Author: Rick Mc

Anna sends a link to the International Gymnastics Camp Olympic Gym page. The video highlights their HUGE pit.

Check the excellent IGC TV YouTube channel, as well.

Agressive swing. Interesting skills.

French gymnast Elvire Teza is a fan favourite. She was the first French gymnast to qualify to an Olympic Final. And has 2 elements named after her on Beam.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Jerimiah for the link.

3D truly is a whole new ballgame when it comes to the big screen.

A tight-knit group of New York City street dancers, including Luke (Malambri) and Natalie (Vinson), team up with NYU freshman Moose (Sevani), and find themselves pitted against the world’s best hip hop dancers in a high-stakes showdown …

IMDB

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Impressive how they can convey 3D in a 2D video clip. John Woo is a master.

Thanks Jason.

From the Facebook album: 2010 Canada Cup by Brett MacAulay

Looks very efficient, not easy when you have so many good kids.

… Coaches Chris Burdette and Kim Zmeskal-Burdette will have 6 gymnasts representing Texas Dreams next week in Hartford at the 2010 US Championships.

They have 5 junior elite qualifiers: Kennedy Baker, Dare Maxwell, Claire Boyce, Ashton Kim, and Peyton Ernst (Kiana Winston qualified but won’t compete due to injury). Their lone senior elite is former national team member Chelsea Davis who will be competing in her first major national competition since the 2008 Olympic Trials. Watch how former World Champion and Olympian Kim Zmeskal-Burdette prepares her athletes for US Nationals, a meet she herself has won numerous times. …

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://c1403192.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/player.swf

Antonia Markova is currently a member of USA Gymnastics’ national staff, and choreographer for USA Women’s National Team Artistic Gymnastics.

Here Antonia is filmed giving instructions and corrections to an elite gymnast while she performs the complete complex. This complex is designed specifically for gymnasts to improve their dance skills at the highest levels and all levels can begin to use the complex as they move forward. …

Click through to GymSmarts.com for details. ($30 / 14min)

It’s too soon to say whether the YOG will evolve into something equivalent to the Olympics.

I doubt it.

But let’s wait and see.

Competition takes place between 15 and 26 August, where the best performing athletes will be awarded this specially designed medal.

The obverse design was created by Setsuko Fukuzawa from Japan, winner of the Medal Design Competition held by the International Olympic Committee in the build-up to Singapore 2010. Her medal features the flames and waves, symbolising the Olympic spirit and the cheering of athletes. The Olympian’s body shaped in a ‘Y’ is reminiscent of Goddess Nike and stands for Youth, as referred to in the “Yes Youth Can” slogan, the name that Setsuko gave to her creation. …

FIG – First Youth Olympic Games medals unveiled!

official Olympic.org YOG home page

Here’s the list of WAG competitors (so far) with commentary. No USA.

… I expect, as we all probably do, Viktoriya Komova to dominate …

Couch Gymnast

FIG posted the lists for all disciplines.

On June 5, 2010 the Olympic Parallel Bar champion wed Chinese-American model Li “Angel” Anqi, daughter of former gymnasts Li Xiaoping and Wen Jia.

That service was in L.A. On July 11th a second ceremony was held in Beijing.

The groom holds more world titles than any other Chinese gymnast in history, even more than Li Ning.

more California photos and video on Style Me Pretty

(via IG – Wedding Video a HIT)

Of the world’s best on this apparatus, his routines are amongst the most interesting.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

There are at least 3 good choices today of blogging platforms, … in my opinion.

Gymnastics Coaching is a WordPress.org site, hacked once or twice each year I’ve had it on BlueHost. I love it … aside from the terrible security. My host blames me every time something goes wrong.

I’m tempted to move the site to new-on-the-block, Squarespace.

What’s the difference?

WordPress is cheaper. Squarespace more secure.

Price

Squarespace – Squarespace services include both web design tools and hosting. Basic packages start at $8/month. To host your site on your own domain, accounts start at $14/month. Coupon codes can save you around 10%. Squarespace provides an excellent value for their slightly higher monthly price tag.

WordPress – Free-ish – WordPress is completely 100% GPL open source however you still need to pay for hosting and domain name. The price ranges from ~$3/mo (GoDaddy) to $100/mo (Rackspace)

The article is referring to WordPress.org sites, not WordPress.com (free). … Confusing, I know.

Best would be if WordPress.com changed their name. (WordPress.com is the third good option: secure, but no ads allowed.)

Security

Squarespace – Being a completely hosted system means Squarespace is not prone to the same security holes as open source systems like WordPress and Drupal. I’ll never have to pay someone to cleanse my hacked blog because I bought my domain on GoDaddy. Daddy. My site is just plain safe.

WordPress – You need to maintain your own updates and be careful with plugins. Also – a good host helps. Remember in hosting – you get what you pay for. We prefer to host at Rackspace – but you can still have problems if you don’t keep your site updated to the latest version and security fixes. …

big picture web – Squarespace Vs. WordPress: Both Sides of the Story

My advice for a new blogger?

Go to WordPress.com … unless you want to host ads. … In that case, go to Squarespace.com.

Avoid the much advertised and promoted WordPress.org sites like mine. Hosts simply cannot keep up with the hackers.

Note: some are unhappy with Squarespace.

Leave a comment if you’ve any advice on this topic, especially for those considering starting their own blogs.