Author: Rick Mc

Several suggested others as powerful or more powerful than Alicia Sacramone.

Most often mentioned, Yelena Produnova, in her prime. The argument being, can Alicia do this?

Click PLAY or watch the only gymnast to ever successfully land this vault on YouTube.

… This vault was listed by selecious as the most “difficult, forget the code” of all time. I’d agree.

Like just about everyone else, I love Yelena Produnova.

But I think she was more freaky good at forward somersaulting than “powerful”.

This montage by Lexness captures her unique style well. Watch her leg “power”. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Cool. Outrageous. Gorgeous.

I recall watching Charlie Tamayo doing Handspring Front Layout up on to a stack of mats. And thinking, Nobody in the history of gymnastics ever did that as “easily”.

I still believe Alicia could do Handspring front up on to a stack of mats more “easily” than Yelena. Or any other vaulter I can recall.

… We need sport scientist Jeni McNeal to do some research on this for us.

From Don Eckert:

Rick form AZ is a great spotter as you can see by this spotting of one of the prettiest skills in gymnastics.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This is the first time I can recall seeing it spotted.

Don’s saltocafe YouTube channel is one of the best. Subscribe.

Nobody else has such a collection of unique, interesting skills and drills.

The girls at Gymtastics Gymnastics, Calgary presented coach Jeremy Mosier with … a blow horn.

The perfect gift for a gymnastics coach.

Unfortunately it did not have the “emergency siren” feature. … NEXT Christmas.

Gymnastics Saskatchewan

Gymnastics Saskatchewan will host the 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships. It will feature all 4 disciplines (WAG, MAG, RG, T&T) and be held again at Evraz Place in Regina similar to 2007. This time there will be much more room for the competition as 2 newly built hockey arenas will be used as training gyms.

This time I promise not to do any local cable TV colour commentary. I promise.

Click PLAY or watch it on JibJab.

(via My Sports Dreams)

Shawn is “training”. … OK, in the gym for a few days.

But I’m far, far more optimistic about a possible comeback by Alicia Sacramone. Last I heard, she was “she was working her way back on vault and beam and hopes to add in floor at some point.”

That point is now.

From @PrecisionLA on twitter:

Alicia Sacramone’s routine is officially done! thanks to mgc for letting us work in the gym and look out world…SAC IS BACK!!

Alicia is superhuman on vault, the most powerful female gymnast I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it would take her long to get back on that apparatus.

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

… And, she’s got a lot to prove.

Precision Los Angeles has a division called Precision Choreography. That’s Nicole Langevin, Alicia Sacramone, Courtney L. McCool, Natalie Briggs, Rachel Rosenberg, Jordan Goldberg and other professionals.

How much would it cost to have Courtney McCool choreograph my Floor routine?

From Nicole at Precision: Our current rates run between $305-$425. Special considerations are made for large groups and combos (beam and floor choreography).

Update: Andrea in the comments thinks it’s about $500 a routine for a Precision Choreography routine. (You might pay that much for the best choreographer in my city.)

(via #FlipperXten)

Shawn Johnson has started workouts at Chow’s Gymnastics in West Des Moines as she continues to explore whether to return to elite-level competition — and a run at the 2012 Olympics in London. …

DesMoinesRegister.com

How about that?

Merry Christmas.

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

Commentary on IG Forum: by medstudent24

I’m ice skating home, hell just froze over.

So you want to be an “Olympian” …

If the USA qualifies teams to the 2012 Olympics in Artistic Gymnastics, they would be allowed to put 5 men and 5 women on the Floor. A total of 10 competing Olympians. (reduced from 12 in Beijing)

Yet in Swimming they could send as many as 52 Olympians. (26 men and 26 women)

In Athletics (track and field) … 126!

I got these numbers from a post by Andrew Thornton – Andy’s Proposed Selection Procedures and World/Olympic Format…

Is this fair? Is it smart?

No. … But I’m not expecting it to change any time soon. IOC has made it clear they do not want to increase the number of Olympic competitors.

… Perhaps we should propose to move Gymnastics sports to the Winter Olympics.

====

Update: Skyrider 95 points out that a maximum of 4 trampolinists could qualify for the U.S.A. … And we could add Rhythmic gymnasts.

The point Andy makes in his original article is that Women’s Artistic Gymnastics is one of the biggest single draws of all Olympic sports. Why limit the maximum number to 5 when the same nation can send 26 women in swimming events? … If we used the same logic as Athletics, the USA could send 4 women on Beam, 4 different women on Vault, etc.

Congratulations to Houston coach Kevin Mazeika who will replace Ron Brant as USA Gymnastics Men’s National Team Coordinator.

Commentary on Gymnastics Examiner:

… Mazeika, head coach of the 2004 and 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic teams, is a logical choice for the position, which was vacated by Ron Brant after this year’s World Championships. U.S. teams under Mazeika’s guidance have done well, earning back-to-back Olympic medals for the first time ever.

Mazeika has a long history of coaching successful athletes, including 2001 World parallel bars champ Sean Townsend, 2007 World team member Sean Golden and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Raj Bhavsar. But he’s not without controversy — in 2007, he came under fire from some in the gymnastics community, who claimed he encouraged athletes to forgo college scholarships in favor of training with him full-time. …

read more – Kevin Mazeika tapped to be U.S. men’s National Team Coordinator

With Team medals at the past 2 Olympics, the USA should keep on keeping on. The Bronze in Beijing was one of the greatest team results in Olympic history. No need to bring in anyone new.

… Mazeika began coaching men’s gymnastics in 1984 and has served on the National Team Coaching Staff since 1988. Over the past nine years, he has coached at more than 35 international competitions and has been head or assistant coach at 15 international team events.

read more on Inside Gymnastics