Author: Rick Mc

Best of 2007

As another year comes to a close, Inside Gymnastics is once again capturing a snapshot of what you – the fans – think about the sport. In our Best of 2007 annual survey, we want to know everything from who your favorite gymnast is to what you think was the most inspiring moment of the past year. Complete the survey below, and we will announce the winners in the January/February issue of Inside Gymnastics magazine.

1) Female Gymnast of the Year (American)

2) Female Gymnast of the Year (International)

3) Male Gymnast of the Year (American)

4) Male Gymnast of the Year (International)

5) Female breakout star (American)

6) Male breakout star (American)

7) Most stylish female gymnast currently competing

8) Most stylish male gymnast currently competing

9) Most inspiring performance of the year

10) Most disheartening moment of the year

11) Favorite U.S. female gymnast of all time (not currently competing)

12) Favorite U.S. male gymnast of all time (not currently competing)

13) Favorite international male gymnast of all time (not currently competing)

14) Favorite international female gymnast of all time (not currently competing)

15) Favorite American female gymnast (currently competing)

16) Favorite American male gymnast (currently competing)

17) Favorite U.S. gymnastics club

18) Favorite NCAA women’s gymnastics team

19) Favorite NCAA men’s gymnastics team

20) Favorite female NCAA athlete

21) Favorite male NCAA athlete

The poll is badly flawed. You MUST answer EVERY question. And in only two questions are you allowed to write in your own answer. The rest are multiple guess.

Still, I was able to choose the athlete I wanted on most of the questions. It’s fun: Inside Gymnastics Magazine – VOTE

Inside Gymnastics Magazine is only $19.95 a year / 6 issues. That’s a good deal.

This reminds me of the BASE jump off the cliff from Horizontal Bar.

… a video of some skiers, including Shane McConkey, flying off a jump on the 39th floor of the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno and parachuting back to earth in a combination ski/BASE jump. The jumps kicked off Bobofest, and event benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Get Outdoors – I Got An Idea: Let’s BASE Jump Off This Hotel. On Skis. – Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog

UPDATE: One of the jumpers, Jesse Hall, was injured somewhat on a hard landing.

Alison Arnold Ph.D. is a sport psychology consultant for USA Gymnastics. A former gymnast, she views training the mind as important as training the body.

“Mental choreography” is a phrase I’ve never heard before.

There are three types of statements used in creating mental choreography. These statements are technical statements, energy statements and self-esteem statements.

The typical coaching mistake is to make too many technical coaching corrections, too few energy and self-esteem comments.

Technical statements include corrections, and mechanical reminders the gymnast focuses on before or during routines. Examples of technical statements include, “lift and twist”, “block”, and “tight legs”. Energy statements either help give the gymnast an energy boost or decrease anxiety. Energy statements that bring the gymnast’s energy up can be used at the end of a floor routine, “Push!”, or right before a bar mount, “Go!”. Statements like “relax” and “breathe” help bring fear and anxiety levels down to a more manageable level. Finally, self-esteem statements help the gymnast feel more confident. Statements like “I can do this”, “I’ve done it before”, and “I’m ready”, give the gymnast the power and confidence she needs to go for a skill or hit in competition.

Good advice.

Headgames

Related:

book – Scream And Run Naked

larger image – Gymnast on Flickr

The U.S. dominated the team and all-around competition at the Junior Pan American Championships, held Friday in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The U.S. won both team titles and swept the all-around medals for both men and women.

Los Angeles’ Mattie Larsen won the women’s title over Michigan’s Jordyn Wieber, third all-around at the 2007 U.S. Junior National Championships. Chelsea Davis of Austin, Texas, won the bronze. …

Women’s Team
1. USA 177.501
2. Canada 168.634
3. Brazil 161.434

International GYMNAST Magazine Online

Many were impressed with the strong performance of the Canadians. They have a good group of athletes coming up:

Canadian women win team silver at Pan American junior gymnastics championships

Another cool interactive feature on their website:

The January/February 2008 issue features a “Kicking Off the Olympic Year” theme. To celebrate the countdown to Beijing 2008, we’re including a poster of national and world champion Nastia Liukin that will be poly-bagged with the January/February issue for subscribers only. And your vote will determine which picture of the gymnastics superstar will become the poster.

I voted for this one:

See which one you like best:

Inside Gymnastics Magazine – VOTE for NASTIA’S POSTER

Air inflated mats are the future. Foam is simply getting too expensive.

The mountain climbing community is catching on:

The producer is HGB in Göteborg, Sweden, who is also the owner of the patent. … They started producing indoor bouldering mattresses three years ago.

Main advantages of the 8A AIR PAD: 210 * 125 * 20 cm …

Safety – Reduced risk for injuries when landing

Transportation – Reduced package volume (in your car, public transportation or airplane)

Storage – Under your bed instead of in the hallway

Cleaning – Put it in a bag in your apartment or car

Sleeping – You can use it in your tent or as a extra bed at home

Play – use it for fun in the ocean, sliding on snow,or high jumping in your backyard

Adjustable – Air pressure can be adjusted based on weight and height

Jump – You can bounce to reach high starting holds !

No bounce – High pressure valves release air on high impact

… it takes 30 – 40 seconds to inflate.

Team Geared Up Blog » Who needs ropes? – talking about outdoor adventure, gear & expeditions.

For gymnastics and tumbling, check out the inflatable mats distributed by TumblTrak.

From Meg Warren’s excellent article. Love the illustrations.

… The handspring on the floor is a prerequisite. The gymnast also needs to be able to spring from the hands.

Beginners normally drop down from a low elevation on this next drill. And have a target for the hands. (e.g. folding mat placed sideways)

Read the entire article – USA Gymnastics Online: Technique: Flyspring

Oklahoma’s Steven Legendre (from WOGA) took the gold medal in the all-around competition Friday at the Junior Pan-American Gymnastics Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Team USA swept the top four spots in the all-around to capture the team gold as well. …

Team Results:
1. USA – 262.933
2. Brazil – 252.566
3. Argentina – 240.832
4. Colombia – 236.734
5. Mexico – 231.634
6. Peru – 217.703

All-Around Results:
1. USA – Steven Legendre – 87.032
2. USA – Glen Ishino – 86.967
3. USA – Alexy Bilozertchev – 86.534

read more – Sooner’s Sport

Legendre got on my radar when he impressed at USA Championships 2007, especially on Floor and Vault.

Inside Gymnastics magazine posted 83 retrospective highlight photos from the past year. Here are a few examples:

Who else? Shayla.

Tyson American Cup, Natasha Kelley (USA)

2007 Gymnix, Randy Stageberg (USA)

Pan American Games, Justin Spring

See them all – Gallery: A Look Back at 2007 – Inside Gymnastics