Malaysia & Switzerland rebuild

Maylaysia:

Apparently the National Gymnastics Teams are to be disbanded by the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation and the current coaching staff also let go in an effort to produce new and improved gymnasts. …

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Switzerland:

… After neither its men’s or women’s teams qualified to next month’s London Test Event, the country has had a bevy of retirements, including longtime men’s team members Daniel Groves, Niki Boschenstein and Roman Gisi.

Add Jennifer Senn and 2011 World team member Yasmin Zimmerman to the list. The Swiss Gymnastics Federation announced this week that it would not renew the contracts of either after January 2012, effectively ending their elite careers.

“The Swiss Gymnastics Federation has set the goal to rejuvenate the national team athletes and align the planning for the next Olympic cycle …

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Has this happened in any other nations?

… there will be more to come after the London Test meet in January. Nations will rebuild towards 2016 and 2020.

FIG AA World Cup a flop?

Nora Schuler of THE ALL AROUND:

The All-Around series was supposed to be the jewel in the crown of the new World Cup series. Four stops on three continents – Jacksonville, Glasgow, Stuttgart and Tokyo – were to see the top eight male and female gymnasts from the all-around final at the 2010 World Championships compete for prize money and ranking points.

The series flopped completely. …

… Only a single female gymnast, overall winner Huang Qiushuang, competed in three competitions. Not one female gymnast attended all four.

At the final competition in Tokyo in late November, the FIG wasn’t even able to find eight female gymnasts willing to compete. …

read more – All-Around World Cup Flops, FIG blames coaches

FIG’s Wolfgang Willam is committed to staying the course for the next 2yrs:

… The 2012/2013 World Cup will include six stops. Starting in New York in March 2012, the series will include Tokyo (April 2012), Stuttgart (November 2012), Glasgow (December 2012) before returning to the USA in early 2013 and finishing off in Tokyo in April 2013. …

… On the other hand, Nora points out that the Swiss Cup which offered 85.000 Swiss Francs in prize money and appearance fees this year was a better meet than Stuttgart.

Let’s wait and see. The AA World Cup is not working as badly in MAG. Many of the top guys are willing and able to get to most of the meets.

I still feel that money is the best way to grow international stars who can reach the general public in non-Olympic years.

I’m keen to see what the FIG Competitions and Marketing Commissions recommend in terms of “simplifying the rules” to better appeal to a mass audience.

I’ve got one recommendation for them …

Research what the WAG NCAA is doing.

Gymnastics competition posters

Blythe posted a slide show of official posters from 2011 competitions. I like this one.

Examiner – Hilarious: Oksana Chusovitina as the “poster girl” for the 2011 Pre Olympic Youth Cup…

Leonard Isaacs clinic, Wisconsin

One of the great gurus of gymnastics in the USA is leading a 1-day clinic.

January 8, 2012
Gymfinity Children’s Activity Center, Jay Orkowski

Fitchburg WI
P# 608-848-FLIP
gymoffice {a} gymfinity.com

I saw this on the Tumbl Trak email newsletter.

best Gymnastics montage videos

Brigid on the Couch Gymnast is collecting recommendations.

Keep those confidential when you submit – email at listaday@gmail.com.

The categories:

Humor
Memories of a meet
Nations
Great skills
Rivalries
Single gymnasts
The life of a gymnast
Training
Dance in gymnastics

Lauren Mitchell – Team Visa

Interview with Visa team athlete Lauren Mitchell about her training and dedication to getting to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I AssUMe she gets some sort of VISA Card out of this deal.

(via @ozgymblog)

Gymnastics coaching Philippines

by site editor Rick McCharles

Nov. 30th – Dec. 6th

Shout out for the 30+ coaches who attended our Olympic Solidarity Women’s Artistic Gymnastics coaching course held in Manila last week.

Organized by FIG, funding was provided by IOC and host GAP – Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.

I was very happy with how the coaches handled the long days and lengthy curriculum. 🙂

As in most nations — I’m looking at you Romania — Bars is highest priority.

At the clinic we constructed our own ‘trench pit’ on the low bar, setting up a ‘tower of power’ on the high bar.

I also recommended they embrace “Bar Straps” training, not yet popular nation wide.

Filipino girls have great genetic potential for Artistic and Acrobatic sports. The kids are very flexible.

The immediate goal is SEA, the Southeast Asian Games, held every two years. Vietnam dominated that competition this year, their girls benefiting from training in China.

A special thanks to National Coach Janna Eftimiu who led the Beam section.

See more photos from the course.

If you have any questions regarding WAG Philippines, or any of their other fast growing FIG disciplines, contact me or their National Office.

PhilippineGymnastics [a] gmail.com

Bruno Grandi – 4 more years

… Incumbent FIG President Prof. Bruno Grandi (ITA) is a candidate for reelection at the FIG General Assembly, October 25 – 27, 2012 in Cancun (MEX). He will solicit votes from the 130 national affiliated federations for a fifth mandate.

Bruno Grandi was first elected in August 1996 at the 70th Congress in Atlanta (USA). He succeeded Yuri Titov of Russia …

… “This will be my last mandate!” announced the President, with a nod to the international gymnastics community. “But before I take my leave, there are several issues that need my attention, and I am committed to finishing what I started.” …

FIG

Grandi is age-77 but his health and vitality are excellent. I expect he will again be unopposed. The deadline for candidates to file is May 21, 2012.

Rewriting Russian Gymnastics has begun a retrospection of his tenure starting with a post on the end of FIG compulsories under his watch.

Personally, I loved seeing the best gymnasts in the world do compulsory routines. But it was inevitable that they would have been dropped, I feel, with or without Grandi. The General Public finds them boring.