Julia Sharpe – why MAG?

Julia competed all 6 men’s apparatus (VIDEO) at the 2014 Nationals for the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs.

She qualified for all-around finals and placed 10th on high bar. 🙂

Julia

Julia, who trains at MIT Gymnastics Club, sends some clarification:

Thanks for all the support everyone! To answer a few of the questions that have not been answered:

– I’ve been training MAG for 2 years now, but I did WAG for over 20 years before that.

– I started MAG for several reasons:

~ The MIT men’s program was down to two athletes, and I wanted to try to contribute and help build the program back up before it disappeared. It’s really upsetting watching the death spiral of men’s NCAA gymnastics and feeling like there’s nothing I can do.

~ The women’s scoring system doesn’t reward you for doing harder tricks. Why learn a handspring layout on vault when you score better with a handspring tuck that also starts at a 10 (in NAIGC/level 9 rules). It was hard for me to be motivated to train new tricks just to perform worse (read: I like to win). In MAG, I get rewarded for doing harder gymnastics.

~ I wanted to learn new things! I could maybe learn one new skill per event each year at the level I was at in WAG. In MAG, I learn new skills all the time!

~ As a female engineer, I spend all day trying to prove that I’m just as good at my job as my male counterparts. I don’t want other women to feel like there’s anything they can’t do just because of their gender. I think a lot of women are held back just because they don’t believe they are capable. Here’s me trying to prove that they are capable of anything!

related – Julia Sharpe – Men’s Gymnastics on Facebook

Ebee Price – Floor

Pacific Rim 2014

Elizabeth Price won the senior all-around competition with a big 59.9, … She also had the top score on vault with a 15.7, bars with a 15.0, and floor with a 15.1. She qualified to event finals on every event.

Watch the post meet interview with Gymnastike.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Pacific Rim – USA, CAN, CHN

Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships

In the team competition, the USA captured the title with a total of 237.000. Canada was second at 222.700, followed by China with 222.400. …

… For the seniors, Price won the title with her 59.900, and Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max, claimed the silver at 58.700.

The USA actually had the top three junior all-around scores, but medals are limited to two per country. Key’s 59.250 gave her the junior crown. Nia Dennis of Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, was second at 57.950, and Norah Flatley of Cumming, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance, had the third best score at 56.850. …

The all-around bronze medalists were Elisabeth Black of Canada for the seniors at 57.100, and China’s Lou Huan at 56.300 for the juniors. …

U.S. Women Win Team Title, Both All-Around Golds At 2014 Pac Rim Championships

Pac Rim

Click PLAY or watch Bailey’s Vault on YouTube. (9.50 E-score)

Aliya Mustafina // I Bleed When I Fall Down

Gymtastic Montages:

… I made this montage for Aliya because she has fallen and stumbled multiple times in competition. But she is fierce, strong, and determined, and that’s why she is such a phenomenal gymnast.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via @ArabianPF)

Kirsten Beckett & Bianca Mann

Enjoying 15 minutes of fame, the 1,2 all-around gymnasts at African Championships are minor celebrities in South Africa now. 🙂

//instagram.com/p/mj8g4VwI3X/embed/

Meanwhile LSU’s Lloimincia Hall is everywhere in advance of NCAA Championships. Featured on People magazine, for example.

Trampoline & Acrobatics Indo Pacific

June 29th – July 5th

The Indo Pacific Championships 2014 will be hosted by the South African Gymnasts Federation … Sun City, situated 160 km from Johannesburg. …

Click PLAY or watch a new promo on YouTube.

details:

Trampoline, Tumbling, Double-Mini and Acrobatics. The competition can include all Indo Pacific Members, namely Argentina, China, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Qatar, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, Namibia, United States of America.

However it was decided to invite all FIG member countries, including Europe. They may compete as invitational participants, they may medal but cannot claim an Indo’s title. Should a gymnast from an invitational country medal the gymnast from an Indo Pacific member country will receive the same rank and both competitors will receive medals.

Anyone going should plan EXTRA days for sightseeing.