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Highlights from the 2009 Men’s NCAAs last weekend will air Thursday, April 23 at 3pm ET on ESPN2. It will be re-aired on Saturday April 25 at 4pm ET on ESPNU.

Women’s NCAAs will air on CBS at 2pm ET May 9.

About.com Gymnastics

The secret of being a fantastic spotter is being in the right place at the right time.

Here’s one GENIUS coach!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Region 2 Championships, first rotatation level 9 bars.

Thanks Matt.

related post – worst gymnastics parallel bar spot EVER

UPDATE:

Samantha Peszek has made an early verbal declaration to compete for UCLA. There’s nothing official on their website, however, as I write.

Sources say she will — if she eventually signs — not compete next season, but rather the year after.

Add powerhouse Peszek to the UCLA line-up. And look out at Championships 2011.

First year competitor Vanessa Zamarripa Head Coach Kondos-Field calls “the most talented athlete UCLA has ever had.” (via Couch Gymnast)

More talented than Kate Richardson? Yvonne Tousek? More talented than their own Freshman of the Year Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs?

Wow!

=== original post:

Someday someone will finally topple the juggernaut that has won the Collegiate gymnastics team title 5-years-in-a-row.

But who will it be?

Alabama?

Utah?

My guess is UCLA. The Bruins have a young talented team that could easily challenge Georgia even next season.

2008 Olympic team silver-medalist Samantha Peszek of Indianapolis has verbally committed to attend and compete for the University of California – Los Angeles …

“I’m so excited to be a Bruin,” said Peszek, who is 17. …

USAG Peszek verbally commits to UCLA

(via Laura Reeves on Twitter)

Samantha announced this on Twitter, as well.

Big news today out of the NCAA.

University of Illinois Director of Athletics Ron Guenther announced today the promotion of three current staff members to fill the vacancy left by retiring men’s gymnastics head coach Yoshi Hayasaki. Women’s gymnastics head coach Bob Starkell has been promoted to Director of Gymnastics, men’s assistant coach Justin Spring is promoted to Associate Head Coach and visiting assistant coach Ivan Ivankov will now be an assistant coach. …

Fighting Illini – Women’s National Coach of the Year To Oversee Both UI Gymnastics Programs; Spring to Retire from Competition

No mention on that official post of the embarrassing resignation of Yoshi’s original successor, Justin Spring’s personal coach Jon Valdez. Valdez was charged with unauthorized videotaping athletes in the change room earlier in the season.

I’ve never heard any comment from Justin Spring on that incident.

Seems Illinois has moved on. Good luck to everyone there.

=== UPDATE:

… “I’m thrilled, excited and honored to be given this opportunity by the University of Illinois,” Spring told Inside, shortly after the announcement became public. “I think that, in a lot of ways, this is more of a once in a lifetime opportunity than being an Olympic gymnast. There are so few men’s programs left and it’s such an honor to be [put in charge] of one of them. This is it. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” …

SPRING ASSUMES ILLINOIS COACHING DUTIES, HANGS UP HIS GRIPS

(via Inside Gymnastics on Twitter)

What an amazing skill. Miranda Meyer did it well at Wild Rose.

Full Twist Through Time Gymnastics Montage by MostepanovaFan.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Key words:

cheng fei shawn johnson jennie thompson ekaterina szabo shishova nistor ferrari jordyn wieber peszek dong fangxiao kui yuanyuan he xuemei olessia dudnik

Scores a PERFECT 10 from Bruno …

Dancing with the Stars 2009 – WEEK 7 – Season 8, Episode 12 ( April 20 2009 )

The seventh week of performances includes contestants participating in a ’60s-themed group dance.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This one works for me. Loved the Michael Jackson vibe. My favourite performance so far, I think.

Shawn’s very luck to have Mark Ballas. He’s managing her extremely well.

They just might win it all.

NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships 2009 hosted by University of Minnesota

Steven Legendre (FX, V)

Daniel Ribeiro (PH)

Evan Roth (R)

Paul Ruggeri (PB, HB)

Click PLAY or watch the winning routine on all 6 apparatus on YouTube.

(via gymNICEstics and Stick It Media)

BdoCanadaGym posted some videos from the excellent Wild Rose Invitational in Edmonton, Canada.

The Senior Beam Champion was Miranda Meyer.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Stu.

SuperKevin added another option in a comment on our original best flooring for gymnastics gyms post.

source

Looks good. More information on the Wonder Mat website.

Are they durable enough?

Coaches at the NCAA Championships were discussing Greg Marsden’s proposals to make gymnastics more appealing to the regular fan.

The scoring of 6 teams — 2 on byes at any given time — is VERY confusing.

One great idea Marsden did not forward in his proposal came up.

What if — in addition to the running team total — an additional report was shown with AVERAGE counting score, so far. It might look like this:

9.823 – Georgia
9.817 – Alabama
9.817 – Arkansas
9.803 – Utah
9.791 – Florida
9.783 – Stanford

Fans would know exactly who was winning the team competition at any given moment. Regardless of what teams have had byes, what had not.

It would be GREAT at NCAA meets. But even better at FIG competitions where even some gymnastics experts give up trying to make sense of scores.

=== UPDATE from the comments:

Marcus Says:

they do this for CBS broadcasts, they show the average after each rotation …

Interestingly enough, the final averages

UGA 9.891
Bama 9.879
Utah 9.871
UF 9.835
Ark 9.824
LSU 9.819

and Kupets averaged 9.953 at NCAAs of all 13 routines (including the 2nd vault)