The Couch Gymnast has an important post called JAPAN ON THE RISE …
She highlights a somewhat unknown super talent from Japan who finished second all-around behind the unbelievable Viktoriya Komova, (who just might be the best gymnast in the world right now).
Natsumi Sasada is like the Japanese Women’s Artistic team, under appreciated and under rated.
The NCAA has officially approved canning the six team NCAA Gymnastics Championship final in favor of a sleeker four team format, which is more TV friendly, The Salt Lake Tribune reported earlier today.
Some, including several prominent NCAA gymnastics coaches, also believe that a four team final will help casual gymnastics fans follow the action better than the Super Six format, which was first implemented in 1993.
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Of course, the new team championship format, which will debut at the 2011 NCAA meet in gymnastics-neutral Cleveland, can’t be called the Final Four (the reason is a copyright issue with the NCAA basketball tournament of the same name.) So the hunt for a catchy new title is on. At the 2009 J.O. Nationals, which followed the yearly NCAA Coaches Conference, a few took to calling it the “Flipping Four” (go ahead and groan).
Under the new rules, 12 teams will still qualify to the NCAA Championships, but only the top four (the top two from each of two sessions) will advance to the team final. …
… Facilities rival the best on land. The 1,380-seat main theater features a thrust stage, and entertainers perform aerial acrobatics. The AquaTheater pool has a hydraulic floor that reaches nearly 18 feet at its lowest depth and underwater cameras. …
I’ve only once had the chance to have a conversation with Marvin, and I was mightily impressed. One of the best coaches in the world, I reckon.
Jen posted a great profile of him on her Full In Full Out blog:
… Sharp began coaching in Oregon in the late eighties at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. In 1988, he was put in the position of Junior Elite Head Coach. From there, he gym-hopped for a few years, finally settling in Indiana in 1994 as the head coach at the Indy School of Gymnastics.
For seven years, he remained head coach and at times, gym manager, of the successful program. But when the program began to crumble and it became clear that an earlier agreement that he would eventually take over ownership of the gym would not come to fruition, Sharp packed up and opened Sharp’s Gymnastics Academy in 2001. He didn’t leave empty handed, however; five coaches and over fifty team members followed him, and the dream was born. …
… While most noted for his success as coach of 2008 Olympic Team Silver Medalist and current National Champion Bridget Sloan, Sharp has coached athletes who have gone on to compete at UCLA, Utah and Alabama, to name a few. A few months after the Olympics, he also welcomed Sloan’s teammate and co-silver medalist from the 2008 Beijing squad, Samantha Peszek, to Sharp’s after her long-time coach moved home to China.
On a separate but related note, Sharp also fancies himself a gymnastics photographer, a little known but very cool fact. You can see his work here.
IRANIAN junior gymnasts will be competing in both Artistic and Rhythmic gymnastics competition in Malaysia from Sept 24 to 27.
As you can imagine, it can be a cultural dilemma to have female athletes from Islamic countries wear the required leotards.
In fact, some Iranian female athletes have fled the country in order to further their sport training. Perhaps that’s only part of the reason they leave. Improving their economic prospects is likely just as important to them.
Retired Maryland gymnastics coach Bob Nelligan recently headed south to the island of Bermuda to take the job as the head coach of Bermuda’s national team. Nelligan retired last spring from Maryland after over 30 years of coaching in College Park. …
For most ethical issues in coaching, I have a strong opinion.
But I don’t know what to think about 18yr-old Caster Semenya, the 800m World Champion in Athletics.
… The young athlete’s coach has already resigned. But at the centre of the storm remains Semenya, a confused teenager with a God-given talent to run, regardless of her plumbing, voice pitch and testosterone levels. After appearing in You magazine all dolled up in sequins and makeup, the runner has entered seclusion and is reportedly in counselling after having her gender identity questioned worldwide. …
The details of her particular story are complicated. There are a number of ethical issues aside from whether or not it is fair for her to race as a woman.
Leave a comment if you have an opinion. I need advice.
The Science of Sport has several articles on this controversy if you want to do some reading.
If Australia is not for you, consider this interesting opportunity:
Cygnus Gymnastics Job Posting – Full-Time Competitive Head Coach
Closing Date: October 31, 2009
Cygnus Gymnastics Training Centre is Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest and fastest growing Gymnastics club, located in the heart of St. John’s, Newfoundland. We are seeking a full-time Head Coach to lead Cygnus into a bright future. If you are a strong leader with demonstrated skills (both on the gym floor and off), and who eats, sleeps and breathes gymnastics, we would love to hear from you.
Cygnus boasts a brand new, state-of-the-art training facility stocked with Spieth Anderson equipment, including a 40’ x 40’ spring floor, in-floor foam pits, in-ground trampoline, and a 40-foot Tumble Trac. As a financially stable non-profit organization, Cygnus is managed by an Executive Director who reports to a volunteer Board of Directors.
Salary will be commensurate with experience, education and certification. Cygnus offers a competitive benefits package, and RRSP options.
Another excellent vid from JAOVideos. (They posted the excellent kip videos recently.)
Spotting essential for beginners.
… As the video says, you have to help the girls when they first start learning it, mostly because they’ll find all sorts of ways to cheat the shapes just to get moving. …
… Sharp began coaching in Oregon in the late eighties at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. In 1988, he was put in the position of Junior Elite Head Coach. From there, he gym-hopped for a few years, finally settling in Indiana in 1994 as the head coach at the Indy School of Gymnastics.
