tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Legacy Elite and Cincinnati girls endorse Jtree Gym Balm.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
… an organic skin balm helps to heal gymnastics rips while conditioning the skin to prevent future ripping. …
You can find cheaper emollients. Jtree is $16 for 50ml plus $5 shipping. Less if you buy enough for your team, of course.
In Saskatchewan we often used Udder Balm, in quantities available for cattle herds. 🙂
Leave a comment if you have a favourite moisturizer for gymnast’s hands and feet.
Time to put things in perspective.
Gabby Douglas was a super talent who rose to Elite status at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach, one of the top clubs in the States with many National Team members.
Gabby left the club. A move to Chows in Iowa was difficult for her at times. And disappointing for her former coaches, friends & teammates left behind.
Sad. But these things happen. Many gymnasts end up moving clubs over the course of their careers for all kinds of reasons.
The most detailed & well written version of Gabby’s story I just read in the October issue of Vanity Fair:
America’s Golden Girl by Buzz Bissinger – Photographs by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson
The move worked. Chow’s patient coaching over fewer than 24 months took her to the very top.
The story reads that Gabby was inspired to train with Chow when she worked with him at a camp at Excalibur. Fact is the family checked a number of gyms in the USA, including WOGA, before deciding on Chows.
Still … hers is a wonderful success story. One of the best rivalries of the Olympics was Gabby v Viktoria Komova.
Happy ending for USA. 🙂
…
Unfortunately, in that Vanity Fair interview in London, her Mom, Natalie, “does not hold back” when asked about the reasons for leaving Virginia Beach. It’s one of the main themes.
Natalie recounts problems at the old gym. And episodes later told her by Gabby. All examples of reasons why her daughter wanted to move. Or quit.
Of many other interviews, Oprah was the biggest. Oprah didn’t become the highest paid entertainer in the world by airing boring interviews.
If you somehow missed the controversy, here’s a recap on Slate.
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
Mail Online UK – ‘They called me slave’: Gabby Douglas tells Oprah of bullying teammates’ cruel taunts that almost made her quit gymnastics
How did she get there from here?
That kind of press is not good for Gabrielle Douglas. And it’s devastating for Excalibur.
Somebody should have been advising the family not to be drawn into controversial statements.
Most online jumped to defend Gabby & her Mom. Many also blaming Excalibur. Lauren Hopkins on Couch Gymnast, for example.
A few, including Triple Twist, and myself, questioned some of the charges made against Excalibur.
The focus on racial discrimination inside a gymnastics club makes little sense to me. That gym has many African American gymnasts that, several of whom spoke in defense of the program.
There is less racism inside a gymnastics club than anywhere else in town.
Indeed, her Mom — after Oprah blew up — tried to clarify on the Wil Laveist radio show. It was more bullying than racism. An excellent interviewer.
Natalie Hawkins:
Now is not the time to tear down. Now is the time to build up.
That makes far more sense. Some kids certainly did envy her gymnastics, and might have said mean things.
What happens next?
… I hope it’s over. The worst of the damage done — folks in the general public thinking that racism is a major problem in Gymnastics. 😦 We’ve got problems, but endemic racism isn’t one of the worst.
We hope Gabby goes on to have a terrific Kellogg’s Tour. And a terrific career as an Olympic Champion. Gabby’s a wonderful athlete. And a great personality.
I hope she and her family can one day come to some sort of resolution with Excalibur.
That’s the 1% downside.
WAG competition
January 25-27, 2013
Oakland Gymnastics Booster Club
Birch Run, Michigan
details – Oakland Classic
Thanks Mike.
Son Yeon-jae, the first Korean rhythmic gymnast to advance to the Olympic finals at the London Summer Games, is being courted by universities …
Son took fifth place in the individual all-round final at the London Olympics and aims for a medal in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Unsurprisingly, she trains in Russia.
Son Yeon-jae was named one of 11 beautiful athletes in London.
Yet another great Olympic gymnast — the most medaled in Chinese history, in fact — is slated to wed.
Confirmed
Unable to fend off the ever nosy and relentless press during a recent interview, Zou Kai finally admits his plan to propose to his girl friend Zhou Jie, a former rhythmic gymnast, before the end of the year.
via Blossom
Zou Kai is one of the celebrities reported to have been a victim of a massive real estate scam. That was back in June. I’ve not seen any update of the trial. Leave a comment if you’ve heard anything.
Her blog:
… I’ve already completed 2 of the 7 weeks I have to train here in Montreal for the uneven bars act in Amaluna!
Time is flying by and I have a feeling it’s only going to go by faster. Last week came and went.
On Tuesday, my training partner and I got to go to the gymnastics club, Club Gymnix, to train with some softer mats and a pit and to work with Pierre Prive, who is one of the head coaches at Gymnix …
Somehow Marcia’s become a bit of a spokesperson for those defending Excalibur Gymnastics following Gabby’s controversial Oprah’s Next Chapter interview. Not easy considering Gabby’s a superstar hero to millions of fans.
read Marcia’s entire statement on the Excalibur Facebook page.
Courageous.
related – Newby-Goodman Named Recipient Of NCAA Top VIII Award:
… a member of three NCAA Championship teams as a Gym Dog and compiled a four-year record of 107-13-2. A three-time Academic All-American, Newby-Goodman was a 2010 recipient of the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Postgraduate Scholarship. …
My opinion:
• disappointed with Gabrielle Douglas
• Excalibur Gymnastics responds
The original version.
http://assets.tumblr.com/swf/video_player.swf?22renderVideo(“video_player_29864218122”,’http://kcvmh.tumblr.com/video_file/29864218122/tumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj’,400,225,’poster=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj_frame1.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj_frame2.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj_frame3.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj_frame4.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m92xzlBySi1qcd7cj_frame5.jpg’)
Embedded from Rambling Rambles using Embeddlr(Don’t have Flash? Click here!)
via @GrilledCheesus7
Korbut Flip linked to this routine, Pak Gyong Sil on Bars at the 1991 Worlds.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The Pak on Bars is named for her.
Pak’s 4’4″ tall teammate was Kim Gwang Suk, who claimed to be age-17 at the Barcelona Olympics. Bela was not impressed.
Kim Gwang Suk … is known for both her exemplary uneven bars work and for her involvement in one of the most prominent age falsification scandals in gymnastics …
Kim … performed her own original release move, a Tkatchev-front flip … The skill came to be known in the Code of Points as the Counter-Kim …
Kim Gwang Suk was World Bars Champion 1991 …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
As a result of the falsification, the North Korean women’s gymnastics team was banned from the 1993 World Championships. …
Kim, however, was permitted to keep the medals she had won in international events, including her 1991 World Championships gold. …
North Korea’s most recent age falsification suspension — this time for Hong Su Jong — is expiring. I wonder if those totalitarian bureaucrats will be more careful, in future?
Gymnastics Coaching.com 