Author: Rick Mc

She’s a butterfly, pretty as the crimson sky
Nothing’s ever gonna bring her down
And everywhere she goes
Everybody knows she’s so glad to be alive
She’s a butterfly

Like the purest light in a darkened world
So much hope inside such a lovely girl
You should see her fly, it’s almost magical
It makes you wanna cry, she’s so beautiful

Martina Mcbride – She’s A Butterfly

This is one gymnast who does make me cry. Fantastic.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

montage by AshleyakaFlipper

acadian0 has posted a number on YouTube.

Check the Floor routine of Brazil’s Sérgio Sasaki on YouTube – 1/2-in, 1/1-out mount (14.950)

Even with Sérgio, I’m still trying to grok how Brazil was able to beat the USA in the team competition.

Thanks Erin.

Madison sends us this tragic story from California.

… Kenneth Ta is dead.

Sacramento police said the 15-year-old fell from an eight-story parking structure at 28th and N streets last Thursday evening.

… We’re just trying to determine if it was an accidental fall or something else,” said Officer Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

Friends and family members told KCRA 3 they believe parkour, an urban sport popularized on the Internet, might be to blame. …

read the story – Parkour Investigated In Teen’s Death

Our sincere condolences to Kenneth’s family.

The 2009 U.S. junior all-around champion Kyla Ross won the all-around. In fact the American girls went 1-2-3-4.

1. Kyla Ross
2. Sabrina Vega
3. Alexandra Raisman
4. Bridgette Caquatto

1. USA
2. Canada
3. Brazil

This all from Bogwoppit. Official scores yet to be posted.

Here’s a photo posted by Canadian coach Dave Brubaker. Canada competed with only 3 gymnasts.

I’m suspicious. The American team was very strong. …

Historically South American teams have been overscored in South America.

… Brazil won the men’s team competition at the Junior Pan American Games, defeating the United States and Columbia, according to The Canadian Press. Canada finished fourth. All four countries qualified teams to next year’s Youth Olympics, which will be held in Singapore….

read more – Gymnastics Examiner

Street acrobat Alexandre Sayhi from France had retired, I thought.

But at age-24, he’s still training despite many injuries.

I post this video from 2009 as it’s a far better edit, and far more insightful, than the usual Parkour / Free Running YouTube montages.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnastike posted this on Halloween. Funny.

From Temple University.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

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

Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

The Americans are the teams to beat in Aracaju, Brazil November 4-9.

Kyla Ross, Gym-Max
Bridgette Caquatto, Naperville Gymnastics
Alexandra Raisman, Brestyan’s American Gymnastics
Sabrina Vega, Dynamic Gymnastics

C.J. Maestas, Gold Cup Gymnastics
Sam Mikulak, SCATS HB
Jesse Glenn, SCATS HB
Jake Martin, Orlando Metro

This event leads up to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, August 10-26 in Singapore.

Toronto was just awarded the 2015 Sr. Pan American Games. Guadalajara Mexico hosts in 2011.

From MostepanovaFan:

A montage showing some named skills from the Code of Points that were actually performed by other people earlier. Generally this happens when people never get to go to a world championships but occasionally the FIG like to remind us how dumb they can be and just name the skill after the wrong Romanian. Smooth.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This is opening up a HUG discussion. (Hugging the athlete not credited.) And a HUGE discussion. Check the comments.

Fact is the “naming” of gymnastics skills has always been inconsistent and political. It often depended on who was on the Women’s Technical Committee at the time.

And why are some skills named after a male gymnast?

… blantonnick points out the only skill in the Men’s code named for a woman is Yurchenko.

Couch Gymnast has some interesting and entertaining summary thoughts on her trip to World Championships.

Here’s a sample:

… Nadia Comaneci, … gave Ana Porgras a little pep talk before beam was quite sweet too. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I also have to say, that the one thing I really noticed about the Romanians, particularly Forminte, is what good care he took of little Porgras. He was always by her side. Just look at how he is looking at her during this clip, all fatherly and proud and ‘how exciting is that you are meeting Nadia?’

I mean, they seem to take care of all the other girls too. The Romanians have such a family like vibe about them. Not lovey- dovey, but just a practical, healthy family dynamic that probably comes from living together all year round.

… I noticed, during the floor final, when Ortiz was hurt, he was kind of shielding her from watching what was happening. He seems happy to let her just stay the child she is, which is more than I can say for Belu and Bitang whose baby gymnasts looked like careworn war widows by the time they’d made it onto the senior national team. …

Couch Gymnast – WORLDS TV COVERAGE: SOME THOUGHTS (READ: RANT!)

Click through to read the rest. It’s great.