Entries from September 2011 ↓

Always upbeat and eloquent, Anna is posting from Worlds Tokyo.

AnnaLi.us

Albert Minguillón i Colomer has crunched the numbers more exhaustively than anyone else. Here’s his forecast:

The United States is the team to beat according to scores. They finish in first position in any case studied …

THE ALL AROUND – 2011 Worlds Predictions: WAG Team

1.Top 8: direct qualification to the Olympics.
2.Top 16: qualification to the London Test Event as a team, where top four teams will qualify to the Olympics.

Here’s my own prediction of the top 4 teams from prelims (the Olympic qualifying round) without crunching any numbers at all:

USA
China
Romania

Russia

Without Moustafina, I see Russia 4th. The withdrawal of Sandra Izbasa will not hurt Romania, I predict. (Though I’m going to miss her.)

There are more predictions like that from Albert. Jordyn Wieber will win the AA.

McKayla Maroney wins Vault. Komova Bars. Lauren Mitchell Floor & Beam. Details.

Use those predictions as a starting point, especially if you disagree.

On a “roll out” skill on Floor.

It’s hard to watch. But the video is here. (1min 15s)

Long banned in Women’s Artistic gymnastics, we see more of these dangerous skills in 2011 than ever before. They should be devalued in the next Men’s Code of Points.

What do you think?

Would you use a “Sweet Spot” as a hand mat for Vault?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The first shown is the Jr. Sweet Spot. The second, the larger and thicker Sweet Spot.

I’d like to give it a try, inflating the mat tight.

Impressive twister.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (14.750)

Ryohei Kato won the Japanese Jr International Floor final with that routine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thank George Thomas for the link.

I’ve never been much of a fan of trampoline takeoffs for Vault — they encourage too high preflight — but the older boys at Black Hills Gymnastics told me they LOVE their variation.

As Vaulting more and more approaches double-mini, the more we need landing mats like double-mini.

JAO has the best video tutorials on the internet, in my opinion. All free.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Double back hip circle. And one and a half back hip circle are the critical drills.

more like this on the JAOVideos YouTube channel

Black Hills Gymnastics installed a pull rope.

The team at Bluehost did a lot of work to get it back up and running. I will be on Worlds 24/7 Oct 2nd.

Disappointed that none of the Japanese teams performed at Gymnaestrada 2011, I was extremely happy to see this performance before the awards of the Junior Japan International, September 24th in Yokohama

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Incredible talent, synchronicity and showmanship.

That was the highlight of the day’s competition for me.

Nice feature on my favourite for World Champion 2011. And her coach.

… Geddert — who has coached Wieber since she was 8 at Gedderts’ Twistars USA in Dimondale near Lansing — was picked to be the official head coach for the seven-member world team in Japan.

“That was awesome,” Wieber said Thursday during a USA Gymnastics teleconference from Texas.

Geddert said: “I was floored. I thought it would be Mihai (Brestyan) because he has two athletes on the team (Alicia Sacramone and Aly Raisman). I assumed it would be him.” …

DeWitt’s Jordyn Wieber ready, driven for gymnastics world championships