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The official 2009 UCLA Gymnastics Intro Video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Francesca Ciappetta.

Do you like the promo?

Or find it cheesy?

What NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Teams will qualify to the Team Finals?

You saw it here first …


Georgia
Utah
Alabama
Stanford
UCLA
LSU

There’s a good thread on College Gymnastics Board.

Consensus is that the near locks to qualify to the last day of Championships are:

Georgia
Utah

Next, UCLA.

Then, Stanford, Alabama.

Finally, …

consistent Auburn?

troubled Florida?

talented Oregon?

_______ Arkansas?

_______ Michigan?

My gut tells me LSU will again qualify to Super Six. They are peaking at the right time. Susan Jackson is at an all-time best. (She just scored 39.70. That’s enough to win NCAAs.)

read more commentary – College Gymnastics Board – Super Six Predictions

First the teams need to get through Regional Championships April 4th.

A Facebook page was set up by Adam Benas to help mobilize people against Texas Legislature Online Bill: SB 68.

Overzealous politicians are trying to “improve” gymnastics clubs by putting them under the same minimum standards required by day-care centers.

Stupid.

Senate Bill 68 overview:

If you have children who train 10 hours or more a week in your facility – you will be required to be child care licensed by the state of Texas. This licensing will require your facility to meet all the minimum standards set by child care licensing (most gyms will not be able to meet these requirements which will include bathroom sink/toilet ratios in compliance with child care standards, out door playground, Child Care certification of workers and director, sprinkler systems that not only meet building code but also meet child care standards and climbing structures with safety fall zones). Uneven bars would be considered a climbing structure and would not pass child care regulations. This bill passed the Senate Sub Committee unanimously yesterday. …

Facebook – Save Texas Gymnastics!

Join this group to show your support against the proposed new Texas legislation.

Personal shout out to my long time friend Calvin Welden.

On January 1st I took over as Men’s Head Coach of Altadore Gymnastics Club … in addition to my duties as Technical Director and Women’s Head Coach.

Cal offered to come “out of retirement” — he had a real job — to help me coach the boys.

larger version – flickr

Now, starting April, Cal has agreed to become interim Head Coach of the competing Altadore boys. They are looking good. Routines almost ready.

We are rebuilding the Men’s program.

THANKS CAL.

Think Nastia has a “perfect” press?

original – flickr

Can she do this?

Click PLAY or watch Shaolin Kung Fu / Wushu – Qi Gong – Two Finger Zen on YouTube.

Leave a comment if you can confirm this is REAL. It’s very hard to believe.

(via Scott Bird on Straight to the Bar)

I had to use Google Translate to read the most interesting Beautiful Gymnastics Sports shame that it’s not popular in Poland blog.

Click on the link to read the English version of the original in Polish.

Marta Pihan-Kulesza from Poland just won Beam at the World Cup.

And, of course, most everyone in the world has been a fan of Leszek Blanik, the Olympic Vault Champion.

He was the first to perform a handspring double front vault in piked position which now has been named after him.

Even Olympic Champions should be deducted for the near inevitable leg separation on Tsukahara vaults. As a judge, I always take a deduction.

daylife

Coach Ed Vincent showed me a series of these instructional videos subtitled in French.

Interesting.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Leave a comment if you know the source.

From Linsul on Chalk Bucket:

This was sent out by Diane Callison of Texas USA Gymnastics. This only affects our state, please read it as it has potential to HUGELY impact our sport of choice. Cliffnotes: a senator is getting a bill voted on soon that would require facilities where kids train more than 10 hours a week to be child care licensed. All the ways that would impact gyms, coaches, athletes, and parents are listed below …

Texas Senate and House Bills that will affect the Sport Of Gymnastics

Some of you are aware that we have proposed bills in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives that will affect our future in the sport of gymnastics.

All of these bills are posted on txusag.com and on the Texas legislative websites.

Senate Bill 68 overview: If you have children who train 10 hours or more a week in your facility – you will be required to be child care licensed by the state of Texas. This licensing will require your facility to meet all the minimum standards set by child care licensing (most gyms will not be able to meet these requirements which will include bathroom sink/toilet ratios in compliance with child care standards, out door playground, Child Care certification of workers and director, sprinkler systems that not only meet building code but also meet child care standards and climbing structures with safety fall zones). Uneven bars would be considered a climbing structure and would not pass child care regulations. This bill passed the Senate Sub Committee unanimously yesterday. …

Obviously this legislation is idiotic.

It reminds me of the time the Fire Inspector told us to put a fence around the foam pit so kids would not “fall in”.

If you are from Texas, click through to see what you can do to protest this insanity:

Chalk Bucket – TEXAS Parents and Gymnasts PLEASE READ. Time to rabble so grab your pitchfork

I saw this first on Lightbulb Hands.

West Des Moines gymnast and television star Shawn Johnson remains shaken by the arrest of a deranged fan who came to the set of “Dancing With the Stars” with loaded weapons in an attempt to find the Olympic gold medalist.

Details of a restraining order granted today in California outlined the arrest of Robert O’Ryan.

Documents allege O’Ryan, 34, jumped a fence Monday in an attempt to locate Johnson. A search of O’Ryan’s car revealed two loaded guns, duct tape, zip ties and the 17-year-old Johnson is “in fear of her life,” according to court records.

…

Ryan was arrested Tuesday by Los Angeles police.

Court records indicated both guns in O’Ryan’s car were loaded. Duct tape and love letters also were in the car and Johnson’s mother, Teri, said police told her O’Ryan believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter.

Documents also alleged O’Ryan “believes that she speaks to him personally through the television set and through ESP.”

…

In the brief interview with WHO, Shawn Johnson search for a bit of humor in the fact that she now employs a bodyguard.

“I have a new big brother who goes everywhere with me,” Johnson joked. “He weighs about 400 pounds.” …

Des Moines Register

Access Hollywood

First we learned that Yukio Endo had died at age-72.

Now a former world rhythmic champion, Irina Gabashvili, dies at age-48. Both had been fighting Cancer.

From USA Gymnastics:

Irina Gabashvili of Tigard, Ore., a former world rhythmic gymnastics champion who has coached in the United States since 2000, died today at age 48 after a five-year battle with cancer. …

Gabashvili won the world title for ball at the 1979 World Championships in London, England. After joining the Soviet National Team at 16 years old, she competed for the former Soviet Union for seven years. A graduate of Georgia State University in the former Soviet Union, she immigrated to the United States in 2000 after a seven-year stint as the head of the Malaysian Rhythmic National Team. She was a coach at Westside Gymnastics Academy in Portland, Ore., where she worked with Danielle Lord who was a member of the 2001 U.S. World Championships Team. In addition to coaching, Gabashvili was a rhythmic gymnastics judge. She recently became involved with aesthetic gymnastics and her team medaled at the 2008 World Aesthetic Championships in Spain. Gabashvili, who was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, is survived by her husband and sister.

via All Gymnastics, All the Time