Shannon Miller vaulted DTY

Seattle based Blythe Lawrence:

Shannon … was in Seattle today to promote next month’s Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships

… About that double-twisting Yurchenko…Miller, who most often competed a half-twisting Yurchenko or 1.5 twist on vault, remembers doing a DTY at “one competition…I’m not sure that it was very pretty.” (The meet was a U.S. Classic, she thinks, but she’s not entirely sure.) For gymnastics fans, Miller’s DTY is something of a unicorn — a few people have sworn they’ve seen one, but it’s very rare.

Vault utterly terrified her. Miller referred to her “My coach called me knob knees, and I had little toothpick legs, that didn’t generate much power on vault,” she said. As an event, vault was her “nemesis,” she said.

She’s “not a big fan” of the current code of points. “I hope that we get back to more artistry in the sport so that there’s a better balance between the beauty of gymnastics and the difficulty of the skills,” she said. …

Read more on Examiner.

It links to the original interview on Seattle Times.

coaching a News anchor from Seattle's KING5 NBC

Photo via USA Gymnastics on Facebook.

Dana McDonald – Achilles rupture

UCLA’s Dana McDonald ruptured her Achilles tendon at the IGI/Chicago Style NCAA Invitational.

She was doing a demo Floor routine.

Best wishes for a recovery getting that Achilles better than new, Dana.

… I’ve not yet seen any summary of season ending injuries out of the NCAA so far this year. Is this the first Achilles?

Chinese Gymnastics assignments

Unofficial.

March 16-18th Pac Rim, Seattle, USA:

WAG: Jr.: Lou Nina, Wang Wei, Mei Jie; Sr.: Tan Sixin, Shang Chunsong, Luo Peiru, Jiang Tong
MAG: Jr.: Wu Guanhua, Wang Peng, Liu Rongbing; Sr.: Cheng Ran, Xu Kangyi, Xiao Ruoteng

Mar 22-25 Cottbus Cup, Germany

WAG: Cheng Fei, He Kexin, Wu Liufang, Zeng Siqi
MAG: Chen Yibing, Xiao Qin, Zhou Shixiong, Luo Xuan

How about that?

Our Olympic Bars champion is yet again representing her nation. We feared she’d seen her last assignment after missing at Tokyo Worlds.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

She and Huang Qiushuang both fell (VIDEO) at Worlds the year prior. 😦

I don’t see any way China would bring He Kexin to the London Olympics — unless they decide to forfeit a chance for Team medal in exchange for more apparatus medals. … Possible, but unlikely.

Those rumoured assignments come from Chinese Gymnastics Blog.

Houston National Invitational, Doha and Zibo are posted, as well. All tentative.

UPDATE: Read Brigid’s assessment (with videos) of China’s strongest Olympic Team contenders:

Couch Gymnast – China Moves Towards Olympics

… she likes Sui Lu and Yao Jinnan.

Cheng Fei – Zibo and Cottbus

Couch Gymnast has news on who China will send to upcoming events, including a list for Pacific Rim that was translated from a Chinese blog.

Most exciting is the return of China’s best ever Vault / Floor competitor, Cheng Fei:

… Zibo World Cup, the latest in the official FIG World Cup series is being contested in April in China. The FIG has published the list of entries … the most exciting to see is Cheng Fei, who has been out of action for far too long. She was expected to compete at the Universiade last year, but had to pull out due to a last-minute injury. Now early in this year, with her competing at Cottbus and Zibo we might get a chance to see if she is a viable Olympic team member. Fingers crossed …

read more – Cheng Fei back for Zibo Cup (and Cottbus!)

Shane Williams – gymnast

Welsh Rugby star Shane Williams was always considered too small for the sport. Turns out he did gymnastics as a child. No wonder he’s so agile. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Gymnation Wales on Facebook)

PALTs, PAHTs, GALTSs, GAHTs

An interesting comparison of athletes by Wayne Goldsmith.

GALTSs = Great on Attitude – Low on Talent

GAHTs = Great on Attitude – High on Talent

details on Sport Coaching Brain

IGI Chicago Style

The World’s largest gymnastics competition goes this weekend.

14th Annual “IGI Chicago Style Gymnastics Meet

CASH PRIZES TOTALING $5000

The seventh-ranked UCLA gymnastics team (4-1, 3-1 in Pac-12) will face three other Top 20-ranked teams in No. 15 Boise State, No. 18 Missouri and No. 19 Illinois at the IGI/Chicago Style Classic at Navy Pier on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 pm CT.

Alberta Winter Games

February 9-12, 2012.

The 2012 Alberta Winter Games celebrate the achievements of youth in sport and culture. More than 2,800 athletes, coaches, officials, and performers

I love these kinds of multi-sport regional meets. This is the closest most of us will get to an ‘Olympics’ experience. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Alberta Gymnastics)