Andrei Rodionenko responds

A 27th September Sovietski Sport interview with national coach Andrei Rodionenko is translated here by Lupita:


– Andrei Fiodorovich, Alexandrov’s dismissal has given rise to different reactions. Not everyone supports you.

– I am against this being called “a dismissal”. It’s a change of status. I was dismissed when I was the women’s team coach in Seoul [1988]. The Soviet team won gold and Elena Shushunova won the AA. But Arkayev (former president of the Russian Federation and head coach) considered he had to dismiss me. Nobody offered me another job! That was a real dismissal.

– How do you define the fact that Alexandrov is no longer the team’s head coach? Which word would you use?

– “Allocation of duties”. We couldn’t accept Alexandrov having two functions. …

We have to prepare for Rio today, not a year before the Olympics. It means that we have to learn from the lessons of London as soon as possible. This is how I understand my role and my responsibility. …

read more – Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

_____

If you’ve not been following this story, Andrei’s responding to this.

Lupita translates some of the proceedings from the Coaches’ Council meeting at which Alexander Alexandrov was ousted as head WAG coach.

… The personal coaches express their grievances.

‘There was no discipline in the team! When Alexandrov arrived, we talked about discipline and of having control of the gymnasts’. But he failed …

It was a pity and a shame to watch our girls in training. No other gymnast from another country behaved like that. The Romanians, the Americans, all worked quietly, listening to their coaches, repeating the elements …

read more on RRG

How far can Tarzan jump?

… an introductory analysis of the Tarzan swing mechanics, a big pendulum-like swing with Tarzan himself attached as weight.

It depends on variables such as the height of the swing, rope length and starting platform position.

You can download the full PDF of Hiroyuki Shima’s paper from Cornell University Library.

related – Rhett Allain – Numerical Model of the Tarzan Swing-Jump

Thanks George.

Danny Hale – Tarzan of Hawaii

by site editor Rick McCharles

We met Danny Hale in 2008, doing his Tarzan thing. For FUN. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Danny rigged each of his 3 swings personally each day. And took them down when finished.

In 2011, the owner of that private property blocked access to the general public. It’s dangerous. At least 5 people have died there.

Karolyi Camp

Lauren Hopkins posted a rundown on the most recent Karolyi National Team camp:

… held last weekend, mostly for juniors (nearly every junior who competed at Nationals was in attendance), but some senior athletes were also present.

Kennedy Baker and Brenna Dowell, the two highest-ranked seniors not currently on tour … will travel to beautiful Acapulco for the 2nd Mexican Open, held October 12-13. They’ll face tough competition, especially from Anna Dementyeva …

photo via Polina Shchennikova

Couch Gymnast

The Mexico competition was held in Acapulco last year. Is it there again? Or in Cancun?
 It’s in Acapulco.

Doctors nix backyard trampolines

Amen.

Trampoline Pundit has been following the latest “news” regarding the DANGERS of tramp:

… The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) put out a new report warning of the dangers of jumping on trampolines. However, this time the warning was only about backyard trampolines and parks and claims that “Trampoline injury rates have steadily been decreasing since 2004.” …

One of US’s National Trampoline Coaches and emergency room doctor …, Dr. George Drew, consulted on the report …

“The authors were careful to separate competitive trampoline and structured training programs from the injuries seen in backyard trampoline use and jump/trampoline parks,” said Drew, who is a past competitive trampolinist. “As a consultant to the study, I was pleased they took the time to carefully examine the safety differences between backyard trampolines and a structured program. Every single safety recommendation made by authors is already in place at any reputable program in our sport.”

AAP Trampoline Statement

One recent newscast.

Click PLAY or watch it on Global Toronto.

http://www.globaltoronto.com/video/swf/GlobalNewsEmbedPlayer.swf?player.width=500&player.height=282&player.overlayImageUrl=&pid=TwjymgfH64Y22kIFBvTvhDGXyn1YoQNq&show=News%20Hour&episode=&season=&cliptitle=Doctors+nix+backyard+trampolines

teaching forward layout

Don’t miss the latest excellent tutorial by Lee Woolls.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Be careful doing forward layout into the pit, however, in case of injury on landing.

The “two” techniques could just as easily be considered a continuum of take-off position from one extreme a priority on rotation (“whip”), the other height.

Why do parents let their kids get fat?

From the UK.

The health risks for obese children may be even greater than previously estimated, new research suggests. So why do parents let their kids get fat?

… Just over 33% of 11-year-olds are now overweight or obese and among four and five-year-olds it’s 22%, according to the most recent figures from the National Child Measurement Programme, which assesses the height and weight of primary children in England. The figures are similar in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. …

BBC

Certainly kids need to exercise more, eat less. But I fear this epidemic is far more complicated than that.

It’s not only too many “pizza days” at school.

If you travel to Peru, for example, you’ll have difficulty finding even one overweight child in any school. The epidemic of child obesity has yet to hit there.

… Will science find some “fix”?

related – Gymfinity – how much is that twix?