This was sent out by Diane Callison of Texas USA Gymnastics. This only affects our state, please read it as it has potential to HUGELY impact our sport of choice. Cliffnotes: a senator is getting a bill voted on soon that would require facilities where kids train more than 10 hours a week to be child care licensed. All the ways that would impact gyms, coaches, athletes, and parents are listed below …
Texas Senate and House Bills that will affect the Sport Of Gymnastics
Some of you are aware that we have proposed bills in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives that will affect our future in the sport of gymnastics.
All of these bills are posted on txusag.com and on the Texas legislative websites.
Senate Bill 68 overview: If you have children who train 10 hours or more a week in your facility – you will be required to be child care licensed by the state of Texas. This licensing will require your facility to meet all the minimum standards set by child care licensing (most gyms will not be able to meet these requirements which will include bathroom sink/toilet ratios in compliance with child care standards, out door playground, Child Care certification of workers and director, sprinkler systems that not only meet building code but also meet child care standards and climbing structures with safety fall zones). Uneven bars would be considered a climbing structure and would not pass child care regulations. This bill passed the Senate Sub Committee unanimously yesterday. …
Obviously this legislation is idiotic.
It reminds me of the time the Fire Inspector told us to put a fence around the foam pit so kids would not “fall in”.
If you are from Texas, click through to see what you can do to protest this insanity:
West Des Moines gymnast and television star Shawn Johnson remains shaken by the arrest of a deranged fan who came to the set of “Dancing With the Stars†with loaded weapons in an attempt to find the Olympic gold medalist.
Details of a restraining order granted today in California outlined the arrest of Robert O’Ryan.
Documents allege O’Ryan, 34, jumped a fence Monday in an attempt to locate Johnson. A search of O’Ryan’s car revealed two loaded guns, duct tape, zip ties and the 17-year-old Johnson is “in fear of her life,†according to court records.
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Ryan was arrested Tuesday by Los Angeles police.
Court records indicated both guns in O’Ryan’s car were loaded. Duct tape and love letters also were in the car and Johnson’s mother, Teri, said police told her O’Ryan believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter.
Documents also alleged O’Ryan “believes that she speaks to him personally through the television set and through ESP.”
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In the brief interview with WHO, Shawn Johnson search for a bit of humor in the fact that she now employs a bodyguard.
“I have a new big brother who goes everywhere with me,†Johnson joked. “He weighs about 400 pounds.†…
Now a former world rhythmic champion, Irina Gabashvili, dies at age-48. Both had been fighting Cancer.
From USA Gymnastics:
Irina Gabashvili of Tigard, Ore., a former world rhythmic gymnastics champion who has coached in the United States since 2000, died today at age 48 after a five-year battle with cancer. …
Gabashvili won the world title for ball at the 1979 World Championships in London, England. After joining the Soviet National Team at 16 years old, she competed for the former Soviet Union for seven years. A graduate of Georgia State University in the former Soviet Union, she immigrated to the United States in 2000 after a seven-year stint as the head of the Malaysian Rhythmic National Team. She was a coach at Westside Gymnastics Academy in Portland, Ore., where she worked with Danielle Lord who was a member of the 2001 U.S. World Championships Team. In addition to coaching, Gabashvili was a rhythmic gymnastics judge. She recently became involved with aesthetic gymnastics and her team medaled at the 2008 World Aesthetic Championships in Spain. Gabashvili, who was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, is survived by her husband and sister.
He won gold medals with the Japanese team in three Olympics, in 1960, 1964 and 1968. At the the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo he also received two individual gold medals, in parallel bars, and in individual all-around.
The FIG is saddened to announce the death of Olympic and World Champion in Artistic Gymnastics Yukio Endo (JPN). The great Japanese gymnast of the 1960s passed away today at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer.
An update to the Women’s NCAA Gymnastics Season-ending injury list kept by CalicoIzzy on College Gymnastics Board:
Achilles Injuries:
Natasha Kelley, Oklahoma
Kareen Kaveh, Auburn
Maria Scaffidi, Nebraska
Brittany Howse, Cornell
Kara Pinjuv, Iowa
Angela Walker, Minn
Amanda Castillo, Florida
… Courtney Hawkins of Centenary College tore her Achilles a couple of weeks ago during a meet. She was doing so well this year! …
… Florida lost the services of junior All-American Amanda Castillo, the two-time defending SEC floor exercise champion, with a partial tear of her left Achilles tendon …
Like Shawn Johnson, her American teammate and all-around medal rival, Liukin was offered, according to her agent Evan Morgenstein, a chance to appear on “Dancing With the Stars,” which begins tonight. Johnson is on the show. Liukin is not.
For Liukin, 19, her goals for now remain gymnastics oriented. Her tentative plans are to qualify for the U.S. national championships in Dallas this summer and likely for the world championships in London next fall.
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Liukin said she considered the opportunity to be on “Dancing With the Stars” but realized that if she did the show now there would not be the chance to compete in the major gymnastics meets of 2009.
Artistic Gymnastics Individual Championships
Milan, Italy
March 31 to April 5, 2009
No team competition.
The roster of 150 male gymnasts and 87 female gymnasts includes 2008 Olympic medalists Jordan Jovtchev (Bulgaria), Thomas Bouhail and Benoît Caranobe (France), Fabian Hambüchen (Germany), Louis Smith (Great Britain), Sandra Izbasa (Romania), Anton Golotsutskov (Russia) and Alexander Vorobyov (Ukraine).
Noticably absent, however, are the reigning all-around champions from the 2007 Europeans in Amsterdam. Italy’s own Vanessa Ferrari and Russia’s Maxim Devyatovsky will be unable to defend their titles after not making their country’s respective lineups.
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The 2009 European Championships kick off April 1 with the opening ceremonies. Qualification will be held April 2 (women) and April 3 (men). Finals will be April 4 (all-around) and April 5 (apparatus).
Julia Zimmerman of MIT is NCAA Division 3 all-around champion.
In a magnificent ending to a remarkable collegiate career, senior star gymnast Julia Zimmerman won the all-round competition for the second time in three years at the prestigious National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championshiphosted by Hamline University this past weekend. Zimmerman, who also won the crown in 2007, is just the second woman in 25 years to twice win the NCGA all-around title.
On Friday, she scored a 38.275 among the four events, registering a 9.600 on the vault, a 9.450 on the bars, a 9.625 on the beam, and a 9.600 on the floor. With the top 14 competitors in each event advancing to the individual event finals on Saturday, Zimmerman also won the vault championship, scoring a 9.775 …
