Category: Gymnastics

alleged abuse of GBR gymnasts

UPDATE – British Gymnastics admits ‘error’ for not telling Catherine Lyons’ parents about abuse claims.

The coach was investigated and briefly suspended but was reinstated, and it was not until 2017 and after additional allegations had been made by Catherine and others that the coach was suspended again …

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Former GBR National Team gymnasts Catherine Lyons and Olympian Lisa Mason were interviewed about their careers. The culture within their clubs and British Gymnastics while they were growing up.

The article includes a response from British Gymnastics.

Many other former GBR gymnasts have added their stories and come to support Catherine and Lisa.

Click through to ITV to watch the videos.

OR … watch one video on Facebook.

Larisa Iordache – comeback

It’s great to see Lari back on the Beam

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Bill Sands on Peak Performance

English, French, German and Japanese notes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Pommel bucket on wheels

There are a number of ways to roll the feet around rather than have feet suspended.

You need a hard floor surface, of course.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

the Konnor McClain story

With the Olympics postponed a year, Konnor is now age eligible.

Her main goal remains Olympics 2024.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1279812163557867520

British Columbia Gymnastics history

One anecdote from the great Willy Weiler who was with the Canadian Military:

In the spring of 1963, after arriving as champion of the Pan Am Games in Sao Paulo, I was transferred to Chilliwack, BC.

The base had no equipment for me to train on for the upcoming 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. I traveled 3 times a week to UBC to train …

So that I could do more practicing at the base, I purchased a horizontal bar and built the uprights for it. My previous experience in Rastatt, Germany of digging a 4 foot trench outside the gym and padding it with sawdust came in handy. …

That comes from a document celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gymnastics B.C.

History buffs can download a copy for themselves:

British Columbia Gymnastics history (pdf)

HOW do we make Gymnastics SAFER?

Keith Russell:

Educate, Educate, Educate, Legislate

At the Worlds 2017 Symposium in Montreal, Keith did two sessions on this topic. He’s the former head of the FIG Scientific Commission (recently merged with the FIG Sports Medicine Commission).

Keith noted that gymnasts were once considered the epitome of health and fitness. But that in recent years Artistic Gymnastic coaches are identified by the medical community as pariahs.  Too extreme.

Why are gymnasts so young?

Why do they train so many hours?

Why are they so short? (When FIG age went up, height stayed the same.)

We can use the COVID-19 reboot to make our Gyms safer and healthier.  Less emphasis on skills and winning, more on enjoyment and development of the whole athlete.

More positive coaching, as well.

Georgia on Black Lives Matter

Well said.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.