talking about the ‘gymternet’

Fans are Fanatics.

We once had to rely on “mainstream media” to cover Gymnastics.

A few TV channels. International Gymnast magazine.

Sports Illustrated … every 4 years.

The situation for fans (and coaches) is much better today.

YOU and anyone online can post your own opinions the sport at no cost. And you might find an audience.

I recall when non-gymnast Spencer Barnes launched The Balance Beam Situation.

Instantly it was my #1 source of information on NCAA Gymnastics.

On the down side, every #hater, #troll and #bully can get online, as well.

Check an AP (mainstream media) article:

The ‘gymternet’: gymnastics’ devoted, sometimes toxic fans

GymCastic’s Jessica O’Beirne interviews Mandy Mohamed in Tokyo

gymnasts commiserate with Simone

Mental blocks are common in Gymnastics.

Simone’s could not have popped up at a worse time.

The one upside of all this publicity is preventing future injuries.

Every gymnast will remember the time the G.O.A.T. withdrew from the Olympics rather than risk getting lost in the air.

Gaar Adams , for example, trained at the Gym that produced the Hamm brothers:

… I tried to push myself past a “twisties” block at the end of one practice in September 2001.

Lost in the air, I fell on my neck and required spinal surgery, a halo brace and four months in a hospital bed.

A shade away from quadriplegia at the age of 13, my dreams of pursuing collegiate and elite gymnastics were over. …

The twisties: My gymnastics career may not have ended in hospital if I’d had a role model like Simone Biles

I’ve seen over a dozen similar stories recounted over recent days.

Victoria Moors, for example.

If it can happen to Simone, it can happen to anyone.

Simone withdrew from AA

Jade Carey will step in as 1st reserve for USA.

Simone did the right thing

How many gymnasts in future will remember the time Simone withdrew from an Olympic final because she didn’t feel right?

This is a win for safer Gymnastics in future.

An example for coaches — in future — when uncertain about whether or not to include that difficult skill in the routine. Err on the side of caution.

Recall that tennis star Naomi Osaka recently took time off from competition. Smart.

A psychological problem can be just as debilitating as a physical injury.

Luciana Alvarado for #BLM

Luciana made a statement on social justice as part of her choreography.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Beach Volleyball fixed their sexist uniform rules 😀

Because it’s 2021.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

“Golden” – USA Elite documentary

The final episode in the 6-part series arrives July 21st.

It airs on PeacockTV.com. Free for those who appear to be in the USA and who have a U.S. zip code.

EXCELLENT.

The best recent documentary I can recall.

A real time look at changing Elite culture. For the better, I’d say.

Simply having Camp open to the video crew is a credit to Tom Forster and USAG. This is the kind of transparency we’ve always wanted.

I LOVE seeing regular training rather than only Instagram highlights. It’s mostly a grind. Golden shows that accurately.

I love seeing family life. Konnor’s problems, for example, and her family’s support.

I love seeing OTHER issues in their lives. Morgan’s social activism, for example.

Golden is not perfect.

Episode 3 should have explained to viewers the logic of selecting Gabby Douglas for Rio. It’s what I would have recommended. Instead, editors made it look like McKayla was personally unselected.

I was pleased they showed how misses are COMMON in training. But did we need to see DOZENS of Bar release misses? Also, I felt too many REALLY bad falls were included. Some of those could have been edited better or left out entirely.

“Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts” follows Rio gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd, 2019 World Championships team members Sunisa Lee and MyKayla Skinner and first-year senior gymnast Konnor McClain.

The series, with hour-long episodes, follows the gymnasts over a five-month period as they train to vie for four Olympic spots …

NBC

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Konnor McClain on Golden

In the most recent episode of Golden (Peacock subscription), Konnor talks about why she made the sudden move from the club where she’d trained since age-3 to WOGA.

Click PLAY or watch a clip on Twitter.

Oleg tested positive for meldonium

Oleg says he only once tested positive for the recently banned drug.

But was banned for 4 years.

He’ll appeal the ban.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned substances effective 1 January 2016 because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance. …

 A high prevalence of meldonium use by athletes in sport was demonstrated by the laboratory findings at the Baku 2015 European Games. 13 medallists or competition winners were taking meldonium at the time …

Meldonium use was detected in athletes competing in 15 of the 21 sports …

Most of the athletes taking meldonium withheld the information of their use from anti-doping authorities by not declaring it on their doping control forms as they should have. Only 23 of the 662 (3.5%) athletes tested declared the personal use of meldonium. However, 66 of the total 762 (8.7%) of athlete urine samples analysed during the Games and during pre-competition tested positive for meldonium. …

Oklahoma Gym Club – 47 COVID cases

23 gymnasts, three staff members, and 21 of their household contacts.

The median age for infected people was 14, and the outbreak affected people aged 5 to 58.

Thankfully, investigators didn’t find any secondary spread among Oklahoma gymnasts participating at the out-of-state meets. …

How the Delta Variant Tore Through an Undervaxxed Gymnastics Center

Gymnastics Clubs have had very low risk of COVID outbreak, overall.

Discipline. Compliance. A need to protect kids.

On the other hand, Oklahoma has had comparatively low rates of vaccination. 13 people from the Club who came down with the virus who were eligible.

Even now fewer than half of Oklahoma citizens have had one dose. They don’t have herd protection with those numbers.

Read the research document.