Gymnastics Coaching.com

Too bad.

… 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, has withdrawn her name from consideration for selection to the U.S. Team for the 2009 World Championships, Oct. 13-18, in London, England. The first selection camp for the women’s team is slated to start on Sept. 8 at the Women’s National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.

“I have given a lot of thought to this since the 2009 Visa Championships,” said Liukin, who competed in the Visa Championships in Dallas earlier this month. “Getting back into the gym and competition has been a major goal for me this summer, and I have worked hard to balance my training and obligations. This past year has been wonderful and a whirlwind. With the selection process for Worlds beginning next week, I realized I need to take some time to get myself where I need and want to be competitively. Competing at a World Championships is an incredible experience, and I look forward to supporting my teammates as they prepare for London.

“The 2012 Olympics in London remain an important goal for me. I have more to accomplish in this sport.” …

read more – USAG

These are the unimportant World Championships, after all.

I expect we’ll see more big names withdraw from countries around the globe. It reminds me that Kyle Shewfelt did not compete at World Championships 2001 … but went on to win Floor in 2004.

In a 4yr cycle, this is a good time for a “rest”.

UPDATE:

Andy Thornton has posted some detailed analysis on the future of the team, as well, on American Gymnast:

Alexander Alexandrov was the head coach for the teams that many would consider to be the most dominant in women’s gymnastics history – the 1989 and 1991 world championship and 1992 Olympic gold medal teams from the Soviet Union. He coached gymnasts like Svetlana Boguinskaya, Natalia Laschenova, Tatiana Lysenko, Tatiana Gutsu, and even recently retired Oksana Chusovitina back when they set a standard for the sport that some would argue has never been reached again. That era is exactly the period of gymnastics many of us think of when we refer to the “good ole’ days,” when the sport centered around beauty, innovation, and originality – and the gymnasts were actually rewarded for it. …

This week’s Russian Cup forecasts a bright future for the Russian women…

Four young Russian stars destined to be world all-around contenders…

==== original post:

Blythe on her new Gymnastics Examiner blog posted some commentary and highlight routines.

Click PLAY or watch Ekaterina Kurbatova on Bars. (Tkachev > Pak > Khorkina II directly connected.)

click through for more – A few thoughts on the Russian Cup

Mental preparation for competition is extremely important. In this gymnastic tip, Mary Lee Tracy talks about how her athletes prepare.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The Gymnastics Minute is a series of free introductory video tips produced by GymSmarts.

related post: Dance with Arm Weights – Tammy Biggs

Alex Seifert of Calgary made history on Saturday at a World Cup trampoline and tumbling competition. Seifert not only earned his first career World Cup medal with a third place finish in men’s tumbling but also collected the first ever World Cup podium for Canada in men’s tumbling.

Andrey Krylov of Russia won the gold medal with 73.80 points in the final. Kalon Ludvigson of the U.S., was second at 73.70 and Seifert, 19, took the bronze at 69.50. He was fourth in Friday`s preliminaries. …

read more on Gymnastics Canada

Alex and the rest of the best in the world are getting ready for …

2009 World Championships and World Age-Group Championships
DATES: World Championships – November 7-15
World Age-Group Championships – November 14-22
LOCATION: St. Petersburg, Russia

Not surprisingly, it’s from a blog called Ruining The Internet – One Post at a Time.

Take away that guy’s Photoshop.

The excellent annual coach education weekend in Canada has been announced. Vancouver September 25-27, 2009.

Keynote Speakers:

Jamie Atkin (Trampoline Gymnastics Head Coach at Airdrie Edge Gymnastics Club in Alberta) and Lisa Cowan (2006 Artistic Women’s National Level Coach of the Year by Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique).

Other presenters include Andrée Montreuil, Jeff Pauliuk, Nancy Beyer, and many more.

Coast Tsawwassen Inn, 1665 – 56th Street, Tsawwassen, BC
Delta Gymnastics, 1720 – 56th Street, Tsawwassen, BC

preliminary schedule on the official home page

Amy recommended “Time to Wake up“.

Must admit … it’s catchy. I immediately bought it on iTunes, just to support an ex-gymnast.

2004 Olympic all-around champ Carly Patterson has released her first album, Back to the Beginning with Musicmind Records. Patterson, now 20, names Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera as her musical influences. Her previously released single, Temporary Life (Ordinary Girl) is on this album, along with 10 other tracks. (She co-wrote half of them.)

About.com Gymnastics

Hmm. iTunes recommends Rockstar by Jordan McCoy … if I like Carly. Something tells me I don’t fit the demographic for a Carly Patterson fan.

I haven’t visited MySpace in years so haven’t had to endure those incredibly ugly web pages.

YouTube seems to be taking up where MySpace left off.

Is Carly’s YouTube channel home page hard to read, or what?

Mike Outram linked to some video from bar-barians.

Not gymnasts. But I was impressed by 16yr-old Biggie doing 1-arm chin-ups.

Click PLAY or watch some training on YouTube.

Check out the website – bar-barians.com Elite Bodyweight Traiing

Seems to be a trend. Gymnasts as runway models.

Click through for a link to the video on Facebook:

… British gymnasts, including Becky Downie, Beth Tweddle and Marissa King, are walking the runway in leotards for Milano. …

GymNiceTic

AKA Markelov

The highest I’ve ever seen.

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

Results of the last competition in Russia:

1. Aliya Mustafina– 59,434
2. Kseniya Afanasyeva – 57,034
3. Anna Dementyeva – 55,133

(via lblg)

More videos from the 2009 Russian Championships on a dedicated YouTube channel – RussianCup2009

I’m surprised at Mustafina’s high AA score after seeing her form and handstands on Bars.

Gymnastics Examiner reports:

… Aliya Mustafina, 2009 European Youth Olympic Festival Champion Viktoria Komova and 2008 Junior European Champion Tatiana Nabieva — are age-ineligible for the London World Championships in October. …