Author: Rick Mc

The most recent episode of the audiocast is exclusively dedicated to an interview with Elise, a household name in gyms around the world.

Mary Elise Ray … represented the United States at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 1999 World Championships (8th AA).

Elise Ray has three uneven bars skills named after her in the Code of Points:

Ray I: Facing inward, a stalder backward with release and counter movement forward in flight to hang

Ray II: Toe-on Tkatchev release move (rated D in the most recent Code of Points)

Ray III: Double twisting double layout dismount rated G – the highest difficulty rating possible

Videos of those are linked from GymCastic episode 31.

Her most awesome accomplishment, however, was Ray to Tkachev. Easy. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Her Bars coach was female, of course. Kelli Hill.

… Coach of some pretty fair Bar workers: Dominique Dawes, Courtney Kupets and Corrie Lothrop, to mention a few.

In 2000, Ray won both the US National Championships and the Olympic Trials. Won the NCAA AA in 2001 for Michigan. She worked for Cirque. Is in the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Elise is now an assistant coach with the University of Washington Gym Dawgs.

This new club is looking good. Great form. Attention to detail.

R-Athletics is in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

… find out how R-Athletics produced two Region 5 Level 10 All Around Champions. Step inside their final training session before the competition.

Owner and co-head coach Rachel Rydbeck explains their focus during the championship time of the season as level 10 gymnasts Brehanna Showers, Lindsey Lemke, and Kelci Fischer made their final touches in preparation for the Regional Championships. Showers and Lemke each won their respective age group All Around titles and will aim to lead Region 5 to the overall Team Title at J.O. Nationals next week in Minneapolis.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/NjU0NzA3OTg3?related=1&autoplay=false

Watch more videos on Gymnastike

2008 Olympian, 2013 NCAA Team Champion, Marissa King:

… After coming second (in the NCAA team …

I came in from the summer probably the fittest I’ve even been in my entire life, actually. I felt incredible and I’ve had a phenomenal, inury-free season. I’ve had no taping of my ankles, no major rehab and no physical therapy that I had to have in previous years. …

read the IG interview

King is slated to compete in the Pro Gymnastics Challenge on May 10-11 in Bethlehem, Pa., competing on the “World” team …

Big Names to Watch at 2013 Pro Gymnastics Challenge

More than 700 of the USA’s top Level 8, 9 and 10 men’s gymnasts will compete in the 2013 U.S. Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships, May 2-5, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore. …

Level 8 consists of athletes who are 11 and 12 years-old; Level 9 athletes are 13 and 14 years-old. At Level 10, there are two age divisions, 15-16 year-olds and 17-18 year-olds. Each level has two divisions – Junior Elite and Junior Olympic. …

details

Ron Noe has some concerns regarding the new competition structure – 2013 Men’s JO Nationals Unveil Risky New Format

There are plenty of relieved people in Athens, Georgia.

After the team finally got back to the Super 6.

… The biggest question concerning the Georgia Gym Dogs going into the season was whether they could bury the ghosts of past failures behind the leadership of first-year coach Danna Durante.

They did.

Georgia’s falling down short of the Super Six the last three seasons is the major reason Durante is the coach now instead of Jay Clark.

… the Gym Dogs finally cleared that hurdle into the championship finals and finished sixth, their highest since winning the last of five consecutive national titles in 2009. …

… the biggest jump came from LSU, which hired Clark as an assistant after he resigned as Georgia’s head coach last spring. LSU had a breakout 2013 when it posted the second-best finish in school history at No. 5. LSU faced Georgia five times this season and out-pointed the Gym Dogs in every meet — Metroplex Challenge, dual at Baton Rouge, SECs, NCAA Preliminaries and Super Six.

read more – Gym Dogs shake ghosts of past failures under first-year coach Durante

Watch a dreamy year end video review.

Finishing the College career with her best season, Shayla Worley competes soon at the Pro Gym Challenge.

Katy Jones posted a detailed and personal interview with Shayla on GymNewstics. With videos.

Opens May 23, 2013.

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

Behind-the-scenes video of Creation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This is the second Michael Jackson show. Permanent in Vegas.

Gabby Douglas joins the list of celebrity personal trainers featured on the highly rated Nike Training Club app for Apple and Google devices.

General fitness, not acrobatics or gymnastics.

Click PLAY or watch Gabby on YouTube.

The app itself looks pretty good.

Click PLAY or watch it on Mashable.

Get the app here. FREE.

(via Full Twist Gymnastics Blog on Facebook)

CONGRATS

Men’s Olympic team alternate and World Championships medalist Steven Legendre and Pan American Games medalist in trampoline Alaina Williams were married Saturday, April 27, in Grapevine, Texas, at Cross Timbers Winery. …

see more photos by Jessi Dalton via USAG

Go Stanford:

The first thing that strikes you when you meet Eddie Penev is his relaxed and soft-spoken demeanor. It’s hard to believe he was born in Bulgaria and became one of the best gymnasts in Stanford history, but the numbers don’t lie.

The 5-foot-6 senior is a nine-time All-American, tied for the fourth-most honors in Stanford history. At this season’s NCAA Championships, Penev won the Nissen-Emery Award presented to the nation’s top senior, only the fourth Cardinal accorded the honor.

During much of his collegiate career, the durable Penev often competed in all six events. In 10 meets this year, he participated in 52 of a possible 60 events.

As for his calm personality, he comes by it honestly. Penev moved to the United States when he was 3. …

In May, he begins training with his first U.S. National Team. Penev hopes to compete in Portugal in June, and the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Hartford, Conn. in August. His ultimate goal: the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“I kind of agreed to commit these next two and a half years to try and get there,” said Penev. “Whether it happens or not, I feel like being on the national team is a good place to start.”

Penev doesn’t lack for international experience. He has trained with the Bulgarian National Team and tied for sixth in the floor exercise at the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. …

read more

For some reason a Rhythmic routine has gone viral.

More interesting is the extreme flexibility on Beam demonstrated by Elizabeth Vasileva from Bulgaria.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

She’s also competed Rhythmic. (VIDEO)

via GymFever