Gymnastics Coaching.com

What other sport has evolved so far?

http://www.yourememberthat.com/player/player.swf

I have the greatest respect for the men’s gymnastics selection committee and am very confident they did the best job they could.

But 11hrs of deliberation means the decisions were not unanimous:

… The three alternates are Raj Bhavsar – who missed automatically qualifying on Saturday by 0.09 of a point – Alexander Artemev, and New Jersey’s David Durante.

Sean Golden, the Camden resident who competed in only three events but totaled the highest scores in two of them Saturday, missed out.

“I was disappointed, but it was what it was,” said Golden. “In a way [performing so well on Saturday] made it easier because I knew I competed as hard as a I could. I have full condfidence that the selection committee picked the best team they possibly could.”

…

“Paul’s hand is still up in the air,” said Bhavsar, who also was an alternate in 2004 and who likely would replace Hamm should America’s top male gymnast be unable to go. “My job is to stay ready.”

Perhaps the most surprising choice was Morgan Hamm. Since tearing a pectoral muscle several months ago, he hasn’t fully regained his form. On Saturday, he was subpar in everything but the high bar.

What saved Morgan Hamm, officials hinted, was his skill on the pommel horse, the Americans’ weakest event.

“I’ll probably be spending twice as much time on that now,” Morgan Hamm said. …

U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team named – Philadelphia Inquirer

Click PLAY or watch Morgan’s Day 1 Pommel Horse routine on YouTube.

Solid. But not brilliant.

Morgan is the weak link on the A Team right now.

Johnson and Liukin earned guaranteed spots on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team Sunday night after finishing 1-2 at the Olympic trials — the same places they had at the national championships two weeks ago. The remaining four members of the team and three alternates will be named after a July 20 selection camp at the Karolyi ranch in Houston.

Comeback kid Chellsie Memmel and Samantha Peszek continue to make their case for two of the remaining spots, finishing third and fourth at trials just as they did at nationals.

AP

Additionally invited to the 2008 Olympic Selection Camp:

Chellsie Memmel
Samantha Peszek
Ivana Hong
Jana Bieger
Mattie Larson
Chelsea Davis
Corrie Lothrop
Bridget Sloan
Alicia Sacramone
Shayla Worley

photo – Gymnast.com

Commentary:

Should have been – Johnson wins Trials

Gymnastics and stuff – Olympic Trials Conclude With Lots of Surprises

LA Times – Alicia’s jealous of the boys

addicted2gym – Womens Day 2

On International Gymnast.

Nastia had major breaks on bars. Shawn Johnson wins the All-Around.

Gymnastics Media

Shawn and Nastia will be named Olympians. Chellsie Memmel is a strong third.

Follow the live scores at GymnasticsResults.com

The members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team are:

Joe Hagerty, Rio Ranchero, N.M./Team Chevron
Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron
Paul Hamm, Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron
Jonathan Horton, Houston/Team Chevron
Justin Spring, Burke, Va./Team Chevron
Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif./Team Chevron

The three replacement athletes are:

Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo./Team Chevron
Raj Bhavsar, Houston/Team Chevron
David Durante, Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron

Gymnast.com

TKO argues in the comments that Artemev, even with one fall on pommel horse, can score in the top 3 in Team finals on that apparatus.

The alternates know they still have a shot at getting on the competing team. Much depends on how well Paul comes back from his hand surgery.

I would never have predicted that Justin Spring would be named to the A Team. But now Olympic fans will get to see just how dynamic and explosive he is.

Click PLAY or watch Justin Spring make a Kasamatsu plus 3/2 twist look EASY on YouTube.

In North America school has ended. Or is just ending.

’tis the season of the year end barbeque and / or parents show at the gym.

One Mom blogged about the insanity:

Follow these simple steps to ensure chaos, drama and anarchy …

How to Ensure Chaos at a Year End Gymnastics Show

After the first day of Olympic Trials:

Johnson
Liukin

Memmel

Sacramone

Peszek

Sloan

Alternates: Bieger, Ranzy, Larson

Missing out: Worley, Hong

The last 5 are all close and any combination might be selected based on routine readiness in training, injury, etc.

Read his detailed analysis – Gymnast.com

Polish101- Gymnastics predicts the same team with alternates:

1. Jana Bieger
2. Mattie Larson

3. Shayla Worley (non-traveling)

Of these contenders, the one I know least is Brittany Ranzy. She trains Yurchenko 5/2 twist. But only competed double twist day 1 of trials:

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

I would think it could be worth the risk of busting out the Amanar on day 2 if you had a 50/50 chance or better of landing it. When on “the bubble”, it might be worth taking a chance on a fall.

With a string of perfect 10s, Laura Wilkinson and Troy Dumais appear to be Beijing bound.

Wilkinson, who won gold on the 10-meter platform at the 2000 Olympics, showed she’s still the boss of the tower at the U.S. Olympic trials, holding off a challenger half her age in the semifinals Friday night.

The 30-year-old Texan received at least one 10 on three of her five dives and finished with 813.20 points. She had a comfortable advantage over 15-year-old Haley Ishimatsu, who finished with four 10s and the highest-scoring dive of the night but was still only second at 757.55.

Wilkinson can lock up her third trip to the Olympics in the finals Sunday.

Wilkinson, Dumais put together perfect 10s at Olympic trials – AP

This is a surprise. Many were expecting the next superstar, Haley, to beat the veteran at Trials.

Click through to the sportsnetwork YouTube channel to see Laura’s best dive on video.

Not nearly so much a surprise was to see the ever elegant Troy Dumais star at Trials:

Semifinals, Springboard, on his last dive, Troy Dumais scored the highest dive of the night, a 99.75 …

See his best dive on YouTube.

Troy has already clinched an Olympic berth. This will be his 3rd Games.

UPDATE: On Saturday, Wilkinson and Christina Loukas locked up Olympic berths as well. The rest of the U.S. diving team will be selected at training camp.

Gymblog predicts this Team:

1. Paul Hamm
2. Jonathan Horton
3. Kevin Tan
4. Justin Spring
5. Morgan Hamm
6. Sean Golden

Alt. 1: Raj Bhavsar
Alt. 2: David Durante

But admits it’s a bit of a shot in the dark.

Perfect 10:

1. Paul Hamm
2. Jonathan Horton
Justin Spring
Sean Golden
Joseph Hagerty
Raj Bhavsar
Kevin Tan

Now that Jonathan and Paul are booked to Beijing, the 5-man selection committee must “build” the rest of the team around them.

Let’s assume that Kevin Tan will be approved next.

Who has the best apparatus to compliment those three?

Andrew Thornton thinks all these guys are still under consideration:

Morgan Hamm
Raj Bhavsar
Sasha Artemev
Joseph Hagerty
Justin Spring
Sean Golden
David Durante

Yewki Tomita

Gymnast.com

Andrew feels the next obvious candidate is Raj Bhavsar, who had a brilliant trials and a brilliant year. (Raj just missed out in 2004 so many, including myself, are rooting for him.)

In that case, the final spots will be chosen based on what Raj brings to the team. OR … is there a better selection of event specialists without using a strong all-arounder like Raj?

No one wants to consider the possibility. But what is the back-up Team if Paul cannot compete all apparatus. Specifically, what if Paul is not ready to do Pommel Horse in Beijing?

Does that skew the selection at all?

Should they keep Yewki though the next stage just in case he will be needed on Pommel Horse?

More speculation: Sports Illustrated

… I hope the computer analysis helps the selectors tonight.

Both combined Day 1, Day 2.

And combined VISA Championships with Olympic Trials.

USAG results

Congratulations!

Here he is competing Horizontal Bar Day 1. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Jon and Paul Hamm were immediately named as the two “locks” for the U.S. Olympic Team.

Paul Hamm is going to his third Olympics. And he didn’t even have to do a routine. The reigning Olympic gold medalist, who missed this week’s trials with a broken hand, was selected for the U.S. team for the Beijing Games on Saturday, along with Jonathan Horton.

The remaining four members of the team, along with alternates, will be announced Sunday afternoon.

Hamm still will have to show a selection committee that he is physically able to compete at a training camp July 22 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A.P. – Mercury News

Jon Horton – (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek) – ESPN