Category: ethics

NCAA gymnasts are under compensated

On GymCastic #419 Jessica interviewed sports economist Dr. David Berri from Southern Utah University, the Flippin’ Birds.

It’s been by far the best insight into the business of American College Sports I’ve ever encountered.

Gymnasts are under compensated for their contribution. Top College coaches overpaid for what they bring to the University. 

I highly recommend you listen to that episode. The interview is late in the podcast.

Berri has spent the last two decades researching sports and economics, while publishing works on a variety of topics including the evaluation of players and coaches, competitive balance, the drafting of players, labor disputes, the NCAA, and gender issues in sports.

Dr. Berri was the lead author of “The Wages of Wins and Stumbling on Wins” and recently published “Sports Economics“, a textbook from Macmillan Publishers.

In the past, he has written on the subject of sports economics for a number of popular media outlets, including the New York Times, the Atlantic.com, Time.com, and Vice Sports. Currently, Dr. Berri is writing for Forbes.com.

FIG Olympics qualification decisions

Yesterday FIG announced what they plan to do in light of the 2020 Olympics being delayed to 2021.

Spencer’s posted the most thoughtful reaction I’ve seen so far:

FIG GONNA FIG: THE 2021 OLYMPICS DECISIONS

  • 2017-2020 code of points will remain in force until the end of 2021.

 

  • Athletes who turn senior in 2021 WILL be eligible to qualify for and compete in the Olympics.

Spencer is OK with that decision. Kyle Shewfelt, for example, disagrees.

For example, 2019 Junior World all-around champion Viktoria Listunova is now eligible.

  • Weirdly, FIG is going to use the Baku World Cup 2020 preliminary rankings for points, since the Final was cancelled.

 

  • Copenhagen Worlds 2021 will be held as scheduled.

“conditioning penalties”

What lesson does the athlete learn if they must climb the rope when they fall on a bar routine? They learn that mistakes are bad, conditioning is bad, rope climbs are bad, they start to stress about making mistakes, that leads to performing carefully, which usually leads to more mistakes. That eventually leads to more rope climbs. So again, what did the athlete learn?

If the athlete fell on a skill, wouldn’t it be more efficient to figure out why, and work on fixing it? …

Get Psyched – Stop Punishing your Athletes!

A good rope climb should feel rewarding. 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCI3g3YEKvH/
I agree. In most situations it’s a mistake to punish by requiring additional conditioning.

Once in a rare while you might throw in a contest where the “winner” is rewarded with less than the day’s normal conditioning.

Syrian gymnast Yazan Alsouliman in Japan

…  the gymnasium used by the Syrian team was bombed. Alsouliman was not there at the time, but when he visited the next day, he found that the equipment had been smashed to pieces. …

He was elated to be chosen to go to Japan with the support of the Tokyo 2020 Solidarity Special Program, jointly organized by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese Olympic Committee. …

Konishi Yasuhito—coach of the gymnastics squad at Tōkai University, where the young Syrian is enrolled in the Japanese language course for international students, and a trainer for the Syrian team—applauds Alsouliman’s language progress …

Two years have passed since he came to Japan. …

Alsouliman is naturally also concerned about his family back in Syria, and says that the war-torn country is always in his prayers. He video-chats with his mother almost every day. …

Nippon.com

hard landing mats in the pit

We see it EVERY competition …

Gymnasts competing skills on to hard mats that they’ve obviously rarely done on to competition mats.

It’s dangerous.

Coaches should do a better job of simulating the competition landing in training.

coach Warren Long at Taiso Saskatoon

The best I’ve ever seen was T&T coach Tammy Stephenson. She trained landings on to very high, very soft surfaces for most of the year. Prior to a competition she alternated layers of matting stiffened with sheets of plywood.

rule of 2 – ONLINE

The ‘Rule of Two’ should continue ONLINE, of course.

Any electronic communication to young athletes should be copied to parents, at least.

Communication between one coach and one athlete should be banned. 

Via Gymnastics Saskatchewan.

2021 World Games postponed to 2022

The year after the Olympics as the World Games is something like an Olympics for non-Olympic disciplines.

Good decision. But athletes now have to decide whether or not to train for the additional year.

2020 Div 1 NCAA gymnasts will NOT be granted an extra year

The NCAA Division I Council Coordination Committee voted Monday to grant spring athletes an extra year of eligibility after the coronavirus pandemic shut down spring college sports in 2020.

Winter sports (including Gymnastics) were not included in the extended eligibility …, per the NCAA. …

Sports Illustrated

 

2020 Olympics start July 23, 2021

Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 23-Aug. 8, 2021

Paralympics also rescheduled to Aug. 24-Sept. 5

FIG via email:

We will focus our efforts on respecting the spirit of the Olympic qualification system as defined in the rules. We will ensure that events that had to be postponed can take place once this global health crisis is behind us and we will be absolutely certain that all conditions are met and guarantee the safety of all participants.”
The IOC has already confirmed that all quota places that have been allocated to date shall remain allocated to the National Olympic Committees and athletes that obtained them.

related – cost to the host nation – Japan’s Olympics Delay Could Cost $6 Billion Including Hit to Tourism

Round Lake is closing

Luba:

While many gymnasts around the world had their training disrupted or stopped completely due to COVID-19, for some time, it looked like Russian gymnasts would be able to keep training as usual.

However, yesterday, it was announced that Round Lake, the center where the national team trains and lives, will be closing alongside many other training centers around the country.

According to Valentina Rodionenko, the national team is still not giving up their training plans and the monthly camp will go as planned. Since the athletes will not be able to live at Round Lake, they will stay at Novogorsk, at the training center that houses the rhythmic gymnastics national team.

…since Novogorsk does not have an artistic gymnastics gym, the gymnasts will still have to commute to Round Lake every day to train there. Round Lake is about 30 minutes away from Novorgorsk by car. …

gymnovosti – DALALOYAN: I’D BE HAPPIER IF I COULD SPEND THIS TIME WITH MY FAMILY