Gymnastics Coaching.com

Today I learned my aunt has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). It’s fatal, but symptoms can be treated with Riluzole (Rilutek).

Former Russian 1996 Olympic Gold medalist Dmitry Vassilenko, now coaching in France, is also suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He needs funds for medical treatment in Germany.

DmitryVassilenko.org – in French or English translation

From that site you can make cash donation. Or simply send a note of support.

Good luck Dmitry. If anyone knows how to fight, it’s a gymnast.

I never link to videos 7min long.

But in Joel Pocklington‘s case, I’ll make an exception. This is insane.

Have you ever seen pole vault acrobatics? Cool.

An edit from 185 different videos filmed across 47 different locations worldwide. Inspired in part by the great Damien Walters.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Joel represented Australia in Pole Vault at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, 2009.

I wonder what his Athletics coach thinks of the video?

(via Caleb Tivendale on Facebook)

This has nothing to do with gymnastics. Nor coaching.

It’s only of interest if you are on Facebook. And disgruntled.

I’ve posted a rant on my personal blog – Rick McCharles – Facebook is EVIL … alternatives?

Update from the comments:

Nona Belomesoff, 18, believed she was going to work with an animal welfare organisation when she left her home last Wednesday to meet two men she befriended on Facebook. …

She was murdered.

Meet Lyo and Merly…the first ever mascots of the Summer Youth Olympics. …

official mascots page

YOG are hosted by Singapore, 14-26 of August 2010.

Lyo is short for “Lion of the Youth Olympics”. …

Merly got her name from “mer” (meaning the sea) and “ly” stands for liveliness and youthfulness. A passionate advocate of environmental protection, …

Olympic.org

Women’s Vault Final
1. Hong Un Jong 14.625
2. Oksana Chusovitina GER 14.462
3. Tatiana Nabiyeva RUS 14.312

Uneven Bars Final
1. Tatiana Nabiyeva RUS 15.300
2. Cha Yong Hwa PRK 14.475
3. Jessica Lopez VEN 13.800

Balance Beam Final
1. Luisa Galiulina UZB 13.750
2. Un Hyang Kim PRK 13.575
3. Ksenia Afanasyeva RUS 13.500
3. Oksana Chusovitina GER 13.500

Women’s Floor Exercise Final
1. Yekaterina Kurbatova RUS 14.075
2. Ramilya Musina RUS 13.825
3. Mayra Kroonen NED 13.600

Men’s Floor Exercise Final
1. Diego Hpolito BRA 15.550
2. Anton Golotsutskov RUS 15.475
3. Jeffrey Wammes NED 15.225

Pommel Horse Final
1. Saso Bertoncelj SLO 15.275
2. Alex Naddour USA 15.075
3. Andrei Perevoznikov RUS 14.925

Still Rings Final
1. Alexander Balandin RUS 15.700
2. Konstantin Pluzhnikov RUS 15.300
3. Ali Al-Asi JOR 15.275

Men’s Vault Final
1. Anton Golotsutskov RUS 16.337
2. Diego Hypolito BRA 16.025
3. Ri Se Gwang PRK 15.950

Parallel Bars Final
1. Jin Hyok Kim PRK 15.500
2. Anton Fokin UZB 15.250
3. Tim McNeill USA 15.150

High Bar Final
1. Aljaz Pegan SLO 15.500
2. Nikolai Kuksenkov UKR 15.375
3. Paul Ruggeri USA 15.075

details – IG – Russians Win Four Titles a Moscow World Cup

Home boy Anton Golotsutskov ended up winning vault.

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js

The talk of the gymnastics-o- sphere …

The only gymnast ever, I believe, to compete two different 7.2 difficulty vaults. (VIDEO)

Gymnastics Examiner:

The story of the Moscow World Stars meet qualification round: North Korean Ri Se Gwang, a supervaulter who landed a full-twisting Tsukahara double back easier than many land the same vault without the full twist.

Ri’s easy landing on his signature vault, combined with a very nice piked Dragulescu (double front with a half twist) launched him into first place that event, …

Ri first showed the full-twisting Tsuk double last summer at the World University Games, where he landed it on his hands during open training. At the time, some questioned the wisdom of throwing such a complicated vault.

He opted not to perform the vault during event finals at the World Championships after faceplanting the piked Dragulescu on his first attempt.

Ri is also leading the meet on rings, …

read more – Russians, North Koreans in charge at Moscow World Stars

Unfortunately he fell on the full-twisting Tsukahara double tuck in Finals, finishing 3rd.

Full Twist linked to a charming family blog post from a gym Mom:

Caleb has had quite a year of gymnastics, starting his training in New Jersey, taking a month off when we moved overseas, and then getting acclimated to the way they do things in England as well as having a new gym, coach, and team. He’s been a trooper and has stuck with it, even through the emotional times. He’s putting in almost 20 hours a week at the gym and he still loves it. …

You would think gymnastics is gymnastics, but we were surprised to find it’s not so. When we moved to London, Caleb found out there are different names for all the ‘tricks’ he’s learned: back handspring=’flick’, back tuck = ‘tuck back’, front tuck = ‘front tummy’, lay-out = straight-back, straight-front. Also, one of the events isn’t high bar, but ‘loops’ where they wear gloves and ‘loops’ on the high bar. They also have an extra event called ‘PPP’ – Physical Preparation Programme. …

read the rest – Caleb’s 1st British Gymnastics Experience

(via Full Twist)

A Volkswagen experiment.

Swedish designers have made climbing the stairs fun again.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Geoffrey Taucer … who composes original Floor music.

From the excellent Stick It Media site:

Next year, the 2011 Men’s JO Nationals are going to be held in Long Beach, CA. This is a great thing, since JOs haven’t been held west of Oklahoma City since 2004. California is a hotbed for men’s gymnastics, and the fact that Region 1 won five individual event titles, an AA title, a regional team title, and a club team title last weekend in Knoxville proves it outright.

The 2011 JO Nationals represent a great opportunity to generate some more much-needed interest in the sport of men’s gymnastics. ESPN and Fox Sports regularly broadcast high school sporting events like football, basketball, and baseball. Many of you remember the good old days of ABC’s Wide World of Sports and recall the myriad of relatively obscure sporting events they would cover, many involving young athletes. One of those events was the Little League World Series. Now ESPN is broadcasting the Little League regional championship games. It’s a big hit. Why? Because baseball is America’s national pastime and it’s fun to watch 10, 11 and 12-year-olds play their hearts out for an opportunity to earn a week long trip to Williamsport, PA to compete against the best little league teams in the world.

Why not produce a broadcast of JO Nationals? …

read the entire post – Open Letter to the Men’s Gymnastics Community

Seems video, TV and online, is the key to growing popularity.

photo – Sam Mikulak on Gymnastics Examiner

From the qualification round at Moscow World Cup 2010.

He makes two of the most difficult vaults ever seen look easy.

Watch Vault #1 on YouTube.

Watch Vault #2 on YouTube.

Ri Se Gwan is the North Korean gymnast who won a bronze medal on vault at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.