Entries from September 2011 ↓

Couch Gymnast spent some time at MLC Gymnastics in Melbourne, posting an interesting interview. Jeb talks about his visits to WOGA and AOGC and his impressions of VISA Championships.

Interview: High Performance Coach Jeb Silsbury

Juniors in bold.

Andy Thornton’s “Dream Team” if only ability is taken into consideration:

Jordyn Wieber
McKayla Maroney
Alicia Sacramone
Katelyn Ohashi
Kyla Ross
Lexie Priessman

Alternates
Aly Raisman
Mackenzie Caquatto

This is well worth a read – American Gymnast – The Numbers Might Surprise You: The Real USA Dream Team?

One of the many specious reasons for the FIG age requirement is the fear that unethical coaches will push young girls too hard.

But is it ethical to ban Katelyn Ohashi from World Championships when on a good day she’s better than any of the Seniors in Tokyo on that apparatus?

Time ran out.

2011 AUSTRALIAN Mens Artistic World Championships Team
Joshua Jefferis – AIS/QAS
Sam Offord – AIS/SASI
Thomas Pichler – AIS/QAS
Prashanth Sellathurai – AIS/NSWIS
Luke Wadsworth – AIS/VIS
Luke Wiwatowski – AIS/QAS

Travelling Reserve
Sam Simpson – AIS/QAS

Gymnastics Australia

Here’s a story in the Japanese press from before the announcement:

Veteran gymnast Naoya Tsukahara, still awaiting word regarding his plan to change citizenship to represent Australia at the World Championships, headed Down Under on Sept. 7 hoping for some good news.

“I can only pray now,” Tsukahara said recently, while in Japan to take part in the All-Japan Senior Championships for competitors who have finished high school or college. …

read more

Naoya Tsukahara competed 1996, 2000 and 2004 (gold) for Japan. His father, of course, is Mitsuo Tsukahara.

Nastia linked to This Is How Winners Are Made (VIDEO)

I expect that edit will get wide circulation.

I’m not going to embed it here as there’s much I don’t like about it, including several severe injuries. But the message is good — winners are persistent. Everybody falls. Winners are those who get up from a fall one more time than their competition.

Victoria Moyer

I’d thought Elisabeth Seitz replaced the Def with full twisting Maloney. But she’s competing both. HUGE routine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via several people on Facebook including Martina Eggeling)

Entertaining Nabieva competed Amanar and hit Bars at the final Russian trial for Worlds. So she should make their team despite competing only 2 apparatus.

Floor
1. Kristian Thomas 15.750
2. Daniel Purvis 15.500
3. Ruslan Panteleymonov 14.875

Pommel
1. Louis Smith 16.050
2. Max Whitlock 15.200
3. Frank Baines 14.500

Rings
1. Daniel Purvis 15.175
2. Kristian Thomas 14.925
3. Ruslan Panteleymonov 14.850

Vault
1. Ruslan Panteleymonov 15.737
2. Kristian Thomas 15.537
3. Courtney Tulloch 15.212

Parallel Bars
1. Daniel Purvis 15.500
2. Ruslan Panteleymonov 14.775
3. Yevgen Gryshchenko 14.750

High Bar
1. Kristian Thomas 15.600
2. Yevgen Gryshchenko 14.675
3. Frank Baines 14.450

British Gymnastics

Cathy Rigby … helped to popularize the sport in the U.S.

She was U.S. National Gymnastic Champion in 1970 and 1972. Her greatest gymnastics accomplishment was winning a silver medal on the balance beam at the 1970 World Championships, being the first American woman to win a medal …

She also competed on the 1972 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, but was hampered by injury. …

Cathy first appeared as Peter Pan in 1990. She’s back out on the road, age-58.

Washington Times – ‘Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan’ national tour review

She’s in the IG Hall of Fame.

Emily Lennon is one of the top Open gymnasts in Canada. She’s had a healthy rivalry with Jessica Dowling over the past season.

Emily’s not verbally committed to any NCAA school as yet. She graduates High School 2013.

emilylennon.com

My friend Lindsay Gallego, an advertiser, tells me there’s a rush of Canadian clubs registering for their meets in the Sunshine State this year:

Dec. 30-31st ~ New Year’s Invite
Jan 27-29th ~ Sun & Surf Meet
Feb 17-19th ~ Presidential Classic
Mar 2-4th ~ Tim Rand Invite

… It’s as if coaches in the Great White North need to get away from winter snow, dark and cold.

I’m looking to attend the smallest meet – New Year’s, myself. As media — NOT a holiday, you understand.

Netherlands 221.35
Spain 217.30

Two hot teams leading into World Championships. Netherlands is in better shape to claim one of the top 8 team qualification spots in Tokyo, though.

1. Céline van Gerner 56.15 (Netherlands)
2. Marlies Rijken 55.75 (Netherlands)
3. Ana María Izurieta 55.10 (Spain)

results on IG – Dutch Women Top Spain, Belgium at Home

Click PLAY or watch a montage of the Dutch team on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch Celine’s Beam on YouTube.

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Meanwhile, in Penza:

… Viktoria Komova and Emin Garibov earned comfortable victories Saturday at the 7th Dinamo International …

Komova 58.350

Emin Garibov 89.200

results on IG – Russia’s Komova, Garibov Dominate Dinamo Meet

USAG’s Amanda Robinson by email:

… 20,478 gymnasts and fans from more than 100 gymnastics clubs nationwide joined together today to break the world record for most handstands performed simultaneously …

Here are Mary Wright’s kids spelling out the name of their club – Olympus.

… more photos from different clubs

via @Double_Front

1) Purvis 91.500
2) Keatings 90.500
3) Thomas 90.100
4) Whitlock 88.500
5) Firth 86.800

Full Twist – full results and commentary

No bonus point in GBR scoring. Is Daniel Purvis (age 20) the #1 rival for Uchimura in Tokyo?

He can nearly match Kohei in terms of form and artistry. Looking forward to comparing their E scores.

GREAT to see Keatings back from the torn ACL, too.

These kind of numbers put GBR in the fight for the team Bronze at Worlds. USA and Germany have a serious rival here.

Ono updates:

Oh, and none of those top three guys even hit 6 for 6. Keatings and Thomas counted falls.

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…Olympic bronze medalist Louis Smith (Huntingdon) competed three events, scoring 14.90 on pommel horse, 14.30 on still rings and 14.70 on parallel bars. …

IG

Respectable. Louis is on the team, I’ll bet. … Though both Keatings and Max Whitlock scored higher on Pommels.

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GBR WAG defeats Romania in dual. How about that?

Each year, USA Gymnastics celebrates National Gymnastics Day to raise exposure of our sport. Since 2001, gymnastics clubs across the country have raised more than $1.4 million for Children’s Miracle Network. This year, on Sept. 17, 2011, gym clubs across the country will take part in a nationwide handstand world-record attempt to celebrate …

USAG

John Geddert on Facebook:

Twistars USA is hosting a FREE Open House on National Gymnastics Day – Saturday, September 17th, from 12:30pm to 3:30pm at the Summit Location!

At 1pm (Eastern Time) sharp – anyone and everyone who can, will need to have their “feet off the ground” in an attempt at a Guinness World Record! This will be conducted in conjunction with USA Gymnastics and will be recorded.

Will YOU be doing a handstand on the 17th?

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It’s Sports Day in Canada, too. Karen Cockburn, Jason Burnett, and Rosie MacLennan, to celebrate, perform in Toronto.