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Written by John Crumlish    Friday, 07 December 2012 08:52    PDF Print
IG in Northern Europe: First Stop Finland
(5 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)



IG's John Crumlish is in northern Europe this week, visiting gymnastics clubs. His first stop was Voimisteluseura VSH in Helsinki, Finland.

IG's John Crumlish is in northern Europe this week, visiting gymnastics clubs. First stop: Helsinki, Finland

Once a world power in men's gymnastics, Finland is in the process of devising a system that hopes to develop high-level coaches and subsequently more world-class gymnasts, national team coach Timo Holopainen said.


A statue of Russian Tsar Alexander II, whose many titles included Grand Prince of Finland, covered in snow in Helsinki

"We are try to reach a better level, like the British team," said Holopainen, who also coaches six members of the Finnish senior national team at the Voimisteluseura VSH club, which he founded in 1997.

Holopainen notes the progress made by the British men since the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, where Great Britain and Finland placed 23rd and 27th, respectively. A little more than three points separated the two teams in Anaheim. Great Britain won the bronze medal at this summer's London Olympic Games.

"In Anaheim, we were quite the same, but then the British (makes whooshing noise)," Holopainen said. "In Britain there are also only four or five clubs, but they made some good changes in their system. We're trying to do the same. We also have five cities and, if we put in more money for new coaches in all of them, maybe we can raise our level."

Voimisteluseura VSH is the home club to several of Finland's most successful international competitors. The club's top gymnasts include Tomi Tuuha, the 2010 European vault champion; Markku Vahtila, who placed seventh on rings at the recent FIG Challenger Cup of Ostrava; Petrus Laulumaa, a floor exercise and vault finalist at the 2012 FIG Challenger Cup of Maribor; and Kasper Holopainen, the 2012 North European all-around bronze medalist and 2012 Finnish national all-around champion.

Holopainen said he is optimistic that Finland can achieve better team results ahead.

"We hope to build a team like Great Britain has now," he told IG. "Like the British system, it takes about 10 years."

Read more about IG's visit and the Finnish men's program in an upcoming issue of International Gymnast magazine.

Next stop: Tallinn, Estonia!

 
Written by Amanda Turner    Thursday, 06 December 2012 19:37    PDF Print
US Gymnasts Back on Tour in 2013
(8 votes, average 3.88 out of 5)



Following the success of the Kellogg's post-Olympic tour, three of the members of the U.S. women's gold-medal squad from London will back out on the road in 2013.

Gabrielle Douglas, Alexandra Raisman and Jordyn Wieber headline the Teen Choice Live! Tour which pairs gymnastics and pop duo Megan and Liz.

"I'm so excited to go on a tour with Aly, Jordyn, Megan and Liz and bring our fans so many of our favorite things in one glam-filled event. I love the TEEN CHOICE awards and always get excited to see who gets the surfboard!" Olympic all-around champion Gabrielle Douglas said.

The 45-city tour kicks off Jan. 13 in Richmond, the first of four tour stops in Virginia, Douglas' home state.

"This tour will be a fun 'thank you' to everyone that has shown support and helped us accomplish our goals," Raisman said.

Wieber added, "We know it's going to be an amazing show and hope the fans leave inspired to follow their dream, just like we followed ours."

Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Teen Choice Live! Tour

DateCityVenue
Jan. 11, 2013Richmond, VirginiaColiseum
Jan. 12, 2013Norfolk, VirginiaConstant Convocation Center @ODU
Jan. 13, 2013Roanoke, VirginiaCivic Center
Jan. 16, 2013Greenville, South CarolinaBI-LO Center
Jan. 17, 2013North Charleston, South CarolinaColiseum
Jan. 18, 2013Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro Coliseum Complex
Jan. 19, 2013Asheville, North CarolinaCivic Center
Jan. 20, 2013Raleigh, North CarolinaDorton Arena
Jan. 23, 2013Reading, PennsylvaniaSovereign Center
Jan. 24, 2013Rochester, New YorkBlue Cross Arena
Jan. 25, 2013Cleveland, OhioWolstein Center @ CSU
Jan. 26, 2013Youngstown, OhioCovelli Center
Jan. 27, 2013Baltimore, Maryland1st Mariner Arena
Jan. 29, 2013Pikeville, KentuckyEastern Kentucky Expo Arena
Jan. 30, 2013Evansville, IndianaFord Center
Feb. 1, 2013Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham Jefferson Complex
Feb. 2, 2013Mobile, AlabamaMitchell Center U of South Alabama
Feb. 5, 2013Wichita Falls, TexasYaeger Coliseum
Feb. 7, 2013Austin, TexasCedar Park Center
Feb. 8, 2013Houston, TexasBerry Center Arena
Feb. 9, 2013Beaumont, TexasFord Arena
Feb. 10, 2013Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa Convention Center Arena
Feb. 15, 2013Wichita, KansasIntrust Bank Arena
Feb. 16, 2013Lincoln, NebraskaPershing Auditorium
Feb. 17, 2013Sioux City, IowaTyson Events Center
Feb. 18, 2013Des Moines, IowaWells Fargo Arena
Feb. 20, 2013Moline, IllinoisI wireless Center
Feb. 21, 2013Dubuque, IowaFive Flags Center
Feb. 22, 2013Chicago, IllinoisSears Center
Feb. 24, 2013East Lansing, MichiganBreslin Center at Michigan State
Feb. 26, 2013Charlottesville, VirginiaJPJ Arena at UVA
Feb. 28, 2013Trenton, New JerseySNB Center
March 1, 2013Fairfax, VirginiaPatriot Center
March 2, 2013Hempstead, New YorkNassau Coliseum
March 3, 2013Boston, MassachusettsAgganis Arena
March 5, 2013Portland, MaineThe Civic Center
March 6, 2013Providence, Rhode IslandDunkin Donuts Center
March 7, 2013Albany, New YorkFirst Union Center
March 10, 2013Grand Rapids, MichiganVan Andel Center
March 14, 2013Jacksonville, FloridaMemorial Arena
March 15, 2013Tampa, FloridaUSF Sundome
March 16, 2013Orlando, FloridaUCF Arena
March 17, 2013Miami, FloridaBank United Center
 
Written by Amanda Turner    Thursday, 29 November 2012 17:16    PDF Print
Mustafina Eyes New Routines, 2013 Europeans in Moscow
(12 votes, average 4.58 out of 5)

Aiming for next spring's Europeans in Moscow, world and Olympic gymnastics champion Aliya Mustafina (Russia) says she has no plans to slow down as she heads back into competition Friday at the 30th DTB Cup Germany.

Mustafina, 18, is on the roster for the team competition in Stuttgart, held in conjunction with the FIG World Cup all-around events on Saturday and Sunday. It will be her first competition since her successful Olympics in London, where her haul of one gold, one silver and two bronze medals made her the most decorated gymnast of the Games and most decorated athlete from Russia.


Aliya Mustafina (Russia) will be back in action at the DTB Cup

Mustafina, who earned her Olympic gold medal on uneven bars, said her status as Olympic champion has not affected her competitive plans.

"Actually I don’t even try to think about that I am an Olympic champion," she said recently in an interview with Voice of Russia radio. "I should work hard without concentrating on my titles."

In Stuttgart, Mustafina will represent Russia — along with Kristina Goryunova, Yulia Inshina and Anna Rodionova — in the team competition against Austria, Germany, Japan and Switzerland.

Mustafina said she is reworking some of her routines to compete under the revised Code of Points that will go into effect in January.

"I can't say my programs will be changed drastically," she said. "We just need to rebuild my programs in accordance with new requirements. For example my beam routine will basically remain the same, but we will have to make a completely new combination on bars. A great number of bonuses have been annulled and I will have to replace some connections with other elements that will help me post a high score on this apparatus."

Since 2008, Mustafina has trained under legendary coach Alexander Alexandrov, who returned to Russia after 15 years in the U.S. to take the role as head coach. At the 2010 Worlds, Russia won its first world title as a team, and Mustafina won the all-around gold. A torn ACL suffered in April 2011 kept her out of that year's worlds in Tokyo.

Following the Olympics, unhappiness with the Russians' performance in London led to Alexandrov being ousted from his position as head coach and replaced by Yevgeny Grebyonkin. Alexandrov remains under contact until the end of December, but it remains to be seen if he will stay in Russia to coach Mustafina or return to live with his family in Texas.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding her coach, Mustafina is forging ahead with her competitive goals. She said she would be honored to compete at next year's European championships in her hometown, April 17-21. The event previously took place in Moscow in 1987.

"It's a great honor to perform at the championship of such a high caliber, especially when it’s staged on your home soil," she said. "It's my biggest wish to compete in Moscow."

Mustafina admits she has another wish in the back of her mind — another shot at Olympic glory in Rio de Janeiro.

"I'm dreaming of being on the team for the 2016 Olympics," she said. "At first I need to be a member of this team, and then we will see what I can do in Rio."

Aliya Mustafina is featured in the following issues of International Gymnast magazine:
September 2012: Olympic Games special issue, Mustafina on cover photo collage
July/August 2012: Olympic preview, Mustafina on cover photo collage
May 2011: European Championships coverage, Mustafina on cover
January 2011: "The Mustafina Mystique" (profile)
December 2010: World Championships special issue, Mustafina on cover

To subscribe or order back issues, click here.

 
Written by Amanda Turner    Tuesday, 27 November 2012 02:06    PDF Print
Uchimura Asks for Privacy after Surprise Marriage
(8 votes, average 4.75 out of 5)



World and Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura registered for a marriage license earlier this month, Japanese media reported Tuesday.

Gymnastics superstar Kohei Uchimura is off the market, the Japanese media reported Tuesday.

The world and Olympic all-around champion, 23, registered for a marriage license earlier this month. He confirmed the registration, but offered no details on his wife or wedding date.


Kohei Uchimura, Olympic champion and new husband

"I applied a for marriage registration on Nov. 11," he said in a statement. "The goal of the Olympics in London is over, and I achieved the highest honor, so I need to establish a new starting point in my life. I hope you will be able to understand that I won't be giving any more statements on the issue of my marriage."

In Japan, couples marry by submitting official registration documents to a government office for approval. Wedding ceremonies are not required by law but are popular.

The pair were engaged in October 2011, but Uchimura kept the news under wraps as he prepared for the Olympics. Little is known about his new bride, only that she is also 23 and is a non-celebrity, Japanese media reported.

Uchimura burst on the scene at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning the all-around silver medal. He followed it up by becoming the first gymnast, male or female, to win three consecutive world all-around titles. At the Olympics this past summer in London, he claimed the all-around gold medal, silver with the Japanese team and silver on floor exercise.

Nicknamed "Superman" for his seeming invincibility on the podium, Uchimura has said he plans to continue to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

He had been scheduled to compete at the DTB Cup this weekend in Stuttgart, but has withdrawn with shoulder and ankle injuries. He is expected to compete a few events at the Toyota Cup, Dec. 14-15.

External Link: Japan Gymnastic Association

 
Written by Amanda Turner    Thursday, 22 November 2012 07:35    PDF Print
Family, Friends Rally to Support Paralyzed Teenaged Gymnast
(9 votes, average 4.78 out of 5)


As millions of Americans spend Thursday giving thanks, the friends and family of a paralyzed teenaged gymnast are hopeful people will give just a little bit more this Thanksgiving: $1.

Jacoby Miles, 15-year-old Washington gymnast, remains hospitalized in Seattle after a training accident on Saturday left her paralyzed from the chest down. She underwent surgery at Harborview Medical Center. She now faces a long and difficulty road of rehabilitation her loved ones hope will allow her to one day walk again.


Injured gymnast Jacoby Miles with former clubmate Rachel Heckroth (Centenary College)

Miles' support team launched a Thanksgiving Day "Be One in a Million" campaign (#B1namillion) to raise money toward her recovery. The team will use social media to spread the word across Twitter, Facebook and other social medai to get as many people as possible to donate $1 each toward her recovery.

"If everyone will donate just $1 to the TEAM JACOBY FUND we will raise enough money to get her the best doctors and the best treatment money can buy," her parents wrote on the family's new blog. "Let's give this ANGEL a chance to walk again."

The family says they have been touched by the support that has poured in from all over, including Tweets from from Olympic gymnastics champions Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas and Alexandra Raisman. Miles' friends, teammates and coaches are busy setting up multiple fundraisers to ensure Miles has the best medical care and facilities possible.

"We will continue to wait for the swelling to go down and pray for her to regain more feeling," read an update on her family's blog on Monday. "Today was difficult for her emotionally as the reality of the situation began to set in. We are overwhelmed and very grateful for the outpouring of support from the community."

Miles, a Level 9 gymnast from Roach Gymnastics in Puywallup, Wash., was practicing a double back off uneven bars into the pit on Saturday. She became disoriented and landed on her neck on a mat placed above the loose foam, and later told coach Melanie Roach she simply "got lost" midway through the dismount.

Roach, a former gymnast turned Olympic weightlifter, and her husband, Washington State Rep. Dan Roach, are spearheading fundraising efforts.

Melanie Roach's book, "Lift: Enjoying the Journey of Life," coincidentally was released on Amazon.com the day of the accident. She announced that 100 percent of the proceeds from the book will go toward Miles' treatment.

The gym has scheduled a "Photo with Santa" day on Dec. 10 and a fundraising auction on Dec. 17th. Emerald City Gymnastics in Redmond, Wash., is reaching out to gymnasts across the country for a "Get Well" card campaign.

"We believe in you!" said a post on the Facebook page. "Gymnasts are fighters — they don't ever give up. You can do this Jacoby!"

How to Help:

 


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