Category: Uncategorized

Official as of Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Ohio State officially named Rustam Sharipov, a two-time Olympian from the Ukraine, as its men’s gymnastics coach today.

The announcement confirmed a Dispatch report that Sharipov, an assistant coach for the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team since 2005, would take over the position that had been filled on an interim basis since November by Blaine Wilson and Doug Stibel. …

Sharipov, a native of Kharkov, Ukraine, was selected over two others interviewed by OSU: Wilson, a three-time Olympian and five-time U.S. all-around champion, and Air Force Academy coach Kip Simons. …

Columbus Dispatch

Sharipov is yet another new, young Head Coaches in the NCAA. He’s over in Russia now at the World Cup meet coaching Steven Legendre.

The competition finished so late today, Friday the 13th, that we skipped the party. It’s an early start tomorrow, Saturday.

I’ve added a quick link to College Gym Fans. That’s been the best site reporting on this meet, so far.

… Actually, in every way I’m finding this meet inferior social media wise to the boys J.O. Championships a week ago, same venue. There’s surprisingly little coverage online.

The gymnastics, however, is far stronger top to bottom on the women’s side. Check the 2011 Women’s J.O. Nationals Results.

There are very few girls competing whom I wouldn’t warmly welcome on to my College Team (if I had a team).

In fact, I don’t know how NCAA coaches narrow their list of candidates to any reasonable number to watch. There are a lot of good kids in the USA.

Has anyone used this product?

The soap is used to soften calluses and keep them away with regular use.

caribisle.net

If so, leave a comment.

Between The Olympics has one of their great posts linking results and videos.

That post includes this bonus clip on an interesting training set-up:

… Anastasia Grishina training vault. She’s doing a Podkopayeva and then a half turn after landing- will she be attempting the front “layout” full soon?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m a big fan of vaulting off a TumblTrak, without a spring board.

Many years retired, Krista is back in the gym, training at Adult Rec.

Somehow she and former teammate Kerby talked themselves into coming out of retirement.

Weirdest part?

… In the gym where formerly they were the best gymnasts, nobody knows them anymore. 🙂

There are hundreds of fantastic gymnasts competing in the Junior Olympic Championships 2011.

John Carney of Oregon State calls this a “mini NCAA Championships“.

College girls are better in performance, choreography and stability on Beam, … but otherwise these younger girls are just as good.

Alex McMurtry wowed the crowd last session with double twisting Yurchenko. (9.95)

Click PLAY or watch her vault from earlier this season on YouTube.

Alex seems to be competing her Elite routines here, in preparation for the future.

… She trains at the Olympiad under the longtime husband-and-wife coaching team of Boris and Larissa Choutkin, who previously coached in Russia. Boris Choutkin is effusive in his praise of McMurtry.

“She has extraordinary talent. It’s like God kissed her,” he said, citing what he called an old Russian saying. “She’s a very, very smart girl. She loves gymnastics, and she has phenomenal athletic ability.” …

Her Floor (9.65) was astounding too. … Bars a strong Level 10 routine, but not at international standard yet.

LIVE tweets @sixmaxwells

Very touching.

We all wish you the very best, Kathryn.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnast to Coach.

http://www.WLNS.com/global/video/videoplayer.js?rnd=635390;hostDomain=www.WLNS.com;playerWidth=630;playerHeight=355;isShowIcon=true;clipId=5847291;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=overlay

Her injury mechanism was very similar to Sang Lan.

Multiple forward somersault skills (e.g. Toe Front dismount, Double Fronts, etc.) are the most dangerous in terms of catastrophic injury.

Kathryn had done this vault successfully for many years. It only takes one mistake …

Tiny, light Zeng Siqi can do Yurchenko double twist.

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

Gymnastics Canada:

China, a world superpower in gymnastics, is sharing the stage this week with a small but determined Canadian team in Kunshan City, marking the first time a foreign country has been invited to compete at the Chinese national championships.

The two countries also share a common desire to alter the growing and potentially dangerous emphasis on increasingly difficult skills at the expense of the artistry that once was a defining characteristic of the sport.

“We’ve been training with China for many years we share many common beliefs about competitive gymnastics,” says Jeff Thomson, the program director for the Canadian men’s gymnastics team.

“We both fear that the scoring system in men’s gymnastics is putting too much pressure on athletes to go for ever more difficult moves which in turn increases the risk of injuries and takes away from the artistic side of the sport.” …

read more – China and Canada want to put the “artistry” back into gymnastics

related – Lukenchuk, Scott shine at gymnastics meet in China

Two amazing vaults. … But you’ve got to call that “a fall” on Dragalescu.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (second vault does not start until 2min 10sec)

(via The All Around Gymnastics News on Facebook)