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Written by Amanda Turner
Thursday, 06 December 2012 19:37 |
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| US Gymnasts Back on Tour in 2013 |
3498
(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
| Date | City | Venue |
| Jan. 11, 2013 | Richmond, Virginia | Coliseum |
| Jan. 12, 2013 | Norfolk, Virginia | Constant Convocation Center @ODU |
| Jan. 13, 2013 | Roanoke, Virginia | Civic Center |
| Jan. 16, 2013 | Greenville, South Carolina | BI-LO Center |
| Jan. 17, 2013 | North Charleston, South Carolina | Coliseum |
| Jan. 18, 2013 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum Complex |
| Jan. 19, 2013 | Asheville, North Carolina | Civic Center |
| Jan. 20, 2013 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Dorton Arena |
| Jan. 23, 2013 | Reading, Pennsylvania | Sovereign Center |
| Jan. 24, 2013 | Rochester, New York | Blue Cross Arena |
| Jan. 25, 2013 | Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center @ CSU |
| Jan. 26, 2013 | Youngstown, Ohio | Covelli Center |
| Jan. 27, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland | 1st Mariner Arena |
| Jan. 29, 2013 | Pikeville, Kentucky | Eastern Kentucky Expo Arena |
| Jan. 30, 2013 | Evansville, Indiana | Ford Center |
| Feb. 1, 2013 | Birmingham, Alabama | Birmingham Jefferson Complex |
| Feb. 2, 2013 | Mobile, Alabama | Mitchell Center U of South Alabama |
| Feb. 5, 2013 | Wichita Falls, Texas | Yaeger Coliseum |
| Feb. 7, 2013 | Austin, Texas | Cedar Park Center |
| Feb. 8, 2013 | Houston, Texas | Berry Center Arena |
| Feb. 9, 2013 | Beaumont, Texas | Ford Arena |
| Feb. 10, 2013 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Tulsa Convention Center Arena |
| Feb. 15, 2013 | Wichita, Kansas | Intrust Bank Arena |
| Feb. 16, 2013 | Lincoln, Nebraska | Pershing Auditorium |
| Feb. 17, 2013 | Sioux City, Iowa | Tyson Events Center |
| Feb. 18, 2013 | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena |
| Feb. 20, 2013 | Moline, Illinois | I wireless Center |
| Feb. 21, 2013 | Dubuque, Iowa | Five Flags Center |
| Feb. 22, 2013 | Chicago, Illinois | Sears Center |
| Feb. 24, 2013 | East Lansing, Michigan | Breslin Center at Michigan State |
| Feb. 26, 2013 | Charlottesville, Virginia | JPJ Arena at UVA |
| Feb. 28, 2013 | Trenton, New Jersey | SNB Center |
| March 1, 2013 | Fairfax, Virginia | Patriot Center |
| March 2, 2013 | Hempstead, New York | Nassau Coliseum |
| March 3, 2013 | Boston, Massachusetts | Agganis Arena |
| March 5, 2013 | Portland, Maine | The Civic Center |
| March 6, 2013 | Providence, Rhode Island | Dunkin Donuts Center |
| March 7, 2013 | Albany, New York | First Union Center |
| March 10, 2013 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Van Andel Center |
| March 14, 2013 | Jacksonville, Florida | Memorial Arena |
| March 15, 2013 | Tampa, Florida | USF Sundome |
| March 16, 2013 | Orlando, Florida | UCF Arena |
| March 17, 2013 | Miami, Florida | Bank United Center |
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Written by Amanda Turner
Thursday, 29 November 2012 17:16 |
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| Mustafina Eyes New Routines, 2013 Europeans in Moscow |
3490
(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. |
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Written by Amanda Turner
Tuesday, 27 November 2012 02:06 |
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| Uchimura Asks for Privacy after Surprise Marriage |
3489
(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 |
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Written by Amanda Turner
Thursday, 22 November 2012 07:35 |
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| Family, Friends Rally to Support Paralyzed Teenaged Gymnast |
3484
(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!"
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