Author: Rick Mc

Raj has been doing a terrific job documenting his transition from Olympic medal gymnast to ‘Buffoon’ and acrobat in Cirque du Soleil.

You can see him soon in the new permanent show IRIS.

… In June, the entire team, production and cast, moved to our new home city of Los Angeles. We were taken to see the Kodak Theatre the same week, and when I first saw the stage, my jaw was on the ground. For one, I could not believe that we will be sharing the same stage that previous Oscar-winning actors and actresses have walked and talked on. When I set foot on the stage for the first time, I could literally feel the immense energy of the place. Believe me when I say, there is something magical about this theater. There is a special quality about it and I haven’t yet found the words to describe it. All I can tell you now is that it’s a pleasure and I am humbled to be performing there. …

read more on IG – Bhavsar Blogs on New Life in Cirque du Soleil

Preview tickets are available for as little as $33. But if you want to feel like a high roller, you can plunk down $253 for the Red Carpet treatment.

Click PLAY or watch an IRIS Preview on YouTube.

It’s TODAY … according to Facebook. June 26th.

Thanks for the link, Tasha.

The Special Olympics World Games 2011 will take place in Athens, Greece June 25th – July 4th. 7,500 Special Olympics Athletes from 185 nations will compete in 21 Olympic-type sports. These will be the first games that founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver will not attend, Ms Shriver passed away in 2009. …

The Artistic Gymnastics events will take place from June 26th – June 29th in the Hellinikon Olympic Indoor Hall and the Rhythmic Gymnastics will also take place in the same venue on June 30th – July 3rd. I know that Ireland have 5 gymnasts competing in Artistic Gymnastics (Alan Quinlan, John Michael Gannon, Carole Ryan, Laura Rumball & Pauline Connell) and 2 gymnasts competing in Rhythmic Gymnastics (Barbara Norris & Una McGarry). …

read more on Full Twist

official website

I saw the Iceland Special Olympics team training last week. Never had I seen athletes with intellectual disabilities so serious. Athens will be a very serious competition.

Talia is going to train in Vancouver en route to the competition in Tokyo.

I dunno about wearing those colours, girl.

Sarnia gymnasts Dominique Pegg and Talia Chiarelli admit they harbour very remote worries about health conditions in Japan. …

The two gymnasts, who train at Sarnia’s Bluewater Gymnastics Club, are in a pool of 13 Canadian women vying for a spot on the seven-member team going to the World Cup in October.

They qualified for the pool at the Canadian Gymnastics Championships in May, and will compete again in August to find out if they go on to the Worlds. …

read more – Gymnasts take on Tokyo tune-up

Talia’s dad is the GM of the team that defeated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the hockey playoffs this season. The losers started burning down the town after that loss.

I reckon it’s more dangerous to wear a Boston jersey in Vancouver than to compete in Tokyo.

Sept. 7-13th, 2011

What are the Commonwealth Youth Games, you ask?

… a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, … (for) the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries …

The 4th CYG will be hosted by Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency.

Artistic – Team (3 to count), Individual All-Around & Individual Apparatus.

FIG regulations for Junior competition:

Men: 14 – 18 years of age (athletes born in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1997)
Women: 13 – 15 years of age (athletes born in 1996, 1997 & 1998)

official website

Different age minimum for boys and girls?

High profile international meet for the (supposedly) vulnerable youth younger than age-16?

Some must feel this is too much, too soon. But not me.

Charlotte Sullivan, Rebecca Morrison and Brittany Robertson have been selected to represent New Zealand.

I’m happy and excited for you. Good luck at the Isle of Man.

Has anyone ever said you are manic about gymnastics.

You’ll say that about these folks.

Jig tells the compelling story of the 40th Irish dancing world championships in Glasgow. Thousands of dancers, their families and teachers take part in the drama-filled seven day event where dance talent is pushed to the very limit in the quest for perfection.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

I volunteered last week at Renmore, an up-and-coming club. They’ve doubled (or tripled) their membership since moving into a full time facility about 18 months ago.

I tried to work with as many kids as possible,( … though I wasn’t much help with the Rhythmic girls). Renmore offers Tumbling, Rhythmic, WAG and MAG Artistic. And a bit of Acro.

Here’s a brief glimpse of what happened that week, culminating in the Year End Show.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That was one of the club’s first late Blind changes without spot.

GymFest was scheduled during the last few days of the school year, helping motivate kids to keep coming to gym. 🙂

See a longer highlights video edit of the year end GymFest on RecGymnastics.com.

Thanks sincerely to Head Coach Sally Batley, the multi-National coaching staff and parents representative Rob Fuller for inviting me.

This cute pic is from a new shoot being distributed by Alan Owen.

She’s not really going into Acrobatic Gymnastics, though. 🙂

$10,000 will provide sports programs to 200 disadvantaged children over the next year worldwide via Right To Play.

high resolution version on flickr

That money was raised at the inaugural Kyle Shewfelt Gym Fest.

Kyle plans to do it again next year, but bigger and better.

He’s revamped his blog, by the way.

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