Acrobats in Kenya

Veronique Sprenger spent 10 weeks training with this troupe in a slum called Kangemi in Nairobi.

She’s doing a Masters in International Development Studies at the University of Amsterdam on these athletes.

Watch all the way through. It’s impressive what they’ve accomplished with very little equipment. Tumbling on hard wood floor, for example.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

music while TRAINING acrobatic sport?

Many athletes use music to get ready for training.

I recall having my own PSYCH UP playlist, back in the day.

Some possible benefits:

Dissociation

Arousal Regulation

Synchronization

Acquisition of Motor Skills

Attainment of Flow

How can music influence performance

Taking that one step further, what about training acrobatic sport in headphones?

I’ve never tried it with gymnasts.

One option for wireless headphones is Decibullz.

Olympians call for Congressional USOC overhaul

Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis and nearly 50 other former Olympians are calling on Congress to overhaul the U.S. Olympic Committee, insisting a major reorganization of the USOC is needed to ensure athlete safety. …

Kathy Johnson Clarke and Julianne McNamara, members of the groundbreaking 1984 Olympic gymnastics team, and Marcia Frederick, the first American woman to win a World championship in gymnastics, are members of the group. …

OC Register

Fastfluff™VaultTrainer

I’ve posted this cool product once before, but this is a better video on how it works.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

details – $2350 plus S&H

Thanks Mary.

Gymnasts injured before arriving College

We have a very dangerous sport.

Thanks Greg.

College gymnasts – narcotic pain meds

According to the recently released NCAA National Study on Substance Use Habits of College Student-Athletes, the proportion of women’s gymnasts who reported using narcotic pain medications — nearly 18 percent — is the highest among student-athletes in any sport.

Overall, the use of pain medication, both prescribed and nonprescribed, has decreased among student-athletes since the release of the last NCAA substance use study in 2014, but health care professionals still are examining how best to manage pain among college athletes. …

NCAA

our inspiration – Maggie Nichols

On Jan. 9, 2018, Nichols, then a sophomore gymnast at Oklahoma, released an 898-word statement informing the world that she, too, had been sexually assaulted by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar.

She let the world know that, in 2015, she and her coach were the first to report his abuse to USA Gymnastics, that she was the one who had been identified only as “Athlete A” in the reports of Nassar’s actions, which he inflicted under the guise of medical treatment on more than 300 victims. …

“I want everyone to know that he did not do this to Athlete A, he did it to Maggie Nichols,” Nichols wrote in the statement. …

2019 NCAA Inspiration Award: Maggie Nichols

Oklahoma gymnast hopes reporting abuse by USA Gymnastics doctor helps others feel empowered

keeping banned coaches banned

Nancy Armour, Rachel Axon and Brent Schrotenboer for USA TODAY:

1. Create a universal banned list.

2. Use existing enforcement mechanisms.

3. Require related youth-serving organizations to honor each other’s sanctions and share information on discipline.

Three keys to keeping banned coaches banned and children safe

Nassar abused his friend’s 6-yr-old

The criminal doctor’s victimized the daughter of a close family friend. It started when Kyle Stephens was age-6.

She was not a gymnast. This was not fake medical treatments.

Kyle’s father refused to believe her. As a result, she hated her father for years. They finally reconciled before his death.

Very ill, Kyle’s Dad took his own life in 2016.

Kyle Stephens was first to testify.

Listen to episode 8 online. But know that it’s disturbing.