Pan-Am Championships, Guadalajara

Junior U.S. champion Kyla Ross, along with Gabrielle Douglas, Sarah Finnegan, Brenna Dowell, McKayla Maroney and Sabrina Vega will represent the U.S. at the upcoming Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico Sept. 2-5, USA Gymnastics announced Monday. …

The men’s team for the Pan American Championships, named following the U.S. Championships, is also made up of up and comers. Jake Dalton, Bryan del Castillo, Dylan Akers, Glen Ishino, Alex Buscaglia and Wes Haagensen have all been selected for the team. …

click through to Gymnastics Examiner for commentary – U.S. names six top juniors to Pan American Championships squad

HARTFORD, CT - AUGUST 12: McKayla Maroney competes on the beam during the Junior Women's competition on day two of the 2010 Visa Gymnastics Championships at the XL Arena on August 12, 2010 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

World Gymnastics Championships LIVE

Available on Universal Sports.

Cost is $9.99, payable (I hear) before Sept. 1st.

Click through to UniversalSports.com/premium … and try to navigate their confusing site.

Is that available only in the USA? … Leave a comment.

It’s not clear on their FAQ.

Gymnastics Association of Texas (GAT)

Many coaches tell me that GAT is the best of the American gymnastics conventions.

Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5, 2010, 44th Annual Gymnastics Association of Texas Convention at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas.

Speakers include:

… Beach, Tom & Reiko, Biggs, Tammy, Jason Jarrett, Foster, Bill, Forster, Tom, Gardner, Beth, Gehman, Paula, Gehman, Tony, Jarret, Cheryl, Maloney, Connie, Metzger, Jeff, Sahlein, Frank … and more

home page and registration

Dr. Gerald George, author of the new book, Championship Gymnastics: Biomechanical Techniques for Shaping Winners, will be there:

Sat., Sept. 4: Ten Critical Factors for Vaulting Success
Sat., Sept. 4: 5 Basic Principles for Refining Gymnastics Movement
Sun., Sept. 5: Mechanics of Rotation and Twisting
Sun., Sept. 5: Mechanics of Swing

Couch Gymnast #6

The most recent issue is online free from Brigid McCarthy.

  • VISA Championships quotes and photos
  • Romanian gymnast Anamaria Tamirjan
  • Australian junior National Team Member Amelia McGrath
  • Renmore gymnastics club, Ireland
  • a tempestuous history of Vault … and more
  • Rotterdam 1987 to Rotterdam 2010
  • Covergirl Classic
  • Floor music choices
  • Couch Gymnast #6

    Beam – Jacki Bender

    This video was taken at a clinic at (one of my former clubs), Can-Am in Saskatoon. It was the early 1990s. Her coach was Mr. B, an “acrosport” specialist. The clinician at this event was Yuval Ayalon.

    She has the perfect name – Jacki Bender.

    Click PLAY or watch Jacki on YouTube.

    Clearly Jacki had the skills of an Acrobatic gymnast. … We should look for Beam specialists in future with this skill set.

    (via 80sgymfan on IG forum)

    At our Vegas clinic, interim Head Coach Dana Brass brought in a (former gymnast) circus handstand specialist to work with all of the older gymnasts.

    best Beam layout stepout

    Some of the contenders mentioned on a selecious IG forum thread:

    Komova, Hadarean, Gogean, Liukin, Patterson, Lysenko.

    SINGAPORE, Aug. 19, 2010 Vikoria Komova of Russia competes during the women's individual all-around final of artisic gymnastics at the SINGAPORE 2010 Youth Olympic Games in SINGAPORE,August 19,2010. Vikoria Komova won the gold medal of the event. (Xinhua/Cai Yang.

    Bar transfer – high to low

    Here’s a great way to introduce it.

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    That’s ‘M” from Go For It Gymnastics in Las Vegas.

    Next step? … From Woodward West Gymnastics Camp 2007.

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    Russian Cup Gymnastics Finals

    Russia Cup Apparatus Winners:

    WAG: V: Nabieva (14.550) UB & FX: Mustafina (14.775/15.300); BB: Dementieva 15.375
    * bonus points are added

    MAG FX: Belyavskii 14.900; PH: Petrov 15.400; R: Pluzhnikov: 15.450; V: Kudashov 15.675; PB & HB: Khorokhordin (15.000/15.200)

    (via The All Around Gymnastics News on Facebook)

    related post – AA winners

    Write-ups by Amanda Turner on IG:

    • Mustafina Defends Russian Cup Title

    • Khorokhordin Wins Russian Cup Title

    May 02, 2010 - Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom - epa02140870 Aliya Mustafina of Russia's bright red fingernails are covered with chalk as she competes in the Uneven Bars event during the Women's Senior Apparatus Final of the European Gymnastics Championships held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Britain, 02 May 2010.

    full twisting flyspring on Tramp

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    That’s ‘E” from Go For It Gymnastics in Las Vegas.

    swinging rings over swimming pool

    A collection of Good, Bad, and Ugly dismounts from swinging rings into a swimming pool

    The great crashes are near the end of the montage.

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    Is this the same pool in Santa Monica, California I visited in 1977?

    Thanks Mike.

    best 11 gymnasts in history

    Best 11 Gymnasts in History

    1. Svetlana Khorkina, 105
    2. Daniela Silivas, 77
    3. Shannon Miller, 75
    4. Gina Gogean, 73
    5. Svetlana Boginskaya, 71
    6. Simona Amanar, 66*
    7. Elena Shushunova, 64
    8. Lavinia Milosovici, 52
    9. Lilia Podkopayeva, 43
    10. Tatiana Gutsu, 38
    11. Andreea Raducan, 35

    Elite Gymnastics Stars

    This is a serious list … though that’s a comedy blog.

    I’m #1.

    ITAR-TASS 74: VANCOUVER, CANADA. FEBRUARY 26, 2010. Gymnast Svetlana Khorkina at the press conference on the Olympic university, held at the Russian House. World's first ever Olympic university is to open in Sochi 2014 Olympic Park on February 25, 2013, a year before the Sochi Winter Olympics. (Photo ITAR-TASS/ Vitaly Belousov)

    former gymnasts coaching USA

    Old farts (like myself) like watching gymnastics from the good ‘ol days.

    Flash Back Friday looks back at some of the great performances of some of our National Team Coaches. Many of these gymnasts were very successful gymnasts on the world and olympic level and are now coaching some of the USA’s top Men and Women’s National Team Members. …

    Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

    WAG – Chinese National Championships

    AA Finals:

    1. Sui Lu – 56.9
    2. Jiang Yuyuan – 56.35
    3. Huang Qiushuang – 55.6

    Not high. (Perhaps they should add bonus points to raise scores as high as 16.934 on each apparatus.)

    … Will China be ready in time for World’s?

    LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14:  Lu Sui of China  competes in the floor exercise during the second day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2009 at O2 Arena on October 14, 2009 in London, England.  (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)