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We’ve added a new Category in the right-hand navigation column: “Twisting”
So far 13 posts are available talking about “twist”.
Most gyms still have athletes who tell me, “I have problems twisting.”
Usually those problems start at a young age and stage of development. Usually those kids have developed some bad habits.
The most successful clubs have the Head Coach responsible for a club-wide twisting program.
photo – Brandon O’Neill
Everytime I think there is no way to invent another pommel training device — a new one comes along.
Showed to many top coaches at USA Men’s Winter Cup, check out the EGE mushrooms:
Here’s a floor horse version with easily removable pommels:
We know that 70% or more of top male gymnasts suffer chronic wrist pain. It’s one of our biggest overuse injuries in the sport.
The EGE equipment is designed to:
1) create a surface upon which gymnasts of all ages and levels can train without causing severe wrist damage, 2) establish a standard piece of equipment that can support the skill development of the gymnast, and 3) add a colorful, lightweight and portable pommel horse station that can bridge the gap between traditional mushrooms and pommel horse.
No additional (expensive) matting is required.
There are 2 more variations.
Prices, more photos, video and equipment specifications are posted on TheAmericanGym.com.
An avatar (buddy icon) is an Internet user’s representation of himself or herself on-line. It can be a 3 dimensional cartoon figure. Or a badge like the one below.
GymnasticsAvatars.com offers free (100 x 100 pixels) avatars of hundreds of international gymnasts … including Shaposhnikova.
Many use badge avatars to represent them in on-line forums.
Nastia Liukin is a media superstar.
Not just in the gymnastics community, but worldwide.
The most recent evidence of this is her video profile on the AT&T program called “Home Turf Online” which interviews top American athletes. The host is former baseball and football great Deion “Primetime” Sanders.
To watch the streamed video you need a fast computer and fast internet connection.
It’s entertaining. A glimpse into the WOGA gym and home life with Papa coach Valeri Liukin.
See How They Live – Nastia Liukin – video
Some years just an excuse of a meet to highlight American gymnastics on TV, this competition had some great stories in 2007.
It was the Senior breakout of wondergirl winner Shawn Johnson who is a treat to watch. Not that #2 Natasha Kelley is not a wonder herself. And fantastic Shayla Worley could not even get to the finals as only two Americans could quality.
Potential Olympic champion for 2008 Fabian Hambüchen of Germany was the favourite in the men’s competition. But instead crowd pleaser Jonathan Horton took the all-around title, his second in two years.
photo – interview with Jonathan Horton – Inside Gymnastics
details on American Cup 2007 – GymMedia.com
I spent many days at Kingborough Gymnastics in Tasmania, one of a handful of Aussie clubs who have been awarded a 5 Star rating by Gymnastics Australia.
Club 10 has been developed by Gymnastics Australia. This scheme is an accreditation system that provides a framework for continuous improvement across ten key club operational areas.
The Club 10 vision is ” An accredited network of vibrant and successful affiliated Clubs providing a comprehensive range of Gymsports, to Australians of all areas and abilities”.
A Club achieves a Star rating, from 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), through and comprehensive auditing scheme. Australia wide in 2004 only 5 clubs where awarded a 5 star rating.
It seems to me that a rating system for gym clubs is a good idea. But many Aussie coaches told me that the new program is flawed. That achieving a high rating was far too much trouble. And that it will be some years before the 5 Star rating system is widely recognized by the general public.
We wait on that day.
In the meantime, I posted a few photos of Kingborough on flickr if you want to see what a 5 Star club looks like.
Friend of this site, Olympic Floor Champion 2004 Kyle Shewfelt let us know about 50 more photos (flickr) of himself and the Canadian Men’s Team linked from KyleShewfelt.com.
All pics by our favourite photographer – Grace Chiu
In Melbourne, Australia I saw an interesting variation on the Russian “tramp catcher”.
Interesting, but not nearly as safe.
I saw this one in Australia.
The bungie was tight. Quite challenging to hold alignment against the resistance of the rubber rope.
The Worlds #2 in 2006, Jana Bieger, had a problem. No place to train.
Bieger, 17, returned from the World Gymnastics Championships in Denmark last year with three silver medals, including all-around. But saying Bieger returned “home” with those medals is pushing things, because athletically speaking, Bieger had no home.
Three gyms, two counties, one possible squabble, one auto accident and one major financial investment — that’s the recent scorecard for one of America’s 2008 Olympic hopefuls.
“Hmmm, where are we going to work out next?” Bieger says, repeating the family refrain from late last year.
Good news. Biegers have opened a new gym just 5-minutes from home. This optimizes Jana’s chances of qualifying for the Olympics.
Jana Bieger – official website
Gymnastics Coaching.com 