Click PLAY or watch Jr. winner Leanne Wong on YouTube.
1. Leanne Wong 55.350
2. Kayla DiCello 54.000
3. Jordan Bowers 53.850
4. Tori Tatum 53.800
5. Sunisa Lee 53.250
6. Skye Blakely 53.200
wrapping up the US Classic
GymCastic 315: The Simone Is Back Classic has an excellent summing up of the pre-Nationals meet which was quite good this year.
It includes one of Jessica’s better rants ever. Yes, on the silly social media spat between National team gymnasts. Jessica calls on the athletes to use their considerable social media influence for good causes, not petty issues. Team USA could turn that around into a team building win. No doubt Tom Forster is trying to do that.
Read Spencer’s BIG PICTURE review.
US CLASSIC IN REVIEW – A LIFE IN A DAY
Nick Ruddock interviews Donatella Sacchi
The FIG Women’s Technical Committee President is refreshingly honest and clear answering questions about Olympic qualification and the future of our sport.
She advises coaches not to rush. Avoid injuries. Go clean. Emphasize artistry. Build the dance elements progressively over the long term.
Don’t copy the best in the world. Instead work with the specific strengths of each athlete.
If you want the highest score, consult judges as often as possible.
Jr. World Championships are confirmed for 2019. It’s an experiment. If successful FIG will run Jr. Worlds every 2 years. If not, the concept will be dropped.
Nick spoke with Donatella at the European Union gymnastics camp in Tirrena, Italy. She’s much closer to coaches than was Nellie Kim.
Listen online. Or subscribe to the Gymnastics Growth Show on iTunes.
Kara Eaker – Beam series
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
GymCon 2019 scheduled for June 2nd
Location in the U.K. yet to be announced.
MG Elite’s Maggie Haney
… who is Maggie Haney & MG Elite?
MH: I guess my coaching style/philosophy is that I am very technical and detail oriented. I am systemic. I like good, clean, safe & technically correct gymnastics. We don’t “throw skills” at our gym; like ever…
MH: Our MG Elite coaching staff is totally unique. We have an all female coaching staff; which I think is so cool.
Level 4-6 = 16 hours
Level 7-10 = 20 hours
Elite = 31 hours
United States of A-Moors-ica
Heart this on Tumblr
More Moors video.
mental blocks in Gymnastics
If it happens to Simone, it can happen to anyone.
One day, I came in and decided I forgot how to do gymnastics. You know, that’s great. And I could not twist on floor or on beam. For my beam dismount, I just like wouldn’t do it, and we couldn’t figure out why. …
read more on Olympic Channel – Simone Biles: ‘I Feel Like I Am In Better Shape Than In Rio’
That was posted a few days before the U.S. Classic.
Mattie Larson – Floor 2008
At a time when American gymnasts were criticized for lack of artistry, Mattie was super artistic.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal
Scheduled release sometime 2019.
HBO Documentary Films has acquired worldwide TV and streaming rights to At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, which explores the sexual abuse scandal that shook the sports world in 2017. …
