Gymnastics Coaching.com

The most interesting story on the recent Elite Canada competition is one club – Oakville Gymnastics in Ontario.

They have a terrific coaching staff. Depth. (They are the third largest club in Canada.) And athletes well positioned to make this one of the most important gyms in the nation, especially after the closing of Seneca earlier this year.

Sabrina Gill – Canadian Novice Elite Canada Champion 2008

In fact, Oakville girls finished 1st, 4th, 14th, 16th and 19th in the youngest division, girls born 1996. Just old enough to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

Oakville does not rush kids in competition. They take the long term vision.

I have a lot of confidence these girls can stay healthy and motivated through to the next Olympics.

Here’s some training footage filmed by Head Coach Kelly Manjak, posted on Sabrina’s account.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related posts:

Kelly Manjak – conditioning and bars

Kelly Manjak – gymnastics bars training

Sabrina Gill – gymnastics video

The one time governments are keen to cough up additional funding for sport is when they are about to host the Olympics.

Here’s another US$17 million+ …

Sport England have announced an investment of £480 million to deliver grassroots sporting opportunities and a lasting Olympic legacy of one million people playing more sport.

For English Gymnastics an increased allocation of £11.388M; Mark Gannon, English Gymnastics Chief Executive Officer said,

“English Gymnastics is extremely pleased with the increased support given by Sport England. This support will ensure we are able to achieve the key aims within our Whole Sport Plan to grow the number of new participants in our sport, sustain those already involved and increase the talent pool that underpins the British Gymnastics programme that leads to the world stage.”

46 sports, including all 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sports, have been awarded funding on the basis of their ability to increase the number of people playing and enjoying sport, and to create development pathways for those with talent.

British Gymnastics – English Gymnastics delighted with Sport England funding

Why do I even bother with this site?

Their latest good idea — gone bad — is a “Best of 2008” year end survey.

Though long, flawed and time consuming, I patiently filled out all those questions for which I had a strong answer. And left blank those questions for which they did not offer a good answer.

Finally, at the end when I clicked SUBMIT, this is what I got:

screenshot

Thanks for wasting my time, Inside Gymnastics.

I’ll try to resist the urge to visit your website in future.

related post: Inside Gymnastics bungles again?

The top American Olympic gymnast in 1988, Phoebe Mills, is one of the coaches at the fantastic new 20,000-square-foot “Barn at Copper” in Colorado.

larger version

… “Woodward is the most progressive training environment on the planet for skateboard, BMX and in-line,” Woodward at Copper director Ben Brown said. “And we’re just going to continue that with the first-ever ski and snowboard version.” …

Woodward at Copper will offer a vast array of programs for all ability levels. It currently plans to open before the end of January with about a half-dozen trampolines, three pool- sized foam pits, a 35-foot big air ramp and a “jib park” with interchangeable features covered in a lubricated synthetic snow material. In addition to the resi mats, there is a large springboard gymnastics floor alongside the foam pits. A massive wooden bowl designed for skaters and freestyle bikers fills a corner of the building. …

Denver Post – Opening The Barn door

Woodward truly leads the Action Sport industry. Congratulations.

official website – Woodward at Copper

Back in 2007 I linked to the video of some guy CLIMBING A ROPE WITH ONE ARM.

My GOD.

That’s tough.

Later that year I mentioned the insane video to coaches at Woodward West Gymnastics Camp. Cisco turned to me and said, “That’s me.”

Click PLAY to see Cisco doing 1-finger chin-up on a Ring, or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Don Eckert of saltocafe for posting this.

One of the great names in gymnastics history, Canadian gymnast Jackie Bender, did the best one arm handstands, one arm press, jump to one arm handstand, planche, and reverse planche I’ve ever seen.

She should have been an Acrobatic gymnast.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I was happy to see her featured on the excellent Gymnastics Crossing blog. (Click through to watch her 1991 Beam routine.)

In fact, some of the footage I videotaped myself at a clinic with her coach, Mr. B, at CanAm Gym Club in Saskatoon after the 1991 Canadian National Championships. Good memories.

Universal Sports coverage.

From Nastiafan101:

Vault – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=41BCCI11

Bars – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HMLGGOAR

Beam – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MCTUCNM0

Floor – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4TAO5FR1

There’s a 45 second wait before you can click FREE DOWNLOAD. (That gives you time to ponder purchasing the Premium service, $80 for 2yrs.)

All-in-all, it was not the best World Cup Final ever.

But don’t tell that to the Champions.

FIG

All 3 Aussies took home a medal. Congratulations!

Philippe Rizzo scored a silver on high bar and Lauren Mitchell won beam. Prashanth Sellathurai took bronze on pommels.

Rizzo – source

The Dutch men impressed. Holland took gold — Epke Zonderland on high bar, silver — Jeffrey Wammes Vault — and bronze — Yuri van Gelder Rings.

van Gelder – source

… Globoesporte reported that Diego Hypolito was over the moon with his gold medal on floor.

“I really needed this result,” said the man who suffered a dramatic fall at the end of his Olympic floor routine. “I was psyched and eager to win when I walked onto the floor. … I had to fight back the tears at the end of my performance. I’m very happy to be the first gymnast in the world to win a title in a grand final three times,” said Hypolito, who also won the floor finals at the 2004 and 2006 World Cup Finals. He went on to say, “It was one of the best routines of my life …

Triple Full

China was the most successful nation. But that’s expected now. It’s no longer news.

Gold Bars – He Kexin – source

In fact, the Olympic Champion He Kexin had best upgrade at least one more apparatus if she wants to stay on the Team for Worlds 2009. There are plenty of good bar workers in China. FIG rules have changed to make it more difficult for a specialist to contribute to Team score.

more excellent photos on the official website

Triple Full has been posting follow-up articles on the World Cup Final:

Li Shanshan Shrugs Off Bronze Medal Upset

Dutch Injuries Not Too Bad

World Cup Final: A Few Responses

The multi-billion dollar extravaganza in Beijing is history. Perhaps we’ll never see anything like that again.

The dollars and cents of the Olympics – Money.CNN.com

And though the Olympics is STILL all about the money, the IOC is looking at more frugal events in future.

IOC President Jacques Rogge:

… the size and cost of future Olympics must be kept in check, saying, “We are in a mode for lean Games.”

Alan Abrahamson – Universal Sports

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada just announced a “revised budget” which it says will make it better equipped for the global economic downturn.

The host for 2016 will be decided in Oct. 2009.

Chicago, I think, is the favourite over Rio, Madrid and Tokyo.

But all 4 of those cities will be fighting hard over who will gain the economic windfall of hosting those Games.

It’s hard.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

-Diego Hypolito (BRA)
-Dariya Zgoba (UKR)
-Cheng Fei (CHN)
-Yann Cucherat (FRA)
-Epke Zonderland (NED)
-Lénika de Simone (ESP)
-Alicia Sacramone (USA)
-Jade Barbosa (BRA)
-Diego Hypolito (BRA)
-Daiane dos Santos (BRA)
-Marian Dragulescu (ROU)
-Nastia Liukin (USA)
-He Kexin (CHN)
-Anna Pavlova (RUS)

I’m still impressed with how well Alicia handled it. Her performance was disastrous.

(via gimnastas.net)

Hypolito planned a super hard floor routine for the World Cup Final. And HIT it. His fall in Beijing was the biggest surprise of all to me.