Author: Rick Mc

I’m just digging into the latest issue.

A feature discussing the reasons behind China’s slow, though deserved rise in the sport.

Interview: Chris interviewed ex-Romanian beam coach Maria Cosma, responsible for the routines of legends Aurelia Dobre and Daniela Silivas.

Interview: Marlies Rijken, Dutch National beam and floor champion talks about her life in the sport.

Justin Caouette analyses the potential of gender neutrality in gymnastics.

Interview: Meet Gina Robertson and find out what it is like to raise an international elite gymnast and keep a normal, happy family together as she talks about her daughter Brittany.

A profile on the career and potential comeback of everyone’s favorite absentee, Anna Pavlova by Suna.

Ashlyn discusses Colombia’s improvement in the sport, particualrly its two young stars, Natalia Sanchez and Jessica Gil Ortiz.

Amy is back and training again. This time at Texas Dreams. Catch up with her latest gymnastics adventures in her gym diary.

The List: Tom Lane’s late and great gymnasts of bygone days.

Italy report: Giuly witnessed some spectacular gymnastics from Italy’s 1995 babies in a recent competition.

Romania- Bea takes a look at the next batch of juniors on the way up the Romania ranks.

table of contents

Ask anyone what they like about the new G.S. George Gymnastics textbook Championship Gymnastics. High on everyone’s list → the illustrations.

Stephenson, volunteer coach and former co-head coach for the Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team, recently finished work on a book, “Championship Gymnastics: Biomechanical Techniques for Shaping Winners.”

Stephenson illustrated the entire book, which was written by Dr. Gerald George, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Louisiana. Here, Stephenson answers questions about the project, his artistic career, and future artistic endeavors.

How did the project of putting together “Championship Gymnastics” start?

“It really started in the early 1980’s, I had worked with Dr. George in creating a book called “Biomechanics of Women’s Gymnastics”. That book was probably the only book out in years that addressed so many of the important fundamentals of women’s gymnastics. We were pleased with it, but Jerry called me a couple of years ago as he was preparing to retire, and he said that he’d learned so much since writing that first book that he wanted to redo the whole thing. I was thrilled because my artwork has improved so much that I wanted to redo the whole thing too. We decided that we would make this happen. …

read the entire back story – Gopher Sports – Stephenson Completes Book Illustration Project

Thanks Roy.

Bit of a shocker. But not all that surprising considering the problems she’s had since World’s.

AND Alicia’s looking great, certainly a stronger candidate to make the USA World’s Team.

World vaulting champ Kayla Williams has made the decision to forego further Elite training and focus on preparing for college, according to coach Mary Lee Tracy.

Williams, the USA’s first, and to date only, World Champion on vault, tore her a plantar fascia tendon in her foot “one or two weeks ago,” according to Tracy, and decided yesterday to end her Elite career, even though the injury will not require surgical repair. …

Inside Gymnastics

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

reaction on IG forum

George Hery demonstrates a few progressions for this technically easy, but psychologically challenging, skill.

I’d love to see Artistic gymnasts learn Cody before they flip Tsuk, Yurchenko or double back.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I learned in this video that the Cody on Trampoline is named after American Dale Cody.

If you appreciate The Gymnastics Minute, click through to GymSmarts.com to browse their coaching DVDs. ($30 each)

Over the years there have been hundreds of gymnastics references on The Simpsons. (No doubt many of the writers had kids in the sport.)

The Children of a Lesser Clod episode marks the first appearance of Lugash the Béla Károlyi-esque gymnastics coach. …

In the Little Girl in the Big Ten episode Lisa is failing Gym Class.

She’s sent to coach Lugash for training. Once there, Lisa learns that gymnasts are SMART. (Actually, they’re College girls, but petite.)

If interested, click through to watch the full episode .

I’ve linked to this promotional video before. Now Gymnastics Canada has posted it on YouTube.

A fair bit of the footage comes from Oakville Gymnastics in Ontario.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The All Around posted a must read interview with Russian junior women’s team coach Oleg Ostapenko, formerly in Brazil.

… How are the preparations for the Youth Olympic Games going?

We have two gymnasts training for the Youth Olympic Games: Viktoria Komova and Maria Paseka. Komova will compete, provided everything goes according to plan. Paseka is the reserve gymnast. They are preparing at Round Lake and training well. The competition is still a while away. I’d say Komova is about 70% ready [for the competition] now, so we are aiming to peak for the actual meet. I’m satisfied with where they are right now. …

Do you agree that a world class gymnast like Komova should be age ineligible for this year’s world championships?

I would have allowed the girls born in 1996 to compete at the world championships that precede the Olympics. I don’t like it that they can’t. But those are the rules, and we have to obey them. …

read it – Interview: Oleg Ostapenko

Komova is the favourite to win the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

photo – Svetlana Boguinskaia with Oleg

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Good front loops and back loops on pommel horse require the gymnast to have extension in their circle ….

If you like this, consider asking your club to sign up for a Gymnastics on Demand subscription ($9.95/month), access to over 800 WAG and MAG coaching videos.

I’d linked to this video in the past, but it seems that link is broken.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

More MunchTheSilivasFan.

(Linked by Brett MacAulay on Facebook.)

We’ve linked to the Norweigan Rhythmic montage maker KajaRG in the past.

Here’s another interesting, perhaps even haunting, edit.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.