gymnast Lloyd Morgan, Cayman Islands

I spoke to the coach of Lloyd Morgan from Cayman Islands. She’s 2nd last on the list of AA competitors from the preliminary competition.

Motions Unlimited is her home club in Cayman Islands (pop 58,000). Yet they are competing in Glasgow against China (population 1,376,049,000).

Yes that’s stupid. Yes it’s unfair.

But that’s how the Olympics work. How the World Championships work.

I sent my congratulations to Lloyd. She’s inspiring all the other kids doing gym in the Cayman Islands.

Actually, Lloyd recently moved to Ottawa, Canada for training. No doubt she’ll get back to her home Gym as often as possible.

Scottish Gymnastics improving

tumblr_nwyp7a3Mu91sklz4fo4_250 Daniel Purvis is the only Scot in the Great Britain team at the event in Glasgow this week.
Membership has grown by 13% since last year, with more than 20,000 members at 147 affiliated clubs across Scotland. …

“We’ve got the coaches but they’ve got other jobs because they can’t afford to just coach or the children can’t get out of school during the day – there’s no point in them being there if the children aren’t there.

“We’ve got the facilities but we’re sharing them with pre-school, recreational gymnasts and gymnastic parties, things like that.”

Twelve-year plan to increase World class Scottish gymnasts

I visited Dynamite Gymnastics in Glasgow. The kids are excited for a new facility currently under construction.

In fact, 40 different Scottish Gyms have facility improvement plans in the works.

BBC Gymnastics

Judges seating for H Bar

In Glasgow I heard that judges generally like the new seating. I’m assuming it will become permanent.

One issue is “crooked” catches on turning skills, especially Rybalkos. From the end many competitors are out of vertical line by as much as 45 degrees. It’s not easy to tell from their angle, so far away.

Plus the distraction of Yin when Danell is trying to salute. 🙂

Yin jumping
sparklesandchalk

Shang Chunsong – interview

Post AA-finals.

Mature. Honese. Well considered answers.

http://fiycso.tumblr.com/post/132327529441/shang-chunsong-post-aa-finals-interview-w

https://secure.assets.tumblr.com/post.js

Shang Chunsong is one of the great superstars of Gymnastics in 2015. I expect her to compete DTY in Rio. She’ll definitely be one of the podium contenders.

(via fiycso)

Worlds 2015 – You Guys, I Think We Fixed It

Balance Beam Situation’s hilarious wrap-up of day 2 Finals:

Sadly, the world championship has come and gone for another year, like a fleeting spurt from a stage-mounted flamethrower that you’re convinced is going to singe Max Whitlock in the everywhere. But it was a good one! …

… caffeinated jack-in-the-box named Marian Dragulescu. He catapulted his way back into the gymnastics world—and right to a silver medal—solely on the power of being a beautiful, lovable ham who understands that you can’t spell S-P-O-R-T-S without “I’m 7 and do airplane impressions.” …

read more …

This feels wrong

Bretschneider!

Andreas Bretschneider made the final without his namesake skill. But added it for Horizontal Bar apparatus finals.

Click PLAY or check to see if he caught it on YouTube. 🙂

In 2014 Andreas thought he had done it when – in reality – he had competed two single twisting double backs.

He’s coming back from a ruptured Achilles March 7th, 2015.

So … neither Bretschneider nor Hambüchen has qualified for the Olympics. Germany really needs to qualify a full team at the Olympic Test Meet.

Alexandrov: ‘With four falls, how can you blame the judges?’

RRG:

Legendary coach Alexander Alexandrovhead coach of the Russian team from 2009 to 2013 – has given a series of interviews, in the Russian language, to Tass correspondent Albert Starodubtsev. …

read more …


Update – Here’s a better translation.

Alexandrov