Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.

Louis Smith — Faster. Stronger. Longer..

Funny ad campaign. Especially since hydration is not a problem in Gymnastics. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Olympic Test Meet videos

FIG has already posted over 40 videos from Test meet (including archived Finals feeds) and near 300 videos total. It’s become one of the best YouTube video channels. Subscribe. 🙂

This was the best meet yet for the FIG video team. The lack of audio, especially for WAG Floor, was the biggest complaint I heard.

For us it would be best if FIG was always their own broadcaster. Reselling their own feed to distributors. If wishes were horses …

Don’t count on this being available every major competition.

This was also a good meet for FIG photos.

See more photos on their Visa International Gymnastics 2012 Facebook album.

related – Couch Gymnast – The Test Event: Lessons Learned

Geralen Stack-Eaton – 10 Vault

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That vault helped The Tide defeat Georgia this weekend.

(Sarah Patterson claims she has the best new “recruit” in the NCAA this season — Ashley Priess, who was sidelined last year after surgery on both ankles prior to the season.)

Remember the CNN documentary on Parkettes Gymnastics, Pursuing the Perfect 10 (VIDEO).

Yes, it was a bit of a hatchet-job. But Parkettes certainly came away from that with a worse reputation.

Geralen Stack-Eaton was one of those girls.

exgymgurl on gymtruthteller linked to a follow-up video. (2010)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Parkettes didn’t ruin their lives.

Ex-gymnasts are disproportionately successful in “later life” as later life is so much easier than WAG.

Update – Amber Trani was forced to take medical retirement from Georgia in 2009.

Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion.

Trampoline Olympic nations

FIG has posted the list of nations qualifying bouncers. CONGRATULATIONS

See you in London.

Sixteen spots are available for men and sixteen for women, with gymnasts having qualified their NOCs at the 2011 World Championships in Birmingham (GBR) and the Visa International Gymnastics in January 2012 in London (GBR).

One nominative invitation place either for a man or a women is set aside for the Tripartite Commission. This place will be nominated in due course by the Tripartite Commission.

official list (PDF)

catching an Olympic Champion

HE Wenna from China is defending Olympic Trampoline Champion. She had the highest “flight time” (time in the air) of all competitors at the Test Meet, despite being more petite than most.

At the very END of her Finals routine she unexpectedly flew off the Tramp! CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS to the two spotters who jumped to the rescue.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The coach said she had a couple of very minor injuries from that incident. She’ll be looking for redemption in the same arena come July!

Here’s the FIG wrap-up on Women’s Tramp.

Thanks Shani.

Nastia Liukin Cup Series

Begins this weekend.

CGA Parents Club Coaches Spectacular, Covington, Ky., Jan. 13-15
Lady Luck Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 20-22
The Atlanta Crown Invitational, Duluth, Ga., Jan. 20-22
Circle of Stars Gymnastics Invitational, Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 20-22
San Diego Classic, San Diego, Calif., Jan. 20-22
Wisconsin Dells Gymnastics Vacation Classic, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Jan. 27-29
Parkettes Invitational, Allentown, Pa., Jan. 27-29
Pikes Peak Cup, Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 3-5
The Long Beach Open, Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 3-5
The 38th Annual Fiesta Bowl, Chandler, Ariz., Feb. 3-5
Charity Choice Invitational, Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 10-12
IGI Chicago Style, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 10-12
Glider Invitational, Ontario, Calif., Feb. 11-12
The Magical Classic, Orlando, Fla., Feb. 17-18
Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 17-19
Presidential Classic, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb. 17-19
WOGA Classic, Frisco, Texas, Feb. 17-19
Arizona Sunrays Classic Rock Invitational, Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 17-19

The 2012 Nastia Liukin Cup will be televised live on Universal Sports. …

I love this program. Now in the 3rd year, it’s a great addition to the American calendar.

first Singapore Olympic gymnast

A small welcoming party of family and friends greeted gymnast Lim Heem Wei at Changi Airport last night on her return from London, where the 22-year-old carved her name in the Republic’s sporting annals.

Competing at the Visa International Gymnastics this week, a test event and final qualifier for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lim clinched one of the spots for the top 30 individual finishers from countries that have not already qualified for the Games.

This meant that Lim became the first gymnast from Singapore to qualify for the Olympic Games and only one of two from South-east Asia who have confirmed their places in London. …

Today Online

I’m happy for Lim Heem Wei and Singapore, but be aware that London — under the new selection criteria — will be a much weaker field of athletes than was Beijing. Let’s (after the fact) do a statistical comparison of the range in scores from lowest to highest between a number of Olympics, including London.

Chinese coach on the venue

WANG (CHN) – WAG coach

On the venue:

“I think that the colours in the stadium are depressing. We see the Olympics as a celebration so I don’t like the black background. I also think the lights aren’t bright enough. In China, we train with brighter lighting. The girls also found the apparatus very hard as they are not used to the new French apparatus being used here.”

What’s the Mandarin translation of “sour grapes”?

China and Russia — right now — both wish they’d stayed home like Romania and U.S.A.