tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Arkansas recorded its best score of the season and the No. 15 Razorbacks knocked off No. 1 Florida in Barnhill Arena on Friday, 196.70-196.10 …
Jamie Pisani of Arkansas had the 39.6 AA win.
This is probably a good thing for Florida. They can refocus and build for Championships.
Utah went 196.65.
Alabama won 197.675 over Georgia 197.225.
Interestinger and interestinger.
The 2004 Men’s H Bar Olympic champion (over Nemov and Hamm) has retired.
Couch Gymnast has a nice retrospective on his long career:
… He is thirty-two or thirty three now and feels ready to leave the sport. Put it this way, he was the Italian junior Champion in 1992. …
Here’s his winning routine including the ‘Cassina’. (layout Kovacs with 1/1 twist).
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – Cassina 2 (double twisting Kovacs)
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Three releases are edited together on that clip.
International Coed Team USA 1 Top Gun All Stars
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
A team like this needs to get featured on Glee. That would bring some greater profile to the sport.
Thanks for the link, Dan.
At the Great West Gym Fest all competitors meet an Olympian.
Kyle Shewfelt is one of our favourites. His story of winning the Gold medal on Floor in Athens is inspirational. And funny.
The very young girls from Omega in Vancouver, Canada impressed …
Gymnasts are able to get a photo with an Olympian. Good motivation.
Audition in Vegas.
DreamWorks Theatrical and the Australian entertainment group Global Creatures are casting for a major new Arena production, based on their acclaimed movie How to Train Your Dragon.
YOUNG PERFORMERS (ages teens, twenties to play teens) with exceptional physical skills, or aptitude to learn these skills, needed.
… circus, aerial performance, martial arts, parkour and breakdancing, high level acrobatic and tumbling skills, etc.
Please submit photo, resume, and video links asap to
Joanie AT JoanieSpina.com
Frank Bare, former gymnast, administrator and artist, died Friday in Warner Springs, Calif., where he had been living with his wife, Linda. He was 80. …
Dwight Normile posted a touching tribute on IG – Frank Bare, U.S. Gymnastics Legend, Passes Away
We’ll be reminded of Frank’s legacy in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Dear Friends,
For the past several weeks I have been dealing with a health issue that arose rather suddenly during the holidays.
In mid-January I had surgery to remove a baseball-sized “germ cell malignancy” that my physician discovered during a routine exam. Surgery was successful and I have recovered with little break in my normal routine.
While there is no sign of cancer and the tumor was completely removed, the suggested treatment for my specific issue is three cycles of preventative chemotherapy. This treatment provides the best chance to eliminate the need to deal with this issue again, and I have decided to begin chemotherapy March 7th.
I am working hard to prepare my body, mind and soul for this challenge and remain thankful for such a positive prognosis. I am grateful to the wonderful physicians and nurses at St. Vincent’s HealthCare, North Florida OB/GYN and Southeast Gynecologic Oncology Associates. They have helped me feel comfortable every step of the way and provided the best of care. There is no substitute for their kindness and compassion.
As an advocate for women’s health and wellness, I feel it is important for me to let others know what I am going through and how early detection has saved my life. I urge all women to continue to get their annual exam. Make your health a priority. Do not delay, do not reschedule. Early detection saves lives.
Many wonderful people have already shared their stories with me and have given me the strength to face these next few months with courage, dignity and a sense of humor. Your continued thoughts and prayers are important to me. While I may be a bit slower (and even have a new hairstyle), I look forward to traveling to my brother’s wedding in Oklahoma this June.
With the amazing support, incredible hard work and true dedication of the Shannon Miller Lifestyle team, we plan to move full steam ahead with all of our initiatives and programs, including the SML Radio Show, Children’s Fun Run & Women’s 5K, SM Walk-Fit Program and the SM Foundation Running Clubs. God willing, I plan to participate in all upcoming events and obligations. If there is one thing I know from my gymnastics career, it’s that I don’t enjoy sitting on the sidelines.
This is certainly the greatest obstacle I have ever encountered. I am grateful for the love and support of my husband John, son Rocco, my family and friends, and the many of you who encourage me every day. I am up for the challenge and confident about the outcome.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.
Shannon
Updates will be available at shannonmillerlifestyle.com
The English National Championships will take place … February 25th – 27th in Fenton Manor, Stoke on Trent. Details and links on Full Twist.
Scottish Championships return this year to Bells Sports Centre in Perth. Details and links on I-Gym.
Amy is one of the most under rated gymnasts in the World.
Steven Legendre – Floor Exercise – 2011 Winter Cup Challenge Day 1. Score: 15.500
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Steve does some of the most difficult and impressive tumbling int the world. But his non-tumbling ‘exercises’ remind me of a 9yr-old beginner, still embarrassed to be out there.
No style.
Dennis Desormier has some suggestions for the FIG Men’s Technical Committee on how to improve the rules:
I agree wholeheartedly that FX has become ridiculous. Yet, even with 5 and 6 passes in a routine, many gymnasts never perform even a single double salto, instead performing combination after combination of twisting saltos and roll-out skills. Is the solution really to change from 10 skills to 8 skills? I suspect this will just cut just one combination pass, which won’t be the huge improvement we need. We won’t see too many additional big tricks, nor will we see more non-acro skills. To improve FX, 2 or more of the following changes needs to be made together:
1) Limit to 8 skills.
2) Make one of the 8 or 10 counting elements a composition element — 0.1 for each skill used strictly for aesthetic purposes, not difficulty, up to 0.7 (a “G”)
3) Have a deduction of 0.1 for “lack of fluidity or creativity throughout routine between tumbling passes”. (I think that 0.1 would be high enough incentive for most gymnasts to make the effort, yet small enough to avoid this being used to sway scores).
4) Break the non-acro into two groups: static non-acro (balance and strength skills) and dynamic non-acro. This will give every routine a pause as well as a jump, russian, flare, or other “dance” skill. (There are ways to deal with the extra group, but that is for another discussion.)
5) Make lack of a double salto a composition deduction of 0.3 or 0.5.
6) Count the hardest double salto twice to (a) encourage a big trick and (b) effectively cut down the number of elements from 10 to 9.
7) Raise the value of many of the double saltos, particularly double layouts and the twisting variations. (USAG Junior rules already do this to great effect.) These skills are both harder to land upright and very hard to connect. They merit an extra tenth to accommodate the execution deductions gymnasts are avoiding by not doing these skills.
8) Count the dismount twice to (a) encourage E dismounts and (b) cut down the number of elements from 10 to 9 (or 9 to 8 if used in conjunction with idea #6.)
So… Which combination of these ideas would be best? why? Any other ideas?
Gymnastics Coaching.com 