tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Alexis Vasquez is a fantastic gymnast on one of the fastest improving teams in the NCAA.
I was in the audience when her team defeated both Florida and Oregon State University last season. Alexis was Regional co-Champion on beam. A fantastic performance.
Yet unbeknownst to almost everyone was the fact that Alexis was suffering mental health issues.
She’s decided to share her story in an essay and interview. Click over to Denver Pioneers to see that.
Russia has been kicked out of international events for four years, with no official team, officials, flag or anthem allowed at Olympics, Paralympics and World Championships. It is a ban on a Russian identity at these events. Nor can they host.
Russia, meanwhile, is set to appeal via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), and has portrayed the sanction as excessive, unfair and politically motivated.
Putin loves sport. There’s overwhelming evidence of top-down government sponsored doping in Russia, though not in the Gymnastics sports.
Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and re-join the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial.
The WADA Executive Committee unanimously endorsed the ban. I think it should and will stick.
In Missouri.
Piper J. Hoemann, 47, pleaded guilty to failure to report child abuse. As owner of the now-closed Kids in Motion, Hoemann was considered a mandated reporter by the state. …
Authorities allege that Hoemann knew of the accusation against a former trainer who allegedly touched three juveniles under their shorts … yet she failed to contact police.
Hoemann was given two years unsupervised bench probation as part of the suspended imposition sentence (S.I.S.) on the charge. …
Former Gym Owner Is Given Probation — For Failing to Report Abuse
Bronze medal-winning Olympian Adam Rippon has a new memoir. In it he recounts his feud with famously homophobic Vice President Mike Pence who lead the U.S. Olympic delegation to South Korea.
Here’s one of the best of his life stories.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Give Răducan a Gold medal for the AA at the 2000 Olympics. We’ve always considered her the deserving winner.
Shot in 2015 and 2016, the documentary The Golden Girl centres on Romanian gymnast Andreea Răducan, who won the all-around gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, only to be forced a day later to renounce her title and her medal following a controversial doping test. …
We meet Răducan, now a retired gymnast and a successful businesswoman, in 2015, as she starts to investigate the possibility of convincing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to give her back her medal. …
Click PLAY or watch a highly dramatic trailer on YouTube.
Former Team GB gymnast Sam Oldham is gunning for one last shot at Olympic glory – this is his story
… Oldham is out of Team GB and hasn’t competed at major championships in several years, yet he remains focused on making a surge for a place in the squad for Tokyo. …
“On paper, right now I’m in the worst possible place I’ve been in. I’m 26, not in the GB squad right now, my funding got dropped, I’m actually living with my grandparents. …
Most people agree on these points:
To shorten Worlds I’d first cut the Team competition. It would be decided through the qualification round.
IOC and FIG have broad missions. Handing medals to the best of the best is one objective amongst many. Developing sport in Sri Lanka is another.
PROPOSAL – Elite Worlds
In Canada we have always had two major competitions each year:
At Elite Canada only the best of the best qualify. We might have 12 gymnasts from Ontario and only 1 from Nova Scotia, for example.
I’d love to see an FIG sponsored Elite Worlds. Cash prizes. 15 American gymnasts competing Floor, for example.
To safely warm-up before doing the VERY dangerous landing in competition, many male gymnasts use a flyspring.
Great idea. I’ve seen some women do the same warming-up Kasamatsu vaults, including Ellie Black.
Click PLAY or watch a sample on Twitter.
Men’s team competition 2019 Worlds. Hopefully the Speith guys, judges or coaches will CHECK for the MAG Final.
related – Spieth is one of the providers for Tokyo. Another is Senoh. They’ll be no change from Spieth equipment used here through to Tokyo.
Bad idea. 😕
I’m be OK with additional awards for Elegance. Or E-score. But rewarding difficulty for the sake of difficulty could be dangerous.
“The gymnast must never attempt to increase the difficulty or the “D” score at the expense of aesthetic and technical execution. …”
