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I’ll be a couple of days hiking Haleakala National Park, Maui.

Before Grace Chiu, the great Canadian gymnastics photographer was Dory Dynna.

Dory spent tens of thousands of hours, and tens of thousands of dollars promoting the sport through photography and videography.

Thanks Dory!

Happily he’s recently posted some of his old pics of Canadian and International gymnasts from the 1990s on Shutterfly.

No doubt Kate Richardson will be happy to see this shot back online, taken at the 2000 Olympic Team Training Camp.

Check it out. A blast from the past.

Dory Photo Shutterfly

The easiest way I found to actually read this article was to click through (on the image below), then ZOOM my browser window. Good luck.

NCAA Champion magazine caught up with former Ute Kristina Baskett recently and profiles her in its latest edition.

Kristina is performing in Vegas in the Wynn show Le Rêve.

From Blythe on Gymnastics Examiner:

Former World floor champion Daiane dos Santos of Brazil has tested positive for a banned weight loss drug, according to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

In an imaginatively titled article called “Furosemide strikes again!”, the FIG reports that dos Santos tested positive after being given an out of competition drug test in July. …

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

… Dos Santos, who is recovering from knee surgery, did not compete at the 2009 World Championships earlier this month. The FIG admitted that dos Santos might have been given the drug by mistake because of the surgery, according to the Associated Press.

Furosemide is a diuretic, meaning it causes urination and thereby drains the body of water, which can cause weight loss. It can also be used as a masking agent for other banned substances.

At the 2008 Olympics, Do Thi Ngan Thuong of Vietnam also tested positive for furosemide and was expelled from the Games, then given a one-year suspension. …

read the rest of the article (video, links) on Gymnastics Examiner – Former world champion Daiane dos Santos tests positive for banned substance

… Why is it that men’s gymnastics is thriving, while women’s appears to be on a downward spiral? Some people here (myself included) noted that the men’s competition at Worlds was far more exciting than the women’s. Was this an isolated incident or is it the beginning of a trend? Even going back every single event after the olympics, the men have given us better execution, more difficulty, and a lot more to cheer for.

In my honest opinion, WAG has been stagnant for awhile now, and recently has reached an all time low. Girls are doing the same skills they did 20 years ago, most of them with far worse execution. …

read more from medstudent24 – MAG vs WAG

And be sure to skim the responses on that thread.

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

medstudent24 is basically right. The Men have handled the demands of the open ended code much better than have the young women.

The code of points is most to blame if you feel as I do that the depth and quality of the best gymnasts in the world is in decline. The only good news is that World’s were much less horrendous and dangerous than I feared.

Who is paid more?

… Tweddle and Button became world champions within a few hours of each other. Tweddle was first, winning the floor final at the world gymnastic championships at the O2 Arena and proving her all-round credentials in her less-favoured discipline. …

On the other side of the world, in São Paulo, Button clinched the drivers’ championship by finishing fifth in the Brazilian grand prix. …

Jenson Button won’t be happy with making about US$18 million / year. He’s in the middle of serious contract negotiations for much, much more.

Beth?

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

About £25,000 / year ($41,000) … and a few perks here and there.

… If I was doing this for fame or money I would have retired a long time ago,” Beth Tweddle says coolly as she compares herself to her fellow world champion, Jenson Button. …

Beth Tweddle: ‘I’m addicted to it. It’s in my blood to be a gymnast’

Whoop.

I still can’t get too excited about today’s SPECTACULAR.

Olympians Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin join us again for this spectular event. This year’s musical host is Ashley Tisdale, who starred in Disney High School Musical movies.

NASTIA LIUKIN
SAMANTHA PESZEK
SHAWN JOHNSON
RAJ BHAVSAR
COURTNEY KUPET
JONATHAN HORTON
IVAN IVANKOV

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City, South Dakota – Progressive Skating and Gymnastics Spectacular

High resolution PDF version linked from GymnasticsTrainingTips.com.

Here’s how Andrew Thornton ranked the Final based on his personal code of points:

1. He Kexin 9.3
2. Nastia Liukin 9.2
3. Yang Yilin 9.0
4. Beth Tweddle 8.9
5. Ksenia Semenova 8.7
6. Anastasia Koval 8.5
7. Dariya Zgoba 8.3
8. Steliana Nistor 7.7

Isn’t is a relief to see scores out of 10 again?

His personal code assesses Difficulty, Execution, Artistry, Originality and Virtuosity.

Click through to see each routine and Andy’s assessment – American Gymnast – Our first routines under Andy’s COP: Women’s Uneven Bars