Olympic Champ Kanaeva retires

Double Olympic Gold Champion Rhythmic Gymnast Evgenia Kanaeva said in September that she had not retired — but was just taking some time off after London.

But Dec. 4th she announced her retirement after being elected the vice-president of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.

Congratulations on your fantastic career.

They’ll be no shortage of modelling opportunities. Here’s a pic from the November Marie Claire magazine shoot.

(via Zhenya Kanaeva Gymnasium)

Canadian lobster in Japan

Hugh Smith on Facebook:

… we are here for Toyota Cup in japan. Tak (Kikuchi) and I brought Nova Scotian lobster as a gift to Kohei and his coaches. This is a pic of them opening the lobster box.

Kohei said Tuesday that he and his new wife are expecting a baby in the Spring.

Stalder drills

Nick Blanton, formerly of IGC, is now at Fundy Gymnastics, New Brunswick.

Here’s some footage from a clinic he put on at Island Gymnastics Academy, Charlottetown.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

if you let me play sports …

… I’ll have more self confidence,” …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Active For Life – ‘Let Me Play’: 1995 Nike ad still relevant today

Money is mostly wasted on “tough on crime” initiatives. What we really want to do is get kids hooked on sports.

Manjak’s dream come true

Kelly and Sue Manjak have been quietly building their new Gym in Toronto. It’s going to be sweet.

See more photos of their new Facebook page.

A full range of classes (PDF) are offered starting Jan. 5th. Competitive is already training.

I’m certain Manjak’s will quickly become one of the best gyms in Canada.

Thanks Ed.

Nelli Kim interview (Nov 2012)

Our WTC Chair does not speak often. Here’s a rare insight.

Lupita translates a recent Sports Panorama interview by ?ikhail DUBITSKI:

In October you were re-elected for the third time as President of the FIG Technical Committee …

— Yes, for the next four years I will be the President of the Women’s Technical Committee. I’ll be responsible for the Olympic competitions, the World Championships, the Code of Points , the judging, the assessment of the judges’ scores at tournaments, sanctioning judges. …

— Could you share with us the innovations in judging [the new Code of Points]?

— We shifted some elements from one group to another, depending on their popularity in the competitions. If an element is often performed, it’s not difficult and it should score less. And, on the contrary, if it is less performed, it means it’s difficult and deserves more points. We pay attention to connections, and still to artistry. We plan to introduce big deductions in floor and beam. We invited representatives from Cirque du Soleil, who trained our specialists how to understand and assess artistry. ?his happens for the first time. Never have there been so many deductions in this direction. The understanding of art, of music by the judges is more necessary than ever. But there is subjectivism and there will be. Everyone interprets beauty in their own way. But we’ll try to assess something subjective with objective criteria. …

— Your daughter lives in the US. Where are you more often, in Belarus or in the States?

— Half and half. My ex-husband is a cyclist, Valeri Movchan, a Moscow Olympics champion. He lives in Minsk. My daughter finished her studies at a business school in Chicago and she now wants to study medicine.

read more on Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

quit ice baths?

During the London TV coverage, we saw plenty of Olympians in ice baths for once reason or another.

But some are now questioning the risk / reward for taking the plunge:

Elite athletes are wasting their time by plunging into icy water after intense exercise and may even be putting their health at risk, according to new research.

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth have found cold water immersion is no more and no less effective in helping an athlete recover after sport than light cool-down exercise.

They also warn the practice of plunging into ice baths, common among elite athletes such as the marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and the England rugby team, might do more harm than good. …

Bathing in ice after intense exercise ‘does not work’, says new report

A quick look at that research and a few other sport science articles on the topic leads me to believe the headline overstates. There’s simply not enough research yet to determine risks / benefits conclusively.

Leave a comment if you are convinced not to ice for recovery.