Category: history

R.I.P. Carol Johnston

One of the gymnasts that inspired me most in my life, Carol Johnston, died of complications from Early On-set Alzheimers. We trained together as kids at Altadore Gymnastics.

Julie Knight Bowse posted in Gymnastics – A Golden Era

“It is with a heavy heart that I let all of you know that Carol Johnston-Koniar [“Lefty”] passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2019 ….

Carol and I were teammates and roommates at Cal State Fullerton and remained lifelong friends. Her husband called me Saturday and asked that I inform the gymnastics community. He is grateful that she is no longer suffering.” 😥

Click PLAY or watch her Beam on Facebook.

related – Her husband Scott D. Koniar posted her medical story in the Gianna Homes newsletter in 2017.

My wife Carol Johnston Koniar was born with one arm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. …

Her parents encouraged her to not let her one arm be a handicap. Carol grew up enjoying both ice skating and gymnastics.

Carol … received a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton.

In 1979, Disney produced a documentary short on Carol entitled The Truly Exceptional: Carol Johnston.

The documentary was turned into a feature film Lefty, which premiered across the nation as part of Disney’s Wonderful World series.

… read more (page 5)

Click PLAY or watch a Cal State Fullerton tribute on YouTube.

via Fans of Canadian Gymnastics

new Elena Produnova interview

gymnovosti:

Elena Produnova is currently coaching in Nalchik, at the South of Russia and hopes to one day raise gymnasts that will make the national team.  …

Q: You said that you had fantastic coaches…

A: Yes, I was very lucky. After Elena Pechenzhiyeva who coached me from the age of five, Ruslan Lavrov and Veronika Yakubova became my coaches. They raised me and passed me on to the national team and they did absolutely everything for me …

Q: Can you answer how you did it? (Handspring Double Front)

A: This vault was invented by Ruslan Spiridonovich. I started learning it with him, and it continued for a long time, in the form of a game. No one thought, or at least I couldn’t even suppose that I would go back to this vault and would do it in competition. Such a thought didn’t even occur to me. But then Leonid Arkayev remembered about it in the right time and implemented what was once trained. …

CATCHING UP WITH ELENA PRODUNOVA

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Svetlana Khorkina mini-documentary

Love her or hate her, triple Olympian Khorkina is one of the greatest gymnasts all time.

By the way, she says you HAVE to love her. No choice. 😀

Svetlana does not lack self-confidence.

Olympic Channel posted a 10 minute documentary. Subtitles.

It features her coach Boris Pilkin.

Click PLAY or watch a teaser on Facebook.

Maggie Nichols wins the Honda

It’s got nothing to do with the Heisman. The Honda is better. 😀

Maggie is absolutely one of the greatest College gymnasts all time.

Oklahoma junior and 2019 NCAA team, vault and all-around champion Maggie Nichols was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Gymnastics, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced Tuesday. …

“It is such an honor and truly a blessing to receive this award,” Nichols said. “Being one of the three athletes in OU history to ever receive this award is truly incredible. I also want to congratulate Brenna Dowell, Sarah Finnegan and Kyla Ross on being nominated this year as they are all incredible athletes.

Nichols was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. …

Sooner Sports

Marios Georgiou 3rd at Europeans

Insiders have long considered Marios Georgiou one of the cleanest gymnasts in the world.

It was great to see him put it all together to reach the podium.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwKa-pEFD5e/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bognuh4iLLn/

Marios Georgiou became the first ever European AA medalist from Cyprus making the history for his country and himself. He had to overcome many challenges on his way to this medal including bullying due to his ethnicity (he is half-Filipino) his mother leaving him a few years ago and his father passing away.  …

MARIOS GEORGIOU: I WANTED TO CRY, TO SCREAM, TO LAUGH, AND TO SWEAR

history – Sarah Finnegan’s first routine at LSU

Of many Senior favourites now finished their College careers, I’m going to miss Sarah Finnegan most of all.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

celebrating Megan Marsden

Husband Greg linked to this 2009 interview with flashbacks.

She was a great gymnast as well as a terrific coach.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Megan Marsden retired

Marsden, a member of Utah’s gymnastics coaching staff since 1985, plans to continue her involvement with Utah athletics as an ambassador for the department. …

… completed her 35th season on the Utah gymnastics coaching staff at last weekend’s NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. She has served as Utah’s co-head coach since 2010—the last four years with Tom Farden—who now assumes sole leadership of the program. …

“I made a decision several months ago that this would be my last season as a coach and I am so proud of this team and all they accomplished. …”

Utah Utes

Kaitlyn Schou – legend

Kaitlyn Schou hit all 158 routines she competed for Denver.

What a legacy!

Skinner’s record is 161 routines in series without a fall.

Oklahoma’s win streak ends at 121

4 consecutive national team titles. 121 straight victories — the third-longest winning streak in NCAA history for all sports.

The Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team’s historic run came to a close on Saturday night inside the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. The Sooners were narrowly edged in the team finals by the Stanford Cardinal, 415.222-414.556. …

“It was an amazing run,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “It’s hard to have a streak of victories over such a long period of time and we were a little off tonight.” …

Sooner Sports