tumbling, tramp, diving, acrobatics, circus, cheer, dance, martial arts, X sports … and more
Just to ensure I’m banned in China.
No one understands better the importance of symbolic imagery than totalitarian governments. One day this photo will be revered in China. But not in 2010.
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 – Wikipedia
The Unknown Rebel – AP photographer Jeff Widener. A lone protester delayed the tanks for over half an hour.
The new process is still evolving. Many are confused, including me.
Is this correct?
Teams of five gymnasts … UPDATE. Six gymnasts at World’s, but only five at Olympics.
October 2010 – World Championships Rotterdam – top 24 teams advance
2011 – World Championships Tokyo – top 8 teams advance to Olympics & top 3 individuals on each apparatus (if not on one of the teams)
2012 – Olympic Qualifier London – only the teams ranked 9-16 compete with the top 4 of those 8 teams advancing to the Olympics. Or do all teams compete, qualification affecting only the teams ranked 9-16 from Tokyo?
SIIMPLE. … As simple as Facebook Privacy settings.
Here we go again … What unforeseen problems do you foresee?
Worse is the change in the competition calendar for Rotterdam.
Dwight Normile:
…
For years, the men’s qualification rounds preceded the women’s(actually, this has varied over the years), but the schedule printed on the official Rotterdam worlds website has the women’s prelims on Oct. 16 and 17, followed by the men’s prelims on Oct. 18 and 19.The women’s team final is slated for Oct. 20, the men’s on Oct. 21. Then it gets weird.
Both the men’s and women’s all-around finals are scheduled for the same day, Oct. 22, with the men’s at 4 p.m. and the women’s at 7:30 p.m. So much for celebrating your team victory the night before if you are an all-arounder.
I feel for any all-arounder from a top-eight team, such as Japan’s Kohei Uchimura or Germany’s Fabian Hambüchen. These guys will have to gear up for the all-around final less than 24 hours after competing in the emotionally draining team final, where they might have performed on all six events. It will be completely understandable if any of these guys fails to reach his potential in the apparatus finals the following two days.
Why schedule the men after the women for the prelims and team finals, only to reverse them for the all-around finals? With only four events (and eight skills counting) compared with six (10 skills) for men, it is far easier for female gymnasts to compete back-to-back all-around competitions than it is for men. …
International Gymnast – Stretching Out: Olympic Qualification & Guess Who’s Back? (updated)
_____ UPDATE:
A J of The All-Around recommends you download an Excel Spreadsheet with details on how this is supposed to work.
Gak. It’s much more complicated than I thought. There are going to be many not chosen, irate at F.I.G.
This much complexity was not needed. The main change desired was to get the top 3 on each apparatus at the last World Championships qualified to the Olympics. There are easier ways to make that happen.
Istvan Balyi said something very interesting at a recent coaching course.
He feels that of all the variables of “sustenance”, sleep is the most essential for athletes. More important than nutrition or hydration!
Teenage boys can sleep as many hours as a baby. A teenage boy who trains intensely needs even more recovery sleep than his peers.
Consider interviewing your athletes regarding their sleep patterns.
related:
Psychiatric News – Sleep May Be Athletes’ Best Performance Booster
European Journal of Sport Science – Nutrition, sleep and recovery
Aunt Joyce’s Ice Cream Stand is no more.
But not to worry. He’ll be back
“… I am going to take a brief break in order to get some things taken care of and sorted out, but I will be back.
I also made another formspring for those who read that. I won’t have the same name anymore. I’m now AuntJoyce on formspring.”
He’s one of the most prolific bloggers out there, covering both Artistic Gymnastics and Ice Skating.
International Gymnast has a good write-up:
Sui Lu and Feng Zhe won the all-around titles at China’s spring national championships, which concluded Sunday in Xiantao, Hubei province. …
read more on IG – Sui, Feng Win Chinese Championships
Women’s All-Around Final
1. Sui Lu 56.300
2. Wu Liufang 55.550
3. Huang Huidan 55.350
Women’s Vault Final
1. Jiang Tong 13.987
2. Li Ting 13.912
3. Zhang Linzi 13.412
Uneven Bars Final
1. He Kexin 16.225
2. Huang Huidan 14.750
3. Wu Liufang 14.700
Balance Beam Final
1. Deng Linlin 15.050
2. Sui Lu 14.900
3. Zeng Siqi 14.525
Women’s Floor Exercise Final
1. Sui Lu 14.250
2. Jiang Tong 13.450
3. Huang Huidan 13.400
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
Check these MAG scores in advance of World Championships in October:
Men’s All-Around Final
1. Feng Zhe 89.300
2. Liao Qiuhua 89.050
3. Zhang Chenglong 88.900
Mens’ Floor Exercise Final
1. Huang Yuguo 15.525
2. Zhang Chenglong 15.425
3. Tong Yingjie 15.175
Pommel Horse Final
1. Zhang Hongtao 16.150
2. Yu Fu 15.350
3. Hong Chen 15.225
Still Rings Final
1. Yan Mingyong 15.900
2. Yong Taozhu 15.425
3. Lu Bo 15.400
Men’s Vault Final
1. Huang Yuguo 16.050
2. Du Wei 15.887
3. Zhang Chenglong 15.837
Parallel Bars Final
1. Feng Zhe 15.950
2. Peng Liuzhan 14.925
2. Liang Mingsheng 14.925
High Bar Final
1. Chen Zhang 15.700
2. Zhang Chenglong 15.400
3. Feng Zhe 15.250
Crisis What Crisis?
UPDATE: Coach Sommer explains why those high MAG scores don’t necessarily translate to a winning “team”.
I’d say the Chinese Women are far more at risk of being beaten at World’s than are the Men.
Women’s head coach Lu Shanzhen:
… wrote on his blog that he was thrilled with the performances on bars but dismayed by the competitive level on vault, where the winning score was a low 13.987. …
http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js
Capital City Gymnastics in Edmonton, Alberta is currently looking for a Women’s Artistic Program High Performance Coach. The successful applicant should possess a minimum Level 3 certification, as well as excellent communication and organizational skills, be a strong motivator as well as a team player. The successful applicant should also be very strong technically on the uneven bars, vault, and floor exercise.
This position will be a full-time salaried position based on 35 – 40 hours per week, benenfit package included. Salary to commensurate with knowledge, experience and education. …
Capital City Gymnastics currently has 3 female high performance gymnasts as well as 12 other female national athletes among our program of 65 National, Provincial and L.E.A.P. athletes. We are also home to National Team Members Brandon O’Neill and Jackson Payne. Capital City is also home to 1000 recreational members.
The successful applicant must also have or be willing to obtain their Risk Management certification and will be subject to a Police check.
Please send all resumes and inquiries in confidence to Kristi Marks …
Email: kristi_l_b {AT} hotmail.com
Huang Yubin, head coach of China’s gymnastics team:
… “we are now facing a huge crisis.” …
This from an article on the just completed Chinese National Championships:
… Some analysts said China’s men gymnastics team is now experiencing a famine with old genius gone and new talents still nowhere to find. …
Is it really that bad?
I’d still rank China #2 behind Japan in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics.
The Olympic Rings Champion Chen Yibing dropped out of the competition after hurting his shoulder.
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Chen was a specialist at the Olympics, but is currently training floor, pommel, horizontal bar and parallel bars because he may have to at World Championships.
An interview with Adrian Stoica, the President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation:
… stated to Agerpres that Mariana Bitang and Octavian Belu, who on Tuesday accepted a request to return to the coordinating team of the senior women’s team, have come to an understanding with the Federation of the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ type. They will stay on until the 2012 Olympics. Their financial remuneration has not yet been discussed. …
The Couch Gymnast – STOICA SPEAKS…..
The WAG Head Coach quits because of the return of B&B. … But are Bitang and Belu even returning?
This doesn’t look good on Stoica who is trying to position himself as a possible successor to Bruno Grandi.
If Stoica can’t even run Romania, what’s he going to do with the F.I.G.?
In the long term, Romania should set a modest goal of qualifying at World’s 2010 in the top 24 teams (easy) and build towards 2011 with new coaches.
Great update on the Brazilian star posted on the 2010 World Championships blog:
… Diego Hypolito may be best known for his floor exercise and vault, the only events he is currently competing in the World Cup, but he is adamant he will compete on all six events in Rotterdam. ‘I’m not looking for anything at the World Cup meets this year, because the only thing that really matters is the world championships and the Olympics,’ Hypolito recently told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. …
… It seems the gymnast and his coach, Renato Araújo, are not too happy about the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation’s decision to send Hypolito to as many World Cup competitions as possible. They claim the World Cup’s focus on individual events sets Hypolito back on the other events. ‘I lose two weeks, since I have to focus on the events on which I’ll be competing and deal with the jet lag,’ …
There’s more. Click through to Straight from the Horse’s Mouth, Part 4
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