Anna Pavlova has come back with a vengance. … Her floor routine is just amazing to watch, if she could just add a little bit more difficulty it would be one of the best ever in my opinion. …
It is a great routine. Good tumbling. Yet still very artistic.
I believe I am a new Anna Pavlova fan.
Now … Can Anna Pavlova challenge for the all-around in Beijing?
She needs an Amanar on vault, if so. Since Anna tried it repeatedly at Europeans — and landed none — I expect she wants to to contend. The Olympic Champion 2008 must compete Amanar. The higher start score in the all-around from just that vault, is too difficult to overcome on the other apparatus.
I still feel that the Olympic title is Shawn Johnson’s to lose. There is no other strong AA contender now competing Amanar consistently.
Gymblog agrees. As do most of us self-declared pundits online. Something would have to happen for Shawn to lose.
Flexible, stylish Olivia signs with one of the top teams. And one of my favourite coaching teams.
The Oregon State gymnastics program added another talented gymnast to an already impressive recruiting class, head coach Tanya Chaplin announced Wednesday.
Vivian, a member of the Australian National Team, is currently training for the Australian Olympic Trials. A veteran of national and international competition, Vivian represented her country at the 2005 and 2006 world championships. …
“I’m very excited to join the gymnastics program at Oregon State,†Vivian said. “I appreciate the extra effort made by Tanya to come and meet me and my parents here in Australia. I really enjoyed my visit to OSU, everyone seemed so nice and the team is full of awesome people.â€
She’s improved. But I still can’t get excited about this routine. I am not a great fan of that dismount. What else in the routine could make you go WOW?
It’s “stock” … if there is such a thing as “stock” when trying to jam 10 value parts into one routine.
On the island of Kauai, Hawaii, we found one of the great playgrounds of the world.
It’s dubbed the “Adventure Bridge” (for obvious reasons) and can be found in Lydgate State Park. We had great fun scrambling the many faces and playing tag.
All those pregnancy rumors are starting to make Fergie self-conscious. … (“No, no,” the pop star insisted) …
Perhaps to prove it – and also to show off her love of gymnastics – she performed a one-handed cartwheel during Sunday’s taped performance with the group Heart. Catch her skills when the special airs Wednesday on Fox. …
One pregnancy rumour I can confirm. Congratulations Dana Brass (Cirque du Soleil) and Frederick Nicolas (Le Rêve) on the birth of their son Maxim James Patrick Nicolas who arrived on Tuesday April 8th. He weighed: 7 pounds, 3 oz.
UPDATE: Fergie explained. “I went through years of gymnastics and I wanted to be a gymnast at one time … Celebrity Gossip
Variously called power stilts, velocity stilts, PowerBocks, PoweriZers (PowerStriders), Pro Jumps, 7 League Boots or Powerskips. (As marketed by different manufacturers.)
Amanada Osswald is the gymnast interviewed who “balks” on back tumbling. (One comment said that her “error” was staged for the camera.)
Nationwide Children’s Hospital conducted the study. And they are calling for more guidelines. National standards. For better trained coaches.
Amen.
The US News and World Report On Medicine blog had the most interesting perspective that I read, written by an ex-gymnast Lindsay Lyon:
… I wasn’t exactly surprised by the latest findings on young gymnasts: Nearly 426,000 kids ages 6 to 17 were treated for gymnastics-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms between 1990 and 2005, according to a study in April’s Pediatrics, an average of almost 27,000 bang-ups a year. Upper-extremity fractures and dislocations were most common among the younger set, while the 12-to-17-year-olds typically strained or sprained their lower limbs. …
Some suspect the number of injured is higher than this study suggests. “In my practice, gymnasts are the athletes that are most likely to put up with an injury for the longest time before they actually report it,” says pediatric orthopedic surgeon Angela Smith, a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. …
Despite the danger, Smith is all for participation in gymnastics. “It provides young athletes with quickness, agility, poise, grace, and actual presence,” she says. Not to mention strength. “I think the benefits you can gain far outweigh the risks,” says Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics (the national governing body), whose 3-year-old triplets now practice.
…
For the concerned parent: Yes, there will be hand-wringing in the bleachers, and injuries will occur in the most careful of gyms. But there are several ways to increase your gymnast’s safety. Children should practice in a supervised environment with a trained coach or spotter—not at home …
I was tipped off to this story, by the way, by a brand new gymnastics blog, yet to be announced. The more, the better. Truly, I think everyone should have a blog.
UPDATE: Amy Van Deusen has more on this study on her About.com Gymnastics blog
UPDATE 2: The Today Show video clip was NOT balanced, I thought. But rather sensationalized. Too bad.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 