Romania: last simulated contest before Worlds

These are excerpts from an article by Mirela Neag and Roxana Fleseru published in Gazeta Sporturilor.

Octavian Bellu and Mariana Bitang have scheduled a workout yesterday in conditions of maximum stress to check their athletes' ability to concentrate. The coaches have tried to simulate the conditions under which the gymnasts will have to compete in Ahoy arena: moments of absolute silence alternated with noise and music.

At 12:00, Sandra Izbasa, Cerasela Patrascu, Ana Porgras, Diana Chelaru, Amelia Race and Gabriela Dragoi and Raluca Haidu were present in the gym at the Olympic Complex Izvorani. Wearing the new costumes, in shades of white and black, dotted here and there with silver sequins. In the first 45 minutes, the girls warmed-up in turn on all apparatuses. They started with the beam, then on vault, uneven bars and floor. In silence. From time to time you could hear the advices given by Bellu and Bitang, and the gymnasts' cheers.

At 12:45 the "competition" started. A workout under the competition conditions. Of time and stress. Each gymnast has tried to imagine how it would be in competition. They started with uneven bars. Order: Haidu, Patrascu, Racea, Porgras, Chelaru*. While they were flying between the two bars, the other girls were on floor. It was not flawless, but it's only a rehearsal. There is room for missing the bar or a fall from beam, some steps out of bounce and less than perfect landings on vault.

Mariana Bitang** has decided not to accompany the delegation at the World Championships in the Netherlands. Only Octavian Bellu will go, but he will not have access to the competition area. "We decided it was better for me to remain in Romania to take care of the girls who will not go to the Worlds and make a selection for the national team. I will focus on the girls that turn 16 in 2012, the year the London Olympics" said the coach. She also said that only three coaches have the right to enter the competition area and the coaches that have worked with the girls before their return to the National team will be there.

A world medal, especially gold, is not ready in two to three months, as we had. I hope the girls will want a medal more than their coaches. Mariana Bitang

I feel I have progressed compared to the Nationals. At the Worlds we will be a team. I hope I will be able to do my routines and to show as much confidence as possible. At this moment I am at almost 70 percent of my potential. Ana Porgras

I do not promise anything, I won't say big words. I want to make a a nice competition and on the floor, to have a very clean routine. Sandra Izbasa

We need confidence and to be able to make our best routines. This is the Worlds and there can be many surprises. Cerasela Patrascu

We do not target these Worlds, but to present ourselves well in 2011 and, and at London Olympics particularly. Hopefully though, in Rotterdam, the girls will reach top form. Octavian Bellu

It will be a great tension. It's my first World. I hope I will be able to do my best. Raluca Haidu

*Where is Gabi Dragoi? I guess this says a lot about Amelia's reserve status

** Interview translated by Fangymnastics (from Prosport)

2010 Worlds Team Contenders - Romania

This is part three of a little game I call "team contenders". Why is Romania on the mix? Because it has always been there(!); the fact that I am Romanian also helped.

The following scores are based on the the competitions they had in September and, of course, on the nominative list, so Amelia Racea was not taken into account.

So, here is what I think Bellu will do:

Vault:

Sandra Izbasa: 14.1 (5.3/8.8)

Cerasela Patrascu: 14 (5.3/8.7)

Diana Chelaru: 14.4 (5.8/8.6)

alternative

- Raluca Haidu 14.2 (5.8/8.4)- this may be a higher score but unless she manages to land this vault constantly, we are not going to see it in the team finals

Uneven Bars

Raluca Haidu: 14 (5.6/8.4)

Cerasela Patrascu: 14.4 (5.8/8.6)

Ana Porgras: 14.6 (6.2/8.4 or 6/8.6)

alternative

Gabriela Dragoi: 14.3 (5.9/8.4) - I put her routine as an alternative although could score better than Haidu because it has been too inconsistent

Balance Beam

Sandra Izbasa: 14.2 (5.7/8.5)

Gabriela Dragoi: 14.5 (5.9/8.6)

Ana Porgras: 15.2 (6.5/8.7)

alternatives

- Raluca Haidu 14.7 (6.2/8.5) - we might see this routine instead of Sandra's but I doubt Bellu will make such a risky move

- Cerasela Patrascu 14.4 (5.7/8.7)

Floor

Ana Porgras: 14.2 (5.6/8.6)

Diana Chelaru: 14.2 (5.7/8.5)

Sandra Izbasa: 14.5 (5.8/8.7)

Alternative

- none that can score above 14

As you may have noticed, the gymnasts I put as "alternates", could get higher scores than the ones that I think will be competing. I have seen Gabi Dragoi hitting only one UB routine this month, Raluca Haidu has big confidence issues on beam and doesn't always land her double twisting Yurchenko so I chose the safest routines over the potentially higher score but less consistent execution.

Conclusion: Romania's total can be somewhere between 172 -173.

What do you consider their true potential is?

2010 Worlds Team Contenders - Russia

(Photo by Luiza B)

I will continue my team contenders (silly) little game with Russia. The scores I came up with are based on the friendly meet they had with Spain and Netherlands in September. I think it's a good measure of their potential. So here is who I'd pick:

Vault:

Ksenia Afanasyeva: 14.6 (5.8/8.8)

Tania Nabieva: 15 (6.5/8.5)

Aliya Mustafina: 15.5 (6.5/9)

Alternative:

Anna Myzdrikova: 14.4 (5.6/8.8)

Uneven Bars:

Ekaterina Kurbatova: 14.6 (5.9/8.7)

Aliya Mustafina: 15. 4 (6.7/8.7)

Tania Nabieva: 15.6 (6.8/8.8)

Alternative:

Ksenia Semenova: 14.3 (6/8.3)

Balance Beam:

Aliya Mustafina: 14.1 (5.6/8.5)

Ksenia Semenova 14.5 (5.8/8.7)

Ksenia Afanasyeva: 14.5 (6/8.5)

Alternative:

Tania Nabieva 14.1 (5.7/8.4)

Floor

Tania Nabieva: 14.1 (5.5/8.6)

Ksenia Afanasyeva: 14.4 (5.9/8.5)

Aliya Mustafina: 14.5 (5.8/8.6)

Alternative

Anna Myzdrikova: 14 (5.6/8.4)

Conclusion: The team total would be somewhere near 179. There is one thing we can't be sure of - Nabieva's Amanar, her execution could make the difference for Russia.

What do you think, is this too much?

Lavinia Milosovici interview

(photo from Romania Libera)

This is the translation of an interview with the title "Lavinia Milosovici, the tragedy of a great champion" published by Romania Libera on October 1st:

Lavinia, you have withdrawn from the public eye lately. You felt the need to isolate yourself?

I did not isolate myself from anyone. I am referring to friends, acquaintances, family. Let's say I do not want to appear in the press. I am not obliged to share my personal problems with anybody. Especially since I said some things and they were written or came out completely different.

What are you doing now? Did you think to start coaching again?

For now I am not doing anything special. Maybe I will be a coach again but so far I didn't think about doing anything in that direction.

Still, you loved being a coach...

Indeed, I loved working with children. I also coached at the national team in 2000- 2001 for about eight months. I thought then that I should leave others, more experienced do it. So I came to Timisoara and I started working with children. This lasted until 2004 when I gave birth and then I had those problems (her daughter was born prematurely, through c-section, having a weight of 1.1 Kilos. The baby had not developed enough and was born with neurological problems; Lavinia desperately fought to heal her, in 2007 taking her to China for a surgery).

If they offered a coaching position now, would you go back to the national team?

A while back I had some attempts of doing something, but I was mocked. I don't want to comment on this subject.

Did the 2002 scandal, with the pictures that were published in the Japanese magazines, affected your career as a coach?

I didn't have anything to do with elite gymnastics at that moment. The scandal affected me as a human being because I saw the way people reacted and I'm not referring to family and friends.

We could say that you are one of our more long-lasting gymnasts, considering that you retired at 21. How can you explain the fact that now our gymnasts retire a while before turning 20?

I would rather not comment on other's decisions because every person acts in her/ his best interest. Since I retired, many things have changed in gymnastics. First of all we were seniors at 14, while now they become seniors the year they turn 16 so they are fretted for two years in the junior's competitions. On the other hand now you can focus on one apparatus while we had to compete on four apparatuses first in order to make it to the finals and only then we could choose our favorite event where we could compete for the title. It seems to be easier now but I repeat, each person acts in their best interest.

Some say that gymnastics cripple the children, so the parents really stopped allowing their children to do this harmful sport. What do you think about such rumours?

I would say that gymnastics is a beautiful complex sport and we can find elements of gymnastics in other sports as well. It is indeed as difficult as any other sport such as football or tennis at the elite level because it involves the same sacrifices: lots of work, endless training camps, stress.

You are one of the gymnasts that had many problems with the spine, since you were competing. If you could turn back time, would you still choose gymnastics?

Indeed I was always in pain when I competed and I always had contractures. I usually had a bandage under the leotard. At 18 I found out that I had serious problems and although I shouldn't have been allowed to do gymnastics, I continued. I knew my routines very well and I wanted to go to the Olympics. Last year I found out that I actually had a fracture and I could have been paralysed. If I could turn back time, I would still do gymnastics but not if someone told me I could remain in a wheelchair. In the end, your health is more important than anything.

Do people still recognize you on the street?

Yes and this makes me happy. Very often, people stop me on the street to tell me that I look like someone they know - that being me.

2010 Worlds Top Team Contenders - USA

(www.zimbio.com)

Remember the tables I was talking about in one of my previous posts? I decided to publish them, even if I can barely make up my mind and I don't know a great deal about the COP. So if you read this and disapprove (or even if you agree), please take a moment and leave comment. I appreciate it!

I will start randomly with the US. What I wrote is based only on the nominative list and the US Nationals. Things must have changed slightly since then, plus the actual members of th US team can and will probably be different in Rotterdam.

So here is what seems to be the TF round up for US:

Vault:

Ali Raisman 14.6 (5.8/8.8)

Kytra Hunter 14.7(5.8/8.9)

Alicia Sacramone 15 (6.3/8.7)

alternative:

Rebecca Bross 14.6 (5.8/8.8)

Uneven Bars:

Mattie Larson 14.5 (6/8.5)

Rebecca Bross 14.7 (6.2/8.5)

Mackenzie Caquatto 14.8 (6.4/8.4)

alternative:

- none that can realistically score above 14

Balance Beam:

Ali Raisman 14 (6(?)/8) - but let's face it, this is as iffy as it gets

Alicia Sacramone 14.6 (6/8.6)

Rebecca Bross 15.1 (6.4/8.7)

alternative:

- none that can realistically score above 14

Floor:

Kytra Hunter 14.4 (5.8/8.6)

Rebecca Bross 14.6 (6.1/8.5)

Mattie Larson 14.8 (5.9/8.7)

alternative:

-Ali Raisman 14.4 (5.8/8.6)

Note: the scores are the maximum I think these gymnasts can score without wobbles or falls

As a conclusion, the US team can score between 175 and 176... That is a fairly good total. The bad news is that if anything happens between uneven bars and beam, they don't have anyone capable of scoring above 14.

What do you think? Are my predictions too pessimistic or too optimistic?

some seriously good stuff from The Couch Gymnast: the seventh issue!

read it here

My articles from this issue: Ghent report and Romania at Ghent World Cup

Predictions....

(image from ProSport)

Yesterday was the day we found out how the “nominative list” looks like. In other words since yesterday we have started to make predictions, calculations and to develop strategies for the team finals. What can be more “fascinating” i dare say... you have a team of 7, cut it to 6 (well it’s already cut in the nominative list but they can modify that whenever they want) and then “all” there’s left is to calculate which three gymnasts can obtain the highest marks for each apparatus. This sophisticated process involves making assessments on the gymnasts' chances to make faultless routines at a given moment (three-four weeks from now) and your personal taste in general.

I always make an excel table and I write on each column the apparatuses then I add three names under each, then I add the marks, the total per apparatus and then the total for the entire team and I get a fabulous result, something that my team has never seen under this code of points. And I’m satisfied. After a few minutes I realize that I wasn’t thinking clearly: how can I put Cerasela Patrascu as a certainty for the beam? She fell during the EF at the Nationals and at the last meet she wasn’t even among the top three Romanians. I say to myself: this team is not good. I have to calculate again! I do it, make many changes in the team, add the marks, the total and SURPRISE!! I GET THE SAME RESULT.

I will probably do this once in a couple of days until the worlds and I will never finalize my predictions. It must be really hard to be the head coach of a team. Well, at least they have the advantage to see the gymnasts every day while we will only see them at the podium training or even worse, during the qualifications.

All I can say is that I hope Bellu doesn’t do it like I do (AS IF I could compare myself to Bellu HAHAHA)!

and more videos: beam from Gymboost

Ana Porgras, Raluca Haidu and Cerasela Patrascu: does this sound like a high scoring beam rotation?

Raluca Haidu, with her pretty form and choreo, still has a lot of wobbles... the 8.95 she got for execution is too high.

or watch here.

As I have previously said, Cerasela Patrascu looks like a good option: she has good execution and consistency, the things Bellu likes most.

More videos can be found on Gymboost's channel.

Finally! Some videos from Schaffhausen

Videos from this week-end's meet have been uploaded, on JoeMueVid Youtube channel. So far most of them of the German girls but we have the Uneven Bars rotation by the Romanians.

This is Raluca Haidu - she really looks much better than last week:

or here

This is Gabi Dragoi who hit the high bar with her face but was able to continue the routine (!!). It looks bad, but what a champion!

or watch here

Ana Porgras:

or here

This is Cerasela Patrascu's routine. She looks stronger and stronger:

or watch here

Switzerland, Romania and Germany friendly meet results

via Romanian Gymnastics Federation.

Pitic came second in the All Around! that is really good for her! She probably did better on beam that at the nationals. Can't wait to see some videos!

Results:

1) Romania - 229.550

2) Germany - 214.400

3) Switzerland - 210.300

All Around:

1) Ana Porgras - 58.2

2) Raluca Haidu - 57.4

3) Diana Chelaru - 57.05

4) Ariella Kaeslin - 56.35

5) Cerasela Patrascu - 54.45

Bellu's statement:

It was a friendly competition after which we can not draw many conclusions yet. However, I noticed that the girls have won in the chapters ability and amplitude, and I refer especially to Ana Porgras, Diana Chelaru and Sandra Izbasa. At the same time, it can say that, although we did not have failures, things are not yet too bright. Obviously, in terms of competition here - for example, the vaulting table was not very good so mistakes are excusable, but we have to take into account that the arbitration standards are rigorous and very high everywhere. We will also bear in mind that the errors have been related to the finesse of execution: position, angle of the body and others. However, the marks here may be a milestone, but not a really significant one. It is also important that the girls have finished the competition in perfect health condition, and that generally it is more obvious where we can do improvements. In conclusion, we took part in a useful competition, which will give us some benchmarks, but our team knows very well that the World Championships in Rotterdam will be something else.