absolutely stuck the Yurchenko ½ twist on front pike vault that she just learned in pre-season practice (medium soft mat used).  Huge, bemused smile on her face as her teammates congratulated her.  Coach Patterson was super impressed as well.

Cassie Martin

Uneven Bars: Highlights included a nice Tkatchev release to immediate pak Salto, front giant ½ turn to a double tuck dismount, stuck.  Very nice form and extension.  Still working more elements into this routine.  It will be hard to keep her off the bars once the routine is complete.

Balance Beam: Beautiful switch ring leap; Front aerial, back handspring to layout step-out, switch side leap; switch leap-switch leap combination (slipped and fell down onto the beam as she was completing the second element and turned it into a pose, drawing cheers from her team);  will be dismounting with a double twist and has a 2 ½ twist in her arsenal.

Floor Tumbling: Very smooth, high, double front Arabian, landed on a dime right in front of the Coach.  2 ½ twist; a front handspring-front layout-front full to another front layout tumbling series performed on the regular floor; very nice sequence directly in front of the fans, legs together throughout.

Erin Rightley

Erin Rightley (Junior)

Vault: We thought at first she was throwing a new vault, a Hristakieva, but upon viewing the replay it was more clearly a Yurchenko 1 ½ twist.  Still a ways to go on mastering this, as she had so much power that she bounded forward and  touched down to her hands. 

Uneven Bars: Will not be competing on bars this year.

Balance Beam: Front aerial, back handspring to layout step-out, switch leap-switch leap to straddle combination; switch side leap, back handspring to gainer full twist dismount.  Much more confident now. 

Floor Tumbling: Huge double pike, 2½ twist (very nice landing), front through to a Rudi, front-front full-front pike.

Amanda Montgomery

Amanda Montgomery (Freshman)

Vault: She did not vault on this date but we’ve seen a Tsuk ½ twist (tuck) in the recent past.

Uneven Bars: Full turn to Gienger release, full turn to double tuck dismount (lost her grip going into the first tuck and shot forward onto her knees but bounced back up).  She redid the skill later for the crowd and completed it just fine. 

Balance Beam: Full turn leg extended horizontal; split leap full turn; front aerial to side aerial; gainer back handspring to wolf full; switch leap to tuck full; gainer back layout dismount.

Floor Tumbling: Front handspring to double full to front handspring; front handspring to a 1½ twist (Rudi) to back handspring step-out; front handspring-front layout-front layout; front handspring to front full to front layout.

Dana Filetti

Dana Filetti (Senior)

She only worked her skills on the uneven bars today due to recovery from a rolled ankle in the past few weeks that was slightly reinjured this week.  Nice giants and a Gienger release to handstand transition on the low bar.  No dismounts being worked at this time to accommodate the sensitive ankle. 

Ashley Ford

Ashley Ford (Freshman)

Vault:  Tsukahara ½ twist (tuck) – nice power, form and landing.  Upgrading with a pike ½ twist or perhaps a laid out Tsukahara full.

Balance Beam: Our local gal from Bama Bounders received a lot of cheering from her fellow Ghosts during this routine as she completed her skills with success; highlights included a switch leap to straddle jump to straddle side leap combination, a back handspring to layout step-out, a punch front, straddle full; ended with a front layout dismount (working several dismounts at this time).