Year: 2010

… granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA. The four-time All-American has one year of eligibility left and will be a senior for the 2011 season.

Smith has appeared in Florida’s competitive lineup for every meet but one in the last three years since joining the Gator program for the 2008 season. …

Gator Zone

The stars seem to be aligning for Florida, the team to beat at NCAA Championships 2011.

… Maranda’s still on the roster on the UCLA website where she started. This girl just won’t leave College gym!

We hope so. … Not for Rotterdam, but rather Elite Canada 2011 and the much more important qualifying World Championships in 2011. Canada is a bubble team that may or may not get a full team through to the Olympics.

Christine Lee is aiming for a berth on the 2011 World Championships team, coach Kelly Manjak revealed in … CBC broadcast (VIDEO 1hr) …

Lee previously trained at the now-closed Sport Seneca …. A back injury kept her out of competition for approximately two years, whereupon she resumed gymnastics at Oakville Gymnastics.

Gymn.ca

Her many fans must know that Peng Peng has grown up since they last saw her compete in 2008. She’s no longer the cute little supertalent on YouTube.

But if any coach can get Peng Peng healthy and back competing, it’s Kelly Manjak.

Good luck Peng Peng. We’re cheering for you.

Canada Games – The City of Prince George has been named the host of the 2015 Canada Winter Games by the Canada Games Council at a press conference today. Kelowna and Kamloops were the other cities in the running.

Folks up in northern B.C. are ecstatic.

Andy Thornton on Team USA:

If I were picking the women’s world team…

… there are six gymnasts who I feel have proven themselves the most over the past year, and based on the U.S. Classic and Visa Championships, I’d have to make them my team. This team may not be the six that Martha picks, and it may not be the six that many fans would pick. But to me, it makes the most sense because I feel these gymnasts have earned their world spots the most. And I think the event scenarios work as well or better than any team I could come up with. My six are:

Rebecca Bross
Mattie Larson
Alicia Sacramone
Bridget Sloan
Aly Raisman
Kytra Hunter

I know this team doesn’t include a bars specialist. But the more I think about it, I’m not sure it makes a lot of sense to put a bars specialist in there; in fact, I’m not even really sure we really have a bars specialist. …

American Gymnast – Andy’s Angle

Click through to read the rationale. I’m convinced.

… They can put Alicia up on Bars. With her 2006 routine.

🙂

Andy questions the frequency and intensity of Martha Karolyi’s selection camps. But in a code where consistency is more important than artistry, a “Survivor’s Camp” might make more sense than ever before.

You must admit, American girls have been very consistent internationally.

More from Spanny Tampson …

… I don’t know how to introduce the topic. Best just click through and see gymnastics photo journalism at its finest.

Big Fake Smile
_____

The new season of GLEE starts tonight. Spanny will have some terrific new blog post titles to choose from.

Cheerleading coach Sue and Will Schuester become frenemies to battle a 6′ 4″ female varsity football coach – Shannon Bieste. I can hardly wait.

On the season finale, Cirque did an expanded version of the number used at the 2010 NHL Awards.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

LOVE in Vegas.

MissEducated is looking to produce a Social Networking and Cyber Bullying policy for her club.

In particular, she’s looking for a disciplne procedure if a complaint of cyber bullying is received.

Aside from obvious guidelines, what should the relationship be between adults (e.g. club coaches) and gymnasts on social networking sites like Facebook?

The big question: Should coaches friend gymnasts on Facebook?

… If so, should coaches friend both child and parent, when possible?

When I took over a club as Head Coach 2yrs-ago, the very first thing I did was to line-up the girls … and give them a speech about Facebook. It is a real issue. I’m surprised there have not been more Facebook horror stories.

I’m not so much worried about death threats, as this:

Please leave a comment if you know of any set of club guidelines available.

related – Mashable – Harvard Study Finds Teens Online Lack Ethics

148 Individual gymnasts representing 50 countries are competing at these championships with 38 nations participating in (my favourite) the Team competition. …

September 20-21: Rope and Hoop with Individual event Finals on September 21;
September 22-23: Ball and Ribbon competition with Individual event Finals for both on September 23;
September 24: Individual All-around Final;
September 25: Group All-around competition;
September 26: Group Apparatus Finals (5 Hoop, 3 Ribbon / 2 Ropes)

F.I.G. event home page

Russia should dominate, at home.

Our Olympic Floor Champion is back for sure.

She had a good weekend:

Sandra Izbasa, who a year ago days ago saw his career threatened due to a partial rupture of the Achilles tendon in his right leg, returned in force and has evolved delighted to three devices. Olympic champion ground was marked with 14.400 on vault, 14.800 on beam and 15.150 on the ground, declaring himself satisfied with her progress.

“It was very nice. The atmosphere was great. I am pleased with my progress …

Google Translate

Click through to her blog for videos of each apparatus.

American Rebecca Bross vs Russian Aliya Mustafina. The two gymnasts most likely to win the 2010 World Gymnastics Championships.

Spanny Tampson:

… then there’s beam. Good old beam, who separates the winners from the losers. However, what if the two gymnasts in question are EXACTLY THE SAME on beam?

Take Bross and Mustafina. People argue that Bross has no artistry, while Musty is the pillar of Russian beauty. People marvel that Bross is the pinnacle of consistency, while Musty is hit or miss. Execution, form, fall, stick, BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Hasn’t anyone else noticed that they do essentially the same routine? …

Click PLAY or watch their Beam routine elements on YouTube.

I love the Big Fake Smile blog.

But these two routines are more dissimilar than identical.