Gymnastics Coaching.com

2008 GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll ranks the Stanford Men’s Gymnastics Team #1:

First-place votes in parentheses
1. Stanford (8)
2. Penn State (4)
3. OKLAHOMA (2)
4. Ohio State (1)
5. California

CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports

Gymblog previously posted all the reasons why.

Now Blythe on Gymblog hints that the Stanford Women’s Gymnastics Team could challenge 3 time defending champions Georgia.

2004 Olympic Alternate Allyse Ishino will compete for Stanford this year.

I dunno. There’s more to a winning NCAA Team than talent. Georgia has the whole package. And with NCAA Championships in Athens, I wouldn’t bet against the Dogs.

I had long forgotten a gymnastics film from the mid-1980s called Flying or Dream to Believe.

It’s still showing on late night TV. Why? It was Keanu Reeves’ first film.

Yes, it’s cheesy. A bad takeoff of Flashdance. Robin (Olivia D’Abo) is about as unlikely a highschool gymnast as can be imagined.

But many young women from that era liked the movie.

I tried to find the names of the gymnast stunt doubles (who were very good) but had no luck.

If anyone remembers the names of the athletes who performed in that film, leave a comment at the bottom of this post. (One was Leanne GALLANT.) It was filmed in Toronto, the big Regional competition shot in Niagara Falls.

UPDATE: Other gymnasts included Jessica TUDOS, Alexandra BOROWIK, Sasha VANOCHKO. Thanks George.

Carrie Shearstone confirms that she was stunt double for Olivia D’Abo. And that Suzanne Devalk (sp?) and Sandra McNeil worked that movie, as well.

Chantel Kowdrysh (Preston):

Yep I was also one of the gymnasts in that movie:) so was Liz Halmagyi (now Spencer) and Risa Litwin.

movie review – Flying – Canuxploitation

Dream to Believe (aka Flying) – Amazon

QUEBEC – Canada continued its podium march Friday, capturing two silver medals at the world trampoline championship.

Two-time Olympic medal winner Karen Cockburn of Toronto led Canada’s second-place performance in the team trampoline event. Cockburn was joined by Rosannagh MacLennan of Toronto, Sarah Charles of Kelowna, B.C., and Brenna Casey of Ottawa.

China took gold, while Russia claimed the bronze.

“The Russians faltered a bit tonight and we were really on,” said Charles. “We rose to the occasion.”

Brandon Sun Online

Next, two of my favourite athletes in the world, Karen Cockburn and Rosie MacLennan, did not let down the home crowd

Here’s how their performance was blogged live by Lefebvre Guillaume:

Cockburn-MacLennan (CAN): Extremely loud cheers before their routine. The loudest cheers of the whole competition so far. Full in half out straight to start the routine. Fantastic routine. Amazing synchronization and great execution and difficulty. A gold medal worthy performance. 9.70 pts mark for the synchronization. 13.30 pts DD. 49.30 pts.

Acrobatic Sports

Unofficial results:
1. Cockburn-MacLennan (CAN) 49.30 pts
2. Chernova-Karavaeva (RUS) 48.70 pts
3. Domchevska-Movchan (UKR) 47.70 pts.

Side note – I just happened on to Karen promoting Springfreeâ„¢ Trampoline as “the safest backyard tramp”. It is. And I was happy to see a top trampolinist giving a celebrity endorsement.

Who would not want to be endorsed by Karen?

She is an ideal role model.

UPDATE: Karen had to terminate her routine after 6 skills in Finals of individual trampoline. She finished last. Too bad.

Unofficial results:
1. Karavaeva (RUS) 38.60 pts
2. Huang (CHN) 38.10 pts
3. MacLennan (CAN) 37.70 pts

One big highlight to report, the gold medal routine in tumbling for Russia with a new world record from Andrei Krylov :

Full in full out straight, full in full out straight, triple back tuck.

Results are starting to roll in on the internet. (It has not been exactly easy to follow what’s happening in Quebec City. I heard the wireless internet at the venue has been cutting in and out.)

Seems to me some of the favourites have NOT qualified for finals.

Best blow-by-blow coverage is by Lefebvre Guillaume on Acrobatic Sports:

3 Gold Medals for Russia and 2 for China at the Team Finals at 2007 World Championships

Beautiful gym though:

GYMmedia – Quebec

Andy Tucker, one of our FARTS Adventure Racing Team, posted this photo:

Don’t Forget the Bouldering « Funtastics Adventure Racing Team

Though I missed that weekend myself, most of the team trained recently at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas.

The FARTS are all ex-gymnasts. We might not win the Adventure Race, but we’ll certainly have the happiest handstands of any of the competitors.

Leon Å tukelj, a legend in Gymnastics, …

He earned a total of 6 Olympic medals: 3 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze. Other medals earned are 5 Gold, 3 Silver, and 3 Bronze; a total of 11 Worlds medals won. His last major competition was 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Å tukelj, aged 97, was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.

… he lived to be a century old and died just 4 days short of his 101st birthday.

Leon Å tukelj was able to hold on to the title of having been the oldest living Olympic gold medalist for about 10 years, though.

Remarkable.

More detail with links – Leon Å tukelj, the 100-Year-Old Olympic Legend

Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics, must read this blog.

Just this morning I posted something critical of their website: I hate USAG TECHNIQUE MAGAZINE on-line, and in the afternoon this popped up:

Internet/New Media: Web Design
Webmaster – USA Gymnastics (Indianapolis, IN)

General description:

The Webmaster is responsible for every aspect of the organization’s Web site. The Web master will: work with each department/program to keep the Web site up-to-date and well-maintained. …

US National Governing Bodies Jobs

Send this job description link to people who know gymnastics first, and who understand Web 2.0, as well. (For one thing, they need bloggers linked from the home page.)

The USA Gymnastics website does not “suck”, but it’s very old fashioned. Rather than keep patching the static HTML pages they need a new design.

There’s no holding Peggy McAlpine (yes, McAlpine) after her Bungy jump 20yrs ago at age 80, she’s now managed to enter the Guinness book of records for going Paragliding at age 100! Incredible.

Team Geared Up Blog » Paragliding at 100yrs: McAlpine with Fries Please – talking about outdoor adventure, gear & expeditions.

… perhaps I’ll go run up a mountain. I’m YOUNG compared with Peggy.

Rick McCharles

If you’re reading this blog, you know the internet can be a big time-waster.

My strategy is to stop watching regular TV. Watch my computer screen, instead.

Yet every once-in-a-while computers are useful. They can make our jobs as coaches easier. Our live’s richer.

In fact you can find a coaching job on the internet. Meet your mate.

The internet has potential. It’s getting better.

From my presentation at the 2007 BC Fall Congress in Vancouver.

A few of the links recommended:

flickr – photos

i-NEEDtoKnow Gymnastics

Facebook – social networking with friends

Google Reader – notification when something new is posted on a website (RSS)

Gymtastics Gymnastics, Calgary – good club website

WordPress.com – post your own website, free

Blogger.com – post your own website, free

Up Down All Around lesson plans – Ruschkin.com

YouTube.com – videos

PreschoolGymnastics.org – coaches forum

In the past I loved Technique Magazine on-line, the best resource for coaches out of USA Gymnastics.

Then some years ago, someone decided to change the format of the page to this:

You must click on the RED CORNER in order to flip the page.

Flashy, but not useful. Form over function. Many are confused, I expect, by the unusual format and navigate away from the page without finding the red corner.

I cannot link to good articles or resources in Technique. It’s dead to me.

I assume the good folks at USAG do not care to have the wider audience on-line that a conventional page would bring. Too bad.

TECHNIQUE MAGAZINE – USA Gymnastics