A Mail Online article is being much discussed online.
Beth Tweddle: After Beijing, I hated myself and I hated the Olympics:
… she recalls. ‘I took a step back on my dismount from the … bars in the Olympic final and that one, small error turned a bronze medal into fourth place.’
…
‘It was all a horrible experience. I hated myself, I hated the Olympics and I hated gymnastics. There was no way I was going to carry on in the sport. But the day I returned home (from holiday) I texted my coach and asked when did she want me in for training. It had taken that week for me to realise I couldn’t walk away.’
related – Shawn Johnson’s latest blog post on espnW:
Partly because of a severe knee injury Shawn Johnson suffered two years ago, she’s found making the Olympic team to be a bigger challenge in 2012 than it was in 2008.
These ginormous “heads” first appeared last year and re-appeared at the UF vs. Ga. meet.
Balance Beam Situation:
Florida’s big score over the weekend helped them erase one of their lackluster early scores and leapfrog Oklahoma in the RQS rankings. Given their talent level and their ability to hit routines the last few weeks, it’s hard to argue against Florida as the top team in the nation, though UCLA certainly had a few things to say about that yesterday, recording a 198.050 for the top score of the season and their best score since 2004. All of the sudden they proved that the big five beam workers of Peszek, EHH, Zamarripa, Larson, and Gerber can make them the unexpected best beam team in the nation. Now, all they need is a convincing wig so they can introduce new walk-on freshman Vicki Tom as the 6th worker. …
Those 4 were chosen confirmed by the (elected) FIG Executive Committee.
TAA’s Elizabeth clarifies:
The qualifying rules state that participation includes at minimum two gymnasts from each continent (one from Oceania) and if there are not two gymnasts qualified by other means, the best ranked gymnasts from the continent in CI at 2011 Worlds will get the spots.
And in FIG’s original list of Olympic qualifiers from after the Test Event, you’ll see two spots for both MAG and WAG specified for Continental Representation – Africa.
Dave Adlard’s BIG SHOW in Idaho is more of a “show” than an apparatus finals. Bright lights, LIVE band, lotsa noise — something similar to NCAA excitement for Levels 7, 8, 9 and 10. Gymnasts compete one-at-a-time, LIVE on the big screen. That’s pressure.
Olympians include Terin Humphrey, Mohini Bhardwaj, Daniela Silivas, Joyce Tanac-Schroeder and Kyle Shewfelt.
Another gymnast with a very good chance to qualify for London.
… The Couch Gymnast has posted a great profile on british gymnast Rebecca Tunney (Right) prior to her debut at the American Cup. Tunney is the 2011 junior british champion and seen by many as the new senior with the most realistic chance of making the olympic team.
GB are giving her plenty of competition and media exposure sending her to the olympic test event in January and and the American Cup in March. In terms of results these aren’t important per se, but both are in huge arenas (the O2 and Madison Square Garden) and in the glare of the television cameras, just as the olympics will be. …
This year’s American Cup is turning into a showcase for young gymnastics talent, with Tunney joining Romania’s Larisa Iordache and Olympic test event floor champ Victoria Moors taking on the USA’s best on home turf. …
Of all athletes, Rhythmic girls have some of the most extreme body types. The general public assumes disordered eating.
Here’s a recently published study.
BODY COMPOSITION PROFILE OF ELITE GROUP RHYTHMIC GYMNASTS
Carvalho L.A., Klentrou P., da Luz Palomero M., Lebre E.
84 RG group gymnasts from the 2009 and 2010 World Cup were evaluated. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using standard procedures. Relative body fat (%BF), fat mass and lean body mass were estimated from skinfold thickness …
An increase on the age of the gymnasts participating in high level competitions seems to affect the new body appearance profile. Gymnasts are taller and with higher body mass than in the past. …
A few of the interesting statistics from that study:
• collected during the 2009 and 2010 RG World Cups in Portimão, Portugal.
• Chronological age = 18.59yrs-old (15.27-25.04)
• Body mass (Kg) = 53.05kg or 117lbs (41.10-63.10kg)
• Height (cm) = average 168.13 or 5ft 5in
• Body Fat = 16.74% average
• menarche = 15.92yrs-old average
• started Rhythmic training age-6.46
• training = 40.50hrs / week average
The more successful gymnasts began earlier …, had more years of practice, train more hours a day and had more weekly training volume. The Elite group RG gymnasts had a later onset of menarche than normal population. …
Read the entire paper (PDF) from Vol. 4 Issue 1: Science of Gymnastics Journal.
I don’t know enough about Rhythmic to offer much comment. But do RG girls really need to train more hours / week than Artistic?
That’s surprising.
Delayed menarche seems to be related to low percentage body fat, though the study does not weigh in on that.
GWGF 2013 is scheduled Feb 22-24th, 2013. It’s the most FUN invite anywhere, so far as I’m concerned. If you’ve never been, add it to your calendar for next season. 🙂
Gymnastics Coaching.com 