Gymnastics Coaching.com

Just checking out a new system of women’s gymnastics handguards from a company called Panfilof and Daughters.

… a new fastening system—ratchet buckles. This system is more convenient to use than the grips with Velcro or the grips with regular buckles. The ratchet buckle grips are fast and easy to tighten exactly as needed. Ratchet buckles prohibit spontaneous opening of the bracelet. …

Narrow grips have neoprene fasteners on the tongues of the finger holds which makes it possible to regulate the size of the finger holes by moving it inside or outside.

Grips page

The company, out of Eugene, Oregon, touts many celebrity endorsements, including WOGA coaches.

If you’ve seen or used these grips, and have an opinion, post a comment. They also sell “wristbands” and “bracelets“.

Seems the I.O.C. is finally starting to understand social networking.

Shaun White’s 93,000 followers (including me) will be getting personal updates, legally, from Vancouver.

… there is no Olympic rule that sets up a blackout period for athletes according to Bob Condron, the Director of Media Services for the United States Olympic Committee.

“Athletes are free to blog during the Games,” says Condron. “And Twitter is just a blog that’s written 140 characters at a time.”

There are some restrictions on what athletes can do online during the Olympics. … people must keep their posts confined to their personal experiences. “You can’t act as a journalist if you aren’t,” says Condron. “You need to do things in a first person way.” …

The other most significant restriction on athletes posts is a ban on references to sponsors or advertisers who aren’t official Olympic partners. …

WIRED – Athletes Confused by Olympic Social Media Rules

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Katrina sent a link to clarifications from the “IOC Blogging Guidelines for Persons Accredited at the XXI Olympic Winter Games, Vancouver 2010? and the “IOC Internet Guidelines for athletes, coaches, trainers, officials and any other accredited participants” documents:

no photos or video from any Olympic venue

no “voice”

SWEET.

The latest update has it that 3 superstars from China are all coming to compete at the Wild Rose competition in Edmonton, Alberta.

April 2-5, 2010.

Sui Lu was the 2009 World Championships Bronze Floor medalist.

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Recall that 2008 story about dictator Vladimir Putin having an affair with former Rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.

It was eventually debunked. It seemed at the time.

That story has resurfaced. Scandal rag NY Post in December:

… Vladimir Putin has a lot to celebrate this Christmas. Not only has the Russian strongman consolidated his control over the proletariat — and all their oil and gas — he’s also been given his first son, sources say.

Alina Kabaeva, the gorgeous, 26-year-old rhythmic gymnastics champion, recently gave birth to a boy in Moscow and named the baby Dimitry …

A son in Putin’s Yule stocking

They intimate the boy is Putin’s son.

And more recently:

… Kabaeva, who named the boy Dimitry, has all but vanished. “Her numbers have all been disconnected, and only five people are in touch with her — her ex-coach, her parents and two other gymnasts who serve in the Duma [the Russian parliament] …

Putin hides baby mama

Likely the story is untrue. But I wish it was true.

Putin is a megalomaniac. He nominates beautiful young women and his favourite Pop stars as political candidates.

Likely Alina is simply on maternity leave. But someone ask Khorkina where she is, exactly.

One of the most talked about routines at Winter Cup. Danell catches Liukin (Tkachev layout full).

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

UPDATE: Jeremiah tells that Wasef Burbar (16-18) from Buffalo Grove Gymnastics caught Liukin at the Windy City Invite.

So odd. So original. This is spooky good.

naimushina dudnik mostepanova baraksanova chudina bicherova omelianchik

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Perhaps I’ll evolve into a recluse who refuses to listen to any music later than 1989. Or to watch any gymnast after Omelienchik.

This was chosen by the new montage blog, Quitter’s Try. Thanks!

That video was posted by gentilly86 from France. I instantly subscribed.

… Mas Wanatabe shows a drill for working the punch off the table and post flight that you can use to increase the number of repetitions you can do by using two spring boards and a pit. Mas Watanabe is currently the vaulting coach for the US National Team.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Mas is working with the American National Team? Awesome. He’ll be a wise, calming influence.

The Gymnastics Minute is provided free by GymSmarts. Thanks!

LSU’s Susan Jackson as a club gymnast was coached by Dan and Ashley Baker at Stars Gymnastics. She was a four-time member of the USA National Team.

Susan’s making her former club proud this season, ranked #1 in the NCAA again, for the 5th week in a row. This past Friday night was her happiest meet yet:

… It happened just the way LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux hoped.

All-American senior Susan Jackson, the final performer in the final event of Friday night’s meet, stepped onto the floor needing a score of 9.80 to propel No. 12 LSU to an upset of top-ranked Alabama.

“I didn’t know where we stood,” Jackson said of the team scores. “I just went out there and had fun. I didn’t think about winning. I just went out there and did what I was capable of doing.”

Turns out, Jackson was capable of more than LSU needed.

She scored a season-best 9.95 …

Jackson’s clutch effort caps off Tigers’ upset

Here’s the list of girls trying to catch Susan.

full all-around ranking list

Shayla suddenly looks like a contender, as most predicted at the beginning of the season. Note, however, that her rank is based on only one AA meet, this weekend against Kentucky.

Things get interestinger and interestinger in College Gymnastics.

full team ranking

… OU women’s gymnastics squad remained undefeated on the year (8-0, 1-0 Big 12) with a wire-to-wire triangular victory over No. 10 Nebraska (6-1) and TWU (3-5) in front of 1,405 fans at Lloyd Noble Center on Friday.

The Sooners scored a season-high 196.825 despite counting a fall on beam …

Sooners Remain Perfect with Friday’s Victory

The formatting of the names in the press release from USAG is confusing. (As was the live scoring website for the Winter Cup.)

But I still managed to decipher who was named to the National Team:

Brooks, Bunthuwong, Cameron, Dalton, Gentry, Haagensen, Hagerty, Horton, Ishino, Legendre, Leyva, McNeill, Mizoguchi, Naddour, Ruggeri, Tan, Wynn.

… The 17 gymnasts named to the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team will be on the team through the 2010 Visa Championships in Hartford, Conn., Aug. 11-14. Based on the Winter Cup results, 10 qualified for the team using the National Team Points System, and the remaining were selected by the Men’s Program Committee from among the Winter Cup participants and athlete petitions. …

Danell Leyva is the next great American gymnast, most reckon:

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And it’s great to see young Tyler Mizoguchi, son of coaching great Hideo Mizoguchi, on the list.