Author: Rick Mc

Another good article from Tulsa World of Gymnastics. Here’s an excerpt:

… Are your feet stable on the beam, without an unneccessary turn-out? Are your hips square with the beam, and not twisting to one side? Are your shoulders straight and square with the beam? Are your arms directly above your head in alignment with the beam? If any one of these questions are answered, “No,” most likely you’ll be having trouble doing a straight back walkover.

The most common mistakes are in hip and shoulder alignment. Most gymnasts who start out with one foot in front tend to rotate their hips and/or shoulders to compensate. This does not work. It throws your alignment off, and it only makes it more difficult. Make sure you begin with your hips and shoulders square with the beam. …

See the rest of the article – Tulsa World of Gymnastics

More articles like this in their Gymnastics Tips for Gymnasts and Coaches section.

Are you already tired of hearing this question:

Can the Chinese athletes handle the media pressure?

Gymnast Yang Wei: a concerted effort to fight for Olympic gold

I think Yang Wei can. And that he will win the Olympics. And I hope he does.

His disastrous performance in 2004 (Athens) puts him in a good psychological situation, I predict. He will be motivated to HIT this time.

But if he misses …

Look for a German gymnast atop the podium. Not Paul Hamm. Not Tomita Hiroyuki.

Yang Wei – Wikipedia

No wonder Utah drew over 13,000 fans to each of the first two home meets.

This is a GREAT idea to bring in young gymnasts to watch the NCAA.

No. 2 Utah (3-0) hosts Minnesota (3-2) on Friday, Feb. 1 in the second-annual Short People Appreciation Night, starting at 7 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Life-sized cutouts of Utah’s shortest gymnast – 5-foot senior Katie Kivisto – will be placed outside each entrance. Anyone shorter than the cutout will receive a free general admission ticket.

Utah Utes

Utah’s Most Inspirational Gymnast in 2007 — Katie Kivisto — is a leader on this team.

One of the many things I like about Artistic gymnastics is that being short is an advantage, unlike the vast majority of team sports.

Another petite gymnast:

Small Matters – flickr

Paul Hunt at the 1988 USA-USSR display in Los Angeles.

Click PLAY or watch the hilarious performance on YouTube.

Related posts:

Everyone is a fan of Tabitha, myself included.

Who says there’s no dance any longer on Floor Exercise? You merely have to watch the NCAA, not FIG.

Click PLAY or watch Tabitha on YouTube:

(via Best Floor Routine of the Year – Perfect 10)

I love the drop dead finish.

Tabitha Yim – Wikipedia

Wu Jiani competing bars in the 1981 USA-CHN dual meet. Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

That straddle over to catch in Eagle grip was a first. (We called it the “Keegan” on horizontal bar at my gym after Steve Keegan who was the first male we ever saw do it.)

Trivia – Wu Jiani was also the first to compete the Yurchenko Loop (bwd handspring to back hip circle) on beam, but China did not submit the skill to FIG.

Next, Anna Li — her daughter — in 2007 competing bars for UCLA. MONSTER Tkachev!

Click PLAY or watch Anna on YouTube.

Anna was 4th AA at the NCAA Championships last year. Anna’s very ambitious to continue improving. (She won the all-around for her third consecutive meet last weekend.)

Anna’s father is the famous “Thunder Thighs Li”, first world champion on any apparatus for China in 1981. Thunder Thighs, an American citizen, is actually back in Beijing, one of the Head Coaches of the Chinese National women’s team.

Want to know more? Read Chinese Legends Make Long-Distance Marriage Work on International Gymnast magazine.

An amazing gymnastics family!

I’m not complaining.

Women’s Gymnastics is one of the highest profile sports at the Olympics. The USA is defending World Champions. It’s going to be a fantastic fight to get on that team. I don’t think ticket holders will be unhappy with the value they get.

All-Session tickets for 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics go on sale on Wednesday.

… June 19-22 … in Philadelphia, tickets go on sale on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 12 p.m. ET.

… Gymnastics begins on June 19 at 7 p.m. with the first day of the men’s competition, followed by the women’s competition on June 20 at 7 p.m. Competition for the men concludes on June 21 at 3 p.m., and the women wrap up competition on June 22 at 6 p.m. …

USA Gymnastics

The Men’s competition is an entirely less intense media event.

The first shake down to determine the main contenders for Beijing is the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge, Feb. 7 and 9, at the Las Vegas Sports Center. Both days count towards National Team ranking.

Many are looking forward to seeing Olympic Champion Paul Hamm compete All-Around. He’s never been one of my favourite gymnasts — but I concede Paul looks pretty bloody good for someone just coming out of “retirement”. (Watch a video of his recent practice meet in Colorado Springs.)

Paul’s only going to get better in the weeks and months leading up to the Olympics.

Even I have to admit — Paul Hamm is back.

Many are more skeptical about the comeback of three-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic team silver-medalist Blaine Wilson … but quick to add: “If anyone can do it, it’s Blaine.”

Full list of competitors for Winter Cup – USA Gymnastics.

The USA is much stronger than anyone gives them credit. Certainly in the top 5 teams in the world, if they hit.

You probably want to skip this video. Unless you are into modern dance.

Weird Fishes – Rubberlegz – Berlin 2008

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Flip Catch, formerly Jump Club)

Snowboard Superpipe:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The thing I admire most about skateboard / snowboarder Shaun White is how he goes for it, no matter what, when the medal is on the table.

Related post: new Olympic sports – BMX 2008, skateboarding in 2012

I was talking today with Mike Lorenzen, assistant coach of the Stanford University Women’s Gymnastics team. He is looking at ways to grow attendance at Stanford and at NCAA competitions nation wide.

This is NOT the way:

As part of some sort of apparent fraternity hazing ritual at the University of Georgia, two guys showed up to a UGA-LSU gymnastics meet dressed like this.

In their defence, the meet was a “pink out” with proceeds going to support research to fight breast cancer.

Busted Coverage (via Deadspin)

Georgia posted a season-best and nation-high 197.550 to win the charity event.