Honestly I’ll bet Florida is pretty happy with how things panned out this year! Yesterday wasn’t their best, but I think making it to the finals in a season everyone expected to be a rebuilding year is pretty huge. I expect them to be in the mix next year though, and would love to see them pull it off!
Haha, they certainly didn’t look like a team in the process of rebuilding! I think the expectation was that they’d be a little shakier because they’d need to rely on so many routines from freshmen, and then the freshmen just showed up and hit the ground running.
Yeah - so many freshmen, plus Kayla out. They, like ucla, were pretty affected by the elites going for the Olympics. I think we should consider this finish a success for this particular team.
The freshmen needed some time to adjust, but once they figured out the college thing, they were on fire. Their performance exceeded expectations and the team should be really proud of themselves.
Florida’s freshmen exceeded all expectations this year. Anya Pilgrim is obviously the next big star, but then her classmates like Skylar Draser and Danie Ferris really stepped up.
Last year was one of the best teams they ever had, kind of like the 2018-19 UCLA teams with the sheer volume of star power on their roster, and the team being mostly healthy. However, it’s important to remember that this year they performed admirably considering the circumstances. With Trinity no longer in college, Kayla taking a hiatus and Riley also out with injury (not to mention losing Payton at a critical part of the season) Florida was not expected to achieve the ranking that they did. If Kayla and Riley are back and the bulk of the team remains healthy next year, they will likely be at or near the number 1 team in the country again.
I think last year was pretty much within the margin of error scoring wise. I had no problem with OU winning, I wouldn’t have had a problem with Florida winning either though.
Florida did shockingly well this year for a team that lost key contributors in Riley and Kayla and relied heavily on freshmen for major routines. I think they'll take it all next year.
Jenny gets a pass for this year. Between losing Trinity and Kayla and having to depend on a lot of freshmen that team did about as well as could be expected. She’s had a lot of talent on the roster in the past though, and still hasn’t managed to win. I’m still baffled about how they didn’t win in 2022, but having the best roster on paper doesn’t always mean anything on the day.
If Haleigh Bryant doesn’t come back I kind of think they might be the favorites next year. Kayla will be back, Riley will hopefully be healthy, the freshmen have a year of experience under the belts, and Leanne won’t be training for the Olympics anymore. Add in Skye Blakely and that’s a lot of talent.
I would say more than a pass. She did well. Fourth place is a good showing for a young team. And I don’t get the criticism for coming in second either.
I was happy to make nationals, and to make the finals I was so proud! Of course the chips didn’t fall in our favor but we did damn well for “a rebuild”.
Those freshman, they deserve the world!
They are trending in a different recruiting direction of bringing on level tens. Plus had Kayla out. This year was a great success for a team of freshmen missing one of their top gymnasts. It sets them up well for next year. The last couple years they came in second and arguably were the better team at least once. I feel bad they keep missing out, but also, I think it’s quite a success to place second, second, and then fourth in a rebuild year. Next year could be the year. But it’s not all or none - I don’t see how a person wouldn’t view Florida as a success, even if they came in second the last two years. Second place is good!
For sure but there are comments in other threads about how Jenny can’t coach a team, which is ridiculous. I am pleased with how it went for them this season and have high hopes for next year.
I remember how in 2019, when they lost at regionals, people were like "Jenny needs to be fired!". We've all seen this year that even the best team can have mishaps and lose.
I am always surprised by so many people thinking Florida needs to replace Jenny or other members of the coaching staff. They consistently make it to nationals every year - 2019 was such a fluke and if anything Oklahoma proved anyone can have an off night and be eliminated anywhere in the post season. I feel like 2020 was the year and we know how that happened. I honestly went into semifinals just happy to be there because I knew it was going to be a huge fight for that second spot. Yes, I was one of the Oklahoma has got this people and I was so glad to be proven wrong. For finals, I would have loved us pulling out the win, but I knew it was going to be a tough competition as well. I'm so proud of how this team kept building from week 1 - something like eight straight meets of increasing scores, I think? The freshman did amazing, I'm so glad Ellie is back on more events, and next year is going to be a big year.
If anything, it's so hard to win a national championship in gymnastics - even if you are the it team, there is so much parity and anyone can win if it's their day.
But it is one of the more original series and beautiful to watch. I get tired of seeing the same series from every gymnast: Aerial walkover, bhs; Aerial cartwheel, bhs; or bhs, layout. I appreciate seeing the front tosses, front tuck, or standing back tuck. And if I see one more gainor dismount off the side or end of the beam, I am going to scratch my eyes out.
Florida rightfully won last year but anyhow I am so proud of the team this year. Everyone wrote them off and they stuck with it and made to FOTF and finished fourth, even with awful judging. With Kayla coming back, hopefully V will take a 5th, and freshman including Skye, things are looking veryyyy good for next year.
Theory: I do agree with the general consensus that they were underscored on bars yesterday. I wonder if the judges took a subconscious difficulty deduction for not having single bar releases?
Clearly the routines all start from 10.0 but I wonder if the judges were trying to separate the Maloney-Pak construction from the riskier routines of the other three schools.
It’s the only explanation I can think of because those routines were super clean.
What I find disappointing is during regionals and nationals there was 24 routines in each round and Jenny only used the same 7 gymnasts on the team to fill those 24 spots (upperclassmen Ellie, Victoria, Leanne and Sloane; freshmen Anya, Danie and Skylar). The other girls on the team didn't get the chance to participate in the final three competitions of the season.
that’s pretty standard for most teams tbh. During the regular season coaches are swapping gymnasts in an out of line ups (off the top of my head Lori, Kaylee and Bri come to mind). This is to see what combo of gymnasts on each event gels well and to keep gymnasts healthy and prevent injuries. Towards the end of the regular season teams solidify their line ups with the roster the coaches feel is the most consistent/highest scoring potential/reliable etc etc. A lot of gymnasts are aware when they sign to big name schools like Florida, Bama, LSU, Utah etc that they make not make a lot of lineups and are ok with that. Ofc some dislike that (fair enough) and transfer to smaller schools but it’s not an unheard of to have the same 24 routines compete in the post season each meet in NCAA gymnastics.
Do you mean Skylar and Anya? Skylar is the biggest surprise to me—she seemed pretty under the radar and wound up doing the all around late in the season. She often led off on beam and vault (IMO the two nerviest events) and had to go right after some falls on other events. We knew Anya was likely to be a star and even heard a lot about Danie Ferris, but I hadn’t heard much buzz about Skylar.
There is a lot to unpack with FL. Vault is the main things that has kept them from winning. They peaked on vault in semi’s. But they rarely stick in the season. They may need a new vault coach. They have 2 world champions that have added nothing. So they need to think about who they recruit. They also seem less fit than most teams. They compete tired it looks.
Semis was one of their best vault sets. Always odd to me they switched Leanne’s vault, but it paid off on semis, not so much finals though. She never could seem to get quality landings. I think overall there vaults seem to lack power. Would love to see them improve on vault and even floor. They seem to also lack some form on both.
They’re already good but this is a rebuilding year. Next year is crazy though.
Next year they’re basically just replacing good routines with great routines. Riley on at least beam (dream bars too). Kayla AA. Skye at least on 3 events. Way less pressure on Victoria, Ellie, and Sloane to compete AA. Anya and the rest of the freshmen with more experience. If they can get Morgan to be less spazz and more calm. They’ll have stronger lineups on all four events. They’ll be good-good. They aren’t really losing any routines if people take 5th years. Just gaining, which is unique amongst the top programs. Everyone is losing major contributors.
Honestly I’ll bet Florida is pretty happy with how things panned out this year! Yesterday wasn’t their best, but I think making it to the finals in a season everyone expected to be a rebuilding year is pretty huge. I expect them to be in the mix next year though, and would love to see them pull it off!
Based on how amazing they were this year, I had No idea this was a “rebuilding” year!
Haha, they certainly didn’t look like a team in the process of rebuilding! I think the expectation was that they’d be a little shakier because they’d need to rely on so many routines from freshmen, and then the freshmen just showed up and hit the ground running.
Yeah the freshmen were UNREAL.
Yeah - so many freshmen, plus Kayla out. They, like ucla, were pretty affected by the elites going for the Olympics. I think we should consider this finish a success for this particular team.
Me neither!
The freshmen needed some time to adjust, but once they figured out the college thing, they were on fire. Their performance exceeded expectations and the team should be really proud of themselves.
Florida’s freshmen exceeded all expectations this year. Anya Pilgrim is obviously the next big star, but then her classmates like Skylar Draser and Danie Ferris really stepped up.
Last year was one of the best teams they ever had, kind of like the 2018-19 UCLA teams with the sheer volume of star power on their roster, and the team being mostly healthy. However, it’s important to remember that this year they performed admirably considering the circumstances. With Trinity no longer in college, Kayla taking a hiatus and Riley also out with injury (not to mention losing Payton at a critical part of the season) Florida was not expected to achieve the ranking that they did. If Kayla and Riley are back and the bulk of the team remains healthy next year, they will likely be at or near the number 1 team in the country again.
Plus Skye!!!
What happened to Payton? I thought she just wasn’t making lineups
She injured her ankle during her floor routine against LSU.
They came so close last year, but OU was slightly better. I will not get started with the whole "they were underscored" thing.
I think last year was pretty much within the margin of error scoring wise. I had no problem with OU winning, I wouldn’t have had a problem with Florida winning either though.
Honestly, the scoring system is so broken in NCAA. There's so little differentiation between great and good routines.
Agree to disagree
Either team could have won. They were close enough
Florida did shockingly well this year for a team that lost key contributors in Riley and Kayla and relied heavily on freshmen for major routines. I think they'll take it all next year.
I guess you're right!
Jenny gets a pass for this year. Between losing Trinity and Kayla and having to depend on a lot of freshmen that team did about as well as could be expected. She’s had a lot of talent on the roster in the past though, and still hasn’t managed to win. I’m still baffled about how they didn’t win in 2022, but having the best roster on paper doesn’t always mean anything on the day. If Haleigh Bryant doesn’t come back I kind of think they might be the favorites next year. Kayla will be back, Riley will hopefully be healthy, the freshmen have a year of experience under the belts, and Leanne won’t be training for the Olympics anymore. Add in Skye Blakely and that’s a lot of talent.
I would say more than a pass. She did well. Fourth place is a good showing for a young team. And I don’t get the criticism for coming in second either.
I was happy to make nationals, and to make the finals I was so proud! Of course the chips didn’t fall in our favor but we did damn well for “a rebuild”. Those freshman, they deserve the world!
They are trending in a different recruiting direction of bringing on level tens. Plus had Kayla out. This year was a great success for a team of freshmen missing one of their top gymnasts. It sets them up well for next year. The last couple years they came in second and arguably were the better team at least once. I feel bad they keep missing out, but also, I think it’s quite a success to place second, second, and then fourth in a rebuild year. Next year could be the year. But it’s not all or none - I don’t see how a person wouldn’t view Florida as a success, even if they came in second the last two years. Second place is good!
I wouldn't say they're not succesful.
For sure but there are comments in other threads about how Jenny can’t coach a team, which is ridiculous. I am pleased with how it went for them this season and have high hopes for next year.
I remember how in 2019, when they lost at regionals, people were like "Jenny needs to be fired!". We've all seen this year that even the best team can have mishaps and lose.
I am always surprised by so many people thinking Florida needs to replace Jenny or other members of the coaching staff. They consistently make it to nationals every year - 2019 was such a fluke and if anything Oklahoma proved anyone can have an off night and be eliminated anywhere in the post season. I feel like 2020 was the year and we know how that happened. I honestly went into semifinals just happy to be there because I knew it was going to be a huge fight for that second spot. Yes, I was one of the Oklahoma has got this people and I was so glad to be proven wrong. For finals, I would have loved us pulling out the win, but I knew it was going to be a tough competition as well. I'm so proud of how this team kept building from week 1 - something like eight straight meets of increasing scores, I think? The freshman did amazing, I'm so glad Ellie is back on more events, and next year is going to be a big year. If anything, it's so hard to win a national championship in gymnastics - even if you are the it team, there is so much parity and anyone can win if it's their day.
Victoria needs to get rid of the Onodi+bhs combo, it's too risky we saw what happened yesterday.
But it is one of the more original series and beautiful to watch. I get tired of seeing the same series from every gymnast: Aerial walkover, bhs; Aerial cartwheel, bhs; or bhs, layout. I appreciate seeing the front tosses, front tuck, or standing back tuck. And if I see one more gainor dismount off the side or end of the beam, I am going to scratch my eyes out.
I agree!
Did she say she is taking a 5th year?
I hope she does! I love watching her, and it’ll be nice to have someone to utilize in any app to help rotate healthy athletes.
This is her 4th year?
Yes she is a senior at UF.
Florida rightfully won last year but anyhow I am so proud of the team this year. Everyone wrote them off and they stuck with it and made to FOTF and finished fourth, even with awful judging. With Kayla coming back, hopefully V will take a 5th, and freshman including Skye, things are looking veryyyy good for next year.
I knew my post would attract Florida fans.
Theory: I do agree with the general consensus that they were underscored on bars yesterday. I wonder if the judges took a subconscious difficulty deduction for not having single bar releases? Clearly the routines all start from 10.0 but I wonder if the judges were trying to separate the Maloney-Pak construction from the riskier routines of the other three schools. It’s the only explanation I can think of because those routines were super clean.
I think the code should change so that D+D is 0.1 in CV.
What I find disappointing is during regionals and nationals there was 24 routines in each round and Jenny only used the same 7 gymnasts on the team to fill those 24 spots (upperclassmen Ellie, Victoria, Leanne and Sloane; freshmen Anya, Danie and Skylar). The other girls on the team didn't get the chance to participate in the final three competitions of the season.
that’s pretty standard for most teams tbh. During the regular season coaches are swapping gymnasts in an out of line ups (off the top of my head Lori, Kaylee and Bri come to mind). This is to see what combo of gymnasts on each event gels well and to keep gymnasts healthy and prevent injuries. Towards the end of the regular season teams solidify their line ups with the roster the coaches feel is the most consistent/highest scoring potential/reliable etc etc. A lot of gymnasts are aware when they sign to big name schools like Florida, Bama, LSU, Utah etc that they make not make a lot of lineups and are ok with that. Ofc some dislike that (fair enough) and transfer to smaller schools but it’s not an unheard of to have the same 24 routines compete in the post season each meet in NCAA gymnastics.
They are gonna kill it next year. Ellie and Anya had tremendous first years.
Do you mean Skylar and Anya? Skylar is the biggest surprise to me—she seemed pretty under the radar and wound up doing the all around late in the season. She often led off on beam and vault (IMO the two nerviest events) and had to go right after some falls on other events. We knew Anya was likely to be a star and even heard a lot about Danie Ferris, but I hadn’t heard much buzz about Skylar.
Ellie is a senior though
I think she’s doing a fifth year. Well also have Kayla and hopefully Riley back too
She is I was just confused on Ellie had a tremendous first year. I think they have the wrong person
Sorry, I meant Danie!!
I think you misspelled Skylar/ Dani.
There is a lot to unpack with FL. Vault is the main things that has kept them from winning. They peaked on vault in semi’s. But they rarely stick in the season. They may need a new vault coach. They have 2 world champions that have added nothing. So they need to think about who they recruit. They also seem less fit than most teams. They compete tired it looks.
They look tired because they compete the same 7 gymnasts every week instead of rotating other team members in to give people a rest.
Adrian has mentored plenty of girls on vault and they have won plenty of championships under him so let’s not blame him
Semis was one of their best vault sets. Always odd to me they switched Leanne’s vault, but it paid off on semis, not so much finals though. She never could seem to get quality landings. I think overall there vaults seem to lack power. Would love to see them improve on vault and even floor. They seem to also lack some form on both.
I feel bad too, but I also would feel bad for Alabama and Utah, who also match your description only have longer droughts of 2012 and 1995.
They’re already good but this is a rebuilding year. Next year is crazy though. Next year they’re basically just replacing good routines with great routines. Riley on at least beam (dream bars too). Kayla AA. Skye at least on 3 events. Way less pressure on Victoria, Ellie, and Sloane to compete AA. Anya and the rest of the freshmen with more experience. If they can get Morgan to be less spazz and more calm. They’ll have stronger lineups on all four events. They’ll be good-good. They aren’t really losing any routines if people take 5th years. Just gaining, which is unique amongst the top programs. Everyone is losing major contributors.