In this episode Sam talks to Nicole Jontony, former collegiate gymnast, who is currently a sports dietitian at Ohio State University.
Category: Gymnastics
Joy of Maggie Nichols
suspension lifted for Dan Witenstein
I’m not clear on exactly what USAG uses to sanction members.
A neutral arbitrator felt USAG got it wrong in the case of this coach.
Danell Leyva at OTC
Nick Ruddock on leadership
Follow Nick’s blog.
Takashi Kobayashi is dead
As feared, the great coach and coach educator Kobayashi sensei passed away on the evening of July 20 Japan time.
Stomach cancer.
His funeral will be held in Yokohama, his home town, on the 24th (the vigil on 23rd).
Takashi was one of the most widely admired and respected coaches worldwide. His philosophy and techniques shared through FIG coach education events greatly appreciated.
Everyone Who Knows Gymnastics Knows _____
interview with Bailey Ferrer’s Mom
Gym Blog Central:
We sat down with Lyn Ferrer, the mom of former Jr. Elite and now soon to be LSU Tiger Bailey Ferrer, to find out what it was like to raise an Elite gymnast. …
- How the decision was made to go elite
- Advice for picking an Elite gym/coach
- Boundaries between coach, parent, athlete
- Sacrifices an Elite family makes
- Time devoted to the sport
- Injuries
LF: We built a home and within 6 months we refinanced our home not once, but 3 times to support Bailey’s Elite travels to and from the “Ranch”, the USA Gymnastics National Training Center. The amount of monies for qualifying meets, hotels, American Classics, P&G’s, Classics, etc.; none of which includes your normal gym fees, doctor visits, and surgeries. …
GBC: Looking back, was there ever a time you should have called USA Gymnastics or Safe Sport on one of Bailey’s coaches? If yes, why didn’t you?
LF: As we look back on Bailey’s Elite training, my answer would be yes, we should have filed a complaint throughout those specific years.
Mike Outram – paralyzed Gymnastics coach
Tony Retrosi:
At the NO LIMITS Camp in Calgary Mike coached Beam. Immediately after that we headed down to Lethbridge Alberta to do a Boys Camp. Watching him break a skill down and explaining drills is a thing of beauty. He is a bit shaky when he walks but his confidence in the gym more than makes up for it. Give this man a cape and call him a superhero.
Mike Outram (second from the left) is a character. If you’ve met him once, you remember him.
I recall first hearing that Mike had been paralyzed from hitting concrete at the bottom of a foam pit coming off tramp. Hearing that he’d never walk again.
This tragedy was big news in Canada. Everyone checked their pits to see if any concrete could be somehow exposed.
Some months later Mike unexpectedly arrived at a Gymnastics event. He walked in through an open side door of the Gym.
… I thought you were paralyzed?
Mike: That’s what they tell me.
It’s an incredible story. The power of the mind over the body. Mike’s still improving. Click over to GymMomentum.
My Journey and What I Learned from Gymnastics. Mr. Michael Outram
Elena Davydova interview
Elena Davydova is Head Coach and Owner of Gemini Gymnastics in Ontario. She’s the 1980 Olympic Champion and currently sits on the FIG WTC.
Elena Davydova gave an interview to Oksana Tonkacheeva for the magazine of the Russian artistic gymnastics federation. …
Davydova is one of the few people in the artistic gymnastics world who attended the Olympic Games in three roles – a gymnast (for USSR in 1980), a coach (for Canada in 2012) and a judge (also for Canada, in 2016). …
The 1970s were the era of discovering new elements. We were practically attacking them even though there was no method of learning them. … I watched Aleksandr Tkachev training his releases (we both lived in Voronezh at the time and sometimes trained in the same gym), so I ran to my coach Gennadi Korshunov and told him: why don’t I try this? …
Q: How did you end up in Canada?
A: It’s a personal story. Or rather, a problem. The complications of a difficult birth seriously affected the health of my oldest son. The treatment that our doctors offered wasn’t helping. …
By the way, I want to say special thanks to Andrey Fyodorovich Rodionenko. During his years of working in Canada, the authority of a coach grew a lot. …
Q: How do you separate your emotions when both Canadians and Russians compete?
A: Oh, I’m nervous for everyone equally. …


