Gymnastics Coaching.com

What do you say to the media when your team wins the preliminary competition by a whopping 4.55 points?

Click PLAY or watch Head Coach Thom Glielmi on YouTube:

He told reporters during a visit to Italy there was “not a single word of truth” in the tabloid news reports.

The papers linked him to 24-year-old former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, who is now a member of parliament. …

Never mind.

… “I don’t think I will offend anyone if I say that I, personally, consider that our Russian women are the most talented and the most beautiful,” he said standing alongside Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

“If anyone can compete with them, then it might be Italian women,” he added in response to a Russian reporter’s question on the rumours. …

BBC

(via Difficulty Plus Execution)

Earlier in the day #1 ranked Casey Sandy from Penn State had scored 90.15.

Stylish, artistic Sho Nakamori from host Stanford in the second session scored 90.35, his highest all-around of the year.

buy this photo – 26 January 2008 – Hector Garcia-Molina

Sho and Casey will fight it out in the AA Final with, amongst others, David Sender and the surprise of the AA meet to me, Greg Stine, from Air Force. Why don’t you know Greg’s name? He was away for 2yrs on his mission with the LDS Church.

… The Cardinal will return to Maples Pavilion tomorrow night at 7 p.m., looking to win its first NCAA Championship since 1995. … ESPN2 will be televising the event on tape delay on April 24. …

Top-Ranked Stanford Wins NCAA Qualifier, Moves On To Friday’s Team Finals

Bart Conner has arrived. This must be an important meet.

Related: Stanford’s Shining Son – Inside Gymnastics. A nice feature on Sho.

There has been a lot of nonsense written about the Olympic torch relay.

It’s no sacred cow. The torch relay was invented by Hitler’s film maker Leni Riefenstahl for the 1936 Games in Berlin. (Hardly a regime with whom the Chinese organizers want to associate.)

Did no one in Beijing foresee that over 130 days, 85,000mi, there might be protests?

Why take the torch into Tibet?

That’s simply asking for trouble. The worst is yet to come.

Perhaps we should be listening to this guy …

New York Times

That’s exactly right. Support the Olympics. Support the right to protest. Non-violent protest, of course.

1980 Olympian Ron Galimore ran the torch in San Francisco.

“It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Galimore, who is the vice president for events, Olympic relations and men’s program for USA Gymnastics.

I would too, if offered the chance. For me it would be honouring sport. Not somehow indirectly supporting the totalitarian Chinese government.

Arguably the world’s best ultra-long distance runner, Dean Karnazes, spoke out strongly on his blog as to why he ran.

But if you refuse to carry the torch. Boycott the Olympics. Remove every product made in China from your home — I’ll support your right to do that too.

Just wrapped up the post competition press conference.

Qualifying to the Team Final Friday:

Stanford 363.85
Illinois 359.300
Oklahoma 357.500
Penn State 357.300
Cal Berkeley 357.100
Michigan 354.300

As you can see, Stanford dominated the preliminaries. Their best score of the year. But the first meet with their top line-up in place. Head Coach Thom Glielmi has had to juggle this season to accommodate the National Team commitments of David Sender and Sho Nakamori.

Thom was pleased, but reminded that “anything can happen” in the NCAA.

It’s “sudden victory” format. Teams start over again from zero.

Personally, I was impressed with the artistic and technically excellent gymnastics of Cal. And even more impressed with the fight and enthusiasm of Illinois. They did a fantastic job.

Head Coach Yoshi Hayasaki – Illinois

I’m quite disappointed that Minnesota did not get through. They are a great team.

The preliminaries are half finished. Qualifying, so far, to the 6 Team Final competition are:

Oklahoma 357.500
Penn State 357.300
Michigan 354.300

Eliminated: Ohio, Nebraska, William and Mary.

Ohio looks great. Yet — like last year — they didn’t get to the Final.

Nebraska has a big team, rebuilding.

Perhaps the biggest story of the first session of two was Casey Sandy. As expected, he HIT 6 for 6, scoring 90.15. (His #1 qualifying score coming in was 91.08.) Personally, however, I found Casey’s routines “cautious” tonight. He was so careful, I thought it detracted.

Last year Casey only competed in four events because of an ankle injury. But he’s the man to beat so far in 2008.

Jonathan Horton, #4 at World’s 2007, did not compete all-around, after all. His rep is to hit big. And to miss big. That he did tonight. Horton has the top score on Rings and Parallel Bars, so far. But he rolled out of his Handspring double front vault. Fell twice on Horizontal Bar.

Like last year, the NCAA routines on Floor and Vault were strong. Horizontal Bar conspicuously weak.

official website

I already posted on the ESPN report on sexual abuse in gymnastics.

Now Good Morning America did a follow-up. Every coach needs see this video:

Accused Sex Offenders as Coaches

An undercover investigation reveals that background checks often aren’t enough.

ABC News video
(Does not play in every browser.)

Jonathan Horton? David Sender? Wes Haagensen? Sho Nakamori?

I should be calling fellow Canuck, Casey Sandy, ranked #1 coming in. He was a machine last year at Championships, leading Penn State to the title.

But I really don’t know. The all-around is truly low priority compared with TEAM.

Great interview on Inside Gymnastics:

A week away from the end of their college career, Oklahoma seniors Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons sat down together for a no holds barred talk with Inside Gymnastics. So in sync they frequently finished each other’s thoughts, these NCAA champs and U.S. National Team vets opened up about their friendship, their careers and what the future holds for each …

INSIDE GYMNASTICS: No school has ever had two NCAA all-around champs returning on the same squad. What does that do for this team and you personally? Is there more pressure to perform?

JONATHAN HORTON: I don’t feel any pressure towards all-around at all. All-around is a cool thing to be a part of, to say, ‘I’m the national champ.’ But, honestly, we’re so focused on the team that I could go to [NCAAs] and get last place in the all-around, but if my scores helped the team and we win, I’d be happy.

TAQIY ABDULLAH-SIMMONS: I’m not even doing the all-around, so winning the all-around is not even in my mind, and it never has been. Just like Jon, I want my scores to do as much for the team as possible. In years past, if I so happened to do well in the all-around because I did well for the team, so be it, but the thought of winning [the all-around] never entered my mind.

JONATHAN HORTON: I think, and I’ve always thought, that we’ve got the most talented guys in the country right here. I think this is the most talented team I’ve been a part of in my four years of college. … Sure, I’d [like to] win the all-around, but more importantly, let’s get our team back on top. …

read the rest of this article – Inside Gymnastics

And also Part 2 of the same article called ROUNDTABLE.

Related: Horton wins Nissen award – Senior co-captain awarded collegiate gymnastics’ highest honor. – CSTV

The preliminary competition starts today. I’ll be posting live from Stanford.

QUALIFYING SCORE

Stanford 358.930
Oklahoma 358.740
Penn State 358.280
California 356.170
Illinois 355.810
Michigan 353.470
Ohio State 350.790
Minnesota 348.590
Iowa 344.150
Nebraska 342.430
William & Mary 342.150
Temple 340.880

Of many new Cirque shows in creation, people I talk to are most excited about the Criss Angel project.

It will be called …

official website – tickets and a contest to meet Criss already available for the show opening Sept. 1, 2008.

Please be advised: This dramatic production is not for the faint of heart.

Minimum age-12.

I can hardly wait.

Criss explains the name of his new production show with Cirque du Soleil at Luxor in Las Vegas on YouTube.

If you are so old and so uncool that you don’t know who Criss Angel is … Well, you’ll probably prefer Cirque’s new Elvis Presley project. Also in creation for Vegas.

Cirque is the world’s largest employer of gymnasts and acrobats with about 1000 artists on stage in 2008. And they are hiring for many new shows. Click the link top right on any page for more information on jobs.

Dwight Normile on International Gymnast posted on a troubling TV show: ESPN E:60 Roundtable: Violated:

… Male coach touches young girl in wrong places. Girl comes forth, coach goes to prison. Another coach does same, gets hired at another gym while awaiting trial for felonies. …

ESPN Takes Swing at Gymnastics – IG

I haven’t seen it, as yet. But here’s a 40sec teaser video clip:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3346903

Leave a comment if you’ve seen the entire show and have an opinion.

I’ll say again, as I have before, I feel there are no better protected little girls in my city than competitive gymnasts. That kids are at less risk of abuse at gym than most anywhere else they go.

Mez had much to say after watching the show: Australian Gymnastics Blog