South Korean National Team starts again May 11th

South Korea has done a fantastic job managing COVID-19 after a terrible start.

Gymnasts were asked to leave the National Training Centre March 27th.

According to the KSOC, about 360 athletes and coaches in nine sports, including gymnastics, table tennis, boxing, fencing and badminton, will report back during the week of May 11.

“We’ll try to minimize contact among athletes in different sports in order to prevent infection within the training center,” a KSOC official said. “They’ll only be allowed to spend time in their training facilities and residence.”

IDEAS on reopening Gymnastics Clubs

If and when you can reopen, it would be best to start with Competitive.

Phase in other groups over time.

One club plans to use a Wall-Mounted Infrared Forehead Thermometer Non-Contact Digital Temperature Thermometer with Fever Alarm to allow entry.

That’s not foolproof, of course. Some positives don’t have fever.

Chalk Bucket forum is compiling suggestions.

Here are a few:

  • Initial opening with small groups of 10 or less
  • Following social distancing guidelines (6+ feet) with stations / drills
  • Wiping down equipment after each use
  • Masks (entering and exiting the Gym)
  • Hand sanitizing before each event
  • Starting up with basics and conditioning so there will be no need to spot
  • Each athlete will have their own chalk block kept in a Ziploc bag
  • Each athlete will have their own spray bottle for water
  • Cameras with login for parents to watch from outside the facility
  • Stagger workout times
  • Stagger break times (or if practice short enough no break to limit congregating)
  • One way traffic as much as possible
  • Nightly equipment cleaning of high touch surfaces such as tables, chairs, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks with EPA registered household disinfectant per CDC guidance
Wearing masks to prevent the H1N1 influenza virus at the venue of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Japan September 11, 2009.

Jamie Dantzscher interview

One of GymCastic’s best yet. 

Jamie Dantzscher was a 2000 Olympic medalist, at the end of the darkest era of USA Gymnastics in my opinion.

She went on to a fantastic career at UCLA. One of the greats of all time. She led UCLA to 3 NCAA Championships in four years.

But we know Jamie best as one of the most vocal critics of the Karoli years. And her February 2017 60 Minutes interview alongside  Jeanette Antolin and Jessica Howard accusing the USAG criminal doctor.

What makes this interview so winning is Jamie’s blunt honesty. Down to earth. Saying what she thinks.

I was totally won over. Let’s all wish Jamie Dantzscher well.

You can listen online or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

IT’S JAMIE DANTZSCHER YOU GUYS

Belgium WAG resume training

Valentina Rodionenko said the team should go back to Round Lake and be quarantined there, so that they would be able to train.

She cited the example of the Chinese national team that kept training … throughout the quarantine ….

Some other national teams (at least partially) kept training and some are gradually returning to the gyms now. For example, the Belgian WAG team has been allowed to resume training recently. …

At the moment, however, Round Lake is serving as a quarantine center for Russian athletes who were evacuated from abroad.

The Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said that next week, the Ministry will be discussing plans for elite athletes to start training but did not commit to any specific date and said that quarantine limitations would have to be lifted first.

gymnovosti

watch Sarah Thirkell’s COVID-19 story

Sarah is a dedicated Canadian teen gymnast locked out of the Gym by COVID-19.

She’s an aspiring film maker too.

In this powerful and personal video Sarah tells “it‘s OK not be OK right now“.

Keep moving forward.

A lot of us can relate.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sarah created this video for a series of short documentaries inspired by experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. Alone together.

NCAA sports after COVID-19

American institutions of higher learning are all deciding on when and how to reopen. Some may not be open in September.

What does that mean for College sport?

They’re scrambling to make up for lost money. The University of Cincinnati ended its men’s soccer program, and St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, announced last week it was cutting men’s and women’s golf and tennis, along with men’s soccer.  …

Students are weary of online classes, but colleges can’t say whether they’ll open in fall 2020

Right now we don’t know.  😕

Greg Marsden linked to a letter from the Intercollegiate Coach Association Coalition (ICAC) opposing a request by the Group of Five Commissioners to allow conferences and schools to cut the number of sports sponsored to be considered for Division I status.

Mike Burns and Heather Perry signed on behalf of NCAA Gymnastics.

Morgan, Angelina, Chen Yile on COVID-19

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1251465768556003328

GREAT spotter

This reminds me of some of the skilled Trampoline spotters I’ve seen over the years.

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

https://twitter.com/intlgymnast/status/1231624722372317185