I never left the sport of gymnastics...

When I was 12 years old, I recall one of my teammates teasing me about my love (obsession) with gymnastics.
She smirked when she asked sarcastically,"What are you going to do when you're 30? You can't do gymnastics forever."
I replied angrily, "I'll die, there is no "after" gymnastics."
That memory revolves in my head often, I was right, in a way...
I had left the sport of gymnastics at the age of 20; burnt out, injured and "too old" by society's standards but upon leaving, I had found no real direction in life. Even more devastating, I had zero desire for anything. I became a soulless body, simply struggling to survive adulthood.
It's hit me hard recently, the realization that what I said 13 years ago has remained true. There has been no "after gymnastics"...
I'm not living, only exisiting on this planet earth.
Gymnastics took my soul and never gave it back...

Jacoby Miles: Fighting For a Miracle

The feeling surrounding this planet called earth has become so fragile lately.

Friday, November 17th, 2012-
It's a gymnast's worst nightmare. The kind of nightmare you read about in the news but never expect to happen to someone you know.
We all know how dangerous the sport is but only gymnast's will understand the countless hours spent training, the constant pressures, the fears behind new and old skills and the obsession that drives gymnasts to return to training day after day, week after week and year after year...
We, as gymnasts, realize it could happen to any of us.
We know the high risks of the sport...
But to fathom that it could really happen... That what happened last Friday to a former teammate could happen to any of us... it's unreal.
Jacoby Miles of Roach Gymnastics crashed on a dismount from the uneven bars landing on her neck onto a mat in the pit.    
She immediately lost feeling in her lower extremities.
She was rushed to hospital where she currently remains, paralyzed from the mid-chest down.
Jacoby was a teammate from Grace Gymnastics Center.
Even though I didn't know her very well, I remember her as being super sweet, caring and a very obedient and hardworking gymnast.  To hear the news of her accident was gut-wrenching and surreal. Yet it's amazing how many people have come together with the painful news of this 15 year old girl. Though she is paralyzed right now, her spinal cord was pinched and not severed. So there is hope that she will be able to walk again. For now, she is taking it day by day. We are hoping for small gains and a miraculous recovery.
Please help support her in anyway you can!
For more information:
http://getwelljacoby.blogspot.com/2012/11/continued-prayers.html
http://www.roachgymnastics.com/jacoby.asp
http://www.roachgymnastics.com/
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Teenage-gymnast-Jacoby-Miles-paralyzed-during-practice-179958501.html?m=y&smobile=y

The Olympic Surprises of 2012

I don't know why I expected the Olympic Games to go without a surprise. Do they ever?
Here was what I thought would happen:

Jordyn Weiber would win All Around while Victoria Komova would make a blunder that would cost her the AA. Then there would be a big, dramatic tearfest put on by the Russians. -Basically a replay of Worlds.

-OR-

Victoria Komova would pull everything together to win AA while Jordyn Weiber would just have enough "little" mistakes to keep her from taking gold.

-Or-

Both Jordyn and Victoria would make enough mistakes that diva Aliya Mustifina would manage to grab onto gold-God forbid. Her form on twisting elements KILL me!

Instead Jordyn Weiber would not even qualify for AA because of the 2 per country deal... Her reaction is not one that will easily be forgotten. I truly believe she would've won AA had she gotten through qualifications.
Instead Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman would take top 2 spots to represent USA. I would not want the USA to have had to put Aly up as an AA contender. Thank god she didn't win a medal. That would've been an embarressment to the sport.

There were two options that I thought could occur for Gabby...

Number 1. She would crack under the immense pressure and realize how big the Olympic Games really are, thus would not medal or be an AA contender.

-Or-

Number 2. Would do well enough to finish right behind Jordyn, as Chow's former gymnast, Shawn Johnson did 4 years ago.

Instead she did the most unthinkable and conquored the most unimaginable task in becoming the 4th American Olympic Champion in the AA in history, the first woman to win a team gold and AA gold and the first African American gymnast to win the AA. Way to make history! On top of it all, I don't think she realizes how big this is. She seems so young and naive still. One day in the future I think she'll realize the immensity of her win.

Surprise #3. Mckayla Maroney...I thought that there was no way possible that she would not win gold.

Olympic Pressure, I guess.

I've never even seen her fall on a vault! I guess it was her weaker vault though that caused her grief. Her amanar is still the best in the world.

It's exciting to see an old-timer win another event though as Sandra Isbaza did during the 2012 Olympic vault finals. 

   



I should wear Al Fong gloves when coaching...

Where to begin, where to begin.
I suppose I should begin at the beginning and discuss the latest news that I have on hand at the moment.
First things first...
Mary Lee Tracy will be in Tricities in 2 weeks from now. All American Gymnastics Sports Center will be hosting a 2 day clinic for optional gymnasts all over the state of Washington July 28th and 29th. This should be epic news to you!

That's my newest bit of information I have.
The rest is mostly just needing to vent about the Olympic Trials craziness. So this will be old news. I apologize beforehand...

Shawn Johnson retired. Fortunately for us all. I never liked her to start out with and I will never like her. Oh and just for extra news for those of you who care, "ashleyakaflipper" blocked me from her youtube channel for writing my personal opinions about Shawny. I was very disappointed by this because I liked writing good stuff about her other montages and I will miss writing mean and nasty messages about the gymnasts I don't like. Oh well, apparently I am just a mean and nasty person...

Nastia...Oh Nastia... And Rebecca... Oh dear Rebecca Bross...

I have similar feelings toward Nastia as I do for Shawn. I think a lot of Nastia's haughtiness comes from her dad, so it's not completely her fault right?... I don't like her dad very much either. I also don't think Valerie was right for Becca. It was like Vanessa Atler all over again. Except Rebecca's experience may have been worse. Like Nessa, 3 years before the Olympics I would never have imagined the team without Becca on it. However, without that knee injury, she may still have had a legitimate shot...maybe.
Going back to the knee injury, rumor has it that during her warm up prior to the horrifying vault, Becca had not landed any of her attempts and both of her ankles were shot. So what does Valerie do? He makes her compete the same damn skill she hasn't landed once... I am thankful that WOGA will not have a three-peat and even more thankful they do not have any of their gymnasts on the Olympic team this year...
Nastia's comeback was humorous, to say the least. She waited too long before deciding to make the comeback. I also find it remotely interesting that Martha let her go through Nationals to Trials. Chellsie Memmel didn't get such fine treatment. Maybe Martha was worried about Nasty-ia's fans. However, they may have been more lenient toward denying Nast another chance because both bar routines were HORRIFIC. At least Chellsie was somewhat ready on other events and just had a fluke beam routine. I am still pissed at the Olympic committee for not letting Chells through for another shot. It hurts my heart they would treat her the way they did.

How about Bridget Sloan...?

     I was saddened to hear about Sloan's injury. She seemed to be doing rather well in training. Likewise, I don't think she really had a legitimate shot at the team either. I had already picked out my team prior to the games and none of the '08 team made the 5.

Alicia. Sacramone.
I was a little surprised they did not pick her as an alternate. A little but not really surprised. I was however surprised they have picked Anna Li as an alternate. That was a cool turn of events indeed!

Another surprise to me was Elizabeth Price. She came out of nowhere! Actually she came from the well known Parkettes of Allentown, PA. She still came out of nowhere as far as performance-wise. I started second-guessing my Olympic Team selection when I saw her performance and placement. If she had just a little more experience, she may have made the team... I was also vaguely touched by the Bill Strauss's reaction.

Mckayla Maroney. I always have to have that one gymnast I don't like on the team. She is my pick right now. Actually I don't like most of the team but that's just me being judgemental again. I love her gymnastics. Her amanar is out of this world! I love that she does hit 180 degrees on her leaps and her dance is lovely. What I don't like about her is the immaturity she exudes.
What did she say about getting a puppy in comparison to the Olympics...?!
And how about the twitter posts she sends to teammates that just annoys the heck out of me.
I actually only decided today that I don't like her so I don't have a whole lot of reasons yet but let me tell you, as soon as I get the opportunity to watch her again, I am going to get irritated of everything she does... That's just how it works when I don't like someone.
Oh and I don't like her floor music.

On opposite spectrums, my favorite gymnast on the team is Kyla Ross! I have been watching that girl for years and have been absolutely astounded with her form, performances and gymnastics. I LOVE her floor music and routine. I love the way she lands on the beam like a cat, elegant and poised. She is superb in her gymnastics! Cannot wait to watch her at the games. I just hope she doesn't pull a McCool move... She would be the one they'd avoid using I think because of lack of experience if she messes up early.

Aly Raisman. Consistent as fuck but I just can't get myself to like her gymnastics. And the tear-fest at the end of the trials was uncalled for.

Jordyn. Yea, yea, yea I'm bored of this gymnast and bored of writing this blog. She's consistent, fantastic and lacks the personality most first place All Arounders have. Her coach is another one I don't like at all and may account for part of her personality issue...

Gabby Douglas. So young... So innocent... I love her gymnastics. She has no idea how big this is...she is... right now.

There's your 5. The 5 I called. Actually I shouldn't be so pleased at myself, I think a huge percentage of gymnastics followers called those top 5 athletes. I, however, did not call the alternates.

Anna Li was my only shock after the meet.
I was not surprised that Price and Finnegan took the other remaining spots.

I love it when girls who don't have a shot of making the team have a tear-fest... NOT!
Here's some more info about MLT if you don't know who she is, since non-gymnasts seem to have very little knowledge of gymnastics coaches.

http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/238670-Cincinnati-Gymnastics-Academy/video/495801-Coach-Mary-Lee-Tracy-on-the-CGA-Gymnasts-Through-the-Years

Washington State Championships

Here are some gymnastics routines from last weekend's Washington State Championships.
Clips include gymnasts from: Auburn, Garlands, All American and Gymnastics Plus.
It was a weekend filled with awesome gymnastics. Not only that but everything was done cleanly. I didn't see anything remotely scary, so unbelievably rare in a high level gymnastics competition.
These girls are moving onto Regionals which will be held in Portland, Oregon.
Good luck girls!

*A Bright Star_Tamara Allard*

The future of our leaders lies not in the hands of merely the gifted, but in those who passionately work toward their dreams...

At 17 years old, Tamara Allard has done more than most girls her age. She began her gymnastics career at the tender age of 3 years. In the beginning she simply wanted to play and spend time with fellow teammates. Like most little girls, she did gymnastics because it was fun.

By the year 2010, she was no longer the little girl, interested only in socialization. She had matured into one of the hardest working athletes at Gymnastics Plus. Even so, she barely made level 9, being only 2 levels from the prestigious elite level; it was an incredible feat to overcome. The year proved to be a vain endeavor for Tamara, as she didn’t even manage to qualify to regionals. Yet if anything, not qualifying only pushed her to train harder.
One year later, she proved she had some unfinished business to attend to. Her first home meet provided her the opportunity to show off some new and polished routines, particularly on her two best events, uneven bars and the balance beam. She won both events and took second in the all around standing- improving the score by two points from the year before. Such an opportunity had never been given to her before in her life. She shocked coaches and gymnasts all over the state of Washington with how far she’d come.
One month later, she found herself at the biggest competition of her life. San Diego, California gave Tamara a chance to showcase her new and improved gymnastics. She did just that, earning a 2nd place medal on her best event, bars. Despite a fall from the balance beam, she still managed to pull off 10th place out of a total of 25 people. She continued making improvements during practice and headed to her next large invitational where she landed her first yurchenko-a high level vault.
She stated, “All I could remember was looking down the runway, starting to run and suddenly being on my feet. It was all very overwhelming. I saluted to the judges and all I could hear was my coach cheering excitedly!”
Her next event would give her the opportunity to shine yet a stumble almost took away her chance of taking the crown as bar champion. On one of her newer, more difficult skills, a straddle back, her hand slipped as she grabbed for the bar. She managed to hold on, finishing her routine with a beautiful dismount. She scored her highest score; a 9.05 locking her in the first place standings.
Her beam routine was choppy and shaky, allowing a teammate to edge her out of the top place; she took 2nd, less than .1 behind. However, she triumphed on one of her weakest events, the floor exercise. Not only did she stick all of her tumbling elements but she scored a 9.1 grabbing yet another award, a bronze medal. Her final standings in the All Around would put her in a close second, right behind teammate, Kelsy Hyvonen.
Despite her accumulating accomplishments, Tamara Allard still remains a very down-to-earth and humble person. She even tried out for “Miss Yakima’s Outstanding Teen,” part of “Miss America’s Outstanding Teen program,” for her first time a year ago. Tamara described her experience during the Miss Yakima Outstanding Teen competition, “I remembered wanting to sit down so bad, I had to stand the entire pageant.” (she couldn’t sit because of the dress) She added, ”since I was wearing high heels my toes had also gone numb!” She laughed as she explained the scenario. It hadn’t fazed her in the slightest. Her confident yet equally loving and happy personality caught the eye of the judges. She surprised everyone, including herself as she became “Miss Yakima’s Outstanding Teen” in 2010.

It didn’t stop there; she also won individual awards in talent and as miss teen congeniality, an award won by the most helpful person. She also had the highest ticket sales, selling around 42 tickets in total. She had originally asked for 100 tickets to sell and was scoffed at. Most people didn’t sell more than 20. Instead she managed to persuade the runner’s of the event to give her 50 to sell, knocking their socks off as she nearly sold all of the tickets. Instead of becoming boastful about her accomplishments, winning has actually caused her to become even more grounded in her personal life. She has begun raising money for numerous charities and treats every person she meets with the utmost respect.
Due to the tumultuous and time consuming training as a gymnast, she has chosen to do online school. She is very driven, always working hard at everything she does and turning every assignment in on time. Her 4.0 GPA proves that she is very serious when it comes to her education. Likewise, she hopes to get into some very prestigious colleges. She plans to apply for UCLA or Stanford but would be equally as happy to get into the University of Washington and to hopefully have the opportunity to one day compete for them in gymnastics. She also plans to double major in Psychology and English. As a career, getting a degree in psychology would be the most direct path, also because ideally she would like to have her own practice. She would however, like to do something with creative writing and wouldn’t mind being an English Professor at some point. She is even working on a novel that she would one day love to publish. Yet despite the fact that her goals lie in English and Psychology, her favorite class is American Government. When asked why, she explained that she absolutely loves the way the government works as well as she enjoys understanding the historical aspect of the American Government.
At her age, the focus in education and her strong determination to excel in anything she does is somewhat rare and unique in today’s world. Yet having something so passionate in her life has given her the focus she needs to succeed in society. When asked about her loftiest gymnastics goals, the answer she gave was remarkable, “Gymnastics is much more than simply the sport of gymnastics. It has taught me a lot of life lessons I would not have experienced if my parents had not enrolled me in the sport.” She then answered more directly that ideally she would like to compete in an NCAA division one school for gymnastics and would be willing to train a couple of years before walking onto a team or attempting to get a scholarship.
The years she spent in the gym definitely caused her to grow up very quickly. The wisdom behind her words portrayed that even though she is not yet an adult, her maturity is almost unheard of for the average girl her age, although calling Tamara average would be anything but the truth. Gymnastics really gave her something that nothing else could provide. The excitement in her voice as she told stories about her gymnastics life was contagious and her final statement she gave me before ending the interview expressed what gymnastics was for her in life. “This sport is so much fun, it’s not just an addiction. It’s like pure ecstasy when I do gymnastics.”

Aesthetic Beauty

Here are some of the pictures I have on my laptop that just capture a sort of essence.

A sort of beauty about that present moment they were taken in.

A powerful reminder of what a still image can show us.

A fragment of the past, captured and held forever in the only form it can be.


A memory. A dream. A thought. A reminder. A glimpse as to what was...

It is but a gift to get to hold that moment.

It brings us back for a moment...

A powerful reminder as to who we are and what we have become. A photo contains so many unspoken words.

Words that will never come about because they cannot be placed.

One day we will only have the memories and photos to remind us of the past.

Forever gone are the moments; good and bad. Buried in the past.

No copyright infringement intended. I do not own the rights to these photos. Please ask me to remove or tell me who to give credit to.

Thank you!

-JD

High Tech Clinic 2011

Region 2 gymnastics held their high tech clinic in Beaverton, Oregon this year.

It was awesome to see some incredible athletes yet also, just as gut-wrenching to no longer be included in the training atmosphere as a gymnast.

Being a coach definitely has it's pros and cons; I am included in the conversations that only coaches of elite athletes have, the secrets of what really goes on at the ranch come out late at night, horror stories that I honestly would rather not know--And we are talking about what goes on in the United States, it's frightening to think about what is happening in other countries around the world. It's also exciting to be surrounded by top level coaches who have personal relationships with other high level coaches and athletes. Likewise, some of these coaches were also high level gymnasts at one point, that's really cool to be treated as equals now in the coaching world.

Yet likewise, having to watch these girls who entered the sport much later than I, and who are now kicking ass at this level is honestly difficult for me to watch. Don't get me wrong, it is really inspiring and cool to see their progression. I love watching high level gymnastics! It's just that sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if I had grown up in a different atmosphere, with more committed, quality coaches who had remained in the gym longer to help my gymnastics progress to the level I had wanted. Maybe I wouldn't still feel like there is unfinished business; this dissatisfaction of never attaining my highest goals, I think, keeps me from putting my whole heart and soul into coaching. Everytime I get too involved, I regret. I think that's why this clinic was so hurtful and left me feeling undeniably sick of the sport again.

Nonetheless, the two girls that I went to coach this weekend did a great job; both listened attentively, gaining some new skills, drills and motivation to continue to progress into season.

Here's a couple of clips of a skill that one of the girls I coach, practiced and got without a coach standing by. First one was perfect timing for hitting handstand, but she apparently wasn't prepared for the catch and crumpled. The second and third were past vertical but not by much, I'd still give her credit if I was judging.









I also gained some new drills to also take back. A few shaping drills that Joe Rapp of HITS showed us were definitely ideal for attaining better bar swinging and controlled, tighter handstands.

Some of the top gymnasts from our region were apart of the clinic as well. Baely Rowe, of Auburn Gymnastics and Destinee Davis, now at MAC, were both present and exciting to watch!

Here's a clip of Baely doing a vault drill.



Overall, it was a good learning experience for both coaches and gymnasts alike from region 2.

The Evolution of Aging Gymnasts & Oksana Chusovitina-Her Gymnastics Purpose

There has been a lot of old faces among the young guns of gymnastics. Of coarse, being "old" by gymnastics standards is a much different interpretation than what it means to be "old" outside of the gymnastics world. Even so, elite gymnasts in their early 20's was virtually unheard of 20 years ago. A sport that was once represented by females no older than 16 has since evolved into a sport shared by gymnasts in their 20's and even 30's.

Gymnasts such as Alicia Sacramone, (24 years of age) and Chellsie Memmel, (23 years old) of the United States:

College Gymnasts who either returned or are, for the very first time, trying out elite gymnastics!





Vanessa Zamarripa, Anna Li & Casey Jo Magee.



Gymnasts who have made the national team well into their teenage years. Prior to Kayla Williams, no one past the age of 15 had made the US National team, competed at Worlds and medaled. Brandie Jay is another gymnast who joined the national team as an older teen and is currently competing at the Pan Am Games for the USA.

Ariella Kaeslin, from Switzerland, seemed to get better as she aged. She retired recently at the age of 24.


Valeria Maksyuta, from Isreal, has added new skills to her gymnastics as well. She is currently 21 years of age.

Even Chinese gymnast, Cheng Fei, currently 23 years of age, announced a planned comeback. China is not known for keeping Elite gymnasts past their teenage years.



Jessica Lopez, from Brazil, also has shown incredible improvement as she's gotten older. Throwing new skills at the age of 25!

Elizabeth Tweddle, at 26 years, looks better than she ever has before and is winning more medals in international competitions than she ever had as a teenager.

Catalina Ponor of Romania, retired from the sport in 2007. 4 years later, she looks as though she never left the sport of gymnastics. At 24, she looks better than ever!


What is it about the sport of gymnastics that pulls girls back into the constant training, day in and day out. What draws grown women back into the structured and rigid world of physical pounding, pain and struggle that they were sent into as children. Gymnastics is a very addicting sport. Not only do girls feel the lowest of lows in this environment, but the exhilerating highs are nothing in comparison to anything in the "real" world; at least not in a controlled environment.

Prior to the 21st century, gymnastics equiptment was a lot less forgiving. A gymnast body was worn down more swiftly and returning to the sport was often not an option. Likewise, information on eating disorders, over-use injuries and training in general was not known or developed. As information has increased and the sport has evolved, so has the ability for gymnasts to return to the sport well past the age of what was originally normal or even probable.

For many of these women, coming back is based on expectation, unfinished business or a need to be in a controlled, structured environment. For many, gymnastics has given a sort of purpose that not many people outside of the gymnastics world could understand. But there is also sometimes a need to fulfill a purpose in one's return to gymnastics.

Oksana Chusovitina's reason for returning to the sport was based on a deeper purpose. Her story is a very powerful one that makes her remarkable road back to elite gymnastics an incredible feat; one that could only be achieved by love, passion and an immense willpower to save the one thing that mattered most to her.



Oksana is currently 36 years old. The oldest, female gymnast ever to win an Olympic medal, which she did on vault at the 2008 Games in Bejing, China. An age that is virtually unheard of in the world of elite gymnastics, and even in the world of elite sports.

Not only that, but her son's leukemia is now in remission. After the games in China, Chusovitina announced plans to retire, only to tear her achilles tendon. Returning from such an injury was once unheard of in the sport of gymnastics. Yet upon tearing it, Oksana decided to give it another go. 1 year later, she was once again on the competition floor.

From a recent interview, Octavian Bellu was quoted saying, "Looking to the world, 22, 23, 24 years old is not the limit. I don't talk about Chusovitina at 36, [that's] something strange. It's from another planet." [1]

I don't think there are truer words that could describe her gymnastics comeback(s) and journey. Her career as an elite gymnast has gone on for more than 2 decades! Older than most of the girls she currently competes against!

She holds the record for most medals won on an individual event in the world championships; that event being vault. Just this month she competed at the most recent World Championships and brought home another medal for that event.

She has competed in 5 Olympic Games and I believe she has her sights set on 2012 in London.

What she has done in the sport is unheard of as well as unreal. She has done something no one thought possible, but it was done out of a need to save all she had. It's incredible what the human spirit will go through to hold on to what is most important, life itself. For all she has accomplished and won, nothing compares to what she has saved. The life of her only son, Alisher.

Bibliography:
[1]http://www.examiner.com/gymnastics-in-national/octavian-belli

I do not own the rights to any of the pictures or video footage.

A Brief Overview-Visa Championships 2011

Can we all just say, "WTF!"

Visa Championships were a NIGHTMARE!

Starting from day 1 and going all the way through to day 2.

It's my honest opinion and belief that the elite gymnastics system needs to be changed. I miss the 10.0 start value system. I think it was a safer and was definitly a more artistic approach to the sport of gymnastics.

I couldn't believe the amount of falls we saw. It's unusual to be able to count the amount of gymnasts without falls on one hand and not the other way around. I'm actually not sure if that's accurate, but there was indeed a much lower, MUCH LOWER, amount of gymnasts who stayed on the equiptment verses the ones who fell. It's a sad day when that is the case...

Unfortuantly, due to my living situation and lack of cable and a good wireless internet connection, I have not yet seen all of day 2 of the championships and have only seen the youtube version of day 1; uploaded by: FlippinTitan2010

Where to start...?
I think I should just say before hand that watching these has brought me a little bit of joy and longing to return to the sport I left behind. Even just to be a part of it, in a coaching or judging sense. Lately it feels as though all purpose in my life has gone from me, without gymnastics I feel lost...At the same time, I wish I didn't need gymnastics to make me feel my life has purpose. Nonetheless, writing about it is giving me some hope and allowing me to mix two of my biggest loves in life together: Writing and Gymnastics... Hmmm, can anyone say career? I think I should get out of this school and become an entrepreneur in the writing field... But that's beside the point. Back to Visa's...:

First off, I actually really like Jordyn Weiber's leo for day 1. Bizarre yellow color but she looks good in it.

Next thing is, I am so AMAZED by Chellsie Memmel's comeback! Seeing the footage of her first meet back a couple of weeks ago I was completely astounded! Plus I was asking why the f**k she was back and then I watched her. She looks better than I've ever seen her look before. She looks like she's lost more weight, her skills are solid and beautiful, I am so proud of this girl! Way to make me wanna make a comeback Memmel!...

Gabrielle Douglas has potential, but I feel she is still inexperienced. We'll see if time can change that. For now, 3 falls from beam at a meet is not a good thing...At all...Especially when Martha Karolyi is watching. Fortuantly, for Gabrielle, Martha had a lot more to worry about than just one gymnast...

I love the changes and improvements Alicia Sacramone has shown this past 2 years. Even though she fell on a pass in her floor routine, she is still a huge asset to the team on more than one event. She could potentially be in the line up for all three events she is still competing on! Her beam night one was UNREAL! Both she and Chellsie are just so strong mentally! It was wonderful to watch! And I love ASAC's floor routine. I think the music is perfect for her power and she is no longer doing the sexy, sloppy and prostitute like poses that she did before in so many of her past routines. Thank you Alicia for growing up. 2008 changed her not only as a gymnast, but as a person. She is a much different athlete and human being! Bring on 2012 Asac!

Going back to Jordyn Weiber. She is incredible! As much as her coach drives me completely insane, she is one that much of the world has had an eye on for years! Since 2006, at 10 years old, when she competed at JO Nationals, I think many people knew that she would be one to watch for in the future. They were so right!

Mckayla Maroney...I have a lot to say about this one. Her 2.5 twisting yurchenko is NOT HUMAN!!! I have never, ever, ever seen someone perform that vault like that! I just want to watch it over and over and over again! However, I find the rest of her events to be mediocre...I am unimpressed with her music choice. It doesn't fit her. Her tumbling is good when it's done well. Otherwise, mediocre is the only word I have for the rest of her gymnastics...

Rebecca Bross. :( Poor Rebecca Bross... Maybe if she cracked a smile more often, she'd have more good fortune...Or maybe she and Valerie are pushing much too hard. Either way, if you haven't already heard the news, after an unsuccessful round on day one, she had a horrendous mishap on day 2. Watching her on her vault on day 2 I knew it wouldn't end well before she was even on the mat. It looked as though she tried to pull out of her DTY early, and then in that split second, she was crumpled on the floor, crying out and holding her knee. My stomach gets sick just imagining her desperate cries as Valerie jumped to the mat to try to calm her. I had to watch that vault over and over again, I was so aghast and felt an unbelieveable sorrow for her. Brossy has been through so many injuries, I don't know how's she's going to make it to 2012 at this rate. I think she and Valerie need a new plan...

Aly Raisman. Aly has been Miss Consistent these past couple of years. But there is no denying though that her lack of toe point reminds me all too much of Jana Beiger, and as I recall, I think that was a huge reason Jana didn't make the '08 team...Also really thankful she didn't pull an amanar, I don't think she's ready for that vault...

The Caquatto sister's make a great team! It's neat seeing two siblings competing together and not just against each other. They are both huge assets on bars for the United States. Bridgette needs to seriously fix her hair though...I said that at the last meet I saw her compete at. The flyaways are such a distraction and it doesn't look professional at all... Nonetheless, I love watching her on bars!

Anna Li did not make the national team. Sad day... :( I was rooting for her. Just a few too many falls I guess. I hope this motivates her to work hard and make a comeback! However, her bars could also fill a void for team USA's lack of depth on that event. And doesn't she look like Nina Kim? I keep thinking it is Nina and then I have to remind myself that Nina is done with gymnastics, at least I think she is...

It's so impressive and awesome to see all of these older gymnasts coming back, including the college athletes; Anna Li, Mackenzie Caquatto, Alicia Sacramone, Chellsie Memmel and a newer face, Casey Magee. I was very intrigued by the fact that she had never tried for elite and that her gymnastics improved during her college years. This is exciting news to hear and something you don't hear in this sport. Her gymnastics is unique, but I think the likelyhood of making Worlds or Olympics isn't really realistic. It was still nice to see a new face with a cool story, as well as an impressive skill set.

Sabrina Vega... Oh dear! I really like this gymnast! I love her smile, love her gymnastics, love that her coach is Theadora Ungureanu. But someone needs to tell her that every extra swing she takes is .3 deduction! She would've been better off just jumping off of bars... Oh well, better now than worlds or the Olympics right?...

I know I have to get to her eventually. Shawn Johnson... The most over exposed gymnast on the fricking planet. The less I say about her the better. Mostly impressed with her comeback, kinda wish she didn't make a comeback but I think she'll improve more and more over the next year.

Amanda Jetter didn't make the national team...Anyone else surprised? I read from "The Couch Gymnast" that she face planted her dismount on beam. I didn't see enough of her competition to know what else went wrong.

Why is Nastia on the Gymnastics Commity? I think that is slightly unfair... Am I wrong to think that?...

Poor Martha has to be looking at these last two days and thinking to herself that the USA is in trouble... Knowing her and Bela, they'll get the program back underway and the country will be ready for Worlds and the 2012 Games. They have had the experience and I've seen other teams around the world go through the same obstacles and come out stronger. This is only the first step in these girls road to the games...

2012, here we come...

Why have I not heard of this gymnast before? Yvonne Tousek

I was searching through youtube gymnastics videos as I often do out of boredom. One particular video had caught my attention. It was of a Canadian gymnast named Michelle Conway.



I adored her gymnastics. It was graceful, the choreography was exquisite and I loved her backward switch leap, (if that's what it's actually called.)

I decided to continue looking through videos and came across this:



My first thought was "Boginskaya". Her choreography, her body type and her movement in general was screaming out Svetlana Boginskaya!



And then I found this video of the same routine:



Suddenly, she seemed more like Khorki material. The hair style, the body type (again) and the poise and gracefulness she portrayed in her gymnastics was like that of Svetlana Khorkina...



As I continued looking through vids, I was surprised to find a very young looking and unpolished gem of a gymnast in the 1996 Olympics who was again, Yvonne Tousek...

I was, at first, unimpressed with her beam. I was catching minor deductions in her dance and tumbling, but certain things caught my eye. The first thing was that unusual turn where she steps back onto her left foot, lifts up her right and does a really quick full turn. I had to rewind the clip over and over again to figure out what she was actually doing. And then came the most amazing thing...And I was totally unprepared for it.



I was not expecting much. Maybe a front aerial into a jump or something along that line. Instead she pulled out a front handspring, front tuck! The form was a bit sloppy in the legs but the height into the front tuck was superb! Plus I had rarely ever seen that connection performed on beam. I think one gymnast from Parkettes did it a few years ago and there was a video I recently came across where a gymnast does a flyspring, front tuck for her mount onto the beam. Either way, this was a rare skill combo and I was impressed!

I looked through a few more video clips she was in.

I was once again impressed with the choreography and maturity she portrayed in her 1996 floor routine. She looks young, but her ability to perform was definitly something she had mastered at a young age.



Finally, I looked through some of her college routines.

I sat through the whole 6 minutes and 38 seconds to watch every single one of her routines. I was afraid that I might miss something and thus kept my eyes glued to the screen. I loved her originality, her quirky choreography, her strange skills and even tumbling. In her first routine of the four, she does a unique combination of tumbling skills. I had never seen a round-off, back full, arabian into a fronthandspring step out.



Needless to say, I had fallen in love with this girl's gymnastics yet I have never, ever heard of her! This bothers me because I have been apart of this sport for the last 17 years of my life. I can tell you about gymnasts from the 1970's all the way to the present. I can even tell you certain skills that each one performed in their routines, I can tell you what their floor music is. I could tell you who had bizarre choreography and I can tell you whose careers ended too quickly because of injury. It annoys me that the press has to only show footage of the top, oh say, like 6 gymnasts in the world. I have videos from the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. I have watched them over and over again since I was a young gymnast. I can literally quote Tim Dagget, Elfi Schlegal and John Tesh and yet I had never seen or heard of this beautiful and strangely exquisite gymnast. Something needs to change this.

I am sick of the constant attention that particular gymnasts such as Nasty Liukin,


Shawn (Rabbit-face) Johnson







& even Jordan Beiber *ahem* Weiber get on a daily basis. There are other extremely talented, beautiful and incredible gymnasts out there who aren't getting noticed. The public needs to see them too, in my opinion.

And I really want to see more gymnasts like Yvonne Tousek!

Kate. My New Hero.

My re-meeting her has been ironic to say the least.

I met Kate years ago while I was on the swim team.

She and my mother were friends and swam together.

This should give you an idea of her age.

I knew she had been into marathons.

I knew she loved to run. Still loves...

I saw her again a couple of weeks ago for the first time in...how many years? Many.

I recognized her but couldn't remember how I knew her.

She came to me first, said she recognized me and began asking about my mom and if she was still swimming.

When she continued talking about having a membership at two gyms, I figured out who she was. (I mean, how many women have memberships at 2 or more gyms?) I don't know anyone else who does...

After that first re-encounter with Kate, I then saw her a couple days later.

I was riding my bike and passed a runner with a teenage body. As I passed her, I realized it was actually Kate. I was immensly surprised.

I then rode another 2 or so miles, before getting off to run 3 miles. As I was riding back, I took a break. As I was about to head back off, I glanced behind me and saw a white shirted figure running a ways back. I recognized her red hair and realized she was still running. No doubt she would be running at least 10 miles round trip. And with having a bike I knew I had been given ample time to ride a greater distance. However, with my 3 mile run, I figured she had to have run at least 3 miles or more while I had taken time to run my 3 miles. In other words, she was running a good distance! I sped ahead, fearing an awkward meeting.

To top it off, the very next day, as I headed out to the 35 mile bike ride and climbed from my car for registration, I saw her once again.

We were both surprised as we greeted each other.

As that day progressed. She and I would pass each other at least 5 times. The final time I saw her pass she yelled out to me, "I don't know why we keep seeing each other, but there must be a reason!"

The next day I told my mom all about the meeting, in which she stated back to me, "You know, Kate does triathlons."

I was stunned. For some reason, I had it in my mind that she only did marathons. Maybe this is the reason I keep seeing her. Whatever it is, she has now become my newest inspiration! She is incredible and I want to be as great as an athlete as she is.

Tri-idea Continued.

In the meantime...
After the 35 mile bike ride yesterday I have been so pumped up. I was too tired to do much yesterday after the bike ride, likely from only having 10 hours of sleep over the weekend. But I desperately wanted to go for another bike ride or run or something! I smartly choose not to. This morning, however, I eagerly prepared myself for a day of training! I took my little corgi out for a morning walk to warm up. He isn't much of an exerciser so usually the most I can get him to do is walk or short spurts of running. After that I headed out for a nice run.

The weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot when I started out. The sky was over cast and there was a light breeze. The sun did start to come out as I was heading into my second mile. It felt nice feeling sweat break out across my face. The run itself felt so good and easy too! The only real hard part was the final hill back to my house. Afterward I decided that I felt good enough to go for a bike ride...


Maybe not the most brilliant idea ever...


It was ok at first but it didn't take long before my legs started to really burn. Not sure whether it was from yesterday's ride, or that I had just gone on a run or possibly that it was because it was a mountain bike... Or maybe it was because cycling is supposed to BURN... Either way, I was hurting and dying in no time but I pushed for about a 1/2 hour or so. I haven't the faintest idea how far I rode. My guess is that it was between 3 and 5 miles.


As soon as I stepped from my bike I nearly fell. My legs felt like jello. Fortuantly, that was the end of my leg workouts today.

I did try out hot yoga this evening.
I've done bikram but never in town.
And actually, the yoga was called Power. And I guess it was the second level. It was a lot harder and different than I anticipated. We did a lot of plank holds, in push up position. Then lowering down to almost our chests before rising to "cobra". We did a lot of standing pike holds and lunge holds (Warrior Pose). At the end, we even did what was called "wheel", which ended up being a bridge. It was like doing easy gymnastics in a 105 degree room! It felt incredible! I love feeling like I'm working hard, sweating immeasurably and doing basically conditioning exercises! It was great and I can't wait for the next hot yoga class I go to! The special is great as well. 10 classes for $20. I bet this is the only town you can get this deal in!

Oh, and forgot to show you my amazing power fuel after yesterday's bike ride.

Most amazing, tasting thing ever! Basic Ingrediants: Numerous amounts of fruits; strawberries, blue berries (frozen), black berries (frozen), raspberries (frozen), mango, banana, orange, basically any fruit in the house! Then some almond milk, greek yogurt, whey protein, emergenC and agua! Blend and then top off with granola and sliced strawberries.

Mmmmm, AMAZING!