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. …

Examiner – Kristina Vaculik, Shallon Olsen lead as Canadian Nationals begins

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.

Click PLAY or watch her Bars on YouTube. (5.7 start)

Thanks Brett.

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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.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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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. …

Click PLAY or see the fierce ladies of 2012 on YouTube.

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. …

read more …

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… 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. …

Source: UGA hires Cal’s Danna Durante as next Gym Dogs coach

Big shoes to fill. I admire Danna’s courage in accepting.

She is a great coach, by the way. Much more a replacement for Suzanne than was Jay.

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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.

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… it’s time to reflect on the season and beyond …

4. The good trio. Bart, Kathy, and Suzanne continue to be the best commentary team in US gymnastics.

5. Vault finals: a problem. Something must be done because once again this year, vault finals were a boring disaster.

6. Boo to neutral sites. Championships should be on a relevant campus.

12. Florida is on the right track.

13. New Bruins in 2013.

15 Thoughts

Peng-Peng Lee - UCLA

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Behind the scenes with Utah at the 2012 NCAA Championships.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It seems a long time ago already.

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Aunt Joyce, back blogging for the Olympics, posted the most detailed analysis I’ve seen. His opinion:

… Jay was given enough time to prove himself as a coach and the results continually returned the same year after year. …

Whoever inherits the program will have to go big or go home. The boosters, the university and the gymnasts will be eager to make a big splash …

Was Jay Clark Given Enough Time?

I’d probably have given Jay one more year to qualify through to the Super 6. Georgia looked good this year.

I’m not at all sure they’ll get a better replacement, no matter how high the salary offered.

Suzanne Yoculan has said online that she’s not interested in coming back.

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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. …

Red & Black

Buzz is that Jay was pushed out. It will be interesting to see who they try to bring in.

Aunt Joyce speculates: Bryan Raschilla, K.J. Kindler or even Suzanne Yoculan.

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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 …

Digital Journal

Click PLAY or watch her Floor on YouTube.

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