Gymnastics Coaching.com

Past & Present Gymnastics reports on BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) gymnastics competition.

I had not even realized that it existed in the U.K.

Gymnasts can compete in Grade 1 or grade 2.

Grade 1

Grade 1 operates under the FIG code of points and gymnasts can only enter individually (there is no team event). Gymnasts compete on all four events and only all around medals are awarded. There are no individual apparatus finals. Last year, four gymnasts entered into the women’s category, while eight entered into the men’s category.

The women’s champion was Nina Dearman of Manchester University, who finished with a score of 53.500. Nina is also a member of the English National Squad. …

The men’s champion was Steven Jehu, of Leeds Met University who finished with a score of 86.400, who went on to represent Britain at the World Student Games in Bangkok. Steven has now graduated and hopes to compete in London 2012, so look out for him!

Grade 2

Grade 2 operates under a modified version of the difficulty+execution code of points. …

Gymnasts compete on three apparatus only and all around, apparatus and team medals are awarded. Gymnasts competing in grade 1 must also compete in grade 2 to represent their team but are not eligible to win individual medals.

Last year, the winning team on the women’s side was Loughborough, the all around champion was Vikki Johns of Leeds University.

The vast majority of gymnasts compete in grade 2, with 68 entries last year, including 14 teams. Sadly, gymnastics in Universities is very badly funded in most universities, with the vast majority not having their own gyms. The only Universities with their own gyms (that I know of) are Loughborough, UWIC and Leeds Metroploitan (correct me if I’m wrong). Further problems include a lack of sponsorship, scholarships and publicity.

Loughborough

Click through for videos – Past & Present Gymnastics – British University Gymnastics

Official University gymnastics in Canada is long dead. I dream of the day Canadian schools may compete officially in the NCAA. Currently, University of Calgary competes in the States at least once a year. Unofficially. Last year the Canucks competed at Minnesota.

Leave a comment if you are aware of other University gymnastics competitions around the world. We’d like to link to them.

Not my 10 favorites.

Elvira?

This list was posted by the double salto blog:

Chow

Kelli Hill

Yevgeny Marchenko

Alexander Alexandrov

Adrian Goreac

Nicolae Forminte

Galina Marinova

Boris Pilkin

Elvira Saadi

Kim Zmeskal

Kim Zmeskal – photo credits Tim de Frisco and Jim McIsaac – About.com

Read the post for whys and what fors – my 10 favorite coaches

I did chuckle at the comic reference to Steve Nunno in the post. Steve, now retired, was by far the worst and most embarrassing of the famous international coaches I ever met. I’m still shocked he was ever able to train a gymnast as wonderful as Shannon Miller.

Perhaps double salto can be persuaded to post a “10 least favorite gymnastics coaches” list.

Dana Peart of Utah State University Aggies does a flip throw at a soccer game against the Idaho State University Bengals. USU won the game 1-0 in OT with a Dana Peart goal!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The handspring throw in is a type of throw-in, rarely used in competitive games, where the player completes a front handspring while still holding onto the ball. This is used for long throw ins and for throw ins used a lot alike to a corner kick. This type of throw in follows all of the rules that the player must have both feet on the ground when he/she is releasing the ball, the ball is being thrown from behind the head, and the ball is being thrown with equal force by both hands. Strong abdominal muscles are required for this throw in. …

Wikipedia

(via berryblue on Gym Chat)

Universal Sports coverage.

From Nastiafan101:

MAG Floor
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LLL4VBO4

Pommel Horse
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G83GUMA0

Rings
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SREELPK6

Vault
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TWQ3DJ1E

PBars
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UG6BNAAM

High Bar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=REOH5YHG

I’m REALLY looking forward to shorter, more spectacular routines in the next quadrennial.

All the changes I’ve heard rumoured have been improvements.

Now this:

… the real question floating around message boards is whether the FIG has decided to scrap the new eight-element requirement on bars, beam and floor to return to the 10-element requirement of the previous quad. A lot of gymnastics fans heralded this as an attempt by the FIG to reemphasize good choreography and dance. But rumor has it that because MAG didn’t want to change from 10 to 8, the FIG may have decided to keep WAG at 10 for consistency’s sake. …

The C Score – Where is the 2009 Code of Points?

That would be a HUGE mistake.

The always endearing Olympic Beam Champion just updated her blog.

She’s working with a personal trainer to get back in shape. And next week she’ll become the first athlete ever on a box of Cheerios cereal. Nice.

Oh, and just in time for Christmas, a new book is coming out:

… a fun little scrapbook/ magazine book cming out for sale with hundreds of fun behind the scenes pictures and thoughts from the past 13 years of my career …

Amazon

The best documentary I’ve seen yet on the famed program. Despite persistent predictions of eventual collapse, the superpower in our sport continues to be very competitive.

It includes many Romanian gymnasts including Izbasa, Nistor, Patrascu, Druncea, Grigore, Tarmijan etc. It talks about the environment at Deva as well as the girls individually. Check it out, it’s worth a watch. It’s in Romanian with English subtitles.

Past & Present Gymnastics

… 2 months before the Olympic Games.

Click PLAY or watch Part 1 of 8 on YouTube.

Part 2 of 8.

Part 3 of 8.

Part 4 of 8.

Part 5 of 8.

Part 6 of 8.

Part 7 of 8.

Part 8 of 8.

related post: Romanian gymnastics – crisis what crisis?

Backyard trampolines are too dangerous. Kids should do tramp supervised by qualified coaches on proper equipment.

This documentary confirms the risk.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Related posts:

are backyard trampolines safe?

“spring free” trampolines

Triple Full posted an excellent overview: China’s Strategy for the Next Four Years

Have you found yourself wondering, like we have, why China is sending almost its entire gold-medal-winning Olympic squad to the World Cup Final at a time when other countries can’t be bothered to send even one gymnast to Spain?

Good question.

… Apparently Cheng Fei, Jiang Yuyuan, Yang Yilin, He Kexin, and Li Shanshan will fly to Madrid tomorrow …

Show China

And why are the Chinese men not attending the World Cup Final?

… the International Gymnastics Federation will soon start using new rules. Once the new rules are in effect, all-around gymnasts will play an even more prominent role on the team than they do now. But as far as our team is concerned, once Yang Wei and Li Xiaopeng have retired, we’ll have very few all-arounders,” said Huang Yubin. 　

Read the analysis on Triple Full.

Personally, I’m very happy the Chinese women are heading for Spain.

I’d love to see the World Cup survive and thrive.

Associated Press reports some good news:

Olympic gold medalist Peter Vidmar was elected chairman of the USA Gymnastics board of directors Monday, and will be joined in the group by 1984 all-around champion Mary Lou Retton.

Vidmar and Retton, elected to one of four public sector positions on the board, each will serve four-year terms. Ron Froelich, chair of USA Gymnastics, was named chairman emeritus.

…

“Peter’s experience as a gymnast at every level and as a successful business person provides a strong combination for the chairman for USA Gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “He understands every facet of the sport, and is a recognized leader within the gymnastics community.”

USA Gymnastics announced in November 2007 that it was restructuring its board, paring the group from 48 members to 20. In addition to the chairman, the board now has two representatives each from the men’s and women’s programs; one each from rhythmic gymnastics; trampoline and tumbling; and acrobatics; five athlete representatives; four members from the public sector; and three from an advisory council that represents independent gymnastics organizations.

ESPN

Vidmar is a class guy widely respected in the gymnastics community.

Congratulations.

UPDATE: commentary on C Score – All hail: Peter Vidmar named new chairman of USAG