Author: Rick Mc

These White House Barney the Dog videos are so goofy, so retro, that I actually enjoy them.

This one features a cameo by Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Claudine Gervais.

more gymnastics ornaments

Past and Present Gymnastics linked to a Christmas themed montage from fb07 out of the U.K.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

it’s called Christmas 2006 Gymnastics Montage. But some of those clips are from more recent meets, no?

Perhaps it’s been updated over the past 2 years.

Scott Bird of the excellent Straight to the Bar blog linked to The 6 Sickest Playground Workouts You Can’t Do.

One of those that caught me eye instantly includes using safety straps on a playground bar:

… Hailing from Colombia, these kids’ workout is more a performance than a exercise. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

More videos like this posted by William Steven Santana, age-17, on the Dragonsamurai91 channel.

This is what I love about the internet. Some teenagers with a camcorder and a playground can “invent” a new sport: Arte En Barras. It’s like Parkour on a bar.

I assume they’ve studied the (very similar) travelling rings videos.

Playgrounds are fantastic outdoor “conditioning gyms”. And they are FREE.

related post: the playground I train at myself when on holiday in Mazatlán, Mexico.

claus wrote to confirm that his old friend Espen JANSEN is still unbeaten in Norway. He’s 40yrs-old.

In fact, last April Espen won the All-around at a World Cup competition at age-39.

Norwegian Espen JANSEN was not only the by far oldest gymnast (39) in Lausitz-Arena at the last Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, but also the only participant who started on all the six apparatuses – he was therewith (unofficially) the best in the all-around competition in this event and gained remarkable 81,725 points.

Already at the last World Championships 2007 in Stuttgart the man from Oslo was the oldest WOLRDS-participant and holds a record of 13 participations in World Championships since his debut in 1991 in Indianapolis. This record was formerly held by Austrian Thomas Zimmermann with 12 WORLDS-participations …

The father of four kids thinks about quitting somedays …

GYMmedia

Merry Christmas Espen. You are an inspiration.

I saw this on Sports Girls Play.

Gymnastics Girl Personalized Christmas Ornament

Inside Gymnastics magazine’s photographic year in review is up.

Some nice pics.

Photo Gallery: A Look Back At 2008 In Pictures

Sadly there are no captions, no thumbnails, no photographic credits. No slideshow.

A nice Christmas present from the magazine … badly presented online.

Inside Gymnastics has great potential. But I really wish someone who “gets” the internet would get onboard and improve their website.

larger version

Looking for the perfect very-last-minute gift for a gymnastics fanatic?

Zirkeltraining (Circuit Training) is a line of fashion items made from recycled gymnastics equipment.

… Bernd Dörr is the only one who make bags from recycled sports equipment leather and gym mats.

His new brand “Zirkeltraining” (Ciurcit Training) is since October 2007 on the market and was presented on the “Blickfang” in Tokyo. Retro gym teacher reinforced his efforts about the gym equipment, so the collection grew bigger with models like handstand, croush, roll, pommel horse and buck. Every piece is handcrafted and unique, extreme resistant, carrys sweat – inducing and informatory memorys with it and is not only interesting for sport freaks.

You can buy Zirkeltrainingâ„¢ only in selected bag shops in Germany, The Netherlands, Itlay, Japan and Austria.

Zirkeltraining

Retro chic.

see more on NOTCOT

Me, under the Christmas tree I’m hoping to find this bag made from an old mini-tramp.

Controversial French coach Yves Kieffer (who coached Emilie Lepennec and Isabelle Severino) is taking over the National Team program.

Gerrit Beltman is out. Also departing are coaches Marja Beltman, Rene Poutsma and Sofie Naert.

Kieffer and his wife Marjorie Heuls take over in January, along with Iouri Kiritchenko and Valentina Soldatenkova.

The drama has been documented by Triple Full – Yves Kieffer to Coach Flemish Girls After All

Gerrit Beltman sounds like my kind of coach. I wish he’d move to Canada.

UPDATE: … ” national champion Aagje Vanwalleghem accused the Flemish Gymnastics Federation of ignoring its gymnasts’ wishes on national TV, and asked the President of the Federation, Rik Dombrecht, to resign.” – Triple Full