Suni, Jordan, Jade and Grace

Awesome.

Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Grace McCallum all competing for different College Gymnastics teams in 2022.

Blythe Lawrence:

The transition from elite gymnastics, where expression can seem stilted in routines loaded to the gills with difficulty, to the more show-it-off NCAA, where execution trumps difficulty, can be a challenge for first-years, though this year’s class may prove ahead of the curve.

Many of the biggest names of the incoming women’s crop spent the fall on Simone Biles’ “Gold Over America” tour, criss-crossing the country performing in packed arenas from Arizona to Boston.

Here’s a look at five programs about to get an injection of talent from former U.S. national team members. …

WHAT TO WATCH AS U.S. OLYMPIC GYMNASTS TURN THEIR FOCUS TO COLLEGE

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Let Kids Choose Who They Hug 

A Mighty Girl has an important message for coaches.

By letting kids decide whether to greet someone with a hug or a kiss, parents can teach the basics of consent and bodily autonomy as early as the toddler years. …

… “The notion of consent may seem very grown-up and like something that doesn’t pertain to children, but the lessons girls learn when they’re young about setting physical boundaries and expecting them to be respected last a lifetime.” …

This Holiday Season, Let Kids Choose Who They Hug

Related:

Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect

My Body! What I Say Goes!

Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

gymnasts who were NOT Olympians

All fantastic.

Elena Mukhina
Morgan Hurd
Olga Mostepanova
Rebecca Bross

Irina Pervushina
Oksana Omelianchik
Huang Huidan
Liu Tingting
Olesia Dudnik
Ana Porgras
Jana Bieger

Greatest Gymnasts Who Never Went to the Olympics

Ana Porgras

USAG red flag – Katy, TX

You’d think USA Gymnastics would be too cautious before awarding events to an employee’s Gym.

Bad optics.

Gymnasts were afraid to complain about Karolyi Ranch for fear of displeasure from the owners.

Maloney to Jaeger

Lexy Ramler proves it’s possible.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Nina Derwael crushing it

WHAT a dancer!

Watch her on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

Raj Bhavsar to USAG

Raj is the new Jr High Performance Coordinator for MAG.

He’s a great communicator, something that’s been lacking in USAG. And has no problem speaking his mind.

Great hire

Save Queensland High Performance Centre 

Gymnasts and coaches in Queensland, Australia were shocked to hear that their very successful Gym would be closed early 2022 due to budget cuts.

You can sign a petition to Save Gymnastics in QLD.

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

research on wrist guards

Not much scientific research has been done.

BUT every coach has opinions and a lot of anecdotal experience.

Most agree on a few points:

  • don’t use wrist guards if you don’t need them
  • don’t use wrist guards as a fashion accessory
  • limit the amount of wrist guard use, especially with growing children
  • don’t use wrist guards for conditioning

There are Olympic champions that never once used wrist guards, even on Pommels. That should be the starting goal for every gymnast.

Here’s the conclusion from one study out of the University of Missouri:

Evidence supports the use of wrist guards as protective equipment in the prevention of gymnasts’ wrist pain and injury.

However, potentially negative effects of wrist guards on proprioception and performance were also reported, and critical gaps in knowledge regarding guard design, most effective indications, and application to female gymnasts remain.

Further biomechanical and clinical studies are needed to fill these gaps in knowledge toward making evidence-based recommendations regarding use of wrist guards in gymnastics. …

Use of Wrist Guards for Gymnasts – A Systematic Review

unitards will become increasingly popular

We can thank Germany for popularizing the trend.

They may choose to wear leotards in future. Point is — women should wear what they want.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.