Author: Rick Mc

I love the concept of “open” and “drop-in” gymnastics. It attracts an entirely different kind of customer than does regular structured gymnastics class.

The cost and commitment required of the family is low.

Many clubs do not offer “open” workout due to safety and liability concerns. Those concerns are valid.

It is possible to run a large open workout program. For example, check the weekly OPEN GYM schedule at Progressive Power Tumbling in Utah:

… Each participant will be asked to sign a liability release before being allowed on the gym floor. …

Shared Gym – $6 per person, $60 minimum (at least 10 people in your group)

When you schedule as a shared reservation, other groups or individuals will be allowed up to capacity. It’s a great way to meet new people!

Progressive Power Tumbling

They don’t fill every class, of course. But that is a lot of options for someone just wanting to try out the club.

It’s been successful. In fact, the club is planning on expanding their facilities.

(via Doug Davis in the Tumbl Trak May newsletter)

Thank JJ for pointing us to another great montage video by ClayBabe6.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

more videos by ClayBabe6

Her blog is Live.Breath.Love.Gymnastics

You know … what I really notice watching those quicky clips is just how LOUSY is the execution in these difficult routines. The B-panel judges have to be more severe.

related: our Olympic predictions

Zohan is a bit of an acrobat. Have you seen the full trailer for You Don’t Mess With The Zohan?

Looks much better than the usual Adam Sandler flick.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

53 young women are registered (29 juniors and 24 seniors) for the 2008 Visa Championships, June 5-7, at Agganis Arena at Boston University. What a show this will be!

Arizona
Melissa Metcalf, Mesa, Ariz./Desert Devils (Junior)

California
Desi Borgese, Los Gatos, Calif./Airborne (Junior)
Kaitlyn Clark, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision (Junior)
Sophina DeJesus, Temecula, Calif./Precision (Junior)
Mattie Larson, Los Angeles/All Olympia (Senior)
Katelyn Mohr, Carmichael, Calif./Byers (Senior)
Hallie Mossett, Los Angeles/All Olympia (Junior)
Samantha Shapiro, Los Angeles/All Olympia (Junior)
Ashley Stott, Temecula, Calif./SCEGA (Senior)

Florida
Jana Bieger, Coconut Creek, Fla./Bieger’s (Senior)
Olivia Courtney, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro (Senior)
Morgan Smith, Clermont, Fla./Brandy Johnson (Junior)
Shayla Worley, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro (Senior)

Hawaii
Randi Lau, Honolulu/What’s Up (Junior)

Iowa
Shawn Johnson, West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s (Senior)

Illinois
Bridget Caquatto, Naperville, Ill./Aerials (Junior)
Mackenzie Caquatto, Naperville, Ill./Aerials (Senior)

Indiana
Samantha Peszek, Indianapolis, Ind./DeVeau’s (Senior)
Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s (Senior)

Massachusetts
Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s (Senior)

Maryland
Alexis Carroll, Olney, Md./Hills (Junior)
Corrie Lothrop, Gaithersburg, Md./Hills (Senior)
Britney Ranzy, Gaithersburg, Md./Excalibur (Senior)

Michigan
Kamerin Moore, Bloomfield, Mich./Geddert’s (Junior)
Jordyn Wieber, Dewitt, Mich./Geddert’s (Junior)

Missouri
Rebecca Clark, Blue Springs, Mo./GAGE (Junior)
Ivana Hong, Blue Springs, Mo./GAGE (Senior)

North Carolina
Kimberly Jacob, Raleigh, N.C./Superior (Senior)
Sarah Persinger, Charlotte, N.C./Southeastern (Senior)

New Jersey
Darling Hill, Mt. Laurel, N.J./Will Moor (Senior)

Nevada
Asi Peko, Henderson, Nev./Brown’s Las Vegas (Junior)

New York
Sabrina Vega, Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic (Junior)

Ohio
Amanda Jetter, Milford, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (Junior)
Ashley Priess, Hamilton, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (Senior)
Cassie Whitcomb, Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (Junior)

Pennsylvania
Lauren Beers, Warren Center, Pa./Southern Tier (Junior)
Cassandra Hanley, Danielsville, Pa./Parkettes (Junior)
Madeline Hanley, Danielsville, Pa./Parkettes (Junior)
Annette Miele, Easton, Pa./Parkettes (Junior)
Elizabeth Price, Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes (Junior)
Amber Trani, Richlandtown, Pa./Parkettes (Senior)

Texas
Caitlin Atkinson, Houston/Cypress (Junior)
Briley Casanova, Dallas/WOGA (Junior)
Chelsea Davis, Lakeway, Texas/Texas Dreams (Senior)
Alaina Johnson, Tyler, Texas/Texas East (Senior)
Sophia Lee, Plano, Texas/WOGA (Junior)
Nastia Liukin, Parker, Texas/WOGA (Senior)
Christa Tanella, Lucas, Texas/WOGA (Senior)
MacKenzie Wofford, Spring, Texas/Stars (Junior)

Virginia
Gabrielle Douglas, Virginia Beach, Va./Excalibur (Junior)
Brooke Parker, Lorton, Va./Capital GNTC (Junior)
Randy Stageberg, Chesapeake, Va./Excalibur (Senior)

Wisconsin
Chellsie Memmel, West Allis, Wis./M&M Gymnastics (Senior)

USAG

Both California and Texas have 8 competitors.

Looks like defending Jr. Champion Rebecca Bross is not entered.

photos of Rebecca from Championships 2007 – sitesbyspeedle

Everyone wants Sasha Artemev on the U.S. Olympic Team.

If he hits, Sasha is a near certain Olympic finalist on Pommel Horse. His routine is brilliant and unique. He’s got style and artistry on the other apparatus too.

Bus Sasha fell on Pommel both days at the VISA Championships. He had problems hitting other routines.

I don’t think the Olympic Team selectors will vote for him unless he can prove consistency over the coming weeks, especially in competition situations. Perhaps he should compete in the next World Cup meet.

(AP Photo/Dave Einsel) – ESPN

I am very happy to report that Jason has secured the Canadian spot in the Olympics. He’s done more crazy things on trampoline than anyone else in history — but has had an inconsistent record in competition. I was afraid he might not qualify for 2008.

For example, here’s his 10 triple somersault routine on Super Tramp.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That was Jason age-18 in 2004. A wonderkind.

Check Related Videos on YouTube for more astonishing Jason Burnett clips.

The Canadian woman, not surprisingly, will be Karen Cockburn who took Bronze in both 2004 and 2008. Both are coached by Dave Ross.

(via Gymnastics Canada)

Recommendations from recent FIG meetings in Cape Town, South Africa:

only 8 teams from World Championships 2011 will qualify for the 2012 Olympics

… in the past, this has been 12 teams. The final 4 teams would qualify through a different system.

team size to be reduced from 6 gymnasts to 5
… opening up additional spaces for more individuals

The source of this information is GYMmedia (in German).

These changes will be controversial. But are inevitable, I think. Given the current code of points.

TRENDS:

It’s good and bad, I think. Perhaps more good than bad.

Of course these are only rumoured recommendations. Leave a comment if you know more. Or have an opinion on what FIG should do instead.

(via Lightbulb Hands)

Dreadful logo, wot?

At the 2004 General Assembly of FIG in Turkey, the Italian Bruno Grandi was elected as President of the International Gymnastics Federation with votes from 86 of 96 nations. Grandi hasn’t been all bad.

He’s running for election again in 2008 — unopposed, it seems — with that vote taking place in Finland in October. There is the possibility of a nomination from the Floor, I assume. Personally, I wish Vice President Slava Corn would run for the top job.

Pretty boring stuff …

But if YOU happen to be interested, FIG has posted a list of candidates (PDF) for those elections.

The disastrous Adrian Stoica is running for reelection as Men’s Technical President. NEW candidates up for MTC include Steve Butcher (USA) and Edouard Iarov (Canada).

Nellie Kim is running again for WT President.

My opinion is that IOC and FIG are structured so that it is very difficult for a new person to unseat an incumbent. That corruption and vote influence is commonplace. That there is very little incentive for FIG to improve or change. And that the organization is most undemocratic.

AND that the IOC is even worse.

Related posts:

how to contact the FIG Technical Committees
Olympic Games for sale

(via Lightbulb Hands)

July 1 is the deadline for USA Gymnastics to submit the names of the six members of the Olympic team and any replacement athletes to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

If an athlete’s petition to the Olympic team is accepted, he must prove competitive readiness at the Olympic Team preparation camp July 13-22 in Colorado Springs, Colo. If he fails to do so, he will be removed from the team at that time.

read more … Gymnast.com

Everyone I’ve talked to is very optimistic the defending Olympic Champion will be close to 100% in time for the Olympics.

… Dr. Lawrence Lubbers, an orthopedic hand specialist who has previously worked on Hamm’s former teammate, Blaine Wilson, will perform the surgery. Dr. Lubbers is part of the elite Hand and Microsurgery Associates, Inc., a division of Columbus Hand Therapy, LLC.

“We know he’s very competent,” Hamm’s coach, Miles Avery, said of Dr. Lubbers.

Dr. Lubbers evaluated Hamm this morning and found nothing previously unknown about the break, allowing them to proceed immediately with surgery. Dr. Lubbers will fixate the break in Hamm’s fourth, right metacarpal and that hardware—be it a pin, plate, screw or combination thereof—will stay in Hamm’s hand, at least through Beijing. …

“Four weeks from now we’ll be back up on the apparatus,” Avery told Inside Gymnastics. “Four weeks at the outside—hopefully, [sooner]. …

Inside Gymnastics

This is unofficial. But, posted by Glen’s Dad, it’s official enough for me.

From the USA VISA Championships competition in Houston this past weekend.

The top 7 juniors (age groups combined) in rank order are:

1. Glen Ishino (87.15),
2. Alexy Bilozertchev (86.05),
3. John Orosco (86.00),
4. Danell Leyva (85.90),
5. Sam Mikulak (84.45),
6. Donathan Bailey (84.25) and
7. CJ Maestas (84.00).

This ranking identified the gymnasts who are going on the Japan Training Camp with Yoichi Tomita for ten days beginning June 23rd.

With these super talents coming up, I don’t think American Men’s gymnastics has ever been this deep.

Father Dmitri Bilozertchev coaching son Alexy.

Dmitri was, by age-16 in 1983, World Champion. The best young male gymnast of all-time. I see some similarities in style with his son, but even more differences.

Note: the last name can be spelled many different ways.