Author: Rick Mc

1. Yang Wei – China

2. Hiroyuki Tomita – Japan

3. Fabian Hambuechen – Germany

4. Yibing Cheng – China

5. Maxim Deviatovski – Russia

More cabaret than acrobatic performance, still Zumanity is the favourite Cirque du Soleil show of many insiders.

Human sexuality in all its forms is the theme. It’s adults only — though I’d be surprised if many ticket holders are offended. It’s more camp, than graphic.

Liza Minnelli was there one night across the aisle from me and laughed as loudly as anyone else in the fantastic Las Vegas theatre. Zumanity pays homage to her film Cabaret (1972), I think.

Cirque does not sell video of this performance. But you can get sneak peaks on two web pages:

More detail on the official Zumanity website.

As some predicted, China upset the USA. This makes things far more interesting for Beijing.

1. China 182.200

2. United States 181.350

3. Russia 177.325

4. Romania 175.450

5. Ukraine 174.250

6. Australia 173.225

7. Brazil 172.975

8. Spain 170.475

1. China 277.775

2. Russia 275.400

3. Japan 274.800

4. Romania 272.225

5. Belarus 272.050

6. Canada 270.350

7. Germany 270.025

8. Switzerland 268.025

UPDATE:

1. USA – 243,325; 2. CHN – 239,525; 3. UKR – 235,025;
4. RUS – 234,900; 5. ROM – 232,600; 6. AUS – 231,325;
7. BRA – 230,475; 8. ESP – 229,775

The 8 teams qualified for the TEAM Final 2006, Wednesday 18., from 7 p.m. local time.

The best site I’ve found for Worlds results updates is GYMmedia.

The women’s qualification at the World Championshps in Aarhus

GYMmedia- reporting – directly from Aarhus- supported by Janssen-Fritsen (NED)Dieter HOFMANN (SUI), Hans TEKLENBURG (NED)und Eckhard HERHOLZ (GER)Photos: Volker MINKUS (GER)

This is one well-crafted homage to the beauty of Rhythmic gymnastics. Beginners right up to the Olympics. If anyone knows who edited this elegant video please let me know with a comment at the bottom of the post.

Click PLAY or watch the video on YouTube.

Now — I feel Rhythmic girls are far too restricted by competitive rules. I remember how impressed I was when Toller Cranston did a back somersault in flagrant violation of the competitive rules of figure skating. That was cool!

When is Rhythmic going to open up the sport to skills like aerial walkover and aerial cartwheel?

I would love to travel to GAGE (Great American Gymnastics Express) in Blue Springs, Missouri to see just how Armine & controversial coach Al Fong develop such fantastic gymnasts.

Al published an article in the Tumbl Trak monthly magazine which gives a glimpse into his methodology:

By using the Tumbl Trak … (to) start the workout for 10 to 15 girls I can condense the amount of time needed to “get the athletes going”. It can involve total body movements from the obvious lower body groups to the not so obvious upper body groups by using arm swings to accompany the bounces down the tramp. After every pass down the trak I have the kids dynamically stretch their legs, wrists, and shoulders while waiting for their turn. Within a relatively short period of time (10 minutes) I can progress to actual tumbling passes from the basic back handsprings and fly springs to the big skills like double fronts and backward double layouts. It’s a perfect opportunity to reinforce tumbling basics and body positions. At the end of a 30 to 45 minute session I am able to provide warm ups, stretching, and tumbling in the same amount of time that usually takes 1 ½ hours.

Since I have a big 8 ft x 15 ft crash pad at the end of the Tumbl Trak, I often times instruct the athletes to roll forward, sideways, and even backward after landing… without the use of their hands to incorporate “falling drills”. I believe it is extremely important to teach kids how to fall properly. I provide ample opportunities during workout for them to practice so it becomes instinctive. This minimizes the chance that someone will over rotate and hurt her arm because she stuck her arm out to catch herself instead of rolling out.

Here’s a thought. Next time you have a group tumbling on the Tumbl Trak, have the kids line up next to the landing area at the end of the Tumbl Trak instead of the beginning. (This is where I stand to watch them tumble.) Have only 2 or 3 kids at the beginning of the Tumbl Trak. This allows the rest of the group to watch and see what I see and can hear the instructions I give. They understand better by watching each other. It also prevents them from talking in line while waiting for their turn. …

Al Fong – “Using the Tumbl Trak to Speed Warm Ups”

A highly touted new website says salaries average about US$46,000 with a range from $25-50k.

That’s for a hypothetical coach with 10-years experience and a University degree in Physical Education working in Las Vegas.

To get a specific answer for you in your region, fill in the questionnaire on PayScale.com — it’s free.

Leave a comment below if that result seems ridiculous to you.

confusion over the new judging system being used for the first time at a global competition dominated the action.

Confusion over judging system

Russia is back. Switzerland looking good. And congratulations to the Canucks on finishing 5th in prelims. (Their best finish in the past was ninth in 2003.)

Anything can happen in the Team final under the current rules. China has by no means got a lock on the championship.

Canadians – Gymnastics Canada