BREAKING NEWS: ALL GIRLS AT CAMP WERE INVITED BACK FOR ROUND 2! (Confirmed.) They’ll have a full meet there as well.
Interesting that Marta and staff could not decide. China, Romania and Russia are all looking fairly healthy at this point. USA needs to choose the best team possible.
Important numbers for Canadian coaches only. (Having an athlete reach a certain score in a National competition makes you eligible to apply for coaching certification.)
Elisabeth Bureaud GCG National Development / Education Program Director:
The latest AA score requirements for recognition of the Level 3 Practical component are:
WAG 50.00 AA
MAG 72.00 AA Senior & Junior
65.00 AA Tyro
Theory + Technical + Practical = fully certified … eligible to apply for L4
A few of these D-scores have been estimated, given that one connection or added skill can bump a D-score up by a few tenths on several events. But the overall conclusion is the same — against his nearest competitors, Uchimura can afford to fall, maybe even fall twice, and he is still most likely to win the meet. …
Difficulty score throwdown: Leyva, Horton, Boy, and Uchimura
Andy Thornton agrees:
… Many of us commented on the tremendous depth of the U.S. men’s team at the recent Visa Championships. The competition was highlighted by an all-around battle between two world all-around medal contenders Danell Leyva and Jonathan Horton.
Boasting two legitimate international all-around threats on the same team is a rare luxury, indeed, but the U.S. men’s team has a whole lot more to be excited about than that.
The U.S. men’s team may have just found its best pommel horse lineup since Athens 2004. …
… These men have the difficulty and execution to not only knock Germany off the medal podium, but to perhaps even give Japan and China a serious scare. …
… Ten years ago, on October 28, 2001, the vaulting table debuted at an official FIG competition. It was in Ghent (BEL) where the first Men’s qualifying subdivision was underway for the 35th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. …
A long re-evaluation process came to an end when the table replaced the vaulting horse. The abrupt change from tradition to contemporary has been a shock to some. And in that context, my compliments and deepest respect to the FIG Vice-President at that time, Siegfried Fischer (BRA), for fervently defending the new table as President of the Apparatus Commission.
All now agree that the change was a huge improvement. But at the time it was controversial, for WAG.
On the Men’s side, under MTC Chair Hardy Fink, it was a no brainer. The first time we saw the new horse in my region — at Jurassic Classic — every FIG MAG competed on it. First day.
In fact, I can’t conceive of a better design other than to better pad the front and back, under the table. That’s best done with separate donut mats.
There have been very few innovations in 10yrs. The best would be the Tarpan TM available out of Denmark. It’s easy to move and store. And goes up to 165cm for Mini Tramp Vaulting.
Kalon Ludvigson of Pocatello, Idaho/Team Revolution, won the tumbling title at the 2011 World Cup in Salzgitter, Germany. …
Ludvigson, who also won this event in 2009, posted a 75.500 to easily win the World Cup gold medal, scoring nearly two points better than runner-up Mikhail Kostyanov of Russia (73.700). Canada’s Alexander Seifert was third at 72.400. …
Many in the gymnastics community attended the Calgary premiere of OVO this week. I was going to write a review … but Heath McCoy in the Calgary Herald pretty much nailed it:
… as in most Cirque shows, the storytelling plays a distant second to the spectacle, and, happily, the latter aspect of OVO is grand.
The staging, with its vibrant ecosystem, complete with giant-sized webs, cocoons and a monolithic egg (a thematic symbol of the bugs’ life cycle, ovo means egg in Portuguese) is spectacular.
The dazzling costumes — an inspired hybrid of superhero spandex and historical suits of armour — are suitably outlandish.
And the stunts — played out to the Brazilian electro-pop sounds of a cockroach band, which run the gamut between romantic and sizzling — are nothing short of stunning. …
At intermission we chatted with gracious Head Coach Eric Heppel. He informed that slack wire solo performer is by far the best in the world. He shows handstand, handstand walking and 1-arm handstand on a pendulum. Rock solid. No balance adjustments.
I never get tired of Tramp wall. OVO is another superb variation.
Overall … the highlight of this show are the costumes. (That caterpillar is enough to give you nightmares.)
The weakest element, as usual, are the clowns. … Though I somewhat liked Flippo. He grew on me as the show progressed.
Disclosure – As a Casting consultant, Cirque gave me 4 tickets. Merci. … I took a former gymnast who wants to audition.
I had her watch the House Troupe performers, rather than those specialists in the spotlight.
Men’s Team Final:
Gymnastics Coaching.com 