Author: Rick Mc

Nick Blanton, formerly of IGC, is now at Fundy Gymnastics, New Brunswick.

Here’s some footage from a clinic he put on at Island Gymnastics Academy, Charlottetown.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This guy dominates the “sport“. A real life Spiderman.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… I’ll have more self confidence,” …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Active For Life – ‘Let Me Play’: 1995 Nike ad still relevant today

Money is mostly wasted on “tough on crime” initiatives. What we really want to do is get kids hooked on sports.

Is closing. After 27yrs. 😦

Here’s official notice from the Jones Family and Lake Owen Staff. (.jpg)

Kelly and Sue Manjak have been quietly building their new Gym in Toronto. It’s going to be sweet.

See more photos of their new Facebook page.

A full range of classes (PDF) are offered starting Jan. 5th. Competitive is already training.

I’m certain Manjak’s will quickly become one of the best gyms in Canada.

Thanks Ed.

Our WTC Chair does not speak often. Here’s a rare insight.

Lupita translates a recent Sports Panorama interview by ?ikhail DUBITSKI:

In October you were re-elected for the third time as President of the FIG Technical Committee …

— Yes, for the next four years I will be the President of the Women’s Technical Committee. I’ll be responsible for the Olympic competitions, the World Championships, the Code of Points , the judging, the assessment of the judges’ scores at tournaments, sanctioning judges. …

— Could you share with us the innovations in judging [the new Code of Points]?

— We shifted some elements from one group to another, depending on their popularity in the competitions. If an element is often performed, it’s not difficult and it should score less. And, on the contrary, if it is less performed, it means it’s difficult and deserves more points. We pay attention to connections, and still to artistry. We plan to introduce big deductions in floor and beam. We invited representatives from Cirque du Soleil, who trained our specialists how to understand and assess artistry. ?his happens for the first time. Never have there been so many deductions in this direction. The understanding of art, of music by the judges is more necessary than ever. But there is subjectivism and there will be. Everyone interprets beauty in their own way. But we’ll try to assess something subjective with objective criteria. …

— Your daughter lives in the US. Where are you more often, in Belarus or in the States?

— Half and half. My ex-husband is a cyclist, Valeri Movchan, a Moscow Olympics champion. He lives in Minsk. My daughter finished her studies at a business school in Chicago and she now wants to study medicine.

read more on Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

During the London TV coverage, we saw plenty of Olympians in ice baths for once reason or another.

But some are now questioning the risk / reward for taking the plunge:

Elite athletes are wasting their time by plunging into icy water after intense exercise and may even be putting their health at risk, according to new research.

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth have found cold water immersion is no more and no less effective in helping an athlete recover after sport than light cool-down exercise.

They also warn the practice of plunging into ice baths, common among elite athletes such as the marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and the England rugby team, might do more harm than good. …

Bathing in ice after intense exercise ‘does not work’, says new report

A quick look at that research and a few other sport science articles on the topic leads me to believe the headline overstates. There’s simply not enough research yet to determine risks / benefits conclusively.

Leave a comment if you are convinced not to ice for recovery.

FIG has a nice wrap-up post – Price and Nguyen prevail at Stuttgart World Cup – including official video.

more photos on Facebook

While we wait on the official annual preseason coaches’ poll, here’s the Balance Beam Situation ranking:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. UCLA
4. Oklahoma
5. Utah
6. Stanford

1. Florida

The Gators are the most talented team in the country. I don’t see any valid argument against putting them at #1. With Sloan and B. Caquatto joining Hunter, King, Dickerson, Johnson, and M. Caquatto, this team will have 9.900s to spare and will be able to absorb whatever latest injury has befallen one of the Caquattuses. While the other top contenders will excel on vault and floor, look for Florida to be nearly unstoppable on bars with consistent 49.500+ rotations that won’t be matched even by the second tier of contenders. …

9. LSU
I’m unexpectedly high on LSU this year, and it has nothing to do with Jay Clark. On vault and floor last year, this team was just one or two routines away from being nationally competitive. Throw in Britney Ranzy, Jessica Savona, and Randii Wyrick (who, let’s recall, won Senior D last year), and LSU is basically an acceptable bars rotation away from contending for Super Six. Maybe Jay Clark will be more important than I thought. …

Balance Beam Situation Preseason Ranking

Click through to read the rest of the top 15.

Update – the official pre-season coaches’ top-25 was just posted.

1. Alabama
2. UCLA
3. Florida
4. Oklahoma
5. UTAH
6. Stanford
7. Nebraska
8. LSU
9. Oregon State
10. Michigan

I was looking forward to this, the joyful super tumbler from Japan.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… Not nearly as exciting as I had hoped. She does more difficulty in training than any other WAG in the world.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (April 2011)

(via WOGymnastike)