Gymnastics Coaching.com

I attended the precompetition meeting for J.O. Nationals in Long Beach. And there were no major issues to report.

Here are a few minor points that may be of interest.

Men’s Program Manager for USAG Dennis McIntyre asked coaches to treat Nationals as a “celebration“.

The weather, venue and organization all top notch. (Carpet rental alone costs $10,000.)

I’m very impressed.

• coaches are asked to give feedback on the draft 2013-2016 J.O. rules
• news that Cal was reinstated for NCAA is BIG news for USAG, as well
• big party Saturday night, a good chance to meet College coaches (recruiters) in person
• foreign athletes are welcome, but not eligible for awards
• specialists must scratch apparatus they don’t compete (record a 0.0)
• gymnasts must salute the correct judging panel (Jr or Sr)
• gymnasts must stand facing backwards to the Floor judges, and confirm athlete #
• coach dress requirements: collared shirt, no caps, etc.
• athlete dress requirement for awards were spelled out
• Medical supervised by Dr. David Kruse (former Cal gymnast)

USAG again is trying to push oft rejected Coach Certification, selling it this way:

“certification and documentation for the things you are already doing”

• watch for “USA Gymnastics University”

The USA is infamously the only major gymnastics nation that does not certify their coaches. What do they say when the judge in court asks for coaching ‘credentials’?

Results will not be updated LIVE, but will be posted on 2011jomen.com and later on MeetScoresOnline.com.

An artsy edit. With plenty of slow mo. And chalk.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

At the 2010 U.S. Classic.

LOVE her form. Especially her feet.

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

I’m pretty sure Stanford is going to be my favourite team over the next few seasons.

Five athletes and one coach comprise the 2011 class of inductees for the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame: 1972 Olympian Jim Culhane of Tomball, Texas (men’s gymnastics); six-time world tumbling champion Jill Hollembeak of Chicago; 1992 Olympian Tamara Levinson of Los Angeles (rhythmic gymnastics); 2000 Olympic team bronze-medalists Kristen Maloney of Dover, N.H., and Elise Ray of Reisterstown, Md., and 1988 Olympian Chelle Stack of Clermont, Fla. (women’s gymnastics); and coach Stacy Maloney of New Berlin, Wis., who coached 2004 Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm and his twin brother Morgan, both of whom competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. …

read more on USAG

Congratulations to Stacy Maloney. This is well deserved recognition.

It’s timely to revisit Stacy’s opinion of the NEW Code … in 2005:

This new system will do three things:

>> First, it will encourage a proliferation of even more difficulty in an already brutal and dangerous sport— …

>> Secondly, it will disorientate a public whose only reference point for understanding what they see at a meet is how close the score comes up to a 10.0. …

>> Thirdly, think about how such a monumental change will affect your businesses—imagine trying to explain it all to the parents and kids. It will most likely impact our livelihoods in a very negative way. …

As quoted in IG magazine – Stretching out: Code Catastrophe!

I’d be interested to know his opinion today, all these years later.

Podium training in beautiful, mellow Long Beach, California.

With 700 male gymnasts (ages 12-18) at MAG J.O. Nationals, the competition gym is crowded. I saw 25 guys waiting their turn on Horizontal Bar, at one point.

Yet the “open” training gym has been fairly quiet. (The guys are here today mainly to feel the competition apparatus.)

Competition Facebook Page

This is the same venue hosting Women’s J.O. National Championships, May 12-15th.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.

http://www.gymnastike.org/embed/OTg1NDg4NTQ4?related=1

Watch more video of Workout Wednesday, Season 5 on gymnastike.org

The Big Mancino Hill is a set of mats that can be used in multiple ways on multiple apparatus.

Here’s how it can be used for Straddle Back, Over Shoot, … and more.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Kids can ‘play’ with these releases, learning what to do when they release slightly early or late.

Best of all, no spotting required of the coach.

Details on MancinoMats.com.

Love the low preflight.

(via Gymnastics Examiner Week in Review)

To end up with this kind of preflight, beginners should think of this vault as a backward handspring, not a back layout.

UPDATE: Check the comments. Some feel she’s coming on too low. But for me, the lower the better.

Thanks to those who sent this link.

From a happy Gym Mom:

My job as a mom is not to raise a child, but to raise an adult. The whole process is overwhelming and seemingly impossible. I mean seriously, I can’t even train my dog to come when called. How in the world am I going to raise daughters who are independent, honest, self-assured women of their word who also show compassion, selflessness and unconditional love to their fellow human beings?

When DW and I put our kids in sports it was for a handful of teachable moments: leadership, teamwork, mental and physical strength, how to be competitive. …

… I would say that two of her coaches have surpassed any of my expectations and been more like mentors than coaches. …

read more on My Pajama Days

… It’s posts like this that remind me why I like blogs so much.

Dr. Jeni McNeal:

Some articles on Men’s gymnastics programs in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Pretty cool to have such exposure in academia’s premiere trade pub.

• After Months of Uncertainty, Men’s Gymnastics Will Continue at Cal

• As Men’s Gymnastics Programs Dwindle, Backers Try to Save Them

The Chronicle of Higher Education is the major news service in the United States academic world. 68,000 (subscribers); 245,000 (total readership)

Rumour:

Rhode Island College announced that women’s golf and women’s swimming will be added as varsity sports for the 2011-12 season. The sport of women’s gymnastics eliminated.

But I’ve heard that the team is fighting for survival. And might yet survive. Leave a comment if you know more.