perfect 10

I am spending a few days in Canada for a mini vacation but couldn’t resist bringing the laptop so I could write an end of the year post. I decided to write about the top ten things I think should have happened in 2007 but didn’t. As usual I am focused on the women’s side of the sport. It would be great to hear what you think should be on the men’s list.

Just to clarify…by “should have” I do not mean deserved.  I just mean things that I wish had happened but for one reason or another did not.  In no particular order…

1. Hollie Dykes should have made more of a world impact. I was expecting to see her in the hunt for several medals in Stuttgart but she was nowhere to be found.

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So I know that I admitted in an earlier post that Rick over at Gymnastics Coaching has been slowly persuading me that the event specialist is not a bad thing. And while I confess that I am starting to agree with him, I still can’t help advocating for All Arounders.

With Cheng Fei dashing my hopes last month, my thoughts have recently turned to Alicia Sacramone. I’m guessing that she’ll be on the US Olympic Team barring any major injuries or problems. She’s a former World Champion on Floor, multiple World medalist on Vault and she has recently enjoyed a resurgence on the Beam. All that leaves is Bars. And honestly she’s not that bad on the Bars. Check out this youtube video of her from last year’s nationals.

I’m not saying she’s Svetlana Khorkina or anything but she’s got a respectable routine. And since she was still training Bars as of last Spring (2007 season for Brown University), it wouldn’t be that difficult to start up again. It certainly seems like it would be worth a shot.

What do you think? Should Sacramone dust off her grips?

December is usually one of the busiest months for me at work so I am anticipating that I will not be able to post as much in the next couple of weeks. But I do want to weigh in on the discussion about the international age limit.

Bruno Grandi, president of the international gymnastics governing body (FIG), has been quoted as saying that he would like to raise the minimum age limit once again for international competition. In 1997, the age limit was raised from 15 to 16. Grandi has said in the past that he thinks the age limit should be 18 and just recently announced that he believes there should be no international competitions for juniors whatsoever.

There are many things to consider with regard to age limit but by and large, I am tempted to agree with Grandi - though not entirely.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject…

• Making the age limit higher will encourage athletes to stay in the sport longer. Athletes, especially on the women’s side, will see that it’s not necessary to stop the sport at 18. Gymnasts like Chusovitina, Khorkina, Bhardwaj, & Hatch have made it abundantly clear and I believe the FIG should encourage that. With Rick over at Gymnastics Coaching slowing changing my mind about event specialists, I believe that the rise of the event specialist will also encourage longevity in the sport.

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I wrote about my distaste for tank leos, gym shoes & the leg-up full turn a few months ago. The list has now expanded. These are the top 10 things I dislike right now in the world of gymnastics.

1. The jump-up mount on Beam. Think Shawn Johnson & Li Shanshan. I did this mount as a Level 7 compulsory gymnast way back when. This is an ugly and uncreative mount and way too many gymnasts use it. It is possible to get on the Beam without risk but still with beauty and originality. Using this mount seems lazy and I expect more from world class athletes.
2. I’ve said it before but I must say it again. The leotards worn by the United States Women. Now that we’ve seen that the floor and matting is going to be red at the Olympics next year, I hope they come up with something more interesting than this.

   

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So apparently the choice for the best Bar Worker of All Time should have been easy. Everyone has been casting their vote for Khorkina. She accepts your vote of confidence.

In honor of her clear victory here, I decided to post one of her best routines (there were, of course, many to choose from). This is from the 2000 Olympic Events Finals, where she took home the gold.

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. I have been completely consumed revamping my website for work. Now that it’s pretty much up and running, I’m back in action here on p10.

So my all-time favorite Bar Worker… It’s a toss up. I’m having a much harder time choosing one with Bars. Beam was no contest. But I keep thinking of so many incredible Bar workers. So I decided to make this a Top Ten list. In no particular order…

1. Tatiana Lisenko, UKR - Great rhythm
2. Nadia Comaneci, ROM - Beautiful form
3. Jamie Danztscher, USA - Incredible swing

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I’ve been reading on the other gymnastics blogs and sites lately that people are starting to worry about Shawn Johnson. The concern seems to be that all the media attention will ruin her game, that all the talk shows and appearances and interviews will distract her and ultimately place too much pressure on her.

While I see why this might be a concern and I certainly understand from where the sentiment stems (Kim Zmeskal in 1992, Vanessa Atler in 2000, etc), I’m not sure the gymnastics community should be so uneasy about the attention on Johnson. She has had an unbelievable year. She’s undefeated on the world and national level. It’s unlikely she will ever have such a magical year again. If she does have another such year, wonderful. If not, let’s let her enjoy this one for all it’s worth.

To my knowledge Cheng Fei of China, the reigning Olympic and World Vault Champion has only competed on Vault, Beam and Floor in the past few years. Why is that? Why isn’t she an All Around gymnast? You would think that it’s because she is significantly sub par on Bars and has therefore been relegated to a position on the Chinese National Team as a specialist. Now, granted she may not be quite up to the Chinese standard on Bars but she’s certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Check out this youtube video of her as a junior in 2003.

As you can see she certainly has the technique and body line to be fantastic on Bars. And supposing she was only so-so on this event she would still be a threat for All Around gold in any competition she entered. Don’t believe me? Check out her Beam performance from the recent Shanghai World Cup earlier this year.

She scored a 16.10 and won the gold for that routine (and rightfully so). So why doesn’t she compete Bars? Anyone know?

If you haven’t read the Ziert Alert from April’s International Gymnast, you should. Paul Ziert, publisher of International Gymnast magazine, as per usual, does not hesitate to call it like he sees it. While I don’t always agree with Ziert, I really like his style. Despite the fact that they might not be popular, he isn’t afraid to make his opinions known. April’s edition of International Gymnast is no exception.

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So as promised, here is a follow up to my earlier post on the 2007 USAG Women’s Collegiate Championships. There is not too much to say, really. I enjoyed the competition but not overly so. It was definitely not the same caliber as a Division I competition but still a worthwhile Friday night outing. Here are some of my thoughts and impressions…

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