Sam’s done a lot of reflecting during COVID-19 shutdown.
He’s engaged to be married, too.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Category: psychology
Chellsie: “It’s a comeback”
#official
The 2005 world all-around champion, mother of two, age-32, says she wants to compete.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
related – THIS CHELLSIE MEMMEL COMEBACK IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE REAL
following the #GymnastAlliance allegations
If you are having trouble keeping up with the ongoing series of gymnasts brave enough to come forward with incidents of past abuse, catch up on the GymCastic podcast.
432: #GymnastAlliance
434: Svetlana Khorcanceled
Svetlana Khorkina was a fantastic gymnast. But she’s clearly an egomaniac with no empathy. Literally the last person in the Gymnastics world who should be commenting on safety and ethics.
Dutch team enjoys a ‘healthy sports climate’?
UPDATE
The Dutch Federation has taken allegations very seriously. And especially the admissions of Gerrit Beltman, now coaching in Singapore.
Last week, the KNGU announced an independent investigation into all Gym Sports. And urged athletes to report abuses to the Center for Safe Sports in the Netherlands.
And now they’ve stopped the coaches of the current National Team from working with those athletes while the investigation is underway. Gymnasts can still train, but not with their personal coaches.
‘The stories are coming from all sides,’ KNGU chairwoman Monique Kempff told a news conference. ‘And if you want to make a cultural shift, you cannot take half measures.’
Read more at DutchNews.nl
___ original post from July 28, 2020 below:
Good news. Things have changed for the better.
The current Team Netherlands supports their coaching system.
The statement can be read on the Instagram pages of Sanne Wevers, Lieke Wevers, Eythora Thorsdottir, Vera van Pol, Laura de Witt, Tisha Volleman, Sara van Disseldorp, Naomi Visser, Kirsten Polderman and Sanna Veerman. Céline van Gerner, who stopped last August, also shared the statement. …
“The past period has been an accumulation of sad news from the world of gymnastics. First internationally, but now also nationally. Our condolences go to everyone who has had negative experiences in our sport.”
“We do not recognize ourselves in the image that is now sketched of Dutch gymnastics with regard to the stories of the past. Where in the past there was room for physical and mental flogging, this is a thing of the past …
National gymnastics team responds: ‘We do not recognize ourselves in the sketched image’
Gymnastics training and growth
Dr. Keith Russell, former Canadian Men’s Artistic Gymnastics National Coach and personal coach of two Olympians. Past President of the FIG Scientific Commission.
This session is mainly MAG and WAG.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Simone’s first week at the Ranch
It was 2011, when Simone was 13.
Aimee Boorman: When Simone became a Level 10 [the highest level before elite], we started talking about her becoming an elite. But when we first submitted videos to get her into [USA Gymnastics] developmental camp, the national team staff declined our request. We were told, no, she’s not ready, even though she had all of these skills, because her uneven bars skills were too weak. So when we did get an invitation to camp, we were very excited and we tried to showcase what Simone was good at.
Nellie Biles: I thought attending this first camp was the turning point for Simone in her career, so I was very excited.
Boorman: Simone was praised by the [national team] coaches about what a great job she had done. Then Martha just railed at her, said she wasn’t working hard enough and that she wasn’t good enough. Simone was devastated …
Boorman: The next camp was only three weeks away, so I talked to Simone and her parents. I never made any decisions without involving her and her parents. I think if she had the same experience at that next developmental camp with Martha, it would have broken her. It may not have taken her love out of gymnastics, but it would’ve made her not want to go back to the Ranch. We decided to decline the next camp. When we did, we weren’t invited back [by Martha] for more than a year. …
How Simone Biles found her voice and changed gymnastics culture
teaching walkovers
Best practice is starting from forward walkover to a soft elevated surface.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Progressively lower the surface.
The same process should be used for the forward limber to kick backward walkover.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Start young. Do not rush. The gymnast must be strong enough at the end range of the shoulder flexion / upper back extension – with straight legs – before lowering the target surface. Psychological confidence is as important as physical preparation before moving to low Beam.
Happily, almost every girl on every team can achieve this drill. If they work it enough. This range of motion is trainable 🙂
7 superb athletes – Greatness Code
In July, Apple TV+ has a 7 part documentary series coming that might be of interest.
Superstars who’ll be interviewed include four-time NBA MVP Lebron James, six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, co-captain of the US women’s national soccer team Alex Morgan, eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt, 15-time world champion swimmer Katie Ledecky, and 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater.
I’m keenest to hear how Shaun White thinks.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Simone – Performance Under Pressure
A moderated conversation with the world’s most recognized and awarded athletes to talk about the emotional, cognitive and physical demands of working under pressure.
They’ll discuss sport and relatable approaches for getting comfortable with discomfort.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (30min)
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.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 