Month: October 2008

College Gymnastics Board has a good thread on this topic:

Which freshmen will have the most impact on NCAA’s?

Some of the athletes mentioned:

UCLA – Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Aisha Gerber and Vanessa Zamarippa

Florida – Kailey Tissue, Elizabeth Mahlich

Oklahoma – Natasha Kelley

LSU – Gloria Johnson

Georgia – Amber Trani, Gina Nuccio

UNC – Morgan Evans

Alabama – Geralen Stack-Eaton, Ashley Priess

Yale – Monica Shoji

Utah – Stephanie McAllister

… To name just a few.

I like this comment too:

I think it is often the unknowns who make the most impact. In many instances (not all – Carly Janiga for example) the highly touted recruits either fail to break into the line-ups of the top teams at any meaningful level, are not healthy or fail to live up to the hype, especially the elites. … I am always more excited by seeing girls who were not the known quantities step up and become real performers (I love the underdog!).

read more – College Gymnastics Board – Which freshmen will have the most impact on NCAA’s?

Ashley Priess joins her sister Courtney at Alabama – GymTide.com

University of Oklahoma men’s gymnastics sophomore Steven Legendre has been selected to the U.S. Senior National team as announced by USA Gymnastics.

Sooner Sports

Many were disappointed that Steven was not picked for the Olympic Selection squad. He’s certainly one of the most dynamic tumblers and vaulters in the world.

USA Gymnastics has done something smart here. He’s a strong candidate for the 2012 Olympics.

related post: Steven Legendre – NCAA Floor champion (video)

There’s a detailed article in the Guardian on Olympic Pommel Silver medalist Louis Smith from England.

One section caught my eye:

… Smith is as revealing when he details the lack of financial support offered to elite gymnasts in this country. “All the top gymnasts here work really hard and deserve something decent. But they get peanuts. There’s a talented guy on our senior squad called Luke Folwell and he’s on £200 a month. He trains twice a day, Monday to Saturday, but that’s all he gets. At the age of 21 it’s almost impossible to live off that.”

The king of the pommel horse does not blink when asked to discuss the state of his own meagre finances. “A year ago I was also on £200 a month. I only started getting a little more money this January. I now get £1,400 a month from UK Sport. It’s tough when you see what other sportsmen earn – and don’t talk to me about footballers. I get so frustrated when I hear that some of them are on £90,000 a week and they’re rolling around on the pitch after a tap on the leg.” …

Photograph: Tom Jenkins

Normally, when your nation is scheduled to next host the Olympics, financial support comes flooding. Especially for an Olympic medalist. (Yes, I know that Louis’ medal was controversial.)

Louis trains at a regular club, not the National Training Centre (Lilleshall):

… “We’ve got a brilliant coach in Paul (Hall) but at Huntingdon we’ll be trying to do double somersaults and a tiny kid will suddenly run into our path and we have to shout ‘Stop!’ in case you kill them. The gym is a quarter the size of Lilleshall and the runway is 18 rather than 25 metres long. And we still made two Olympic finals.” …

Smith stands tall after journey of twists and turns

Smooth Skills part 11 this week features the amazing, little remembered gymnast, Aleftina Priakhina.

Check this performance from 1986 Chunichi Cup:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The first international woman to compete double double on Floor, I think.

Andrew Thornton:

… Although her double double on floor was absolutely sensational, I’m even more impressed by her beam, which may have been more ahead of its time than any routine I have ever seen. I was truly blown away by the number of elements in this routine that virtually no one else was doing at the time. …

Click through to Gymnast to see her beam routine. What a mount!

Priakhina was first alternate for the Soviet team for 1987 World Championships, I believe. And did not qualify for the 1988 Olympics. Otherwise she would be much more “famous” in gymnastics history. (She’s also the first to compete standing 1/1 on beam, so far as I know.)

There was incredible depth in the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

Leave a comment if you know where Aleftina Priakhina is today.

I subscribe to a blog called Gymnastics Meet Reviews and Tips

My experiences, tips, tricks and recommendations for traveling to, staying at and attending gymnastics meets.

It includes overviews of competitions from an American parent’s point of view. One meet I attended last season is included — and their review is spot on: IGI Chicago Style Meet 2008

Here’s another interesting post: Tips for traveling with your gymnast

Keep a checklist of items you need to pack so that you don’t forget anything. …

Breakfast: We always make sure our daughter has protein for breakfast, especially if it’s a morning meet. …

Packing an empty water bottle and a powdered packet of Propel or other sports drink …

We pack the competition leo and warm-up in a garment bag that folds and fits into the top of our suitcase. …

Find out in advance where teammates are staying and arrange meals together. …

When trying to decide on a hotel, use http://www.tripadvisor.com/ to get information on a particular hotel and its features and quality. …

For long trips, we have a DVD player for the car …

We bring a set of speakers to play music at night using an iPod …

Each year one team parent makes a wallet-card phone list for each parent that includes home & cell numbers and e-mail addresses for all parents and coaches.

I find a GPS unit to be indispensable when driving to new cities …

We always pack L’Oreal Kids sport shampoo …

Glitter hair spray can be difficult to come by so we stock up. …

Tips for traveling with your gymnast

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The Cute Games – Kitty Gymnastics

The big trend in the USA right now is having a “star” gymnast backed up by big name pop musicians.

Frosted Pink with a Twist is a fundraiser for Cancer research.

Click PLAY or watch Mario with Alicia Sacramone on stage at Frosted Pink.
http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/626953996

Another video, less appealing to me, is Shawn Johnson on Floor with Natasha.

The best of the videos, I think, is the American men on Pommel Horse. It’s always worth watching Artemev.

Does this kind of performance gymnastics work for you?

I dunno.

At least it’s for a good cause.

Anne Phillips gave a very positive review to the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars on Gymnastike.

more videos on the Frosted Pink website

Alessandra hosts a Rhythmic site published in both Italian and English.

She has some nice wallpaper images including this one of Olympic Champion Yevgeniya Kanayeva.

more wallpaper

Rhythmic Gymnastics – English

Kanaeva just won the individual all-around final at the Worldwide Rhythmic Gymnastics Club Championships in Tokyo October 12, 2008.

Second was Ukraine’s Anna Bessonova. Third Natalia Godunko.

details – Olympic Spirit

In my experience, kids grades 3-9 are most easily influenced by peer pressure. Good and Bad.

Boys are more susceptible than girls.

There are a lot of bad choices out there for young people.

original – niker

A great response for an athlete tempted is: “I can’t. Gotta train Friday night.”

My feeling is that competitive gymnasts are the luckiest children in town. It’s a wonderful way to grow up.

That’s why I get so irked at people like ex-gymnast author Jennifer Sey. (blog)

Her book title: Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics’ Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams tells you all you need to know.

It recounts the terrible and abusive experience Jennifer had as a gymnast. Certainly gymnastics ruined her life. Right?

No. Jennifer Sey graduated from Stanford. And is a high paid, successful business woman.

I’m a mom to two wild boys, a wife to the best husband ever, a daugher, a writer, an avid reader and, last but not least, a marketer for Levi’s Jeans.

There are far worse fates, Jennifer, than being an elite competitive gymnast.

Far worse.

I proposed to Dr. Jeni McNeal a research study comparing former elite female gymnasts with their non-gymnast sisters. Let’s see which ladies are healthier. Happier. More successful.

Dr. Jeni said that thesis just might be approved.

related post: Why Gymnastics? – Bill Sands

Some nice posters available in large sizes. One sample:

Shawn Johnson desktop wallpaper – Des Moines Register