Gymnastics Coaching.com

Gabrielle Douglas poster

New from the Vanity Fair shoot.

via @ShadeGlobal

USA Future Stars

The Future Stars Program is an athlete development and education program.

… consists of five age groups 8-9 year olds, 10 year olds, 11 year olds, 12 year olds and 13 year olds, who perform selected skills and compulsory routines on the six men’s events plus strength and flexibility evaluations.

The 8-9 year old division participates up to the Regional level while the 10, 11, 12 and 13 year old divisions can qualify to the National level. …

USAG – National Development Team – Future Stars Program

Here’s 8yr-old Joshua Karnes of Lakers Gymnastics Academy training the USAG 9yr-old Future Stars Routines.

Click PLAY or watch him on YouTube.

Thanks Jacob.

WAG Routine Maker app

The much anticipated Gymnastics Routine Maker – Women app for iPad only is finally available via iTunes. $3.99 or 2,99 €

Leave a comment if you’ve downloaded and tried it.

If successful, there are plans for Android and Windows apps in future.

It’s a compliment to Artistic Gymnastics Routine Maker Men $3.99, both by Abanology.

Giulia Leni retires

Couch Gymnast:

Yesterday, TCG announced via Facebook and Twitter that popular Italian gymnast Giulia Leni has announced her retirement. Leni, who emerged as a bright young promise for Italy in your junior years, has sadly been troubled by injury, which has hampered her senior career. …

… Giulia has decided, after missing making the London team, that it is time to say goodbye to the sport of gymnastics and move onto other things …

Giulia Leni: “I’ll Try to Realize Other Dreams”

That post includes a translation of her classy farewell letter to fans, friends, family and coaches.

It also links to this super cute career tribute montage.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Chinese gymnast Zhou Shixiong

The 19yr-old member of the National Team from Guangdong is highlighted on a gymnastikfabriken post.

He scored 89,450 at Individual Championships last week.

Click PLAY or watch his P Bars on YouTube.

Impressive.

Mustafina family interview

Charming. Published September 11th. Long before the announcement that her coach, Alexandrov, would be relieved of the Head Coaching duties for the Russian team.

mustafina-coach_0clip_image008 — gift from boyfriend Pashka

read it here – Aliya Mustafina doesn’t talk to her coach for 4 days

(via Aliya Mustafina Online on Facebook)

Shawn Johnson’s First Dance

Click PLAY if in the USA or watch it on ABC if watching from abroad.

http://a.abc.com/media/_global/swf/embed/2.6.14/SFP_Walt.swf

Valentina Rodionenko – the bad guy

Russian Head Coach Alexander Alexandrov was “fired”.

Reaction on the Gymternet has been near unanimous.

Alexander Alexandrov should be praised for what he’s accomplished in his term as Russian Women’s Head Coach, not dismissed.

That Andre Rodionenko and the Russian Gymnastics Federation are making a mistake.

And that Valentina Rodionenko can be counted on to say the wrong thing in an “inelegant way” close to 100% of the time. Perhaps that’s why reporters so more often quote Valentina than Andrei.

… That’s the way it looks to me, too.

Rewriting Russian Gymnastics posted a new interview where Valentina defends the decision. And herself.

Yet Russia has been undisciplined and erratic under Alexandrov and the Rodionenkos. They are not the same coaches who so dominated the world with the Soviet Union.

Let’s give Evgeny Grebenkin, the new Head Coach, a chance.

… Here’s one player who’s going to suffer from the change, however.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Tim Daggett on GymCast

GymCast, the new weekly gymnastics “radio show”, is now available on iTunes.

Subscribe via that link. Each episode is automatically downloaded to your computer. Anywhere in the world.

It’s free.

Episode 2: Age of Olympians Increases and Tim Daggett on Kindness and The Code

Tim was a great choice for a first guest. In reality he’s a far different guy than the NBC commentator. I’ve always admired Tim as an athlete, coach and booster of the sport. He does sometimes get handcuffed by NBC producers.

via gymnastics-commentator-quotes

This week we talk about Chinese nationals, missed opportunities on the Kellog’s tour, a new gymnastics routine app and the FIG’s post-Olympic report. We bring you the second part of our interview with Olympic gold medalist and NBC commentator, Tim Daggett. He shares his thoughts on the code, the loss of the 10, cheating and kindness in coaching.

Age of Olympians Increases, Daggett on Kindness

You can also listen online from that link.