Author: Rick Mc

All 4 four competitors from 2009 Worlds will be at the Elite Session. Bridget Sloan will sign autographs while the other three, Ivana Hong, Kayla Williams and Rebecca Bross, compete.

Bridget is on some sort of “break” from gymnastics.

competition home page

ELITES from AUSTRALIA – USA – CANADA – RUSSIA – UKRAINE – JAPAN – NEW ZEALAND – MEXICO – TURKEY – ISRAEL

Over 100 Level 10’s from CA, CO, FL, GA, KS, LA, MA, MO, MS, NJ, NM, NV, OK, PA, TX, WI, WV,

Australia, Japan, Turkey, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico

Nastia Liukin Cup Qualifier – College Recruiters

In fact, 5 Canadian teams are attending the 2010 WOGA CLASSIC this year, a record! A good contingent from my home Province, Alberta, are looking forward to a break from the cold, snowy winter we’ve been suffering.

Thanks Barb Durfee for the update.

It will be interesting to look for the Rio Olympic cycle gymnasts coming up at WOGA. That includes Jr. National Team member Madison Kocian, not age eligible for Senior until 2013.

related – 4 More Reasons to Love WOGA (photos)

I’ve been checking out the many drills posted by Coach Bart of gymnastics-skills.com on his broskoski YouTube channel. Several are dedicated to teaching Tkachev (Reverse Hecht).

If you have a bar fixed over a trampoline, … Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Be sure to slide an additional mat over the exposed bar during the learning phase. It’s no fun to land on the bar!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Good stuff.

I’m linking to a few here, but there are more Tkachev and Jaeger videos on that channel. Start at Bart’s main site, gymnastics-skills.com.

Is anyone using that acronym?

Make It or Break It?

Marty is in as “National Coach”, Sasha is out.

Episode 12 is online free if you live in the USA at ABCfamily.com.

And online here if you live outside the States.

Not much gymnastics in this one.

These days my favourite blog post is Gymnastics Examiner’s The gymnastics week in review.

And this week’s edition by Blythe Lawrence is the best yet.

Some highlights and lowlights:

… $1.5 million settlement for gymnastics abuse case: A Chicago-area gymnastics club’s insurance company has agreed to pay $1.5 million in a civil suit against former gymnastics instructor Michael Cardamone, who was first arrested in 2002 …

Gymnastics on skis: Aerial ski coach Peter Judge calls China’s aerialists “unbelievable classic overtrainers.” “I found it astounding — and they were wondering why all their athletes were getting injured and blown up,” ….

… China’s aerial skiiers are poised to win medals next month in Vancouver. One reason is a 19-year-old former gymnast named Xu Mengtao, who Chinese aerial ski coach Dustin Wilson said “will change the sport.” …

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js

Mary Lou Retton interview: The U.S.’s first Olympic gymnastics champion speaks out about the pressure on young athletes to win today, as well as being born with hip dysplasia, a condition that has led her to have hip replacement surgery before the age of 42.

click through for links to these stories and many, many more.

Gymnastics Examiner – The gymnastics week in review

On the invitation of Katy Younger, I made the short drive from Calgary to Airdrie, Alberta to check out a new facility.

Awesome.

Coach Jamie Atkin custom ordered a custom built “Super Tramp”. It’s HUGE.

Edge is one of the top Trampoline and Tumbling clubs in Canada.

But it’s also got a terrific facility now for WAG.

more photos

This new state-of-the-art facility is four times larger than our previous home and will provide participants with an incredible gymnastics experience. …

official website

Congratulations to everyone out in Airdrie, population about 30,000. You’ve got a world class gym.

Watch a video of the gym under construction on YouTube.

Drop-in $12 / class:

Teen drop-in (13-19): Wed @ 8-9 and Sat @ 5-6

Adult drop-in (18+): Tues @ 8-9 and Sat @ 5-6

Airdrie Edge is close to the monster new Cross Iron Mills shopping mall.

Fishbulb linked to a cool skill on the IG Forum.

This is Illinois gymnast Allison Buckley competing, I think, in a High School meet some years ago.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We recently linked to a video of Charlie Tamayo doing a similar skill, what I called Stalder Tkachev Front in training on Horizontal Bar.

Men might call it Stalder Xiao Ruizhi as the same skill from giant is named after that Chinese gymnast in the Men’s Code.

On the Women’s side it’s often referred to as the “Counter Kim” after 1991 Bars Champion Kim Gwang Suk. Other’s call it “Marinich” after Vitaly Marinich, one of the first Men to compete it.

In fact, Allison calls it Marinich on her Player Bio.

There is a new blog by the same editor that does Gymnastics In Europe – Moves to America!.

It’s posted by a gymnastics coach and sport psychologist in training, focused on “issues” in the sport. Great idea.

The first two issues are Artistry and Difficulty. Click through to check them out.

Ana Porgras is mentioned as one example that there is still some Artistry in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics.

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js

Marie Sophie Hindermann and Fabian Hambuchen photo shoot via Gymnastics…and other things.

Australian Gymnastics Blog posted the updated list:

SENIOR NATIONAL SQUAD

GEORGIA BONORA (VIC)
SOPHIE BUDACK (NT) *
ALEX BYERS-ARMSTRONG (VIC) **
FIONA COLEY (VIC)
EMMA DENNIS (VIC)
BRITT GREELEY (VIC)
EMILY LITTLE (WA) *
ZOE LORENZIN (VIC) *
LARRISSA MILLER (QLD)
LAUREN MITCHELL (WA)
MARY-ANNE MONCKTON (NSW) *
SHONA MORGAN (VIC)
GEORGIA SIMPSON (WA) *
GEORGIA WHEELER (VIC) *

* Denotes Athletes elevated from Junior to Senior National Squad
** Denotes New Senior National Squad Member

Australian Gymnastics Blog

As named by the same blog, an easy pick, Australian Routine of the Year …

Lauren Mitchell, Beam, World Championships event final

2nd Place D-Score: 6.3 E-Score: 8.575 Total: 14.875

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Will Australia qualify a full team for the 2012 Olympics?

The launch of the women’s College season gets far, far more publicity than does the men’s. That’s a shame.

The 2010 men’s gymnastics season is about to launch into hyperspeed this month, with three high-profile meets taking place next weekend (January 15-17).

The Windy City Invite will feature top club teams such as Bartlett Gymnastics, Buffalo Grove, Orlando Metro, Queen City and Hocking Valley. It will also serve as the season opener for Illinois-Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State.

The Rocky Mountain Open will help kick off the season for Air Force, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Washington. Top club teams from that region will also compete.

The Vitaly Scherbo Invitational will showcase top club teams from the west coast, including San Mateo, WCOGA and SCATS. …

read more on StickItMedia

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js

I’m looking forward to the Cal Berkeley v Stanford clash Friday, Jan. 15. The top 2 ranked teams in the NCAA.