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163: ENOUGH

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an anonymous minor had the courage to come forward to report sexual abuse

This Week's Interview

Sport psychologist Dr. Megan Neyer and Katherine Starr from Safe4Athletes join us to talk about the arrest of Olympic coach Marvin Sharp on child pornography and charges of molesting one of his athletes.  We discuss:

  • Gym Myth Busters: Do boys need protection from pedophiles just as much as girls do?
  • Why  a "don't talk back" policy can sets kids up to be victims.
  • Conditions that lead to abuse, both through grooming and organizational loopholes.
  • What the alleged victim might be feeling and how best to support her as a community.
  • Steps the gymnastics community can take in preventing abuse:
    • Mandate moral, ethical and specific behavior guidelines
    • Apply a policy that makes misbehavior, not just criminal activity grounds for dismissal
    • Parent, coach and athlete education about those guidelines because policies without education create cynicism
    • Enforcement by someone other than the owner of the gym
    • External oversight through an athlete welfare advocate and if necessary an external advocate for intervention or accountability when necessary.
  • Why child athletes are especially vulnerable to abuse (This is where Bruno Grandi got something right. Part of his reasoning for raising the minimum age for seniors was to prevent abuse. The older the athlete, the less likely they are to be abused.)
  • The bottom line for owner's pocket books: why gymnastics schools who do not have a comprehensive abusive prevention program in place will go out of business.
  • Why National Governing Bodies (NGB) like USA Gymnastics need to make gymnastics a much less hospitable place for abusers and a more powerful place for gymnasts.

Guest Links

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • There's a new toe-on-counter-Kim being done by a Hawaiian superstar!
  • Hollie Vise and Alex Naddour's future baby girl will have to battle baby Springer for butterfly roll world domination.
  • Katelyn Ohashi is doing bars again!
  • Larisa Iordache is going to compete very soon.
  • Aliya Mustafina has not taken a break from gymnastics. You can put the prayer vigil away now.
  • Maria Paseka proves she  is on level 3 of the Brestyan leg circuit with her scary Amanar landing.
  • Ablyazin’s D keeps getting bigger and bigger
  • Jake Dalton had shoulder surgery.
  • Men's gymnastics might move to eight skills after Rio and some people on this show are THRILLED about it.
  • Your Feedback:
    • We are the new cure for morning sickness
    • Every American women's Olympic gymnastics team from 1996 to 2008 had a gymnast in her 20s on the team.
    • An American Dietician in Denmark weighs-in on our Chris Brooks screams for food after P&G Championships
    • Paul Ruggeri is the Brenna Dowell of the men's program.
    • Does Marta think that Gabby isn't working hard enough or is she upset about her gym change?

Related Links

Episode 56: Preventing Abuse in Gymnastics covers:

  • Stopping abusers from club-hopping.
  • Creating a standard of behavior an effective tool for identifying grooming behavior and abusers early.
  • Stopping character assassination of girls who are abused.
  • Learning how to speak up and being heard by adults.
  • Why kids don’t come forward when they are abused by a coach.
  • How to support a gymnast who has been abused once he or she comes back to the gym.
  • What questions to ask before choosing a gym.

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164: Marian Dragulescu

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This Week's Interview

Catalina Ponor is back, Lisa Mason is back, Oksana Chusovitina is back; at this rate, maybe Alexi Nemov will show up wearing grips in Rio. Joining the "Gymnastics At Any Age" Club of Returning Superstars is, Romanian legend, Marian Dragulescu, the most successful Romanian male gymnast of the past 30 years! He's won four World titles on both floor and vault, his best events. He is the originator of the "Dragulescu vault," a handspring double front half out, which is named for him and still considered one of the hardest elements on vault. Yes, you know his name because it's mentioned seven hundred times on ever men's gymnastics broadcast and this very show. Even though he's been incredibly successful, there's still something missing from the bag he keeps his medals in (true fact, bag, not his underwear drawer or display case). Despite sticking his signature vault in Olympic event finals in both 2004 and 2008, Dragulescu fell on his second vaults at both Games, losing what was almost sure to have been the gold medal. He was to the Athens and Bejing men's Olympic vault final, what McKayla Maroney was to the women's London vault final. He did not compete at the 2012 Olympics after an ankle injury suffered at the kept him from being in peak condition in time. Now the re-married father of two, wants Olympic gold. Gymternet fairy-godmother Emma Bailey, Romanian-born, editor-in-cheif of The Couch Gymnast Bea Gheorghisor, and Jessica discuss:

  • What Kohei Uchimura's parents told him long long ago!
  • How's he's dealt with the tabloid's obsession with his ex-wife Larissa.
  • His motivation for coming back now after all of his success (are you listening, Marta?!).
  • The importance of partying after the stress of competition.
  • Was he worried he would get in trouble for standing on the vault to celebrate after winning gold in 2009.
  • GymMyth Busters Romanian Edition:
    • Is it true that Romania gymnasts get a pension and a house for winning a World or Olympic medal?
    • Are male and female athletes given the same pension amount.
  • Why the murky waters of Romanian laws around sponsorship make pensions and prize money so important for their gymnastics program.
  • The injury that forced him to miss the 2012 Olympics.
  • Finally, the story behind the fur vest he wore for his Gala performance in Mexico.
  • What he learned from the negative and positive experiences in his storied gymnastics career.
  • The 2004 Olympic vault and floor controversies: how does he feel then and now about losing a tie breaker with Kyle Shewfelt for the floor gold but winning bronze despite a fall in the vault final.
  • If it has it been difficult or relatively easy to get his skills back.
  • How social media helps motivate him.
  • Why he decided to try his now Eponymous skill Drăgulescu (double front half vault) and what his coaches thought of that idea back in 1999:
    • Which current gymnasts do his vault best?
    • The status of the Dragilescue II vault -- double front full out, and Dragilescue III --double front rudi out. Not even kidding about that last one.
    • What to put up for a vault skill number at the end of the runway when you are doing a vault that has never been done before.
    • Man puberty! Yes, puberty isn't just for awkward NBC commentary anymore!

Guest Links

Follow Marian on his officialYouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

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Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

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165: Ponor Is Back

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[caption id="attachment_7458" align="aligncenter" width="740"]Catalina Ponor

Catalina Ponor (art courtesy of My Crazy World of Graphics)

In the News

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spencer from The Balance Beam Situtation, and Jessica chat about:

  • Romania vs. France Meet
    • Catalina Ponor Periscoped her comeback!
    • We also go to see Larissa Iordache and Diana Bulimar compete.
  • Marian Dragulescue returned to competition at the Israel Cup
    • We compare his vault to Oleg Vernaiev's at the Ukraine Cup
    • How Alexander Shatilov and Draulescue compare on floor five weeks out from Worlds
  • NCAA gymnasts preparing for Worlds
    • Danusia Francis, Toni-Ann Williams and Britney Rogers prepare for Glasgow while competing for their college teams.
  • Beyond The Routine: Canada Rising recap from Spencer!
  • Rhythmic Worlds
    • The US group and Ms. Laura Zeng qualified to the Olympics!
    • Bruno Grandi's poorly chosen English phrasing.
    • Should artistic gymnasts be allowed to use lyrics in routines.
    • Is rhythmic more or less artistic than it used to be?

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • Mustafina out of the Russian Cup, but what does that mean for Worlds?
  • Line Judging changes for Glasgow Worlds.
  • Your feedback on episode 163: Enough about the arrest of Marvin Sharp.
  • New artistic standouts to watch from the Sansbury School Games.
  • Who has a bigger collection of Code of Points than Uncle Tim?
  • Gymnast-inspired names for your cat!

Related Episodes

  Related Videos

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

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166: Aliya was like Nu-uh Rodionenkos!

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2015 Russian Cup All-Around Champion, Daria Spiridonova (RUS, 57.1)

WHAT: Elevate of The Stage:  Xcel, J.O., with Auburn vs. Alabama dual meet finale

WHEN: January 16-17, 2016

WHERE: Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama

SPECIALNESS: It's on podium and the college coaches will watch the top levels on Saturday night.

TWO PRIZES:

  • $250 off of a gym's registration (20 or more gymnasts) to compete in the JO meet and no team Fees

OR

  • Four VIP passes to watch the college meet on the floor, access to hospitality and four free t-shirts. ***With this the winner will have to be someone 18 or older because recruitable gymnasts can't be on the floor during college meet competition (blame the NCAA rules).

HOW TO ENTER:

  1. Like us on Facebook
  2. Send us an email with the subject line “Elevate the Stage” to gymcastic@gmail.com

DEADLINE: Sunday, October 18th More details on the Elevate the Stage podium meet here.

Lauren Hopkins, Uncle Tim, and Jessica chat about:

  • The Russian Cup
    • Maria Paseka's Cheng is getting better and better! We think she'll be on the podium in Glasgow. 
    • Alla Sosnitskaya won bars but it was actually Viktoria Komova who had the highest bars score of the meet!
    • Ksenia Afanasyeva did choreography that was so lazy, it rivaled the epic Zero-F*^*s-Given floor routine from Tatiana Nabieva last year.
    • The provisional world team and Aliya Mustafa putting Valentina Rodionenko in her place by saying"I will decide if I complete on the basis of my health."
    • Denis Ablyzian put Ri Se Gwan on notice with the most insane tsuk-full-in of all time. 
  • Osijek World Cup
    • Manrique did not do well and it's a world-wide tragedy.
    • Paula Mejias, Danell Leyva’s teammate at Universal in Miami, triumphed from her vault disaster at the Pan Am Games. 
    • Jade Barbosa, grandmother of Brazilian gymnastics, did an absolutely, stunningly solid, wonderful beam routine.
    • Ruby Harold burned the bars to the ground with her sheer awesomeness!
    • Igor Radivilov's neck tattoo continues to slightly inhibit his landing ability on vault.
    • We discuss the need for , pommel horse winner, Louis Smith to harness the power of his D.
  • Chinese World Team
    • Bai Yawen is not on the team and Jessica refuses to talk about it.
    • As of this recording it was Fan Yilin, Huang Huidan, Mao Yi, Shang Chunsong, Tan Jiaxin, Wang Yan with alternate Chen Siyi. 
    • Tan Jiaxin did an Amanar that terrified the world
    • Mao Yi fell on a Moors and was knocked unconscious during her routine. 
    • Shang Chunsong won the all-around and why we think she has a good shot at the podium in Scotland.
    • Defending bars silver medalist, Huang Huidan, struggled on her best event. 
  • German National Championships
    • Head coach Koch is calling aa champ Elisabet Seitz, Pauline Schäfer and Sophie Scheder, "The Hambüchens" and we don't know how we feel about that. 
    • Pauline Tratz wore a technicolor dream coat leotard that either thrilled and/or burned our eyes out.

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • Marvin Sharp died in jail, initial reports say it was suicide.
    • Is Coach Rick right -- if female coaches take more leadership roles in gymnastics, will less men mean fewer incidents of sexual abuse?
    • Is a massive lawsuit like the one faced by the Catholic Church force gyms and USA Gymnastics to make Safe4Athletes mandatory for every club?
  • You can help Lisa Mason continue to train.  Lisa currently travels over 600 miles a week! That's an average of $200/week in gasHELP LISA HERE
  • Simone Biles gave the world a full camp update with scores and gave such an epic Snapchat that it skipped meme-dome and became a t-shirt.
  • The Cure of Wolf Turn-Itis: Please take note, there are now two official GymCastic approved ways to acceptable exit from a wolf turn:
    1. The Melnikova --Step up into an immedate double turn https://youtu.be/k384wBo2KcU
    2. The Chayse Capps -- drop into pron position like a python about to devour the beam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHqKWTX5a8

 

The Gymnasi-Cat Naming Contest WINNER is Rainey, who gets to choose one of these two fabulous, adult small, P&G Championship prizes.

Runner Up

The now legendary, Lil' Kim-Z MouseKill

 

Pauline Tratz (GER) and her Technicolor Dream Leo

  

 

167: Romanian and Italian Nationals

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feature_EP167_2-1 

contest

WHAT: Elevate of The Stage:  Xcel, J.O., with Auburn vs. Alabama dual meet finale WHEN: January 16-17, 2016

WHERE: Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama SPECIALNESS: It's on podium and the college coaches will watch the top levels on Saturday night.

TWO PRIZES:

  • $250 off of a gym's registration (20 or more gymnasts) to compete in the JO meet and no team Fees.
  • Four VIP passes to watch the college meet on the floor, access to hospitality and four free t-shirts. ***With this, the winner will have to be someone 18 or older because recruitable gymnasts can't be on the floor during college meet competition (blame the NCAA rules).

HOW TO ENTER:

  1. Like us on Facebook
  2. Send us an email with the subject line “Elevate the Stage” to gymcastic@gmail.com

DEADLINE: Sunday, October 18th More details on the Elevate the Stage podium meet here.

In the News

In the news, Jessica, Lauren Hopkins, and Uncle Tim chat about:

  • Ages and height of the US women's Olympic teams since 1972
  • Why Russian gymnastics fans are the best!
  • Who's on and who's missing from the preliminary US World Team, including Brenna Dowel!
  • Is 4th place all-around theworst place to be for an American gymnast?
  • Romanian Nationals:
    • Marian Dragulescu won a zillion medals
    • Larissa Iordache is back on top
    • Catalina Ponor is injured, but hopefully will be back in time for Glasgow
  • The Junior Japan International
    • Cameron Bock, is he the next Sam Mikulak?
    • Jazzy Foberg takes silver and Laurie Hernandez goes undefeated in the all-around in 2015
  • The London Open
    • Never count Louis Smith out, he is on the nominative roster for Glasgow.
    • Max Whitlock recovered from his mono and won with a 7.2 D score on pommel horse!
    • Brinn Bevan is gorgeous on high bar and why Kristian "The Legs" Thomas should do a cameo in an episode of Outlander.
  • Italian Nationals
    • The perilous status on Vanessa Ferrari
    • Erika Fasana is amazing on floor, as usual
    • Why Russian fans should love the new all-around champ, Tea Ugrin
    • Did Carlotta Ferlito fix her execution problems during her mono-induced competitive hiatus?

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • Marian Dragulescu shows us allll of the places he shaves.
  • Sho Nakamori launches www.totaltaiso.com
  • Dubmash (lip sync) videos we want our favorite gymnasts to post on Instagram
  • Shannon Miller launched her own line with Alpha Factor.
  • Australian Olympian, Larissa Miller, shares her storyof sexual abuse by a family member in order to help others.
  • Your letters and voicemails about combating abuse,  the "joker" system for elite, British teams update, lyrics in floor music.
  • Why Danell Leyva is a wonderful leader, a true feminist and a irrefutable gentlemen.

Danell Tumblr Women Props

Related Links

Update to the GymCastic-approved acceptable exit transitions from the dreaded wolf turn mentioned last week:

  • Wolf turn to gradually standing double turn
  • Wolf turn to split
    • Maddie Gardner (Canada, Oregon) wolf turn to reverse split/I’m the baddest woman in all the land - thug life beam pose
    • Chelsea Tang (OU) wolf turn to side split beautifulness
  • Wolf turn to needle scale turn

Related Episodes

Related Photos

RUby Harold kiss selfie

Ruby Harold gets a smooch from her teammate on the scoreboard.

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168: Shannon Miller, BelarusGate, NED vs GB

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viatlana Lifenka and Valeryia Tsekhmistrenka ousted by Belarusan president behind the Bolshoi theater in minsk

Dream Killers?! Nellie Kim and Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko are at the center of a controversy that left Belarusian gymnasts Sviatlana Lifenka (R) and Valeryia Tsekhmistrenka (L) out of Worlds.

This Week's Interview

The most decorated gymnast in American history, three-time Olympian, and Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Shannon Miller graced us with her presence for a second time! We squealed with glee! Shannon told us about:

  • Her new line of leotards and leisure wear
  • Handling commentators and public discussion of her body and puberty
  • Who she's excited to watch at Glasgow Worlds
  • Chusovitina and the longevity of adult gymnasts
  • What she thought of the winning impression video from our It's Not About Perfect book giveaway contest.
  • Tips on learning her famous back extension rolls on beam
  • Settles the debate for us: Is high altitude ever an excuse for poor conditioning?

In the News

In the news, Uncle Tim, Lauren Hopkins, and Jessica chat about:

  • Belarusgate
    • Two Americans were granted expedited dual-Belarusian citizenship and state that they will compete for Belarus instead of the native Belarusian team.
    • The American teens' interview with International Gymnast was off-putting to say the least (read it here).
    • We separate fact from fiction and explain why the Americans aren't technically switching countries at all or breaking International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) rules.
    • Lauren helps us get to know the current Belarusian team members
    • Uncle Tim puts this kind of "make your own team" activity into historical context for gymnastics and other Olympic sports.
    • Our opinions on what the unintended consequences of this precedent could be and where we should go from here.
  • Netherlands vs. British-friendly meet
    • Eythora Thorsdottir debuted a new floor routine that's causing controversy and our artistic hearts to bleed with joy!
    • Could Ellie Downie be the dark horse for an all-around medal in Glasgow?
    • Why the Netherlands are leading the way: in innovation, the Spirit of The Code, and unique beam construction.
  • Natasha Coates is our gym-hero of the week!

contest

WHAT: Elevate of The Stage:  Xcel, J.O., with Auburn vs. Alabama dual meet finale

WHEN: January 16-17, 2016

WHERE: Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama

SPECIALNESS: It's on podium and the college coaches will watch the top levels on Saturday night.

TWO PRIZES:

  • $250 off of a gym's registration (20 or more gymnasts) to compete in the JO meet and no team fees.
  • Four VIP passes to watch the college meet on the floor, access to hospitality and four free t-shirts. ***
  • ***With this, the winner will have to be someone 18 or older because recruitable gymnasts can't be on the floor during college meet competition (blame the NCAA rules).

HOW TO ENTER:

  1. Like us on Facebook
  2. Send us an email with the subject line “Elevate the Stage” to gymcastic@gmail.com

DEADLINE: Sunday, October 18th More details on the Elevate the Stage podium meet here.

Related Links

Kwan, Dickson Eager for Worlds Debut on Behalf of Belarus, the International Gymnast interview.

Meet the Belarusian Gymnasts from The Gymternet

Why I'm angry about Belarusby Lauren Hopkins

Shannon Miller's new leotard collection

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169: Glasgow Worlds Preview Show

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artistic gymnastic championships t-shirts 2015 glasgow

Support your favorite gymnasts and podcast by clicking on the image to see our t-shirts!

 In the News

In the news, Uncle Tim, Lauren Hopkins, and Jessica chat about:

  • The Russian press conference that featured more empty plates than gymnastics
  • Hashtag Wars: the official hashtag has been changed from #2015wgc to #Glasgow2015
  • The Competition:
    • Who's here and how they qualified
    • Competition format six gymnasts per team, one alternate. Five gymnasts compete in on each event prelims with only four scores counting (5 up 4 count). In finals, only three gymnasts can compete and all three scores count towards the team score (3 up 3 count).
    • Lauren plays How To Get Your Favorite Gymnast To Rio with Uncle Tim
    • Non-nominative vs. Nominative
  • Injury report and which teams are on the “Oh Crap We Are Going To Have to Go To The Test Event” List
  • Gymnasts you must watch in prelims because although they might not make finals, they will make you believe in the Gym Gods: Thorsdottir, Berki, Wever, Zapata, Millousi and more.
  • Jaw dropping skills you must watch lest you kick yourself forever: Bretschneider on high bar, Ablyzin on floor, Toni-Ann Williams Produnova off beam, Chustovitina's Produnova on vault, Ruby Harold's Zuchold, Schafer's side somi half.
  • Medal Favorites and our predictions: Brenna Dowell will win all the things!
  • Personal stories we are following in Glasgow
    • Cuba is back for the first time since 2003
    • Bahamas, Africa, Caribbean nations representing with exciting gymnasts
    • Team Jamaica: from zero to an super exciting, unique, dream making national team
    • Chusovitina and the women of women's gymnastics

Contest Winners

Danell Pecht and Kerri Joyce are getting two tickets each for floor seats, t-shirts and hospitality at Elevate the Stage!

Ele 

Related Links

How To Get Your Favorite Gymnast To Rio [A Flowchart] by Uncle Tim

Support us! Join Club Gym Nerd  http://gymcastic.com/club

Glasgow Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Master Team List GymCastic T-Shirts just in time for 2015 Glasgow World Championships!

 

Women's styles (even v-neck!), kids and men's. They will arrive in time for Worlds. They ship anywhere in the world!

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Click on the designs to check out our gym nerd-tactic t-shirts!preview of gymcastic Glasgow scotland baseball and v-neck shirts

Adult Glasgow Shirts $20

gymcastic podcast glasgow kids butterfly Scottish flag t-shirt

Butterfly Glasgow shirt.

How to watch the world championships (below).  If you are having trouble with access outside of the United States, try using a virtual private network (VPN). Our listeners recommend TunnelBear, Hola, ZenMate and GetUsVPN. Worlds Live schedule 

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172 MAG Team Finals Recap from 2015 World Championships


174: Live Show EF Day 1 MAG AA 2015 Worlds

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Kocian, Spiridonova, Komova, and Yilin

Kocian, Spiridonova, Komova, and Yilin four-way tied for gold in bars. (photo credit: Christy Ann Linder)

In the News

Jessica is reporting in person from the 2015 Women's Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland with the European Gymnastic Crew: Emma Bailey, Michelle Web, Cordelia Price, Coach Rick, and... wait for it... Mr. Scott Bregman:

  • We're live from The Corinthian Club in Glasgow, Scotland.
  • We recap the Men's AA final.
  • We discuss the first day of event finals routine by routine!
  • We have quizzes and even take a few question from those who watched on Periscope.
  • The GB men get their first individual gold on event finals--they go one-two in pommel.

Related Links

The Gym Report's best guesstimate which individuals made it to the Rio Test Event. How To Get Your Favorite Gymnast to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games [A Flowchart]

Support us! Join Club Gym Nerd here.

GymCastic T-Shirts just in time for 2015 Glasgow World Championships! Women's styles (even v-neck!), kids and men's. They will arrive in time for Worlds. They ship anywhere in the world!

NEW T-Shirt Alert!

Swag-O-Meter: HighGymcastic podcast Glasgow gymnastics world championships t-shirts baseball shirt

Click on the designs to check out our gym nerd-tactic t-shirts!preview of gymcastic Glasgow scotland baseball and v-neck shirts Adult Glasgow Shirts $20

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 If you are having trouble with access outside of the United States, try using a virtual private network (VPN). Our listeners recomend TunnelBear, Hola, ZenMate and GetUsVPN. Worlds Live schedule 

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173 WAG AA Finals 2015 Worlds

171: Women's Team Finals Recap from 2015 World Championships

170: Women's Qualifying Recap from 2015 World Championships

175: Event Finals Day 2 Recap from 2015 Worlds

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Manrique Larduet from Cuba world medalist celebrates

Manrique (CUB) is going to Rio!

 LISTEN HEREIn the News

Jessica is reporting in person from the 2015 Women's Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland with the European Gymnastic Crew: Michelle Web, Cordelia Price, and Becca Emrick:

  • What did Bruno say about black athletes in gymnastics?
  • Steve Butcher addressed the delays in the press conference.
  • Is there a pro European bias?
  • More discussion of debunking myths--we discuss the state of gymnastics TODAY!
  • We talk men's vault: we dissect each competitor.
  • Are there rules about selfie-sticks on the floor?
  • What the hell was with the walk-in music?
  • We talk women's beam: of course we break down all the deets.
  • Komova has officially become a fighter--and her leo was on point.
  • Cordelia does her best Scott Bregman impersonation.
  • Carol Angela is The Alchemist.
  • Simone is a diamond--the more pressure the more sparkle she produces.
  • Is the Azerbaijan buy-your-gymnast system working?
  • We talk men's parallel bars: the cleanest final of the day.
  • We talk women's floor: a great final, but Jess is not happy!
  • We dig deep into Sae's (JPN) floor routine.
  • Who fanned themselves better? Afasanava or Maggie?
  • We talk high bar: Chris Brooks' routine reminds us why gymnastics is an important life skill
  • Cordelia channels Yin.
  • Where are the giant Rio tickets?
  • We talk how everyone else can get to Rio.
  • Guess who has guaranteed himself an automatic spot to Rio? Maaaaaanriqueeeeeeeeeee!
  • Simone made history AGAIN! More Simone please.
  • Glasgow has set the new standard. We love you Glasgow and thank you for your hospitality!

Related Links

The Gym Report's best guesstimate which individuals made it to the Rio Test Event.

How To Get Your Favorite Gymnast to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games [A Flowchart]

Support us! Join Club Gym Nerd here.

GymCastic T-Shirts just in time for 2015 Glasgow World Championships! Women's styles (even v-neck!), kids and men's. They will arrive in time for Worlds. They ship anywhere in the world!

NEW T-Shirt Alert!

Swag-O-Meter: HighGymcastic podcast Glasgow gymnastics world championships t-shirts baseball shirt Click on the designs to check out our gym nerd-tactic t-shirts!preview of gymcastic Glasgow scotland baseball and v-neck shirts Adult Glasgow Shirts $20gymcastic podcast glasgow kids butterfly Scottish flag t-shirt Butterfly Glasgow shirt.

If you are having trouble with access outside of the United States, try using a virtual private network (VPN). Our listeners recommend TunnelBear, Hola, ZenMate and GetUsVPN.Worlds Live schedule  Related Episodes

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176: Worlds Wrap-Up Show

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Marian Drăgulescu flies down back down the vault runway after winning silver on vault at the 2015 world championships

30-year-old Marian Drăgulescu (ROM) won his 10th world medal in Glasgow and the coveted Mr. Congeniality 2015 award from GymCastic.  © Christy Linder

 In the News

Uncle Tim, Spencer, and Jessica discuss the state of gymnastics after the Glasgow World Championships:

  • Awards:
    • Miss & Mr. Congeniality Awards
    • Artistry Award (both intended and unintentional)
    • Highest non-vault E score Awards:
    • Biggest D Awards (non-vault):
      • UB - 6.900 - Fan Yilin (TF, EF) and FX - 6.900 - Simone Biles (Quals)
      • FX - Kenzo - 7.600 
    • “Size Isn’t Everything” Award
  • The State of Gymnastics:
    • Rules most desperately needed to change.
    • What worked in this code and what didn't.

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • Mustafina has had knee surgery. Gulia Steingruber knee injury update.
  • The Rio Olympic Qualifer Hunger Games-style rule changes have begun, starting with Trinidad & Tobago.
  • Are Jordyn Wieber, Shawn Johnson and Nastia all training for the post-Olympic tour?
  • The Myth of Pregnancy Doping: where it began, lawsuits that were won and why it's just stupid crap "science."
  • Simone Biles and John Orozco will perform at the Colgate Skating  & Gymnastics Spectacular at Northern Illinois University on December 16th.
  • The NCAA signings we are most excited about, including Ruby Harold, Sabrina Vega and Polina "Puppy Feet" Shchennikova.
  • Your voicemails:
    • Is Romania focusing too much on veterans?
    • Was Mustafina engaged and where to find your fellow gym nerds.
    • The perspective of the Belarusian-American gymnasts and maybe we need an international meet for all this American talent?

Related Links

Fantasy Gym drafts open on November 29th collegefantasygymnastics.com!

Rio qualifiers and Test Event qualifiers:buff.ly/1NSt2dd

How to Get Your Favorite Gymnast to the 2016 Rio Olympics [A Flowchart]

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Classic Episode 142: They Broke Bart Conner

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South Durham Gymnastics Club, home of English all-around champion, Amy Tinkler.

 

Originally aired March 25, 2015. English Nationals, NCAA Conference Championships and Jesolo are on the menu this week. Uncle Tim, Emma, Spencer, Spanny, Evan, and Jessica chat about:

  • Princess Catherine leading her troops to battle to strike fear into the heart of the balance beam.
  • Senior champ Amy Tinkler, is her pepto-pink gym at South Durham, the key to her success?
  • Claudia Fragapane's improvement from her American Cup fall-a-thon.
  • Lisa Mason's triumphant performance, pep talks to the baby gymnasts, Artistry award and practically leaping onto the judges table to dare them to deduct from her floor routine!
  • The British Bars Revolution: Kelly Sim and Becky Downie are doing bars that make you wonder if their routines aren't actually YouTube edited pranks.
  • Jingoistic floor routine musical advice for the Rio Olympics, from a self-proclaimed Brazilian cultural expert.
  • Louis Smith competed well but raised some eyebrows with his post-meet exit.
  • The reason for Max Whitlock's spectacular but  limited performance plus, injury updates on our favorite English gymnasts.

NCAA Conference Championships (28:00)

  • Shawn Johnson tweeted that she wants to coach a college team. Where do we think she'd fit in and what are the most important traits of a great coach?
  • Bedazzling Beelzebub sparkle-tards -The leotard debate.
  • New vocabulary word "pusillanimous: showing a lack of courage or determination; timid." as in, wimp.
  • Would Minnesota's Linday Mable get better scores if she was a member of one of the six schools that have won an NCAA Championship.
  • Regional seeding and our picks for biggest upsets.
  • Coolest vault in college, Alex Marasco -  Yurchenko ½ on or a Yurchenko full-on Cuervo.
  • Most robbed vaulter last weekend, Jaida Lawrence of West Virginia.
  • Rage-o-Meter regarding the Pac 12 Networks decision to zoom in on every inopportune moment of every routine. Dear Director's of  Television Gymnastics, here are the rules:
    • We do not use stick and ball sports analogies to explain artistic gymnastics.
    • Never, ever, zoom in during a routine, ever. That's what secondary camera playbacks are for.
    • We do not zoom in between the hip bones and thighs, ever. If that accidentally happens, the director will immediately switch to a different camera.

Jesolo Competition Preview! (1:35:00)

  • How did this meet become the debutant ball of US Gymnastics?
  • Gabby, Aly, Simone, Skaggs, Hernandez, Flatley -  gymnasts we are most excited to see in Italy!

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177: Stella Umeh

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 This Week's Interview

This week Canadian legend, Olympian, World vault finalist, 13-year Cirque du Soliel veteran, entrepreneur and NCAA team champion, Stella Umeh tells her story. Known for her incredible power combined with her dance background helped Stella perform floor routines that ballerinas and jazz dance fans alike sigh with ecstasy. Jessica joined Stella and her 3-month-old daughter, Billie (cue adorable baby gurgles in the background), in November while Stella and her husband, Sam, (head electrician for Cirque's Kurios show) stopped in California.  We discuss:

On being an A-typical Canadian gymnast in her era and being labeled as difficult for standing up for herself and doing things her own way: "I work hard, I play hard. I'm responsible because I love what I'm doing, I'm not going to jeopardize it (also because I don't want to get injured).... I would always do the job but because I didn't fit the mold, it looked like I was fooling around or Mickey Mousing or I wasn't taking things seriously. But I don't think you have to completely conform and lose yourself to take something seriously--because if you are meant to do it, and it is your passion, it's going to be serious regardless of who you are or what you look like. You see a person's heart and soul in what they are doing; and thatis what people should be looking at."

  • Injuries and accidents:
    • Crying and developing an eye twitch every single day for a year she performed on Teeter Board in Cirque du Soleil's Mystère because she was terrified of the apparatus.
    • Competing with a sprained neck and back .
    • Competing with labyrinthitis, a condition caused by California-specific seasonal allergies, which led to a broken bone and very scary crashes.
  • College Culture Shock
    • Moving to LA immediately after the 1994 earthquake when UCLA looked like "Beirut"
    • Not finding the United States to be as multi-cultural as her home in Mississauga, near Toronto, Canada.
    • Getting booed in a college meet.
    • Her opinion of current college difficulty compared to her era in the 90's and how the loss of compulsories effect the current skill level of incoming elite gymnasts.
  • Being Different
    • Her dance foundation and wanting to be like her famous choreographer sister, Anastasia (Stacy) Umeh
    • Feeling out of place in school and in her upper middle-class gym
    • Being bullied--being chased home from elementary school by rock-throwing girls
    • Gymnastics always being the happy, safe place.
  • Elite Gymnastics
    • Scoring low domestically
    • Her advice for learning a painful skill, doing it
    • Fashion show, changing leotards for each event, mobster leos
    • Hair fashion when Stella didn't have enough hair for a scrunchy, but the head coach wanted her in one (cue comedy)
    • "I never saw myself as a black athlete. I always come back to, this is what I love to do. I don't really care what my color, my creed, my size, my shape is. This is where I am supposed to be.  If someone wants to sort of, discriminate against me or make things difficult for me because I'm different, then that's their shit. I'm still going to go out and do what I need to do."
    • Dealing with the reputation of being difficult and non-conforming because she stood up for herself and her teammates. For example:
      • The time Stella asked a judge what rumors she has heard about her.
      • The time Stella told off a Canadian judge for giving the Canadians lower scores than the international judges from the window of a taxi, as she took Larissa Libby (née Lowing) to the emergency room!
  • Artistic Style
    • The story her coach, Alex Bard, loves to tell about the time she refused to dance for him!
    • Her unique style was "not revered in Canada," but it was abroad because being different was an asset. "I was loved internationaly, because in the end of the day, it was just about what I was doing on the floor."
  • The Barcelona Olympic Games  in 1992
    • She cried for 30 days after the games because of the emotional investment in the journey and how fast it came and went.
    • Parties, make-out sessions and how she snuck out of her room with the help of the Olympic wrestling team.
  • Transitioning out of sport for the first time at age 40
    • Never had an orthopedic surgery due to or during her gymnastics career.
    • Had her first surgery after 13 years as an acrobat with Cirque du Soliel.
    • Thought she wouldn't be able to walk after college. Thought her body would be "decimated."
  • Advice to her younger self, "Do it your way. Do it the way that feels right and intrinsic to you. Follow that passion. Dream huge and don't let any thing or anyone, including yourself, stand in your way. Because if you believe in what you are doing and you are loving it, you can't go wrong. Whether you place first or last, you can't go wrong."

Guest Links

The Ivory Elephant Group: theivoryelephantgroup.com

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178: Eythora Thorsdottir and Coach Patrick Kiens

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Patrick Kiens and Eythora Thorsdottir at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2013 where she won silver on beam.

This Week's Interview

This week the girl who's name we have been mispronouncing for years, the magical ethnically Icelandic sprite from the Netherlands, her Dutch majesty, the crown jewel of Holland who makes fans cry with her performance art known as gymnastics, Eythora Thorsdottir is here!  (It's pronounced AYE-tora Thor-s-DOT-er by the way.) The Ljubljana World Cup beam champion and her coach, Patrick Kiens, who's musical theater background and genius strategy got Eythora to beam finals in her first world championship talk about:

Eythora:

  • What kind of attention the Dutch team has received since returning from Glasgow as a Rio qualified team!
  • Her future career plans in the performing arts and if college gymnastics in the United States is a possibility.
  • Did she notice the positive response from fans during her coming out party at European Youth Olympic Festival?
  • Upgrades, Rio plans and her unique style and routine construction on beam.
  • On being compared to Princess Catherine Lyons.
  • Does it surprise her that fans cry during her performances?
  • Training with and learning from the American team, especially Simone (who she adorably calls See-mo-nah)
  • Was she surprised to make it to the World Beam final in Glasgow?
  • The advice her coach, Patrick, gave her after her beam final fall.
  • What she has learned from both the positive and negative experience in the sport so far.

Patrick:

  • Why one size does not fit: how the Dutch program has changed, why that change was necessary with a small population and how Holland's strategy proves that the code is for everyone.
  • Lack of depth and limited gymnasts, "Everyone can stretch their knees but not everyone can do a double layout"
  • Personal taste vs. artistry
  • Why Simon Bile's Amanar is artistic
  • The arm swing rule at Worlds, was it enforced?
  • Acting classes, smart routine construction and ballet on the beam
  • We debate -- can bars be artistic?!
  • How college style artistry can be applied to elite gymnastics.
  • Backstage shenanigan tories from his glory days on the stage.

Guest Links

Follow Eythora on Instagram 

Related Links

Here is a linkto the Dutch gymnastics scandal that changed the system in the Netherlands. Much like the 2000 US women's Olympic team, their experiences changed the system and ousted a coach. Club Gym Nerd Punk Font small

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Watch this week's playlist filled with videos of baby Eythora to elegent teenage Eythora and young, hot Patrick in the background on YouTube here

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179: Aliya's Ink

180: Flamethrowers are the must-have accessory for 2016

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 In the News

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spencer fromThe Balance Beam Situation, and Jessica chat about:

  • A clarification to start the year off : USA Gymnastics did not actively delete Marvin Sharp's name from Bridget Sloan's biography page, it was automatically deleted when his gym became ineligible for sanctioned competition. 
  • Why flamethrowers are the must-have accessory for 2016 and our favorite trends from 2015
  • American Cup competitors announced while Russia names 90% of it's Olympic team and Romania announces the Rio training squad. 
  • Our thoughts on Shawn Johnson's new wedding-YouTube channel. 
  • Spencer tells us which elites are killing it in NCAA already, which freshman are on his must-watch list and we discuss our hopes and dreams for the new Greg Marsden, Sam Peszek, Alicia Sacramone commentary team. 
  • Lots of listener feedback about:
    • MyKayala Skinner's use of the N word on twitter
    • Do we victim blame on the show? 
    • Who won Uncle Tim's Tattoo World Championships in Glasgow

Take our survey! Help us make the show better and pay the bills too. Your opinions matter!

contest

What: It's the new Olympic year, so now is the time for your New Years Gymsolutions. With steady work (and some Brestyan's leg drills) you will be able to do some amazing things by December, 2016.

How: Write your gymnastics resolution with the hashtag #gymsolution2016 on our Facebook page or Twitter. For example, "My #gymsolution2016 is join an adult gymnastics class so I can learn to point my toes like Jake Dalton"

Prize:  Finding Our Balance, book one in the 2016 trilogy by Lauren Hopkins of the Gymter.net

Deadline: Sunday, Jan 24th

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181: Hipster Team 2016

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D.C. is on our radar! The 2016 George Washington University Gymnastics team scored a 196 to open the season. They are the hipster, underdog team to root for this year. Photo by Carl Cox.[/caption]

In the News

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spencer, and Jessica chat about:

  • Why Uncle Tim is soooooooo over the NCAA vs. Elite debate. 
  • Which elite superstars we are following in college. 
  • Our top skills, hilarious commentary fails and squeal worthy moments from the first week of full NCAA competition. 
    • Why water bottles should never, ever, ever be on a gym floor. Ever.
    • Spencer's first "Balance Beam Situation" Code of Points rule. 
    • Which school all the hipster kids will be fan-girling over this year. Haaaai, George Washington with your 196. 
    • Reasons why the rare and hardly ever seen in the wild, side tumbling pass for women should be worshipped and appreciated (Thank you, Sadiqua Bynum  of UCLA)
    • Ebee didn't compete with a concussion. 
    • Banning the WOGAtchev 
    • Sabrina Schwab's (Utah) floor routine. 
    • Nina McGee's 10!
    • A review of the new vault values in college gymnastics. 

GYMTERNET NEWSOur weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

  • Louis Smith's dog exercise video
  • A listener hypothesizes about senior elite injury issues at Cincinnati Gymnastics
  • How coach Martin O'Hara was to abuse gymnasts for 20 years before being caught and what the gymnastics community can do to stop this from happening again. 

contest

What: It's the Olympic year, time for another amazing GymCastic giveaway. Frequent guest host, Lauren Hopkins of the Gymter.net  has released the first in her young adult fiction series, Finding Our Balance. One lucky listener will have their very own unique skill or routine written into book two of  the 2016 trilogy.

How: Tag us in you routine (5 skills) or skill invention with #2016trilogy on our Facebook page or Twitter. For example, "1.5 twisting Shapahnikova catch in reverse grip to immediate Geiger @GymCastic #2016Trilogy"

Prize:  A copy of Lauren's book, Finding Our Balance. 

Deadline: Enter by midnight on Sunday, Jan 24th

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