Our results page is now being updated. Thanks Stu.
On Day 1 only Women’s Artistic FIG Junior and Senior women competed. You’ll find full results via the link above.
Though Blythe Lawrence had to miss the Canadian Championships this year, she still posted the best overview of WAG FIG prelims I’ve seen:
… Night one was a boon for (Ellie) Black, who in spite of her World Cup medals is still a newcomer, as well as Savona, who has been out to prove that she can be as competitive post-ACL operation as she was early last year. Savona posted the third-best scores of the day on vault and floor, her best events. That could be significant later on. …
… Canada, like many of the former British Commonwealth countries, has so many exceptionally talented, Olympics-worthy gymnasts this quad that it’s impossible to predict a five-person Olympic team even given these results. …
LIVE video streaming seems to have worked for some viewers on some apparatus. But we don’t have many routine videos online as yet. Here’s one, future Georgia Bulldog Anysia Unick.
Sr FIG women are first up at 3:30pm. Followed by Jr FIG women at 6:30pm. The PLAN is to LIVE VIDEO STREAM every routine from our VIDEO page. You choose the discipline and apparatus you want to watch. Of course it only streams while the competition is in progress.
NCAA Coaches will be welcomed with a VIP credential. And be given start lists.
A fan wishing Peng a speedy recovery from her knee injury suffered yesterday posted this montage of her and Victoria Moors.
When the heading coaching position at the University of Georgia became available, KJ Kindler’s named buzzed around the gymnastics world as the ideal choice to fill the role. While Kindler turned the position down, the episode has certainly served to put the University of Oklahoma and its women’s gymnastics coach in the NCAA spotlight.
Since taking over the program in 2006, KJ Kindler has led the Sooners to two Super Six appearances and the position of perennially vying for the National Title. I recently spoke with KJ Kindler about her program, the Sooners’ up and down 2012 season and the future of the program and its coach who loves to dance. …
AJ: The Oklahoma team is known for being extremely fit and conditioned. What do you do specifically to achieve that? Many teams talk about conditioning, but your team is known for it.
KJ: The number one thing we focus on is nutrition. We educate the gymnasts as much as possible about nutrition. We bring in nutritionists who educate the girls and do private counselling with them. …
The second most important thing we focus on is strength and fitness. I am someone who fines tone, muscle and that ‘fit look’ to be beautiful. I’m not someone who finds being thin and waifish to be beautiful. …
… at least the rumour has firmed up enough to be posted in Online Athens:
Georgia will name California coach and former Nebraska assistant Danna Durante to head the 10-time national champion Gym Dogs, a Georgia source said on Saturday.
Durante was a longtime assistant at Nebraska before being named the head coach at Cal last year. …
Durante replaces Jay Clark who resigned two weeks ago.
The hiring should be announced next week, the source said. …
College coaches are warmly welcomed to Canadian Championships 2012 in Regina, May 21-26th.
Here’s a partial list of those coming up to the Great White North:
Jeff Thompson Penn State Scott Sherman Michigan Bill Ryden Arizona D-D Breaux LSU Kathie Klages MSU Larissa Libby Iowa Elise Ray Washington Dawn Cattermole BYU Chris Waller UCLA Greg Marsden Utah Dan Kendig Nebraska Bryan Raschilla Alabama
NCAA school representatives will be credentialed and can have access to the spectator areas of training gyms. As well as to the VIP spectator area of the competition gym.
Start lists will be available for each session.
Leave a comment if you know of other recruiters making the trip.
University of Georgia gymnastics head coach Jay Clark has resigned his position, effective immediately, according to an announcement made by UGA Director of Athletics Greg McGarity.
… Clark took over the program three years ago and had varying levels of success during his tenure, with his teams finishing third at the SEC Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Clark had served at the post for three years after serving 17 years as an assistant on the Gym Dogs’ staff. …
A freshman who capped her collegiate debut with two NCAA titles, Kytra Hunter of the University of Florida has won the Honda Sports Award for gymnastics after being crowned the NCAA all-around and vault champion for 2012. Her selection by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program recognizes Hunter as the country’s top female athlete in her sport. …
Hunter is the first gymnast from the University of Florida to achieve the all-around title …
… As we all know, the stupidest rule in all of NCAA gymnastics requires gymnasts to suddenly perform two vaults in event finals.
Either they need to do away with the second vault and just have them perform the same vault twice, or they need to require potential qualifiers to perform a second vault in Semifinals, like we currently see in elite.
Both of those solutions would eliminate the insufferable parade on non-10.0 vaults in finals. …
That’s dangerous. Chucking a second vault you don’t train regularly.
And Vault is almost always the most disappointing Women’s Final. It was again in 2012.
… In a final marked by only three athletes attempting two 10.0 vaults, Kytra Hunter came out on top. The 2012 AA champ came up with a near stick on her Yurchenko Layout 1 1/2 and then landed a Yurechenko Layout Full with a large step to secure the win. She outpaced Bama’s Diandra Milliner, who threw the same two vaults for 2nd. Georgia’s Kat Ding stuck a solid Yurchenko Layout full and then added a tucked version (with a step) for 3rd. Defending champ Marissa King had a low landing on her Tsuakahara Layout Full, after landing a Tsukahara Layout 1 1/2.
“Everyone on vault doesn’t really have another vault, so everyone feels the same about it. They’re all confused. It’s kind of hectic.” — Rheagan Courville on the two vault rule in NCAA event finals, to The Daily Reveille
“I don’t train it at all. But in the last week, we’ve been doing one or two in practice. I’m really scared of that vault (Yurchenko full). With the one and a half, I can spot my landing but that is harder for me to do with the full,” Hunter said. “I just went out there and did whatever I could.” — Kytra Hunter on her NCAA winning second vault, a Yurchenko full, to The Orlando Sentinel
Former Ute Jeni McNeil likes the photos on Utah Facebook right now.
The end of Steph’s FX at NCAA team finals, with Utah fans in the background in yellow t-shirts. Yellow? I know… don’t ask, it’s a long story. 200 followed us to GA. Best fans ever… Utes Rocked the House!
