I was scared for him that time, back in 2006.

Now … terrified

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… On August 26, Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham became the first person in a wheelchair to land a double backflip. …

… I’ve also been working on a front flip. I’m gonna have to say that one’s scarier than the back flip. In the front flip, you’re trying to get around without your head digging into the ground. …

Outside

If Aaron keeps upping the difficulty, he’s going to get badly hurt. That’s obvious.

His crime?

… for failing to comply with the procedures governing the fight against doping. …

FIG – Marian Dragulescu warned

Here’s the official letter from the Disciplinary Commission (PDF)

Nobody believes Marian Dragalescu is a doper. … It’s more that his Federation and the F.I.G. cannot keep track of if he’s retired, or not. … And where he’s living at any given time.

Isn’t that the Federation run by Adrian Stoica?

In the wake of mistake’s from all-around champion Viktoria Komova, China’s Tan Sixin claimed both women’s gold medals Sunday. Tan, the all-around and uneven bars runner-up, was near perfect on balance beam and floor exercise. Tan nailed her acrobatics on beam, including a high two-foot layout to Korbut; switch Yang Bo; front tuck; and a front aerial sheep jump. She took one step to the side on her dismount (ff, ff 2 1/2) to earn 15.550 (6.3/9.25).

Komova appeared tired after victories Thursday in the all-around and on Saturday in the vault and uneven bars. …

read more – Tan Takes Two Golds in Youth Olympics Finals

Let’s start a scandalous rumour …

Tan Sixin is TOO OLD for the “Youth” Olympics. Her age documentation falsified. I read it on the internet, … somewhere …

1) Bronze medal awarded to the 2000 American Women’s Olympic Team

2) Reunion of the 1980 American Olympic Teams MAG and WAG (boycotted)

Blythe Lawrence:

… The press got to meet with members of both the 2000 U.S. women’s Olympic team, who competed in Syndey yet felt like failures, and members of the 1980 men’s and women’s teams, who didn’t compete in Moscow but have recognized that just being selected for the team makes them winners.

The difference, I think, is in age. Twenty years from now, the 2000 Olympians may have a different perspective. …

Gymnastics Examiner

Like the rest on the 1980 team, Ron Galimore never made it to Moscow. The closest he got to Olympic glory was a trip to Washington designed to honor the hundreds of athletes who weren’t allowed to take the trip they really wanted to take. …

Universal – Reunion brings back emotions for 1980 Olympians

Aunt Joyce linked to the fabulous interview with Marcia Frederick, one of the first internationally successful American gymnasts.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

Watch Marcia’s Bar routine in Finals of the 1979 World Championships in Texas.

British Gymnastics:

The 2008 Olympian and 2010 British Champion Hannah Whelan won the All-around competition of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Friendly International GB vs. Romania at Pipers Vale Gymnastics Centre with a total of 55.650pts. Second was Daniela Andrei (ROM), 55.600 and third, Raluca Haidu (ROM), 54.900. …

“We have started our preparation for the World Championships in Rotterdam (NED) in June under the new Head coaches Mariana Bitang and Octavian Belu. We have been invited to come here with 7 gymnasts, but arrived with 5, because some of our strong gymnasts are recovering from injuries and others are not ready to compete as yet,” said the Romanian Head of Delegation Mircea Apolzan.

“In fact, the results are not very important for us! What is important at this moment of our preparation for Rotterdam – is the content of the routines; what are the new elements, which our gymnasts have added to their exercise and how consistent they are”. …

Imogen Cairns dominates the Finals in Ipswich

It must have been very friendly. Despite not competing in the Team meet, Imogen was put directly into Finals.

(via Couch Gymnast)

… By the way, I love Amanda Turner’s coverage for International Gymnast. But the criticism I’ve often heard that her reporting is deceptive is true in case of this post – Romanian Women Top British Hosts

At first glance you would assume that she got the Romanian quotes herself. … She didn’t.

The external link takes you to the home page of British Gymnastics, not where she got the quote.

If old media are going to “blog”, they need to follow ethical blogging conventions. Fairly and clearly attributing where they got the information.

Mail Online:

It’s enough to make any parents grimace as these Chinese children are contorted into the most uncomfortable positions.

Aged between four and seven, the young gymnasts are put through a rigorous stretching routine by their coaches during a training session. …

Read more: Hang in there: How children as young as four are stretched in training to be China’s future gymnasts

I was happy to see coaches doing handstand on a floor bar, rather than flat-handed. This will help prevent overuse injury to the wrists later in the career.

Thanks Jeni.

Wednesday night, the 2000 U.S. Olympic team — Tasha Schwikert, Elise Ray, Kristen Maloney, Dominique Dawes, Jamie Dantzscher, Amy Chow — received in Hartford the bronze medals they had earned in Sydney. …

The U.S. was awarded the bronze in April after a lengthy investigation by the IOC and International Gymnastics Federation concluded that China’s Dong Fangxiao, who was supposedly 17 in 2000, was actually 14. …

Ten years after the fact, the 2000 women’s Olympic team receives their bronze medal

Reaction has been mixed. Many people, including me, are more interested in the consequences of China losing than the USA winning the team medal.

Will this prevent future age falsification?

… Let’s see what happens at the Youth Olympic Games.

Coach Jim Holt (Seattle) sent me a review copy. Jim’s been a friend for decades. I knew I’d enjoy his gymnastics autobiography.

A book of Jim Holt’s memoirs about his two decades striving for the international development of gymnastics. It is an extraordinary saga of inspiring and (often) hilarious efforts to change the world through sport. …

Anyone who knows Jim Holt knows that he does not do what he does for money. He’s in it for love of the sport. Jim’s got the #1 “talent” required of a gymnastics coach: irrational dedication.

I was immediately charmed by the many typos and the conversational tone of the book. Jim Holt is talking to me personally.

He’s a terrific raconteur. Intelligent. Witty. Eloquent. Engaging.

(His many references to literature and classic movies may turn off some younger readers, though.)

Jim’s led Olympic Solidarity coaching courses in 9 nations. I’ve so far led 2 courses and am booked for Saudi Arabia this Fall. His anecdotes and misadventures in Bolivia, Chile, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Yemen and Egypt (amongst others) were the highlights of the book for me.

Read an excerpt – Fun in Bolivia

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any gymnastics buff, especially older coaches who’ve lived through similar personal gymnastics disasters.

Jim’s subtitle is “An Odyssey in International Sport“. Indeed, he’s a hero to me. His accomplishments as a coach are extraordinary considering the obstacles overcome.

The only sour notes are in Chapter 14. Jim’s failed (so far) attempt to be awarded an “FIG Diploma”. … And his too harsh critique of the F.I.G. Academy Program, currently run by the best man at his wedding, Hardy Fink.

Sour grapes?

If you are looking for an exposé of international gymnastics you’ll be disappointed. There are plenty of examples of corruption, petty greed, cronyism, miscommunication and epic inefficiency … but also much love.

Jim Holt even has some good words for Grandi. How about that?

What is Jim doing today?

Chasing impossible dreams, of course. Last time I saw him was at the Canadian National Championships. He’s coaching 2008 Olympian Nashwan al-Harazi from Yemen.

Jim’s bags are packed. If you need an experienced coach, contact him via the official website:

ChasingImpossibleDreams.com ($22.45 USD)

Keep speaking truth to power, Jim!

related post → profile – Jim and Hannah Holt

Chinese officials insist new eligibility rules will end the problem of age falsification in gymnastics.

China were stripped of their women’s team bronze from the 2000 Olympics after Dong Fangxiao was found to be 14 years old – two years too young.

Chinese sports officials promised that tighter checks introduced after the scandal would eradicate the problem.

They say the delegation for next month’s Youth Olympic Games in Singapore have had stringent checks.

“We’ve scrutinised every athlete’s age for the Youth Olympic Games to make sure there is no-one going to Singapore with a fake age,” Cai Zhenhua told Thursday’s China Daily. …

read more on BBC – Chinese confident over age checks for gymnasts

(via Full Twist)

I predict we’ll see many age falsification scandals in multiple sports at the Youth Olympic Games. China will likely not be one of those nations found guilty.

It’s not over for China, however. One day it will be proved that one or more of their competitors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was underage.

And everybody already knows that Yang Yun was also underage in 2000. She admitted it. That controversy will come back to haunt them again, though I expect they’ll be no further IOC sanction for 2000.

Two out of three schools are rewarding all pupils on sports days to ensure that nobody feels left out, according to a survey.

Teachers want to be ‘inclusive’ and give prizes to both winners and losers to stop anyone’s feelings being hurt.

The findings come as the Government has pledged to reintroduce competitive sport into the country’s primary and secondary schools. …

read more in the Daily Mail

Personally I’ve never been conflicted on this issue.

In school, gym and life we should recognize and reward both participation and winning.

The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

At Island Gymnastics Academy Camp, for example, all athletes get the camp t-shirt. A few were singled out for their excellent work that week.

No problem.

Being both a good winner and loser is a lfe skill we can easily teach through sport.