Gymnastics Coaching.com

From the capital, Phnom Penh.

Technical Coaching Course of Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, July 7-17th, 2008

I’m running a 9-day clinic for 24 coaches from across the country. Sent by F.I.G., my Olympic Solidarity course is sponsored by the International Olympic Committee as part of their mandate to raise Olympic sport in developing countries.

The sports of Bokator, Pradal Serey (Khmer kick boxing) and Khmer traditional wrestling are popular here. I’d say the people of the big city are sports crazy with thousands out every night playing tennis, soccer and almost everything else.

The gymnastics venue is at the National Olympic Stadium. They have superb mats. But not all the apparatus is F.I.G. standard as yet. New equipment has been coming in from China and Korea.

The top boys are skilled at tumbling and vault having worked recently with a top Korean coach. Cambodia has high level competitors in Aerobic Gymnastics, as well.

Each morning we spend 3hrs in the classroom. Translation has been excellent. Videos and photos require no translation, of course.

Tomorrow we take all coaches and demonstrators on a “study tour” to a top gym outside Phnom Penh. We are all excited about the “road trip”.

The organization has been excellent since I arrived. And I’m happy to be back in Cambodia, a nation I visited as a tourist 10yrs ago.

I have a few more photos up on Flickr.

One of the 11 greatest bodies on earth.

As ranked by Glamour magazine.

(via IG)

The biggest surprise to me is that the 2004 Olympic Champion’s first release — Temporary Life (Ordinary Girl) — is quite listenable. I almost like it.

But the direction and content of the video is getting harsh reviews in the blogosphere. At least they resisted the urge to edit in clips of her gymnastics. (That will come in the second video, I expect.)

If you haven’t seen it yet, click PLAY or watch Carly the waitress on YouTube.

(via difficulty plus execution)

Good interview with Head Coach Andrei Rodionenko in English. And an overview of the Olympic readiness to fight with China and the USA for top spot in Beijing.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

This was linked from another excellent article by Amanda Turner on International Gymnast:

… The top three gymnasts from the Russian Cup all-around competition in Lobnya automatically qualified to the training squad. Six males and seven females were added Sunday to the squad, which will train in Leninsk-Kuznetsky until the final teams are announced at the end of July.

Women’s squad: Ksenia Afanasyeva, Kristina Goryunova, Lyudmila Yezhova Grebenkova, Svetlana Klyukina, Yekaterina Kramarenko, Yulia Lozhechko, Anna Pavlova, Kristina Pravdina, Ksenia Semyonova and Daria Yelizarova.

Men’s squad: Alexander Balandin, Maxim Devyatovsky, Dmitry Gogotov, Anton Golotsutskov, Sergei Khorokhordin, Nikolai Kryukov, Konstantin Pluzhnikov, Yuri Ryazanov and Anatoly Vasilyev.

The squads include four Olympic veterans: Pavlova and Yezhova, members of the bronze medal-winning women’s team at the 2004 Olympics; Devyatovsky, a member of the sixth-place men’s team in 2004; and Kryukov, a member of the gold medal-winning men’s team in 1996 and the bronze medal-winning team in 2000.

Not selected to the squad were two-time Olympians Yelena Zamolodchikova and Alexei Bondarenko. Both gymnasts announced plans to continue training. …

click through to the original article on IG for more including videos.

Related post: is Russia the next Russia?

UPDATE: Check the comments. Many disagree with this ranking, especially the absence of WOGA, arguably the most successful club in the world. Also, All Olympia.

As ranked by Meet Scores Online:

The 2008 Top Ten Women’s Teams in America

… This year’s list included three clubs from California. While in gymnastics terms NorCal and SoCal are different states, the reality is that it is still one great place for competitive gymnastics. The Pacific Northwest also flexed some muscle and two clubs displayed awesome accomplishment. Oregon Gymnastics Academy (OAG), and Leading Edge Gymnastics (LEGA – Nice job Tony!) deserve special recognition. …

You need not be a big traditional powerhouse to make the list. At Number 10 is Folgers who did a lot with limited numbers. How many gyms their size sends 8 gymnasts to National level competition? This year with Samantha Pedigo and Marissa Housley both finishing in the top ten nationally, Folgers made themselves known.

The # 9 gym, GAGE, did not finish as high as in previous years but their coaching staff keeps turning out great competitors.

Wonderful to see Parkettes, #8, once again at the very top as a competitive club on this their 40th anniversary.

A gym made up of teams (Levels 5, 6, 7, 9, & 10) of state champions, the Colorado Gymnastics Institute comes in at #7.

Orlando Metro, a home for top gymnasts, is #6, another MSO “Atta-Boy” to Jeff and his staff of professionals who keep producing champion level competitors.

When MSO says Gliders, MSO means as in Charter Oaks, as in awesome year! At #5 they also have a young coaching staff that is Hecka good.

A powerhouse type year in a state (and region) full of strong gyms. That is why Gedder’s Twistars is #4.

#3 Airborne is one of those name other clubs have, but this is the high flyer in Santa Clara.

Most likely known for men’s gymnastics (home to John Roethlisberger) the women at #2 Twin City Twisters made a strong statement this year, and MSO will love watching them compete at the collegiate level.

Who is the Top Club in America? MSO could write a book on what these gymnasts and their coaches accomplished. Across the board, all levels, at Invitationals and Qualifiers, they were consistent. To be NUMBER 1, you had to get past BYERS OF SACRAMENTO.

Meet Scores Online

CONGRATS to Debbie and Eli Rodriguez for their selection as top club in the USA.

The most dominant vaulter and tumbler of this decade has made a comeback from his most recent retirement.

In Beijing expect to see him in Vault finals for sure, and likely Floor finals as well.

Recall his superb first vault from the controversial Olympic Final 2004 in Athens. About.com Gymnastics called it one of the “10 Best Sticks in the Last 10 Years”. See the video.

Dragulescu has won multiple world and Olympic medals on his specialties, floor and vault, and twice has made the event finals on high bar at worlds as well.

In 2007, Romania slipped to 8th place as a team in Dragulescu’s absence. In fact their team score dropped four and a half points without their star specialist, and many wondered whether he planned on returning to competition for his third Olympic Games. That question was answered this past weekend when Dragulescu reappeared on his three specialties at the Romanian National Championships …

With Dragulescu’s return to the Romanian team, there’s no doubt they will at least be in the hunt for a silver or bronze medal with teams like the United States, Japan, Germany, Russian, and Korea. Although the Romanians are already strong on vault without Dragulescu, his efforts on floor and high bar (where they have always been weak) will help their team tremendously, and his presence will likely help lift the morale of this team in Beijing as well. …

see Gymnast.com for his scores and videos from Romanian Nationals

As much as I am happy to see this superb athlete back, it worries me that the Romanian team will once again be over-scored in Beijing, the judges trying to keep FIG Technical Chairman Stoica, from Romania, happy. That’s what went wrong in Athens 4-years-ago.

Related article: Romanian Nationals Begin – IG

At the Funtastics Summer Gymnastics Camp in Idaho 2008 coach Cliff Parks challenges gymnasts to stay on the “Crazy Block”.

This 8-year-old was the winner.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Gymnast.com)

Former Navy Seal Cliff Parks is a personal fitness trainer for adults and children in California: HardToTheCoreFitness.com

I’ve been following the in-gym training camps selection progress on Kyle Shewfelt’s blog:

Yesterday, at the conclusion of our final Olympic selection camp, our team was finally named. Let me introduce you to the gentlemen who will represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:

Grant Golding
David Kikuchi
Adam Wong
Nathan Gafuik
Brandon O’Neill
and…Me!

This is an incredibly strong team. I don’t think we even know how good we are. I believe we are going to be the surprise of the Games and I am so proud and honored to be a part of this group. Our goal as a team is to place top 8 in the qualification and to move on to the team finals where anything can happen. …

3 Time Olympian

Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., was named first reserve and Jared Walls of Edmonton is second reserve.

Kyle posted some video of his routines from mock meets in-gym.

It really is a very strong and experienced team. Ron Brant and Dennis McIntyre of the USA agreed this is the best Canadian team ever. I’ll be very surprised if they miss the top 8 Team Finals. O’Neill and Shewfelt both have a good shot at Floor Finals.

The final “trial” practice meet: Calgary Gymnastics Centre (at Canada Olympic Park) on July 22nd at 5:45pm.

Related posts:

Casey Sandy not trying for Olympics 2008

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The University of Georgia has the ultimate in spotting decks for bars. The Forster Sliding Platform by Gibson.

ladder for exiting

Each sliding unit costs $350. Details: Forster Sliding Platform – GibsonAthletic.com

more photos of the University of Georgia gymnastics facility on Flickr

(via Gymnast.com)

USA Gymnastics has received notification from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regarding Morgan Hamm’s positive drug test and resulting public warning. USA Gymnastics will review this situation to determine how this may impact his qualification to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

As stated in USADA’s official release, “the doping offense involved the use of a prescribed anti-inflammatory medication under the care of a physician but without first seeking a therapeutic use exemption as required by the applicable rules. Hamm, 25, tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a glucocorticosteroid, on May 24, 2008,” the second day of competition at the 2008 Visa Championships. …

official press release – USA Gymnastics via Gymnast.com

Everyone agrees that Morgan and his doctor screwed up, but that he did not intend to “cheat” or “beat the system”.

The drug is not performance enhancing.

I don’t think Morgan should be dropped from the Olympic Team over this. But he should be replaced on the team unless his performances have improved from VISA Championships and Olympic trials. He’s the least essential member of the named American Olympic team.

This controversy does not help his case to stay on the Team.

(via Gymblog)