Gymnastics Coaching.com

Here’s an interesting job:

Full Time WAG Coach Wanted

The Yellowknife Gymnastics Club in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories has an immediate opening for a dedicated and enthusiastic Women’s Head Coach to spearhead all aspects of its women’s programs, both recreational and competitive. The Club is a non-profit society and provides gymnastics instruction to over 500 athletes each year from the age of 2 to 18. We are looking for someone who is willing to work with us to improve and expand our competitive and recreational programs. …

… starting at $40,000 (CDN) per annum.

… e-mail to: k_bengts AT hotmail.com

I saw this blurb on the USAG website … while I was posting the Altadore job to start June 1st, 2009.

I’ve been up to the gym in Yellowknife a number of times over the years. They have a proud history. And it’s a remote, fascinating location.

Andrew Thorton on Gymnast did an informal survey of the Best US Gymnasts to Never Make Olympic Team.

Reader’s Picks:

Best U.S. male gymnast to never make the Olympics: David Durante

Best U.S. female gymnast to never make the Olympics: Hollie Vise

Andy’s Picks:

Best U.S. male gymnast to never make the Olympics: Dan Hayden and Jay Thornton

Best U.S. female gymnast to never make the Olympics: Vanessa Atler and Ashley Postell

I voted for Dan Hayden. It was a blunder of the highest magnitude when the USA did not select their National Champion to the 1988 Olympics.

Vanessa Atler and Hollie Vise are great choices.

Hollie was the first WOGA gymnast to capture my imagination. She was World Bars Champion in 2003. Then did not qualify to the 2004 Olympics. Sad.

Click PLAY or watch a montage of Hollie Vise on YouTube.

Hollie was stunning as a Junior when she came to Calgary with the American Team long ago. I recall the main story of that meet from the training gym was that “Marta Karolyi was an idiot. Requiring far too much training from the girls prior to the meet.” There was a strong consensus on that point from everyone I spoke with.

Happily, she’s mellowed a lot since then.

For more commentary and videos on the best American Gymnasts to Never Make Olympic Team click through to Gymnast.

My friends from Cambodia will be excited to travel to Bangkok, Thailand for the biggest competition of their lives.

… the first ever Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships at Fashion Island, Bangkok, from December 5 – 7, 2008. …

Ten national federations have confirmed their participation in the event: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam, bringing the total of participating gymnasts to 122.

FIG – First Asian Championships!

A holiday commercial for Kohl’s featuring La Nouba performers.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

You can enter to win a trip to Orlando to see La Nouba. IF you live in the USA.

I’m a regular coach at this summer camp in Calgary, Canada. Unfortunately, I will not make it for the Christmas camp. But it’s highly recommended.

Mountain Shadows Gymnastics Christmas Camp 2008

December 28th, 29th & 30th

Provincial 1 & 2 Gymnasts 9:00am-12:30pm
(may include 1 evening session Dec 29th, 6-8pm)

(10.5 hours) $105.00 or $45.00/day
Provincial 3-5 Gymnasts 1:30pm-5:00pm & 6:00pm-8:00pm (16.5 hours)
$150.00 or $60.00/day

Mountain Shadows Gym Club
18 Crystalridge Drive
Okotoks, Alberta
T1S 2C3

If you have any questions please call us at (403) 938-0496 or email at msrc @ telus.net.

The Trampoline and Tumbling Elite Development Program Camp in Huntsville was a success.

A nice photo slideshow by Laura Baer is posted on Smilebox.

(via Tramp and Tumble)

I have a Romanian coach at my gym still learning the differences between the gym cultures in Canada and his homeland. It’s a challenge.

Here Latvian coach Sergei Pakanich, who coaches the excellent men’s team at WOGA in Texas, “talks about the differences in the Soviet system he grew up in versus coaching in America”.

Now working with his 4th generation of American gymnasts, he’s much more “laid back”.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike.
http://www.gymnastike.org/assets/portal/add_ons/mediaplayer-3-16/mediaplayer.swf

Visit Gymnastike.org For More Videos

Another extreme sport I don’t want to try.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Straight to the Bar)

Gymnastics for All is a wonderful concept.

However, our demanding sport is MUCH easier for youth.

An FIG event in the Canary Islands offered some interesting workshops for adults:

… targeting gymnasts 50 years and older and coined the “Golden Age Gym Festival”. The festival will put to good use the existing infrastructures in Grand Canary, and will be an opportunity to profit from the expertise of local organiser Jose Télo. A diverse line-up of sporting activities has been grouped into more than 20 workshops. To name a just a few: Aqua Gym Fitness – FunHydro Bio – Fit Ball Wellness – Tai Chi Chuan for beginners and advanced – Latin Aerobics – Line Dance – Chrisrobic – Flamenco Dance – Baile Salsa – Nordic Walking. All courses will be given by highly qualified instructors. …

Traditional Festival Blume

OK. Nordic walking is not an activity that anyone would call “gymnastics”.

But this is an interesting initiative. Expanding the definition of our sport.

I hear very good things about the FIG Sport for All organization , by the way.

The bible for me has always been Bompa.

Periodization Training For Sports

Some pages of the book are available as a preview free online from Google Books.

But rather than fill in the complicated YTP (Yearly Training Plan) forms that he recommends, I’d love to use an online version.

Features should include:

access for multiple coaches

access for the athlete

reports for individual athletes in a training group

The best I’ve seen in the past have been Excel spread sheets.

But an online database would be easier.

Leave a comment if you can recommend anything like that.