John, the editor, posts in English. Yet has some insider information on the sometimes mysterious gymnastics superpower.
check a sample post – Photos from Winter Training
Year: 2011
gymnastics coach Paul Hall
If you asked me what coach I’d most like to invite to a clinic, I’d likely name Paul Hall from England.
Mark Taylor:
Louis Smith is already an Olympic star, Daniel Keatings is on his way to becoming a household name and Luke Folwell made his big breakthrough at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
Behind those success stories lies Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club, and therefore head coach Paul Hall.
He is softly spoken, affable and very modest, but not very much is said about the man who has played an integral part in increasing the profile of British gymnastics.
Essex-born Hall has been at Huntingdon for 17 years …
read more – Cambridge News – Hall, the reluctant coach who hit gold
Paul has an excellent video on GYMsmarts.
musical Spider-Man a flop?
What is Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark?
It’s a Broadway show with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge from Irish rock band U2. It is being directed by The Lion King creator Julie Taymor …
Aunt Joyce posted this comic magazine cover:
… The New Yorker poked fun at the injury-plagued production with a cover featuring “a hospital wing populated by convalescing Spideys.”
Yet Monday brought one important piece of good news for “Spider-Man:” The show is attracting record crowds. The New York Times reports that “Spider-Man” topped perennial favorite “Wicked” as the highest-grossing production on Broadway last week, making close to $1.6 million. …
read more – The Week – Could the musical Spider-Man be the ‘biggest disaster in Broadway history’?
Couch Gymnast of the Year
American Cup no longer a SCAM
The All Around Gymnastics News on Facebook (… Happy New Year) posted a link to the list of invitees.
Looks GREAT. … But before you book a flight to Jacksonville, Florida know that there’s no guarantee these gymnasts will actually compete.
They want to attend such a high profile event. But it will depend on injury and readiness closer to the meet. Especially on the Women’s side.
see that list on the FIG website
(via Full Twist and Keishlieta Gymnastique)
Nastia a Space Cadet
The NASA education portal has a promo video with Nastia as Biomechanist.
You can watch or download a copy for yourself on NASA.
(via USAG on Facebook)
male gymnasts – long hair?
For the first time in the history, in recent years, many male gymnasts look like Justin Beiber.
Get a haircut, hippie.
For sure the old farts (like me) don’t like long hair in competition. It looks unsporting.
Some coaches worry their gymnasts with long hair might even get deducted. (Not Uchimura, though.)
Fashion is fickle. This problem will go away soon.
In the meantime it’s a bit of an issue. Youth Sports Parents blog cites a case where the parents went to court:
An Indiana child has been kicked off a middle school basketball team for wearing his hair too long. His parents have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the grooming policy.
“The school’s athletic policy bans hairstyles that “create problems of health and sanitation, obstruct vision, or call undue attention to the athlete.” …
read more – A boy with long hair and other youth sports follies
Americans are insanely litigious. That case would never get to court in most countries in the world.
But all clubs need have a policy in writing regarding hair.
Most gymnasts still get a hair cut before major competitions to show they’re serious, like this guy.
related post – bad gymnastics hair
Normile – gymnastics resolutions
Dwight Normile doesn’t post often.
But when he does, I read every word. And agree with every word.
He speaks truth to Mustafina, Uchimura, FIG Women’s Tech, FIG Men’s Tech, Excessive Celebrators, “Impatient” landings, the NCAA and more.
important stuff – International Gymnast – Stretching Out: Resolutions for the Gymnastics World
OK, there’s one point on which I might take exception:
Danell Leyva, Yin Alvarez/USA: Keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll take a coach who hugs over one that scolds any day. Yin, I realize people think your sideline contortions are a distraction, but they are unique and entertaining. And anything that enlivens the crowd at a men’s gymnastics meet is a good thing.
I do find Yin distracting. But I’m slowly being won over. He’s become an iconic character, almost like Bela Karolyi. Larger than life.
Shayla Worley – Beam
I once called Shayla Worley a strong contender for NCAA all-around champion. … Was I wrong, or what.
She should be a super star in College gymnastics. This routine is almost there.
Click PLAY or watch her on Gymnastike.
coaching social media strategy
From the Canadian Centre for Sport and Law – email Newsletter Winter 2010 by Kevin Lawrie
Coaches – not just organizations – should have a social media strategy
… a coach must plan in the same way that an organization does. Individuals do not have hardcopy strategic plans, obviously, but coaches have goals to achieve (e.g., player development, performance, team communication, etc) and they have developed best practices for reaching their goals. Thinking about and evaluating these best practices can help coaches determine if/how using social media fits into their personal strategies.
Consider a coach who emails team reminders to players. The goal here is that players should be informed about team activities. Are the emails accomplishing that goal? Would the goal be better achieved if the coach text-messaged the players?
Consider a coach who talks with players about their school activities and future plans. The goal here is to get to know the players and better understand how to coach them. Would the goal be better achieved if the coach added the players to Facebook and viewed their profiles? What are some consequences or benefits of this tradeoff – face-to-face chats vs. unobtrusive online observation? …
This is a BIG issue in 2011.
The solution, I think, is to use Facebook. That’s where the athletes are. That’s the easiest place to reach them with YOUR BRILLIANT PLAN.
But to avoid Facebook problems, you probably need to set up a Facebook persona specific to you as a coach. “Coach Rick”, for example.
That’s not technically allowed on Facebook, though. Mark Zuckerberg only wants to have one Facebook page / person on Earth. (For some reason.) It’s common practice, though, to have two or more. As I do.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 