This was news to me.
GymnastTV talks with 2008 Olympic Silver and Bronze Medalist Jonathan Horton and Bronze Medalist Sasha Artemev at the 2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars.
Click through to Gymnast TV for the video interview.
Category: Uncategorized
Nastia Sportswoman of the Year
The Women’s Sports Foundation has announced Nastia as their Individual Sportswoman of the Year. …
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation. Their mission promotes healthy living and progression in athletics for women. This award stands for so many things I believe in.†…
Congratulations!
Mary Lou Retton was the last gymnast to win this prize.
wardrobe for Gymnastics Superstars Tour
NCAA gymnastics rookies 2009
College Gymnastics Board has a good thread on this topic:
Which freshmen will have the most impact on NCAA’s?
Some of the athletes mentioned:
UCLA – Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Aisha Gerber and Vanessa Zamarippa
Florida – Kailey Tissue, Elizabeth Mahlich
Oklahoma – Natasha Kelley
LSU – Gloria Johnson
Georgia – Amber Trani, Gina Nuccio
UNC – Morgan Evans
Alabama – Geralen Stack-Eaton, Ashley Priess
Yale – Monica Shoji
Utah – Stephanie McAllister
… To name just a few.
I like this comment too:
I think it is often the unknowns who make the most impact. In many instances (not all – Carly Janiga for example) the highly touted recruits either fail to break into the line-ups of the top teams at any meaningful level, are not healthy or fail to live up to the hype, especially the elites. … I am always more excited by seeing girls who were not the known quantities step up and become real performers (I love the underdog!).
read more – College Gymnastics Board – Which freshmen will have the most impact on NCAA’s?
Ashley Priess joins her sister Courtney at Alabama – GymTide.com
Steven Legendre – future gymnastics star
University of Oklahoma men’s gymnastics sophomore Steven Legendre has been selected to the U.S. Senior National team as announced by USA Gymnastics.
Many were disappointed that Steven was not picked for the Olympic Selection squad. He’s certainly one of the most dynamic tumblers and vaulters in the world.
USA Gymnastics has done something smart here. He’s a strong candidate for the 2012 Olympics.
related post: Steven Legendre – NCAA Floor champion (video)
gymnastics underfunding in the U.K.
There’s a detailed article in the Guardian on Olympic Pommel Silver medalist Louis Smith from England.
One section caught my eye:
… Smith is as revealing when he details the lack of financial support offered to elite gymnasts in this country. “All the top gymnasts here work really hard and deserve something decent. But they get peanuts. There’s a talented guy on our senior squad called Luke Folwell and he’s on £200 a month. He trains twice a day, Monday to Saturday, but that’s all he gets. At the age of 21 it’s almost impossible to live off that.”
The king of the pommel horse does not blink when asked to discuss the state of his own meagre finances. “A year ago I was also on £200 a month. I only started getting a little more money this January. I now get £1,400 a month from UK Sport. It’s tough when you see what other sportsmen earn – and don’t talk to me about footballers. I get so frustrated when I hear that some of them are on £90,000 a week and they’re rolling around on the pitch after a tap on the leg.” …
Photograph: Tom Jenkins
Normally, when your nation is scheduled to next host the Olympics, financial support comes flooding. Especially for an Olympic medalist. (Yes, I know that Louis’ medal was controversial.)
Louis trains at a regular club, not the National Training Centre (Lilleshall):
… “We’ve got a brilliant coach in Paul (Hall) but at Huntingdon we’ll be trying to do double somersaults and a tiny kid will suddenly run into our path and we have to shout ‘Stop!’ in case you kill them. The gym is a quarter the size of Lilleshall and the runway is 18 rather than 25 metres long. And we still made two Olympic finals.” …
first double double – Aleftina Priakhina
Smooth Skills part 11 this week features the amazing, little remembered gymnast, Aleftina Priakhina.
Check this performance from 1986 Chunichi Cup:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The first international woman to compete double double on Floor, I think.
Andrew Thornton:
… Although her double double on floor was absolutely sensational, I’m even more impressed by her beam, which may have been more ahead of its time than any routine I have ever seen. I was truly blown away by the number of elements in this routine that virtually no one else was doing at the time. …
Click through to Gymnast to see her beam routine. What a mount!
Priakhina was first alternate for the Soviet team for 1987 World Championships, I believe. And did not qualify for the 1988 Olympics. Otherwise she would be much more “famous” in gymnastics history. (She’s also the first to compete standing 1/1 on beam, so far as I know.)
There was incredible depth in the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s.
Leave a comment if you know where Aleftina Priakhina is today.
Gymnastics Meet Reviews and Tips
I subscribe to a blog called Gymnastics Meet Reviews and Tips
My experiences, tips, tricks and recommendations for traveling to, staying at and attending gymnastics meets.
It includes overviews of competitions from an American parent’s point of view. One meet I attended last season is included — and their review is spot on: IGI Chicago Style Meet 2008
Here’s another interesting post: Tips for traveling with your gymnast
Keep a checklist of items you need to pack so that you don’t forget anything. …
Breakfast: We always make sure our daughter has protein for breakfast, especially if it’s a morning meet. …
Packing an empty water bottle and a powdered packet of Propel or other sports drink …
We pack the competition leo and warm-up in a garment bag that folds and fits into the top of our suitcase. …
Find out in advance where teammates are staying and arrange meals together. …
When trying to decide on a hotel, use http://www.tripadvisor.com/ to get information on a particular hotel and its features and quality. …
For long trips, we have a DVD player for the car …
We bring a set of speakers to play music at night using an iPod …
Each year one team parent makes a wallet-card phone list for each parent that includes home & cell numbers and e-mail addresses for all parents and coaches.
I find a GPS unit to be indispensable when driving to new cities …
We always pack L’Oreal Kids sport shampoo …
Glitter hair spray can be difficult to come by so we stock up. …
The Cute Games – Kitty Gymnastics
gymnasts and pop music – Frosted Pink
The big trend in the USA right now is having a “star” gymnast backed up by big name pop musicians.
Frosted Pink with a Twist is a fundraiser for Cancer research.
Click PLAY or watch Mario with Alicia Sacramone on stage at Frosted Pink.
http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/626953996
Another video, less appealing to me, is Shawn Johnson on Floor with Natasha.
The best of the videos, I think, is the American men on Pommel Horse. It’s always worth watching Artemev.
Does this kind of performance gymnastics work for you?
I dunno.
At least it’s for a good cause.
Anne Phillips gave a very positive review to the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars on Gymnastike.
more videos on the Frosted Pink website
Gymnastics Coaching.com 