Gymnastics Coaching.com

13th-18th October 2009

The O2 Arena, London

This World Championships — Individual apparatus only — may be something of a letdown as many top Olympians from 2008 will have retired. Nastia says it’s definitely possible she will be there. That would be a huge coup for the media and meet organizers.

Tickets are already available.

I’ve been talking to Tom Kovic of Victory Collegiate Consulting regarding best practice for athletes from around the world to apply for Athletic Scholarship in the NCAA. Tom was for many years a Collegiate coach in the States and is an ideal consultant for coaches, parents and athletes.

Victory can walk you through the entire process. Or simply provide advice and answer questions as you make your own application and video.

Highly recommended.

You should be talking to Tom now if you have athletes looking to go away to College in September 2009.

Victory Collegiate Consulting

mendwillie from Brazil posted an Olympic highlights montage.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

No telling how long this will last before being removed.

Thanks mr solis.

The Tour in the States kicked off in Reno, Nevada.

Inside Gymnastics has a 6 page write-up including some interesting athlete interviews. I especially liked those with Jonathan Horton:

… “So far, they’ve treated us like rock stars,” Horton said. “It’s great, and not like my normal life at all. I don’t think I really realized how many people watch the Olympics until I got home and started being approached, just, everywhere. I can’t even go to a restaurant without someone asking for an autograph and it’s like, ‘How do you know me?’ It takes a minute to realize they watched me on TV. …

Gymnast celebrities. How about that.

… they’ll rack up 13,011 miles during 38 exhibition performances in 70 days on the 2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars. …

Hitting The Road – Inside Gymnastics

Kids often bring cupcakes to gym on their birthday. Either to celebrate with their team … or get their coaches to overeat.

I’m often tempted to ban the cupcake tradition.

… but these ones are OK.

larger original – flickr – Ally Cake Designs

A new blog, THE COUCH GYMNAST, gave a tribute to the most artistic of Artistic Gymnasts:

… dedicated to the girls who were the best at putting stuff between the tumbles!

Lilia Podkopaeva

Anna Pavlova

Svetlana Khorkina

Dasha Joura

Tasha Schwikert

Mo Huilan

Lavinia Milosovici

Oksana Omelianchik

Ludmilla Tourischeva

Henrietta Onodi

Isabelle Severino

Camilla Voinea

Svetlana Boginskaya

Putting the “artistic” in “artistic gymnastics” – The Couch Gymnast

Click PLAY or watch Oksana Omelianchik 1985 World Championships Floor on YouTube.

Gone, gone are the days when choreographers could put together a routine that wildly original and entertaining.

Hinsdale Central in Chicago was the most famous pommel horse gym in the world at one time.

Their most famous “name” is Ted Marcy, the man I still credit as the inventor of the “flair” or “scissor break”.

(Canadian Phillip Delasalle followed, first competing it Internationally in Russia. And, finally, Kurt Thomas made it famous with his own variation.)

Hinsdale celebrated 50 years of Gymnastics Excellence at the Canino Invitational April 4th 2008. (Video of the alumni, competitors.)

From the 50th Reunion:

… “Before still rings, there was flying rings. And before free exercise, there was tumbling,” he said.

“Someone would push to get you started on rings and you’d have to do your tricks swinging back and forth. It looked like a circus act. There was a 30-foot approach onto a 60-foot mat in tumbling. The trick was to stay on the mat. It wasn’t easy. …

Ted Marcy, who won two state pommel-horse titles and still holds the school’s individual record with 9.75 in 1972, has prior commitments.

“I saw a lot of guys when I came in for Krupicka’s retirement a few years ago,” said Marcy, now a noted pulmonary doctor at the University of Vermont Hospital. “It was a wonderful time, seeing a lot of guys I hadn’t seen in years. I’m sure the reunion will be just as exciting.”

Assistant coach Bull introduced Marcy to the pommel horse when Marcy was a slight freshman.

“He saw how hard I was working, but he didn’t want me to get hurt so he put me on the horse and said, ‘Here’s something you can do,’ ” Marcy said. “I really admire the all-around guys. Their events scared me to death, especially the rings. I couldn’t get up on the horse today.”

Tom Truedson, who starred on pommel horse while at the University of Oregon, credits Marcy and Canino with shaping his life in the practice room, which fondly is known as the Yellow Submarine.

…

“Coach Krupicka will always deserve credit,” Marcy said.

Central to celebrate 50 gymnastics years

Coach Donny Gardiner trained at Hinsdale in those years. I’ll ask him about the glory days.

Leave a comment if you know more about that famous program.

Debuting last year to a packed house, this unique collaboration features new works created and danced by artists from Nevada Ballet Theatre and Cirque du Soleil. Presented at the Mystèreâ„¢ Theatre at Treasure Island …

Tickets cost $20 and $40. Your $40 ticket purchase affords one at-risk student the experience of a lifetime to a special matinee school performance prior to the public premiere.

Performances – Two weekends

Sunday, November 9 at 1pm

Sunday, November 16 at 1pm

Friday, November 7 at Noon – Special School Performance

details – Cirque du Soleil

Altadore Gymnastics looking for a Women’s Head Coach. Or, even better, a Technical Director / Head Coach to oversee all our competitive programs: Women’s Artistic, Men’s Artistic, Trampoline and Tumbling.

details

Normally I’m dubious about “Gymnastics Spectaculars”.

But they just might be doing this one up right. Here’s a preview video featuring the rock band K.S.M., one of the supporting acts.

http://www.brightcove.tv/playerswf

gymnasts – cast

GymnasticsSuperstars.com – official website

I wish Dave Durante was in the lineup, though.