Gymnastics Coaching.com

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.

Excellent online interview by John Crumlish of International Gymnast with new Oregon recruit Olivia Vivian, Australian national team coach Peggy Liddick and OSU head coach Tanya Chaplin.

I like Olivia already. She’s got spunk:

IG: What about OSU specifically, and U.S. university gymnastics in general, appealed to you?

OV: To be honest, my thoughts on going to college on scholarship increased dramatically when my parents said I would have to pay for my own university fees! But I also thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get an education whilst still doing the sport I love. Australia doesn’t offer any sporting scholarships in university. OSU appealed to me because of its great staff and location. …

A good catch for OSU. Tanya Chaplin flew to Australia on that recruiting trip.

… in Perth, Vivian is coached by Martine George and Nikolai Lapchine at the Western Australian Institute of Sport. She placed 13th on uneven bars at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne; and 12th on uneven bars and sixth with her team at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

I’d posted on Olivia already.

But this was a fun blast from the past:

Under her maiden name of Tanya Service, Chaplin finished 22nd all-around at the 1983 World Championships in Budapest. Her powerful but polished style enabled her to perform skills that are unusual even today. On uneven bars, Service’s mount was a stem rise, immediate Jaeger. On balance beam, she performed a standing front salto (without a hurdle); and dismounted with a double tuck from a cartwheel, instead of the customary round-off.

Chaplin competed collegiately for UCLA, and tied for second place all-around at the 1989 NCAA Championships. Her husband, Michael, is also a former UCLA gymnast and U.S. national team member.

read more – International Gymnast

Before Courtney and Courtney, there were Dominique and Dominique, U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics teammates.

This video raves on fan favourite, triple Olympian, Awesome Dawesome:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Aleksas)

People always ask me, “Dominique, what’s your most memorable moment throughout your entire career?” … it’s amazing how many think they know the answer.

The majority of people say that it has to be the 1996 Olympic win, where me and 6 of the most talented and driven gymnasts made history being the first US gymnastics team to clench gold at an Olympic Games. Now, that was a moment that I will never forget. My most memorable moments continue to happen today!

It’s the time when … read the answer on Dominique’s official website

Two great “Shewfelt” vaults. (Yurchenko 5/2 twists)

Which do you like better?

Click PLAY or watch the Silver and Bronze vault medalists on YouTube.

David Sender finished 2nd with 16.350.

Jimmy Wickham finished 3rd with16.325.

Only one judge of six scored Wickham higher than Sender. (They must have a much different view than we do from high above.)

Here’s Shewfelt winning BRONZE at 2003 World’s with the same vault. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube:

All three have stuck the vault in the past. Leave a comment if you have a link to a “stuck” video clip.

A Russian newspaper has been forced to shut down after it defied the Kremlin by reporting that President Putin planned to marry a champion Olympic gymnast 31 years his junior.

Stuff – New Zealand

Russian neo-dictator Vladimir Putin denied he will wed Olympic rhythmic champion Alina Kabayeva. And now seems to have taken action against the paper Moskovski Korrespondent.

The report insists that the closure was a “business decision”. As if anyone is going to believe that.

Are there no limits to Putin’s power?

A small but important competition is happening Wednesday, April 23rd in Colorado Springs.

It’s another chance for Senior Men to qualify through to Visa USA Championships in Houston. (Visa Championships counts toward Olympic Team qualification.)

Justin Spring, Morgan Hamm, Blaine Wilson and Tim McNeill are just a few of the gymnasts (full list PDF) who MIGHT get through to the Olympic Team. It will be very interesting to see the results.

Morgan, for example, could contribute much needed high scores on Pommels and Horizontal Bar. Let’s hope he’s healthy.

Hamms with Shawn Johnson – Making the Olympics

2008 Men’s National Qualifier information