Author: Rick Mc

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

9.6 execution seems high for the Amanar. But that Vault is so much better than the rest, by comparison the score is fair.

She later fell on Bars. Still, Marta will find it extremely difficult not to name McKayla to the competing Team. If she declines, most likely it will be the concussion consideration.

… Yeesh. She fell on Beam. Too. 😦

Then HIT Floor. She’s not making it easy on the selection “committee”.

Price went 59.600. Stone cold warrior. Just the way Marta likes her soldiers.

Held this year in conjunction with Olympic Trials in San Jose, this is the biggest gymnastics conference and trade show in the world.

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I’m impressed. I’d not attended for a few years, thinking the presentations/presenters are somewhat repeated. But with about 200 sessions to choose from, over 3 days, I’m not having much trouble finding sessions of interest.

First morning I most enjoyed Neil Resnick’s Yurchenko clinic. (Neil stood in this morning for Tom Forster, too. Tom was forced to stay home in Colorado, his home threatened by fire.)

Fong, Biggs, Sands, Folger, Lulla, Sahlein, Mizo, Tomita, Ivanov … etc. … all still to come.

My #1 request for the future is that USA bring in big name international presenters that have not been in the past. New blood. Uchimura’s coach from Japan, for one obvious example.

Best of all is the chance to catch up with friends you see too infrequently in a social situation. I’m gone to lunch with the Tumbl Trak crew next.

Chinese officials last week unveiled a team bound for London with an average age of about 19.5 — nearly four years older than the minimum of 16 required to compete at the Olympics.

How did the Chinese team get so old in a sport that favors the flexibility of smaller, younger bodies? …

WSJ – The Age-Old Chinese Issue

That’s assuming the reported age of these girls is correct. But without the eldest of all, Cheng Fei.

It is surprising. Surprising that more young gymnasts were not able to push veterans off the team. Is Team China in decline? I was not particularly impressed at their Individual Nationals Championships 2011.

Here’s our defending Olympic Bar Champion, not a suspected age cheat this time, from earlier this season.

D: 7.1, E: 8.550, Total: 15.650.

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Blossom’s heard that He’s upped the start score to 7.4 in an attempt to make the competing Team as a specialist.

James Cameron has announced that he’s in the business of making Avatar sequels, and has no plans to work on any unrelated projects in the foreseeable future. As such, the Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D movie (produced by Cameron) will be the rare forthcoming film to bear his name – in some creative capacity – and not take place in a world populated by giant blue aliens.

Worlds Away was written and directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Chronicles of Narnia). It incorporates elements from the Cirque du Soleil performances into a fictional narrative, about a young woman (Erica Linz) who enters the fantastical realm populated by characters and creatures featured in the company’s Las Vegas shows. …

Screen Rant

Cirque du Soleil – Worlds Away 3D – Official Trailer (HD) was just posted on Apple.

Click PLAY or watch a lower resolution YouTube version.

… Seems to me, you normally don’t get the advertisement pre-roll when you watch the YouTube embed version. Am I right on that?

It won’t be in theatres until Dec. 2012.

I saw these constructions at the offices of Eurogym, Belgium, a distributor of Gymnova, Tumbl Trak and other equipment manufacturers.

larger version on Facebook

See another.

Honorary.

Christine Peng Peng Lee is Captain Canada.

via CSaccullo edits on Facebook

Click PLAY or watch an Olympic Trials promo on YouTube.

via @TripleTwistBlog

… it’s very … very …

… Could somebody send a copy of this photo to Putin. I’m not sure he’s going to be on board with this design.

via Nabieva on Facebook

I like better the Olympic dragons of China.

via Blossom

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sam Mikulak walked down the hall after arguably the biggest day of his life, oblivious.

It wasn’t until Jonathan Horton told the laid-back 19-year-old from Southern California that he posted the highest score on the opening day of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials that what he’d done started to sink in.

“What?” Mikulak said. “Seriously?”

Seriously.

Mikulak solidified his spot on the five-man Olympic team with a score of 91.80 on Thursday, just ahead of Danell Leyva at 91.70 and national champion John Orozco, and well in front of the rest of the field on a day the U.S. once again showcased its depth heading to London. …

read more – ESPN – Mikulak shines on first day of gymnastics trials

Scores are higher than they’ll be in London. But nobody can deny this team is a contender in a quadrennial where the AA is critical.

And this team is young.

Here’s the all-around ranking combined (so far) …

1. Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla., 276.500
2. John Orozco, Bronx, N.Y., 275.550
3. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 274.650
4. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 271.350
5. Jake Dalton, Reno, Nev., 269.550
6. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 267.650
7. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 263.850
8. Glen Ishino, Santa Ana, Calif., 263.050
9. Steven Legendre, Port Jefferson, N.Y., 262.800
10. C.J. Maestas, Corrales, N.M., 262.300
11. Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J., 261.450
12. Alexander Naddour, Gilbert, Ariz., 260.400

If you put Horton on for Rings. And Mikulak on for Pommels (he’s decent) … that’s a pretty strong 3-up, 3-count line-up for Team.

Keep hitting Horse, Sam. 🙂

@CANGymnastics:

Ellie Black selected as the fifth gymnast to be nominated to Canada’s Olympic team. Jessica Savona and Madeline Gardiner 1st & 2nd reserve

Vaculik, Moors, Rogers and Pegg had been named right after the 2nd selection meet.

Congratulations to all 7 “Olympians”. This is a terrific team.