Month: March 2013

on NCAA scoring

UCLA gymnast Vanessa Zamarripa scored the eighth perfect 10 of her career on vault on Mar. 17, 2013.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Many mock the “perfect” 10 in College gymnastics. But that’s closer to a 10.0 than the 9.20 it would have scored in FIG competition.

College scores have escalated this season. More than past years.

The judging at Utah’s upset over Florida has drawn more wrath online than any other meet.

Get a Grip – Judge Well, Lest ye be Judged

Sport and entertainment.

This time more entertainment than sport. That huge crowd at Utah will be talking about this competition for years.

Men’s NCAA Gymnastics

Less than three years ago, Cal Men’s Gymnastics was on the ropes. The MAG community banded together to help save the 100-year-old program. A reprieve was granted, and today’s resulting roster is mostly comprised of a young group of non-scholarship athletes. …

Cal

Saturday night’s home meet against the defending national champions, Illinois, was a perfect display. The Bears showed consistency on all six events to offer more than a glimmer of hope they are good enough to compete for one of the top six team spots that could punch their ticket to the gymnastics version of the Big Dance — The NCAA Team Championships. …

read more – Stick It Media – Cal Upends Illinois in Thriller

That link has updates on the other meets this past weekend.

To look at the Troester GymInfo rankings, you’d think we’ve got a tight race in the works.

FMA
1 Penn State 444.767
2 Oklahoma 439.450
3 Michigan 436.800
4 Stanford 434.317
5 Ohio State 433.233
6 Illinois 431.717
7 Minnesota 430.700
8 California 426.450
9 Iowa 425.517
10 Air Force Academy 424.783

I’ve learned the hard way, however, that MAG NCAA rankings from season don’t often help predict who’s going to be standing on the podium at Championships.

Zamarippa – save handstand

Here’s the “ability” every gymnast needs to prevent falling over from handstand.

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

Thanks wordsmith. We were just working on that ability yesterday with coaches in Nigeria. Girls v Boys at a training Camp.

The girls were victorious. 🙂

Globe and Mail – crotch shot

The Globe and Mail in Canada is supposed to be a respectable, serious newspaper. Though one oft criticized for lousy sports reporting.

Figure skater Kaetlyn Osmond makes front page, uproar ensues online

Kaetlyn Osmond was celebrated by Canadians over the weekend after putting herself into medal contention at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ont. The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., finished eighth but earned Canada another spot at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Osmond

Toronto Sun

The Public editor of the Globe reacted quickly – Monday’s front page photo was unacceptable

I agree, though …

In an interview with Maurie Sherman on Toronto radio station Kiss 92.5 … Kaetlyn Osmond said she was thrilled to be on the front page and wasn’t bothered by the photo.

“Truthfully I don’t mind the photo. It’s part of my program and it’s fun… Our skirts go flying all the time. We’re used to it.”

Certainly we see far, far worse photos of Artistic Gymnasts in popular media.

Let’s continue to call out those in the media who deliberately choose crotch shot photos.

Thanks Claudine.

sideways aerial on Beam

Silvia Colussi-Pelaez competed this at Gymnix.

Here’s GBR’s Danusia Francis, now at UCLA.

tumblr_md1a8223gP1r0m2gio2_250

Created by monigymnastics, I believe.

Why is it so difficult to search Tumblr sites, by the way?

(via WOGymnastike)

on landing deductions

Click PLAY or watch a montage of good landings on YouTube.

Competition landings are where many of our most serious injuries occur. Especially on Vault.

Typical dynamic – a gymnast who almost never lands on hard surfaces in training is highly motivated to minimize deductions in competition.

FIG should reward “safest” landings with the highest scores.

FIG should improve the competition Vault landing mats with something more like what is used on Double minitramp.

Nguyen – Yurchenko double pike

Not that Nguyen. 🙂

Ha Thanh Nguyen from Vietnam.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If you are still catching up on the World Cup last weekend:

• Couch Gymnast – Talking About the 2013 French International

• Uncle Tim – French Yin Claps and More! What We Learned at the 2013 French International

… Russian gymnasts topped the medal rankings this past weekend at the 19th Internationaux de France, the first event of the 2013 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup individual apparatus series.

A total of 70 gymnasts representing 29 countries took part at the new Vendéspace arena in La Roche-sur-Yon (FRA), with four gymnasts qualifying for the final in each event. The medals were shared between 18 nations.

Russia, Italy, Greece and USA won three medals each but Russia came out on top thanks to Gold for Ksenia Afanaseva on Floor and Denis Ablyazin on Still Rings …

FIG – Russia rule the roost in France

• Full Twist – Results & Videos: French International 2013