193: Part One Russian, Pac Rim, British Championships

In Part One of this weeks' show Jessica, Uncle Tim, Katie Foster and Nico chat about:

• Russian National Championships recap with a Russian speaker (Thanks, Nico!):
  • Angelina Melnikova is the new Russian champ but could Maria Kharenkova or Seda Tutkhalyan take the last spot on the Russian Olympic team?
  • Aliya Mustafina's return to competition
  • Why you are going to fall in love with Varvara Zubova even harder after this beam routine.
• Pac Rim Championships (26:17):
  • Why the USA Gymnastics live stream with hosts, Evan Heiter, Sam Peszek and Jonathan Horton was one billion times better than the NBC Live Extra broadcast, and why the producers of Live Extra should be forced to do push-ups while Nastia Liukin stands on them in her Louboutins.
  • What we thought of Simone's new floor routine and our concerns over the lyrics
  • Which US team members improved their chances for their place on the Olympic team.
  • What the Australian team's performance here says about their chances at the Test Event.
  • Why Eddie Penev stole the show in the men's competition.
• British Championships special report from British Gymnastics live stream analyst, Katie Foster (1:03:30):
  • All the details, skills and routines from the meet.
  • Why Disability Floor Champion Natasha Coates is amazing.
  • Is the British press blowing Max Whitlock's chances of beating Kohei out of proportion?
  • Pommel Horse showdown: was Louis robbed again (he's robbed so often! He needs to buy a pommel horse alarm system at this point).

In Part Two of this week's episode, UCLA head coach, Miss Val, wanted to clear the air about the do-overs. She talks to Uncle Tim about:

• The do-overs:
  • Why did Sonya Meraz get to restart both her beam and floor routine?
  • What went on behind the scenes when Katelyn Ohashi got a beam do-over after her terrifying crash?
• Her side of the Sabrina Schwab ending up at Utah.
• The need for a recruiting calendar with blackout dates, and how schools with smaller budgets get screwed in recruiting.
• Coaching through grief and trauma: how Sadiqua Bynum made it from a walk-on through multiple achillies repairs and the death of her brother in her sophomore year to a senior scholarship athlete who was consistently ranked in the top 10 on floor this year.

In Part Two (19:20) our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet beings:

• USA Gymnastics reveals it's own documentary series, Made in America
• Maggie Nichols injured her mensicus on an Amanar and required surgery.
• The next FIG president might be Japanese.
• Danell Leyva at Miami Pride

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• 151: Danell Leyva
• Episode 58: Charlotte Drury, Fall Euro Series & NCAA De-commits
• Episode 43: The First Ever Panel on LGBT Issues in Gymnastics
• Episode 6: New Vault Code, Gymnastics in the Media & Jonathan X-Games Horton
• 75: Classic Episode - UCLA's Miss Val
• 133: Interview - Katelyn Ohashi Commits to UCLA
• 61: Katelyn Ohashi Clears The Air
• Episode 4: Louis Smith, Spanny's Athlete Oath, Making Men's Gymnastics More Popular
• 116: Louis Smith, Amelle Berrabah of Team Sexy & Tumble Episode 5 Recap
• Episode 43: The First Ever Panel on LGBT Issues in Gymnastics

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