Author: Rick Mc

She’s back. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

via Full Twist – Results & Video: ROM v FRA friendly

Porto San Giorgio, Italy

1 Carlotta Ferlito GAL Lissone 56.650 (0.6)
2 Martina Rizzelli Brixia Brescia 56.200 (1.0)
3 Enus Mariani GAL Lissone 55.600 (0.2)
4 Lara Mori Ginnica Giglio 55.500 (0.5)
5 Elisa Meneghini GAL Lissone 55.450 (0.6)
6 Sofia Busato Brixia Brescia 54.700 (0.8)

A nice touch. Lauren posted the BONUS points in brackets. 🙂

Gymternet – 2015 Golden League Results

Vanessa is recovering from injury.

Most of Canada is adopting most of the American Junior Olympic Program. A great idea! 🙂

… NOW …

Canadian coaches need to learn the J.O. program.

Pre-season conditioning.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

Marian seems pretty serious about his latest comeback. And he can still stick his signature vault.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Watch his Floor at Israel Cup (VIDEO)

related – GymCastic 164: Marian Dragulescu

via Nico on GymFever2012

The new-look Russian Group (Diana Borisova, Daria Kleshcheva, Anastasiia Maksimova, Sofya Skomorokh, Anastasiia Tartareva and Maria Tolkacheva) posted the highest scores for both of its routines with the Five Ribbons (18.016) and Clubs and Hoops (18.250) for a total of 36.266, more than half a point above 2014 World champions Bulgaria (35.583).

… 10 countries were named as having qualified for the Rhythmic Group competition at next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio: Russia, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Japan, Israel, Belarus, China, the United States and Ukraine. Seven other nations — Uzbekistan, Germany, Azerbaijan, Greece, Finland, Brazil and France — will battle for the final qualification spots at the Olympic Test Event next April. …

Russia reigns over Group All-around final at Stuttgart Worlds

https://twitter.com/officialFIG/status/642732991719047168/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

1 Larisa Iordache – Romania 58.150
2 Ana Maria Ocolisan – Romania 56.850
3 Marine Brevet – France 55.850

Gymternet has full results.

Catalina Ponor went 14.850 DTY on Vault, 14.900 on Beam in her first competition since the Olympics.

Click PLAY or watch Catalina’s Beam on YouTube. (poor video quality)

An interview prior to winning her 3rd World individual championship.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – FIG Rhythmic Worlds microsite.

Thanks Blythe.

See the 2014 photo on Facebook.

Many talent ID programs test back bridge. To predict talent.

Yet many some of the best gymnasts in the world have a poor bridge. Especially the most powerful. I recall a Russian National Power Tumbling coach telling us that he did not allow bridges in his Gym. His 3 time world champion did not know HOW to do a bridge. (We tested her.)

The only two Olympians to come out of my region were the two contenders with the worst bridges.

Having a poor bridge makes a few skills more difficult. Some movements less aesthetic.

But having a poor bridge does NOT mean lack of talent for Artistic Gymnastics. This is one of several reasons I hate the handstand to limber kick over in the WAG J.O. Compulsories.

related – Wayne Goldsmith – Talent Identification in the Western World – Over funded and Over rated.

As always, Goldsmith overstates. But his main point is valid. Coaches should be suspicious of “talent ID” programs. I like them for monitoring progress in-gym, but there are plenty of risks in putting too much emphasis on results.

Normally even more exciting than the women’s meet, if you can get to Ohio State … get to Ohio State.

We NEED to support Men’s Collegiate Gymnastics in every way we can.

University of Minnesota Head Coach Mike Burns:

On the second day of the Men’s Competition at the 2015 P&G Championships, there were 39 gymnasts competing. Here’s a quick breakdown of those 39 gymnasts:

16 are alumni of an NCAA Program
15 are current members of an NCAA Program
4 are starting their NCAA careers this fall
3 are non-NCAA gymnasts
1 is a Junior in High School

89.7% of all the male gymnasts on Day 2 of P&G’s are current, former, or soon-to-be NCAA student-athletes. …

… With 16 programs still in existence we are teetering on the precipice of possible extinction. We have been teetering here for a while – close to 20 years now – and we are still here. …

Part of the solution right now is pretty simple – be part of the largest crowd to attend an NCAA Championships since the early 80’s when Nebraska had over 25,000 fans attend the Championships they hosted. I had the good fortune to compete in the 1980 NCAA Event Finals in front of a packed house at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Huge crowd, great experience!! We need that again and I believe we can do it with your help. …

Stick it Media: NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Update From Coach Mike Burns