Gymmin' Miel!

The event was suggested by Gymnastics Western Australia’s Vice President Rick Elkington with the hope that it will bring in more recognition and financial support for the sport.

Coach Scott Hann said: “I’m so proud of him aside from my daughter being born to see him get those medals is one of the best things in my life. We just need to get ready for Rio now and turn those bronze medals into golds.” Max added: “Hopefully I can get some new stuff and get picked for the team for Rio. It is something I would love to do but hopefully I can go there. If I do the same as what I’ve done in this Olympics I’ll be happy- but if I could upgrade these medals then that would be absolutely unbelievable. “I’d just like to say thank you to all my family, my coach, my girlfriend they've supported me all this way and helped me get to where I am now so I couldn't thank them enough"

One is a 49 kilogram pocket rocket gymnast and the other is a weightlifter three times her size, but both possess the key to Olympic Games success - genetic predisposition.
Lauren Mitchell and Damon Kelly have almost nothing in common and their sports require completely different skills. But an Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist, Philo Saunders, says their respective genes are crucial to becoming world-class athletes.
So, what makes an athlete perfect for their sport? It is a combination of oxygen capacity, muscle make-up and the hunger for success.
For world champion Mitchell, it is her speed, flexibility and aerial awareness. For weightlifter Kelly, it is his ''big quads and big arse''.
''Sometimes you get someone who breaks the mould. But if you're genetically not disposed to a certain sport, you're just not going to be good at it,'' Saunders says.''Some people are just faster because they've got that fast-twitch muscle fibre make-up. You can change it to a certain degree, but there's a limit you reach while others just push through it naturally.''
The breakdown is pretty simple.

Pole vaulters are tall, muscular, possess explosive speed and have a big vertical jump. Gymnasts are the same but shorter with superior flexibility.

When Saunders gets athletes in the AIS laboratory and tests anthropometry, body composition, height, weight, muscle mass and maximal oxygen capacity, he discovers their full potential.Lauren Mitchell is the perfect size for gymnastics - 158 centimetres tall and weighs 49 kilograms - and is flexible.The average age of the Australian gymnastics squad is 21 and the average weight is 49kg, making them some of the smallest in London.''Gymnastics has really evolved over the last three Olympiads; it's no longer the little, mini, pixie 14-year-olds,'' Australian head coach Peggy Liddick says.''You need the vaulters who are the short, fireplug, pocket rockets.''The shorter they are, the faster they twist and turn … and pound for pound, they're probably as strong as a 100 kilogram weightlifter and can perhaps even lift more.''I want guts. I want the kid climbing the curtains and up the poles. gymnastics is about being courageous.''Lauren Mitchell fits all the body types, but she's not that co-ordinated. She's like a bulldog, she just won't quit or let go.''

So excited was Goksu Uctas at the thought of becoming Turkey's first Olympic gymnast, she wanted the five Olympic rings tattooed on her arm.For now, though, the London-bound athlete has settled for a silver necklace of the famous symbol, which she twirls excitedly in her fingers.
While Turkey excels at wrestling and weightlifting -- the nation's men and women have won 67 Olympic medals in the sports -- never before has a gymnast participated at the Games in Turkey's red and white national colours.
"All you really need is faith in yourself," the 22-year-old gymnast told Reuters in her dormitory room.
Uctas' Olympic achievement is all the more noteworthy given that as a nine-year-old -- a vital stage in a gymnast's development -- she survived a catastrophic earthquake which struck north-west Turkey in 1999.
That earthquake killed around 17,000 people and left hundreds of thousand others homeless, including her family.
"We lived in a tent for a year, in constant fear because of aftershocks," Uctas said. "But I never stopped training, even when the gym was being rebuild, I trained outdoors and remained focused on practising as much as I could."
Pinned up on Uctas' wall is a pencil drawing she made for motivation and inspiration, of her heroine Svetlana Khorkina, Russia's Olympic gold winner. Uctas has a talent for drawing, and loves sketching gymnasts, as a way of relaxing after her taxing physical training.
OIL WRESTLERS
Turks have attended all the summer Olympics since 1908 bar three, but have won medals in only six sports.
"Turkey's policy in sports investment has been based on medals, and the budget for sport has always been distributed according to success," Professor Settar Kocak of Middle East Technical University, who teaches philosophy and history of sports, told Reuters.
"The money has always been invested in sports of most public interest, like wrestling, that Turks have been fond of for a thousand years," Kocak said.
Oil-wrestling, where the wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil and wrestle in open air on grass, is hugely popular in Turkey and some former Olympic wrestlers practice it after retiring.
An annual oil-wrestling festival in Turkey's northwestern province Edirne draw tens of thousands of spectators each year.
Turkey has bid to host the 2020 Olympics in Istanbul and is one of three cities in the running along with Tokyo and Madrid.
Certainly Uctas' qualification will help broaden the Games' appeal among her compatriots.
Uctas and her coach Mergul Guler were meticulous in their studying of the routines and the skills she would need to master to have a chance of competing.
"I went through so many regulations material on the internet to find out how to qualify for the Games. The reason why no Turkish gymnast ever went to the Olympics so far is not incompetence, it's just that no-one actually believed it could happen, and therefore never found out how to," Guler, a former gymnast herself, said in disbelief.
Uctas and her coach have modest hopes for now.
"The goal at the Olympics? Going there was the goal. But making it to the finals would be incredible," Guler said.

When the Rosses settled in California and first brought Kyla to Gym-Max, Liang described her build as "very square, like a box." But Liang also told Ross's mother, "She's got the long lines of a ballerina. She'll always have the power of the stocky gymnast but she'll have the pretty lines too."

Kiana Ross said, "I think that's why Howie kind of took to her."

Kyla said she is 5 feet 1. "And my legs got long in the last year," she said. "I think I had a growth spurt."

Liang and Zhang came to the United States from China in the early 1990s and their gymnastics pedigree was strong. Both had competed on Chinese national teams and Liang once coached Liang Chow, Shawn Johnson's eventual coach. They recognize talent.

In Ross they have a talent. And Zhang said even if Ross doesn't make the Olympic team she plans to stick around for four more years. "She's the perfect age," Zhang said. "She has another four years as long as she stays healthy."

"I will," Ross says. But that's the future. For now Ross looks to 2012 and says, with authority, "I should be on the team. I hit my routines. They have good start values. I'm consistent. That's what I bring. So they should bring me."

Two Trampolines

Gymnasts fly through the air landing on two trampolines set six feet apart. Gymnasts do routines right in front of the judges so they can determine who has the best skills on the apparatus.

Legs and Feet

In every aspect of the routine, gymnasts should have their legs and feet together. Toes should also be pointed while the competitors are in the air performing flips, twists and somersaults.

Elements

Ten different elements must be performed in a routine. These include somersaults, twists, as well as going forward and backward. No element may be repeated in a single routine.

Positions

Three basic positions are required during particular elements. The straight position is where the gymnast's legs and torso are positioned at greater than a 135-degree angle. The closer to straight up and down, the better. The pike position is achieved when the legs are kept straight but the torso is tucked toward the legs. The tuck position occurs when the torso and legs are curled up into a ball and the knees are bent.

Start

Each gymnast can only begin when the chair of the judges panel signals the competitor. Otherwise, points are deducted. Gymnasts must start within one minute of being given the signal.

Finish

A dismount must be performed when the gymnast comes to a straight up position for at least three seconds at the end of the routine. Both feet must be on the trampoline bed.

Scoring

To even out the scoring, the highest and lowest scores of the judges' panel are thrown out. The remaining scores are added together to make the execution score. Marks for difficulty are added to improve the overall mark.

Somersaults

At least one element included in the routine must include a somersault. This happens when the gymnast rolls head over feet at least one full rotation.

Twists

Another element must include a twist. This is when the body twirls around from side to side as opposed to going over the head.

Stay on the Trampoline

All competitors must stay on the actual trampoline surface. Landing beyond the edge of the surface will cause a deduction in points by the judges.

Three Routines

Three routines are judged. Each one must have all 10 elements in them. Each routine must be fluid, continuous and non-stop until the conclusion of the time.

"We have five girls, Mitchell, Little, Vivian, Nikki Chung and Georgia Simpson who we are trying to get across the line but not all will be successful," George said.
Mitchell said her performance at trials showed she was close to where she would like to be at the Olympics, especially on the beam, but her floor and vault needed work.
"At the moment my beam would probably rate a little higher than the floor because I have had slightly more preparation than on the floor," she said.
"The next couple of weeks I will be working on the floor with the same aggressiveness."
Little said her trials went well but there were a few uncharacteristic mistakes, which were the result of including new elements for the first time in competition.
The squad, which will make it through to the second and final set of selection trials, will be named later this week.

THERE'S no hiding in the shadows for Lauren Mitchell.
As the days and months to the Olympic Games are ticked off, the spotlight will shine brighter on the 20-year-old West Australian as she endeavours to become Australia's first female medallist in gymnastics.
The 2010 floor world champion has been fine-tuning her routines in Canberra for the past few days as part of an Australian competition camp at the AIS.
Since that breakthrough victory, Mitchell's preparations have been solely focused on being at the top of her game in London.
Even if it meant sacrificing a podium place at last year's world titles.
Mitchell unveiled an upgraded floor routine last year which she believes will give her the best chance of making history at the Olympic Games.
"Last year for me was like a test to see where I was and if I could put a few new moves into my routine in a competition environment," she said.
"That proved that I could.
"Even though I hit my routine it just wasn't the best on the day.
"Now I kind of know how to make it better so I'm that much more confident going into this year."
The floor and the beam are Mitchell's two main events, with a persistent shoulder injury meaning she is unable to train on the bars.
Mitchell described the injury as "kind of like a stress fracture" brought on by constant pounding during her long career, and puts in doubt her chances of competing in the all-around competition at the Olympics.
"We're not sure yet, we're playing it by ear," she said.
"Peggy [Australian coach Peggy Liddick] wants to put the best team out, and obviously if my bars isn't good enough then I won't be going up in bars anyway."
The Australian team flies out for competitions in the United States and Canada on Tuesday ahead of the national championships in May.
A final selection camp will be held in Canberra in June.
With only five female gymnasts, down from the usual six, making the cut for the Olympics, every chance to impress selectors is crucial, including the Pacific Rim Championships in Seattle later this month.
The biannual event features gymnastic powerhouses China, the US and Russia.
"There's a lot of big names there so it gives us a good view of where we're at before the Olympics," Mitchell said.

Georgia Simpson has overcome personal and physical challenges to make it to the top in Australian gymnastics. Now she is ready to take on the world.
The 17-year-old WAIS scholarship holder will be Australia's sole representative against an elite invitation-only field at the American Cup, which counts Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton as former winners.
Simpson, who trains alongside Lauren Mitchell and Emily Little, has spent six years battling injury, including a dislocated patella which prevented her from competing at last year's nationals.
However, her greatest challenge has been more personal with the death of her older sister Beth, also a WAIS gymnast, from a brain tumour in 2007.
Simpson never lost hope after becoming the Australian junior champion in 2006, and hard work finally paid dividends with selection for her first big international event.
Senior WAIS coach Martine George said national coach Peggy Liddick was looking for a good all-around gymnast for the American Cup, starting in New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
"Georgia does not have as much international experience as the rest of the team and needs that exposure in case she finds herself in the Olympic team," George said.
"It is also important for the top international judges to see her in action because she is a beautiful gymnast who always leaves a strong impression."
George said Simpson needed as much exposure as possible before the final team for the London Olympics was selected.
"Georgia is very young in terms of gymnastics experience but is a very strong worker on the bars and beam, where she could be a world championship finalist in years to come," George said.
"She has upgraded her routines on every apparatus, having put her injuries behind her."
Simpson has done an additional amount of strength and conditioning work.
After the American Cup, Simpson will join the rest of the Australian team at the Pacific Rim Championships in Seattle between March 16 and 18.

GYMNASTS from all over Wales competed in the Artistic Gymnastic Apparatus Championships at the Welsh Institute of Sport last weekend.
The event had more than 300 spectators packed into the main hall and the support from the crowd, coupled with the aesthetics of sporting competition music, lighting and projected score boards, made the competition a lively event.
In the women’s senior competition Jessica Hogg out-performed her competitors to take top spot with a score of 46.56, Cara Edwards of Wrexham gymnastic club took second with 42.13. Lizzie Beddoe, who has represented GB in the past, is still recovering from injury and performed only on the bars which she won.
Temporary rivals Raer Theaker and Angel Romaeo battled it out in the women’s junior competition. The crowd were treated to an exciting display as Theaker pipped Romaeo to the top spot by a whole mark.
The contest was a close affair until the beam where Theaker pulled away from Romaeo performing a higher difficulty routine which scored her 13.60 to Romaeo’s 10.70. Georgina Hockenhull, representing Park Wrekin Gymnastic Club, came third.
In the men’s event, Clinton Purnell won the senior competition after he placed first on five out of the six apparatus pieces. His exceptional performances got him an overall score of 83.7. Matt Hennessey and Harry Owen, both representing Loughborough Students, came second and third respectively.
“The improvement of the event in terms of the floor managing and production has made it one of the more prestigious events on the Welsh gymnastic calendar,” said Jo Coombs, head of performance and excellence at Welsh Gymnastics.
“We can take many positives from the event especially in the increase of boys participating in the under eight category.
“That increase bodes well in our drive to get more boys participating in gymnastics. This coupled with improved performances is an encouraging step towards the Commonwealth Games.”

Gymnast Lauren Mitchell, Australia's best hope for gold at the London Olympics, has a shoulder injury which has forced her to stop training on the uneven bars before her first overseas trip of the year.
The star of the WAIS gymnastics program, which also includes three other Olympic squad members - Emily Little, Georgia Simpson and Nikki Chung - has not allowed the setback to prevent her from training.
"The injury is a setback because I am not able to train on the bars but that has allowed me to work on other areas, which is a positive," Mitchell said.
"I have been working on my execution because the start value is at the highest level and that is what you need to be a contender in the finals at the Olympics."
Her coach, Martine George, said Mitchell had come a long way in the past three weeks. George said the decision to stay off the bars was made to prevent her from aggravating the injury while still allowing her to prepare for her two pet events on the floor and beam.
"She needs to rehabilitate well before she jumps back on the bars because we don't want to take any risks with the instability in the shoulder," George said.
"It is a balancing act for her because we leave for two big competitions in Montreal and Seattle next month where she needs to get back on the international scene even though we don't expect her to compete all-around."
Mitchell's main goal is to get ready for Olympic selection trials in Sydney from May 22 to 26.
She said the trip to Canada would give the team a feel of where it stood on the world stage in the lead-up to London.
"My main goal at the Olympics will be to qualify the team into the top eight and after that anything can happen in the finals," she said.
She said her last Olympics campaign in Beijing was disappointing after falling off the beam, and her floor routine was not as good as it was when she won the world title in 2010 or when she took two silvers at the 2009 world championships.
"I am not able to train on the bars but that has allowed me to work on other areas, which is a positive.""

It's exciting finally reaching Olympic year but amid all the hype and expectation, people forget how big it all is for the people behind the scenes too.
I’ve been with my coach Amanda Reddin since I was 12 and she knows me inside out. I can go to her and tell her anything – she  has just been so influential on my career.
People like Amanda deserve more credit, and I’m so excited for her as we enter 2012.
Amanda also coaches Hannah Whelan and Jenni Pinches, my Great Britain team-mates, at Liverpool Gymnastics Club so it could be so thrilling if all three of us make the team for the Games.
The key is familiarity – if I have a problem or I’m frustrated about something I can speak to Amanda and she will tell me to stop worrying and relax.
Without her I wouldn’t be where I am today – on the verge of a home Olympics. After Beijing there were doubts whether I’d carry on until London, given I’ll be 27 and old in gymnastics terms.
But Amanda knew that if I kept coming through the door of the club with a smile on my face, I’d be ready to mount another campaign.On the competition front, it’s been fairly quiet as the British women’s artistic team have already qualified for 2012 and won’t be in action at next week’s test event at London’s North Greenwich Arena.
However, come the spring we have the trials and the European Championships so I’m deep into training now.
The men’s artistic team still have their work cut out as they bid to qualify for the Olympics and must finish in the top four.
But I know Louis Smith well and, as the only British Olympic gymnastics medallist of the modern era, he is used to a challenge.
Louis is a very cool guy and used to the pressure so I expect him to take it all in his stride, as will the rest of the men’s team.
Once again the focus will be on him at the test event and, for me, someone else taking centre stage can be a help. There are so many good British gymnasts now, the attention is less concentrated on me.

"We're so proud of Brit and her amazing efforts.

Some adults have tried to beat her record. But Brit's tiny size and youth prove too much of an advantage.

I'll keep supporting her talent until she tires of it.

Right now her ultimate goal is to represent Australia at international competitions in gymnastics.

My little skipper will always be a winner to me."