Make It or Break It episode 12

Episode 11 is online free if you live in the USA at ABCfamily.com.

And online here if you live outside the States. (Check the comments for more links.)

Kaylie

Watch a preview of episode 12. Will Sasha be replacing Marta?

Actually, there are 4 free previews on ABC.

most dominant gymnast of 2009?

Who else?

Courtney Kupets.

The greatest College gymnast of all time.

http://www.gymnastike.org/assets/portal/add_ons/mediaplayer-4.2/player.swf

Click through to Gymnastike to see a personal interview with Courtney. And a long list of her accomplishments.

She’ll be cheering Georgia this weekend, the first competition of their new season.

psychological training for gymnastics

Dr. Alison Arnold gives 3 tips on how to train psychologically for hitting gymnastics routines.

Click PLAY or watch it on Tom’s GymSmarts blog.

Watch more gymnastic training videos on The Gymnastic Minute Channel on YouTube.

DVDs and more on GymSmarts.com.

Follow them on twitter @gymsmarts

college gymnasts more entertaining than elite

The College Gymnastics season begins. I’m happy, happy.

UCLA Gymnastics vs Utah Preview

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Kate Richardson competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, finishing 7th on Floor in Athens.

Here she is, a few years ago, competing Floor for UCLA.

Click PLAY or watch Kate on YouTube.

Great tumbling. Interesting and unusual (College) dance.

Andrew Thornton used this routine as just one example of how college gymnasts have more entertaining floor routines than most elites.

Check Andrew’s American Gymnast blog post where he show other examples: Jamie Dantscher, Allyse Ishino and Tabitha Yim.

In College “entertainment” value is more important than difficulty. The best of example of that was Courtney McCool dominating Floor Exercise in 2008 all season. And winning the NCAA Championships on Floor that year despite having no double salto on FX.

Judges agreed that McCool’s was the most entertaining and “cleanest” routine of the finalists.

Megan Marsden – Utah co-head coach

From Linda Hamilton:

MeganThe University of Utah’s gymnastics team opens its 35th season Saturday afternoon at UCLA with the first–ever change in its head-coaching position.

Oh, Greg Marsden — the only head coach the Utes have ever had — remains the head coach.

But on Saturday, his wife, Megan, will share that title in a competition for the first time.

“I feel great about it. It’s been a partnership for 25 years or more, and it probably should have happened long ago, but better late than never,” said Greg Marsden of Megan’s first meet with the title of co-coach. …

details – Utah Utes gymnastics: Another Marsden set to assume head coach title

related – Gymnastike interview – Get To Know Megan Marsden

Make it or Break It – free online

Americans can watch last night’s episode of the hit TV series online at ABCfamily.com.

gymnasts

Leave a comment if you know how those of us not living in the U.S.A. can watch it legally. … Without giving our phone number to a marketing agency. Update – try here.

I’d avoid makeitorbreakit.tv if I were you.

UPDATE: casttv.com and hulu.com links do not work outside the U.S.A.

is Cheerleading safe?

ABC Nightline posted this article on Jan. 4th.

Most Dangerous ‘Sport’ of All May Be Cheerleading
With No Regulatory Framework in Place, Cheerleading ER Visits Have Skyrocketed

Currently Cheer is the target of a lot of negative press, some of it deserved.

In the past Trampoline Sports were a media target. At other times, elite Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. Many times I challenge comparatively uninformed journalists when they make misstatements.

But it’s hard to dispute much in the ABC videoWhen the Cheering Stops (8min)

Embedding disabled by request of ABC

I do think Cheer needs to do better at training and certifying coaches, especially in tumbling.

On the other hand, there are a surprising number of superb coaches and athletes for a comparatively new sport. Some of the spotters are as good as the best Artistic coaches.

Georgia Tech v Miami

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

Over the past 10yrs I’ve been converted to a Cheer fan. It’s wonderful to see so many hundreds of thousands of athletes participating.

Update: Check the comments. Geoffrey Taucer feels different.

We need to do more to educate the general public on the health benefits of Cheer.

Gymnastics Montage – More Beautiful You

I’m oft to say it’s an honour for me to coach gymnasts. The most impressive athletes in any sport. They are superhuman.

Laura

photo by Amanda Manfredi – Level 10 gymnast Laura CainAmerican Elite

A gymnast might make a long putt … but can Tiger Woods do a giant?

By IRunFastest, a former gymnast:

… I thought this song was fitting for a gymnastics montage because these beautiful and talented young athletes, in pursuit of perfection, often loose sight of reality and struggle with poor self esteem, poor body image, eating disorders, emotional scars, and other problems that can be carried on into adulthood. I want all of them to remember the message of this song, that they are loved 🙂

The girl at 1:15 is former Soviet gymnast and actress, Svetlana Zasypkina. At 2:12, that’s her starring in the 1988 Soviet film, “Kukolka.”

Dedicated to all gymnasts, past and present…

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

An important subject. A great message.

Decide to Love Yourself.

This is a favourite montage of purplepenguin822 on IG Forum.

introducing Free Hip on Bars

JAOVideos posted The Kipping Process videos. Both excellent.

Their most recent video looks at preparing beginners for “Clear Hip”.

Click PLAY or watch in on YouTube.

More JAOVideos.

More free hip drills on the gymnastics-skills.com blog.

UCLA – Nastia Liukin Summer Camp

Now we know what Nastia was talking to Miss Val about when she was out there in December.

Nastia in California Hey everyone! I’m SO excited to announce ONE of my new projects… UCLA GYMNASTICS~Nastia Liukin Summer Camp at UCLA Gymnastics July 15th-18th

I will be back in LA this Saturday for the UCLA~Utah meet, so come out to the Pauley Pavilion at 4pm to watch a great competition! I’ll be signing autographs with the UCLA Gymnastics Team so I hope to see all you Cali girls & boys out there! XOXO-Nast ❤

NastiaLiukin.com

Chris Waller’s GymJam Camp is on as usual in June.