Parents v coach Chrystal Hinchliffe

Here’s an odd story.

This is Chrystal Hinchliffe, 27, who’s charged with taking fees just days before shutting down her gym in Florida. She’s posted $20,000 bail on a charge of organized scheme to defraud.

details – Gymnastics-school owner spurns ‘haters’ on Facebook with tongue photo after leaving jail

Chinese gymnasts innocent until proven guilty?

Get ready for a stream of rumours regarding underage Chinese gymnasts leading up to the London Olympics.

They cheated before. Are they cheating again?

… That will be the story line from Bela and others.

Young looking girls from Japan and Russia (PHOTO), for example, are not so closely scrutinized. We trust that those more open societies do not systematically alter birth dates as China and North Korea, for two, have done.

… Somebody should approach Dong Fangxiao for a book deal on what she remembers about the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics.

Xiao Fang Dong, 25, was last year stripped of an Olympic medal for being underaged.

She is now head coach at Rotorua’s Mid-Island Gym Sports club, teaching women’s artistic gymnastics. …

She retired from competitive gymnastics in 2001 after a hip injury, and later worked as a gymnastics judge at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Although she was awarded a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, Ms Dong was later found to be only 14 when she competed, instead of the minimum age of 16, and her medal was revoked. …

read more from New Zealand – The Daily Post

She’s the only Chinese gymnast so far found guilty of competing underage. But she knows of at least one more.

I’d buy that book.

fire ant handstand

A fire ant appears to be pulling off a one-handed breakdance move on a log. The insect held the pose – known as a hand freeze in breakdancing circles – for 30 seconds. Robertus Agung Sudiatmokos photographed the unusual sight using a macro lens in the village of Cibinong, Indonesia.

source

Thanks Kathryn.

ESPN biomechanics of gymnastics

Kat Ding, Kayla Hoffman, and Geralen Stack-Eaton.

ESPN’s Sport Science lab takes a look at the science and biomechanics behind elite gymnasts.

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

Don’t go dissecting those numbers. We should be happy that ESPN is helping explain just how amazing are gymnasts. 🙂

Links to this video are widely distributed on the web right now. I first saw it linked by Amy Van Deusen on About.com Gymnastics.

arrived Long Beach …

Nearly 450 of the USA’s best Level 10 gymnasts will converge in Long Beach, Calif, to compete in the 2011 Women’s U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships May 13-14 at the Long Beach Sports Arena.

…. The Junior Olympic National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is held in conjunction with the Women’s National Junior Olympic Championships on May 15.

USA Gymnastics has eight regions, and the top seven gymnasts from each region’s Regional Championships advance to nationals. …

read more on USAG