A study from the U.K. says “parenting style more influential than income” for raising kids.
Children brought up according to “tough love” principles are more successful in life, according to a study.
The think tank Demos says a balance of warmth and discipline improved social skills more than an laissez-faire, authoritarian or disengaged upbringing.
It says children aged five with “tough love” parents were twice as likely to show good character capabilities.
Report author Jen Lexmond said: “It is confidence, warmth and consistent discipline that matter most.”
I’m sure my buddy Markos Baikas, Men’s Head Coach of Taiso Gymnastics in Saskatoon, Canada, would agree.
Marcos’ is a great coaching success story, actually. An immigrant to Canada from Greece, he was chosen Jr. National Coach of his adopted country just a few short years after being recruited by Dana Brass. She met him in a Pizza restaurant.
An inspiring documentary. The values taught by sport.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the small island nation of Jamaica won 11 track and field medals, including 6 golds — the most first-place finishes for any country in the world except the United States and Russia. For a country with a population smaller than the city of Chicago, to accomplish those feats while also breaking three world records had the rest of the world asking, “What makes Jamaicans so fast?” …
ONE of Scotland’s top gym coaches has been jailed for three years for a series of sexual offences, committed over a period of more than 20 years, against young girls he was training.
…
The fifty-one year old, a former Performance Director of the Scottish Gymnastics Association, was found guilty last month after a five week trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of three charges of sexual assault and seven of lewd and libidinous behaviour against girls aged between six and 16.
The girls were all training … between December 1986 and February 2008 – a 22 year period. The offences occurred in the gym; in Lasswade High School; his former home in Loanhead; his car; and a caravan at Seton Sands in East Lothian. …
His victims, some of them now in their late twenties and early thirties, described in their evidence how “Mitch” as he was called, would kiss and cuddle them, have them sit on his knee and make sexual and inappropriate remarks. He would also use inappropriate coaching techniques, touching their breasts and buttocks.
jailed for 3yrs
Dolphin, who denied all the allegations, claimed the girls often came and sat on his lap as part of the “family atmosphere” he was trying to create. He also said that cuddling young gymnasts as an encouragement or reward for a good performance was commonplace throughout the gymnastics world.
Defence agent, Vincent Belmonte, said Dolphin continued to deny culpability for the offences, but the jury’s finding had already caused him considerable financial hardship. “He has lost his home, lost his employment. Lost a career he has been involved in for nearly 30 years at the highest level”. …
I can recall a few male coaches in 1980 who had a lot of physical contact in the gym with female gymnasts. It was a different era. But this statement he made is clearly wrong:
… cuddling young gymnasts as an encouragement or reward for a good performance was commonplace throughout the gymnastics world …
Around 1980 in Canada we entered the era of shaking hands with gymnasts. Or “high fives” at line-up at the end of work-out.
Hugs became rare. Or became the awkward “side hug”.
The Bela Karolyi bear hug in competition was reserved for a particularly wonderful performance. Our coach education clinics all added an Ethics module sometime in the 1980s. We made a point of informing immigrant coaches of ethical expectations in their new country.
Obviously male coaches must minimize physical contact with all gymnasts, male and female. Keep professional distance. Never be alone with a gymnast in the gym or anywhere else.
I find that coaches underestimate the influence they have on athletes. My main worry these days are things coaches post on Facebook that are seen and later emulated by athletes.
I also have to say, that the one thing I really noticed about the Romanians, particularly Forminte, is what good care he took of little Porgras. He was always by her side. Just look at how he is looking at her during this clip, all fatherly and proud and ‘how exciting is that you are meeting Nadia?’
I mean, they seem to take care of all the other girls too. The Romanians have such a family like vibe about them. Not lovey- dovey, but just a practical, healthy family dynamic that probably comes from living together all year round.
… I noticed, during the floor final, when Ortiz was hurt, he was kind of shielding her from watching what was happening. He seems happy to let her just stay the child she is, which is more than I can say for Belu and Bitang whose baby gymnasts looked like careworn war widows by the time they’d made it onto the senior national team. …
… the Code of Points does not help Romania develop and retain many gymnasts.
“Now the scoring is open(-ended), so everyone tries to do many difficult combinations that take a lot out of the body,” he said. “It’s not easy to make many routines. There are two notes, Difficulty and Execution. To have good execution you have to do it many times, and when the difficulty is higher, it is not easy to do many times.” …
Some 2009 World Championships clips including the fall by Rebecca Bross on FX.
It’s interesting to look at a large number of falls closely to see why they happen – often very bad technique and form – and to speculate on why the coach left the skill in the routine.
Seems to me there’s too much incentive to do “difficulty” in our rules.
And that many of these athletes have not done enough landings on competition mats prior to the meet.
… montage made by my sister & I about elite gymnastics. The footage is all from the 2008 Olympic trials (this was made before they announced the Olympic team) but it applies to all gymnastics. This montage is a huge inspiration to me, and I hope it does the same for all of you I wasn’t going to post this for a while, but Happy Halloween
… Tweddle and Button became world champions within a few hours of each other. Tweddle was first, winning the floor final at the world gymnastic championships at the O2 Arena and proving her all-round credentials in her less-favoured discipline. …
On the other side of the world, in São Paulo, Button clinched the drivers’ championship by finishing fifth in the Brazilian grand prix. …
About £25,000 / year ($41,000) … and a few perks here and there.
… If I was doing this for fame or money I would have retired a long time ago,” Beth Tweddle says coolly as she compares herself to her fellow world champion, Jenson Button. …
The good news … his injury looks minor and should heal rapidly.
Following his foot injury in podium training, Germany’s Fabian Hambüchen said that he is reconsidering his competitive schedule for next year. “I didn’t have a break from competition this year at all. I tried to please everybody. I’ve realised that sometimes you have to be a bit more selfish and look after your own interests. …
Shout out for Jon Horton who is a great role model for everyone in sport.
I love his attitude.
“It’s gymnastics,” said Horton, who trains at Cypress Gymnastics. “It’s a tough sport. Things happen and they happen for a reason, I believe. I have a lot of faith and I have a lot of confidence in myself. It’s the world championships, and some things you just can’t explain. I went out there and I tried to have my best performance. After pommel horse, I went to my coach and said, ‘I can’t be mad at myself. I am not going to quit.’ So then my goal was rings and high bar. I was thinking, ‘Let’s hit and have a good time.’”
“I am going to continue to train my hardest when I get back,” said Horton, who is in the high bar finals on Sunday. “My heart is always in this game. I feel I belong on that medal podium, if not at the top …
read more – original article source unknown – as quoted on mag-nificent.org
Aside from the “stars” who qualified for Finals, many gymnasts had good results at the World Championships.
The Couch Gymnast names a few … aside from Aussie great Lauren Mitchell.
Ana Porgras. Just beautiful. Made me feel good about the sport. She was lovely, lyrical, skillful AND interesting. That’s the kind of gymnast i can’t get enough of. She has personality and performance quality. She is my world champion.
Elsa Garcia
Elizabeth Seitz. Mayra Kroonen, Nathalia Sanchez, Koko Tsurumi.
I wasn’t going to post this for a while, but Happy Halloween 
Men’s Finals All-Around starts 1:30PM ET, Oct 15th. 
