Year: 2011

Chinese gymnasts innocent until proven guilty?

Get ready for a stream of rumours regarding underage Chinese gymnasts leading up to the London Olympics.

They cheated before. Are they cheating again?

… That will be the story line from Bela and others.

Young looking girls from Japan and Russia (PHOTO), for example, are not so closely scrutinized. We trust that those more open societies do not systematically alter birth dates as China and North Korea, for two, have done.

… Somebody should approach Dong Fangxiao for a book deal on what she remembers about the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics.

Xiao Fang Dong, 25, was last year stripped of an Olympic medal for being underaged.

She is now head coach at Rotorua’s Mid-Island Gym Sports club, teaching women’s artistic gymnastics. …

She retired from competitive gymnastics in 2001 after a hip injury, and later worked as a gymnastics judge at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Although she was awarded a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, Ms Dong was later found to be only 14 when she competed, instead of the minimum age of 16, and her medal was revoked. …

read more from New Zealand – The Daily Post

She’s the only Chinese gymnast so far found guilty of competing underage. But she knows of at least one more.

I’d buy that book.

fire ant handstand

A fire ant appears to be pulling off a one-handed breakdance move on a log. The insect held the pose – known as a hand freeze in breakdancing circles – for 30 seconds. Robertus Agung Sudiatmokos photographed the unusual sight using a macro lens in the village of Cibinong, Indonesia.

source

Thanks Kathryn.

ESPN biomechanics of gymnastics

Kat Ding, Kayla Hoffman, and Geralen Stack-Eaton.

ESPN’s Sport Science lab takes a look at the science and biomechanics behind elite gymnasts.

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

Don’t go dissecting those numbers. We should be happy that ESPN is helping explain just how amazing are gymnasts. 🙂

Links to this video are widely distributed on the web right now. I first saw it linked by Amy Van Deusen on About.com Gymnastics.

arrived Long Beach …

Nearly 450 of the USA’s best Level 10 gymnasts will converge in Long Beach, Calif, to compete in the 2011 Women’s U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships May 13-14 at the Long Beach Sports Arena.

…. The Junior Olympic National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is held in conjunction with the Women’s National Junior Olympic Championships on May 15.

USA Gymnastics has eight regions, and the top seven gymnasts from each region’s Regional Championships advance to nationals. …

read more on USAG

age of Chinese gymnasts

Photos of the new generation are already leading folks to jump to the conclusion that some (particularly Zeng Siqi) are not actually age eligible for the London Olympics. Have their birth certificates and documents been altered?

New Chinese champion Tan Sixin with silver medalist Yao Jinnan and bronze medalist Zeng Siqi

That photo was shared by IG on Facebook.

Personally I have no knowledge that any of the current Chinese Seniors are underage. But it’s the same administration and leadership that competed underage gymnasts in 2000 … Why wouldn’t the same people do it again, if they thought they could get away with it?

Click PLAY or watch Zeng Siqi on YouTube.

She truly is charming.

Shawn Johnson on espnW

Amy Van Deusen, About.com Gymnastics editor, interviewed Shawn for espnW:

… espnW: What is your typical day like now? Are you back to full training?

SJ: I’m doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well. So, I’m working really hard to get my fitness level back and my gymnastics skills back. Outside of gymnastics, I do a lot of elliptical, running, Pilates and yoga. And I do relaxing stuff, like sitting in the sauna, getting massages and acupuncture — the fun stuff!

espnW: Do you feel like you’re still trying to build up your strength and flexibility to where it was in 2008?

SJ: Yes, I’m still trying to build it back. I’m a completely different body type. I’ve grown up; I’m not a little girl. So getting back into shape is definitely different. But I’m also trying to be a different body this time. I don’t want to be all power and muscle. I’m trying to get some of that grace and artistry in there. That’s something you can never get enough of, and I’ll always be working on. …

read the full interview – Shawn Johnson training for 2012

fixing FIG Gymnastics Rules

Andy Thornton knows how to fix the Code.

• Compulsories and Optionals
• Perfect 10 maximum score

Where have I heard of that concept before? 🙂

It was so interesting to read Bruno Grandi’s recent article, which is posted on International Gymnastics. I agreed wholeheartedly with his overall point – that our code of points has become overly complex to the point of being a burden to the sport …

After five years under this revamped system, I think practically everyone has sensed that something major is missing, and the man who started it all has finally come aboard with the rest of us. …

The following is just an idea, and a work in progress …

Solving the Code Drama: Could This Proposal Work?