Category: history

Russell Mills – 1964 Pommels

This is the winning routine in the 1964 AAU Nationals (the precursor to the USGF and USA gymnastics). Mills also won the NCAA Championships in 1963 and 1964, coached by Don Tonry and . competing for Yale University. When Mills hit his routines, he was unbeatable in the US and probably by anyone in the world at that time. There was no international competition for specialists during the period. The mount here is a back Moore, caught a bit late by the camera.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

some girl named SIMONE …

… won #PacRim2016. All hail the greatest gymnast who ever lived. 🙂

1. Simone Biles – 62.450
2. Alexandra Raisman – 59.900
3. Laurie Hernandez – 59.800

I think we have to start blocking Laurie in the same group with Simone, Gabby, Aly for Olympic Team selection.

Click PLAY or watch Simone’s FX on YouTube.

16.050 = 6.9 + 9.15

Her first tumbling line warm-up is full twisting double layout. Ho hum.

Natalia Yurchenko mini-montage

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

 
There are more like that on the gym_art_ Instgram page.

1910 Pommel Horse for sale

At west end salvage in Des Moines.

The oldest description of gymnastics on an artificial horse is over 600 years old. It was written by a Renatus Vegetius, who, in his four volume “Overview of the Roman Army”, describes soldiers using a wooden horse for practice. …

In the early 19th century, when Jahn, regarded as the father of gymnastics, was alive, there were three different kinds of horses on the Hasenheide in Berlin …

History of Pommel horse

(via NCAA MEN’S GYMNASTICS ALUMNI)

Gymnastics USA – “explosion of diversity”

Team USA:

Penny said his federation does not chart participation demographically, but his intuition and that of federation Chief Operating Officer Ron Galimore from watching events at all age levels since the 2012 Olympics suggests an “explosion of diversity.”

Such a change has been slow coming to the elite level of a sport where public tumbling programs, often free or very inexpensive, give way to private clubs for top-level training, which is costly. …

Simone Biles And Gabby Douglas Are Latest And Greatest Heroes In A Storied History Of African-American Gymnasts

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 29: Simone Biles of USA and Gabrielle Douglas of USA celebrate after the All-Around Final on day seven of the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at The SSE Hydro on October 29, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 29: Simone Biles of USA and Gabrielle Douglas of USA celebrate after the All-Around Final on day seven of the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at The SSE Hydro on October 29, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

via David Holcomb

related – GymCastic 189: Blinded by the Swag 2016 American Cup:

The Under Armour gymnastics commercial featuring an all white team: We know Aly, Gabby and Simone can’t do the commercial because they are signed to other contracts! We are talking about the lack of diversity! Gymnastics isn’t dominated by white girls!