podium training J.O. Nationals

Wow. The girls looked great today during training. Happy. Enthusiastic. And on their best behaviour under the watchful eyes of dozens and dozens of College coaches.

The women’s Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals are this weekend in Long Beach, California.

In addition, USA Gymnastics is holding the JO National Invitational Tournament, an event intended to give broader exposure to athletes who missed qualifying to Nationals. This is a massive recruiting opportunity, as the vast plurality of college-bound athletes come from the Level 10 ranks. College recruiters will be lined up to watch how the athletes handle the pressure of a National-level, high stakes competition. …

That’s Nebraska Head Coach, Dan Kendig, front and centre.

Two of Dan’s assistants have recently departed:

• Tim Garrison – new Head Coach at Kentucky
•  Danna Durante – new Head Coach at Cal

I take that as a sign of how respected the Nebraska program is across the NCAA.

SCHEDULE (all times are Pacific Time Zone):

Friday, May 13th, 2011
Session 1, 11:30 am: Senior As and Junior As — many of the Senior As are in the 2012 high school graduating class
Session 2: 5:00 pm: Senior Bs and Junior Bs — nearly all of the Senior Bs are in the 2012 high school graduating class

Saturday, May 14th, 2011
Session 3, 11:30 am: Senior Cs and Junior Cs — most of the Senior Cs are in the 2011 high school graduating class
Session 4, 5:00 pm: Senior Ds and Junior Ds — nearly all of the Senior Ds will graduate in 2011; a few Junior Ds will graduate in 2012

Sunday, May 15th, 2011
The NIT meet will be held in four sessions with two age groups each, all day long.

College Gym Fans – Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals: Weekend Ahead