Gymmin' Miel!

When Olivia Vivian went to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as a 19-year-old, she was the oldest woman on the gymnastics team.
Almost five years on and at an age when most gymnasts have long retired, she is far from done with the sport which has consumed close to 16 years of her life. The 23-year-old is an uneven bars specialist and has set her sights on becoming the first Australian woman to win a medal in the event at the world championships in Antwerp in October.
Vivian has been to two previous world titles, but the results she wanted have proved elusive.
Sensing this could be her last hurrah at the highest level, she is preparing to go all out later in the year.
"I have always missed out on finals by the littlest of scores," Vivian said. "I want to make sure there is no room for regret or error or there is no looking back, saying, 'If only I had done this'."
The part-time Zumba instructor said she would almost certainly have given gymnastics away had she not taken up a four-year scholarship at Oregon State University after Beijing.
Vivian originally decided to accept because she couldn't turn down a chance for a fully-funded degree, but her time there also had an unexpected result, reigniting her passion for the sport.
"It really just taught me how to love gymnastics all over again," she said.
"Gymnastically, it taught me how to perfect things and to make things big, and get those landings and get all those extra points that will make a difference in the end.
"I was challenged every day in the gym. I improved my gymnastics by going over there, when originally it had been a plan to wean off gymnastics.
"You get so mentally and physically exhausted and it is kind of a norm here in Australia after an Olympic Games that you move on. If I didn't have that college outlet, I probably would be doing something else."
Fate also intervened to prolong her career last year.
Vivian's mum, Gillian, had planned a trip to visit the US and watch the final college competitions of the year. But when she had to cancel at the last minute, Vivian decided to return to Perth to surprise her family.
The trip home coincided with the Australian Olympic trials. Vivian's decision to "have a crack" saw her win the uneven bars.
She fell just short of winning a spot on the team for London and was named as the reserve.
"Winning bars was a surprise but that is kind of what sparked my thought of, 'hey if I can podium here in Australia, I want to take that podium finish to international level for Australia'," she said.
Tragedy has also played a role in Vivian's return to Perth to pursue her sporting dreams.
Her 64-year-old father, Craig, lost his battle with a melanoma in February. Vivian had already been determined to qualify for the world titles, but losing her dad had added fuel to the fire.
"At first gymnastics helped as a coping mechanism, coming in here and keeping me busy," she said.
Vivian is currently completing an intensive 10-week block of training prior to nationals in July.
Gymnastics has come under the winning edge program and the bar has been raised on standards, meaning only those who are medal chances will be taken to Antwerp.
Vivian, who will turn 24 during trials, said she was planning a high-risk, high-reward routine.
And if things go as well as she hopes, her name could be immortalised in gymnastics.
"There is a skill that we are trying to learn in the gym and if I do complete it at world championships I will be the first to do it and it will be called the Vivian," she revealed. "That would be pretty awesome."

Seventeen-year-old Rae leapt, tumbled and danced her way to victory, winning the women's all-round title and placing first in the vault, bar, beam and floor.
And 22-year-old Bishop was hot on her heels, taking the men's all-round title and placing first in the vault, pommel and high bar.
Seeing his name alongside other talented gymnasts was the highlight of the competition for Bishop.
"When I heard it was official I was stoked. It's pretty cool to be able to say that I'm national champ."
The Auckland University engineering student has the Commonwealth Games in his sights next.
"I'm not going to say that getting there is my goal because I know that's where I'm going. My goal is to do well when I get there. I know what I want."
For Rae, the adrenaline rush she gets while competing is what gymnastics is all about.
"I just love to perform in front of the judges."
The Baradene College student is now hoping to win a scholarship to an American university.

“You are here like in a Metro station, in and out,” said Mihai Brestyan, who with his wife, Silvia, founded Brestyan’s American Gymnastics a dozen years ago and is trying to figure out ways to keep everything under one roof, especially now that they’ve started a boys program.
Ever since star pupil Aly Raisman came back from the Olympics seven weeks ago with a couple of gold medals, Brestyan’s has been jammed with everyone from toddlers to transfers, the numbers doubling to nearly 700. “The problem we have is to find very quick more coaches to keep the standard,” said Brestyan. “Because you expect the gym to grow but not to grow so fast. You need to have good instructors to make sure that everyone is doing their job.”
The Brestyans have 15 tutors now, supervising everything from the Mom and Me program to the elite level, which produced both Raisman and predecessor Alicia Sacramone, who won a team silver medal in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Sacramone’s comeback from a torn Achilles’ tendon fell short of Olympus last summer. Raisman is with her gilded London teammates on the 40-city Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions.

Raisman may continue, take a sabbatical of a year or more, or retire and go to college. Talia Chiarelli, the other elite gymnast at Brestyan’s, who moved from Ontario in 2006 when father Peter became the Bruins general manager, will join Michigan’s varsity team next year. 

But amid claims of bullying about her weight she quit the sport and fell into a pattern of binge eating.
She said: "I wanted to go in the opposite direction and almost rebel in a way.
"It had been a sad and horrible time of my life when I should have been allowed to enjoy my success and be happy."
Amber wants her art to help other young girls "embrace curves and all-round beauty".Night terrorsAt the height of her gymnastics success Amber was 5'7", had a healthy BMI (body mass index) of 20 and was a size eight.
Despite this she claims she was continually bombarded with derogatory comments which led to frequent night terrors and sleepwalking.

"She went from a happy kid to one who was regularly bawling her eyes out," said her mother Cherry.
Amber said: "At the age of 11 to 13 being told you're fat is not exactly a confidence boost. Everything but.
"So that really triggered something in my head and it was a real horrible thing at the time, but I'm glad I've been able to move past that and [art] has definitely helped me." 

Price said she has not yet decided whether she wants to train for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and is currently focused on next year's World Championships.
"Of course, I wish I made the team; I mean, it's the Olympics!" said Price, wearing a pink leotard and an I Heart Boobies breast cancer awareness bracelet. "But I made the best of being an alternate and made sure I did the best I could in all areas, so if they needed me, I'd be there."
Price has trained at the Parkettes since she was 3 years old. About 50 gymnastics students of ages ranging from 8 to 17 watched as Simmons and Mensch honored her.
Mensch said Price set an excellent example for them and all Americans, young and old.

After 12 years preparing for her first Olympic Games, WAIS gymnast Emily Little will take her time before deciding if she is willing to commit to another four years for Rio de Janeiro.
Post-Olympic soul-searching is nothing new for Australia's sporting elite, but the answers are more complicated for female gymnasts, who also have to consider physical changes which could inhibit their ability to remain in the sport while upgrading their skills for the next Olympic cycle.
At 18, Little was the youngest in the team and has the best chance of extending her career for four more years. Two-times Olympic teammates Lauren Mitchell and Ashleigh Brennan, both 21, and Georgia Bonora, 22, are unlikely to make it to a third Games.
After a week back home from London, Little will be discussing her future with her family and coaches after anchoring Australia's Olympic campaign with a 15th in the individual all-around competition - up from 23rd at last year's world championships.
The team disappointingly slipped in the world rankings from sixth to 10th after crucial mistakes on the floor and beam during team qualifying. But Little was rock solid on all four apparatus.
"It has been a long haul getting to London," she said. "What I have to decide is whether my body will hold up and whether I want to take on the physical and metal challenge of another four years of dedicated training."
Little is also unsure whether she will be too old to compete at elite level at 22, even though there are some outstanding athletes who have remained in the sport well into their 20s.
"I still love learning new skills and that is what would be required to upgrade my routines," she said.
"I produced my best scores at the Olympics but there is room for more improvement."
Little shared the major medals at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games with WAIS training partner Mitchell and could be encouraged to look towards Glasgow in 2014.
But for now she will be spending as much time as possible learning to drive.
"Mum has spent the past 10 years driving me from Armadale to WAIS for training every day and is looking forward to me getting behind the wheel myself," she said.

Johnston retired from competing at 22, and now coaches in the sport.
"When I am coaching, I encourage them with whatever ability they have," she said.
"They don't have to be the best to get something out of what they are doing. It's about training hard and always setting goals, and working towards those goals."
She is also working on several other projects with new opportunities opening up after performing as part of a dance group on Australia's Got Talent last year.

Meanwhile, Wilden has that very cool double-wing trampoline, which is probably still too bizarre for the X-Games, much less the Summer Olympics.
"I love it," he says, smiling. "I love learning how to do fun things. That wing-to-wing is something that changes your perception of gravity."
Transitioning from the demands of athletic competition to the more artistic demands of show business wasn't that difficult, Kudrevich says, although it was different.
Orzata says he had to learn performance and acting skills - for example, "not to be ashamed and basically (to) forget your fears and perform who you are" - for his roles in "Love" and his other Cirque shows.
Of course, the athletes are used to others watching as they perform. But, Wilden says, becoming accustomed to performing in front of a few thousand people at once took a bit of time.
But, he adds, now, after having performed in front of so many Cirque audiences, "I think I could go into competition now better than I could before, because I'm not nervous anymore."
In fact, Wilden says, "I'm excited. You can feel the crowd. When people say energy flows from the crowd, I guess until you've had thousands come and watch you, it's something that really doesn't make sense."
It also was odd, Orzata says, to substitute for the exacting precision competitive gymnastics requires to the less-rigid demands of art.
"I think at the beginning it was strange to move from (these) straight lines that gymnastics has - very focused all the time, very precise, very concentrated - and go more into art," he says.

Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics team hopes to win several medals, including at least one gold at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, said head coach Iliyana Raeva in an interview Saturday.

"I hope we will electrify and thrill London. We succeed in preparing strong, risky and beautiful compositions," said Raeva.

"We will able to demonstrate the Bulgarian school of gymnastics, for our compositions really have a style of their own," added the former world champion.

Raeva said she is confident in Bulgaria's athletes, who according to her are in top form, but also acknowledged that competition at the Olympics will be fierce, as always.

Saturday the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics group left for a 2-weeks' camp in France, to return to London on August 6 and start competing on August 6.

“I’ve never been to the Olympics. I trained my whole life, too, and I lived at the Olympic training center for three and a half years to try and make the 2008 Olympics,” said Corrigan a former All-American at Michigan. “For me it’s a big deal; this is what I’ve been striving for my whole life.”For Golder, it’s the culmination of a journey that started more than 40 years ago.

“I remember being in a gym one day at summer camp, and I said one day I was going to coach in the Olympics. I never gave up on it,” Golder said.
When Mikulak was named to the national team, Golder realized his dream had just come true.
“The first thing I said to him was ‘thank you’. I was just overwhelmed with happiness. I wanted to thank him for helping me to realize a dream,” Golder said.

Gafuik’s mother remembers watching her son compete in China and recognizing that, finally, his disease was not standing in his way.
“I had never seen him compete as comfortably and with as much joy on his face,” she recalled.
Twelve years after his diagnosis, managing his disease remains a daily chore. At times, it can be frustrating, exhausting, and confusing. There are still times when Gafuik wonders: Where does the disease end and he begin?
“It’s hard to figure out what is just a characteristic of myself, and if it’s my condition that is having issues. Or if normal people would feel the same way. It’s hard,” he said.
London will be his last Olympics. He has put off thinking much about life after competitive gymnastics. The added stress might prove too much. But in a way, the Addison’s can also help, Gafuik said.
“I’ve had to deal with a lot in this career, not only being at the level I’ve competed at, but I’ve had to deal with a lot managing the Addison’s. It made me a fighter, I guess. I’m not willing to give up on a lot of situations. I hope that I can carry that on into my next life.”

• Mitchell Confident of Medal Chances in Gym - on Ninemsn's Wide World of Sports. 
• Fit Lauren Mitchell Focused on Medal - article from The Australian.
• Lauren Mitchell Ready for the Intimidating Cauldron of London's Millennium Dome - article and above image from The Herald Sun

“It’s tough,” Legendre said. “Obviously, you put in the training, you put in the work to be on that team. When we first found out, it was bittersweet. I was happy to at least be part of the eight guys that are going, but at the same time, I also wanted to be part of that group of five. But pretty quickly I started making sure my mind was in the right place. This is my role, and I’m going to do it as best I can.”
Legendre will join former Sooners Chris Brooks and Alex Naddour as the three alternates for Team USA. Each had hopes of competing in this year’s Olympics, but for now will have to settle being in a supporting role for the starters once the Games begin.
“I think I am just going to be excited for them at that point,” Legendre said. “We are all about team. Nothing for Team USA is about individual. Our first and foremost goal is to go out and win a team gold medal. I will be up in the stands cheering my best to help them do that.
“Support emotionally can also be a huge factor. My goal is just to help contribute to that.”

Adjusting to life outside the gym after what will almost certainly be her last major competition is going to be the hardest part for Tweddle, who has already deferred a physiotherapy degree until next year so she can spend time with family and friends after the Olympics.After 20 years of jumping, twisting and somersaulting for hours every day, simply trying to act ‘normal’ will be difficult for the girl who has always been hyperactive.‘Even at home I can’t sit still and watch a film,’ admits Tweddle. ‘I’ll be wandering around doing something. It annoys my flatmate and my boyfriend (Steven, 30, whom she has been seeing for 18 months). I definitely won’t retire  straightaway. This is all I’ve known since I was seven. I will never walk away from gymnastics, I just need to find the next step.’When she does, it won’t be easy finding the next Beth Tweddle.

South Korea is seeking its first Olympic gold in artistic gymnastics this year at the upcoming London Olympics. Athletes themselves said they are confident they can win multiple medals.
Led by head coach Cho Sung-dong, the gymnasts put in their two hours of work at the training facility near North Greenwich Arena, which will host gymnastics during the July 27-Aug. 12 Olympics. The gymnastics delegation was the first batch of South Korean athletes to land here, and athletes said they were still fighting jetlag.
Kim Ji-hoon, the team captain, said fatigue has not dampened the good vibes on the team.
“We’ve only been here for two days, and we’re still a bit sluggish, but everyone is in a good mood,” Kim said. “If each one of us can post good scores in the preliminaries of the team event on July 28, then I think we should win a lot of medals in different disciplines.”
Gymnasts will progress to the medal round of each of the six disciplines ― floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars ― based on their scores in the qualification stage. South Korea has won four silver and four bronze medals in the Olympics so far.
Yang Hak-seon, the reigning world champion in vault, is considered the surest medal hope. Cho shielded the soft-spoken 19-year-old from media interview requests as he tried to keep Yang focused.
Yang later admitted he could feel pressure mounting as the Olympics approaches and said, “I will prepare as hard as I can.”
Cho also said the gymnasts are trying to adjust their eyes to the new color of the podium and landing area. They’re used to the blue podium at the National Training Center in Seoul, but during the London Games, it will be colored pink, a featured color of these Olympics. Kim Seung-il, a veteran in all six disciplines, said he got “dizzy” seeing the bright-colored podium.
South Korea will also count on Kim Soo-myun to win a medal in the individual all-around event, which combines scores from all apparatus. Kim Ji-hoon is also seen as a medal contender in horizontal bars.

• "Like 90 percent of all gymnasts, it has always been my biggest dream to go to the Olympics, and I'm very excited to finally have the opportunity to make the dream a reality."
• "My goal is to hit all six of my routines to the best of my abilities. If I am able to do that, I will be satisfied with my performance regardless of where I place."