strength – front lever chin-ups

<img align="right" border="0" hspace="10" vspace="5" blockquote id="image7217" src="https://gymnasticscoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Coach-Sommer.jpg&quot; alt="Coach-Sommer.jpg" / Coach Sommer of GymnasticBodies is one of the top strength training experts in the world.

Yewkis are a multi-plane pulling movement which simultaneously incorporates a pull-up, a bodyweight row and a front lever.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I like this drill even for young and beginner gymnasts. It’s ideal for girls, as well.

more conditioning videos from Coach Sommer on YouTube

Coach Sommer is offering a 2-day clinic May 23-24th at Woodward West, California. Thanks Blair Lowe for the tip.

related – Team USA gymnast Yewki Tomita

Evolution of Dance 2

The sequel to the immensely popular Evolution of Dance YouTube sensation is here.

It’s funny. Judson Laipply goofs on dance cliches from over the decades. But I don’t think this one will go viral like the first.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Evolution of Dance 2 has finally — finally — been released. After a long gestation, during which he dealt with song clearances, sponsorships and hosting (back story here), inspirational speaker Judson Laipply has put out the sequel to his chart-topping Evolution of Dance snap-shot tour of dancing styles through the ages. …

NewTeeVee

giant gymnastics murals at Gold Cup

GymnastTV posted a nice feature on Gold Cup Gymnastics in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Coach founder Ed Burch hand painted murals of 4 of his gymnasts that went on to compete at the Olympics: 2008 Olympian Joey Hagerty, 1996 Olympians Mihai Bagiu, 1992 Olympic gold medalist Trent Dimas and team mate Lance Ringnald.

Joey-Hagerty.jpg

Chainey Umphrey, the 5th Olympian from Gold Cup, declined to have a giant mural. Modest, I assume.

see the other paintings on GymnastTV – Gold Cup Gymnastics’ Wall of Fame

American Cup competitors

The Men’s field looks stronger than the Women’s. I’m extremely happy David Sender is competing. (He missed out on the Beijing Olympics due to a fluke ankle injury.)

Sender.jpg

Men
Benoit Caranobe, France
Fabian Hambuechen, Germany
Koji Uematsu, Japan
Luis Rivera, Puerto Rico
Flavius Koczi, Romania
Yury Ryazanov, Russia
Joseph Hagerty, USA
David Sender, USA
Jose Luis Fuentes, Venezuela
TBD: two U.S. and one international

USOC – 2009 Tyson American Cup features mix of world’s top gymnasts and rising stars

StickitMedia speculates that the final two American Men will be selected based on results of the 2009 Winter Cup.

Women
Brittany Rogers, Canada
Kim Bui, Germany
Rebecca Downie, Great Britain
Koko Tsurumi, Japan
Ksenia Afanasyeva, Russia
Bridget Sloan, USA
Jordyn Wieber, USA
Jessica Lopez, Venezuela
TBD: two U.S. and two international

Gymblog is surprised no Romanian woman was named. We expected Ana Maria Tămârjan.

Russian gymnastics photos posted on kellichka mikhailovna Live Journal account.

Russian-gymnast.jpg
Ksenia Afanasyeva – more photos

3D animation horizontal bar

UPDATE: The creator Anton explains that the odd skill that looks like Def was an accident. (He originally intended it to be a Geinger, but it did not turn out that way.)

SavaToxa used 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio MAX) software to create this routine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

JO National Invitational Tournament

A new competition is being added to the Junior Olympic Level 10 Women’s Championships weekend. This will allow even more competitors to compete at Nationals.

From Connie Maloney, Women’s Jr. Olympic Program Director, by email:

The JO-NIT will be held for the first time. Gymnasts placing 8, 9 & 10 AA per age division at the Regional meet will qualify, plus any Regional event champion who did not qualify to JO Nationals or the NIT will qualify to the JO-NIT. It is an individual competition only (no Regional teams).

Schedule is:

Thurs. training for JO Nationals competitors

Fri. Competition for Junior and Senior A & B

Sat. Competition for Junior and Senior C & D

Sun. JO-NIT for All 8 age divisions.

Details are not yet posted on the USA Gymnastics website. This is an event still in development.

Normally the “College Bound” competition is hosted in conjunction with this event, as well, on the Thursday.

I was there in Orlando last year. Awesome.

For 2009 it’s being hosted near Seattle.

JO-Nationals.jpg

Puyallup Fair Showplex, Washington. May 15- 17, 2009

NCAA Men’s Gymnastics – Stanford

Last season Stanford was expected to win Championships at home, easily. Here’s the promo clip on YouTube.

But Stanford lost that meet in a shocking upset by Oklahoma.

The Men’s 2009 season is beginning.

Friday, Jan 16th Stanford takes on crosstown rival Cal Berkeley.

Cal won that meet last season, as I recall.

Unlike the strange and wonderful Women’s NCAA meets, where you need a 9.95 / 10.0 to win, the American College Men compete straight F.I.G.

It’s tough.

Check out Josh Dixon in a preseason mock meet on Floor on YouTube.

Amazing!

Stanford will be out for redemption in 2009.

Thanks Gym Fan.

gymnast Blaine Wilson expecting

… Olympian Blaine Wilson … married former RSG athlete Aliane Baquerot (Wedding Bells for Blaine Wilson!) during the Reno stop on the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars. Blaine expressed their desire to start a family in a phone call shortly after the surprise wedding. Today 1996 Olympic teammate Mihai Bagiu spoke with Blaine and shared the exciting news he and Aliane are expecting their first baby in August! Wilson has a six year-old daughter, Wakaya, from a previous marriage. …

GymnastTV – Stork planning a summer delivery!

Utah v UCLA by the numbers

Posted by Head Coach Greg Marsden:

Attendance:
12,951

Live online streaming video views by country:

1 USA 842
2 Canada 78
3 New Zealand 21
4 United Kingdom 19
5 Australia 2
6 Portugal 2
7 Singapore 2
8 Germany 1
9 Spain 1

Tape delay Television broadcasts:
Jan. 11, 11:00 a.m. MT (ABC-4)
Jan. 15, 8:00 p.m. MT (The Mtn)
Comcast On Demand

Utah.jpg

College Gymnasics Board – Utah vs. UCLA by the numbers

vampire gymnasts

Some of the older girls in my gym — like most gyms — are seriously into the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer.

vampire-gymnast.jpg

One old coach is even reading them right now – my review of book 1 and the movie

Leave a comment if you have any vampire gymnasts in your own club.