Gymnastics Coaching.com

Florida has been the most “impressive” team many seasons over the past number of years. Yet they haven’t been able to win their first Championships.

I’ve always felt that they compete too much difficulty. Most others opine they peak too early.

In podium training Florida was the most spotted team by far. Is that to keep them safe from last minute injury? … I fear it undermines confidence for landing a wee bit.

Click PLAY or watch Kytra Hunter’s Bars on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/NTUxNjI5NjU5?related=1

Watch more video of 2012 NCAA Championships (Women) on gymnastike.org

The storyline this year is that the Gators have learned the lesson, and have gas left in the tank for the BIG SHOW:

“There is really no comparison,” Faehn said. “By this time in past years they were hanging by a thread, and physical and emotionally, they were very strained. It was harder for them to get pumped and to get themselves confident.” …

So, to counter last year’s slow physical decline as the season progressed, Faehn opted not to turn up the intensity to high as soon as the team arrived on campus in the fall. Instead, there was a slow burn.

The gymnasts cut back on the physical demands of refining their daily routines to focus more on strength and cardio conditioning.

… “We waited until almost November to do full routines.”

If a gymnast had a nagging injury, Faehn didn’t hesitate to tell her to take a few days off to rehab and get well before the next competition. …

Gators Gymnastics Team Hopes Less Means More at NCAA Championships

Watch as Alabama, the defending national champions, get ready for the NCAA Championships in Duluth, GA! They got a surprise visit from champion football coach Nick Saban, then held an intrasquad to prepare for their final competition of the season where they will aim to defend their national title.

This workout was filmed the Sunday before the 2012 NCAA Championships.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/MjY0NjI4Njk1?related=1

Watch more video of 2012 NCAA Championships (Women) on gymnastike.org

Respect. She was up against Kat Ding of Georgia, Megan Ferguson of Oklahoma, Leslie Mak of Oregon State, Jaime Pisani of Arkansas and Geralen Stack-Eaton of Alabama. Now that’s an all-star line-up.

… senior Amy Glass was named the 2012 AAI Award winner Thursday evening (April 19) at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship awards banquet held at the Gwinnett Center.

Glass becomes the first (Boise State) Bronco to ever earn the honor, considered the sport’s equivalent to the Heisman Award. The honor is given annually to the top senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I women’s gymnastics by a vote of the sports’ head coaches from around the country. …

Amy Glass Earns AAI Award as NCAA’s Top Gymnast

Oklahoma, Illinois and California will advance to tomorrow’s Team championship with Michigan, Stanford, and Penn State.

Examiner – Quick hits: Men’s qualification at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, Session II

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

“The @uclagymnastics team on the way to the NCAA Championship banquet”

On instagram

@collegegymfans:

Men’s NCAA Prelims: Michigan 353.45, PSU 353, Stanford 348.5. Those three teams advance to the team finals.

Examiner:

It wasn’t always pretty, but it was enough.

The talented Michigan men’s team overcame a few bumps on several events during the first of two sessions of Super Six qualification at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

In spite of falls of pommel horse and high bar from talents that included Olympic reigning U.S. Junior champion Adrien de los Angeles, Michigan posted a season high 353.45 to lead the field so far at the NCAA Championships. …

Michigan men lead first qualifying session at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships

Examiner LIVE blog

full results

While the NCAA Men are competing in prelims at Oklahoma, the Women are adjusting to the podium at an independent arena, the Gwinnett Center, in Duluth, Georgia.

Independent, yes. But many Athens Georgia fans are already here. Loud and proud.

I watched 8 of the 12 teams in podium training. It’s not at all clear that Florida or UCLA will win. There’s plenty of parity. The top 12 teams from regular season all qualified. And all look good on different apparatus.

The Team I know least, for example, is Ohio State, qualifying to their first NCAA Championship in 22 years. And I now know Ohio State has fantastic tumbling. Double front. Kicking out of Double pike. Impressive stuff!

This competition may well be decided by Beam wobbles. And Vault landings. Any of the 12 could get through to the Super 6 Team Finals, if they hit.

more OSU pics

See more of Nathan’s Utah photos on The Gymnastics Project.

Anne is on the Floor for Gymnastike. She can post podium training video, but not competition routines. That’s likely your best link.

Greg Marsden on Facebook:

Check out former Utah Gymnastics team member Kristina Baskett in this Sony commercial.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

1) Strong competition
2) Survival

… Six current members of the U.S. national team will compete this week at the NCAA meet, where six teams will advance from Thursday night’s qualifying round for a shot at the national title on Friday.

For a few nights, that group — Michigan’s Sam Mikulak and Adrian De Los Angeles, Illinois’ C.J. Maestas and Paul Ruggeri III, Oklahoma’s Jake Dalton and California’s Glen Ishino — won’t be focused on Team USA but on the NCAA trophy. …

… And yet, the college side of the sport is struggling. Still a prime-time draw during the Olympics, there are only 17 NCAA teams in the country in all divisions — 16 at the highest level and one Division III team.

Washington Post

Ruggeri won the Nissen-Emery Award, a gymnastics equivalent of Football’s Heisman.