For the Italians, 2013 started with the return of Enrico Casella as Direttore Tecnico Nazionale (National Team Coach/Coordinator). In an interview, he stated that:
“Italy must do well on the occasions that matter, and must be able to compete on a global level.”
I would say that in 2013 Italy was able to do just that. … in total they won 17 international medals.
After the disappointment of the 2012 Olympics, many thought that Vanessa Ferrari might retire …
At 23, Ferrari, proved all the naysayers wrong. Of the 17 international medals won by Italy in 2013, Vanessa won 7 of those. She won 2 golds, AA and FX, at the Mediterranean Games; 2 silvers on floor, one from Worlds the other the La Roche sur Yon world cup; and 3 bronzes, 2 in AA at the Stuttgart and Glasgow World Cups and 1 on BB at the Mediterranean Games. The podium finishes at the end of the year World Cups means that Ferrari now has won a medal in every major international competition except for the Olympics.
… National coach Enrico Casella has decided on some specific “goals” the Italian girls have to reach . These are:
Vault:
– Learn a Kasamatsu vault
– Learn a Yurchenko 1 1/2 or 2
Bars:
– Every gymnast has to use grips
– Learn more releases
Beam:
– Learn 3 elements series with rebounding.
– Learn a “difficult” skill ( back tuck 1/1, layout or back
handspring 1/1)
Floor:
– Learn three difficult passes ( double layout, front double, triple
twist, full twisting double back, double Arabian, 2 1/2 twist to front 1/1)
– Create an artistic performance.
Gymnastike’s latest series of Beyond the Routine with Bridget Sloanand the Florida Gators will premiere Tuesday, January 14 in Gymnastike Gold. (paid subscription)
A detailed recap of every NCAA Division I, II and III competition held this weekend! …
• Oklahoma earned the top score of the week with a 197.7. Earlier this fall, it was reported that coach K.J. Kindler had the team wear tank tops that read “#2? as a nod to their second place finish at nationals last year and as motivation to finish on top this year. Seems to be working!
• Bridgeport has a roster listing 30 athletes, and this weekend, they were able to field two completely different teams, one of which competed at Arkansas while the other stayed in Connecticut to face local rival SCSU. …
From a new blog out of the UK, the Men’s Gymnastics Perspective:
… With a five-man team to be selected, and Whitlock, Thomas and Oldham surely the first names on the teamsheet, Smith will be targetting one of the two remaining places on the team.
With such a strong top 3 England could have enough quality to win the Team title without even needing the 4th and 5th men. This luxury might enable some surprising or risky choices for those places – and after 18 months out of the sport Smith could certainly be considered a risk. In the end it will all depend on the selectors’ strategy.
Will the selectors buy into the romance of Smith’s last swansong, and the further exposure this will bring to a growing sport, or will they have the mindset that Smith’s time has passed and that the time is ripe to blood exciting new British talent ahead of Rio? …
Louis should not be selected. He’d only compete one apparatus. And I don’t really want him over-scored. Again.
That said, I wouldn’t be astonished if he was given the nod. Louis brings great media attention.
Could he be named honorary Captain?
An assistant coach?
One commenter points out that Frank Baines could compete for Scotland. And that Brinn Bevan is competing at the YOG later on in 2014 and is not trying for Commonwealths.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 