Year: 2011

Interview with Visa team athlete Lauren Mitchell about her training and dedication to getting to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I AssUMe she gets some sort of VISA Card out of this deal.

(via @ozgymblog)

This could only be Spanny.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

by site editor Rick McCharles

Nov. 30th – Dec. 6th

Shout out for the 30+ coaches who attended our Olympic Solidarity Women’s Artistic Gymnastics coaching course held in Manila last week.

Organized by FIG, funding was provided by IOC and host GAP – Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.

I was very happy with how the coaches handled the long days and lengthy curriculum. 🙂

As in most nations — I’m looking at you Romania — Bars is highest priority.

At the clinic we constructed our own ‘trench pit’ on the low bar, setting up a ‘tower of power’ on the high bar.

I also recommended they embrace “Bar Straps” training, not yet popular nation wide.

Filipino girls have great genetic potential for Artistic and Acrobatic sports. The kids are very flexible.

The immediate goal is SEA, the Southeast Asian Games, held every two years. Vietnam dominated that competition this year, their girls benefiting from training in China.

A special thanks to National Coach Janna Eftimiu who led the Beam section.

See more photos from the course.

If you have any questions regarding WAG Philippines, or any of their other fast growing FIG disciplines, contact me or their National Office.

PhilippineGymnastics [a] gmail.com

… Incumbent FIG President Prof. Bruno Grandi (ITA) is a candidate for reelection at the FIG General Assembly, October 25 – 27, 2012 in Cancun (MEX). He will solicit votes from the 130 national affiliated federations for a fifth mandate.

Bruno Grandi was first elected in August 1996 at the 70th Congress in Atlanta (USA). He succeeded Yuri Titov of Russia …

… “This will be my last mandate!” announced the President, with a nod to the international gymnastics community. “But before I take my leave, there are several issues that need my attention, and I am committed to finishing what I started.” …

FIG

Grandi is age-77 but his health and vitality are excellent. I expect he will again be unopposed. The deadline for candidates to file is May 21, 2012.

Rewriting Russian Gymnastics has begun a retrospection of his tenure starting with a post on the end of FIG compulsories under his watch.

Personally, I loved seeing the best gymnasts in the world do compulsory routines. But it was inevitable that they would have been dropped, I feel, with or without Grandi. The General Public finds them boring.

… A $5,000 gift to the Yates Gym Renovation Project allows you to place your name on one of the lockers in the new gymnastics locker room. …

Details – BRUIN 10.0 CLUB. Annual Membership Application (PDF)

NCAA Gymnastics at the top schools is BIG money. If your pockets are not that deep …

$100-$249 (100% tax deductible) – Invitations to Women’s Gymnastics Social and Banquet.

(via JaDouche on College Gymnastics Board)

I’ve always admired the coaches at Stanford. It’s as if they are smart … or something.

Some interesting ideas here.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnast Aasha Kimpton from the U.K. has an interesting fund-raiser. She’s trying to raise at least £250 for The Joanna Brown Trust, an organization that helps deserving athletes in need. They’ve supported Aasha in the past. She wants to give back.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Details on her – website … or you could donate here.

… female athletes were largely missing from discussion. …

“Concussions and Female Athletes” is the untold story of the impact of concussion on female athletes. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Yevgeniya Kanayeva, our Olympic and World Champion in Rhythmic, was named Sportswoman of the Year by Russian Glamour magazine.

sports.ru via Zhenya Kanaeva Gymnasium

I saw it first here – Double Front on Tumblr

Many Rhythmic gymnasts can model. She’s listed at 1.70m (5’7″) tall and 49kg (108 lbs).

Apparatus Winners:

Floor: Kieran Behan (IRL) and Andrey Likhovitsky (BLR) 14.675
Pommel Horse: Saso Bertoncelj (SLO) 15.025
Rings: Eleftherios Petrounias (GRE) 15.450
Vault: Fabian Gonzalez (ESP) 15.650
Parallel Bars: Hiroyuki Imai (JPN) 15.325
High Bar: Aliaksandr Tsarevich (BLR) 15.175

Vault: Valeriia Maksiuta (ISR) 14.175
Bars: Marta Pihan-Kulesza (POL) 14.000
Beam: Valeriia Maksyuta (ISR) 14.150
Floor: Angelina Kysla (UKR) 13.325

… Today Ireland’s Kieran Behan gave Irish fans a massive cause to celebrate when he beat 2010 World Floor Champion Eleftherios Kosmidis to the gold medal.

His Coach Simon Gale from Tolworth, Gymnastics Ireland and his new sponsors Stoi Athletic Wear are delighted with the result. Not only did he make more history, winning Ireland’s first ever gold FIG medal but Behan soared up the ranks to take the top place in the Challenger Cup Floor rankings, making him the Category B FIG World Cup Floor Champion. …

full results on Full Twist

Examiner – Quick hits: Ostrava Grand Prix, event finals

IG – Israel’s Maksyuta Takes Two Titles in Ostrava