The much anticipated movie for the American Girl doll of the year, who just happens to be a gymnast, An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars will be out this summer – specifically July 14 at 8pm on NBC right before the Olympics and then it will be available on DVD in late July. …
And Olympic legend, Cathy Rigby, stars as McKenna’s coach.
hardest backwards tumbling
Tribute2the80s:
I tried to find the hardest skills and hardest combinations I’ve seen over the years. When possible, I tried to show the earliest gymnast I could find performing…to show all the young gymnastics fans that the 80’s and early 90’s was where it’s at! …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Amazing stuff. Mostly from the past.
Compare those tumbling lines with the top male gymnasts today.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Stanford Season High
NCAA fans are in mourning. Div 1 Championships are over.
It was one of the best Super 6 Team Finals ever. Some say the best ever.
Read comments on the College Gymnastics Board forum – Can I just say “wow!”. Positive thoughts!
But of the 6 teams that showed so well, I’d say Stanford had the best competition to finish 4th. Particularly on Vault, traditionally a weak apparatus, where they killed.
How happy were the girls with their performance?
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I guarantee I’ll be there next year.
NCAA Championships April 19-21st, 2013
Pauley Pavilion, UCLA
Ohio State – no Cinderella story
I wasn’t the only one impressed by Ohio State at Championships. There’s was no Cinderella Story. This is a Championships Team.
Click PLAY or watch No Cinderella Story on YouTube.
Here’s another well edited video from pre-Championships training.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Those are from the Ohio State Women’s Gymnastics Team’s YouTube channel. I’m now subscribed.
Congratulations to Carey Fagan, Ohio State women’s gymnastics head coach, named National Coach of the Year. In addition, assistant coaches Bill Lorenz and Meredith Yonushonis earned Co-Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
The awards are the first for the Ohio State women’s gymnastics program.
(via Manual on Handstands, who attended Championships)
Mustafina, Alexandrov, Rodionenko …
One of the best interviews I’ve read.
… Aliya Mustafina won the Russian Championships in Penza, and Komova didn’t compete there. Thus, the battle between our two superstars is once again postponed …
– “We’re saving Komova” explained Alexandrov, ”Vika, as you know, was injured last year, and one cannot force (speed up) the training. The main goal – the Olympics. We’ll take Vika to the Europeans championships. She won’t do all the events
When she was injured last season, Aliya lost her main funding — the “presidential scholarship”. Fortunately, they found money from other sources.
After Anastasia Sidorova injured her elbow falling off a bicycle, National Team gymnasts are banned from riding bikes.
And it’s not only bikes.
… Since Bilozerchev crashed in an accident before the Olympics, it is strictly prohibited to get behind the wheel until they finish their career in gymnastics. …
That’s severe. But recall that World’s Bronze medalist Yury Ryazanov was killed driving a car in 2009.
Perhaps it’s just the women’s team banned from driving.
Well worth a read: Mustafina, Alexandrov and Rodionenko Speak…
Source: sovsport.ru
Translator: Rachael L.
Russia doesn’t have much depth. They need to keep their gymnasts healthy if they’ve any chance to challenge the USA.
Chinese Olympic Team
Some of the contenders.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Cheng Fei is not there as this edit was posted Dec. 2011.
He Kexin missing, too.
16 Aussies for Olympics
16 seniors attended the April camp in Canberra. The purpose of the camp was to provide the athletes, who are Olympic contenders, an opportunity to showcase their training consistency and routines to the selection committee over a two week period of time.
Detailed statistics were taken and analysed after each training session and the camp culminated in a formal verification. The 2012 Olympic Team contenders now know where they rank nationally and all have been provided with a detailed analysis of their performances and directives to take back to their domestic training environments to prepare for the National Championships and first of the Olympic Trials. …
Larrissa Miller
Nikki Chung
Emily Little
Lauren Mitchell
Shar-lee Clark
Angela Donald
Ashleigh Brennan
Dasha Joura
Georgia Bonora
Chloe Sims
Georgia Rose Brown
Mary-Anne Monckton
Zoe Lorenzin
Georgia Wheeler
Amaya King Koi
Katie Wurth
Coaches include: Stacey Umeh and Adriana Pop.
Gymnastics Australia – April 2012 Olympic & National Squad training camp review
gymnastics Mom …
My Pajama Days is a blogger, writer and gym Mom who’s learning a lot about life alongside her DD (Darling Daughter).
This past season the family was forced to change gyms. Adjusting and adapting to a new gym culture.
The family made new friends. New gym relationships.
DD was injured just before the State Championship, and had to learn to handle accepting a zero score on two apparatus.
I expected my daughter to excel both as an athlete and as a young woman if I provided her with the right environment. I knew a team of good role models and like-minded families would reinforce the values that our family strives to protect everyday. What I didn’t realize, was that by creating this type of environment for my daughter, I was also molding myself into a better individual too.
read more – Gymnastics teaches lessons I didn’t know I needed to learn
Switzerland, Russia, GBR
Full Twist has results and links to routines.
Russia 177.30
Switzerland 161.55
Great Britain 160.00
Aliya Mustafina 58.95
Anastasia Grishina 57.70
Anna Dementyeva 56.55
Click PLAY or watch Aliya’s Floor on YouTube.
Looks like she’s gaining confidence with her knee after ACL surgery. Good progress. But she’s got a long way to go to be ready to contend for the AA in the Olympics.
Scores from this meet are VERY high. Yet, Valentina Rodionenko keeps insisting that the Russians are underscored:
… The judges exaggerate our small mistakes. And they do the opposite with our rivals. The same error can be penalized in different ways. And when the judges’ alliances begin, the game is on. …
What Alliance?
“… Canada, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand …”
There are a few judges who would be quick to disabuse her on that.
Valentina Rodionenko does a disservice to her Team with these outbursts. One former Russian Team member asked me, “Why is Valentina Rodionenko now a spokesperson for Team Russia?”
I don’t know.
Romania 175. 20, France 165.55
Larissa Iordache 60.15
Sandra Izbasa 56.60
Anne Kuhm 56.35 – FX
Diana Chelaru 55.00
Amelia Racea 54.85
Clara Della Vedova 53.45
… First year senior Larissa Iordache ran away with the All Around title with a score of 60.150. In the Senior Team competition, Romania excelled, scoring over 10 points higher than France. International Gymnast has a great report here with full details and results, including results from the Junior competition. …
Full Twist links to videos from that friendly.
Click PLAY or watch Iordache’s Beam on YouTube.
related – Andy Thornton – Romanian Team Coming Alive For London
Gymnastics Coaching.com 