Gymnastics Coaching.com

The new Gym Geek blog summarizes recent discussion on artistry in gymnastics, comparing wildly different types of routines:

• Viktoria Komova vs. Lloimincia Hall – floor routines

• Nastia Liukin vs. Shawn Johnson – Beijing beam

… I for one find it very interesting that many fans mis-label elegance as artistry.

As elegance is a more quantifiable and narrower subset of artistry, it would seem that it would be easier to judge and reward within the code.

However, is this really a goal to strive for?

In the case of Simone Biles or Shawn Johnson, their artistry may very well lie in their power and execution of tremendous tumbling and their ability to sell a routine to the crowd. …

Gym Geek – Fans don’t REALLY want more artistic gymnastics

That is must read for anyone interested in the artistry dilemma.

My own solution to the dilemma is simple. Drop deductions for artistry from the Code. Reward difficulty, but only when very well executed.

Prior to the 2004 Olympics Courtney McCool was my favourite to win the AA. As clean and precise as any gymnast in Athens.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s one of MCSMaria’s favourite routines.

Courtney went on to win NCAA titles on Beam, Floor and Team. 🙂

Thanks Marcus.

For the “least important” World Championships of the Quadrennial, it was bloody entertaining. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via turn-news)

One of the toughest jobs.

Maria and Kelley shared this pic from Mismo Gymnastics:

Rotation schedules… good thing I like puzzles! 13 groups, 13 stations. All groups have different times and not every group can go to every event… problem solving at its finest! —

Sands & McNeal:

% Importance of Training Tasks:

5 General Warmup
8 Specific Warmup (tumbling basic skills)
20 Uneven bars
22 Balance beam
6 Vault
5 Tumbling
5 Floor exercise dance
7 Ballet
17 Strength training

Technique – Managing Training Time (2002)

Confessions of a Gymnastics Fan posted favourite routines of 2013. For example:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

see the rest – TOP 5: BARS

TOP 5: VAULTS

TOP 5: BEAM

1 – Vanessa Ferrari

Seven years after bursting onto the scene and winning the 2006 World Championships, Vanessa is still a force to be reckoned with.

Still performing the amazing tumbling she became known for at the age of 16, she now brings experience and maturity to her floor routine. As well as being dynamic in her tumbles, Vanessa gives a performance that is sophisticated and inviting. She knows how to sell her performance and she does so with style. …

TOP 5: FLOOR

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The All Around Gymnastics News:

French gymnast Coline Devillard (2000) training handspring-double front on vault.

Kohei Uchimura and Kenzo Shirai Reacting to McKayla Maroney on Vault

(via MCSMaria)

Russian Subways Accepting Squats for Tickets.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Many of my friends have picked a team. Will be watching results closely each weekend.

I think you still have time to jump on board at CollegeFantasyGymnastics.com.

Nope. Emma tells me that sign-ups have ended. You’ll have to wait for next year on this site.

Click PLAY or see how it works on YouTube.

A former MIT gymnast put that one together. Check out her new blog supporting the software.

The International Gymnastics Federation is testing a new website at this page – fedintgym.com/site

Looks to me like a big improvement.

If you use Feedly, Flipboard or any other RSS reader, follow updates on that new page here — fedintgym.com/site/rss.xml

WorldOfGymnastike put together a list including:

• Viktoria Komova’s health
• Elena Zamolodichkova’s heart attack
• ACL tears in competition
• Racial Remarks
• Marta Karolyi accusing Chinese gymnasts of being underage

See details and the rest of the list – The Worst Of Gymnastics In 2013

I’m always amazed when Bela or Marta weigh in on FIG “age cheating”, the both of them being coaches of perhaps the worst offending nation.

Even more audacious was the incident of the Agache-Szabo Impersonation in 1981. Yet another sorry story from the checkered past of Romanian Gymnastics.

Lavinia Agache competed as Ecaterina Szabo at an international meet in the USA in 1981. Interviews with people involved with the meet.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – Stoi’s profane 2013 worlds: The Bad