Ok, so this is actually old news more or less.
I just recently learned that Ivana tore her ACL. Yikes...Sounds like she has a long road ahead of her. Hasn't most of her life been a long road though? While she was training at GAGE she reported that Al Fong "made" her continue to train on a fractured shin. I've heard many opinions on the aligation and I honestly don't know what to believe. I have heard some claims that Ivana's mom was the main reason Ivana left GAGE. Maybe Fong had asked or "pressured" Ivana to keep training on an injury, but how many other elite coaches have done the same to their gymnasts.
According to Alyssa Beckerman, her coach, Mary Lee Tracy had told her to keep training on a broken wrist to make the 2000 Olympic team. Alyssa was swallowing down tons of painkillers because the pain was so excruciating. At a training camp, the situation became took a horrible turning point. Alyssa knew the painkillers had taken a toll on her body. At one point she went into the bathroom and threw up blood. Most likely from an ulcer caused by the pills. She even says that the coaches didn't believe anything was wrong with her and she literally had to drag someone to the bathroom and show them.
Or how about Vanessa Atler, whose last coach was none other than Valerie Liukin. The same coach Ivana is now training with. After Vanessa's ankle injury she had to take some down time. Because of it, she had gained some weight. When Valerie found out he was furious. Vanessa went into a cycle of gaining and losing weight from an eating disorder. Come 2000 Olympics, Vanessa didn't make the team. She claims that Valerie told her that the reason she had not qualified was because she was "too fat!" I was appalled when I read this. And yet, Ivana moved from Fong to Liukin...
However, I am also reminded that Fong has had two gymnasts from his gym die. Both for seperate reasons, either way, he somehow continues to coach. How can someone still coach after having just ONE gymnast die? How is he able to keep coaching after 2 of his gymnastics have died? To me, that's just nuts! Maybe there's more to the stories I've read and re-told for you. Maybe there are more emotions I am not getting a full picture of. Maybe these stories are just rumors. After all, Terin Humphrey and Courtney McCool both turned out successful in the sport. Either way, Ivana is now under Liukin's eye. And at this point in time, she's got a long way to go to get back to where she left off from...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Grace Level 4's
Level 4, 5 & 6 sectional Championships happened all over the state of Washington. Southern Sectionals was hosted by, none other than: Grace Gymnastics!
Set up on Friday was lovely...Not really... It's not my favorite past time I must admit. The point is, it got done.
Today level 4 Grace girls competed! They all did superb! We had a total of 6 girls make sectional/state team, 1 make 1st alternate, 14 make gold team, and the rest all qualified to silver or bronze state with scores of 31 or higher!
Top 6 who made sectional team(in no particular order):
1. Aluna Cables
2. Jasmine Parker
3. Jaelyn Sloan
4. Amy Eibel
5. Kaitlin King
6. Juliana Redding
Alternate
Emi Maya
I am soo proud of all the girls that competed this weekend so far and wish the level 5's and 6's luck for tomorrow! Onto State Championships!
Set up on Friday was lovely...Not really... It's not my favorite past time I must admit. The point is, it got done.
Today level 4 Grace girls competed! They all did superb! We had a total of 6 girls make sectional/state team, 1 make 1st alternate, 14 make gold team, and the rest all qualified to silver or bronze state with scores of 31 or higher!
Top 6 who made sectional team(in no particular order):
1. Aluna Cables
2. Jasmine Parker
3. Jaelyn Sloan
4. Amy Eibel
5. Kaitlin King
6. Juliana Redding
Alternate
Emi Maya
I am soo proud of all the girls that competed this weekend so far and wish the level 5's and 6's luck for tomorrow! Onto State Championships!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
College Gymnastics: My Opportunity
I was given a wake up call this morning. And not just a "wake up" call in literal terms but in changing my life. I had an old friend, who at this point will remain unnamed, call me up. She literally told me to get off my butt and do what I need to to follow my dreams. For weeks, maybe months, I have been in misery because I still had unfinished business in the gym. Yet I couldn't train while I was coaching, not really at least. And honestly, I was still just making excuses.
For the last year I have been trying to figure out what I could do to regain my dreams I had left behind. I could not come up with a concrete plan. I wonder if that is why God sent this person to me. It's as though God had a very genuine plan for my life in meeting her that day so many years ago. For awhile, I wondered if things really had not happened as planned, that there was no such thing as destiny. And now, I am once again questioning fate and reality. Was this message an important message that had been thought out before my own birth onto this earth? I will soon find out.
Today I am coming out of retirement.
I know I'm not ready to let go yet.
I have unfinished business.
With that said, I have to also inform you that I am done coaching at this point. As soon as season is done, so is my coaching.
I am returning to my sport.
To go for a dream I had long thought was over.
Starting now.
I am going to try for college again. Not college in general, but college gymnastics. After I talked to my friend and she told me my beam and floor could make the line up for team. Even if the events weren't quite there, she still suggested I go train with the college gym team for the summer. She then told me to talk to my own coach, Brian, and see what he thought about the idea. So I did.
After I had told him the idea. His response was simple. "You need to get stronger, you need to be in the weight room everyday." He told me I had the potential and could get the skills college coaches were looking for, but I had to get in shape first. Everything he said was positive and he seemed to think I had a decent chance as well. For the first time in a long time I had people supporting my dreams. Behind my goals 100%.
I told my friend about the conversation I had just had with Brian. We were both pleased at what Brian had thought. "Let's do it!" She said to me. In a few weeks we will go talk to the college coach. I pray to God that the conversation will go well. Maybe the reason why I have never gotten the nerve up to directly ask the college coach about being on her team is because I was afraid of rejection. I was scared to be turned down. I am still nervous about it, but I know that I'm more prepared for it. There has been a good portion of this year where I gave up on myself. And because of it, I am willing to be told "no", but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up.
It took a past figure in my life to make me believe in myself again. She seems to have been the only one who hasn't given up on me. The only one who is willing to put herself out to me to help me achieve something worthwhile. I can never tell her how grateful I am that God put her in my life. She helped save my gymnastics as well as my life. For if she had not saved my gymnastics, I would have found no life worth living, I would not be where I am in the world today without her, I would not have accomplished as much as I have without her and there is no way I would have an opportunity like the one placed in front of me today.
For the last year I have been trying to figure out what I could do to regain my dreams I had left behind. I could not come up with a concrete plan. I wonder if that is why God sent this person to me. It's as though God had a very genuine plan for my life in meeting her that day so many years ago. For awhile, I wondered if things really had not happened as planned, that there was no such thing as destiny. And now, I am once again questioning fate and reality. Was this message an important message that had been thought out before my own birth onto this earth? I will soon find out.
Today I am coming out of retirement.
I know I'm not ready to let go yet.
I have unfinished business.
With that said, I have to also inform you that I am done coaching at this point. As soon as season is done, so is my coaching.
I am returning to my sport.
To go for a dream I had long thought was over.
Starting now.
I am going to try for college again. Not college in general, but college gymnastics. After I talked to my friend and she told me my beam and floor could make the line up for team. Even if the events weren't quite there, she still suggested I go train with the college gym team for the summer. She then told me to talk to my own coach, Brian, and see what he thought about the idea. So I did.
After I had told him the idea. His response was simple. "You need to get stronger, you need to be in the weight room everyday." He told me I had the potential and could get the skills college coaches were looking for, but I had to get in shape first. Everything he said was positive and he seemed to think I had a decent chance as well. For the first time in a long time I had people supporting my dreams. Behind my goals 100%.
I told my friend about the conversation I had just had with Brian. We were both pleased at what Brian had thought. "Let's do it!" She said to me. In a few weeks we will go talk to the college coach. I pray to God that the conversation will go well. Maybe the reason why I have never gotten the nerve up to directly ask the college coach about being on her team is because I was afraid of rejection. I was scared to be turned down. I am still nervous about it, but I know that I'm more prepared for it. There has been a good portion of this year where I gave up on myself. And because of it, I am willing to be told "no", but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up.
It took a past figure in my life to make me believe in myself again. She seems to have been the only one who hasn't given up on me. The only one who is willing to put herself out to me to help me achieve something worthwhile. I can never tell her how grateful I am that God put her in my life. She helped save my gymnastics as well as my life. For if she had not saved my gymnastics, I would have found no life worth living, I would not be where I am in the world today without her, I would not have accomplished as much as I have without her and there is no way I would have an opportunity like the one placed in front of me today.
Un-scripted
I was given a wake up call this morning. And not just a "wake up" call in literal terms but in changing my life. I had an old friend, who at this point will remain unnamed, call me up. She literally told me to get off my butt and do what I need to to follow my dreams. For weeks, maybe months, I have been in misery because I still had unfinished business in the gym. Yet I couldn't train while I was coaching, not really at least. And honestly, I was still just making excuses.
For the last year I have been trying to figure out what I could do to regain my dreams I had left behind. I could not come up with a concrete plan. I wonder if that is why God sent this person to me. It's as though God had a very genuine plan for my life in meeting her that day nearly . For awhile, I wondered if things really had not happened as planned. And now, I am once again questioning fate and reality. Was this message an important message that had been thought out before my own birth onto this earth? I will soon find out.
For the last year I have been trying to figure out what I could do to regain my dreams I had left behind. I could not come up with a concrete plan. I wonder if that is why God sent this person to me. It's as though God had a very genuine plan for my life in meeting her that day nearly . For awhile, I wondered if things really had not happened as planned. And now, I am once again questioning fate and reality. Was this message an important message that had been thought out before my own birth onto this earth? I will soon find out.
Unknown Elites
I am often bothered by the media. There are so many good elite or level 10 gymnasts that never get any attention for all of the hard work they put into their sport. Within the past years it has been Nastia and Shawn. After about the first few months of hearing about them over and over again, I began to get bored...And then irritated. Now it's Rebecca...Rebbecca...REBECCA! Geez, what a way to put a TON of pressure on a teenager! I do recall the same thing occurred with a young woman named Vanessa Atler. Does anyone else recall this or am I just getting old. I couple of days ago I even came across a facebook link that said, "just showed my daughter Kerri Strug falling on vault in '96 and she had never heard of her." I was apalled! I guess I should remember that the younger generation doesn't know and often has no interest in the "has beens" in gymnastics. That has never been the case for me. I can name the Olympic all-around champ from every year since 1984 til 2008. I can tell you all about Larissa, Nadia, Teodora, Cathy, Mary-Lou, Daniella, Pheobe, Shannon, and many, many more! Yet I was born in the 90's! Not in the 70's or earlier. I guess I am also biased in my desire for the hardworking-underdog to come out on top. That's why I loved Terin Humphrey, Yelena Zamolodchikova , Allana Slater, Anna Pavlova, Simona Amanar, Elise Ray, Samantha Shapiro, Bridget Sloan, on and on the list goes. That's also why I'm not a huge fan of Shannon Miller, Carly Patterson, Shawn Johnson, Dominique Moceanu, Jordan Weber and now Rebecca Bross. I am also a "lover" of artistic gymnastics and not powerful, robotic gymnastics. I am largely, inspired by older gymnasts. Most recently Chari-Knight Hunter, Oksana Chusnovitna, Jessica Lopez and Ariella Kaeslin. All whom are my top inspirations for continuing on at such a high level of gymnastics at an age that is considered by most gymnastics fans, "too old" for gymnastics.
Getting back to my first and more important topic. The unknown gymnasts: Yesterday I ran across a 16 year old elite gymnast I've never heard of before while playing on youtube. I was impressed by her gymnastics, and also sad that I had never heard of her. Her name is Joy Goedkoop and I believe she is from the Netherlands. There is hardly any information on her. Particularly in English, yet she displays good athletism and is another example of a hard working elite who may never get the recognization she deserves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xycs0klppxU
Getting back to my first and more important topic. The unknown gymnasts: Yesterday I ran across a 16 year old elite gymnast I've never heard of before while playing on youtube. I was impressed by her gymnastics, and also sad that I had never heard of her. Her name is Joy Goedkoop and I believe she is from the Netherlands. There is hardly any information on her. Particularly in English, yet she displays good athletism and is another example of a hard working elite who may never get the recognization she deserves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xycs0klppxU
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Gym News
As a gymnastics coach I get introduced to A LOOOOOOTTTT of drama and secrets in the gymnastics world. This blog however is not for gossip, so I can't tell you any of the news I have heard. Not yet anyways.(As badly as I want to) Some may come out eventually when the time is right to let it out in blog form. Most of it will remain secret until I write a memoir under a pen name.
I forgot to mention a couple other gymnasts in my last blog and I can't figure out a way to edit it, (if there is a way). Anyways, Evanni Roberson got 3rd in the AA at state as a first year level 9. She also got 1st on floor!
I also had two friends from my the second gym I trained at both earn 2nd in their age groups with only a .05 tenth between them. Mckenzie Welsh and Kelsey Jaquish from All American will be training hard for regionals in Auburn in a couple of weeks! Good luck! Hopefully I will get to go watch this time!
I forgot to mention a couple other gymnasts in my last blog and I can't figure out a way to edit it, (if there is a way). Anyways, Evanni Roberson got 3rd in the AA at state as a first year level 9. She also got 1st on floor!
I also had two friends from my the second gym I trained at both earn 2nd in their age groups with only a .05 tenth between them. Mckenzie Welsh and Kelsey Jaquish from All American will be training hard for regionals in Auburn in a couple of weeks! Good luck! Hopefully I will get to go watch this time!
I figured I should start my first blog about my current gym I am coaching and training at: GRACE GYMNASTICS CLUB
I began training at Grace in November of 2008.
I have honestly never been to a gym on this side of the state with girls who were as respectful and welcoming as my Grace teammates are. I made friends easily and for the first time in years, I was a part of an optional team! It was honestly a dream-come true for me. Suddenly I could train as much as I wanted, I had teammates who supported me, friends who I will remember the rest of my life. If only all good things lasted...
In early 2009, less than a month before state, I injured my wrist...yet again. Since then I have gotten to learn a new trade. I became the level 4 coach. I enjoy it, but I miss being a gymnast even more.
The team has gone through it's ups and downs. Last year, in June 2009, The Grace Gymnastics team won for both level 8's and the championship team at Y nationals in Pheonixville, Pennsylvania. It was the 9th year in a row that Grace had won the championship team and a new record for any Y team! I'm proud to announce that this shows that for the last 9 years, Grace is the top YMCA gym in the country! I was unfortuantly injured during this win and was eager to get to train for Y-nationals this coming year. Due to rule changes, I am too "old" to compete, which I find discriminating in many ways. I may elaborate on this topic in another post.
For individual awards at Y-Nationals, Mary Jacobsen won the level 8 all-around and Mia Tabbut won the championship division! It was an incredible experience for the girls and coaches. This year we are training for another victory, this time in San Diego, California!
The downs this year are the many injuries that Grace has endured. Late last November Mia Tabbutt tore her ACL. She has chosen to only return to high school gymnastics. She is eager to try out some coaching in the future though so this is a highlight for Grace! Hannah Loveland rolled an ankle early on in the season, and then was sick going into state. She still won her age group with a 37.05 and barely missed making the regional team. She earned 9th place out of the 8 positions. Mckenzie Dagan is dealing with a hip injury, Julia Salazar tore her groin, Ashley Nguyen broke her foot in three places and Elizabeth tore some liagaments in her ankle making this the third year she has not competed a full state meet. :( Prayers for healing and continued determination to continued training for those who still are motivated to do so. Keely Kirkley had an awesome state meet last weekend earning 9.3+ on bars, beam and floor. She also claimed the beam title and placed in the top 20 out of the ENTIRE meet!
Onto regionals and hopefully Western nationals for Grace girls!
I began training at Grace in November of 2008.
I have honestly never been to a gym on this side of the state with girls who were as respectful and welcoming as my Grace teammates are. I made friends easily and for the first time in years, I was a part of an optional team! It was honestly a dream-come true for me. Suddenly I could train as much as I wanted, I had teammates who supported me, friends who I will remember the rest of my life. If only all good things lasted...
In early 2009, less than a month before state, I injured my wrist...yet again. Since then I have gotten to learn a new trade. I became the level 4 coach. I enjoy it, but I miss being a gymnast even more.
The team has gone through it's ups and downs. Last year, in June 2009, The Grace Gymnastics team won for both level 8's and the championship team at Y nationals in Pheonixville, Pennsylvania. It was the 9th year in a row that Grace had won the championship team and a new record for any Y team! I'm proud to announce that this shows that for the last 9 years, Grace is the top YMCA gym in the country! I was unfortuantly injured during this win and was eager to get to train for Y-nationals this coming year. Due to rule changes, I am too "old" to compete, which I find discriminating in many ways. I may elaborate on this topic in another post.
For individual awards at Y-Nationals, Mary Jacobsen won the level 8 all-around and Mia Tabbut won the championship division! It was an incredible experience for the girls and coaches. This year we are training for another victory, this time in San Diego, California!
The downs this year are the many injuries that Grace has endured. Late last November Mia Tabbutt tore her ACL. She has chosen to only return to high school gymnastics. She is eager to try out some coaching in the future though so this is a highlight for Grace! Hannah Loveland rolled an ankle early on in the season, and then was sick going into state. She still won her age group with a 37.05 and barely missed making the regional team. She earned 9th place out of the 8 positions. Mckenzie Dagan is dealing with a hip injury, Julia Salazar tore her groin, Ashley Nguyen broke her foot in three places and Elizabeth tore some liagaments in her ankle making this the third year she has not competed a full state meet. :( Prayers for healing and continued determination to continued training for those who still are motivated to do so. Keely Kirkley had an awesome state meet last weekend earning 9.3+ on bars, beam and floor. She also claimed the beam title and placed in the top 20 out of the ENTIRE meet!
Onto regionals and hopefully Western nationals for Grace girls!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)