With the Olympics postponed a year, Konnor is now age eligible.
Her main goal remains Olympics 2024.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Category: Olympics
University of Calgary drops competitive Gymnastics
Bad news.
The last Canadian University with an elite competitive program is no more.
Head Coach Tony Smith:
On June 30, 2020 the University of Calgary ended its relationship with the Competitive Gymnastics program.
With severe budget cuts from the Provincial government and the subsequent Covid 19 crisis, it became impossible to financially continue operating the program.
The U of C have developed competitive gymnasts since 1967, and produced CWUAA, CIAU, Canadian, Pan Am, FISU Games, Pacific Rim, Commonwealth, and World medalists. In 2008, half of the men’s Olympic team came from the U of C.
Many of the parents and coaches of the existing program are looking into a new facility, and hope to continue the tradition with a new club. It will never be the University of Calgary, but what we all learned from our time there can certainly be taught to future generations.
(I’ll stick around to help this one get started)
I feel like the luckiest Dino of all time, I spent 37 years at the U of C gym, and was privileged to train with, work with, and coach some incredible people.
There were so many individuals that influenced, inspired, and supported me to live my dream, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them.
Die for the Dino,
Tony Smith
U of C coach
1989-2020
Kohei to focus on Horizontal Bar
NHK has learned that two-time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Uchimura Kohei is aiming to qualify for the Tokyo Games in just one event — the horizontal bar. …
… the 31-year-old ace has struggled with ankle and shoulder injuries since the Rio Games. …
Athlete A – now on Netflix
June 24th.
Netflix now has the documentary on the USA Gymnastics criminal doctor.
Athlete A is Maggie Nichols.
First, we all need thank Maggie, Sarah Jantzi and Maggie’s parents.
And we all need thank Rachael Denhollander and Jamie Dantzscher.
Now that the criminal doctor is in prison for up to 175 years, it’s easy to forget how difficult were those early accusations.
It’s easy to forget how many very smart people were fooled by the conman. Jamie — at the time — felt he was the only nice adult associated with USA Gymnastics.
The documentary is well done. Recommend it to your non-Gymnastics friends. We can reduce medical malpractice and abuse in future. Protect athletes.
Revisit, too, the selection process for the Rio Olympic team. Certainly Maggie should have been one of the alternates.
An August 2016 article in the Indianapolis Star about USA Gymnastics protecting coaches accused of abuse leads to the explosive revelation that the USAG women’s team doctor, Larry Nassar, had been abusing athletes for over two decades.
This film follows the IndyStar reporters as they reveal the extensive cover-up that allowed abuse to thrive within elite-level gymnastics for more than two decades, the attorney who is fighting the institutions that failed these athletes, and most importantly, the brave whistle-blowers who refuse to be silenced.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
In addition to watching the documentary, be sure to listen to an excellent interview with Jennifer Sey on Gymnastic.
Sey is the producer.
Jennifer’s 2008 book Chalked Up is available in digital format with a new forward.
#OlympicDay workout Tuesday, June 22
Exercise from anywhere alongside Olympic gymnasts. Sounds like #StayStrong fitness live streams will be happening all day around the world. Check social media.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Kurt Thomas documentary
Kurt died unexpectedly of a stroke at age-64. What a shame.
If you don’t know his story, watch this entertaining new documentary. He was a cocky kid from a poor background.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (24min)
winning Olympic Floor Nadia to Simone
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Cecile Landi interview
Simone and some of the top gymnasts in her club World Champions Center have been back training for a few weeks now.
The Olympic Channel caught up with coach Cecile (Canqueteau) Landi:
OC: … in the relatively short period of time you guys have worked together, the three of you have obviously accomplished so much. What do you think is your proudest moment of of the past two years.
CL: I think the way she, she is. She’s so outspoken and she feels that she can say anything.
In that way I feel like she’s way more confident as a woman than she ever was. It comes with maturity, but also she speaks up, like, we listen to her.
As a coach, the 2019 Worlds where I’ve never seen her feeling so confident and happy to compete. And that beam title, obviously, because I know how much she wanted it. …
OC: What do you see your role as her coach to help her kind of reframe the plan, physically and the training, for the next 14 months?
CL: I mean, Laurent is the big planner. So once we do have all those dates and all that, we’ll sit down again and do the big calendar and see. In that trio, I listen to both of them and I try to compromise to both of them, making sure he kind of gets what he wants and she gets what she wants and everybody feels good. So that’s my role. …
OC: You haven’t been shy about talking about USA Gymnastics and all the changes that need to happen in this country in gymnastics. Where do you think the sport is now in this country? And what else are you hoping to see change?
CL: I think we’re going in the right direction. I want to trust [the current CEO of USA Gymnastics] and I want to believe that she has the best interests at heart, and I think she does. What we like is she was an athlete herself, an elite gymnast and NCAA gymnast. …
SIMONE BILES’ COACH CECILE LANDI ON RESETTING FOR TOKYO 2020, HER COACHING PHILOSOPHY, AND MORE
Courtney McGregor has retired
2016 Olympian and fan favourite Courtney McGregor from New Zealand has decided to hang up the grips.
With NCAA Gymnastics up in the air, Courtney won’t be returning to Boise State University. The uncertainty of the 2020 Olympics happening in 2021 is another factor.
Instead, Courtney will stay home in Christchurch and hopes to continue into Medicine.
Click PLAY or watch a career highlights montage on YouTube.
High Performance Centres in Spain open
The National centres in Spain closed March 11th … and stayed closed for 67 days.
Spain was hit hard by COVID-19. Plan is to start training slowly and with an abundance of caution.
160 athletes were evaluated by questionnaires, examinations and blood tests. Only 2% were not allowed to return. Yet.
