Click through to IG for full results and commentary:
2008 Olympian Ksenia Semyonova (Russia) captured the all-around gold medal Saturday at the European Gymnastics Championships in Milan.
Semyonova (58.175) and teammate Ksenia Afanasyeva (57.600) finished 1-2 in a strong comeback for the Russia women, who won no medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Switzerland’s Ariella Käslin (57.275) won the bronze, a historic best for the Swiss women. …
Both Semyonova and Afanasyeva hail from Tula, and are coached by Marina Nazarova. …
Russia’s Ksenia Semenova performs her floor exercise routine on her way to win at the women’s individual All-Around Final during the European artistic gymnastics championships in Milan, Italy, Saturday, April 4, 2009.
My sympathies to host Nebraska, narrowly edged out for one of the spots.
Kylie Stone qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships as the No. 13 Nebraska women’s gymnastics team finished third at the NCAA Southeast Regional at N.C. State Saturday night. The Huskers (16-7) posted a score of 195.45 to finish behind Georgia (197.70) and Penn State (195.80). …
Stone will perform as an all-arounder at the Championships in Lincoln on April 16-18.
“I’m happy for Kylie,†Head Coach Dan Kendig said. “After sitting out a year, it says a lot for her to come back and qualify, but nothing is going to replace the fact that we won’t be there as a team. I’m heartbroken for Tricia (Woo) and Brittney (Williams); they both came so close, down to the last competitor. The thing is, I love this team and I can’t tell you that enough. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do and I’m heartbroken for them. They’ve made sacrifices and worked hard all year long.â€
Stone led Nebraska’s all-around rotation, with a score of 39.20 for a fourth-place finish. The Huskers narrowly missed out on qualifying individual on bars and beam, with Williams (9.90) and Woo (9.90) each taking second in their respective events. Georgia took the spotlight, tallying two 10.0 marks on the night on vault and beam. …
Like most gymnastics clubs, we have a number of girls out with injury right now, right in the middle of our competitive season.
One kicked the low bar by accident doing Pak. One tripped over her feet at the gym … we are claiming she was training triple back off beam.
Another suffers chronic pain. Cause not clear. All modes of treatment including extended rest does not alleviate it.
Frustrating.
Pain and Beth Tweddle have been constant companions since the 2006 world asymmetric bars champion broke her left foot warming up for the British championships eight years earlier.
In 1999 pins were removed from her ankle. A year later the joint required manipulation under a local anesthetic.
Flaking bone was removed in 2001 before surgery on both ankles in 2002. Two years later she underwent surgery on a torn bicep tendon.
“I’ve had enough injuries to last me a lifetime,” Britain’s first world gymnastics champion told Reuters in a telephone interview during a break from training for the Beijing Olympics.
“In a way it’s made me a stronger person, it’s made me more determined to go out and prove to people that an injury isn’t going to stop me.”
“I think every athlete competes through certain aspects of pain. I guess that’s just part of the sport. …
This is a repost. A reminder to check out one of the 6 fantastic gymnastics meets being held this Saturday.
Another step in the confusing system used by the NCAA to determine who earns the right to compete at Championships 2009. The top 2 teams from each meet advance:
West Region – in Seattle, Washington (University of Washington, host)
Teams 1. Utah
2. Auburn
3. Illinois
4. Boise State
5. Washington
6. San Jose State
North Central Region – in Iowa City, Iowa (University of Iowa, host)
Teams 1. Florida
2. UCLA
3. Minnesota
4. Denver
5. Iowa State
6. Iowa
South Central Region – in Fayetteville, Arkansas (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, host)
Teams 1. Stanford
2. Arkansas
3. Michigan
4. Arizona
5. Arizona State
6. Southern Utah
Central Region – in Columbus, Ohio (The Ohio State University, host)
Teams 1. LSU
2. Oregon State
3. Ohio State
4. Kent State
5. Kentucky
6. Michigan State
Northeast Region – in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, host)
Teams 1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Missouri
4. Central Michigan
5. New Hampshire
6. Maryland
Southeast Region – in Raleigh, North Carolina (North Carolina State University, host)
Teams 1. Georgia
2. Penn State
3. Nebraska
4. West Virginia
5. North Carolina State
6. North Carolina
The teams I’ve bolded are expected to qualify to one of the 12 team positions at Championships. But upsets happen. Nebraska will be fighting hard to finish in the top 2 in the SE Region, for example. Michigan could pull an upset, too.
All 6 Regional Championships are held the same day, starting at 6PM local time. If you can attend any of the 6 competitions, do it. They are a blast.
=====
Finals April 16-18, 2009
Bob Devaney Sports Center
Lincoln, Nebraska
Host: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Blogger Anne Phillips was one of those who made a special trip to the Texas State Capital to fight for a modified Bill that would exempt gymnastics and other skill-based programs (such as marital arts, soccer, etc.) from being classified as “Daycare Centers”.
THANKS Anne. And thanks to all those fighting for this cause.
From her report:
… about 50 members of the Texas gymnastics community showed up at the Capitol today in support of the cause. … When they FINALLY got to our bill, the Head Representative asked for everyone present regarding that bill to raise their hands, and all 50 of our hands shot up. Everyone else in the room, including the State Representatives, was astounded by the amount of people there in support of this bill. That was a proud moment for Texas Gymnastics.
Of those 50, we had almost 20 individuals who got up to testify and explain why it is important to support the Committee Substitute version of House Bill 1393. I was truly impressed with what everyone had to say. It was evident that everyone spoke from the heart and I believe they got through to the Representatives.?
The variety of speakers included 2004 and 2008 Olympic Head Coach Kevin Mazeika, Texas State Chairman Dianne Callison, GAT Educational Director Cheryl Jarrett and ITP Director Beth Gardner to name a few. …