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gymnastics or family life fun

That’s the name of a thread on Chalk Bucket started by gimchick:

Are there any parents that feel like gymnastics take you and your child away from other family members financially and emotionally sometime? I mean you have to travel sometimes without your spouse or other children if any applies to you. Your time at the gym either watching, dropping off, or picking up the girls does not allow much time for homelife other than quick meals, homework, and bathing. I am at the point of calling it quits sometime because I am so tired, overwhelmed and I need a break, mentally, financially, and just time away from (gym) …

Many other parents replied, most mentioning the expense and waste of time driving.

larger original – flickr – wmliu

Click through to Chalk Bucket to see the replies. And to add your own, if you wish.

I love gymnastics. But it’s not worth driving 3hrs a day for most families.

Every coach knows this scenario:

Linked most recently from Gymnastics Crossing.

Related posts:

closing the gym to spectators?

should parents watch sports training?

Dwight Normile on International Gymnast gives a brief preview of possible changes to the Artistic Gymnastics regulations for 2009-2012:

The proposed changes for the men’s Code focus mainly on the juniors, for which eight skills will count toward the A-score. Also, the A-score will be halved for juniors, thus further de-emphasizing difficulty. Other safety measures for juniors include the prohibition of diving elements that end in a roll-out on floor, and saltos to upper arms or bent arms on parallel bars.

A “G” category, worth 0.7, will be added to the difficulty table, and skills listed there include a Ri Jong Song (triple-twisting double back) and Liukin (triple back) on floor, and a Cassina (layout Kolman) and Shahan (Kovacs with 1.5 twists) on high bar.

On rings, swing-to-strength combinations will count as two separate elements if the swing reverses direction (e.g., front uprise to Maltese).

IG

All good, from the little we have heard so far. I’ve been advocating 8 skills rather than 10 for difficulty myself. I should say that I was later convinced by former Canadian Women’s National Coach Claude Pelletier that 6 skills on Floor for women, would be even better than eight. Artistry would become much more important.

No doubt the addition of Junior FIG Rules would be in anticipation of the Youth Olympic Games – Singapore, 2010. FIG does not normally distribute Junior regs.

If you have no idea what this post is talking about, check out an overview of the current judging rules:

… The difficulty value is determined by totaling values for the 10 most difficult skills, which includes the dismount. …

Artistic Gymnastics Judging – NBC

(via Gymblog)

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By the way, IG, when are you going to update your website to provide permalinks to stories? It’s a pain to recommend them to readers the way you have the site set up now.

Blythe on the Gymblog posted an excellent overview of the story, just ended due to injury, of Terin Humphrey:

“… one of the quietest and yet most significant careers of the past eight years has come to an end.”

It was a history lesson for me: Terin Humphrey: The moments

Like many others, I find I know less about Terin than anyone else on the silver medal 2004 U.S. Olympic team. She won silver on bars, as well.

That post links to Terin Humphrey # 3 by Aleksas — The Dream Within. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Tributes to Terin are all over the internet. See photos linked from About.com Gymnastics. I think I saw this story first on GymGemz.

Let me add my thanks to Terin for her inspirational career. All the best in future.

Terin Humphrey – bio – Alabama

Is this guy awesome, or what?

original – American Cup 2008 – flickr – Angela Radulescu

He finished 2nd on Pommels.

The old Russian coach’s comment really got me:

“Forty years of coaching,” Boris said, “and Laura is my best student.

Reminded me why so many of us coach when we could be doing better paid, more boring, work. It’s such an honour to get to work with some of our kids.

He’s talking about 18-year-old Laura Lane.

“She’s my angel,” said her Richmond Olympiad gymnastics coach, Boris Choutkin. …

“She has [he clinches his fists and squints his eyes while searching for the right word in English] tenacity, and as a coach, that’s what you love to see.”

The Choutkins are a demanding pair, capable of driving some girls to tears, in their tireless efforts to induce maximum results.

Lane, for one, never flinched.

“Laura never miss a practice . . . never late . . . never an unkind word,” Boris said. …

Boris is as tough a guy as you’ll ever know, but he becomes misty eyed in evaluating his prized pupil.

“Laura Lane,” he said, “is like God’s present to a coach.”

I don’t know Laura. But with this kind of commendation from a tough coach, I know she will go far.

Congratulations.

During high school, Lane has trained 24 hours a week under the Russian husband-wife tandem of Boris and Larissa Choutkin.

Headed to Auburn: Lane finished 22nd at the 2007 nationals, where she caught the eye of Auburn University coach Jeff Thompson.

Lane will enter Auburn’s nationally No. 7 ranked program next school year with a two-thirds scholarship. …

It helps that Lane carries a 4.8 grade-point average. …

The total gymnast. Dedication and natural ability work for Lane – Norfolk Life

by Rick McCharles

I’m booked, as usual, for both High Performance Training Camps in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. It’s the most fun and unforgettable in-gym camp anywhere.

The line-up of coaches is yet to be announced. But there’s no camp anywhere with stronger, more experienced coaches than at Funtastics. It’s a treat to be there. Coach education seminars are scheduled in the evenings.

Details (CAMP BROCHURE 2008 (PDF)) on HPTCamp.com

coach Rachael Tart

More photos from past HPTC camps.

Host Stanford will be the favourites to win at home.

(I said the same thing about hosts Georgia at home in Athens.)

But the Men’s competition — using modified FIG rules — is far more competitive. Any team that hits Pommels will be in the running. Any team that starts counting falls, could lose the meet.

It was thrilling in Penn State last year where I thought any of 8 different teams might have won. And it will be thrilling in San Jose.

I’ll be there reporting live.

The nation’s top ranked collegiate men’s gymnastics teams are set to compete April 17-19 at the 66th Annual National Collegiate Men’s Gymnastics Championships at Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion. The excitement of collegiate men’s gymnastics returns to the Bay Area for the first time in a decade as the nation’s best compete for team and individual championships.

Participating teams will be announced on April 8.

2008 Tournament Central

Very cool “quick edit” commercial for the meet is well worth watching. Click PLAY or ya dee da on YouTube.

Is gymnastics a cool sport, or what!

You’ve heard the name.

Tall, lean. Super artistic.

Could Kyson Bunthuwong from Cal Berkeley win the NCAA Championships this year?

He’s ranked 3rd right now on GymInfo behind much more experienced Casey Sandy (91.083) from Penn State and David Sender (89.450) from Stanford.

Kyle Bunthuwong, his brother, is ranked 11th.

But Kyson scored 90.20 last weekend. Is young. And rapidly improving. He has one of world’s most knowledgeable and dedicated coaches in Barry Weiner and has been well trained his entire career.

Is 2008 his year?

Cal Berkeley is ranked 4th and no doubt wants to win it all as a team too. They were by far the best technically and artistically in 2007. I really hope they HIT at Championships.

Click PLAY or watch Kyson Bunthuwong on YouTube. …

…

Actually, Kyson is so little known there are only 3 old clips on YouTube. And hardly any photos on the internet.

Kyson Bunthuwong — talk about an unsung hero.

Have you heard about this?

The Youth Olympic Games … will feature athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. The idea for such an event was envisioned in 2001 by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge. On July 6, 2007, IOC members at the 119th IOC session in Guatemala City approved the creation of a youth version of the Olympic Games. …

Each participating country would send at least four athletes. The athlete will be chosen at least 18 months in advance, which suggests that some could be chosen as young as age 12. At least one IOC member criticized the plan …

Several other Olympic events for youth, like the European Youth Olympic Festival held every other year with summer and winter versions, and the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, have proven successful; the Youth Games would most likely be modeled after these. …

Wikipedia

Here’s a cute promo video featuring some youth athletes used as part of the successful Singapore bid.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Less cute, but far more informative is this Singapore 2010 Concept Video (3min) also used as part of the bid. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I love Singapore. And am confident they will be even better hosts for a big Games than Beijing in 2008.

6th World Congress on Biomechanics

(via Kat on Chalk Bucket)

Now …

Are youth Olympics a good idea?

The whole concept flies against some of the things said by FIG President Bruno Grandi over the past year.

Leave a comment if you have an opinion.