Gymnastics Coaching.com

USA Gymnastics linked to full results, posting the best write-up on the meet, so far.

Most critical for the participating nations is qualifying for the first ever Youth Olympic Games.

… The Junior Pan American Championships was the continental qualifier for North, South and Central America for the Youth Olympic Games. Six women and five men, with a maximum of one spot per country, will qualify from the event for the Youth Olympics. …

Click on any of the links below for more.

USA wins team gold, sweeps all-around at Junior Pan American Championships

U.S. men win 2 silver medals at Junior Pan American Championships

A few Grace Chui photos from St Petersburg:

Wait a minute. … That bear is actually from a Russian circus called Sadka.

Trampoline World Championships 2009 – official home page

Reminder: www.usaproject2012.com

From USA_Gymnastics on twitter:

USA wins 12 event medals, team gold and silver, plus Women’s AA sweep & Men’s AA silver at Jr. PanAms!

Event finals must have finished.

The young trampolinist from the U.K. some were calling the next Jason Burnette had to withdraw from World Championships.

What a shame.

His training was going superbly … then 5-days before departure to St. Petersburg he reportedly dislocated his knee cap and broke bones in his lower leg.

Was it on his new rudi out piked triffus?

No, straight bouncing on trampoline, it seems.

He’s in hospital for some time having a series of operations. As an elite athlete the doctors will be very cautious in trying to bring him back to 100%.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

(via MissEducated)

Some of the best routines from the Team competition are already being assessed.

You can’t win the all-around, as Kyla did, without good beam.

Click PLAY or watch Kyla’s Beam on YouTube.

Solid. 14.600.

Next begins the speculation … Will the (insert up-and-coming Jr gymnast) be able to grow to one of the best Seniors in the world?

She trains at Gym Max in California. Some insight posted by Blythe:

Jian Hua (Jenny) Zhang … along with her husband Hao Quan (Howie) Liang (have) … coached Ross for the past four and a half years. …

Her coaches say Ross, who started gymnastics at age three, is not afraid to work hard. “She has something very special,” Zhang says. “She’s also very smart…we coach for safety. We want to protect her. We want her to enjoy [gymnastics].” …

read more – Gymnastics Examiner – Kyla Ross, coaches taking things one year at a time

Protecting a talented Jr. is the most difficult challenge. Any good Junior who simply survives through to age-16 will have a shot at World’s and Olympics. Many of her competitors will not make it.

Congratulations.

The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is pleased to announce that the Geoff Gowan Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 will be presented to Keith Russell …

For close to 40 years, Keith Russell has helped to guide the development of every gymnastics coach in Canada and the world over through his teachings and his mentoring, in all disciplines and at all levels of performance. At the University of Saskatchewan, Russell is a respected professor and coach. Over the years, he has introduced gymnastics to countless physical education students.

Widely published, Russell is world renowned for his ability to explain science to coaches. He has brought the Canadian system of gymnastics to innumerable international coaching courses and clinics, and he continues to educate the international gymnastics community in his new role as President of the FIG Scientific Commission.

(source: Gymnastics Canada) – FIG

I worked with Keith for 10yrs in Saskatoon. The best gymnastics mind I know.

On the other hand, he’ll consider any “lifetime” award a “thanks for leaving” award.

She’s a butterfly, pretty as the crimson sky
Nothing’s ever gonna bring her down
And everywhere she goes
Everybody knows she’s so glad to be alive
She’s a butterfly

Like the purest light in a darkened world
So much hope inside such a lovely girl
You should see her fly, it’s almost magical
It makes you wanna cry, she’s so beautiful

Martina Mcbride – She’s A Butterfly

This is one gymnast who does make me cry. Fantastic.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

montage by AshleyakaFlipper

acadian0 has posted a number on YouTube.

Check the Floor routine of Brazil’s Sérgio Sasaki on YouTube – 1/2-in, 1/1-out mount (14.950)

Even with Sérgio, I’m still trying to grok how Brazil was able to beat the USA in the team competition.

Thanks Erin.

Madison sends us this tragic story from California.

… Kenneth Ta is dead.

Sacramento police said the 15-year-old fell from an eight-story parking structure at 28th and N streets last Thursday evening.

… We’re just trying to determine if it was an accidental fall or something else,” said Officer Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

Friends and family members told KCRA 3 they believe parkour, an urban sport popularized on the Internet, might be to blame. …

read the story – Parkour Investigated In Teen’s Death

Our sincere condolences to Kenneth’s family.