2021 Liukin Cup 1080p 8238K

are getting set for a weekend of gymnastics coverage but first the news that has reverberated here and throughout the gymnastics community on thursday the michigan attorney general filed 24 charges including human trafficking and criminal sexual conduct against john getter the head coach of the gold medal winning 2012 olympic gymnastics team related to his treatment of athletes and his care over the course of a decade then hours later getter died by suicide at age 63. getard formerly owned and coached at the twisters gym in michigan where many of the hundreds of survivors of dr larry nassar's sexual abuse say they were assaulted and where it is alleged getter used the guise of coaching to subject minors to an environment of continued abuse geddart was also charged with lying to the police during their investigation into nassar who was the in-house doctor at getter's gym for nearly 20 years these developments are the latest of the far-reaching ramifications in the nearly five-year fallout from the nassar sexual abuse case in a statement usa gymnastics said in part we had hoped the criminal charges being brought against john getter would lead to justice through the legal process we share the feelings of shock and our thoughts are with the gymnastics community as they grapple with the complex emotions of this week's events reacting to the news ali raisman a survivor and member of the olympic team getter coached in london repeated her call for an independent investigation into usa gymnastics saying for an organization that has claimed for the past 15 plus years that athlete safety is the number one priority it's impossible to imagine a greater failure michigan's attorney general called gettert's death a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved we'll be back right after this the sports scene in downtown indianapolis is about to get very busy and today it welcomes many of the top young gymnasts in the country for the 12th edition of the nastia luken cup moments ago the 2008 olympic champ spoke to the athletes first of all welcome to the 12th annual nasty looking cup and congratulations to all the gymnasts and coaches for qualifying this year and i'm always proud of all the gymnasts and coaches but especially this year it's obviously been an extremely tough year for everybody so for you all to be here speaks just incredible things about your hard work and your resilience and perseverance so wish more of you could be with us here but for those back at home enjoy the competition and wishing you all the best of luck [Applause] nbc sports is proud to present the 2021 nastia luken cup the indiana convention center here in downtown indianapolis is the setting we're ready to go terry gannon along with the olympic champs tim daggert and nastia luken and it is great to be back with you guys and it's been a while it has been a long time i think this competition last year perhaps yeah just walking into the convention center and seeing all the athletes smiling faces boy i've missed this all right ready take you out to vault and start with a 17 year old from marietta california amari celestine so this nasty lucan cup with the young stars guys we have juniors and we have seniors tim it depends what you're wearing tonight it sure does if you're wearing mostly black you still have to have some pink because it is the nastia cup mostly black means you're senior if mostly pink means you're junior well a great start to the competition full twisting laid out your chanco so for those of you at home that have been watching a lot of gymnastics television often times it's not out of a perfect 10. it's an open-ended scoring system for the olympics and national championships this however will be out of the 10.0 so we take you over to beam right now and check in with gabby van frame the 13 year old from lewis center ohio as we get this underway you got to be proud this is 12 years now of this event it's like kind of surreal to me honestly because when i first started this competition uh i remember the very first year and everyone kind of even wondering what is this everybody's in pink leotards what is it and just to see how much it has grown and how much these athletes and coaches really oh a little break there but how much they actually plan their combination seasons now around the qualifying events to just get here and as i think we've just said all day long it is just so nice to be back in a competition setting beautiful series wow one of my favorites you know but you look at and you talk to the athletes you read their bios and so many of them one of their major goals in gymnastics is to compete at the national lucan cup daddy just 13 years of age looking forward to an international assignment her dream to make it to the 2024 olympics holds on to that double batch she has a lot of abilities as you can see right there great stuff and it's tough starting on beam you know when the nerves are high especially being out here on a podium some of these athletes have not competed on a podium which means that all the equipment's a little bit raised but here's that series so back handspring back layout back layout three skills in a row just gorgeous yeah and like as perfect a landing as you could possibly have great technique great form it's a point you make i know they've had to qualify and again goes back to them dreaming maybe of making it to the nasty lucan cup if you look at the number 9.4 on vault for celestine but even those events this is a high level event now you're on tv this is a different level and it's been a while it's been a while you know they have competed probably a little bit more than say some of the other athletes that are going to be here competing at the winter cup later this weekend but it's still it's they've been out of training you know i talked to them earlier this morning and it was just they have never taken this many days weeks some of the months off in their whole career have we have waited on a good bars now lexie zeiss the 15 year old from omaha nice transition from high to low called a pack salto gotta hit those handstands beautiful release from low to high great tim i was waiting for it too early in the show yeah a little bit a little bit she actually clipped her feet on the bar in preparation for that double back somersault be a small deduction for that but otherwise really good stuff alex you played competitive soccer growing up check the number for gabby van fraying from balance beam nine four two five as we get a busy weekend underway here in indianapolis 12th edition of the nastia lucan cup underway here in indianapolis lexi zeiss uneven bars mark of 9.525 the number just starting off a big weekend here the winter cup with the men later on and tomorrow the women take you out to the floor and alex theodoro the 18 year old from phoenix ready to go trains at desert lights gymnastics the same gym where olympic hopeful michaela skinner also trains senior in high school headed to arizona state [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so really great routine very difficult opening pass full twisting double back somersault another double back in that routine a lot of great gymnastics senior chaparral high school out in the phoenix area alex theodoro get her number in just a moment see them grab their masks right after they finish their routines pull twisting double somersault two flips with a full twist on the first rotation very nicely done so on the background we do have some people here just the parents and the cardboard cutouts that's it few parents and you know but i was as i was saying earlier i was talking to some of the athletes this morning and pretty much i think everyone was on the same page it's it's obviously a very weird you know situation to have to grab your mask right after a floor team and for those of you that haven't done a floor teen it's a lot of endurance work there you're you're breathing um you know trying to catch your breath after that so putting a mask on is isn't easy but to just be able to be here you know this weekend during all this and and safely compete it's it's nice for everybody athlete after athlete having expressed that this they just feel lucky to be here competing as do we watching over to bars and the 18 year old from frisco texas sloan blakely very accomplished gymnast a lot of power oh boy and that's very unfortunate [Music] this just was a little bit too close and over rotated on that release from high to low gorgeous handstands something we'll be talking about all day really trying to hit each one wow that's disappointing sloan is here and she'll actually tomorrow get to watch her little sister compete in the winter cup for the women yeah we'll see sky this weekend theodoro 9.675 the number on floor you know it's important to note um we're gonna have the winter cup tomorrow for for the women but uh all of these athletes i mean you go to a world championships and olympic games many of the athletes that are on the floor today that are going off to college next year or in two years they're at that same level that's how good team usa is and how deep they are from fleming island florida the 18 year old lillia hudson about to go with his second vault moment ago check this out guys [Music] great beautiful vault great technique beautiful form yeah that's a little low wow you know what i don't agree judges first disagreement of the night mark that down fleming island high school product going to the university of alabama i mean how about you tim don't you think that was a little well i do absolutely you know every gymnastics competition the judging panels are a little bit different now if they are being that strict hopefully they'll be that way throughout the entire competition that would be important but even if they're being strict i thought that was too low head over to floor 15 year old from texas morgan price who was one of those when asked what are your goals said to receive a college scholarship and also to qualify for the luke income that's pretty cool right it doesn't feel real you know it's it's yeah it's very cool [Music] oh [Applause] so [Music] just didn't quite have enough power right at the end it was almost like she was going for the stick too yeah no it looked great in the air and i thought she was gonna stick it but that's what happens when you have those forward-facing landings if you are just a little bit under-rotated it is so easy for that to happen that's a shame because it was great up till there trains at texas dreams gymnastics in texas on the copper high school but just 15 years of age morgan price uneven bars number 9.2 for sloan blakely i'm sure these two will disagree when we come back many of the best young gymnasts in america competing here in indianapolis that number on floor 9.125 for morgan price just that one mistake at the end the difference between elite gymnastics like the olympics and this right here scoring out of a 10 a fall is only five tenths of a point off here at the olympics or national championships a full point off but five tenths or a point you know when when you have a competition field like this where they they really are the absolute best of the best the level 10 division it's going to be tough to make it on that podium with the fall because those all around qualifying scores were just so neck and neck first of two vaults here for the 17 year old from spring texas leah smith nacio you just said the best of the best guess who she trains with not just the best but the greatest of all time the goat simone biles same club and same coach what an experience that has to be every day [Applause] beautiful a lot of flight on that definitely capable of adding a at least another full twist to that i bet she can in there of course was laurent landy the partnership along with cecile landy who coached the great simone biles and a lot of other gymnasts too what do you think that must be like every day going to the gym and there's simone biles i mean it's got to be pretty inspiring you know those days that you walk into the gym and no matter who you are i mean simone i'm sure even has these days but when you walk in and you need a little extra motivation or you're sore you're tired whatever it is and then you see of course her right in front of you training as hard as she's training doing the most insane skills how how can you not be inspired by that at some point you have to feel like hey there's no excuses here you look over see the greatest of all time exactly i would say sometimes intimidated as well just a little bit second one just gotta fix that landing a little bit try to be patient a little bit better [Music] the slide back so you always try to do try to trick the judges into thinking that maybe perhaps it was a stick but take a look at her hips right here completely open stretched out and even almost flares her arms out which is just beautiful so you see her twisting of course and right there opens her arms tries to go for that stick and many of these gymnasts can do more than that like she could add an extra half or probably even a full twist but that starts at a 10.0 so she doesn't need to finishing up the final year at texas connections academy and heading to the university of washington where she said more than anything she wants to win a national title there 9.7 on that one okay judges a little bit better than the first one but still not a perfect landing over the balance beam and the 14 year old from boca raton florida nina ballou in eighth grade eighth grade yeah you know we had our brunch this morning with the girls obviously it was a little bit different than any other year with all of our covid protocols but gotta talk to them and they asked some questions and a few of the questions were about nerves the mental state how i handled that and it was it was really cool being able to share some of you know what worked for me i guess but that's what a lot of them were a little worried about those extra nerves under the bright lights especially on an event like this big test right here three in a [Music] yeah this is a very different experience for almost all of them arena type lighting television here and as you mentioned a little earlier nastia it's on what's called a podium and so what that does is it makes all of the equipment have a little bit more give than it does at the gym at home [Applause] wants to qualify for the jail national team or an ncaa scholarship those are the goals still very young just 14 years old here's that same combination we saw earlier back handspring two back layouts almost like she just was going so fast just to slow down just a little bit what's your overriding message when they ask i'll give you a minute to think about that it's not that i need to think about it but i don't think i could tell you in two seconds yeah a lot of visualizing at least for me you know it was a lot of just putting your your mind and yourself back in a position in a place where you are comfortable right so your home gym that beam where you train every day where you can do that beam routine in your sleep all of a sudden you get here under the bright lights on the podium and and the beam feels like it's not four inches wide but maybe it's three inches wide just because there's those extra nerves at least tricking your mind into thinking you've been there before absolutely mckenzie eaststep another 14 year old getting set over here on vault [Music] another very nice vault we'll see a lot of those today full twisting laid out your chanco so they get to do two different vaults and she's going to really try to focus on zoning in on that landing that little slide she can try to eliminate it so again so much that the judges are looking for but from that angle you see those lines too she lands right down the middle her hips were open chest up on the landing [Applause] you know i like that one better i liked it better i think she got to the table a little quicker her hands went back faster and that enable enabled her to get a bigger bounce off the table so watch she'll turn around on the board and then wham slam those arms back gives her a little bit more height gonna be interesting to see though i thought it was a better fault but the landing not yeah exactly not quite as good as the last one so she had a 9-5 on the first one right so born in tacoma trains in auburn washington and vault is her favorite event nidabaloo 9-5 for that effort over on beam which he was really excited about when she left the area [Music] now the other aspect not to make us the story but the fact that they're on tv i mean that adds to that whole anxiety absolutely the the pressure of having these cameras in your face and especially when the judges aren't quite ready for you nerves are already there then you see all the cameras danielle ferris the 15 year old from florida ready now [Music] oh wow really nice so this one she adds a half twist to what we've seen one and a half twist and in the jo program or the junior development program it's actually valued at a 10.1 so she could conceivably even with that step closing on that number the way the judges have been today though i would say not over to beam and madeleine williams the 18 year old from california just about ready [Music] she was a junior national champion in 2019 in the all-around very cool thing to be able to say the best in the united states in her age and [Applause] classification [Music] really has a sense of calmness and confidence throughout this routine so far [Applause] a lot of these leaps that begin from a side standing position really tricky but they are very valuable they give you some extra points so they are popular [Applause] in a really great routine those few mistakes slight slight mistakes but of course he's here they have not only do they have masks they have masks they have bags they have it all yes and they're all sparkly they have people for their masks you know nazi you said she looked so calm and right as you said that it was exactly what i was thinking that is like veteran stuff right there you know and it's not just and here's that dismount so what we call blind landing really hard to stick that landing no matter what level of difficulty skill that you're doing but tim you're exactly right you know it's as if she was walking and and doing all of her skills as if she was on the floor really and that is that's tough to teach it comes with experience it comes with a lot of things you're right it is tough to teach though some people just really always will struggle with that and some are a little more natural so 9.5 on balance beam for madeleine williams the 18 year old from buckingham charter magnet high school the bay area of california as we continue from indianapolis [Music] did you actually continues in indianapolis the opening rotation in the books that's how we stand as always extremely close under this system nikki smith the 16 year old from michigan started on vault she's got the lead as we look ahead to the second rotation here in the 2021 nastia luken cup state capital of indiana about 2 million people in the metro area here in indianapolis and the action inside the convention center for the nastia luken cup second rotation underway in third after that opening rotation alex theodoro the 18 year old from phoenix arizona and that's a really good position to be in most of the high scores are gonna come in on vault and she actually got a big number nine six seven five on the floor exercise so nikki smith who has the lead right now did start on vault 9775 the number there that leads there you go you know these standings are just going to go back and forth and back and forth all the way up to the very last event the last routine normally especially the last few years it has just come down to to literally the last landing of the competition it's been so exciting absolutely and again we've got seniors competing and juniors competing competing first half of rotation one they now begin their competition starting off on fall for desert lights alex followed by postal gymnast cody pop garcia i'm evan barnes for olympus april this might be the absolutely i was going you're just thinking all right hurry up hurry up yeah no matter what event you're on yeah oh really interesting vault that's the only one we'll see like that here today very complicated there are a lot of half turns happening watch she does a half turn onto the board she'll dive back but add a half turn again front flip another half turn try to spot the ground and she just scoots her feet a little bit too far underneath her love seeing the variety though right back for the second one now so something's telling me she's really gonna go for the stick here she's got a good one under her belt already love that close-up the eyes yeah focus the thing that's that's really good about this type of a vault is if you do it properly and you you've learned it in the right way you are actually able to spot the ground much earlier and zone in exactly where to put your feet [Music] not quite as good on the horse that first half of the vault you know sometimes when you really are going for the stick you get a little too ahead of yourself you get in your head yeah she's a little stay on to the table so she doesn't she barely kind of just taps the vaulting table as opposed to like exploding off of it so she didn't get the same rise the same height had to kind of rush a little bit but but again had a great first fall so thinking she's going to take that first score saw that number right before she went 9625 for the opening vault over to lilly hudson in 10th after the first rotation just about ready on bars nice handstand right there [Music] [Applause] wow that that was really nice and that that looks a lot like a an outstanding ncaa routine right there pretty much every single skill back to back didn't even have a chance to you know sometimes that that is the hardest thing about this event when you have to connect every skill after another you cannot even be the slightest bit off and that was just a great example but confident right to the very end check the number nine six two five that second fault score for alex theodoro as we continue from indianapolis so the number uneven bars 9675 for lilly hudson won the all-around state championship in florida back in 2018 over to beam and in 14th after that opening rotation sloan blakely who won the gold on beam back at the american classic in 2019. and certainly looking to get herself back on track has the ability without question [Applause] as we talked about earlier it's just one of the hardest competitions to qualify to she really really wanted to qualify as you mentioned him her sister's competing here this weekend as well just missed out at the moga classic and then one of the very last qualifying events secured her spot oh beautiful yeah so for those that maybe aren't as in the know there are all of these invitationals that are held throughout the country and you qualify there by obviously winning yep top junior top senior oh big dismount round off double back bam there you go gotta love that gymnastics 101. terry nacional i've been waiting for it all day high and stick to landing we are 51 minutes into the show when we get our first one but it's been a year terry we've missed it i know how many times have you heard that in your head since last march leah smith in second after the opening rotation to the uneven bars [Applause] it was the american cub it was milwaukee the last time we were together can you believe that i love what she said in her bio she says i love gymnastics has taught me to be dedicated hard-working disciplined and a fierce competitor very cool [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] that was great really hit those handstands again it's it's the same thing obviously but the judges are going to be so nitpicky when it comes down to just one sometimes one 100th of a tenth at the very end the handstands the slight steps the slight hops can't afford to have those so that effort on beam for sloan blakely short time ago bringing 9575 and we go back to being amber low in 18th place after the opening rotation the 15 year old from kennesaw georgia and this is her favorite event i always wonder about that nastia what about you i was gonna say i like i liked beam you did yeah yeah and bars yes fault not so much but as we kind of talked about earlier tim you know it's it's hard to to teach that right the confidence the love for this event it's kind of a love-hate relationship two layouts in a row great job she has an interesting story about how she got involved she said a mom witnessed her during a physical abilities testing reached out to the other mom said she had special talents put her in gymnastics and during pe class normally it's your own parent or somebody in your family say hey you got too much energy we're going to put you in gymnastics but it was someone else yep [Music] [Applause] once again really just trying to go for that landing i was trying to spot the ground had to take the step air high fives really nice sequence three elements in a row all acrobatic back handspring step out then she'll do two saltos in the air landing one foot at a time very nicely done and here's that dismount so double twist a little leg separation at the end and you see her trying to eye the ground just wasn't quite able to get that stuck landing but great routine but you really just have to no matter how much you love this event you have to take a deep breath after you get through it at a competition second time made it to the nasty looking cup back in 2019 when this was held in greensboro leah smith 9.85 on the uneven bars and that is a huge number big time gonna take the lead a couple more rotations left for her though and there's the number for low 955. [Applause] so from beam over to floor next athlete seth nina baloo 14 year old started on beam all right i take it back those announcements when you're standing there saying hurry up hurry up the silence might be worse yeah oh 100 this is this is the moment that when you're trying to get out of your head that that's the only thing you can do right you're listening to your thoughts your nerves yeah i would imagine doubts creep in [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] ah wow really good stuff really good stuff some great landings great landings great energy the enthusiasm i just love it second rotation continues right now it's leah smith after that great effort on bars with the lead as many of the young stars from the world of gymnastics are here in indianapolis competing through the weekend [Music] back with the number for nina baloo on floor 9.675 and guys there are some smiles that are performance smiles and other smiles that are absolutely genuine and you get the real deal right here that's a real smile yes love to see love to see it they love doing this sport it's great to see a solid number on floor as we continue here with the second rotation in the nastia luken cup 12th edition 12 years dozen years and i've yet to be invited to the banquet to the brunch well i haven't either but i've only been with you guys for a couple of seasons so i would be very offended about that i'm really just trying to think of something else to tell tim because he tells me this every year and i think you just kind of have to give up on getting that invite you had to limit participants this year that's right lauren harkins getting set and full so again from 114 year old to another 14 year old up first on downstream i want the fans here but i kind of like hearing the coaches yell yeah you know the coaches have i feel like been a little bit louder more energy because of that trying to help their athletes out good vault a little bit of a pike down on that landing didn't quite get the amplitude off of the horse [Applause] from michigan but trains in indiana another look at that effort so once again the same part that we have seen so many times but see that landing that her hips so at the very end after she completes her twist so right here stretch back and right about here tough to tell from that angle but really quite a pike down with her hips her chest low on the landing so she can improve on this vault a lot [Music] she needs a better rebound off the table some more height and then confidence in those body shapes or positions [Music] pretty much the same thing though actually trains at one of the mag sevens gold medalist from 1996 jim jc phelps so really almost a carbon copy just a little high onto the table and she has to bend in her hips create an angle and the judges they are zoning in on that still a nice vault she can just do it better you know but i think a lot from this competition that's kind of what i tried to tell them this morning is the experience right and for somebody like her on this ball tim you say she can of course do better and it's it's really trying to gain that experience and learn maybe how to be patient you know how to handle your nerves and so in a competition like this you've already qualified there's nowhere else after this competition to go obviously they have their level 10 season after this but hopefully she can take what she learned here and apply that to her season and in the rest of her career as well so the score for the second vault nine one seven five talk about visualization that's that that's important but now you've got the experience you've been here and and you get some feedback too and learn from what you can do better or about what you can do better madeleine dortmund 14 year old who was born in little rock and trains in wilburn georgia well you got to remember all of these athletes are chasing something that's almost unattainable perfection but that was pretty close to it right [Music] there [Music] he's most likely trying to connect those two leaps he's a little off on that first one [Music] and that's a shame [Music] half a point deduction when you come off the beam or any apparatus she says that competing is her favorite part of the sport was it for you nastia it wasn't for me you know i wow a big dismount not still needs to control that landing a little bit but you know tim i have to say i her future is so bright i mean she has already such a high level of difficulty the skills that she's performing again just needs to gain a little confidence a little more experience wait you enjoy you enjoy training better than competing you know i obviously love this in general but i just loved for me it was trying to to be better every single day i i liked competing a lot but i liked the quest oh i lived i lived for competitions mari celestine getting set on bars no matter the sport practice is often a grind i'm with you it's true very nice release combination from low to high oh great landing great fight for that too love to see that that release that i spoke of you know a handful of years ago that was a very rare thing to see and now it is very popular and even on the elite level tim not even at this competition so here's that first oh sorry actually the second one that she did check the dismount out though very unusual in today's world second trip to the nasty looking cup she was ninth in the all-around as a junior back in 2018 the chicago area that year you got it 8.85 disappointing number on b for madeleine dortmund i think that's a smile though yeah it looks like it right you can see it in the eyes i've been joking about that all week you know just i i promise i'm smiling under here exactly that's been the heart that's been one of the hardest things for me is not being able to see people yeah and their reaction you're about a mile and a half from me right now you're we're so socially distanced here yes we are we're doing our part plexiglas in the arena all right but you know what it feels good to be back at a live gymnastics event i have to tell you absolutely nikki smith 16 years of age from west bloomfield michigan heading to michigan state and her sister gymnast there [Music] elise right here [Music] beautiful transition love that [Music] a little bit of form a couple of times in the routine but another great dismount great landing you know and once again i think in talking about the form sometimes when you're able to become a little bit more confident on the skills the routine itself that's when you can kind of focus on the form a little bit more there's so much to think about going into a bard team you know as i mentioned every skill is back to back there's really is it's a lot that's going on in your mind would you run through your entire routine right before absolutely multiple yeah many many times yes so nice release in this a straddled front flip it's called a jaeger on both the uneven bars and men's high bar watch right here she'll lift her heels up nice height in the air just a little bit of form feet sometimes not as great as it could be but look at that gorgeous high bar to low bar but you know it also becomes what i like to say muscle memory right so if you can kind of start practicing that a little bit maybe more in training focusing on it and training because in the competition you have everything going on in your mind times 10. the nerves the judges the pressure all of it if you're in your head the whole time you're in trouble last thing you're thinking about is probably pointing your toes keeping your knees straight all of that so yeah it needs to be automatically it needs to be automatic needs to be that muscle memory so here's tori vetter the 17 year old from ohio who not only knows what it's like to compete at the nasty looking cup but to win it she did that as a junior the all-around in 2018 [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you know it's hard to make the competition once but to to be able to be a qualifier multiple times different experience obviously this year and talked a lot about that with the girls but hopefully they enjoy the experience as opposed to not having this competition at all so the teenager from columbus ohio tori vetter effort on floor complete as is the second rotation leah smith in the lead after two rotations two more to go here in indy since in right now here in the nastia lucan cup in indianapolis leah smith who was excellent on uneven bars in the lead about a quarter of a point tori better by the way nine six seven five on floor so she shares fifth place at the moment as we continue [Music] the first of three events this weekend here in indianapolis continues terry gannon nasty lucan and tim daggett the 12th edition of the nastia luken cup some of the top young stars from across the country two rotations in two more left to go take you over to the beam right now here in the 17 year old from new hartford new york miranda smith just about set to go junior in high school new hartford senior high and heading to west virginia eighth place after the second rotation i always find it really interesting the coach athlete interaction right before beam some athletes like to be talked to a lot some you know just want to be in their own zone and probably not even just on beam right every single athlete has such a different way of mentally preparing for that event tim what what did you prefer um really not a lot of talk yeah i think some coaches though look at it as a way to distract the nerves sometimes perhaps the coaches also need that as well they're just as nervous [Applause] risk and reward she does the harder combination tumbling pass on beam and suffers the fall that's too bad more difficult when you rebound off of two legs on the beam and land two legs at a time wow difficult routine here standing switch that's yeah you know this is something that i really love to see even though she had of course that big mistake fall at the beginning double twist dismount but just bringing out very unique skills and what do you think her coach is saying right now uh she's saying it's okay you know she knows the athlete always knows right you got to the nastia luke and captain so we're already in wind territory we'll get it next time very difficult to rebound off of two feet right here she punches the beam not quite enough height maybe enough rotation here's that two standing layouts so we have seen this combination with an added back handspring at the beginning which really helps you gain the momentum and speed a lot more difficult standing that double twist dismount step on the landing but tim you know you talk about the risk reward and and i i loved what we just saw of course again had that mistake but she took the risk yes she died here's the other thing we talked about simone biles and her i mean she's influenced every young athlete here 8.6 the number for miranda smith but also the mindset coming back and continually trying new things in harder things and taking it to a new level well you know and someone like simone of course she's essentially competing against herself and and that's what she is constantly saying she just wants to continue challenging herself keep getting better [Applause] i like to say she is making the impossible possible because before she did it many of the things she's done people thought would never be seen and she's not done yet many people have seen the clips of simone doing a vault that's never been done before the double pike somersault unbelievable [Music] nice double pike right there i'll tell you if simone does that fault in tokyo i think she can fall on it and she could still be the olympic champion if they value it if they value it the way they should that's amazing that's an amazing statement to that point will they yeah you know it's unfortunate that they haven't quite done that with all the elements that she's put out there but but again it's obviously you want to be rewarded but i think for somebody like her it really is about just challenging yourself right seeing if you can do it and that's kind of what she has said going out there doing that double twisting double back dismount off the balance beam speaking of dismounts right here double pike look where her chest is great position just a little over rotated step back [Music] yeah there we go that's legit right there having a great day huge sigh of relief for a lot of the athletes every time someone gets done on beam you take a sigh of relief over here jocelyn moore now in 13th after a couple of rotations 17 year old from hillsboro new jersey heading to the university of missouri you know sometimes still can't quite get used to being on the other side how it's a lot more nerve-wracking when you're not in control you don't know what's going on in the athlete's mind tim i'm sure that's how you felt as as a parent as a coach well as a parent it's got to be ten times yeah i don't know you can't even imagine that all the parents that do coach their sons or daughters in this sport they commiserate with one another constantly your dad always looked cool as a cucumber though not on the inside no i'm sure awesome great huge power double laid out somersault that would play well at the largest international events in gymnastics beautiful [Music] [Applause] very nice i tell you nasty i don't know if you've noticed this too but both this group and the winter cup group i i've seen a lot of very imaginative choreography it's like everybody's been kind of stuck at home and you know tick-tock video dancing tim are you on tick-tock no not at all but it's uh i've really found it very interesting but this is grade a stuff right here double laid out salto unbelievable body position and ah fabulous yeah just just absolutely gorgeous the whole entire routine the power the confidence and here's another pass so front tuck into a double back just picture yeah and picture perfect landing chest up this should get a this should get a very good number might be one of the highest scores perhaps that we have seen by the way i think tim might have an alias on tick-tock trust me next commercial break we gotta figure this out nine six seven five for more on floor you know i would have gotten a little i would have gone a little higher i agree all right second disagreement of the night while that was taking place alicia zoe the 13 year old yes 13 is on beam so we'll take you back to that now beautiful so well done she's got great toes great extended legs those knees are so locked [Applause] but the judges are looking for any time they're doing a leap is they're they're looking for a complete 180 degree split a great routine you know and just really super poised calm and that's tough to do especially as a junior yeah 13 years old but she's been competing for years and years already so a young teenager from san antonio that was a short time ago 9.650 and into first place in the junior meet here very impressive very impressive two champions crowned tonight here in indianapolis come on as we continue over on floor and once again madeline dorban 14 year old from georgia eighth grader who says her biggest dream is to receive a scholarship compete in college well i'm betting that she probably will accomplish that yep good bet yes yeah in a normal year when of course the the audiences is allowed to be here competitions like this or a level 10 national championships you would see dozens of college head and assistant coaches looking towards that next generation seeing who they could sign you're right they would all be here there's no question [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] you know one of my main reasons for creating this entire series and cup was was to try to get that next generation out there and give them that experience under the bright lights and she surely is part of this next generation mission accomplished for you nastia no thank you national exposure here for these juniors madeleine dortmund the 14 year old from georgia and alicia zoe who we just saw is only 13 years of age from san antonio but leads the way in the junior division warmer than it's been recent days here in indianapolis snow is starting to melt and back to the third rotation amari celestine ready to go on beam it's been a good one always tight but you got leah smith with a lead of about six tenths of a point that's a very big number hard to overcome that but morgan price jocelyn moore sharing second for the moment at least and alicia zoe leading the way on the junior level [Music] before we went to commercial break here we [Applause] very go skill called the wolf turn some people i believe nasty it's not her favorite dude i wasn't gonna say anything this time [Applause] you know you have to wonder in a moment like this when especially you're on the balance beam and you're that much ahead of the rest of the field is is she aware of that right does she know that where she stands oh boy hold on gorgeous side ariel there i love one thing in her bio it says i get to be myself and let go of all the troubles i have outside of the gym when i'm in the gym very cool [Applause] uh once again really just trying to go for that stick hard to do when you can't hide the ground so this is that wolf turn many gymnasts will do this two revolutions and even three [Music] and here's that front flipper she struggled a little bit you see look at her heel it was really just hanging on by her toes there [Music] and that dismount once again so she's landing to her back is to the beam so really just tough to spot the landing and you know the thing about that is she really only needed to take one step she took a step back and then she moved the other leg to put it together if she had stopped and moved that first leg forward again would have been only one tenth off for that landing head over to the 17 year old from ohio tori vetter [Music] [Music] nice job very clean i love to run you know she uh some athletes just don't always get the speed that they can generate that was good just saw that effort on beam for amari celestine nine three seven five and now on beam in fourth after the second rotation so right in the thick of things 16 year old nikki smith oh no [Applause] good fight though almost almost grabbed the beam which so that was almost somewhat of a veteran move because she knew of course if she would have touched her hands to the beam it would have been an additional deduction but one of the most important qualities i would have to say is fighting for every single skill just like she did there it is so easy to just kind of give up and jump off and that's what coaches teach you all the time even in training if you're a little bit off don't just tell yourself it's just practice or just training because that is gonna stick in your head and when you get to competition that might be the instinct every gymnastics gym you'll hear the coaches fight fight fight it's a critical component great dismount and that's exactly what she did that was a great fight so so let's take a look here so it's a back handspring back layout so watch right here she lifts one leg and you see her hands almost go to reach the beam and and she like really just moves them back very quickly because she doesn't want to have any more deduction than she already did right there she was way off in the air that's amazing she stayed on get the number in a moment for that nine four two five for tory better first of all should take you over to bars and alex theodoro in second after the second rotation great handstand another one to a release very nicely done another beautiful one wow yeah watch this one though awesome [Music] puts this to her feet this should get a very very good score tell me where the deductions are wow they'll find something but actually most likely they will but that that was one of the cleanest bar routines we've seen all day i think we had we i believe like a nine eight two five at one point in time but that was that was pretty error-free yeah leah smith had the top number over there who's the overall leader at least for the moment so here's that release move that we see right there and then it's the handstands just right on top of the bar perfect position another one right there and this one's hard bam really good so what what what are you giving this nacia i don't know i feel like the judges kind of have been a little all over yeah a little bit a little tight at times but definitely above a 9-5 i would have to say i hope so he's thinking territory i am actually you know if we've seen a 9825 like like we said nikki smith who was 10th in the all-around in milwaukee in the lucan cup last year 9425 the number yeah come on let's go wait for that number for theodoro take you over to maria linker 15th after the second rotation the 18 year old from odessa florida very nicely done once again that more difficult vault so your chanco one and a half twist a blind landing as as we've seen on the balance beam a lot harder to stick but also a higher starting value huh yeah huh yeah i'm wrong again look at that nine six two five basically the judges averaged you know both of us you're right they heard you so in eighteenth after the second rotation the 15 year old from san diego chloe corsier great lines wow just goes to a perfect point her toes really just seems like the whole entire routine every element flows so effortlessly great another great bar routine you know there's something to be said about someone setting the tone for you know the beginning of that rotation doesn't always happen but you'd like to think that you know one hit routine after another the energy's there that was pretty good right i mean beautiful 15 years of age born in salt lake city now training in san diego coastal gymnastics academy there [Applause] maria linker that first vault we saw 9.6 the number soon and now to floor in 10th after the second rotation kylie cohen 16 years of age from fort worth texas i'll tell you when you consider what this year has been the athletes look fantastic honestly you know there have been so many struggles for everybody in their lives but many athletes locked out of their gyms for months at a time when they are used to never even taking a day off so it's very impressive to see [Music] so [Music] oh boy i believe her foot stepped onto the white which will be a tenth of a point i did not see a flag raised though [Music] [Music] [Music] wow wow wow wow that was unbelievable fantastic tumbling and just so playful choreography and done so well that is the full package right there one two three four wow because they got a while for me too okay i'll put one in there too then that was that was great you know mike as of right now was probably one of my favorite routines of the entire competition yeah pike's fallen at the beginning and and you know really some athletes when you when you tumble that hard you kind of hold back on the choreography not her very difficult laid out front and this is really the only place right there though she might have just got lucky the line judge maybe didn't see it we'll have to see when the scores come up and here's that last swimming pass a whip to a two and a half just tim i think i don't have anything else to say because it was just spectacular of course he a 9.8 on uneven bars how about that number we roll on from indianapolis we welcome you back inside the indiana convention center here and the nasty lucan cup continues terry gannon back with the olympic champs nasty lucan and tim daggett i get the sense from your commentary your excitement this is even better than expected especially this season with what they've dealt with oh my gosh absolutely i mean a tough year all around but that floor routine for me that we just saw might have been the highlight yeah but for me it's all about all of the routines every gymnast we're seeing i am shocked at how well they have dealt with this pandemic they're missing the training they look fantastic way better than i thought they would think about being out of competition for this long i know they had to qualify for this but this is a whole different level and not only the training and all the obstacles there but also lack of competition very good as we head to the fourth rotation here in indianapolis [Music] more rotation to go here at the 2021 nastia lucan cup leah smith still with the lead but how about this guys it's gotten tighter 10th of a point over alex theodoro and lilly hudson is in third this is all it always happens every year down to the wire what was it six tenths of a point right it was yes so she gained a whole half of a point and here's the leader in the junior division alicia zoe the 13 year old from san antonio but it is tight on the junior side as well only a tenth of a point separating her from second place [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] very nice i i love her her demeanor it seems once again we said it when she was on beam but it just looks so calm taking care of business go out there do your job she's here she's on a mission not even really out of breath right now difficult first tumbling run a front handspring into a laid out somersault with two complete twists around and here's that last tumbling pass one and a half to a front layout hop on the landing so you know as we keep mentioning though every tenth matters those landings looking at the results in the last few years really always coming down so close december 8 2007 for birthdays did it make you feel old that was a big number that was a big number so work to do for mackenzie estep the 14 year old now from washington [Music] [Music] so good fight there [Music] so you know great routine just every single landing almost seemed a little unsure of herself needed to trust those landings a little bit more yes absolutely i would say so first tumbling pass was great nice height [Music] double somersault she'll do it in what's called a piked position so her legs are straight and her hips are bent big step back but it's only one step so pretty good this next tumbling pass is where she struggled just a little bit so almost she was too high on that first skill and immediately had to go into that front layout but as you mentioned him really great fight and here's that closing tumbling pass double back and you see her chest is just a little bit too low there hops back so 9.325 needed about nine eight and change to catch alicia's zone from a family of athletes as we go from floor over to beam right now cj kaneki the 14 year old from denver underway in second position after three events just a tenth of a point back [Music] oh big fight there loved the positions in the air though just [Music] [Applause] you know i have to say though all across the board i've just really loved seeing all of these athletes out there whether they have a small mistake or they're almost off the event every single person is fighting to stay on the beam or get that landing or you know whatever it is it's just so nice to see and i know we've talked about it really all afternoon but in a year like this one they have just been out of training for so long so many of them it's it's so it's so mental right you know physically of course that was that was tough for them being out of the gym but mentally it's really hard to get your mind back into that competition second appearance at the nasty looking cup for cj it's 2019 in greensboro she was last at this event this tumbling sequence is gorgeous in the air but it's not just beautiful it's gritty right here no way am i coming off that beam great stuff you know the other thing we talked about was being different and unique and right here the dismount of side aerial into a back layout with a full twist don't think we've seen that here today yet but we've seen this element the side area of course down in the middle of the beam but immediately into that dismount so nine three seven five for cj kaneki [Music] [Applause] just really gave away a lot on that flip-flop step out layout step out [Applause] good race in both the junior and senior divisions here for the top spots elise is though the leader for the juniors throughout lexie zeiss in fourth after three rotations will be next to go on vault obviously we see this every competition but as an athlete you deal with it the order in which you go and and your favorite apparatus your favorite event it comes down to that fourth rotation you take stock of the leaderboard and you say either i have a great chance or uh oh i got a lot of work to do yeah you absolutely know and you know i think for a lot of athletes ending say on vault it might be the least nerve-wracking uh in my opinion at least depending on the balance beam especially when you are in the lead or you know you have that chance it definitely adds a little bit more pressure there's a recurring theme in your comments so she's taking a look at the number you have to flash the vault that you're going to perform and a lot of gymnasts and many coaches don't know what the number is and that number shows up in the rule book the code of points very silly rule there you see it that's the vault that she's going to perform because it's the judges have to do it on the fly for eight skills in a row on every piece of apparatus but you gotta tell them what you're gonna do right on the thing you're only doing one skill silly antiquated should go away i'll write that down make a suggestion let's tell him he feel tim [Music] oh baby gonna be a big number she knows it and so remember that vault right there doesn't start out of a 10. 10.1 rocks the landing this could be the biggest score of the night potentially it's got to be so we'll get that number in a moment meanwhile nikki smith in fifth place heading into this final rotation on floor [Music] [Music] [Music] do [Music] so [Applause] great routine good energy great tumbling so check that number but we saw lexi zeiss with a terrific effort on vault 9.7 what do you think oh god yeah i don't get that at all come on judges it's a first place for the moment but remember leah smith still to go here in the final rotation she'll be on the floor so we come right down to the wire here in both the senior and junior divisions of the nasty lucan cup in indianapolis just saw nikki smith on floor 9.725 so that gets her up into second place it's lexie zeiss who still leads the way but leah smith still to come who's led throughout alex theodoro in second after that third rotation just about ready on balance beat you're a nightmare [Laughter] was this like because every gymnast has nightmares yeah yeah competing it wasn't being for you no it was bars you know bars yeah exactly bars was always my strongest event so i knew that i want any chance yeah absolutely sorry for categorically saying it was your best event but i thought it was thank you wait beam no bars oh yeah you're great i'm being too oh thank you you're pretty good everywhere from what i remember she would but we're six feet apart you know so it's all right here we go very nice [Applause] very interesting illusion turn really cool some a lot of variety in this competition when you see that illusion what does it remind you of [Music] chelsea chelsea absolutely who is making a comeback on the way oh i'll give her that for a stick right that same combination we saw earlier that side aerial to a back with a pull what a great day for her she would need 9.53 to take the lead you know i think actually i'm not i'm not even going to think or bet on the judges now but i was going to say i think that is certainly possible for her in this [Music] routine so this is really cool it's called an illusion turn and chelsea memo on the instagram been checking it out and does some cool combinations with that as well oh god love that right there i don't even know what you call that you know toss i guess i guess yeah right position and i was just about to say it's really tough to also keep your your knees straight all the way around and here's another one of those dismounts the side aerial back full tim you said you you would give her that stick yeah it's um mr mr uh there you go 9.625 how about that so alex theodoro into first place right now ahead of lexi zeiss and nikki smith and by the way i think daggett's becoming the social media maven tick-tock we got all of that stuff what have i had to do quarantine has done so lily hudson said where she was after that third rotation the 18 year old from you design the leotards right nastya i do very cool i like the on the back is that that's new right the nastier cup on the back there's trying to do something a little different every [Music] year [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so senior in high school heading to the university of alabama dreaming about winning a national championship there emily hudson gonna be decided on floor guys because the last athlete up there leah smith great stuff absolutely so she's got an extra mat in there but that's allowed combination tumbling run laid out front and then a layout with two twists and you call that a perfect landing tim's getting different words now for uh sticks and here's that final tumbling pass double back so again looking for where her chest and shoulders are on the landing a step back but you know again talking to them earlier today it was it was it was hard listening to some of them because of course it being their senior year in high school not exactly they the last year of their you know high school life that they were expecting or ever even thinking that would ever happen but at least they were able to end it here feel that way even for non-athletes you can't get those years back it's sad hudson by the way into second place miranda smith in 17th going into the final rotation ready now [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so so [Music] so well that had some amazing tumbling in it grateful in at the start just really tough stuff that whipped a triple twist you know once again as we were talking about taking that risk on the balance beam she did that right here the triple twist probably not quite all the way rotated around chest low but again going for it [Music] so we'll get her number in a moment but it does come down to leah smith who has been leading pretty much throughout started great and had the lead right now 9.525 from the lead i don't know maybe hanging out with the greatest gymnasts in the world might help might be rubbing off a little bit here comes down to this for the win oh my hmm [Music] wow [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] wow the judges and i have not been on the same page today but i can't imagine if that is not enough for her to grab a nausea luken cup title what do you think i don't even know what to say at this point i'm with you but i would have to agree in my books that routine was enough to win the title oh my god and remember the number 9.525 is what she would need which is is extremely doable she's scored much higher than that many many many times in her career it was sky high tumbling beautiful lines just a tremendous routine alex theodoro is the leader right now ahead by 9.525 but if she were to get that number leah she would win because she would break the tiebreaker there it is 9.775 yes they got that one right finally [Laughter] so congratulations to leah congratulations to the judges talia smith who wins the nastia lucan cup here in indianapolis back to wrap things up in a moment [Music] so it did come down to the wire here as it normally does in the nasty looking cup it's leah smith who is the champ here in 2021 alex theodora was sensational lily hudson as well rounding out the top three and lexy zeiss that effort on fault and that final rotation was great but leah smith guys you come in you win and she joins us right now and leah congratulations with the year that we've had with the restrictions on training competition everything else what do you take away from this win here in indianapolis working out the audio right now having some problems with that but guys before we uh work that out i'll ask you um how impressive was what we just saw here oh it was fantastic unbelievable uh from a tremendous amount of athletes after this year this crazy year it has been you know we just saw wonderful gymnastics from start to finish and it always comes down to so close always but you know what i i'm just so proud of all these athletes and i know that from start to finish that's all we talked about right was the year that we've all had but really for all of these athletes going through this just like everybody else in the world but to come out here on the competition floor and perform like they did under pressure under the bright lights and in my opinion they were just all spectacular terrific and i believe we have the audio issues worked out leah can you hear us now is it on now yeah there we go we can hear you hey i just want to ask you and and tim and nasi just talked about how impressive that win was especially given the year we've had the restrictions on training everything else what do you take away from this victory here well i believe we're over two at this point audio wise frustrated so i so badly wanted to ask her what it's like to train in the same gym of i know the goat you know so i don't know if she's hearing that maybe she can come over and tell us at the end of the meet that's got to to factor into it though going to work every day in training alongside simone biles how about alicia zoe and how impressive she was too and how young she is to come here and win the junior division title oh absolutely and you know i know they're obviously two different categories the juniors and the seniors but the routines are all the same essentially right they're all competing out there doing the same um events under the same scoring system and everything so really to win the juniors and my books is just as impressive as winning the seniors and uh just what a great competition and made it look like just going to work and this is what i do i win championships absolutely so leah smith the winner of the senior division alicia zoe the winner of the junior level by the way the winter cup continues the men's competition later tonight on nbc senate tomorrow olympic champ lori hernandez in action returning to action after more than four years away women's event starts at 12 30 eastern on nbc for nasty lieutenant tim daggett and our entire nbc sports crew i'm terry again insane so long from indianapolis and the lucan cup

Channel: #1 Gym Fan

Views: 107,246

Keywords: 2021 Liukin Cup 1080p 8238K

Id: GJccBten9YY

Length: 112min 21sec (6741 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 27 2021