May 2008 - Gymmin' Miel!

Qualification Rankings Moscow World Cup

, by chimochita

Moscow World Cup finals results

, by chimochita

Field for the 2008 VISA Championships

Juniors:
Melissa Metcalf - Desert Devils, Mesa, Arizona
Desi Borgese - Airborne, Los Gatos, California
Kaitlyn Clark - Precision, Rancho Cucamonga, California
Sophina DeJesus, Precision - Temecula, California
Hallie Mossett, All Olympia - L.A., California
Samantha Shapiro, All Olympia - L.A., California
Morgan Smith, Brandy Johnson - Clermont, Florida
Randi Lau, What's Up - Honolulu, Hawaii
Bridget Caquatto, Aerial's - Naperville, Illinois
Alexis Carroll, Hill's - Olney, Maryland
Kamerin Moore, Geddert's - Bloomfield, Michigan
Jordyn Wieber, Geddert's - Dewitt, Michigan
Rebecca Clark, GAGE - Blue Springs, Missouri
Asi Peko, Brown's Las Vegas - Henderson, Nevada
Sabrina Vega, Dynamic - Carmel, New York
Amanda Jetter, Cincinnati Gymnastics - Milford, Ohio
Cassie Whitcomb, Cincinnati Gymnastics - Cincinnati, Ohio
Lauren Beers, Southern Tier - Warren Center, Pennyslvania
Cassandra Hanley, Parkettes - Danielsville, Pennyslvania
Madeline Hanley, Parkettes - Danielsville, Pennyslvania
Annette Miele, Parkettes - Easton, Pennyslvania
Elizabeth Price, Parkettes - Coopersburg, Pennyslvania
Caitlin Atkinson, Cypress - Houston, Texas
Briley Casanova, WOGA- Dallas, Texas
Sophie Lee, WOGA- Plano, Texas
MacKenzie Wofford, Stars - Spring, Texas
Gabrielle Douglas, Excalibur - Virginia Beach, Virginia
Brooke Parker, Cpital GNTC, Lorton, Virginia
Seniors:
Mattie Larson, All Olympia - Los Angeles, California
Katelyn Mohr, Byer's - Carmichael, California
Ashley Stott, SCEGA - Temecula, California
Jana Bieger, Bieger's - Coconut Creek, Florida
Olivia Courtney, Orlando Metro - Orlando, Florida
Shayla Worley, Orlando Metro - Orlando, Florida
Shawn Johnson, Chow's - West Des Moines, Iowa
Mackenzie Caquatto, Aerial's - Naperville, Illinois
Samantha Peszek, DeVeau's - Indianapolis, Indiana
Bridget Sloan, Sharp's - Pittsboro, Indiana
Alicia Sacramone, Brestyan's - Winchester, Massachusetts
Corrie Lothrop, Hills - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Britney Ranzy, Excalibur - Gaithersburg, Maryland
Ivana Hong, GAGE - Blue Springs, Missouri
Kimberly Jacob, Superior - Raleigh, Nth Carolina
Sarah Persinger, Southwestern - Charlotte, Nth Carolina
Darling Hill, Will Moor - Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
Ashley Priess, Cincinnati Gymnastics - Hamilton, Ohio
Amber Trani, Parkettes - Richlandtown, Pennyslvania
Chelsea Davis, Texas Dreams - Lakeway, Texas
Alaina Johnson, Texas East - Tyler, Texas
Nastia Liukin, WOGA - Parker, Texas
Christa Tanella, WOGA - Lucas, Texas
Randy Stageberg, Excalibur - Chesapeake, Virginia
Chellsie Memmel, M&M Gymnastics - West Allis, Wisconsin

, by chimochita

Mocow World Cup - Who is in the Event Finals?

, by chimochita

Gym Stuff?

Hello my pets, Keisha reporting in for duty. Apologies for the non-posts - work has been keeping me busy. Oh and I have just discovered the tv show Dexter and I believe I have 2 whole seasons to get through! So much gym news to get through:

Starting with the announcement that the Romanian team for the Olympics will be announced at the end of June. According to an article that I read - I am multilingual (thanks parentals) there are only 12 girls in the running for the 6 positions on the squad for Beijing, Apparently at the recent camp in Deva as you can see in attendance (from the order of the picture I think) are: Sandra Izbasa, Alina Stanculescu, Madalina Gutu, Aluissa Lacusteanu, Steliana Nistor, Andreea Palade, Andreea Acatrinei, Gabriela Dragoi, Cerasela Patrascu, Andreea Grigore, Ana Maria Tamarjan and Daniela Druncea. Notedly missing - one Alexandra Ghita - say it isn't so!

Off topic Australia's diving squad for the Beijing Olympics was named the other day and includes:

Bree Cole - Synchro 10m platform, synchro 3m springboard

ALEX CROAK - 10m platform

Matthew Helm - 10m platform, synchro 10m platform

Matthew Mitcham - 10m platform, 3m springboard

Chantelle Newberry - 3m springboard

Robert Newberry - 3m springboard, synchro 10m platform, synchro 3m springboard

Scott Robertson - Synchro 3m springboard

Sharleen Stratton - 3m Springboard, synchro 3m springboard

Melissa Wu - 10m platform, Synchro 10m platform

You can read an article at this link, and another from FoxSports.

So far the WAG competitors for the Moscow World Cup have been trickling out:

France: Kathleen and Lindsay Lindor

Canada: Kristina Vaculik

Australia: Dasha Joura, Lauren Mitchell

China: Pang Panpan, Sui Lu, Deng Linlin

Brazil: Jade Barbosa, Ana Claudia Silva, Lais Souza

Russia: Semenova (bars and beam), Afanasyeva (floor and another to be determined), Pavlova (vault and floor), Goryunova (vault and floor)

Egypt: Sherine El Zeiny, Salma Mahmoud Said

Argentina: Florencia Salomon, Ayelen Tarabini

Belgium: Gaelle Mys

Netherlands: Verona van de Leur, Suzanne Harmes, Sanne Wevers, Lichelle Wong

Mexico: Elsa Garcia

And for MAG:

Belgium: Koen Van Damme, Donna-Donny Truyens

France: Yann Cucherat, Danny Pinheiro Rodrigues, Raphael Wignanitz, Thomas Bouhail, Cyril Tommasone, Hamilton Sabote

Netherlands: Epke Zonderland, Jeffrey Wammes, Yuri van Gelder

Spain: Rafael Martinez, Jose Luis Fernandez, Ivan San Miguel

Australia: Luke Wiwatowski

Brazil: Diego Hypolito, Victor Rosa

Russia: Golotsutskov (vault and floor), Pluzhnikov (rings), A. Vasiliyev (floor and horizontal bar), Ryazanov (pommel and parallel bars), Olennikov (pommel and parallel bars), Nigmadzyanov (pommel and rings)

Egypt: Mohamed Serour, Walid El Dariny, Tamer Ragab

Argentina: Federico Molinari, Juan Manuel Lompizano

NEWS GALORE!!!!!!

Razzle Dazzle Cheer Squad - Smithfield State HS is off to the second QLD qualifying round and are hoping to make the final of the World Cup Cheerleading Asia Pacific division.

Estrada wins 4th straight US trampoline title also includes some of the results from all divisions

GWU has officially announced its 2009 Recruiting Class, including one Monique Blount (see the link for a picture and the article) and boy has the head coach got her in high regard!

MEN:

Gymnasts Eye upcoming trials for tickets to Beijing - looks at a few of the top contenders in brief for the US MAG Olympics squad

Hamm focuses on recovery - How cute to see that Paul sees Morgan's performance as "encouraging"

Stanford's Sender wins US Gymnastics title - can we say hurray? I do luv his style

The International Herald Tribune has an article from AAP all about Paul Hamm undergoing surgery and his new path to the Games which you can read here.

Sarawak's and an Australian based gymnast Jonathan Chein is hoping he has success at the Malaysian Games. He seems quite modest and admits he is a little unprepared. Good luck to him and read it here!

NCAA:

Utes Gymnasts win Academic Honors - 7 Utes were named NACGC/ W Scholastic All-Americans and ALL 13 gymnasts qualified for the Athletics Director's Honor Roll.

Cats Take 4th at PAC 10 Champs

Five Gym-Cats Make All Conference Teams

DeProspero Earns Academic Honor

WAG:

From Seneca to Beijing? - A look at Canadian "favourite" Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs. Personally I do hope she makes it. But am looking forward to seeing her in NCAA.

Joura Sweeps the Floor

Dennis Makes Cut for Beijing

Two Pieces of the Puzzle Missing - Sort of confirms what we already know - Joura, Morgan, Mitchell and Brennan for AA and are who the team will be built around, and states the case and need that we'd have for each other remaining 5 girls.

RG:

Azbaijani Gymnasts have won silver medals at the International tournament in Israel. You can read a little about it here - I do love Gimatova and haven't heard of Gurbanova. Can anyone help me out here?

DIVING:

Divers in Sync for Beijing Medal Haul

Diving Champ rules himself out of Beijing Games - Hu Jia has done as the title says, however the team won't be announced until next month and the officials are planning to leave the door open as long as possible for him.

Croak dives at Olympic Chance

Newberry comes out of retirement with gold on mind - Article on Chantelle Newberry

Big Names Give Wu Bounce

, by chimochita

Australian Nationals -

, by chimochita

WA gymnast Dasha Joura puts in a world class effort

From Perthnow and can be found here.
May 22, 2008 01:15pm

WA'S Dasha Joura signalled herself a serious chance of winning Australia's first ever Olympic gymnastics medal at the national championships today.

Joura scored the highest on floor in the world this year - taking a huge step towards a third successive national women's title and virtually assuring herself selection for Beijing with her performance at Vodafone Arena in the teams competition on day one.

Her 61.6 combined score today featured a brilliant floor routine which scored 15.750 - a personal best - to take a commanding lead in the national women's all-around title at the halfway point.

Scores in the high 15s would put Joura in medal contention for Beijing, with national coach Peggy Liddick saying a repeat of her combined total may even be enough for a top five all-around finish at the Games.

The 18-year-old's floor effort bettered former world champion Cheng Fei's 15.7 set at the World Cup in Tianjin, China last week.

"It'd take at least that (61.6) to be in the top five, but I haven't seen a score higher than (15.75) in the world this year,'' a clearly delighted Liddick said.

Russian-born Joura, who moved to WA as a seven-year-old, was thrilled with her performance, especially when told her floor score set a world benchmark in an Olympic year.

Australia has never won an Olympic gymnastics medal, with Joura believing she can still build on her impressive efforts today.

``That was definitely by far the best floor I've ever done. The biggest confidence booster is there's still so many things to improve,'' Joura said.

``That's exciting to hear (it's the best score in the world this year). I know I can eventually add more difficulty to that routine, so I'm excited.''

The national championships double as the Olympic selection trials.

Liddick will name a squad of between eight and 12 female gymnasts this weekend, which will be whittled to the six-woman Games team at a combined training camp and competition in Canberra next month.

While Joura confirmed her place as Australia's leading female gymnast, WA teammate and Australian No.2 Lauren Mitchell had a difficult day to sit fifth after day one.

Mitchell had a disappointing routine on the uneven bars to start her rotation, and will be hoping for better in the women's all-around final tomorrow night.

Today's scores roll over into tomorrow night's event.

Victorians Shona Morgan (60.4) and Ashleigh Brennan (59.45) are currently second and third.

, by chimochita

Joura Floors Them

22 May, 2008
A stunning floor routine by defending champion Daria Joura has the West Australian on track to win a third consecutive all-around title at the Australian Championships and Olympic selection trials at Vodafone Arena in Melbourne.

Joura produced a flawless floor routine, including a quadruple pirouette for the first time in competition, to score a personal best total of 15.75, the best score in the world this year, and an effort that would almost certainly put her into medal calculations in Beijing if reproduced on the Olympic stage.

Joura was most impressive on all four apparatus, and with a first day all-around total of 61.600 that eclipsed her personal best she confirmed Head Coach Peggy Riddick’s belief that the 18-year-old West Australian is a definite medal chance come August.

“It will take at least that to be in the top five and as far as I know Cheng Fei scored a 15.7 last week at the world Cup in China and I haven’t seen a floor higher than that this year.”

Fei, the 2006 world champion on floor, is seen by many as the standard to beat at her home Games and Joura’s effort will have the world cup winner on floor and a silver medallist at the Pacific Rim Championships earlier this year, high on the list of medal chances in Beijing.

“There’s still some bugs to be worked out for sure but it was really pleasing to see. There were some new skills thrown today and they were completed successfully,” Liddick said.

For her part, despite the magnitude of her efforts, Joura was not letting the prospect of Games success distract her.

“That was definitely the best floor I’ve ever done,” Joura said.

“I had a quad turn as well which went great and they counted that. The competition is my best scorewise and to score well over 61[D1] I’m pretty happy with that. The best thing though is that there is so much to improve on.”

Victorian Shona Morgan, a 2007 world championships representative, produced the best score of her career (60.400) to lead Victoria to the team’s title. Morgan was ably supported by teammates Ashleigh Brennan (59.450) and Emma Dennis (58.200) who all strengthened their claims for an Olympic team spot with solid performances.

The surprise was Joura’s West Australian teammate Lauren Mitchell who got off to a horror start on bars and despite improved efforts on the remaining apparatus, lies in 5th spot with 57.15, just ahead of Victorian Georgia Bonora (56.800), WA’s Olivia Vivian (55.225) and Queenslander Amber Fulljames (54.200) who rounds out the top eight.

The men’s all-around final will be held tonight with the women’s final concluding tomorrow night at Vodafone Arena.

Gymnastics Australia

Go Dash! You know I'd actually not thought of her floor score in those terms. Miss Joura you are fantastic and you go girl!!

, by chimochita

Junior and Senior Team and Day 1 AA Results

I should have mentioned in the last post. My name is Keisha and I will taking over from MissChim just temporarily while she is gathering some first hand info at the Aust Champs.I used to compete and train alongside M.C. (Miss Chim) as I often call her and she is fantastic! Anyways... now that we have established my credentials, well some of anyways, I am actually a uni student studying sports science here in good old W.A. and loving it.

RESULTS are up on GA:
Senior Team:
1st- VIC - Vault (44.900); Bars (44.600); Beam (44.550) and Floor (44.000) TOTAL- 178.050
2nd - WA - Vault (42.750); UB (42.500); Beam (44.775) and Floor (43.950) TOTAL- 173.975
(well done to the Victorian team winning both the senior and junior team titles - mind you only a Vic team in the junior division. Does anybody remember the days of combined Junior/Senior team scores? So many more teams on the podium. Woe the days of retirement)

I must admit that I am really really unfamiliar with the majority of the junior girls, however W.A.'s Emily Little is currently on top of the AA leader board after day 1 with a score of 54.400 over Victorian Britt Greeley (53.250) and Queenslander Chantelle Turnbull who scored 51.300. The full list of the Scores from Day 1 for the Juniors can be found here. This is what I sort-of expected, although I did think Britt would be in the lead, I'm not quite sure why though - Emily is such a beautiful gymnast.

Day 1 AA - Daria had an awesome day - breaking 61 (with a 61.600)!! In the 15s on all apparatus hurray! She's definitely out to impress. Second today was Shona with a 60.400, in 3rd is Ash with a 59.450, 4th is Emma Dennis with a total of 58.200. Poor Lauren had quite a bad afternoon and is currently 5th with an AA total of 57.150 - I am told she had a horrid time on bars. In 6th is Miss Bonora (yay!) with 56.800 followed by Olivia Vivian who scored 55.225. Amber Fulljames (54.200), Melanie Jones (53.900), Yves Berryman (51.675), Fiona Coley (50.200) and Larissa Miller (50.000) to round out the girls who competed AA today. Victoria Williams, Naomi Russell and Chloe Turko all only competed Bars.

, by chimochita

2008 Australian Champs

News, Oh Glorious News! Australian Gymnastics in the Spotlight

Another Blaine Wilson article, just for one Miss Lara K. check it out at this link

Channel 7 here in good old Australia has announced its line-up of commentators for the games - I am still a little perplexed that Daniel Kowalski is one of the commentators for the Triathlon? BUT anyhow the commentators for gymnastics will be Liz Chetkovich -yayyayyayyayyay! and Simon Reeve. See the full list on this site.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPS AND OLYMPIC SELECTION TRIALS START OFFICIALLY TODAY:
And boy has the media gone in a frenzy - hurray for the exposure, although most the articles say the same thing, but hey, Australian Gymnastics is indeed getting some well deserved attention!
From FOX sports: Liddick aiming for third place - Can I safely say the top 3 spots - Dasha, Lauren and Ash Brennan, and the fourth maybe Shona? -

Liddick said she would pick a team that had proved it could handle the basics under pressure.
"The top three or four spots are pretty much secure, so for the last two spots, there are about eight girls fighting for that," she said.

"'There may be somebody who doesn't have oodles of international experience, but they handle themselves very calmly (at the trials)."

From The Australian: Bar set high as gymnasts target medal -

WITH world-class Perth duo Daria Joura and Lauren Mitchell spearheading her team, national head coach Peggy Liddick believes Australia can contend for a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Australia has never won a medal in artistic gymnastics and will be competing in the backyard of powerhouse China, but Liddick insists she has the talent to win medals, as the national championships begin in Melbourne today.

Wow, compliments of sort from Peggy? I think I might just underestimate her. Also from this article a little bit of quotes from Miss Joura and Miss Mitchell themselves. Very exciting with talks of Joura's new floor pass and Lauren's vault -

With her supremacy under threat, Joura will raise the bar in Melbourne by introducing a double back layout somersault in her first tumbling pass, boosting the value of her floor routine.

"Sometimes you have to take a risk when a skill is still a bit inconsistent, so you can get it consistent by the Olympic Games," Joura said.

"Doing something consistently in training is different to competition because you need to be able to control your emotions in competition."

Mitchell has also upgraded her vault this year to become more competitive.

Liddick couldn't be happier with what she has seen in training leading into the four-day competition.

"Through the national camps, I warned them 'don't even bother showing up if you aren't going to pay attention to landings and consistent performance'," Liddick said.

"It's not about the skills this week. It's about how cleanly and consistently you can perform it. We want the most dependable gymnasts we can find."

From the Sydney Morning Herald: Coach sets the bar high as medal hunt begins - This article talks about the same sort of things as the others, however does factor in the 3 major missing gymnasts that could have made an impact on Beijing - Hollie, Chloe and Monette and cites this in a roundabout way as the reason Peggy will have to include some relatively unexperienced girls in the team. A good quote from this article:

"What I'm looking for is the consistency, their ability to perform when the green light is on and the judges are watching, and when the pressure is on. The first four spots are pretty much secure, but it's the last two spots and there's about eight girls fighting for that. Those are the kinds of things that are going to make the difference."

Bronze Aussies - The Age: Now is that a pic of Miss Bonora?

"We're going to have every training session geared towards that … we're going to go down in a blaze of glory if we do go down, and if we hit, there's a possibility to win the medal, so that's our approach."

Although Liddick will hand-pick her team based on results from the next two days, as well as previous internal trials and external meets, and the final selection phase in Canberra next month, Daria Joura, Lauren Mitchell, Ashleigh Brennan and Shona Morgan appear ensconced, leaving Olivia Vivian, Georgia Bonora, Emma Dennis, Amber Fulljames and Melanie Jones heading the hopefuls for the final two places. Queensland's Sam Simpson will be Australia's sole men's representative.

And for some words from Dasha:

"We have had a few setbacks just recently with retirements in the lead-up to the trials, so that has been unfortunate, but I do believe that we do have a lot of strong contenders for the team.

"There's so much media attention around; everyone's like 'oh, 100 days, 80 days', and it seems like such a short time, but for us we don't think about it in that way, because we know there's so much work to be done."

And there is more. Watch this space is all I can say. I know there was a small little write up in the West Australian today as well.

, by chimochita

Yay for some GOOD Australian News

Gym star to coach in Cairns

Craig Ross

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

TALK about raising the bar in the Cairns gymnastics coaching ranks.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rebecca Stoyel is lending her expertise to the keen youngsters at Southside Gymnastics Club.

The former Australian artistic representative won an individual gold medal on the uneven bars on her way to an overall competition silver medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada.

She also added an Australian team bronze to her tally.

The Adelaide product said she was enjoying her new challenge.

"I’m really loving it and the kids are great," she said.

"The atmosphere in the gym is really fun and they’re all working hard.

"There’s a lot of talent here and really good quality coaches."

Stoyel overcame a torrid run with injuries to star at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

She broke her hand on the uneven bars a month out from the 1994 national championships, which doubled as world championship trials.

She missed the nationals but pushed through her injury to attend a world championships training camp, gaining selection only to break her foot while dismounting from the beam on the eve of the competition.

Stoyel bounced back to secure her three Commonwealth Games medals and then returned to Canada two weeks later to contest an invite-only competition.

Competing in a world class field which featured Lilya Podkapiva, of the Ukraine, who went on to win the 1996 Olympics gold medal, Stoyel finished third on the bars and sixth overall.

She continued her strong form on the Tour of America in 1995, taking overall honours in Atlanta but injury prevented her returning for the following year’s Olympics after again breaking her foot.

The 29-year-old said she missed competition but was just as happy in the coaching role.

Raising the bar: New Southside Gymnastic Club coach Rebecca Stoyel, who won gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, takes Krista Hayward through her paces." width="320">

Raising the bar: New Southside Gymnastic Club coach Rebecca Stoyel, who won gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, takes Krista Hayward through her paces.

from: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/05/20/3963_local-sport-news.html

I am happy that she's doing so well and still has such a great love for her sport. She was always a favourite gymnast of mine all those years ago. Great list of achievements but am absolutely HORRIFIED that this journalist has misspelled Lilia Podkopayeva's name!

, by chimochita

Nastia Liukin's New Role

From: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3384003

By Molly Knight
Gymnast Nastia Liukin has been called many things: Phenom. Prodigy. Wunderkind. Which is why it's so surprising that heading into Beijing, she's being labeled something far different: Underdog.
Not everyone is buying it. "She's more special than any other gymnast in the world," says U.S. women's team coordinator Martha Karolyi. The 18-year-old Texan has won two national all-around titles (2005, '06) and nine world championship medals. But three months before the Games, the 5'2'' Liukin finds herself in the shadow of 4'9'' teammate Shawn Johnson.
In Johnson's first year on the senior national team, the pint-size powerhouse swept all-around golds at the 2007 nationals, worlds, American Cup and Pan-Am Games. Johnson also has received all the pre-Olympic love. Liukin, meanwhile, spent most of 2007 recovering from surgery on her right ankle.
Her physical pain paled in comparison with how she felt when some said her career was over. They questioned whether Liukin's ankle could handle the explosive force required on floor and vault. "People said I wasn't an all-around gymnast anymore," she says. "At first it got to me, then it made me push harder."
The extra nudge helped. In March, a fully healed Liukin won the Tyson American Cup in New York, edging Johnson by .325 points. "She looked like a ballerina," Karolyi says. "Nastia has the rare grace and beauty of a dancer, with the strength of a gymnast."
Credit her folks. Mom Anna Kotchneva won the 1987 rhythmic gymnastics worlds for the Soviet Union. Her father and coach, Valeri, won four medals for the U.S.S.R. in Seoul. The family came to the U.S. in 1992 and opened WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas.
The influence of her Russian heritage shows in routines. Unlike many American gymnasts, Liukin doesn't have the compact power required to win the vault and floor exercises. But her classic elegance helps turn beam and uneven bars into high-scoring events. And until the June 20 Olympic trials, Liukin will run two miles a day and do squats to improve leg strength.
Anything to gain one definitive label: Olympic gold medalist.

Already the Liukin vs Johnson debate is rekindled. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but yes I would totally love for Nastia to really factor in this Olympics. Awww to Martha's comment, but hey we always knew that Nast is special! And to those people who have stated Miss Liukin would no longer be an All Around hope- I do believe well hope that she is success a the upcoming trials!

, by chimochita

Olivia Vivian's New Post, Sean Golden and Olympic Ads

Olivia Vivian's new blog is up. Check it out on this link! She talks about her decision to go to college and the atmosphere over there. She is so down to earth and very honest, I think that's why I like her so much. I especially like her final paragraph:
As September comes closer and closer each day, a lot of people ask me if I'm excited, ready or scared. Truth is I try not to think about it too much. I'm very excited but college is not where my focus needs to be right now. I'm not finished with my duties with this Australian team. If everything goes well for me and I make the Olympic team, I will come back to Perth for no more than a week before departing to the U.S. I adapt to quick changes quite well so I'm sure I'll cope heading off to America with a week to prepare! But as a wise psychologist said to me on Saturday, I must “live in the present.” And the present right now, is preparing for this weeks National Championships and making the most of it as it could be my last.
Wow if she makes that team she is going to be one super prepared young lady. Here is hoping she does well at Nationals this week and may her goals, dreams and gymnastics go well. Watch this space!

SEAN GOLDEN... also starts his campaign to the Olympics this week and has been featured in 2 articles over the last couple of days. The first on USA Today site, gives a great insight into his move to train under Kevin Mazeika, his goals (see below) and a little bit on his gymnastics, but more focus on his personal life. This is the section where he mentions his goals - I say go Sean and I hope he achieves what he wants to do, if not I urge him to keep on trying.

Golden has big dreams. His tight-knit upbringing allowed him to dodge the dangers of Camden, known for its crime rate, but its troubles bother him. He wants to attract more African-Americans to his sport and envisions opening a gym and a community center. "There's so much talent," he says. "I've seen it in the inner city. I would like to expose that."

Those are long-term goals. Short term, he wants to become the fifth African-American male gymnast to make the Olympic team, following Ron Galimore (1980), Charles Lakes (1988), Jair Lynch (1992, '96) and Chainey Umphrey (1996).

The second article, from Click2Houston can be found here. It deals with Golden's upbringing, highlights his natural talent, and the fact that he loves the challenges that gymnastics throws at him, and for me the stand out point of this article was the final statement. Check it out and let me know what you think about it - powerful much?

It's that time of the Olympic year again - the launch of the Olympic advertising campaigns. Channel 7's Olympic promo features, not only a rhythmic gymnast (Naazmi? Kimberly?), a representative from MAG (Philippe? or Sam) - I cannot really tell, and a back-handspring on the Great Wall from Miss Ashleigh Brennan. Another promo being shown on GWN and I am guessing Channel 7 features the Chinese athletes - I only just saw that one then, so haven't looked at it closely. In terms of the USA, VISA has launched the "Go World" Olympic campaign of which you can read more about at this link. In terms of gymnastics, it will highlight "the heart and determination" of Kerri Strug and incorporates some of the VISA sponsored athletes who are a part of Team Visa Beijing -for gymnastics it is Paul Hamm and Nastia Liukin. I cannot wait to see what they have come up with.

, by chimochita

age

The Retirement Debate

It's everywhere!

THE "R" Word... retirement

Two new articles have surfaced focusing on retirement from elite sports. The first is an opinion piece by Ron Green Sr. for the Charlotte Observer which you can read here. His opinion is centred around golfer Annika Sorenstam and tennis superstar Justine Henin's announcements of retirement from their respective sports and the fact that "when to quit is subjective". Both these ladies, went out on top and the common feeling that it was the right thing to do (the right time). It then bizarrely talks about one Miss Brandy Johnson:

Brandy Johnson was a world class gymnast until one day she was suddenly terrified of doing her usual routines on bars and beam. She said, "My brain was telling me it was time to quit."

Life after gymnastics turned out well for her, but she said, "A lot of girls are lost after gymnastics. They've spent their whole life doing something they can't use anymore."

What Brandy says is somewhat try, but what about the courage, determination, perfection and drive achieved from gymnastics? Can these not be refocused on another aspect of their lives? I think if I can recall correctly that there are some organizations in Australia and America which assists them in life after elite gymnastics and other elite sports. I guess it largely comes down to the individual and their ability to adapt to the change in lifestyle.

The second article I only include as a general interest point. It talks about the dangers of burnout for Rafael Nadal and co on a crowded ATP circuit. You can read the article here, but I would like to point out this last statement:
The way things are going, it won't be surprising to see tennis go the gymnastics way with players coming in when they are 15 and out before they are 25.
Umm... gymnasts today are pushing this age "cut-off" focusing only on the 2007 WORLDS think Oksana Chusovitina (1975), Daiane Dos Santos (1983), Daniele Hypolito (1984), Victoria Karpenko (1981), Colombia's Bibiana Velez (1983), Jekaterina Appel (EST, 1981), Isabelle Severino (1980), Jana Kormskova (1983), Katja Abel (1983), Greece's Vasiliki Millousi (1984), Monica Bergamelli (1984), Yeny Ibarra (1982), Kathrine and Julie Hansson (1984), Ursula Botha (1984), Elena Zamolodchikova (1982), Pi-Hsuang Chiang (TPE, 1983), Laura del Carmen Moreno (1978), Katerina Maresova (1984).
Grrr. People should talk about the sport they know and not add an analysis in comparing what they don't know. Oh great publicity and exposure for gymnastics though?

, by chimochita

Do you subscribe to Summer Games Plus and Athleres Going for Gold and Riches in Beijing

So Colombia has already chosen the flag bearer for the Olympics - cyclist Maria Luisa Calle who won bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics. And if you happen to be a subscriber to Summer Games Plus and are a fan of one Mr. Blaine Wilson - then this next bit is just for you:

MONDAY, MAY 19 OLYGYM-ONE LAST TIME UNDATED -- Blaine Wilson, the three-time Olympian and longtime face of USA Gymnastics, retired after 2004 and moved to California to be with his wife and little girl. When his marriage broke up, he returned to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and decided to make a run at his fourth Olympics -- at age 34. By National Writer Nancy Armour. AP Photos. AP Video. See here for more details.

Athletes going for gold and riches in Beijing

Now I know this really has nothing much to do with gymnastics, however the picture (they could have chosen a better one?) relates directly! See below! The article, which you can find at this link, talks about the sponsorships that will no doubt arise from their performances at the Beijing Olympics. It talks about how the individual winners and competitors are the main focus of this attention - point in case I guess you can consider Ian Thorpe and the accidental heroes Steven Bradbury and they mention Sydney Olympics tae kwon do gold medallist Lauren Burns. Elite Sports Properties Chief Executive Mr. Woodhouse then goes on to say:

He said some competitors in the so-called minor events, such as Wu in diving and gymnast Daria Joura, were loved by the public, but "need to medal'' if they were to cut through.

I'm probably not the only one who doesn't agree with this? Firstly, I would not call Gymnastics a minor event, we do have a substantial fan base and supporters, however if we are referring to an Australian context then it can be considered a minor-event as it doesn't have the HUGE fan base as in the United States or China to name a couple of well-backed countries. Secondly, I believe that both Melissa and Dasha are able to "cut through" without earning that elusive medal. I mean hello I will still love both girls regardless of what happens and I mean seriously, sponsorship does not equal support, although it does mean exposure - every knows who Shawn Johnson is regardless if they follow Gymnastics or not, do you think that most people take the time to associate with the others who compete in the field? I know my friends do - only because I would disown them if they didn't, but yeah I guess, exposure is good but favouritism and commercialism is not.

, by chimochita

Britt plays clown but there's no masking ambition

, by chimochita

Alyce Arrowsmith

Chloe Sims Retires and THAT Broken Bodies Article.

CHLOE SIMS' RETIREMENT IS OFFICIAL

Yes, another Australian gymnast has retired. Gymnastics Australia released the official media release on Thursday the 15th of May. According to this release, located at this site:

One of Australia’s leading gymnasts, the Queenslander suffered a series of injuries over the past twelve months, however had been working hard to regain her fitness and form in a last ditch effort to make the team for Beijing.

However this week, the 17-year-old came to the realisation that her attempt was in vain. Succumbing to her injuries, Sims made the difficult decision to stand down from Olympic contention and retire from gymnastics after 13 years in the sport.

So very sad, and only a few months away from the Olympics.

Although Sims’ withdrawal is a disappointment for Australia’s Olympic campaign, Australian women’s head coach Peggy Liddick believes the team has the strength and depth to cover Sims’ absence.

“Chloe’s decision has taken a lot of courage this close to the Games, as it has always been her dream to compete at the Olympic Games,” explained Liddick.

“Obviously at this stage of our Olympic preparations, to lose someone of Chloe’s calibre and experience is disappointing, but that is the nature of the sport.

“However, Chloe’s retirement means that the door is now open for other girls to step up and challenge for one of the six positions on offer in the Beijing team.

“We have a strong group with great depth, and we’re looking forward to next week’s nationals and Olympic trials at Vodafone Arena.”

A large number of people have questioned how serious Chloe was about the Olympics, however as Peggy said it has been her dream to attend the Olympics. I think it was a bit disappointing that their was nothing in this media release quoted from Chloe herself. But whatever Miss Sims decides I am happy for her and hope she does well - I believe she is looking into sports aerobics. I think I mentioned I am a newly converted fan of sports aerobics and no this is not a contributing factor to that - Check out some of my favourites: W.A's Kieran Gorman's routine from Borovets 2007 here, 2008 World Champion Ivan Parejo's 1st place routine from the 2008 Borovets World Series located here, 2008 World Champion and one of the greatest Aerobics superstars Marcela Lopez, check out her amazing performance from the World Champs at this link and finally the FISAF 2002 and 2003 World Champion Australian Lauren Farry's routine from the 2002 Worlds at this youtube link.

Broken bodies are tragedy of Beijing Olympics

Article from the Courier Mail site located here

The opening paragraph or subheading depending on how you view it is pretty powerful on it own. "The lost generation" of young superstars in the making, yet are "the casualties of sport" - I semi-agree with this statement, I mean not everyone can make it to the top and yes things can happen on the road, but it's somewhat a fact of life.

The article mentions that in the past 18 months 15 talented gymnasts have left Olympic level programs, with 7 of these being Queenslanders. Some of these retired gymnasts include: Alyce Arrowsmith (QLD/QAS/MBC), Monique Blount (ACT/AIS), Jacqui Bull (VIC/ Waverly), Hollie Dykes (QLD/AIS), Tanya Harle (VIC/Waverly), Anabelle Hawkins (VIC/MLC), Melody Hernandez (NSW/AIS), Trudy McIntosh (VIC/MLC), Karen Nguyen (VIC/VIS), Nikola Photinos (QLD, QAS), Monette Russo (VIC/VIS), Lynn Silcock (VIC,MLC), Stephanie Waters (QLD/QAS), Jasmine Webb (QLD/MBC), Kayla Winch (QLD/QAS), Claire Xian (SA/AIS) and now of course Chloe Sims. Oddly enough none of these gymnasts are from W.A. Obviously says a lot about the program offered over here and the support that the WAIS girls receive from the coaches and Liz Chetkovich, the programme coordinator.

Liddick said she had talked to sports psychologists about the high attrition rate and was told that many gymnasts retired before Olympic trials because they "do not want to know the truth" – whether they were good enough to make the team

I think this is true, however if you have put the time in in the gym and know what you are doing and are happy where you are at in terms of gym and life then I believe that you'll be fine. A lot of people thought that I could have given it a fair go at the 2004 Trials, however injury kept me from participating. And you accept that and it can make you stronger and more determined to carry on with your gymnastics or you can wonder what if? Someone from my past asked me the another day what ever happened with my gymnastics - I guess it took a backseat to my university studies, but I still get into the gym daily and have 99.9% of my skills still [yay!]. Alright back to the article.

Speaking out BRIEFLY in this article are:

SIMS - 3rd AA at the 2007 Nationals, 2nd on vault, 3rd on bars and 4th on floor. At National Clubs in December she was 2nd AA, 1ST on vault and bars, and 2nd on floor.
DYKES -5th AA at last years Nationals, and 2nd on BB. At the 2006 CWG she was 3rd AA, 2nd BB and 1st FX. At the 2006 DTB Cup Hollie was 1st on Beam and 6th on Bars, capping off a 7th place AA finish at the 2006 World Championships. At the Pacific Alliance Championships in Honolulu, Dykes was 3rd AA, 4th on Beam and 5th on floor.
ARROWSMITH - 2 time Junior International Champion at Nationals 2004/2005 and was a Junior representative on the Australian team at the 2004 Pacific Alliance where she was 7th AA, 3rd on Bars and 2nd on floor.
WEBB - 4th AA Junior at the 2005 Nationals, she improved in 2006 finishing 1st AA, as well as on beam, bars and floor. She also competed at the Pacific Alliance in that year coming 7th in the AA and on vault, 6th on beam and 5th on floor.
HAYLEY WRIGHT - Unlucky with injuries, Hayley retired in 2006. She was the 2005 QLD State Champ and was 5th at Nationals in 2005. At the 2006 Nationals Hayley was 4th AA, 3rd on bars and 4th on floor.
WINCH - Renowned for her artistry, Kayla was 1st on Vault, 2nd on Bars and 3rd on floor as a Junior International gymnast in 2006 at Nationals.

Liddick goes on to say:

there was a record 16 competing at next week's trials, including three Queenslanders – Naomi Russell, Amber Fulljames and Larissa Miller.
2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Russell has overcome four operations (elbow, shoulder, knee and ankle) but still maintains her passion and perseverance.

"I really can't think of anything else I would rather be doing and I don't want to have any regrets," Russell said.

"There have been a few times I've thought, 'this is too hard' but I've always got back into the gym the next morning."

Amber Fulljames said that achieving her Olympic dream and her "pure love" of gymnastics, including executing the hard tricks and the travelling, kept her in the sport after overcoming two broken arms and a broken collar-bone.

Here's hoping our Aussie gymnasts triumph over the issues mentioned in this article [weight problems, injuries, the impact on the body, and the "seriousness" of the sport], and show that Australian gymnastics is not in the extreme crisis state that some are saying and that we can attempt to make our make in the gymnastics community. And may some of our seniors or most of them, continue on after the Olympics.

, by chimochita

News, Oh Glorious News!

, by chimochita

Trampoline and Rhythmic Gymnastics Olympic Sequence

, by chimochita

Beijing Olympics

MAG Olympic Sequence Draw

Men's Artistic Gymnastics:

qualification:

Subdivision One: Italy (starts on floor)
Spain (starts on pommel horse)
USA (starts on rings)
Mixed Group 2 (starts on vault)\
Mixed Group 6 (starts on parallel bars)
Mixed Group 3 (starts on horizontal bar)

Subdivision Two: China
Mixed Group 4
Canada
Russia
Japan
France

Subdivision Three: Belarus
Mixed Group 5
Korea
Germany
Mixed Group 1
Romania

MIXED GROUPS:

Mixed Group One: 1. Luxembourg - Sascha Palgen
2. Bulgaria - Jordan Jotchev
3. Venezuela - Jose Luis Fuentes
4. Puerto Rico -
5. Australia - Samuel Simpson

Mixed Group Two: 1. Israel - Alexander Shatilov
2. Great Britain -
3. Great Britain -
4. Uzbekistan - Anton Fokin
5. Colombia - Jorge Hugo Giraldo

Mixed Group Three: 1. Poland - Leszek Blanik
2. Switzerland -
3. Switzerland -
4. Netherlands - Epke Zonderland

Mixed Group Four: 1. Hungary - Robert Gal
2. Croatia - Filip Ude
3. Czech Republic - Martin Konecny
4. Brazil -

Mixed Group Five: 1. Slovenia - Mitja Petkovsek
2. Ukraine -
3. Ukraine -
4. Belgium - Koen Van Damme

Mixed Group Six: 1. Egypt - Mohamed Serour
2. Greece -
3. Georgia - Iilia Giorgadze
4. Yemen - Nashwan Al Hazari

All Around Final

Rotation 1:
Floor: 5,4,3,2,1,6
Pommel Horse: 11,10,9.8,7,12
Rings: 17,16,15,14,13, 18
Vault: 23,22,21,20,19,24
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 2:
Floor:
Pommel Horse: 4,3,2,1,6,5
Rings: 10,9,8,7,12,11
Vault: 16,15,14,13,18,17
Parallel Bars: 22,21,20,19,24,23
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 3:
Floor:
Pommel Horse:
Rings: 3,2,1,6,5,4
Vault:9,8,7,12,11,10
Parallel Bars: 15,14,13,18,17,16
Horizontal Bar: 21,20,19,24,23,22

Rotation 4:
Floor: 20,19,24,23,22,21
Pommel Horse:
Rings:
Vault: 2,1,6,5,4,3
Parallel Bars: 8,7,12,11,10,9
Horizontal Bar:14,13,18,17,16,15

Rotation 5:
Floor: 13,18,17,16,15,14
Pommel Horse:19,24,23,22,21,20
Rings:
Vault:
Parallel Bars: 1,6,5,4,3,2
Horizontal Bar: 7,12,11,10,9,8

Rotation 1:
Floor: 12,11,10,9,8,7
Pommel Horse:18,17,16,15,14,13
Rings:24,23,22,21,20,19
Vault:
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar:6,5,4,3,2,1

Apparatus Finals
(listed in the order they'll go)

Floor: 7,2,1,4,6,5,8,3
Pommel Horse: 4,7,8,1,6,5,2,3
Rings: 2,3,4,8,7,6,1,5
Vault: 6,2,8,7,3,5,1,4
Parallel Bars:5,7,8,3,2,4,6,1
Horizontal Bar:1,4,5,8,7,6,3,2

Team Final:

Rotation 1:
Floor: Team 1
Pommel Horse: Team 3
Rings: Team 5
Vault: Team 7
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 2:
Floor: Team 2
Pommel Horse: Team 4
Rings: Team 6
Vault: Team 8
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 3:
Floor:
Pommel Horse: Team 2
Rings: Team 4
Vault: Team 6
Parallel Bars: Team 8
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 4:
Floor:
Pommel Horse: Team 1
Rings: Team 3
Vault: Team 5
Parallel Bars: Team 7
Horizontal Bar:

Rotation 5:
Floor:
Pommel Horse:
Rings: Team 1
Vault: Team 3
Parallel Bars: Team 5
Horizontal Bar: Team 7

Rotation 6:
Floor:
Pommel Horse:
Rings: Team 2
Vault: Team 4
Parallel Bars: Team 6
Horizontal Bar: Team 8

Rotation 7:
Floor: Team 8
Pommel Horse:
Rings:
Vault: Team 2
Parallel Bars: Team 4
Horizontal Bar: Team 6

Rotation 8:
Floor: Team 7
Pommel Horse:
Rings:
Vault: Team 1
Parallel Bars: Team 3
Horizontal Bar: Team 5

Rotation 9:
Floor: Team 5
Pommel Horse: Team 7
Rings:
Vault:
Parallel Bars: Team 1
Horizontal Bar: Team 3

Rotation 10:
Floor: Team 6
Pommel Horse: Team 8
Rings:
Vault:
Parallel Bars: Team 2
Horizontal Bar: Team 4

Rotation 11:
Floor: Team 4
Pommel Horse: Team 6
Rings: Team 8
Vault:
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar: Team 2

Rotation 12:
Floor: Team 3
Pommel Horse: Team 5
Rings: Team 7
Vault:
Parallel Bars:
Horizontal Bar: Team 1

, by chimochita

WAG 2008 Beijing Olympic Sequence Draw

, by chimochita

Tianjin World Cup

, by chimochita