Gymnastics Coaching.com

Men who qualified for the 2008 Visa Championships at the 2008 U.S. Men’s Qualifier, held Wednesday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs:

1. Todd Thornton, Houston/U.S. Olympic Training Center, 156
2. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill./Stanford University, 106
3. Danell Leyva, Miami/Universal Gymnastics, 106
4. Alexy Bilozertchev, Hilliard, Ohio/OSU Boys Team, 105
5. Andrew Elkind, Cherry Hill, N.J./U.S. Olympic Training Center, 104
6. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif./Stanford University, 96
7. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas/U.S. Olympic Training Center, 90
8. Joe Catrambone, Deptford, N.J./University of Michigan, 88
9. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston /Houston Gymnastics Academy, 87
10. Edward Mesa, Cooper City, Fla./Universal Gymnastics, 87
11. Jamie Henderson, Crosby, Texas/University of Oklahoma-Gattaca, 83
12. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas/Stanford University, 82
13. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas/Team Chevron, 77
14. Justin Laury, Marietta, Ga./Houston Gymnastics Academy, 72

details – USA Gymnastics

Visa Championships in Houston is the first “trial” for the American Olympic Team. The current National Team has already qualified to Houston.

I’ll post the full list of Olympic candidates when available.

… Olympian Morgan Hamm returned to competition following surgery but withdrew after two events (high bar and floor) due to illness. A source told Inside Gymnastics he had an allergic reaction to something during the day and was having trouble breathing. Hamm will petition the Men’s Program Committee to compete at the Visa Championships. In addition, Justin Spring of Burke, Va., who was returning to competition after injuring his knee at the 2007 Visa Championships, withdrew after three events. He sprained his right ankle on this dismount in the floor exercise (full twisting double back). As a member of the senior national team, Spring is already qualified for the Visa Championships. …

Thornton Wins National Qualifier – Inside Gymnastics

Blaine Wilson, the five-time national champion trying an Olympic comeback participated in warm-ups but decided not to compete. He has an ankle injury.

The Men’s Program Committee will decide on petitions on Friday.

Host Georgia are the favourites.

Honestly, any of the 12 teams could win if they stuck every landing.

Official Women’s NCAA Championships home page

Thursday April 24th is the most exciting day for me — the qualifying competition. Which of the 12 fantastic teams will get through to Super 6?

Georgia Gymnastics

I spoke with Mike Lorenzen, President National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women and Assistant Coach, Stanford Women’s Gymnastics. He agreed that 2008 saw incredible parity between the top teams.

When I suggested it might be time for rule changes to separate the best of the best, he was diplomatically noncommittal.

I don’t want to lower scores nor contribute in any way to increasing injury rates. Yet I’d love to see more Yurchenko 3/2 vaults. Fewer “easy” beam dismounts. Incentive to compete more complicated bar routines.

Floor is good now. The emphasis is on “selling” a routine to the audience. I like that.

Case study:

Rhonda Faehn, Head Coach of the Florida Gator NCAA gymnastics team. She had her first child Jan. 8th.

How hard is that?

“I give her props,” Florida sophomore Melanie Sinclair said. “That’s a difficult task to take on. She doesn’t get much sleep. But she comes in every day smiling with a great attitude. You see no change in how she carries herself to us. That’s how good a coach she is. She can separate her coaching life from her personal life.

Timing certainly was not ideal for a College coach.

On the other hand, where can an infant get more loving attention than in a gymnastics gym?

… Faehn’s nanny was recommended by Gator volleyball coach Mary Wise, who frequently offered Faehn advice based on her own experiences. Wise took over the Gators volleyball program in 1991 with a two-year-old son, Matt, and gave birth to her second child, Mitchell, during her fourth season.

“It takes a village to raise your children,” Wise said. “Especially for female head coaches.” …

Faehn is gymnastics’ mother superior – Gainsville Sun

Still, it’s much easier to be a coach with children, than a competitor with children: 38-year-old Tina Wise, Level 8 gymnast

(via Shergymrag)

Well deserved. Congratulations!

After leading the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team to an eighth national title and fifth in the last seven years, OU’s coaching staff has earned well-deserved national recognition. Head Coach Mark Williams was named the National Coach of the Year, while assistants Daniel Furney and Rustam Sharipov were honored as the National Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year. …

Sooners Gymnastics

Thursday Aussie’s top Olympic hopeful Daria Joura carried the Olympic torch. What a thrill, for her!

Australian Gym Blog offers good advice:

… To anyone who has an opinion to voice on the Tibet issue, or who opposes the torch relay, and plans to overtly show their intentions as the torch goes by, please do it peacefully. I understand that passive action is in no way equitable to what China may have done to certain people over time, and of course the torch relay is attempting to distract from a lot of flaws, but the Olympic event itself stands for a lot. One of my best friends ran with the Sydney Olympic torch nearly a decade ago and that was an amazing experience for all involved, even us spectating. I would have hated for someone to try and physically wrench the torch off of her.

The torchbearers are not the ones involved in the bigger issues. They’re simply there to take part.

If you must protest against what the torch stands for – turn your back. You’ll be making a statement and making it peacefully. Nobody deserves to be hurt or frightened. Anger begets violence, if Yoda has taught us anything. Just turn your back as the torch passes, it’s the smart and safe thing to do.

Australian Gym Blog

Dasha – Olympic Test Meet – Olympic Spirit blog

With some rather odd vegetables.

Click PLAY or watch Shawn on YouTube.

Details: Smallstep

Thanks Nick.

She was one of six judges suspended after the 2000 European Championships who underscored Ukrainian Yelena Vitrichenko.

The FIG suspended Ukrainian rhythmic official Irina Deryugina through 2016 for unspecified infringements, the federation announced Tuesday. …

International Gymnast

Join the Facebook group: Fans of Nastia Liukin .

Videos are posted, as well.

Fans of Nastia Liukin – Facebook

It was a showdown at NCAA Gymnastics Championships Finals between defending champion Cal senior Tim McNeill and the “new guy”, #1 ranked Daniel Ribeiro, a freshman from Illinois.

Many think Ribeiro is better. He qualified higher in preliminaries with this routine:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In the Final, however, Ribeiro fell.

McNeill won his 3rd Pommel Horse title in 3yrs.