Entries Tagged 'ethics' ↓

Why condition and diet?

Instead use Fotoshop by Adobé.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

(via Kottke)

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A small welcoming party of family and friends greeted gymnast Lim Heem Wei at Changi Airport last night on her return from London, where the 22-year-old carved her name in the Republic’s sporting annals.

Competing at the Visa International Gymnastics this week, a test event and final qualifier for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lim clinched one of the spots for the top 30 individual finishers from countries that have not already qualified for the Games.

This meant that Lim became the first gymnast from Singapore to qualify for the Olympic Games and only one of two from South-east Asia who have confirmed their places in London. …

Today Online

I’m happy for Lim Heem Wei and Singapore, but be aware that London — under the new selection criteria — will be a much weaker field of athletes than was Beijing. Let’s (after the fact) do a statistical comparison of the range in scores from lowest to highest between a number of Olympics, including London.

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OK — it’s confusing.

For this cycle those teams finishing 13th-16th qualify one “placement” for their nation.

For example, Jackson Payne from Canada was highest AA. But Canada can send anyone they wish to fill that spot.

Nations finishing below 17th must earn “personal” spots by competing in the AA in either Tokyo or London. Netherlands, for example, can send either Epke Zonderland or Jeffrey Wammes, but not Yuri van Gelder.

Here’s the official list of MAG qualifiers posted on IG.

Chatting with Kyle Shewfelt, I agreed with him that “fairer” would be something like the old system:

Teams 13-16 get 2 “spots”
Teams 17-20 get 1 “spot”

… after that selection could be by individual, though I’d really like to see apparatus specialists have a chance to get in too.

Brainstorming here … Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion on the issue of system of Olympic qualification.

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The FIG Executive Committee has unanimously decided to allow one additional place for Trampoline Women, Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual and Rhythmic Gymnastics Group to participate at the 2nd Olympic qualification held in London these days.

The reason for this decision is …

read on FIG – FIG Executive Committee unanimously allows additional places for 2nd Olympic Qualification

President Bruno Grandi (ITA) said: “I am happy that we were able to correct this situation and allow for additional countries to participate in the spirit of fairness in sport.”

OK — maybe there are good reasons to break your selection criteria, maybe not.

But if an organization breaks one rule — midstream — in their selection process, why not break more?

Another example is the case of Berki. FIG has confirmed that he has qualified to the London Olympics based on performance in Tokyo. Everyone who’s read the rules disagrees.

Berki should qualify to the Olympics — he’s World Champion — but didn’t based on the unnecessarily complex selection process.

Grandi keeps talking about simplifying rules, making them more transparent, yet the exact opposite seems to keep happening.

… another issue: Should FIG Executive be over-ruling Technical Committees?

Seems to me that the elected President and Executive have most of the power in FIG. The TCs and FIG Staff, very little.

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Former Dutch gymnast Verona van de Leur seems to be promoting a new career in the porn industry.

She posted 4 teaser videos on the Kanaal van veronavdleur YouTube channel over the past 2 months.

Here’s her most popular video. That’s definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK or GYM.

She was jailed earlier this year. A sad story.

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Best way to follow what’s happening LIVE is via Twitter – search #FIGTest12.

THE ALL AROUND has a good summary of what’s at stake – Last Exit to London.

All is well aside from this issue:

Berki as qualified to the Games despite the evidence pointing to the fact that he clearly missed the 85% rule. The FIG has been unable to produce the mathematical breakdown and proof of Berki’s qualification despite a number of media requests.

I actually want Berki to compete in Pommels at the London Olympics. It was a mistake confusing the selection process with additional requirements of specialists.

I fly to London today.

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Many are raving about this fascinating interview with her folks, former gymnasts Vera Kolesnikova and Aleksandr Komov:

VK: — She cries because of you journalists!

“Another interview? How many can there be! What do they need from me?!”

After Vika had to speak in front of the president of the country, and she couldn’t do it, she became afraid of public speaking. They asked her to speak at the recent Olympians’ ball dedicated to the Russian Olympic Committee’s 100-year anniversary. You can’t even imagine what she was like the day before!

“Why me? There are people older than me!”

I calmed her down as much as I could …

Lucky she isn’t appearing on Ellen today. That’s pressure.

SHE HATES…

VK: — injustice! For example, when she takes the heat for someone else. Well, sometimes that happens, they dress everyone down without figuring out whose fault it is.

AK: — Lies. She never lies herself. And she tells the truth even when she knows that will get her in trouble.

Wow. This is a real insight into how the family is dealing with the pressure of being an Olympic favourite.

read more – No lies. Sovetskiy Sport Talks With Viktoria Komova’s parents (English translation)
04.01.2012

That’s on the russiangymnasts.net official Komova website, not the viktoriakomova.ru official Komova website.

Has she clarified her real Facebook and website?

Team Russia really needs someone to coordinate communication.

via @theallaround

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It’s the Olympic year. A good time to publish a gymnastics book. The more controversial, the better it SHOULD sell.

An unflinchingly honest memoir from Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu that reveals the often dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics as only an insider can—and the secrets she learned about the past that nearly tore apart her family.

At fourteen years old, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastic team, the first and only American women’s team to take gold at the Olympics. Her pixie-like appearance, passion for the sport, and ferocious competitive drive quickly earned her the status of media darling. But behind the fame, the flawless floor routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of challenges and hardships.

From her stubborn father and long-suffering mother, to her acclaimed Svengali-like coach, Bela Karolyi, Off Balance reveals how each of the dominating characters contributed to Moceanu’s rise to the top. Here, Moceanu finally shares the haunting stories of competition, her years of hiding injuries and pain out of fear of retribution from her coaches, and how she hit rock bottom after being publicly scorned by her father.

But medals, murder plots, drugs, and daring escapes aside (all of which figure into Moceanu’s incredible journey), the most unique aspect of her life is the family secret that Moceanu discovers, opening a new and unexpected chapter in her adult life, just as she reclaims the love of the sport that had defined so much of her life.

A multilayered memoir that transcends the world of gymnastics and sport, Off Balance will touch anyone who has ever dared to dream of a better life.

Amazon

Recall 4yrs-ago the dark underbelly of elite gymnastics book was called Chalked Up. I found it opportunist and riddled with errors. Dominique Moceanu gave it a glowing review in International Gymnast magazine.

… But I liked Dominique as a gymnast. And she’s certainly never boring. I’ll read her new book if only to see the murder plots revealed. Just as I read her many other books.

Off Balance strikes me as an ideal title.

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I’d never seen this fake ad before today. It seems to have been a sick hoax with USA Gymnastics and Breyers ice cream the victims.

Leave a comment if you know more.

See offensive image.

(via @TripleTwistBlog)

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I don’t link on this site to every free running video I see. They need to have something unique over and above all the rest I’ve seen.

This 13min edit has plenty of unique and interesting stunts. But it nearly gave me a heart attack. Be warned.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Announcement: Hence forth I’ll no longer link to any edit showing hard landings from extreme height. Or even simple skills on high rooftops where even a minor mistake would mean certain death.

… you have to draw the line somewhere.

(via Jerry Blakley on YouTube)

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guest post by Gerard Atzeni

Ever since the open-ended Code became the systematic gospel for Artistic Gymnastics, controversy has established itself as the undermining malignant for this somewhat forgotten pastime.

Despite the F.I.G.’s attempts to make amends for the proverbial judging debacles made in Athens, various stakeholders have raised concern for the eradication of Artistry within the sport. Although the levels of distress for this subject may vary, it is clear that this issue is no myth. For example, when comparing the finesse of the 1976 Olympic gold medal winner on Floor Exercise, Nikolai Andrianov, to that of Beijing’s gold medalist, Zou Kai, it is evident that a shift in values has occurred.

Men’s Gymnastics has evolved so greatly in the past few decades that it is difficult to comprehend just how far gymnasts will be able to push their bodies in the year/s to come. However, unfortunately for the sport, this rise in difficulty has caused people to believe that it is the fundamental issue which deters athletes from executing skills ‘artistically’. Although this statement is true to some extent, Men’s Floor Exercise seems to be taking all the blame for this notion. For this reason, it will become the primary focus on why exactly spectators believe this deprivation to be factual.
 
In order to successfully evaluate the effectiveness of the current code (applying the elements of Floor Exercise [FX]), it is best to begin at the beginning: the MAG Code of Points. A modern Floor routine has been described by the F.I.G. as being:

 “A Floor Exercise is composed predominantly of acrobatic elements combined with other gymnastic elements such as strength and balance parts, elements of flexibility, handstands, and choreographic combinations all forming an harmonious rhythmic exercise which is performed utilizing the entire Floor Exercise area.” – MAG Code of Points, 2009: Version 6 (Pg. 34)

This is quite a standard definition and leaves room for a lot of interpretation; however, it is clear that the need for a routine to be predominantly acrobatic is, indeed, a priority. This, of course, means that innovative and difficult tumbling passes –both singular and in combination – are mandatory for a routine to be considered admissible by the F.I.G.’s proposed definition.

After seeing the 2011 Tokyo World Championships final on FX, it was clear to me that this focal topic was being satisfied. Surprisingly, it was demonstrated by the top 8 athletes in such a way that proved testament to the current Code’s success. Each man in the final, no matter the country, proved himself and his routine to be virtuously diverse – the variety of skills and combinations shown was absolutely mind-blowing. Of the 8 men, such high difficulty elements as the Kolyvanov, Hypolito, Tamayo, Double twisting double back tuck/lay, Two and a half twisting double back tuck, Arabian Double Pike and the Ri Jong Song [G] were demonstrated in a masterful and aesthetically pleasing manner. This was further reinforced by the breath-taking combinations that the athletes demonstrated (for the record, every man hit his routine).

Click PLAY or watch Uchimura’s Gold medal Floor on YouTube. (200,000+ views)

 
So if this ‘major’ requirement for FX is being reached, why must audiences continue to condemn the system? After reading a tonne of complaints, it seems to me that the most pertinent issue is that modern day Floor routines lack the fluidity of time’s past. I see this assumption to be generally correct because the lack of artistry and innovation that people complain about can be collectively portrayed by the fluidity of a routine.

Although the Code of Points has dedicated an entire element group to encourage gymnasts to be exciting in the ‘quiet’ parts of their routines, it seems that audiences are unsatisfied with how athletes and coaches are utilizing these skills. For this reason, the man’s routine is automatically dubbed by many as ‘unartistic’.

I, for one, reject this opinion as it is far too subjective and intolerant to individual expression. Imagine a male gymnast who has just done 3 amazingly unique and perfect tumbling lines… He then falls into a prone position and does a Fedorchenko (1080 Russian Wende) to finish in front splits. Is the routine really then considered to be unartistic if he were to swing his leg around and kick to a forward roll kneeling scale? I believe that to be an ignorant view point to take because the forward roll is merely a transition and a part of no value. Sure it is unimaginative, but the D and E Scores only provide incentive for the gymnast to execute the major part of the corner move to a standard that is interesting and well executed. The code cannot change entirely for this minute detail, though.
 
In order to conclude, I believe that art can never be effectively encouraged by the Code as it doesn’t have a definition apart from the one that the individual grants it. I love the current system because the rules and element groups involved with FX force athletes to show a diverse skill-base whilst maintaining the aspect of fluidity. It is not horrible that Floor routines are no longer as dramatic as the Soviets made them out to be! Routines like that cannot even exist in modern day society as they are not at all feasible with the new Code of Points… And people tend to forget the reasons that the rules changed: the scores were unfair. If a gymnast does not show that he is brave and willing to take a risk, then he does not deserve to win.

On the same note, though: if a brave gymnast does not show that he can do his skills neatly, he does not deserve to win either. I’m sure everybody can agree with that? Therefore, the Code has essentially captured both sides of the argument and named the aspects the ‘D and E Scores’, respectively. The best gymnast at a competition is always the one who finds a happy medium between the two sides… Kohei being an exception, of course. It is no coincidence that Kohei is as good as he is! He has adapted to the expectations of the Code brilliantly and for that reason he is the world champion. His gymnastics does something that I believe epitomizes everything that I am trying to say: artistry comes from the flair of an individual. Many gymnasts are putting their own spin onto their routines now (i.e. The Uchimura-style Kovacs, the Daniel Purvis rollout, etc.) and that is the only type of artistry that can exist without the gymnasts sacrificing points for execution.

It is for that reason that I believe execution scores are the only genuine indicators of how ‘artistic’ a routine actually is… If a gymnast really wants to do interesting transitions then it is up to him and his coach to do so; the Code needs to accommodate for more than just FX and it is for that reason that the encouragement for simplistic innovation can continue no longer.

My conclusion about execution being the new form of artistry is further enhanced by the remaining 5 apparatus that fall under the category of ‘Artistic Gymnastics’. For example, there is no way that a Vault can be seen as artistic without emphasizing the qualities of a high execution score – it is the only universally-applicable incentive that motivates gymnasts to do skills well. That, in my mind, is what makes ‘flipping’ artistic and, furthermore, proves that FX is still artistic even though it doesn’t capture the drama of the old system. 

Gerard Atzeni

_____ Gerald is posting in response to …

• FIG ruined Men’s Floor
• MAG FX: E, F, G elements

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If you don’t follow American professional football (I don’t) the hubbub over this story will seem surprising.

There’s a viral craze online making fun of a football player named Tim Tebow.

“Tebowing” is a neologism derived from Tebow’s propensity for kneeling and praying. …

… they mimic a pose by Tebow that was caught on camera following the Broncos’ improbable overtime victory over the Dolphins on October 23, 2011 …

Funny? Maybe.

But I don’t like seeing people — even millionaire celebrities — mocked for their religion.

Criticize him for being a bad football player, if you like. That’s OK with me. But religious intolerance is going too far.

I’m going to ignore tebowers from here on in. But if you want to know more, read the WSJ.

(via Gymnast Crossing)

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Andy Thornton has a good one. He asks that you compare this routine at Worlds …

Click PLAY or watch Jessica Lopez on YouTube. (E score = 7.866)

… vs Aly Raisman.(E score = 8.2)

Watch Aly’s Bars on American Gymnast – And the award for the most outrageous judging moment of 2011 goes to…

Aly’s a great gymnast. But should not be competing Bars for team USA at Worlds.

Who was the Head Judge for Bars prelims, by the way?

We need to name names.

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