remembering Christy Henrich and Yelena Mukhina

… Two tragic case studies caution us forever. This video edit I had not seen before.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Christy Henrich: While Henrich was succeeding in gymnastics, her health was beginning to suffer from an eating disorder. In 1989, a judge at an international meet told her she needed to lose weight. Apparently, Henrich took the comment to heart. Her drive to lose a few pounds progressed to unhealthy eating habits and, eventually, full-blown anorexia nervosa. …

Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina, born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France. …

related posts:

• Gymnastics: Not Always Happy Endings
• Is gymnastics coach Al Fong a changed man?

Elena Mukhina dead at 46
video – goodbye Yelena Mukhina
should roll-out skills be banned on Floor?
• coach Mikhail KLIMENKO dead at 65

WOW – Fan Ye Beam

Obsessed Elizabeth labeled this routine “perfection”

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This was her routine in event Finals at the 2003 World Championships, often listed one of the greatest of all time.

Wild Rose Gymnastics results

Coach / Judge Krista Morris:

All other meets need to take a lesson from Wild Rose.. So well organized and enjoyable to attend, from all aspects – a judge, a spectator, an athlete …

Gymn.ca posted some results:

2008 Olympian Deng Linlin (CHN) won the all-around at … (the) Triple Flip Wild Rose. Her teammates Jiang Yuyuan and Siu Lu placed second and third, respectively. The top placing Canadian was Cynthia Lemieux, who placed fourth.

Riley Cholod of Canada won the junior category, with Maegan Chant and Samantha Ward tying for second. …


1. Deng LinLin 58.900
2. Jiang YuYuan 57.550
3. Sui Lu 56.350

Check for more – Gymn.ca

It’s not easy to find the results or news updates on the official meet website. There are some scores on Gymnastics Results.

The only commentary I’ve seen is on Gymnastics Issues. Click through for video of Sui Lu training floor.

Kytra Hunter – Floor

Andrew Thornton asks: will Kytra be the first woman to compete double double layout? Her full twisting double layout looks “easy”.

Click PLAY or watch Kytra’s Floor from Jesolo on YouTube.

Read Andy’s commentary alongside more Senior videos from that competition on American Gymnast – Jesolo videos!

Unfortunately Kytra is in a cast right now.

European Bar Montage 1969 – 2009

MostepanovaFan:

1969 – Karin Janz (GDR)
1971 – Tamara Lazakovich (USSR)
1973 – Ludmilla Tourischeva (USSR)
1975 – Nadia Comaneci (Romania)
1977 – Elena Mukhina (USSR) and Nadia Comaneci (Romania)
1979 – Elena Mukhina (USSR)
1981 – Maxi Gnauck (GDR)
1983 – Ekaterina Szabo (Romania)
1985 – Maxi Gnauck (GDR) and Elena Shushunova (USSR)
1987 – Daniela Silivas (Romania)
1989 – Henrietta Onodi (Hungary)
1990 – Svetlana Boginskaya (USSR), Mirela Pasca (Romania) and Natalia Kalinina (USSR)
1992 – Tatiana Gutsu (Ukraine)
1994 – Svetlana Khorkina (Russia)
1996 – Simona Amanar (Romania), Svetlana Khorkina (Russia) and Lilia Podkopayeva (Ukraine)
1998 – Svetlana Khorkina (Russia)
2000 – Svetlana Khorkina (Russia)
2002 – Svetlana Khorkina (Russia)
2004 – Svetlana Khorkina (Russia)
2005 – Emilie LePennec (France)
2006 – Beth Tweddle (Great Britain)
2007 – Daria Zgoba (Ukraine)
2008 – Ksenia Semenova (Russia)
2009 – Beth Tweddle (Great Britain)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Most of the highlight moments for me are … Khorkina. Not surprising since she won over an entire decade.

who cares about dinosaur gymnastics?

Old coaches have warm, fuzzy memories of mini-tramps in the field behind the gym, a rosin box close to the wooden beam, an ancient piano beside the (non-sprung) Floor mat.

We love showing kids video of the good ol’ days.

Click PLAY or watch dinosaurs on YouTube.

Young kids are at first incredulous. Then quickly bored.

This boring post inspired by:

• Al Fong – My coaching peers remember when…

• Full Twist – Remember when…

KFC wants you to DIE

I thought fast food outlets were tripping over themselves pretending to be “healthy”.

Otherwise Jamie Oliver will soon be featuring their worst products as bad examples. (I’m looking at you McNuggets.)

Yet the Colonel will soon sell you bacon and cheese sandwiched between two pieces of fried chicken. About 500 calories, 30g of fat and 1400mg of sodium … far fewer calories than I would have guessed, actually.

details on Hard Body

(via Consumerist)

can GBR win Jr. European Championships?

This weekend’s dual meet result. Top 3 AA and Team.


1. Sam Oldham GBR 85.15
2. Reiss Beckford GBR 84.90
3. Cameron Mackenzie GBR 84.35

1. Great Britain- 340.10
2. Switzerland- 336.20
3. France- 329.90
4. Germany- 325.30

“It is very important to see ourselves in this position so close to the European Championships in Birmingham. This result is excellent for the self-confidence of our gymnasts and also, for their image. I am particularly pleased with the attitude of our boys versus such strong and respected challengers – they looked like a team”, said British Men’s Technical Director Eddie Van Hoof.

British Gymnastics

Big Fake Smile gets an iPad

No … actually that was techno-geek coach Don Eckert. (He loves it. And I don’t have one. Sob.)

Big Fake Smile, instead, got an old school Sears Action Gymnastics Set … on eBay. For $.99 plus S&H.

Click through to see more hilarious photos:

Big Fake Smile – …let the bells of dunder mifflin chime out your love!

the cover of International Gymnast

International Gymnast Magazine April 2010 edition has Canadian Kristina Vaculik on the cover.

Congrats to Kristina and her coach Elena Davydova. Getting on that cover is a minor kind of gymnastics immortality.

My first reaction is to be cheered that International Gymnast is covering international gymnasts.

Gymtruthteller posted quite a compelling conspiracy theory about that cover, however:

… has decided to further its own agenda by putting the winner of the Nadia Comaneci International Invitational on the cover instead of either winner of the of the Scam Cup.

Canada’s Kristina Vaculik won Nadia fluff competition. I have nothing against Kristina I was as mad as everyone else when Canada cheated her out of her Olympic experience in 2008 and I would have no problem if Kristina being on the cover at any other time but the bias going on at IG Magazine needs to be called out.

Do you ever wonder why certain gymnasts are loved at IG but others are not? Well it isn’t to hard to figure out you have to be connected to one of the owners.

The reason Nadia gets so much play at IG Magazine is because she is married to co-owner Bart Conner. The reason Dominique Moceanu was plastered on the cover more then any other gymnast in history is because Paul Ziert is her publicist. At least that is what he was listed as on usa-gymnastics.com a month or so ago. Ever wonder why Nastia has always been a saint? well Valeri Liukin has been best friends with the owners since he came to the United States. …

read on – Gymtruthteller – IG Magazine furthers own agenda AGAIN

I think that’s overstating it … a bit. (Though their offices are located at 3214 Bart Conner Dr., Norman, OK 73072. Some inbreeding is inevitable.)

One contradiction in the Gymtruthteller post: If Valeri Liukin is part of the conspiracy, why wouldn’t his gymnast Rebecca Bross be on the cover?

The more Publisher Paul Ziert stays away from his magazine, the better, it’s true. Let Editor Dwight Normile take the lead.

Still, overall, since Ziert acquired the original I.G., I’d say it’s improved. If you disagree, do not subscribe to the mag. Don’t visit their website. Simple.

Or … you can only follow the (free) website, boycotting the dead tree version. Amanda Turner posts some great web only stories.

… Kristina has verbally committed to Stanford University, by the way. A superb recruit. Perhaps she’s on the cover because she’s a charming gymnast, a reader favourite, and they happened to get a good photo of that release.

It’s possible …