Tuesday, November 9, 2010

This and That




Shae-Lynn Bourne and Patrice Brisbois, Week 6 of Battle of the Blades

An interview with the always intriguing Toller Cranston.

US Sectionals are taking place November 9-13.  Full list of qualifiers.

North Korea was banned from competition for two years after being caught falsifying ages yet again.  It wasn't enough getting banned once for Kim Guang Suk having four birth dates.  Basically, the FIG is sending a memo to all nations to have their cheating in order, like Romania!  Keep those birth dates and passports straight and off of the internet!

China is looking to sweep the gymnastics golds in Guangzhou at the Asian Games, which begin on Monday. China is sending its world teams to the event, but Kohei Uchimura will not be competing for Japan.  Koko Tsurumui will be competing and will hope to challenge the Chinese women.  North Korea is unable to compete at the Asian Games due to their ban.  Roster

Skating With The Stars Promo:


Nastia Liukin tweeted that she is back to two-a-day workouts!

Jonathan Horton and Philipp Boy will have a rematch at this weekend's Champion's Trophy.

USAG is sending some other athletes abroad before the end of the year.

Katelyn Ohashi is heading to South Africa for the Bumbo Gymnastics Cup, December 2-4. Valeri Liukin, Nadia Comaneci and Bela Karolyi will all be appearing at the meet to add their star power.

Toyota Cup, December 11-12  (Individual Event Competition)
Joey Hagerty
RJ Heflin
Paul Ruggeri

Six Juniors will accompany the team to the Toyota Cup for a week-long training camp in Tokyo:
Wyatt Aycock
Kevin Ko
Jake Martin
Cale Robinson
Jacoby Rubin
Jordan Valdez


UCLA is double layout happy this year.  In addition to Vanessa Zamarripa, who spends most of her time on the mats in practice taking a good twenty minute breather between turns (she'll turn it up a notch and always has an abundance of natural talent to rely on), many of their gymnasts are training the skill and performed them at their last full intrasquad.

Sam Peszek face-planted her double layout at the intrasquad and didn't finish the meet, but she is a workhouse and will be fine and ready for all four events.

Elyse Hopfner Hibbs' double layout is a bit low.  She always has a double arabian mount, so she is covered either way.

Tauny Frattone has worked on double layouts for a while and pretty much has the technique down.

Sydney Sawa's is reportedly "an ankle crunch waiting to happen.  She will get carried off during a meet."

McCullough and Courtney are both strong tumblers as well.  UCLA looks strong on floor.  Now they need to have Suzanne-Yoculan-fever and talk about their athletes mounting with Es and dismounting with double pikes (or full-ins, nod to you Chelsa Byrd!) We have yet to see Zam dismount with a double pike.  Mounting with a double layout and dismounting with a rudi would be utterly unacceptable.


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15 comments:

  1. Thanks for the UCLA update! Are there any videos of the intrasquad or of the double layouts?

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  2. I feel bad for whoever has to carry Sawa off the mats, she's definitely at a Bama level of plumpness. Tauny had such a high double pike it's not a suprise she'd move up to a double layout.

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  3. Mmmmmm UCLA gossip. Loves it.

    So the WAG for the US is just sending one junior to one competition? nothing else for the abundance of talented juniors who should start getting some international experience? :(

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  4. Why are they ALL doing double layouts of it doesn't suit them? It takes a very specific gymnast to do a double layout. I don't get the obsession with them. Can they not teach other passes?

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  5. Toller Cranston seems senile.

    And Nastia being back in training and enjoying the process warms my cold heart! Hopefully it won't be too hard to get back in real shape, although I'm sure it will take a lot of time.

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  6. I like how Horton and Boy are already having a rematch, while none of the US girls will see any of the top Russians or Chinese girls until next year's Worlds. The women's elite gymn schedule is so weird.

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  7. is there any UCLA vids anywhere?

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  8. I saw UCLA at their intersquad. I thought it would be an interquad. All I can say is oh my lard!

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  9. That bollywood number on BotB just seems so lame after the choreographic genius of Marina Zueva combined with Marlie's talent.

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  10. How do you get to see the UCLA intrasquads or even find out where they are? I go to UCLA and haven't heard anything!

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  11. Oops, that should've said "when they are".

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  12. Anonymous at 7:56 what do you expect out of BoTB? It's a TV show featuring hockey players. Yes, that number would be lame for real skating, but for a reality show, it works, I guess.

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  13. Do lesbians have coaching philosophies?

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  14. Kelli Hill is awesome and inspiring.

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  15. Kelli Hill sounds like a man.

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