tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Who knows what wonderful opportunities await the Olympic Beam champion.
But doesn’t it seem she’s a bit young to get into Politics?
Olympic gymnastics gold and silver medalist Shawn Johnson will lead the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday at Invesco Field at Mile High, where Barack Obama will give his Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech, the Associated Press is reporting.
Iowa Senator Jeff Danielson – Democrat
The highlights of the Artistic Gymnastics competition have had a lot of press. Now some reflection on which athletes would like to start the Olympics over … from the beginning:
Russias WAG team. Anna Pavlova. Cheng Fei. Nastia on Bars. China’s leotards. (They looked nice enough, but they wore the exact same one for every event!) Diego Hypolito and Marian Dragulescu. Alicia. Chellsie and Sam P. Shayla Worley.
I’m still shocked that so many experienced veterans had problems. Yet (arguably) the youngest athletes, under the greatest pressure, excelled. As the Gymnut says:
China. OK, they may have raised some contoversial questions but I was blown away by their gymnastics. I really thought they would crack under the pressure but they (mostly) performed like true champions.
read more – Olympic Roundup
… Perhaps I’m simply old and cynical. But, personally, I think China got very lucky they did not have more misses from that young Team. Let’s see if they can do it again next World Championships.
The most disappointed and shocked gymnast of all had to be Diego Hypolito. Falling on Floor. He was the favourite to win that apparatus. I felt awful for him.
more photos from that routine – Zimbio
UPDATE: Coach M adds Tomita from Japan to this list. He had an unexpected, awful fall from Rings.
Nancy added Fabian Hambuechen from Germany, who I thought might be able to surprise Yang Wei in the AA. He really had a rotten Olympics.
Li Ning?
… winning 6 medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, including 3 gold medals …. In 1982, he won six of the seven medals awarded at the Sixth World Cup Gymnastic Competition, earning him the title “Prince of gymnastics”.
Now, he has become even more famous in China. I have been told that he became a billionaire after he took his footwear and sporting apparel company public. The Li Ning brand is basically like the Nike of China. I have seen people all around the streets of Beijing wearing his shoes and apparel. Apparently he has just signed an endorsement deal with Shaquille Oneal. Looks like we might starting seeing the Li Ning brand in the United States. …
Steve McCain – Gymnast.com
I’ve seen Li Ning’s fortune listed as high as $1.2 billion. Certainly that’s going to go UP, UP, UP after Li Ning was chosen to light the Olympic Flame.
But it might be that Magnus Scheving from Iceland is even richer. He was two-times European Champion of Aerobics in 1995 and 1994 as well as silver medalist in the World Championships of Aerobics.
… CEO, creator, and co-founder of LazyTown Entertainment. This company produces books, videos, games, and sporting goods to help promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle to children. He is also creator of the show LazyTown (Latibær in Iceland), where he plays Sportacus (Ãþróttaálfurinn). …
The Southeastern Conference dominates Women’s NCAA Gymnastics.
And if you thought Florida, LSU, Georgia and Alabama got a lot of media attention in the past, wait until next year.
ESPN has cut a deal for $2.25 Billion for covering SEC sports 2009 through 2024.
ESPN’s various outlets will carry more than 5,500 SEC events over the 15-year period, including league championships in women’s basketball, baseball, softball and gymnastics.
ESPN signs 15-year deal with SEC
College sports are booming.
At one Queensland state school, doing a cartwheel in the playground can get you suspended.
Belgian Gardens State School has banned all forms of gymnastics during breaks, including handstands and somersaults – even the humble forward roll has been given the flick, the Townsville Bulletin reports.
Mum Kylie Buschgens was dumbfounded when her daughter Cali, 10, was told she could no longer do cartwheels, even on the grass.
Have authorities gone over the top on child safety? …
larger version – flickr – The_Admiralty
“She came home from school a couple of times and said ‘I got in trouble for doing a cartwheel’,” Ms Buschgens said.
“I thought she meant that it was wrong to do it on the concrete, but they made an announcement at assembly that gymnastics was banned.”
Cali said cartwheels made her happy because she wasn’t interested in other sports.
Her friend was busted and punished by the cartwheel cops this week. …
School bans all forms of gymnastics during breaks, even on grass – Herald Sun
(via Amy Van Deusen, About.com Guide to Gymnastics)
Gymnastics Australia already spoke out against the ruling.
Gymnastics is not the only Olympic sport with controversy.
Millions of people saw Michael Phelps finish second in his 7th race, the 100-meter Butterfly. Watching on TV, I was certain that Milorad Cavic touched first. Phelps second.
Some, including the 100th of a second blog, are suspicious that Phelps is sponsored by Omega. And that a touch sensitive Omega pad was used to confirm Phelps was the winner. They conclude:
Here’s Phelps on the left. Cavic on the right, a fraction of a second before the finish:
Click through to Sports Illustrated to see the next few frames.
By the SI photo sequence, Phelps really did win that gold. He out-touched Cavic in the last instant.
Amazing. I’ll never believe my own eyes, again.
(via Sierra Blogging Post)
I led sessions at the Recreation and Men’s Artistic streams Oct. 4-5th, 2008 in Lower Sackville & Dartmouth, NS.
Links for coaches who attended my sessions:
On Rings we spent most of our time watching and discussing the superb DVD RING STRENGTH featuring Jordan Jovtchev.
More information on the Men’s apparatus:
Other clinicians included Dr. Carolyn Savoy (Psychology), Guylaine Girard (Beam, Developmental), Allen Duschesne (Trampoline), and David Altmeyer from France (Bars, Vault, Tumbling).
A terrific event!
Contact Gymnastics Nova Scotia for more information: Phone: (902) 425-5450
Called up my old friend Kelly Manjak today. Former coach of Olympic Floor Champion Kyle Shewfelt.
Kelly’s at Oakville Gymnastics in Ontario, Canada. And one of the best coaches I know.
Here’s some training footage of one of his girls, Sabrina Gill, on bars.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Legendary Canadian coach Eugene Galperin told us many years ago to train 2 fast giants, 2 slow giants, in series, on strap bar. I see Kelly is still using that drill.
Kelly mentioned that his gymnast Aisha Gerber had just departed for UCLA. Good luck!
I was really surprised with the Olympic coverage on GYMmedia.com.
They are normally one of the very best sites. The European perspective. But I hardly linked to them at all during these Games. Their excellent analyst Dieter Hoffman was in Beijing. But updates and translations were slow. GYMmedia really needs a site overhaul.
For the 2008 Artistic competition, their coverage was sketchy. Somewhat better for Rhythmic.
GYMmedia was fairly good for Trampoline.
In fact, they are the only site reporting on a bit of a scandal in Men’s Trampoline.
The Bronze medalist from 2004, Henrik Stehlik from Germany, did not qualify to the Final. Germany protested. After a meeting 90min long, the Jury d’Appel voted 3:0 to add him as a 9th and extra Finalist.
Then F.I.G. President Bruno Grandi (ITA) talked to the Jury for an hour after their actual meeting. The Jury of Appeal reversed their decision. Stehlik was not allowed to compete the Final, after all.
… Now, FIG must make decisions on athlete selection all the time. But why did the President intervene? Is that part of the documented appeals process?
It seems very strange to me.
Click through to read the details, as well as Germany’s trampoline head coach Michael Kuhn’s opinion.
F.I.G.- President overrules Jury d’Appel – GYMmedia.com
The Women’s competition was terrific. One of the highlights of the Games. Nastia needed a near perfect meed to win.
But the Men’s All-around Final at the Beijing Olympics was a bit of a mess.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Winner Yang Wei was almost unchallenged. Certainly it would have been far more entertaining if a healthy Paul Hamm had been there to put on the pressure.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 