Gymnastics Coaching.com

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.

larger photo – flickr

a few more photos of Lydgate Park and Beach

Tickets are still available for the Women’s NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia. But they are almost certainly going to sell out.

My weekend pass cost about $60 including a processing fee. A BARGAIN, for sure. Olympic Trials tickets cost $100-$500.

For some reason I could not buy online. Booking by phone worked well: University of Georgia Ticket Office

All nearby hotels are long ago booked.

details – competition website

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. …

People Magazine

(via Shergymrag – new blog)

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.)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s Mikael and Mattias Lindström from Sweden in the video.

They were originally patented by Alexander Böck, from Germany … as Powerskips. The name of “PowerBocks” is derived from Mr. Böck’s name.

Powerbocking – Wikipedia

Thanks Michael Sanders.

Judging from the coverage I’ve seen online, it’s getting responsible and balanced coverage. I’m pleasantly surprised.

It was featured on the Today Show (video). And here’s a clip posted by MediaSourceTV.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube:

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 One of Those Gymnasts in the ER

original – flickr – foundphotoslj

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.

Paola Galante. Another Nastia in the making. I love super flexible gymnasts.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Talk about overuse of one type of skill: Stalder. I suspect Paola is weak on dismounts and release.

The stoop Stalder to Tkachev is poor but interesting.

Another example why Juniors (at least) should not be counting 10 skills, but rather 8, or fewer.

She’s much better on beam. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube:

more videos on YouTube tagged “Paola Galante”.

Thanks TKO.

Times have been hard on the famed Russian National Gymnastics Team in recent years. For most of my lifetime they have been indisputably the best in the world. The gymnasts we studied to learn about technique. The coaches we most admired. And emulated.

The future looks bright, however, for Head Coach Andrei Rodionenko and the team. For the third time in sequence, Russia won the European Junior Championships. That shows depth and consistency.

Here’s a recap of the meet last weekend on GYMmedia:

… With 180.625 points they won the event ahead of France (170.500) and the Netherlands (169.959), who both won a team medal in the juniors’ field for the first time.

Surprisingly, the two-time silver medalist of the last years, Romania, and also Italy (bronze in 2004) remained without medals on the ranks 4 and 5 today.

With more than 60 points Tatiana NABIEVA from Russia won the all-around competition in front of her team mate Aliya MUSTAFINA …

GYMmedia

I’d love to see Russia back and challenging the USA, Romania and China for the Olympic team title one day.

Blythe on Gymblog has some reservations.

How sad. She was quoted:

“It’s the end of gym, the end of the Olympics, the end of everything I had counted on. Everything collapses,” she told the paper.

Severino had been scheduled to carry the Olympic flame through her native Paris on Monday.

Isabelle is already a double Olympian for France, and had wanted to compete a third.

She had previously retired. Gone on to Pole Vaulting and Cirque du Soleil. Then made this brave comeback.

… Following France’s historic bronze medal at the European Championships Saturday, the team dedicated its podium presence to two-time Olympian Isabelle Severino, who suffered a torn Achilles Thursday at the competition in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

“We did this for her,” team member Cassy Véricel told newspaper L’Equipe. …

Amanda Turner in International Gymnast

Related posts:

the hopelessly upbeat Courtney Kupets

another NCAA gymnast ruptures Achilles tendon

recovery from Achilles tendon tear

This injury really is far too common. What can be done to reduce the incidence?

Here’s the flexible teammate of Vanessa Ferrari that people have been raving about at Jr. European Championships.

AG – Grand Prix Jesolo 2008 – JUNIOR ” Paola Galante ITA “

There are many more like this photo. (Click forward and backward to see them.)

Thanks to Italian coach Francesca Ciappetta for pointing us to this photo. The Italian gymnastics program has much to be proud about.

2008 Women’s European Championships
April 5, Clermont-Ferrand, France

Team Final
1. Romania 181.525
2. Russia 179.475
3. France 177.175
4. Italy 175.775
5. Ukraine 175.475
6. Great Britain 174.050
7. Germany 170.850
8. Netherlands 166.825

Sandra Izbasa (Romania)

International Gymnast online gives a good overview of the meet.