Category: psychology

Ana Padarariu – back to Elite

Ana Padarariu decided to take a break from UCLA, and try for the Canadian Olympic team. She wants to give 100% and will accept whatever happens.

To have FUN. And SMILE.

Good attitude.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Giarnni Regini-Moran documentary

Giarnni’s quest for Paris.

The comeback from posterior cruciate ligament injury.

Inspiring.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

coach Sami Shapiro

Today she’s working for Apple.

EASY compared with competing Beam. Same skills.

From 5x National Team Member to Stanford gymnast to a career in the real world, Sami Shapiro is the epitome of what it means to be a Beam Queen.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Ep. 2 Becky Downie documentary

Episode 2: Coming off of a disappointing performance at English Championships, Becky must regroup quickly if she wants to be in contention to represent GB at the 2023 European Championships.

Deanna Hong:

My goal is to share Becky’s incredible story as far and wide as possible. A lot of high-quality gymnastics content is geo-blocked/paywalled nowadays, which is why I’ve chosen to release this documentary on YouTube.

The first two episodes of “Comeback” were self-funded. It was important to me to compensate all of my friends who helped bring “Comeback” to life, which I have done, but all of my time filming and editing this passion project was done in my free time outside of my paid work.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (28min) Features Nick Ruddock.

Becky Downie – COMEBACK

The Becky Downie Documentary [Ep. 1]

Becky competed at the 2008 and 2016 Summer Olympics.  She is a double European champion (2014 and 2016) and 2014 Commonwealth Games champion on the uneven bars as well as the 2019 World silver medallist.

Now age-31, Becky is training towards qualifying for Paris.

The first episode includes her role in calling out British Gymnastics for past abuse. Very brave. Many of the other women to do so had already retired.

If you would like early access to COMEBACK Episode 2, or simply to support this independent production financially, please check out: DeannaHongProductions.vhx.tv

COMEBACK began as a self-funded passion project by Director Deanna Hong, and thus your support is greatly appreciated and will allow for the planned continuation of this series!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Maya Turner kicks game winning Field Goal

From September 2023.

Bisons football coach Brian Dobie shares his message on the pressure Maya Turner was under as the first woman to ever play, and score, in a U SPORTS football game.

Oh yeah, she kicked the game winner too.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Coach has some words of wisdom for the young men.

coaches should not require weigh-ins

The last time I saw a scale in a Gym was 2003. I asked that it be removed.

Unless there is some specific reason — scientific research in training, for example — there’s no need for weigh-ins at training. And there are some risks, as we’ve seen in the past.

I prefer gymnasts weigh in at home in private. Or under instructions from medical staff.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is the new policy of British Gymnastics.

The Teenage Brain

Recommended for coaches is a 2016 book looking at the latest research in brain development.

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults – by Frances E Jensen & Amy Ellis Nutt 

For those of us who have forgotten 😀, teenagers are capable of incredibly bad decisions.

There’s a reason for that.

The teenage brain is not yet fully developed.

Click PLAY or watch an interview with one of the authors on YouTube.