Author: Rick Mc

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

Canadian gymnast Ellie Black

Dave Kikuchi linked to a video update on Ellie from Halifax Alta Gymnastics Club who missed Nationals 2011 due to injury.

Watch some training video here.

It’s great to see her back in action and improving.

Sung Ji Hye – Japan Jr VIDEO

I don’t know much about the Korean gymnast Sung Ji Hye (also spelled Jihye Sung) who finished 3rd all-around at the 20th International Junior Gymnastics Competition in Yokohama.

She’s very flexible with some excellent skills on Bars. In fact, she added Stalder 1/1 out of Pak for the event Final. Very cool.

I edited this video of all 4 event finals routines including her Gold medal routine on Beam.

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

All-around results (PDF) and apparatus finals results (PDF).

Rhythmic Team Worlds

figchannel on YouTube uploaded a highlights clip from the Rhythmic Team World Championships.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Hey, Russia lost something. Italy defended their World title in Group All-around.

These 6 teams qualified already through to the Olympics:

Gold: Italy – Total: 55.150
Silver: Russia – Total: 54.850
Bronze: Bulgaria – Total: 54.125

4. Belarus – Total: 52.850
5. Japan – Total: 52.725
6. Germany – Total: 52.675

Cirque auditions Japan

Following the World Championships …

The Cirque du Soleil casting team is hosting open acrobatic auditions in Japan in October 2011 for the following disciplines:

Acrobatic, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics – Trampoline – Twirling – Skipping

Tokyo – October 18
Location: Tsukahara Gymnastics Center
5-18-12 Kita Karasuyama Setagayaku, Tokyo

Osaka – October 22
Location: Nanba Gymnastics Club
1-3-19 Nihonbashi Nishi Naniwaku

Be prepared to showcase your best skills: fast track, tumbling, high bar, parallel bars, rings, uneven bars, trampoline, rhythmic gymnastics, twirling, skipping or unicycle.

Qualifications

All candidates must be 18 years of age or older;
Please bring a photo, a resumé and a demo video of your act or skills;
Appropriate attire required – bring your grips;

For more information, please contact:
Sadao Hamada
Cirque du Soleil Casting Partner
090-3229-7375

details

China to Tokyo

Gymnasts from around the world are packing. Or en route. Or — like the Canadian Men’s Team — already in Japan training.

Here comes China.

The original of this photo by YangMin is linked from Chinese Gymnastics Blog.

Oleg Ostapenko back in Brazil

A Brazilian tycoon convinced Ostapenko in preparation for the 2016 Olympics. This all independent of the Federation, his former employers.

via Google Translate:

The Ukrainian Oleg Ostapenko, who coached the Brazilian national team from 2002 to 2008, is back to Brazil.

The coach came at the invitation of Wright Live movement, led by the billionaire Joao Paulo Diniz, and will lead a project in Parana gymnastics.

Those responsible for hiring Oleg press release about the agreement on Wednesday. …

… The idea is to use the permanent structure of the former selection to build a center of excellence in sport without the direct interference of Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (CBG).

original post – Gym Blog Brazil

(via Gimnasia Latina)

coach Don Peters under investigation

Rarely do I link to sensational news stories about supposed sexual misconduct. People are innocent until proven guilty. But I’m linking to this one. It’s big.

A former U.S. Olympic team coach who guided American gymnastics to some of its most iconic and triumphant moments could face a lifetime ban from the sport after three women have come forward to accuse him of having sex with young gymnasts in the 1980s.

Don Peters coached the groundbreaking U.S. women’s team to a record eight medals at the 1984 Olympic Games and built SCATS, a Huntington Beach gymnastics club, into an international powerhouse with a string of Olympians and national champions.

It was during that same decade that Peters had sex with three teenage gymnasts, three women have told The Orange County Register. …

read more – INVESTIGATION: Ex-gymnasts accuse renowned coach of sex abuse

It sounds like the Hall of Fame coach is under investigation by USAG.