Author: Rick Mc

Social networking on sites like Facebook are fun. But they can be useful too.

As an experiment, we’ve put up a Facebook page for Gymnastics Coaching. (You can click through from the top of every page on this site if you wish to try it.)

Facebook members can post photos, videos and comments directly.

If you’ve no interest in social networking, here’s a short video making light of the trend:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Music – A Social Network for Two – by Ze Frank. Graphics by Shaun Moriarity.

Gymnastics Coaching – Facebook

International GYMNAST Online has the best preview article on the Pan Arab Games which starts today:

Sherine Elzeiny and Mohamed Serour, Egypt’s two Olympic qualifiers, will headline the competition at the 11th Pan Arab Games, which begin Wednesday in Cairo. …

The first Pan Arab Games were held in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1953, with nine nations competing in 10 sports. The games were held every four years through 1965, when political instability began hindering regular organization. The games were held only twice during the next two decades: in 1976 in Syria and in 1985 in Morocco.

The games are still held intermittently, happening in 1992 in Syria, in 1997 in Lebanon, in 1999 in Jordan and in 2004 in Algeria.

The 2007 edition will be the largest yet. Twenty-two countries are competing in 33 sports, including both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.

International GYMNAST Magazine Online

Recall the terrific gymnast from Australia? She competed full twisting front lay-out on Vault.

… gymnast Trudy McIntosh has joined the magic of Cirque du Soleil.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist will begin performing in the entertainment empire’s La Nouba production at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, next week.

She has just completed 10 weeks of intensive training at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

…

Trudy, who turned to aerial skiing after the 2000 Sydney Olympics, last year made a remarkable comeback to gymnastics in a bid to qualify for the Beijing Games.

But former coach Mark Calton said her body failed to hold up to the rigours of elite gymnastics and she was forced to close the door on her dream of making it to another Olympic Games.

Calton, who also works as a scout for Cirque du Soleil in Australia, sent an audition video of Trudy to the company after she made the decision to retire from gymnastics. She was accepted a month later.

The Geelong Advertiser

Love him or hate him, you’ve got to admit Bela is the best “promoter” in our sport.

Many coaches could learn from him.

(AP Photo/Mark Stehle)

Women’s gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi expresses his excitement over the announcement that Philadelphia will host the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in gymnastics, during a news conference in Philadelphia, in this Dec. 12, 2006 file photo. The U.S. women have a gold star from Bela Karolyi to go along with their gold medals from the world gymnastics championships. The famed gymnastics coach says the Americans are fielding their strongest team yet.

ESPN – Gymnastics Photo Wire

press release – PHILADELPHIA TO HOST 2008 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS — GYMNASTICS

My impression is that no other iconic gymnast has had a more troubled life.

The low point was when she was associated with a counterfeiting ring. And charged with shoplifting.

The NY Times reported both those scandals in the same article:

… Ms. Korbut, 46, was accused of shoplifting $19.35 worth of figs, seasoning, tea, cheese and syrup from a supermarket here, near her townhouse northeast of Atlanta. The Secret Service announced this week that it was investigating $30,000 in counterfeit $100 bills found in an abandoned house that she once owned in nearby Duluth, Ga., and whose last occupant apparently was her son. No one has been charged.

…

”I think she’s had a very troubled life,” said Paul Ziert, publisher of International Gymnast magazine.

30 Years of Hard Falls for Olga Korbut, After the Gold and Glory – New York Times

Her manager at the time called it an ”absurd misunderstanding”.

Where is Olga now? She’s lived in the States since 1991, bouncing from place to place.

Divorced, once again in 2007 …

… in Scottsdale, Arizona (USA).

She has developed a program for adults using basic gymnastics warm-up and conditioning exercises.

She also does personal appearances, clinics, and motivational speeches for businesses.

OlgaKorbut.com

I wish Olga well. She’s been an inspiration to millions.

The World’s best Rhythmic Gymnasts compete this coming weekend (Nov 16-18) in the FINAL of the Grand Prix Circuit.

Innsbruck will witness the GP final decisions of 2007 and the handing over of the prize money (EUR 32.000).

Also an international junior competition will be held.

2007 Grand Prix Final in Innsbruck/Austria: Join the best Rhythmic Gymnasts of the World !

Barbara Anne Elliott sent me a link to a new software product of interest to Men’s Artistic coaches and judges. There is a version for FIG. And a second version for USA JO Levels 8, 9 & 10. Each costs $25.

Now that the American Junior Olympic Men’s program has dropped the 10 maximum score (big mistake IMHO), this software helps coaches and judges print out and calculate the value of routines. Here’s a sample print-out:

If you make a single change to the routine, everything is updated automatically.

The site looks good. Unfortunately everything is displayed as FLASH movies so I cannot link to specific pages.

Check it out at – Skills Sheet Creator

If you’ve tried the software (free) leave a comment below to tell others how you like it.

Related:

If you like this, you’ll love the much different and more powerful software developed by Doug Hills: Men’s International Gymnastics Study Guide.

Xiao Qin is the strong favourite to win the Olympics.

… The pommel horse king scored 16.300 points … with a A score of 6.6, highest of the field, beating Krisztian Berki of Hungary by an amazing 0.600.

British Louis Smith, 18, took the bronze in 15.600. …

Beijing 2008

Click PLAY or watch his amazing World’s 2007 Team Finals routine on YouTube.

(via Straight to the Bar)

Karine Simard at the National Circus School in Montreal contacted me about their yearly contest open to:

The contest is a promotion for their highly regarded circus arts training programs, secondary and college-level. Things kick off for for those interested in applying with an open house on November 24.

Now is the time for young people to begin preparing for the annual country-wide auditions held in February, which can springboard them into an exciting international career as a circus artist! As well, the School offers them a chance to enter its Student for a Day contest any time before November 30.

Having generated great enthusiasm among talented young people across Canada, the Student for a Day contest is again open to interested in a real-life experience of higher education in circus arts. The winners will be announced in early December during a special broadcast on Musique Plus! Then these lucky chosen ones will attend selected courses in the company of a student from the School.

Entry forms are available on the School’s Internet site and must be submitted before 5 p.m. on November 30, 2007. Contest regulations and entry forms at:
http://www.ecolenationaledecirque.ca.

Further information from info @ enc.qc.ca, or by telephone (toll free) 1-800-267-0859.

I recommend the open house tour. And if you know of a young person interested in the circus arts, forward them the contest details – National Circus School.

More excellent pics just posted on flickr.

A few samples:

source

source

I could study Nastia’s awesome Geinger all day. It’s textbook:

See them all: tmsworkshop’s photosets on Flickr