Year: 2010

Never loved Elvis? … neither did I.

But would we love Cirque doing Elvis?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My summary:

• band = AWESOME
• vocalists = very, very good
• lighting = excellent, but nothing new

The highlight for me was the video editing. I cannot imagine the amount of time and genius it took to put that together. Who thought of using slow motion while Elvis straps on the guitar?

The 2,000-seat custom built theatre at the new Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas is stunning. Yet the show looks somehow too spare in that huge space.

It’s intended, I assume, to provide clean, traditional visuals, taking us back to a simpler era. That didn’t work for me.

There’s no such thing as a bad Cirque show, … but for me, and most acrobatic coaches, I feel, Elvis has too much dance, not enough acrobatics. For any gymnastics coach coming to Vegas first time, I’d recommend these shows over Elvis:

• LOVE
• Mystère
• O
• KÀ

Many Vegas shows have great song and dance, Jersey Boys, for example. But nobody can do acrobatics better than Cirque.

Like any new show, ELVIS is still evolving. No doubt it will be improving over the coming months. (The “Army Gymnastics” act in this show is perfect. Don’t change a thing.)

Viva ELVIS home page.

=== UPDATE:

Click PLAY or watch some additional video clips from ELVIS on YouTube. Look for “aerial parkour” on the giant guitar and a new wall tramp set piece.

Russia takes the Junior European title with more than 9 points ahead Romania and Italy.

Russia dominates the AA with the top 4 positions despite several mistakes.

via The All Around Gymnastics News on Facebook

1st Russia 173.75 2nd Romania 164.7 3rd Italy 161.45 4th France 161.35 5th Great Britain 156.325

Does this officially usher in the era of Russian WAG dominance? Déjà vu, all over again.

One of many superb photo posted on Facebook by British Gymnastics.

The members of the 2000 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team are Amy Chow, Jamie Dantzscher, Dominique Dawes, Kristin Maloney, Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert, along with Morgan White, who was named to the team but was injured prior to the Games. Alyssa Beckerman was the alternate. Bela Karolyi was the national team coordinator, with Kelli Hill as head coach and Steve Rybacki as assistant coach. …

When do they get their medals?

…
“I was shocked and surprised and totally thrilled for each and every one of these athletes,” said Kelli Hill, the head coach of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. women’s Olympic teams and personal coach of 2000 Olympic team members Dominique Dawes and Elise Ray. “It was earned and deserved 10 years ago.”

Hill, who coaches in Maryland, said she had talked to both Dawes and Hill since the news broke. “Elise is just absolutely ecstatic,” she said. “She was absolutely thrilled, just kept laughing.”

When asked if she ever expected China to be stripped of its Olympic medal, Hill said: “No. Never.” …

Gymnastics Examiner – China officially stripped of 2000 Olympic team bronze medal; USA to be awarded team bronze

Click through for reaction from Steve Penny and Tasha Schwikert.

Who will be the next underage athlete to be investigated?

This isn’t the end.

… China have been stripped of their women’s gymnastics team bronze medal from the Sydney 2000 Olympics after one of the athletes falsified her age, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. …

China stripped of Sydney gymnastics bronze medal

A 14yr-old from a totalitarian country cannot forge her own passport. In Sydney it’s unlikely she even knew about any age rule.

If we throw anyone under the bus, it should be the coaches and officials from that team. And the officials of the Chinese General Administration of Sport.

Update: Amy Chow, Jamie Dantzscher, Dominique Dawes, Kristin Maloney, Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert will be getting a Bronze Team Olympic medal from 2000. They move up from 4th place.

details – IOC Strips 2000 Games Bronze Medal From China

_____ original post:

I saw this news report linked from Gymnastics Examiner – The gymnastics week in review

… During its two-day meeting, the IOC board is expected to strip China of an Olympic bronze medal in gymnastics from the 2000 Sydney Games because one of its athletes was only 14 at the time.

In February, the International Gymnastics Federation nullified all of Dong Fangxiao‘s results from Sydney and recommended that the IOC take the medal from the Chinese. The United States finished fourth and would move up to the bronze.

Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s, after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 in an effort to protect young athletes, whose bodies are still developing, from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.

AP

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I can hear the indignant shouts from Beijing already.

Dong Fangxiao is the only underage gymnast to have been penalized since the very first, Kim Gwang Suk.

I liken Dong Fangxiao to Ben Johnson, the Olympic sprinter disqualified for doping in 1988. There were many other sprinters doping at that race, but only Ben was sanctioned.

Olympic Champion He Kexin is still not underage, despite a fair bit of evidence.

The heat will be on in China with all this loss of face.

I wonder what underage teammate Yang Yun, found innocent, has to say about her friend being sanctioned.

And … has Dong Fangxiao returned to New Zealand? Or is she still in China?

Once again I’m looking forward to the most FUN camp anywhere, in gorgeous Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho (map).

It’s an ideal event for gymnasts (and coaches) who want to be energized and motivated.

I’m very proud to be associated with this annual event as the quality of coaching is very high.

Gymnastics High Performance Training Camp home page – HPTCamp.com

Despite our pleas, Camp Director Dave Adlard did not add a 3rd session. That means camp will be over-subscribed. Sign up soon if you want to get in.

GymNiceTic updates us on one of the biggest issues facing the International Gymnastics Federation.

Wolfgang Willam from FIG is there pitching the all new World Cup format for next season. Only eight all-arounder and twelve event specialists will be invited to a series of A meets, qualifying at World Championships in October.

To me the timeline sounds rushed. (Candidate cities need to be in Lausanne May 25th.)

It smacks of desperation. (World Cup has been a mess this season. Something had to be done.)

And I’m not sure getting the big prize money (700 000 Euros or $930,000) is going to happen.

… That said. I hope this does work. Prize money events have been a success in Germany. Indeed, part of the reason the old World Cup Final failed was because Hambuchen skipped it, competing instead at a cash meet at home.

That kind of money would be great for Artistic Gymnastics, especially on the Men’s side.

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For details and to comment on the scheme, click over to GymNiceTic.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click through to American Gymnast for commentary and more podium highlights – Videos of Komova and Grishina From Europeans Podium Training!

He confirmed on Twitter that he’s moving to train at Cypress in Houston.

Charlie still wants to compete for the U.S.A.

Good luck.

Former Cuban World Championships medalist Charlie Tamayo competed as a “guest” at the Winter Cup meet. Defecting to the U.S. during 2003 Worlds in Anaheim, Charlie is seeking U.S. citizenship.

related – Gymnastics Examiner from Feb. 24th, 2010 – Charlie Tamayo: ‘I had to trade my family for the chance at a better future’

2010 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships on Facebook:

Bridget Sloan injured her ankle on a vault landing on Saturday – the day before leaving for Australia. At this stage she will only compete on bars.

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