Tuesday, Feb. 27 Gymnastics update

I'm a college student, so I don't sleep during normal sleeping hours. As a result, your latest gymnastics fix is available earlier today.

Here's a link to my article in Tuesday's Daily detailing the Cyclones performance against Illinois and Northern Illinois on Sunday:

Season-highs spring victory in Illinois

In Thursday's Daily, we're planning to release a massive two-page spread detailing this year's team and educating readers about gymnastics. We're still figuring out a way to present it on the Web site, but I'll keep you posted.

I should probably get to bed now. Like many ISU students, I have to set my alarm to ring earlier so I can allow myself time to get my car unstuck from the parking lot of my apartment building. I'm 98 percent positive the car became stuck in the snow again when I parked tonight for about the seventh time in two days.

Thanks for reading,
Cody Saveraid

Rail Jam 2007

Completely unrelated to gymnastics, Rail Jam 2007 was held on Saturday on a Welch Ave. in Ames. Primarily known as a weekend hotspot for students due to the many bars that line the street, Welch became a snowboarder's paradise on this night. Temporary fencing lined the street as snowboarders and skiers shredded down the road, jumping man-made ramps and performing tricks to varying levels of success while a crowd numbering a few hundred cheered them on.

On a night where most Ames residents saw their weekend plans change due to the massive snowstorm/icestorm, Rail Jam was the perfect distraction.

Below is a link to a photo slideshow of the event featuring the work of many of the Daily's talented photographers. Be aware that the slideshow is accompanied to music, so don't be alarmed if your speakers starting making a ruckus. Take a gander and enjoy.

Rail Jam 2007

Thanks for reading,
Cody Saveraid.

Monday Feb. 26 Gymnastics Update

Hi gang,

Here's a link to a brief I wrote in today's Daily about the Cyclones season-high performance against Illinois and Northern Illinois on Sunday. I'll have a full article on the site on Tuesday, so make sure to check back tomorrow.

Gymnasts achieve season-high scores in victories over Illinois, Northern Illinois

Here's the Cyclones.com release about the meet:
Cyclones Knock Off Illinois and NIU

From 194.425 to 196.425...what a difference a week makes. I spoke to the team by phone as they traveled back home last night, and needless to say, they were very happy with how they performed. I'll have to do more research to confirm this, but the 49.375 on bars is not just a season-high, it might even be a school record. It's the highest bars score in the past few years.

Thanks for reading. I'll post again on Tuesday.

Thanks,
Cody Saveraid

Friday Feb. 23 update

Hi folks,

Here's a link to the latest ISU gymnastics article I wrote for Friday's Daily:

Gymnasts confident floor mishaps fixed heading into Illinois

Toward the bottom of the story, head coach Jay Ronayne does a nice job of explaining how regional qualifying scores (RQS) are determined.

One other reminder - I won't be traveling to the meet this weekend, so I apologize that readers won't be able to follow live coverage on this blog. As usual, you can follow the meet through live stats on Cyclones.com (link to the right of the page).

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that the predicted snowstorm doesn't actually hit us here in Iowa. If any of you are in the Ottumwa area Saturday night, 3XWrestling, Iowa's local independent pro wrestling promotion, will be holding its "Gold Rush" event at the National Guard Armory in Ottumwa. The card is stacked with potentially great matches, so I encourage you to check out the show. Tickets are only $10 at the door. For more information, visit 3XWrestling.com.

Thanks for reading,
Cody

Hey - you can actually comment now!

So, after encouraging readers to leave comments for the past month, I discovered today that my blog was set up so that only those of you with a Google account could leave a comment. I have now fixed the blog so that anyone can leave comments, so hopefully you all will go wild posting your own opinions.

As usual, I will have an article in Friday's Daily previewing Iowa State's gymnastics meet in Illinois against Illinois and Northern Illinois. I apologize beforehand that I will not be able to make the trek to Illinois this weekend, so I will not be able to provide live coverage of the meet. For live stats, click on the cyclones.com link to the right of the page.

I'll update again soon,
Cody Saveraid

Monday morning update - Oklahoma-Iowa State recaps

Good morning folks (well, I guess I just missed morning)

Here's two articles recapping Friday's Iowa State-Oklahoma meet in today's Daily. One details Iowa State's struggles on beam and floor exercise and the other details K.J Kindler and Lou Ball's return to Ames.

Cyclones start stong, falter in late stages versus Oklahoma

Former coaches first trip to Hilton ends in victory

It should be noted that the stories had to be sent to press before the latest rankings were released late last night. Iowa State is still holding the No. 10 spot, while Oklahoma moved up to No. 7.

Hope you enjoy the articles,
Cody Saveraid

Iowa State-Oklahoma - Final Rotation

Floor (Fourth Rotation) - 48.000 - ISU's lowest floor score of the year.
1. Megan Barnes - 9.750 - Fantastic start on floor and the score should be higher. The Sooner's first beam performer fell, possibly giving the Cyclones an opening. One more OU fall and it's a whole new ballgame.
2. Nikki Dilbert - 9.250 - Her final passed look rough, but she stayed with it admirably, even if it ended in a slow back handspring. Everything leading up to the final pass looked great.
3. Melanie Tham - 9.175 - She fell on her butt when landing her final pass. Much like Dilbert's routine, everything looked great leading up to the final pass, but her fall probably helped seal a win for Oklahoma.
4. Jasmine Thompson - 9.825 - Excellent routine, probably her best of the year.
5. Katie Sweetin - 9.250 - Read the Dilbert/Tham descriptions above. The exact same thing happened, which is unfortunate because this was shaping up to be Sweetin's best floor of the year.
6. Janet Anson - 9.925 - This was incredible. She's truly one of the best in the country, even if she gives me the occasional PR answer when I interview her.

Oklahoma earned a 49.250 on beam to finish the meet. Kiara Redmond posting a 9.050 to begin beam didn't help things for the Sooners, but the rest of the team responded. Iowa State responded in kind with their own chants when OU was on beam, so it all evened out.

Final score: Oklahoma - 196.250
Iowa State - 194.425

Thanks for joining me and look for my article in Monday's Daily,
Cody Saveraid