Author: Rick Mc

Wow.

Danielle Rouleau:: NPC Figure Athlete, Model, & Competitor – official website

For a strong spotter with a small gymnast …

And one with access to a good trench pit.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Not having tried this, my gut reaction is that I like the first of the two drills. But would prefer to spot from the side on the second drill.

More — and more conventional — Tkachev progressions:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Videos posted by Almir from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Russian acrobatic gymnast lost her World Cup final title and was banned from competition for a year after testing positive for a diuretic last spring.

Tatiana Okulova, who won the mixed pairs title with Revaz Gurgenidze at the World Cup final in April, was suspended for 12 months after testing positive for furosemide, the International Gymnastics Federation said Tuesday.

Furosemide also is classified as a masking agent on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances. …

Acrobatic gymnast Okulova banned for doping offense – International Herald Tribune

Another Russian acrobat, Stanislas Kotelnikov, was banned for six months for stupidity.

He tested positive for cannabis at the World Cup final.

coachnate had several good suggestions for improvement to this site.

For one, he suggested a Print This Post link.

We’ve added that atop the individual posts. Try it out if you have a printer connected. Let us know if you have any problems (via the EMAIL US link atop every page) .

It’s an experiment — printing is often a hassle.

Simply click the title of any post. You should see the link as in this screenshot:

There’s no option to also print the comments, I’m afraid.

Katrina from Westwinds Gymnastics recommends a new (golf) product called Tite-Grip:

Sweaty hands and feet cause alot of problems in gymnastics. Especially on bars and beam! Whether the ‘claminess’ comes from being nervous or just working really hard, it is a distraction we all can live without.

Excess sweat on the hands (palmar hyperhidrosis) and excess sweat on the feet (plantar hyperhidrosis) can lead to slipping off the equipment, thus creating a fear of the skill being performed rather than the root of the problem.

For people with any degree (mild to severe) of hyperhidrosis, chalk just won’t help the situation. The chalk just mixes with the sweat to create a ‘gooey’ substance. Instead of chalk, I found a product called Tite-Grip. …

Sweaty Hands and Feet?

It’s very inexpensive. Less than $10 a tube.

Tite-Grip is a non-slip antiperspirant hand lotion that dries clear and will not stain clothes.

Official website – Tite-Grip Grip Control Formula

American Cheerleader magazine posts some photo stunting sequences.

• Swedish Stunts Louisiana Flair
• Twisted Sisters
• Head Over Heels
• Jump Around
• Stretch Your Imagination

American Cheerleader tutorials

This article by Hazel Colton includes my favourite drill for introducing handstand to beginners:

Included is an interesting variation:

Whilst supporting the weight on the wobble board the gymnast should tip the board and try rotating the board so that its edges go round in clockwise and anti clockwise circles. …

see the entire article – Handstand

Nance at the Perfect 10 blog requests additions to her list of the best bar workers EVER:

Tatiana Lisenko, UKR – Great rhythm
Nadia Comaneci, ROM – Beautiful form
Jamie Danztscher, USA – Incredible swing
Ma Yanhong, CHN – Lines & fluid swing
Kristy Powell, USA – Big air
Ling Jie, CHN – Unbelievable pirouetting
Olga Korbut, BLR – Wow factor
Nastia Liukin, USA – Swing, lines, amplitude
Svetlana Khorkina, RUS – Innovation & swing
Elise Ray, USA – Graceful

perfect 10 » All-time Favorite Bar Worker

Surprisingly, I don’t have my own list in mind. But that’s never stopped me before. A few of my personal favourites of all-time:

I can’t put my hands on any of Tousek’s “perfect” bar routines right now. (I want the one where she was spotted by Arkayev.) So, instead, I’ll link to an Aleksas montage which includes bars. She’s one of the most startling, original and fascinating gymnasts of all-time.

Click PLAY or watch Yvonne on YouTube:

From the Bed Jump blog:

Captured at Calgary Alberta’s Hotel Arts—these sweet jump stylings are about as true to the Hotel’s name as any we’ve seen. Style mashed up with design, and a vibrant ‘craziness’ quotient helps this nutty set deliver some true entertainment. …

see more photos like this – Flying High at the Hotel Arts in Calgary

Alan Armitage sent us a link to this nostalgic peg climbing wall rack, The Skirter.

We had many similar racks in Canadian schools when I was a kid. Great challenging fun for strong athletes: hopping two pegs at the same time, etc. Haven’t seen one in years.

Gymnastics UK and Gymnova are the only places where you can purchase the Skirter. The price is £325.00 plus pp.

The skirter