Gymnastics Coaching.com

Website editor Rick McCharles displaying a lack of recent training while touring the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. (A fantastic place!)

Salar de Uyuni – Wikipedia

original – flickr

Amanda Sciandra wrote with an excellent question:

What Olympic-level athlete isn’t an anomaly of the human species?

She was referring to the case of a para-olympic amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa who wants to compete in the Olympics. Not the Paralympics. The Olympics.

The “fastest man on no legs”, his times are already good enough to qualify for his country competing against so-called able-bodied athletes.

Sole of Africa

Amanda asks:

If a GENETIC defect or anomaly (such as with Lance Armstrong) that makes an athlete almost super-human can pass by Olympic regulations, why can’t a double amputee with prosthetics? Don’t both have unfair advantages?

I am NOT saying neither should be allowed to be Olympic athletes. But where should we draw the line?

Anything that makes “normal” humans lose? What is “normal”? And why define it? (This notion actually scares me.)

I’m happy NOT to be on the Technical Committee ruling on cases like this either, Amanda.

In any case, it seems Oscar will be denied his chance :

Track and field’s world governing body, based in Monaco and known by the initials I.A.A.F., has recently prohibited the use of technological aids like springs and wheels, disqualifying Pistorius from events that it sanctions. A final ruling is expected in August.

The International Olympic Committee allows governing bodies to make their own eligibility rules, though it can intervene. Since 2004, for example, transgender athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics.

News- Amputee Sprinter: Is He Disabled or Too-Abled? – AOL Sports

What kind of “disabled” gymnast would have an advantage? On rings, for example?

Who remembers Jim Holt, the one-legged gymnast? (I’m still ticked-off with Francis Tally for deducting him for “missing scissors” on pommel horse.)

I had never heard of Grace Taylor before the NCAA Championships.

She immediately caught my eye, a favourite of the audience as well.

A rookie with Florida, defending Champions Georgia, people know her NOW after a Silver on Beam in Salt Lake City and an interview by Shannon Miller.

Click PLAY or watch Grace on YouTube.

See more of Shannon’s online TV show on cn8.tv.

By the way, Is Shannon great, or what?

She’s most decorated American gymnast ever with 7 Olympic medals and 9 Worlds medals. Though gymnast are notoriously anaerobic, Shannon ran the 2006 New York Marathon in 4:17.

She’s got her own TV show, Gymnastics USA with Shannon Miller, on CN8, The Comcast Network.

Now, she and Peter Korman are heading up Texas Sports Ranch summer gymnastics camp.

ShannonMiller.com – official website

FaerieDevilish posted a Second Life gymnastics image, the first I have heard about. (Not being a Second Life player.)

She’s from Mexico, known as Mariel V in-world.

I will have fun playing around with Photoshop and this snapshot; meanwhile, the whole magic relies on the light particles and her grace.

Your world, your flexibility, your imagination 🙂

(pssst: it’s a ring split leap)

…Rhythmics in SL? II on Flickr

This video has been circulating the internet via email.

Click PLAY or watch the video clip on YouTube.

Thanks Dave.

UPDATE: This is the award winning Pilobolus Dance Theater out of Connecticut.

Click PLAY to see them in a commercial for the Hyundai Sante Fe or watch it on YouTube. (Hey Hyundai, great viral marketing!)

Thanks dirtypandabear.

In Canada you can sign up for a gymnastics credit card with a percentage of the revenue going back to support the Associations.

Mosaik MasterCard is a card like no other because you’re like no other customer. Customize your card with the rewards, interest rate plan, protection and services you want while still getting the included features you need.

BMO Bank of Montreal – Mosaik MasterCard

$80 annual fee applies to the Gold Reward Option.

$25 annual fee applies to the Low Rate Option. Ongoing interest rate, payment period and annual fee are subject to change.

Seems like a good fund-raiser. Leave a comment if you have signed on and have some feedback.

Or if you have seen similar credit card plans.

I like this shot by Angelos Zimaras.

larger original

more flickr photos from Angelos Zimaras

My favourite “gymnastics” sport to watch in 2007 is Sports Acrobatics. It’s the epitome of flexibility, strength, somersaulting and twisting.

Yeesh, they are even doing bar “release moves”.

It’s well worth watching a 9min highlights clip from Worlds 2006 in Coimbra, Portugal.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I spent many happy years coaching at Emma Lake Gymnastics Camp in the wilds of the Canadian Shield in Saskatchewan.

That camp lapsed after Taiso Head Coach Kelly Thompson headed East with his family. (No one else had Kelly’s energy putting the camp together.)

Happily Randy McMullen, Head coach of the club in Prince Albert, has resurrected the Emma Lake Camp. Call Randy at (306) 922-4812 if you want to know more.

Rick McCharles.

I think NOT.

In evidence I took a bike ride around an upper middle class Canadian neighbourhood and took anonymous photos of home trampolines.

Does this look safe to you?

Manufacturers claim the trampolines are safe when set-up properly and supervised.

Fact is they are rarely set-up properly and even more rarely supervised.

Backyard trampolines should be outlawed.

more backyard trampoline photos – flickr