Gymnastics Coaching.com

It’s refreshing to see some of the top coaches in the world explaining to the mainstream media why the International Gymnastics Federation age rules are a mistake. And unenforceable.

… the governing body (FIG), whose rules state competitors must be at least 16 during an Olympic year to compete at the Games, introduced a system where all gymnasts taking part in any major event will have to apply for a licence.

But German coach Ulla Koch told Reuters the whole process is a waste of time.

“They (FIG) are not really doing any additional checks on the passports or any other documents from before,” Koch said. …

The FIG were told by the International Olympic Committee to examine the ages of the Chinese team — which included He Kexin and Yang Yilin who are competing at the world championships in London — in Beijing and after a two-month investigation ruled the gymnasts had not broken any rules.

But Russian-born American coach Valery Liukin, whose daughter Nastia won the all-around Olympic gold last year, said the FIG did not do itself any favours when it increased the age eligibility from 14 to 16.

“The Olympic champion should be the strongest gymnast on the earth today. Not 16 and over. That’s how I’ve always felt. …

Yahoo Sports – Gymnastics-Age-old problems cannot be wiped out

The only time the media is much interested in this issue is during Olympics and World Championships.

Photo by Grace Chiu.

August 6th, 2009 Dean Potter free climbed the extremely difficult top section of the Eiger in Switzerland. And B.A.S.E. jumped down. That flight, 3min, is the longest recorded to date.

His only “protection” was the 5-6lb B.A.S.E. jumping parachute.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Outside: How do you practice for something like this?

Potter: I practiced different dismounts and stuff, but it’s hard to really prepare for a fall that you don’t know is going to happen. I never really had any of my friends push me off a bridge or something like that. I did practice falling on my back, falling sideways. I felt quite confident that if I did fall, I would right myself. …

read the entire interview – The Eiger, Unroped

He was filmed for an upcoming movie called “The Sharp End“.

Potter more than any other is pushing the limits of what is possible in climbing.

You might know his wife, Steph Davis, one of the best female climbers in the world.

I was surprised and impressed to see a Google ad for a program in my area called The Little Gym®. (Not many gymnastics programs are using Google ads.)

The excellent website tells of 300 locations in 21 countries.

Click through if you might be interested.

In order to open a The Little Gym location, a candidate must have a net worth (assets minus liabilities) of at least $250,000. Additionally, the candidate must have $75,000 in liquid assets in order to be considered. …

Franchise opportunity

Leave a comment if you have experience with any of those gyms.

Click through to the official Longines results page for all results.

Click on (PDF) to see just the Women’s Apparatus Finalists.

Thanks melanie.

I’ve seen thousands of pics over the last 2 days.

But the best of all were the series posted by The Big Picture.

Check out The Big Picture.

… But it’s strange I haven’t seen a single routine video as yet.

Thanks to all the bloggers, twitterers, Facebookers and photographers for the many long hours you spent scrambling between the meet and the internet. It was appreciated by those of us who could not be there.

A special thanks to Inside Gymnastics’ Grace Chui. (I believe I’ve linked to her work more than to any other.)

Sweet as.

Congratulations Australia!

1. Bross USA–57.40
2. Porgras ROM–57.30
3. Mitchell AUS–56.675

4. Deng CHN–56.35, 5. Sloan USA-56.075, 6. Kurbatova RUS-55.95, 7. Tsurumi JPN-55.925 8. Yang CHN–55.5, 9. Kaeslin SUI-55.45, 10. Semenova RUS–54.90

Lauren Mitchell is the current National Champion.

Via Sports Girls Play:

Former Olympian and NCAA Champion Gymnast Courtney Kupets was awarded the 2009 Sportswoman of the Year award for an individual sport. Courtney’s list of achievements over the past 4 years while she was competing for University of Georgia are just staggering. Courtney came back from a torn Achilles tendon in her junior year to lead the Gymdogs to a fifth straight NCAA team title and she won the all around, bars, beam and floor titles as well. Throughout her collegiate career, she earned nin individual NCAA championship titles – more than any other gymnast – ever. …

Congratulations. Well deserved.

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

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 13: Gymnasts Shawn Johnson (L) and Courtney Kupets attend the 30th Annual Salute To Women In Sports Awards at The Waldorf=Astoria on October 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

With the highest All-around score only 57.30 through 4 of 5 rotations, it’s not really much going out on a limb to make this prediction.

photo by Grace Chiu

Of course the Preliminary round is quite unimportant for Rebecca, except on those apparatus she wants to qualify for Event Finals.

=== Update:

A pretty good meet, the biggest deduction coming on Beam where she touched her hands on the Patterson dismount, double arabian.

Too bad. She missed her insanely difficult routine in front of the home town crowd.

… first thing I knew about it was when my head hit the floor. …

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

Beth Tweddle’s world title defence comes to disappointing end when she falls in qualifying

Happily, Beth did qualify for the Floor Final.