happy NCAA teams week 4

A lot of the top teams HIT well this past weekend.

Even more impressive was the number of teams from top to bottom that had record total scores.

  • #1 Oklahoma (198.425) – 5th-best score in Oklahoma team history
  • #2 Florida (197.900) – season-high
  • #3 Michigan (197.975) – best combined vault and floor team in NCAA right now
  • #4 Utah (197.975) – established some separation with the teams in the #5+ zone
  • #7 Cal (197.525) – equaled season high 
  • #8 Denver (197.425)
  • #10 Kentucky (197.825) – smashed previous all-time school record
  • #12 Oregon State (197.275/197.275) – both season highs

Click through to read Spencer’s summary post:

Week 4 Rankings and Notes

Proud of UCLA

The best and brightest Americans who make me hopeful for a future where everyone has equal opportunity are students.

California has been the most progressive State.

I like the Bruins theme of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as it includes anyone who identifies as any kind of minority.

Kirsty Duncan: Canada needs a National Public Inquiry into Sport

Kirsty Duncan is a former Canadian Minister of Sport and served as deputy leader of the government in the House of Commons.

Kirsty was a former gymnast who felt fat shamed when she was competing.

On LinkedIn she listed 20 Twenty Reasons Why We Need a National Public Inquiry into Sport.

I’ll list a few here. Click through to see the rest.

  • Safe sport should always be the primary goal of every sport organization and coach, ahead of winning games, tournaments, or medals.
  • Stories of abuse, harassment, and sexual assault circulated for years but some sport organizations failed to hear, see, and act.
  • Emotional, psychological, physical, verbal, and sexual abuse of young athletes abound across many sports, and some abusers have not been held to account.
  • There is a compelling precedent for holding a national public inquiry, the Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance.

Oklahoma goes 198.425

All hail.

Best meet of the season. 5th best score in team history.

Spencer said there was some charitable judging.

Cirque du Soleil NEWS

The world’s biggest employer of acrobats is back to business as usual.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Sadly, Franco Dragone, founder and artistic director of Dragone, a competitor to Cirque du Soleil, died in 2022. His company has yet to reopen any shows following the pandemic.

USAG Daniels report 2017

Right now in Canada we’re comparing the recent McLaren Report against other similar reports from other nations.

From McLaren, GymCan will be putting together ACTION targets in order to make Gymnastics training safer for all participants.

In 2017, coach Jim Holt reviewed the USAG Daniels Report which arrived with ACTION target recommendations.

I’m taking a look back at Jim’s report in order to assess the upcoming GymCan targets. Especially the methodology of reporting instances of abuse that fall short of calling the police or child protection.

It should be simple. But fair.

Victims should feel confident their complaint will be handled promptly and in confidence. Those accused should feel they are innocent until proven guilty.

Check out Jim’s 2017 report for yourself. It’s a free download.

daniels-report-oct17Download

2023 European Games – NO Russia

Poland will host European Games with 10 sports — but no Gymnastics — June 21 to July 2, 2023.

Via Google Translate.

The organizers of the 2023 European Games in Poland will not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate, despite the position of the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC has previously announced its readiness to consider the issue of admitting Russians and Belarusians to the Asian Games and giving them the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in Paris.

sell out crowd Arkansas 197.475

Congratulations.

Mental Health is important for gymnasts

Reach out. Talk to friends and family.

Mental Health is as important as Physical Health.