Gymnastics Coaching.com

The Couch Gymnast posted yet another original, well-researched article listing many up-and-coming Jr. Gymnasts around the world. Who will come into prominence as Seniors over the next Olympic cycle?

They even poke fun at the Chinese program with this photo:

Included are:

USA: Bross and Shapiro and Wieber

Russia: Tatiana Nabieva, Aliya Mustafina

France: Youna Dufournet

England: Nicole Hibbert, Danusia Francis

Canada: Peng Peng Lee, Dominique Pegg, Charlotte Mackie

Romania: Amelia Racea, Larisa Lordache and Diana Chelaru

Australia: Britt Greeley

Italy: Paola Galante

Japan: Shizuka Tozawa, Erica Lynn Danko

Netherlands: Nastasja Blind, Celine De Gerner

Brazil: Khiunai Dias, Ethione Franco

Belgium: Jolien Eggermont

Mexico: Daniele Espinosa

Ukraine: Natalia Kononenko

Click through to the Couch Gymnast for photos and details: Something to look forward to…

Leave a comment if you want to add to the list.

Here’s the superbly elegant Samantha Shapiro. Click PLAY or watch her beam from Gymnix 2008 Finals on YouTube.

A more important question: Which of these talents will not be able to handle the intense demands of the code of points as an all-arounder?

Many of those listed above show “loose” form on very difficult routines. That lack of control makes me worry about injury.

Will rule changes to be finalized in October make the sport “easier”?

I predict the biggest “stars” of the London Olympics will be specialists.

related: Up-and-coming juniors Part I: Russia and Romania – The C Score

MissEducated and Tuesday both recommended as “highest 1/1 twist on beam” that shown by Chinese double Olympian Kui Yuanyuan.

Click PLAY or watch her Atlanta Beam routine on YouTube.

I agree.

That’s the most awesome that has ever been done.

Compare Kui Yuanyuan with the rest on this montage of beam 1/1 twists. (I’m shocked so many different gymnasts have done it.)

Click PLAY or watch the montage on YouTube.

When this skill was first invented — many years ago — we had a gymnast named Christine Wallat who did 10 every workout.

I stopped to watch every one. It’s an unbelievable skill to see live.

On May 12, 2006, Donnellan walked onto a tumbling mat at Tucson’s Gymnastics World and did a single front flip, a move he’d done daily for seven years.

But that day, the 16-year-old Salpointe Catholic High School sophomore over-rotated and, in less time than it takes to give your best friend a high-five, fractured two vertebrae and damaged his spinal cord. …

Today Drew is age-18, a freshman at the University of Arizona.

The Tuscon Citizen posted a major article on Drew’s life after the accident:

Life at college has been an adjustment, but mostly in a good way, he said. He learned how to operate the elevator controls, something he couldn’t do before, and he loves being away from regimented high school schedules.

He doesn’t really have a social life yet, but is considering joining a Methodist campus ministry at UA and possibly the UA Adaptive Athletics quad-rugby team.

“I’ve pushed a quad chair,” he said. “I’m not very fast, but I can push it. I think it might be fun.”

read the entire article – Paralyzed gymnast’s promise: No self-pity

Hang in there Drew. We are cheering for you.

by site editor Rick McCharles

This coming weekend I’ll be presenting at the annual conference in gorgeous Nova Scotia.

Hosted by Gymnastics Nova Scotia.

In the Recreation Stream:

Building Better Circuits

Best gymnastics Games, Effective Warm-ups

In the Men’s Artistic Competitive Stream:

Horizontal Bar Skills

Parallel Bar Skills

Pommel Skills

Rings Strength Elements from Basic to Advanced

I’ll report here on all highlights from that meet-up.

On Gymnast.com:

Butter Sculpture of Shawn Johnson

Shawn certainly is a big celebrity right now!

larger original – flickr – jlantzy<img id="image6231"

We posted the “Crockett” in training already.

But I did not realize Jeff had “competed” the skill in the USA Winter Cup Skill Challenge.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Outrageous.

I’m still waiting for a female gymnast to show Jaeger 1/1 twist. (Certainly Olympic Champion He Kexin could do it.)

(via Gymnast.com)

Here’s the best video translation of the interview which forced Bruno Grandi and the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate age falsification of Chinese gymnasts Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao at the 2000 Olympics.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, questions arose regarding five of the six women on China’s gymnastics team. Evidence surfaced which indicated that the Chinese government many have falsified the athletes’ passports to pass the girls off as sixteen – the minimum age required for Olympic gymnastic competition. While the International Gymnastic Federation continues its investigation into the allegations, additional evidence has come to light which illustrates China’s habitual deceit and manipulation of the truth.

That evidence is presented here, translated for the first time into English, so the world can decide. The setting is the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where Yang Yun, an inexperienced Chinese gymnast won medals & captured hearts by surprisingly competing head-to-head against gymnastics legend, Svetlana Khorkina.

Yang Yun’s passport said she was sixteen.

Yang Yun says she was fourteen.

In this interview produced by state-run Chinese television, the truth finally comes forward behind the curtain of manipulation, misinformation, and deception.

Produced by Stryde Hax & HeatherShow.com
Translations by Cindy
Subtitles by Heather Lawver

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Yang Yun is today a TV journalist, charismatic and intelligent.

I hope she admits the truth to investigators.

I hope she marries her Olympic Champion fiance Yang Wei and they live happily ever after.

However, there is almost certainly going to be extreme pressure from the National government on Yang Yun to claim some sort of error was made in that interview.

She hinted to A.P. that she might have “misspoken”.

read more – Yang Yun: China’s Habitual Deceit – Heather Show

related: Sydney Olympic medallists dragged into gymnastics probe

Did you see this?

Us Weekly shares the inspirational stories of Olympic gymnasts Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel as well as Michael Phelps’ transformation from a bullied schoolkid to record-breaking swimmer.

Of course celebrity mags like this are always looking for an extreme story line:

Liukin, 18, has won four medals at the games – including the silver following a controversial tie-break – but she’s had her moments of doubt.

Just a few months ago, Liukin considered quitting, her best friend and training partner Katie Matusik tells Us …

EXCLUSIVE: Pal: Olympian Nastia Liukin Wanted to “Give Up” Gymnastics – Us Magazine

(via difficulty plus execution)

UPDATE: Farewell party

All parents and gymnasts are welcome to stop by the gym tonight, Tuesday, September 30th at 8:45pm to wish him well.

DeVeau’s

Live.Breath.Love Gymnastics reports a rumour that Olympic gymnast Samantha Peszek’s coach Peter Zhao is moving back to China.

There’s more detail on a new blog, The C Score:

This leaves Peszek at a gym with no qualified elite coach at Deveau’s in Fishers, Indiana. Rumor has it that she could go to Sharp’s, or even Chow’s.

…

Of the other two gyms, I think Sharp’s seems more likely. It’s in West Indianapolis, which is clearly closer than Iowa, and Peszek is one of those few elite gymnasts who actually goes to a real school, Cathedral High. (On that subject, anyone who does elite gymnastics while attending a regular school is leaps and bounds above everyone else.) Peszek would be training there with Bridget Sloan, fellow 2008 Olympic team member. …

Peter Zhao returning to China

Of course this is all speculation at this point. But that’s what blogs are for.

Coincidentally I was speaking with a Chinese coach by phone today. He told me salaries for coaches are very good in China right now. Fewer will be wanting to leave China for coaching abroad in future.

I’ve heard the same thing about Russia. Salaries have increased dramatically in recent years.

Gymnast.com interviews U.S. Women’s National Team members.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via I-Heart-Beam on Chalk Bucket)