Gymnastics Coaching.com

Many sites have linked to this good news:

… Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, was named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2012 Sportswoman of the Year …

Olympic all-around champions Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Nastia Liukin (2008) previously won this award.

USAG

In the Great White North, more recognition for Gymnastics sports:

2012 Canadian Sport Awards Winners

Female Athlete of the Year: Rosannagh MacLennan, Trampoline, King City, ON

Volunteer Achievement Award: Slava Corn, Gymnastics

Rosie MacLennan won Canada’s only gold medal of the London Games in the trampoline event. It was MacLennan’s second Olympics on the trampoline, having finished seventh overall at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Star

Nice edit. Fast cuts. Plenty of close-ups.

This weeks workout is with the preseason #2 the University of Michigan Wolverines. In 2012 the Wolverines finished 6th in team finals at the NCAA Championships after winning their preliminary session. Two Michigan gymnasts Sam Mikulak and Syque Caesar were busy over the summer as they competed at the 2012 London Olympics. Looking ahead to 2013, this Wolverine squad is stacked with talent and depth with sights set on a National Championships.

This season five scores will count toward the team score instead of four as it has been …

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/NTEyNjU4OTg4?related=1

Watch more video of Workout Wednesday, Season 5 on gymnastike.org

I’ve never liked this drill. Especially NOT the GAME of racing in bridge position.

It has little value for gymnasts. Encourages bad form, bad technique.

And some kids have been injured while attempting it.

I’ll always recall when the great Russian Power Tumbling coach, Skakoun Senior, told us at a clinic in Canada:

“If you can do a bridge, get out of my gym. You can’t tumble.”

His demonstrator, a 3-time World Champion, did not even know how to get into position to try a back bridge.

That’s going too far, in my opinion. There are powerful tumblers who can do a back bridge, but it’s not essential.

related – discussion on Chalk Bucket

This technology has been around for years. It promises much for those athletes where training is limited by overheating.

I’m not sure I see any applications for acrobatic sport, though.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via All Things Gym)

Leyva

And here’s Roman Kulesza from Poland, Marta Pihan’s husband.

Because last year’s Super Six and the subsequent discussion was all about the close margin between Alabama, Florida, and UCLA, it’s easy to forget that Utah finished less than half of a point behind the champions. Now, I would make the argument that a lack of proper separation between scores was a problem there (and throughout the season, and always, a point I will be sharpening for, oh, the next six months), but even taking that into account, Utah wasn’t completely blown away by the top three last year.

The single biggest deficit that the Utes faced when compared to the eventual champion Alabama came on vault, which accounted for nearly half of the difference in scores. Utah fans should therefore be pleased that the new freshman class features two standouts on that event (Taylor Allex and Breanna Hughes), both of whom boast solid Yurchenko 1.5s that were consistently scoring in the 9.750-9.800 range in JO. With these two, Utah should be able to withstand the loss of Kyndal Robarts on this event and improve on last season’s scores …

The less pleasant news comes when we rotate to bars. …

read more on Balance Beam Situation

Click PLAY or watch Breanna Hughes’ vault on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/Njk1NjM0OTYy?related=1

It’s a tad early to be picking Team China for the 2016 Olympics. But HuangQiushuangFan gives us a hyperbolic glimpse at some of the new contenders.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Highlights of Brenna Dowell and her 1st place finish in the AA at the Mexican Open.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

At Al Fong’s Easter clinic I was super impressed with Brenna’s training. She’s a machine.

By far the most detailed summary I’ve seen on the Russian Team’s restructuring is posted on Because FAN is short for FANatic:

A (not so) brief history of the Russian gymnastics saga as it relates to the firing of Alexander Alexandrov

Part 4 – The fallout.

It’s funny. Insightful. Ideal for those who love a good conspiracy theory.

Personally I’m ready to move on. Let’s give Grebenkin a fair chance.

Russia does need to change and improve if they want to challenge the USA in 2016.

related – Rewriting Russian Gymnastics – Interview with new WAG Head Coach Evgeny Grebenkin

Feel good edit. Great music.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Arabian Punch Front – Montage Monday: More Olympic Montages)