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Before Grace Chiu, the best Canadian gymnastics photographer in Canada was Dory Dynna.

Back in the old days, Dory posted some of his favourite pics on a website he now calls “primitive”.

see more of Dory’s GYMNASTICS PHOTOS

Dory is living in Vancouver, very involved in the Dance community there.

Thanks for all your great work over the years, Dory!

Super impressive drills on how to introduce one of the most impossible skills in gymnastics.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Follow GymSmarts on twitter at @gymsmarts. Or GymSmarts on Facebook.

The Gymnastics Minute is a new series of free introductory video tips produced by GymSmarts.

Most gymnastics and trampoline coaches look down on Cheer.

Feel it’s a lesser sport.

Pooh-pooh the make-up and glitzy clothing.

But – fact is – Cheer is a competitive sport on the ascent. Artistic Gymnastics a competitive sport that has flat-lined. Or is in decline in most parts of the world.

About.com Cheer did a poll. Here’s how the general public (and many Cheer enthusiasts) voted:

It would not surprise me if Cheer is seriously considered for the Olympics in my life time.

BMX biking was added in 2008. Skateboard is in for 2012.

Baseball was dropped.

In so-called democratic amateur sports organizations, Cheer may take over Gymnastics due to sheer numbers of participants.

Leave a comment if you have an opinion.

… Or check the thread started by Bill Seely, Executive Director USA Federation for Sport Cheering on the Chalk Bucket Forum. Especially if you know an athlete that might want to try out for Cheer Team USA.

Athletes trying out for Team USA must be 18 years of age prior to December 1st. Online applications are being accepted July 1st.

More Gymnastics Education for us from MostepanovaFan.

Companian piece to my 80s vs Now tage. Montage of skills and combinations innovated in the 90s that are still being performed today (or last quad anyway)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That last Bars dismount is AMAZING. Pretty much a Double full out.

Though I clearly warned one and all not to try this at home, this adult recreation gymnast thought he’d try some exercise ball acrobatics.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via the SALTA TRAINING VIDEOS blog)

Cathy Haines, Chief Technical Officer for Gymnastics Canada, sent out this great opportunity.

The 2009–2010 Coaching Internship Program is being funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy’s Career Focus program which will provide post-secondary graduate youth with career-related work experience in their field of study.

Through this project, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is offering subsidies of $12,000 to enable sport organizations to hire young professionals for coaching positions leading to permanent full-time employment.

A total of 10 internships are available. The deadline for applications is July 13, 2009 for positions starting August 1, 2009.

details

Last year 3 of the available grants went to gymnastics sports.

I’m happy.

The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee did approve a new format for Collegiate Team Finals after all. (There was some doubt after the concept was opposed by some in the dominant SEC Conference.)

… Instead of the top six teams competing for the team title on the second day of the championship, the gymnastics committee wants the top four teams to advance to the finals (a concept the committee has dubbed “four on the floor”). The change would eliminate byes during the NCAA finals, making it easier for fans to follow the standings. The change also would shorten the competition, making it easier to broadcast live, which in turn could give college women’s gymnastics more fan appeal. …

That’s a slight improvement, in my opinion. I’ve attended Finals the past 3yrs and the old 6 team Final did drag a bit.

Even better, is this change:

… The committee also is recommending that the score of every gymnast who competes on an apparatus count toward the team’s final score. Currently, six gymnasts compete on each apparatus but only the top five scores count, allowing a team to make a mistake and still contend for the title. Making all six scores count toward a team’s final score will help fans be more involved in the event, Plinske said. The change would be in effect only during NCAA regional and national competition. …

NCAA – Gymnastics seeks to shift gears with ‘four-on-the-floor’ idea

This will favour teams that have depth. And consistency.

And will also result in more upsets. Delicious uncertainty.

The downside is that teams will take fewer risks.

If NCAA Championships/Sport Management Cabinet approves the change, it starts not next year in Florida, but in 2011 at a neutral site in Cleveland. (That’s a good decision as Florida opposed this change in the original vote.)

commentary by Dwight Normile – International Gymnast – NCAA Women’s Rules Could Change for Better

Coach Cy Platt resumed training after a long break.

His baby soft hands did not respond well.

Cy is one of the Platt Brothers, an excellent acrobatic, comedy performance team.

No cover-up in the Chinese media.

In the English language paper, Lu Shanzhen responds clearly. Two gymnasts under investigation from the 2000 Olympics were old enough to compete:

… “We have already received notification from FIG and we will communicate with them actively,” Lu Shanzhen, head coach of China’s women’s gymnastics team and vice-director of China’s Gymnastics Administrative Center, was quoted by sports.cn on Wednesday.

“The ages of Dong and Yang are in accord with the rules of FIG concerning the Olympic Games. We will work closely with FIG toward the investigation,” Lu added. …

China Daily – Chinese olympians investigated for age fraud

Interesting.

Gymblog asks: Dong Fangxiao 2000 Olympics … In hindsight, how anyone could have thought she was really 17?