Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.

Megan Abbott – You Will Know Me

Megan Abbott is an American author of crime fiction and a non-fiction analysis of hardboiled crime fiction.

She’s a good writer and skillful story teller.

I just finished her latest novel You Will Know Me.

How far will you go to achieve a dream? That’s the question a celebrated coach poses to Katie and Eric Knox after he sees their daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful, compete. For the Knoxes there are no limits–until a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community and everything they have worked so hard for is suddenly at risk. …

You Will Know Me

Amazon

Though the author doesn’t know the difference between a forward and backward hip circle, she clearly did some research into the club drama that is (sometimes) the parents booster club. A closed group. Secrets and rumours.

Most coaches would enjoy this intense novel, I think. I wouldn’t recommend it for gymnasts.

Charlotte Drury update

😦

Charlotte Drury spent nearly seven years preparing for the Rio Olympics, and now she’s not sure if she’ll even watch them. …

The broken bone in her right ankle and the black boot covering it are a constant reminder of how close she came to representing the United States as its top trampoline gymnast.

“It was devastating, it still is devastating,” Drury said recently. …

Can you survive the crushing feeling of seeing your Olympic dream die?

Charlotte

predicting the Rio Bars Final

This should be the most tightly contested final.

Becky Downie, Great Britain
Daria Spiridonova, Russia
Fan Yilin, China
Madison Kocian, USA
Elisabeth Seitz, Germany
Aliya Mustafina, Russia
Tan Jiaxin, China
Sophie Scheder, Germany

Rio Event Final Predictions: Bars

Click PLAY or watch Becky Downie on YouTube. High risk, high reward.

related – The Four-Year Fan Guide: Bars

Kohei playing Pokemon Go in Rio

… the six-time world champion, ran up a 500,000-yen ($4,900) cellphone bill playing Pokemon Go thanks to international roaming charges …

… the reigning gold medalist in the all-around competition was able to get his Japanese provider to reduce the bill to a daily $30 flat rate.

“I really lucked out,” he said. …

Washington Post

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Ponor in Rio

She must have been inspired by all of Marian Dragulescu’s social media. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

She wants to compete the AA … for some reason.

via Gymternet Clan

Aurelia Dobre’s Beam Mount 2016

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

Aurelia Dobre was the 1987 World Champion.

(via Full Gymnastics Blog)

Hong Un Jong – Yurchenko triple

With spot. But still impressive.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via papaliukin)

The Sports Gene (2013) – a review

MANY told me I MUST read this book. And I finally did get to it.

Very entertaining. And thought provoking.

The_Sports_Gene_Book_Cover_2013Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?

In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success and the so-called 10,000-hour rule, David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving it. …

Amazon

I wouldn’t count on every factoid being correct. He’s out of date on women’s Artistic Gymnastics, for example.

The 10,000-hour rule is quickly debunked, David Epstein repeatedly pointing out that researcher Anders Ericsson NEVER called it a “rule”. If you train Beam seriously for 10,000 hours, your chances of making it to the Olympic Beam final are still infinitesimal.

There’s no controversy. The best of the best have both very specific genetics and excellent training.

If you don’t have time to read this book, you can get a glimpse by watching David Epstein’s TED Talk from 2014 instead – Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? (15min)

Read reviews on NY Times and The Guardian.