American Cup redux

Blythe Lawrence LIVE blogged American Cup. Here’s here follow-up post:

… The real story is that the 2012 American Cup couldn’t have gone better for Martha Karolyi and the U.S. women’s program. That they managed to introduce Douglas as a legitimate Olympic medal prospect without taking away from the prestige of 2011 World champion Jordyn Wieber was a brilliant, brilliant strategic maneuver …

Not to mention that Douglas, whose fifth place all-around finish at the 2011 World championships was also unofficial (and, to be fair, she did it in prelims and not all-around finals), puts her in the same place as Olympic champions Nastia Liukin (fifth at the 2007 World Championships), Andreea Raducan (fifth at the 1999 Worlds) and Tatiana Gutsu (fifth at the 1991 Worlds) for Worlds finishes the year before the Olympic Games. …

Examiner – American Cup redux: USA Gymnastics’s big win-win situation

Kyle Shewfelt likes Gabby’s “star power”.

Bar – Healy progressions

The best video tutorial I’ve seen yet on this skill. By Nick Blanton.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We’ve typically mainly done mini-tramp bounce to handstand on a low Bar, into Healy. Nick’s sequence is better.

trampoline kiss

World Trampoline Champion, Paul Luxon, from Great Britain with his then fiancé, Ute Czech, German Champion. They were married in 1973. This photo, taken by Chris Ware/Getty Images in May 1973, was titled “Head in the Clouds” and was featured in “Life” Magazine.

I saw that in Trampoline Pundit Flickr Photos. A nice historical archive.

Marta on the Flying Squirrel

Why is Gabby Douglas called the “Flying Squirrel”?

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/MTEyNjE1ODA4?related=1

Watch more video of 2012 American Cup on gymnastike.org

Dan Keatings vaults Spelbound

Funny.

… Dan Keatings launches Bupa’s partnership with UK Sport by performing the world’s first ‘human vault‘ over Spelbound in Trafalgar Square. …

In the last ten years, Bupa has has covered over 29,000 treatments for British athletes, which have included 1,130 fractures and 6,782 surgeries.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I want to see Tsuk!

For more information, visit bupa.com/uksport

We love our Sport Med professionals.

Acrobatic gymnasts Spelbound will be performing in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

Canadian Olympic Team?

We Canucks are pretty excited for London 2012.

Right now Canada has more depth than ever before. It’s a battle to make this Olympic Team.

Here are some of the top contenders.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Baring injury, most would consider three as favourites:

• Christine Peng Peng Lee
• Kristina Vaculik
• Victoria Moors

Savona is back competing AA this weekend at Gymnix, testing her repaired knee. If she’s in shape come Trials, I don’t see how you keep that girl out of the Olympics. She’s aggressive.

Peng’s even more aggressive. Rumour is Christine might test some upgrades at Gymnix, before deciding on the final “stable” routines for London. She skipped Elite Canada for this purpose. As you know, you never know what Peng Peng will bust out. This entertaining gymnast is a UCLA commit. Miss Val can hardly wait.

Savona’s been talking to College coaches, too. One of the top still available recruits. 🙂

(via Grace Chiu on Facebook)

behind the scenes at Cirque

This new video is easily the best glimpse I’ve seen at what it’s like to join the world’s biggest circus.

It features Head Coach Boris Verkhovsky.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (9min)

No other company offers 10% of the benefits provided by Cirque du Soleil.

(via CirqueduSoleilCasting on Facebook)