Author: Rick Mc

Kirill Prokopiev is a young Russian gymnast. Not a strong tumbler (2009), but you can watch his air flare on YouTube. (embedding disabled)

Kirill is only the second Artistic gymnast to compete the air flare, after Morgan Hamm.

Watch the masters on an air flare compilation video.

Thanks bboysistou (YouTube) for the tip that another gymnast finally figured it out.

via Google Translate of their 2011 page:

The Association Sportive Gymnastics Gymnastic Club Integral Carbonell, with the backing of the Sports Federation of Gymnastics and Allied Costa Rica are pleased to invite you to the XI International Championship Stars Gimnàs-Ticas.

Through each of the events has succeeded, with the participation of more than 500 athletes representing clubs from different countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Puerto Rico, USA, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Dominican Republic, Honduras , Bolivia, Canada, Jamaica and our 2010 edition, we for the first time with some of Cuba’s national team who gave a high level competition and brilliant show.

Dates:15 TO 19 JUNE 2011

Location: National Gymnasium Eddy Cortes La Sabana, San José, Costa Rica

Women’s Gymnastics:
Level I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X (USA Gymnastics Levels) Pan Child A and B and FIG

Male Category
Class 4 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13 +
Class 5 7-9, 10-12, 13 +
Class 6 8-9, 10-12, 13 +
Class 7 9-10, 11-12, 13 +
Class 8 11-12, 13-14, 15 + (child 11-12 years Programme Pan)
Class 9 +15 (Pan Children’s Program ages 13-14)
Class 10 FIG Open

Thanks GML for recommending this meet. A tropical alternative to the meets in Cancun.

The best drills I’ve ever seen for Tkachev were on the trench pit at Woodward West Gym Camp. Coach Don Eckert.

… Often Don had only a WEEK to teach the entire skill to camp kids.

Check this excellent video put together by Don. Some drills you’ve never seen before.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Love this photo of Fabian Hambuechen (2005) by Adam Pretty / Getty Images.

(via About.com Gymnastics)

One of the weirder drills on tramp, it’s useful for orientation for parallel bar skills (Stutz, Diamodov, etc.) and for release moves like Jaeger.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Don Eckert posted some advanced Kaboom skills by Bob Robbins.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Men’s Floor Exercise
1. Zhang Chenglong (Shandong) 15.075
2. Du Wei (Guizhou) 15.025
3. Zou Kai (Sichuan) 14.775

Pommel Horse
1. Zhang Hongtao (Shaanxi) 16.175
2. Chen Chen (Jiangsu) 15.575
3. Teng Haibin (Beijing) 15.450

Still Rings
1. Chen Yibing (Tianjin) 15.900
1. Yan Mingyong (Shanghai) 15.900
3. Luo Xuan (Hubei) 15.350
3. Liao Junlin (Guangxi) 15.350

Men’s Vault
1. Du Wei (Guizhou) 15.925
2. Zhang Zhongbo (Shanghai) 15.912
3. Lu Bo (Jiangsu) 15.887

Parallel Bars
1. Feng Zhe (Sichuan) 15.500
1. Wang Guanyin (Tianjin) 15.500
3. Dong Zhendong (Shaanxi) 14.850

High Bar
1. Zhang Chenglong (Shandong) 16.125
2. Zou Kai (Sichuan) 15.600
3. Chen Xuezhang (Fujian) 15.550

… On still rings, Olympic champion Chen Yibing tied world champion Yan Mingyong for the title (15.900).

Chen, untouchable on still rings from 2006 to 2008, said he welcomed the competition from his younger teammates.

“The more the merrier,” he said. “I feel more pressure to improve. I like the competition.” …

read commentary on IG

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js

Women’s Vault
1. Zhou Qiaohong (Fujian) 14.237
2. Huang Qiushuang (Guangdong) 13.925
3. Yang Pei (Shaanxi) 13.900

Uneven Bars
1. Huang Qiushuang (Guangdong) 15.550
2. Wu Liufang (Guangdong) 14.675
3. Huang Huidan (Zhejiang) 14.500

Balance Beam
1. Sui Lu (Shanghai) 15.550
2. Jiang Yuyuan (Zhejiang) 14.450
3. Wu Liufang (Guangdong) 14.325

Women’s Floor Exercise
1. Sui Lu (Shanghai) 14.550
2. Huang Qiushuang (Guangdong) 13.825
3. Jiang Yuyuan (Zhejiang) 13.700

IG

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js

Based on these results, Andy Thornton predicts:

… these six will make up China’s world team in Rotterdam:

Sui Lu
Deng Linlin
Jiang Yuyuan
He Kexin
Huang Qiushuang
Wu Liufang

These six can put up a very strong three-woman lineup on all four events. It could be a very exciting battle between China, Russia, and the USA, as all three teams are quite versatile and none stand out as the clear-cut favorite.

American Gymnast

I’m not crunching any numbers. … But I’ll predict, as do many others, that Russia will win World Championships, unimportant aside from bragging rights as all the top teams will qualify through to 2011.

Congrats on the Emmy win.

… The woman who weekly terrorizes the kids of “Glee” as Sue Sylvester took home the statue for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy on Sunday night …

MTV

From the Facebook album: GLEE Season 2 Cast photos by Glee

Our favourite Cheer coach returns with a new season TUE Sept. 21st.

Mike Durante is looking for a very special event. It need not be in the States though it’s a problem competing kids under a different set of rules.

jamaica/ puerto rico/ bahamas/south america?

I’m one of the organizers of my favourite meet, the Great West Gym Fest near Spokane. (Feb. 25-28, 2011)

Courtney Kupets loved it last year …

Leave a comment if you can recommend the best invitational gymnastics meet, anywhere.

Alicia Sacramone now on Twitter! Follow her at @ASacramone3

(via The All Around)

I thought this fad would die.