Year: 2010

The latest from pikedjaeger.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m surprised we haven’t seen a flood of new montages after Rotterdam Worlds.

(via Gymtage)

Some line drills.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://videoplayer.flocasts.org/player.swf

I was surprised how relaxed Team Russia was in the training gym. Less structured than I would have expected.

The one unusual thing I saw Russia do in training was difficult tumbling on Floor from one side of the 40×40 to the other, rather than use the diagonal. Yet there was no shortage of time.

Manna Web is a Belgian mostly men’s coaching site written mostly in Dutch:

Manna seeks, in an interactive way, a source of information for coaches, gymnasts and club management regarding technology, teaching, health, nutrition, etc.

Here’s one sample – Headstand:

Description: Pose with a straight vertical flat body supported on hands and forehead. … The weight rests mainly on the head and lesser size on the hands. ….

Synoniemen Synonyms

* Kopfstand (Duits) Kopfstand (German)
* headstand (Engels) head position (English)
* trépied (Frans) TREPIED (French)

see that page translated into English

Quite a sophisticated website, and and ambitious project, the editor tells that the 550 exercises in the database so far is just a starting point. Feedback is welcome.

Google translate – MannaWeb.net

The host nation has a long shot chance at a team medal at the London Olympics.

… Sam Hunter and World floor bronze medalist Daniel Purvis shared the all-around title at the British Men’s Championships, held Saturday in Leicester.

Sam Hunter:

… “It’s been an incredible year and this is definitely one of the highlights,” Purvis added. “I had to pick myself up a bit after the excitement of the World Championships and I’m really happy I could pull out a clean competition and take the title. Me and Sam have battled all year and so to come joint first is a fitting end really. 2010 has been great, the Team Silver at the Europeans was maybe the happiest moment as it was for everyone …

requoted in Gymnastics Examiner

results summary on Full Twist

Read even more on British Gymnastics – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics British Championships 2010

When does Keetings return?

Mattie Larson is one of the most artistic American gymnasts in years. Everyone hoped she’d survive the tough American selection process to qualify to a major international meet, and she did.

… Unfortunately Mattie fell on her best apparatus, both times she competed Floor for the American team at World Championships 2010. A disaster, certainly.

You have to feel rotten for her.

What now?

Catty Comments on Aunt Joyce:

… Mattie Larson, to no one’s surprise, is leaving her long-time gym AOGC in Los Angeles …

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js

I hope she reports to UCLA and becomes one of our fave College gymnasts.

But there’s speculation Mattie will join another elite gym with the goal of Olympics 2012.

2008 Aussie Olympian Daria Joura quoted in Perth Now:

She calls it quits.

… “I don’t particularly want to make a big fuss about it,” Joura said. “But I think most people would probably know I haven’t really been in the gym for a good two years.

“I still find myself going through the same cycle of really wanting to be (back in the gym) but my foot not letting me progress any further. …

When she stayed in Perth after her family moved, I really hoped Dasha’d be able to come back from injury.

It was not to be.

She’ll rejoin her family, including her gymnast younger sister, in Queensland.

Click PLAY or watch the beautiful Dasha on YouTube.

(via Keishlieta Gymnastique)

Never say never. Nastia on Twitter:

“First full week of two-a-day trainings. I think now I remember what it feels like to be completely exhausted, but 100% satisfied.”

Ouch. The Federation banned until after the London Olympics. In all FIG disciplines.

If you haven’t seen details yet, click over to Gymnastics Examiner.

Second confirmed offence.

Yet Blythe asks :

Your take: Is the FIG’s ruling fair? What would you have done under these circumstances?

My question: What’s going to happen to these gymnasts in North Korea who have worked for years to attain the elite level, and are throwing some of the most difficult skills in the world? Where will they go now? …

Ri Si Gwang, for example, who scares even the rest of the maniacs in Men’s Vault finals.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

You might argue that only WAG should be disciplined.

Gymnastics Examiner

Tim Rand was a great coach, educator and inspiration … before his death, too soon, in 2007.

His memorial meet, the Tim Rand Invitational is March 4-6 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

It continues many of the FUN traditions that Tim brought to his meets including “shopping tables”. (Gymnasts earn “money” from the judges at each apparatus for stuck landings, etc. that can be spent at the “mall”.)

$5 from each athlete entry goes to benefit the Tim Rand Memorial Fund. Competition for girls level 2-elite, a great opportunity for families to get away from the cold and spend some time near the beach in sunny south Florida.

info TwisterInvite.com

At the World Championships I watched dozens of photographers processing tens of thousands of fantastic photos … yet couldn’t find them online.

Many will never leave the photographer’s hard drive. Only a few are used.

Here are the official FIG photos, however. They are watermarked and available for sale.

all FIG photos from Rotterdam

Couch Gymnast asks … who is this lovely lady with the Romanian Team at Worlds?

… I noticed a couple of times this week that Ana Porgras (I can’t think if I saw the other girls do it) would go over and get the woman to grab her hands and hold them in hers. At first I thought she needed something medical done to them, or maybe she needed some reassurance for her nerves. I saw her do it today before beam, and the woman also said something to her as she held her tiny little hands. …

ROMANIA’S LUCKY CHARM?

Answer from the comments:

… Everybody (coaches, gymnasts, fans) calls her “Doamna Eta“,

Mrs. Eta. She’s been a (nurse) for the national team since forever and has just come out of retirement to help some more. No other (younger) doctor wanted the job, since the monthly pay is around 120-130 euros. She is, undoubtedly, one of the unsung heroes of Romanian gymnastics.