Gymnastics Coaching.com

This does not happen often. An open call audition. That means anyone can try out for Cirque du Soleil. (Normally you must have a personal invitation from Casting.)

September 21 and 22 in Las Vegas.

I was there as an observer last Fall. My advice is that you do not go unless you have super physical ability, especially strength. Very good form and “line”. Athletes with multiple talents are more interesting for Cirque. (For example, a gymnast who is also a great surfer. A great bar worker also trained in dance. Etc.)

Since attending audition is at your own expense, best practice is to submit a demo video to Cirque du Soleil online. It should include, for example, for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics:

• A presentation to the camera (including a face and full-body shot): tell us about yourself and your specialty, your background and experience – 1 minute;

• Flexibility (the three splits, bridge, shoulders, pike position) – 1 minute;

• Strength (no leg rope climb, chin-ups, piked leg lifts) – 2 minutes;

• Basic floor acrobatics (handstand, walkovers, handsprings, standing flips, etc.) – 1 minute;

• Your skills on the high bars (releases, dismounts) and parallel bars – 1 minute, 30 seconds;

• Your most difficult trampoline dismounts as well as linked skills – 1 minute 30 seconds;

• Your most difficult tumbling passes – 1 minute

• Recent competition footage (High bars, floor and parallel bars – mention date).– 2 minutes;

• A dance improvisation. Show us how you move, let yourself go. Any style of dance, use the space and use your imagination! – 30 seconds;

• A demonstration of your skills in another discipline, if applicable – 30 seconds.

Details on the very cool Cirque casting site.

disclosure – I love Cirque du Soleil

Lu Chunlong of China became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic title …

Lu (C), Burnett (L) and Dong (Photo credit: Xinhua – source)

full results

SWEET – Jason Burnett takes SILVER. The world record holder for difficulty — and the man who has done more difficult things on a trampoline than anyone in history — gets it together in the big show.

Wow.

Congratulations to Jason and his coach Dave Ross.

The world needs get to work on execution if they want to rival China in the future.

After I said all those nice things about Tim Daggett, he was one of those who jumped to the conclusion that the judging panels in the Olympic Finals were probably “inexperienced” since they were independent. How else would they make the “mistake” of ranking Nastia second?

Nastia Liukin, He Kexin (Photo credit: Getty Images)

I saw it as a knee jerk reaction of the American media to He Kexin from China getting the gold over Nastia Liukin from the USA in a tiebreaker. They both scored 16.725 with a start of 7.7.

A friend of mine was on the Bars judging panel, Avril Enslow from New Zealand. She’s been judging internationally since 1980 and has been category 1 expert for 16 years. This is her 4th Olympics. She’s judged 9 World Championships. Avril’s in the gym full time as Executive Officer and coach of one of the largest clubs in the Southern Hemisphere.

Anyone who knows Avril would agree that she’s one of the most experienced, expert and efficient judges in the World.

Nastia was close to the low bar in her Pak and was deducted for her kip pirouette which turned past handstand. Her dismount, though much improved, is still very deductable. He Kexin had minor deductions too, but fewer.

For the record, Avril had a B-score of 9.0 for Nastia. And 9.1 for He Kexin. She stands by those scores and by the final ranking in the tie break.

If you want to see the scores for each judge for yourself, click through to Gymnast.com.

And please leave a comment if you want to argue it the other way. As a “fan” I prefer Nastia’s routine since it has more variety and drama. But as a judge, watching repeatedly in slow motion, it’s difficult to disagree with the final ranking.

The legend Li Xiaopeng did win Parallel Bars as many, including myself, had hoped.

World Champion Fabian Hambuechen made mistakes to finish Bronze on his speciality, Horizontal Bar. It really was a bad Olympics for the future superstar. But he’ll have many more Olympic medals to come, I’m sure.

click through to Gymnast.com for larger images of the results

Even better, click through to Steve McCain’s live blogging of the last day of finals. I particularly like the part where he says he’ll “throw this laptop” if Zou Kai wins.”

Many are thinking we need post every judge’s score from major competitions. Gymnast.com has done that for Beam, the final apparatus final in the Olympics.

click through for a larger image

I’m very happy Shawn finally got her GOLD. She’s an Olympic Champion.

Congratulations to Olympic Champion Sandra Izbasa.

Sandra Izbasa of Romania performs on the floor. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

1 IZBASA Sandra A=6.500 B=9.150 Final=15.650
2 JOHNSON Shawn A=6.400 B=9.100 Final=15.500
3 LIUKIN Nastia A=6.200 B=9.225 Final=15.425

full results

I’d have ranked them 1. Johnson, 2. Liukin, 3. Izbasa. But the routines are very, very close. Any order can be argued.

After she won the Bronze medal in the All-around, the amazing Yang Yilin was required to face the world media.

Two Americans had stood with her on the podium. Nastia Liukin got the gold, Shawn Johnson the silver, and they were late. As minutes passed, reporters crowded around Yang, scrutinizing, asking questions.

Unlike Johnson, who arrived later, obviously delighted with her medal, Yang displayed little outward emotion. She smiled obediently, all small teeth, when reporters asked her to pose for photos. Her little mouth pursed again when the lenses were turned away. …

World’s 2007 – AFP/Getty Images

From that AP interview quoted in a Gymblog post:

… Were your parents here to see you compete, among the cheering crowds?

“I don’t know.”

When was the last time you went home?”

“Ummm … before I joined the national team,” Yang said, her small voice hard to hear.

When was that?

“More than a year ago.”

Will you go on holiday after the games?

“I don’t know.”

How many holidays do you get a year?

“I have not had a holiday since I joined the national team.”

Yang Yilin speaks

Read more on the interview in this article: Commentary: The sad life of Yang Yilin

I hear He Kexin was rushed away from the media scrum after winning the Gold on Bars. They were asking her about her age. UPDATE: I’ve now heard otherwise: “He Kexin was not immediately shuffled away, instead she was bombarded by despicable American journalists trying to misguide her into giving away her age. The answer she provided was focused and well-trained.” … see the comments for more.

Clearly these young girls have had no media training. I still suspect they were under prepared for the media.

That’s poor coaching. I’m still shocked the Chinese girls were so unaffected by the pressure of competing in Beijing.

It’s official.

We are as bad as Figure Skating.

You can win a medal with a full fall.

… Cheng Fei next… almost stuck the 2 1/2 a beautiful vault. 6.5/9.575. Second vault – Cheng – She put her knees down and then her hands. She just cannot do that vault all the time What a shame. She was just a little short on the landing and couldn’t step forward. 6.5/8.55 Average 15.562… ahead of Alicia, that was a surprise….

Ziert Alert: Event Finals, Day 1 – IG

Her second vault was really, really bad. With a fall. And she still won the Bronze medal.

I’m not saying the judging was bad. … But I wish it had gone the other way and Cheng Fei had finished 4th.

I’ll post that video when I find a link to it.

Chinese gymnast He Kexin tied American rival Nastia Liukin on Bars. But under a complicated but logical tiebreak system, China got the Gold, USA the Silver.

(AP Photo / August 18, 2008)

Nastia’s father / coach Valeri tied for an Olympic medal in the past — when both athletes stood atop the podium, both winning gold.

Tiebreaks determined Beijing medals, so far, in

Pommel Horse

Bars

Men’s Vault

About.com Gymnastics has a poll on the topic. And some background:

… The rule to break ties has been in effect since after the 1996 Olympics, and was at the direction of the IOC, according to FIG president Bruno Grandhi.

He told NBCOlympics.com, “For me, it’s not correct. When two people arrive on the same level, they are champions. But this competition doesn’t belong to us. It is the IOC’s.”

Tiebreakers Add New Controversy to Event Finals Day Two

But before you get too outraged about yet another complication in our sport, frustrating the media and the general public, think back to what happened before the rule was imposed.

Judges who could not decide who should win a Final … deliberately tied gymnasts. We ended up with too many ties.

I’ve got mixed feelings on the tiebreak rule. I liked it in 2004 when Kyle Shewfelt took Gold on Floor over Dragalescu in a tiebreak. But it’s yet another barrier between our sport and the general public. First we lose the “perfect 10”. Now this.

During the Olympics in the USA I’m seeing many comments like this on the internet:

… The former Olympic gymnast is part of NBC’s coverage team for the gymnastics competition this week. Lots of times when Daggett is talking, you don’t just want to mute the TV. You want to break the speakers. …

You can’t be serious … Tim Daggett – News OK

For the record, I think Tim Daggett does quite a good job. (If he’s pro-USA, that’s mainly because he’s working for NBC broadcasting in the USA. Commentators in Canada are very positive about Canadian gymnasts.)

Even sidekick Al Trautwig is reasonably good as the “everyman” who asks the dumb question that regular viewers are thinking.

In the past I though Elfi Schlegel was excellent, spending a lot of time with the athletes in preparation for broadcasts. This Olympics she’s been positively “bland”, not contributing much to the conversation. Tim has to lead even on the women’s apparatus.

(I was horrible as a broadcaster myself last year for local cable TV coverage of the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships. That may be the reason I’m so supportive of Tim.)

… Since his retirement following the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Daggett has worked as a television commentator, covering the gymnastics events for NBC at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, and Beijing. …

Wikipedia

related:

The NBC Commentators Who They STILL Haven’t Gotten Rid Of – Polished Gymnastics 101

Why I Don’t Like Elfi Schlegel – blog

Coach Dave Adlard likes Shannon Miller, Missy Marlowe, Bart Conner, and Peter Vidmar. Both John Macready and John Roethlisberger would be good too, of course.

Leave a comment if you have a personal favourite gymnastics commentator from anywhere around the world.