“Welcome, all of you, to London, We have lots of gymnastics fans in Britain, and you will be great draw there.”
Coe said one of his goals is for the London Games to be athlete-centered.
“We have built the best athletes’ village for you – athletes are always the most important people,” he said.
It’s good to see Cheng Fei as part of the group, even if, like Shawn Johnson was in her return to training, she seems to be the only one not in a leotard!
… Sebastian Coe (center), chairman of the organizing committee for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, laughs with Olympic gold medal gymnast Yang Yilin (left) and Paralympian Lin Furong at the British embassy in Beijing on Sunday. …
One of the most decorated gymnasts in Arkansas history, Casey Jo Magee has joined Dave Kuzara’s coaching staff at Western Michigan and will serve as an assistant for the Broncos during the 2012 season. …
Following her collegiate career, Magee was a student-assistant on the Razorback coaching staff in 2011, helping Arkansas to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Magee also entered senior international elite status, having qualified and competed at the American Classic, U.S. Covergirl Classic and Visa Championships. …
Magee will again train for the Visa Championships, to be held in St. Louis this summer, as an all-arounder. …
2012 Olympic hopeful John Orozco has decided to go pro.
Orozco, one of the top U.S. men at the 2011 Worlds (5th all-around, 2nd all around after team prelims) made the decision to give up his NCAA eligibility — and future scholarship opportunities — in order to accept prize money and fees for appearances.
“It was a pretty tough decision for me, but I’ve finally made up my mind,” Orozco tweeted Sunday …
Good move. John’s young. Good. Likeable. He could be on National Team for the next 10yrs, easily enough time to earn more than he would have by taking an NCAA scholarship. Much more time than the WAG girls.
Good for John. Bad for the NCAA. He would have been a big draw in Collegiate competition.
… Can you quit taking yourself so seriously? Can you quit taking the fun out of the sport?
Gymnastics is Inherently Fun – Don’t Mess It Up
Yes, the fun. That innate quality, that the sport of gymnastics had before you were ever involved in it. Flying through the air, flipping and twisting is what drives those young gymnasts through the doors of the gyms of America. …
… Look around. How many fifteen and sixteen year olds do you have in your gym? Why? …
Despite missing his Worlds Finals routine (perhaps the most ‘difficult’ of all time) and not qualifying for the Olympics as one of the top 3, Epke was still named the best of the Dutch sportsmen for the second time.
It featured demos from MAG, WAG, Acrobatic, Rhythmic and Aerobic. Impressive.
The highlight for me was a contest I’d never seen before. Groups of kids were given a pie plate filled with flour. Winners were the group that could blow all the flour off the plate first.
My personal thanks to Secretary General Ms. Bettina Pou. Our Olympic Solidarity event would never have happened but for her efficient, energetic commitment to the project.
I love Christmas. But no nation loves Christmas more than the Philippines. They start festivities in September!
If you are ever visiting this tropical nation, let me know. They are happy to have visitors at the National Training Centre. I’ll introduce you.
The host nation swept the remaining events Sunday as the Toyota International concluded, wrapping up a successful year of major events in Japan.
… The competition ended the year on a happy note for Japan, which suffered major tragedy in March with the massive earthquake and tsunami. The country was at risk for losing the world championships due to concern over radiation from damaged nuclear facilities, but staged a successful championships in Tokyo, where Uchimura became the first male gymnast to win a third world all-around crown. In addition to October’s worlds, Japan also played host to the Japan Cup in July, International Juniors in September and FIG World Cup in November.
