San Antonio Qualifiers

San Antonio, Texas had some exciting people like Daniel Gil, Thomas Stillings, Kacy Catanzaro, Karsten Williams, and Nicholas Coolridge. I figured Kacy would make it into the Finals based on the new women rule. It seemed that there weren't as many women competing in SA as there were in L.A., or at least the women competing did not go as far. I think that for the Vegas Finals, the top two women will be Barclay and Kacy. Barclay actually managed to crack the official top 30. I think Kacy could have gone farther. She went out on the fourth obstacle, the ring one, and it really wasn't her fault. On the last jump, her ring got caught up on the very edge, she couldn't recover, and she fell as a result. If she hadn't missed that jump, I think she could have gone farther. She definitely could have made the warped wall, but I'm not totally sure if she could have passed the Pipe Fitter. I am sure she has the strength, but she looked a little taxed on the rings. It took her awhile to steady her body which took a lot of strength out of her. So, I think Kacy will make it to Vegas. I think the farthest she has gone in Vegas is the Spider Jump, and I'm sure she has strength to do well, but her height is a disadvantage. I know shorter people can still do really well, but looking at the facts, height helps, and at 5'0", some of the obstacles are a little challenging for shorter people. The last time she made it to the Jumping Spider, she almost stuck it; she was just a little too far out. It'll be interesting to see how she does this season. I honestly hope she does well.

Daniel Gil and Thomas Stillings. What can I say about them. 1:43 and 1:45. Thomas definitely could have had the fastest time if he hadn't stalled and waved to the family. He is a great runner, and when he went, he earned the fastest time, but, of course, they put him during commercial break. Gil they would never skip, ever, because they love him. Obviously, for good reason because he is amazing. When he was talking about his new wife, he was so so sweet and sincere. Gil seems like such a great guy, very nice, genuine, and laid-back. Stillings and Gil usually have a bit of a rivalry with their times, but that wasn't mentioned this week. I'm sure it was still there, but they did put Stillings on a commercial break, so they weren't emphasizing him too much. Gil obviously earned the Pom Wonderful Run of the Night. I find that they usually save these for the veterans, and not only veterans, but the fastest times. Which makes sense, I guess, but speed doesn't necessarily mean health. Some people, like Gil, are naturally set at a faster pace, and though he is really healthy and clean, maybe they should give the Run of the Night to someone else. Gil is already in the spotlight all the time, and it was a great run, but I think giving it to someone else would be great. Trust me, I love Daniel Gil; it is always fun watching him, and he is easily one of my favorite ninjas on the show.


Lastly, I have to touch on Coolridge. He is a phenomenal competitor. He is right up there with the best. I mean, his first year, he was the only one to finish his City Finals, and he made it to Stage 2 last year. Yet, again, his run was just a "while you were away" run. As Qualifiers, it's not as big a deal, but if they skip him in Finals and replace his run with some bio on a gym owner, that will suck. I really want to see him run, and I really want to see him get some recognition.

I really can't wait for the rest of the cities and seeing all them compete.