What We’re Talking About
The SEC has the best story going as we head down the final stretch of the regular season. Everyone is watching to see who will make the cut for the SEC Championships with nine teams in the conference, but only the top eight advancing. This is what it feels like when real stakes are at play. Of course, making the SEC tournament (or not) doesn’t really matter. Arkansas is the current team on the outside looking in, but even if they miss the championship meet it looks like they’ll enter the postseason race still ranked in the top 20; and they might actually benefit from a week’s rest.
Even winning the SEC Championship doesn’t matter. Well, it matters for the coaches who have bonuses baked into their contracts. In Jay Clark’s contract, for example, he can earn up to $40,000 for winning both the regular season and meet conference championship. He can earn up to an additional $90,000 based on their postseason performance. It’s not hard to imagine athletes getting bonuses in the future too. Or maybe the winning team gets a pile of cash. But for the fans, what are we supposed to make of a team being the season conference champion versus the meet conference champion?
We’re not suggesting we have the answers, but what if the elimination process starts earlier? Or to make the regular season wins and losses matter, why not put a few byes into the bracket; or the season conference champion gets to host the next season championship meet for a home field advantage. Of course we recognize there’s logistics that go into all this and we’re just spitballing here in an attempt to increase the excitement at the end of the season when it should matter more, not less. We’d love your feedback on this one on how gymnastics can make the regular season matter more.
Feelings
- Gutted or Kiko Jong
- Oklahoma’s senior roundtable chat was very heartwarming
- We just can’t get enough of the stick stick… more of this
- Because this is about feelings, here’s another senior video from UCLA
- Happy to see FIG President Morinari Watanabe hold to his principles
- Study material: This might be on the test later
- Sad Livvy didn’t get to finish her LSU career on her terms, but we think she’s just getting started in making her impact on the world
- Oh yeah, she also signed a million dollar contract
- More conferences should limit the number of teams that qualify to their championships
- Love that the entire Kentucky team is celebrating the Creslyn Brose 10
- Congratulations to Rhode Island College, qualifying to the NCGA National Championship for the first time in 27 years
- Bonus: You should definitely get your Season Pass
Facts
- The entire Arkansas bars rotation went 9.85
- Aleah Finnegan went 10 on beam
- 39.525: Joscelyn Roberson set an all-around program record for a freshman
- 13,157: The average attendance at LSU’s home meets this season
- The USOPC received their largest donation in history and will be used for a retirement program
- 198.10: Mizzou just recorded the highest score in program history
- Pitt posted the second highest score in program history–a 196.575
- UCLA set a new attendance record with 12,918 fans
- Creslyn Brose put on a 10.0 performance
- Oksana Chusovitina, at 49, won vault gold in Baku
Award(s)
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- Grown Ass Woman: Chuso
- Perfection: Aleah Finnegan, Creslyn Brose
What’s On the Socials?
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View this post on Instagram
Quotes
“I was definitely hoping for more today to be honest.”
~ Carly Dockendorf, Honest Ute
The Utah head coach provided a refreshingly honest answer in acknowledging her desire for a better road score for her team as they seek to climb the rankings.
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“One hundred percent. I have no regrets.”
~ Olivia Dunne , Groundbreaker
Livvy responding to a question on whether she regretted returning for a fifth year.
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“The Olympics will eventually collapse if the IOC stays as it is. That’s why I’m speaking out.”
~ Morinari Watanabe, FIG President
As the IOC presidential nominee, Watanabe shared his thoughts that the IOC should change their name and expand their purview beyond overseeing just the Olympic Games.
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What? You want even more? Join Club Gym Nerd and you get a bonus episode, College & Cocktails, every weekend after our meet of the week. Once the NCAA season is over you continue to get a weekly bonus episode every Friday afternoon. Plus you get access to all of our archives, exclusive content and more. Then we give the sober analysis on Monday (or Tuesday) after we’ve allowed the data to penetrate our feelings.
This column was composed and compiled by Steve Cooper, Editor at GymCastic, and co-author of the upcoming book “The Balance“; some thoughts culled from hosts Jessica O’Beirne and Spencer Barnes.
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