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gymnast Kayla Williams retires from Elite

Bit of a shocker. But not all that surprising considering the problems she’s had since World’s.

AND Alicia’s looking great, certainly a stronger candidate to make the USA World’s Team.

World vaulting champ Kayla Williams has made the decision to forego further Elite training and focus on preparing for college, according to coach Mary Lee Tracy.

Williams, the USA’s first, and to date only, World Champion on vault, tore her a plantar fascia tendon in her foot “one or two weeks ago,” according to Tracy, and decided yesterday to end her Elite career, even though the injury will not require surgical repair. …

Inside Gymnastics

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Kayla Williams of United States poses after she won the vault event during the Apparatus Finals on the fifth day of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2009 at the O2 Arena on October 17, 2009 in London, England. Kayla Williams of United States won gold, Ariella Kaeslin of Switzerland won silver and Youna Dufournet of France won bronze. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

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reaction on IG forum

trampoline Cody for gymnasts

George Hery demonstrates a few progressions for this technically easy, but psychologically challenging, skill.

I’d love to see Artistic gymnasts learn Cody before they flip Tsuk, Yurchenko or double back.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I learned in this video that the Cody on Trampoline is named after American Dale Cody.

If you appreciate The Gymnastics Minute, click through to GymSmarts.com to browse their coaching DVDs. ($30 each)

gymnast Lisa Simpson

Over the years there have been hundreds of gymnastics references on The Simpsons. (No doubt many of the writers had kids in the sport.)

The Children of a Lesser Clod episode marks the first appearance of Lugash the Béla Károlyi-esque gymnastics coach. …

In the Little Girl in the Big Ten episode Lisa is failing Gym Class.

She’s sent to coach Lugash for training. Once there, Lisa learns that gymnasts are SMART. (Actually, they’re College girls, but petite.)

If interested, click through to watch the full episode .

Gymnastics Canada parents video

I’ve linked to this promotional video before. Now Gymnastics Canada has posted it on YouTube.

A fair bit of the footage comes from Oakville Gymnastics in Ontario.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Russian coach Oleg Ostapenko

The All Around posted a must read interview with Russian junior women’s team coach Oleg Ostapenko, formerly in Brazil.

… How are the preparations for the Youth Olympic Games going?

We have two gymnasts training for the Youth Olympic Games: Viktoria Komova and Maria Paseka. Komova will compete, provided everything goes according to plan. Paseka is the reserve gymnast. They are preparing at Round Lake and training well. The competition is still a while away. I’d say Komova is about 70% ready [for the competition] now, so we are aiming to peak for the actual meet. I’m satisfied with where they are right now. …

Do you agree that a world class gymnast like Komova should be age ineligible for this year’s world championships?

I would have allowed the girls born in 1996 to compete at the world championships that precede the Olympics. I don’t like it that they can’t. But those are the rules, and we have to obey them. …

read it – Interview: Oleg Ostapenko

Komova is the favourite to win the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

photo – Svetlana Boguinskaia with Oleg

pommel – uphill, downhill loops

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Good front loops and back loops on pommel horse require the gymnast to have extension in their circle ….

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