Author: Rick Mc

There’s still faint hope we will see former World’s medalist Charlie Tamayo, originally from Cuba, competing internationally once again. And not just coaching:

Charlie’s given up on 2008. But is considering training towards 2012. At least, so says the Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado:

Tamayo, 27, … hopes to compete for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.

Now working at Colorado West Gymnastics, … Tamayo said Friday he has finally settled.

… he’s working with the office of U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., on legislation that would help him achieve citizenship. His application for permanent legal status in the United States is stalled in California, said Tamayo’s Grand Junction attorney, Luke Brennan. …

Several American gymnasts have written letters in support of Tamayo’s bid for citizenship, as well as USA Gymnastics, the governing organization for the sport.

Tamayo lands spot to train

Charlie is one of the most talented gymnasts ever to walk the Earth. Watching him last summer at Woodward West Gymnastics Camp, I’d say he’d instantly be in the top 3 on Floor and Vault for the American Olympic Team.

In fact, I would challenge any gymnast in history to try to out-do Charlie in acrobatics contests in the gym. For example, Scherbo in his prime vs Charlie at any time. I think Scherbo would quickly agree, “Tamayo is the man!”

If you love great gymnastics, you want to see Charlie Tamayo compete once again.

YouTube is buzzing with his highlight videos.

Here’s one of coach Don Eckert’s videos on SaltoCafe that we’ve not linked to in the past. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

OK, the title of this post is a little over the top.

It’s designed to bring attention to the amount of unhealthy trans fats in fast food.

From Calorie Counter:

… Like I said, it’s the worst ingredient your food could contain. And, guess what? Fast food is pretty much the most common place you’ll find this evil type of fat. Fast food is also the place you’ll find the highest amounts of it.

Knowing this, I looked over the nutrition facts of literally every single item from the menus of McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, A&W, Arby’s, Hardee’s, In-N-Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Little Caesars, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Sonic, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, White Castle, Popeyes, Del Taco, Carl’s Jr., and Dairy Queen to put together a list of the 88 fast food items highest in trans fat.

read the list: Fast Food Items Highest In Trans Fat – The 88 least healthy foods.

(via Straight to the Bar)

Fast Food Nation – the movie

Related posts:

Fast Food restaurants compared

Fast Food Nation – the book

Super Size Me – teaching kids about fast food

The about.com Gymnastics blog posted some interesting pics in a post titled Illustrated History of Gymnastics.

A sample from the good old days — 1932 Olympic Games:

Photo © IOC Olympic Museum / Allsport / Getty Images

Gymnastics is one of the oldest Olympic sports: It’s been a part of the modern Games since 1896, and can even be linked back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

What’s most amazing to me, though, is how much it has changed. From the Athens Olympics in 1896, when men (only) competed in events such as rope climbing and team high bar, to the Athens Olympics in 2004 that sparked a complete scoring overhaul, gymnastics has gone through quite the evolution.

see more of the photos – about.com Gymnastics

(This photo reminds me of my father. He always told me he and the boys in the Canadian military did “giants” on a bar using dirt as chalk. But I never got to see photographic evidence.)

Americans historically have been great innovators on bars. Under appreciated is this Chinese superstar.

Liu was the first female gymnast to perform a one-arm giant swing on the uneven bars which is named after her in the Gymnastic’s Code of Points; she also performed this skill into a Geinger release move. …

In 2000, she was China’s first Olympic Champion on balance beam as well as China’s first All Around Medalist (after Andreea Răducan was disqualified from her gold medal due to a disqualification for taking an unlicensed cold medication, Liu moved up from 4th to the bronze medal position). …

Wikipedia

It’s a shame that FIG stifled 1-arm giant skills by devaluing them. I think we will see skills like that return one day.

1996 Olympics Team Optionals showing 1-arm Geinger:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Liu Xuan 2000 Cottbus Bars showing piked Jaeger half:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s similar (piked rather than straddled) to the skill we see done by He Kexin today. I expect it was inspired by Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan – bio on China Culture

Tracey Morrison from the U.K. posted a video to Facebook. Jam packed with interesting combinations and even a few mistakes.

Click PLAY or watch “Not So Ordinary” Chinese gymnastics montage by Fullybooked on YouTube.

Amy Van Deusen on the Gymnastics About.com blog posted another of her “Cool Tricks”.

This time a Full-Out Dismount off Parallel Bars very well done by Marcel Nguyen at the German Nationals 06. (Click through to read about it.)

Other high level alternatives?

I heard Valeri Liukin once competed double layout.

Here’s double front half. (First done by a Japanese gymnast decades ago, I belive.)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch forward salto salto fwd with 5/2 on YouTube:

Click PLAY or watch double salto bwd tuck+360 from end on YouTube:

Any other cool alternative PBar dismounts? Leave a comment.

College gymnast already qualified for the Olympics. How many other NCAA gymnasts will compete in Beijing?

DU junior All-American gymnast Jessica López (Caracas, Venezuela), representing her native Venezuela, finished in sixth place in the all-around at the 2008 Tyson American Cup in front of 9,318 fans at Madison Square Garden Saturday. López scored a 14.225 on vault, a 14.075 on balance beam, a 14.80 on uneven bars and a 14.30 on floor exercise for an all-around score of 57.400 to finish the second-highest international finisher on the women’s side.

Americans took the top four spots in the meet, as Nastia Liukin led the way with a score of 63.425, followed by Shawn Johnson (63.100), Samantha Peszek (62.075), and Shayla Worley (60.400). Germany’s Joeline Mobius was the top international gymnast with an all-around score of 57.925.

López is ranked No. 6 in the nation in NCAA gymnastics in the all-around and is ranked in the top-20 on three events.

Denver Gymnastics

International Gymnast magazine

Like Courtney Kupets, another powerful tumbler is out.

UCLA placed third in its final home meet Sunday afternoon and, more unfortunately, lost another gymnast to injury, as redshirt freshman Brittani McCullough ruptured her left Achilles tendon on the takeoff of her opening tumbling pass. McCullough will miss the remainder of the season.

“If it’s possible to feel worse for an athlete than you normally would after an injury, that’s how we all feel about Brittani McCullough,” said UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field. “She ruptured her right Achilles two years ago, was in a car accident last year and severed a tendon in her toe, and now this. It’s heartbreaking to see someone who does everything right in life have to suffer so much.” …

UCLA Gymnastics

Are these injuries the result of years of “fraying”.

What causes them?

How can we reduce the frequency of them?

Coach Lisa Rennebaum-Adlard at Funtastics, Idaho uses a folding panel mat instead of a normal (flat) Yurchenko hand mat.

Young gymnasts find it easier to finish the round-off in the correct position on the board as they are not required to tumble “up hill” as much.

Click PLAY or watch the drill on YouTube.

That’s a trampoline vault horse called the Porta Table, no longer available.

Related posts:

best video – Yurchenko vault

best Yurchenko vault hand mat?

introducing Yurchenko

A glimpse into the technical requirements of the Quebec WAG Development Programme.

I thought you might find it interesting to see a video of our developmental programme. it is similar to Tops and not every clubs competes this system. It is called Defi (means challenge) and has levels 1 – 6. Girls can begin when they are 5/6 and they oldest girls are about 9/10. The girls are given a % for the skills performed, they end up with an overall percentage which accords them different levels of final success and whether they are reay to move up to the next level.

bogwoppit on Chalk Bucket

Click PLAY or watch a gymnast showing Level 5 requirements on YouTube.

Of course there is far more to the system than we see here.

If you read French, check it out on this page: Programme DEFI 2007-2008