Caramel's Gymnastics

The Big Nose Song

2009-11-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

BigNose the big-nosed Sevvie, Had a very big fat nose, And all the other Sevvies, would laugh, and watch as it grows. Then one foggy Christmas Eve Pinnochio came to say, 'Big Nose with your nose so fat You'll guide us and that is that!!'

Do you like?

I know this is random, and its been a while since I said anything here.

I've taken to using my twitter (www.twitter.com/CreamyCaramels) a lot more.

xoxo!

The WORST Leotard. I. Ever. Saw.

2009-09-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

A beautiful girl determined to ruin her future.....
Sorry Couch Gymnast.....

Make It Or Break It Spoiler

2009-08-21T14:42:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in AGES. And I apologize. I really am sorry.
BUT I have some spoiling to do. In the season finale of Make It Or Break It (ep. #10), Payson falls. Off bars. On her Full In Dismount.

Here's how I figured that out:

1. Payson does a full-in.
(Well so does Emily! You might think)
2. In the ABC preview, it was a blonde who fell.
(Well, Lauren's a blonde!)
3. When you're watching an ABC show, a little bar comes up, right? That showed Lauren, Kaylie, and Emily standing watching something. Then at one point their faces fell and they grabbed hands. Yup. They did that when Payson fell. :(

Anyways enjoy :)
(Well, WHAT!? Proof enough.)

7 Routines I Wish I Never Saw (Past Quad ONLY!)

2009-07-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

Nastia Liukin 2007 Worlds AA BB
Alicia Sacramone 2008 Olympics TF BB
Anna Pavlova 2008 Olympics EF FX
Cheng Fei 2008 Olympics EF FX
Isabelle Severino 2005 Worlds EF UB
Steliana Nistor 2006 Worlds EF UB
Alicia Sacramone 2006 USA Nats AA/EF BB

Now I can't get them outta my head, and they're like, haunting me! :D

My Life Would Suck Without You

2009-07-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

If these stars didn't exist, I'd DIE!

Steliana Nistor
Catalina Ponor
Anna Pavlova
Alicia Sacramone
Svetlana Khorkina
Elena Produnova
Ludivine Furnon
Emilie LePennec
Alina Kozich
Irina Yarotska(ya)
Tatiana Lyssenko (my favie)
Svetlana Khorkina
Elena Zamolodchikova
Anastasia Liukin
Courtney Kupets
Courtney McCool
Shannon Miller
Dominique Moceanu
Svetlana Boginskaia
Elena Grudneva
Roza Galiyeva (we need someone to cry)
Elena Grosheva
Tatiana Groshkova
Tatiana Gutsu
Natalia Lashenova
Aurelia Dobre
Olga Mostepanova
Natalia Kalinia
Nadia Comaneci
Teodora Ungureanu
PENGUIN!!
ASHLEY!!
MEREBEARRR!!

About those two meets.....

2009-07-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Universiade Belgrade: Poor Rie Tanaka of Japan. She was the only gymnast to qualify to all events and came home empty handed :(.
Jiang Yuyuan wins AA after scoring only 14.2 on bars. What happened? She never messes up bars!

Mediterranean Games: A good showing from Youna. Only screwed on floor. I wonder why,

HOLY COW!

2009-07-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through lists of USA National Teams and found out that the one and only, back full onto the beam, side Valdez, Kelly Garrison-Steves, HAS BEEN ON the USA team no less than SEVEN times! Holy cow!

Possible 2009 World USA Team

2009-07-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Taking all events into account (we don't have that ahmazing vaulters anymore).....

Possibilities:
Nastia Liukin
Bridget Sloan
Chellsie Memmel
Ivana Hong
Kytra Hunter
Jana Bieger
(Shawn Johnson)

VT:
Sloan - DTY, great execution.
Hunter - 1 1/2, but it's HUGE. If she's selected for worlds, she'll upgrade to a DTY almost for sure.
Hong - DTY, pretty good.
Liukin - 1 1/2, perfect. She's going to be used for vault in prelims if doing the AA, which I think she will. After all, she's the reigning olympic champion.
Memmel - will only vault if doing the AA.
(Shawn Johnson - Amanar, good form. Landing needs work xD)

UB:
Liukin - DUH!
Memmel - Another world champion.....
Sloan - only if they need her.
(Shawn Johnson - ?)

BB:
Liukin - given.
Memmel - If doing the AA.
Hong - if WOGA can give her the beam abilities of Nast and Carly, then for suresies. WOGA always has the best beamers. So light on their feet, like feathers (ech hem, Carly :P)
(Shawn Johnson - given if she shows up, cause she's um, lemme think..... another olympic champion!!!)

FX:
Liukin - Bronze medalist and needs it for the AA.
Kytra Hunter - WHOOOOO explosive. One of the best in the new code.
Jana Bieger - great tumbling.
Memmel - if doing the AA. Has good difficulty, could clean it up.
(Shawn Johnson - ?)

AA:
Liukin
Memmel
(Shawn Johnson)

If Liukin hits, I have a feeling she will come out on top. With Beth second. And Ksenia third. AND PAVS POWNS ALL!

We don't really need Jana Bieger.

TEAM: Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Chellsie Memmel, Ivana Hong, Bridget Sloan, and Kytra Hunter.
If Shawn does not show, either Jana or Mattie Larson might take her place. But I hear Mattie is out with ankle injury.

TQ
VT: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Kytra
UB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Bridget
BB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie, Ivana or Bridget
FX: Shawn, Nastia, Kytra, Bridget

TF
VT: Shawn, Nastia, Kytra
UB: Nastia, Chellsie, Bridget
BB: Shawn, Nastia, Chellsie or Ivana
FX: Shawn, Kytra, Bridget

EDIT: Thanks to Kennedy Sorenstam for telling me these worlds are individual and only four per country.

So I will re-do this.

Team: Nastia Liukin (WOGA), Chellsie Memmel (M and M), Kytra Hunter, and Ivana Hong (WOGA) or Bridget Sloan. Depends on how Ivana's shaping up at WOGA cause we haven't heard much from her.

(Possible: Shawn Johnson -Chows)

AA: Liukin, Memmel (Johnson)
VT EF: Nobody. Unless Shawn pulls out an Amanar and another vault such as a DTT.
UB EF: Nastia and Chellsie
BB EF: Liukin, Memmel (Johnson)
FX EF: Memmel, Hunter (who can pull out gold, has scored 15+) (Johnson)

Youna Dufourtnet Hit Once In Her Life

2009-07-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Glided through the Mediterranean Games for once in her life. I don't think she landed on her head but I'll check on that.

Sharing time!

2009-06-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

My fave VT-er: Pavs
My fave UB-er: Queen Khorkina
My fave BB-er: Lyssenko!
My fave FX-er: Pavs
My fave AA-er: Lyssenko!
My fave Gymnast: Lyssenko!!!!

Dream Team:
Lyssenko, Pavs, Ponor, Khorkina, Zamolodchikova, anddddddddd.........YANG YUN!

VT: Lyssenko, Pavs, Zamo (in order)
Scores: 92 OG TF - 10!, 04 OG EF 2 - 9.8! 00 OG EF 2 - 9.825!
UB: Lyssenko, Yang Yun, Khorkina (in order) 92 OG AA - 10!, 00 OG EF - 10!, 00 OG EF - 10!
BB: Pavs, Ponor, Lyssenko (in order) 04 OG AA - 9.825!, 04 OG EF - 9.9!, 92 OG EF - 10!
FX: Khorkina, Ponor, Zamo (in order) 00 OG EF - 9.815!, 03 WC TF - 9.8!, 04 OG TF - 9.9!

New Montage!!!!!

2009-06-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Youtube for some snakey reason will not upload this video.

I put a lot of work into this montage. I don't know what I'll make next (maybe a fast paced one) because I have so many new effects for wmm! Yay!~

Tweet, Tweet!

2009-06-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have a twitter! Yay me!!

www.twitter.com/CreamyCaramels

Important Quotes

2009-06-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Talent alone is not enough. I believe that a really good gymnast is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
- Vladislav Rastorotsky (URS)
Thomas Edison much??

[Mandy Gornall] encountered one unpleasant episode which greatly annoyed our contingent, when she had to wait before starting her bars because Turischeva who was judging wanted to watch the Russian girls on floor [at the 1981 World Championships].
-(??)
Oh, wow.

I know how to smile, I know how to laugh, I know how to play. But I know how to do these things only after I have fulfilled my mission.
Nadia Comaneci (ROM), Time Magazine 1976
My mom believes in this too.

After a while, if you work on a certain move consistently then it doesn't seem so risky. The idea is that the move stays dangerous and it looks dangerous to my opponents -- but it isn't to me. That is my secret.
Nadia Comaneci (ROM), The Illustrated History of Gymnastics
It isn't secret anymore!

When you are on the podium nobody is asking you if you are 15 or 30 years old. What matters is who can do great gymnastics.
Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), World Championships press conference 11/21/05
This made me crack up because Chuso, as one of the oldest gymnasts, knows what she is talking about!

Generally speaking, I think it is unbecoming to act as a national hero, wave hands and so on.
Vitaly Scherbo (URS/BLR), International Gymnast 01/91
If anyone has right to act heroic, it's Scherbo.

I'm always smiling, always waving. I'm just a natural show-off.
Kristie Phillips (USA), International Gymnast 1990
Hmm.

I never expected to win three medals in the Athens Olympic Games. Of course, I would rather have won one gold.
Marian Dragulescu (ROM), Olympic press conference 8/23/04
I would rather you three gold medals! You're my fave male gymnast!

We usually spend one hour per week on ballet but Marta Karolyi has us do a lot of compulsory floor in the morning practice.
Kristie Phillips (USA), USA Gymnastics 3-4/1986
What torture did Marta put you through in the evenings?

There are two main faults with women judging. They cannot judge vaulting and bars. Once again, I believe a woman judge does not have the visual reflexes, the quickness that is necessary to judge these two events.
Bud Marquette, Gymnast magazine 8-9/72
Like you could judge!

You have to have competent people evaluating the athlete, not the housewives! Bela Karolyi, International Gymnast 8-9/91
You wouldn't do.

I have a problem with the judges. In my opinion, I don't feel they are trained well enough, I don't think they like me. I was gold medalist in Athens on the beam and at the European Championships, and here I am only third. I'm very disappointed and unhappy with them."
Catalina Ponor (ROM), World Championships press conference 11/27/05
Ponor deserved Silver.

I wasn't too good at vaulting, and I didn't have running speed and jumping power.
Mitsuo Tsukahara (JPN), International Gymnast 11/82
Naw, you weren't, you know, yeah, just a HUGE originator.

Life is marvelous now because I have a tape recorder.
Olga Korbut (URS) in 1972, The Illustrated History of Gymnastics
LOL!

One time a French reporter asked me how I could do a cross so easily. I said, "You just lower your body down until your arms are straight out to the sides, then you stop."
Albert Azaryan (URS), International Gymnast 05/94
Is this Mattie Larson's coach?

I don't think many people will remember me when I retire.
Svetlana Boginskaya (URS/BLR), International Gymnast 04/90
Heh? Svetlaaaahnaa? Voo eez zat neenkumpoop?

I truly believe in my heart that I am the all-around champion.
Paul Hamm (USA), New York Times 8/24/04
So do I.

We realize our appeal [of Alexei Nemov's HB score in event finals] is unlikely to change final results of competitions, but we must draw attention of the IOC to the existing problem.
Anatoly Kolesnikov (Head of RUS delegation in Athens), USA Today
You deserved a medal Alexei!

LOL. Enjoy.

A leetle makeover.....

2009-06-12T21:35:00.001-07:00

Nastia w/ brown highlights.

What do you think? I think she looks nice :)

Photo credit: http://www.nastialiukin.com/

I don't think I've shown anyone other than the peeps on WWGym this.

Algeria's Volleyball Coach

2009-06-12T21:33:00.001-07:00

Moumoud Ikhedji, volleyball coach for the Algerian women, is shown above.

I went a little loco with it. Considering iHeart the expression on his face, he's so funny.

Except when he shakes his finger at his poor (really bad) player, I think #7. The only normal player on that team is Mouni Abderrahim, and she wouldn't have made it onto the USA Olympic Team.

Eww! #2

2009-06-10T21:24:00.001-07:00

Look at that I'm-about-to-get-married-at-Nationals-in-PINK! hair:

Eww!

2009-06-07T23:20:00.001-07:00

Does that leotard seriously have an 'F' on the front? And yes, it's blue with orange shoulder-stripes.

This would give the Couch Gymnast's Worst Leo Competitions Competition!

Best New Code Uses

2009-06-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

In this new code, to have a high start value, you (as a gymnast) will want routines with: Tons of connection, and difficult elements.

Best examples:

Nastia Liukin's ah-mazing bars, like, TEN skill connection (all d's or e's) worth 0.8. For one flipping connection. I'm stunned.

Shawn Johnson's beam: An F, G, and 2 E's. Pretty Killer connections. Shawn can easily add a pike back after her full twist for a 0.2 (?) connection.

Beth Tweddle Bars: F, E, D + D flight connection, E into D - Dismount, another E. She's going to do well. Clean it up, though.

Cheng Fei floor: G, E, Pretty big twisting connection, whip (A) into Triple (E)

Shawn Johnson floor: G, Whip into triple, Full-In (E), the crazy ability to stick that double double

Daiane Dos Santos floor (duh!): G, G, F, F, A into D. Yeah. Are you thinking 'Not human, man!' right now? But that's five passes: Ah-ha! SOLUTION taking the forward tumbling thing into account!

1st pass: Arabian Double Straight
2nd pass: Full Twisting DLO
3rd pass: Arabian double pike + Branny (tuck front 1/2) - 0.2 connection
Last pass: DLO (this could be interesting...)

That's 0.7+0.7+0.6+0.2+0.2+0.6 in that alone...who said you need leaps...that actually comes out to 3.0 (!) in just that, assuming she fills up all the requirements she has a 5.5, NOW comes the time for 2 'C' leaps and she has a 6.1 SV. Geez.

Li Shanshan BB: Not too many E's and zero F's, but she has good connections.

Anyways, what do you think?

And what's the current deal with Pavs?

What do you think?

2009-06-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

First off, congrats to Shawn Johnson for winning DWTS! I'm so proud of you, except for the Lindy Hop.

I think Shawn will return to gymnastics. We haven't seen what she's ready to unveil at worlds! I think it will be big!

Head Cases!

2009-05-23T19:35:00.001-07:00

Including Krasnianska, Lyssenko, Pavs, Ferrari, sometimes Nistor, Nemov, Dragulescu, Cassina, A-Sac (in a good way, of course. How could there be anything bad about Sac!?), Cheng Fei, etc.

What do you think? Any biggies I left out?

New Montage!!!!!

2009-05-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yayyyyyy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAQLTWDdG8

Enjoy, comment, whatevs.

Gymnasts I Just. Don't. Like.

2009-05-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

Enough junk. Onto the opinions.

Gymnasts I Just Don't Like: and there's a reason WHY.
(no offence to anyone)

Elizabeth 'Betty' Okino - ugly, inconsistent, boring gymnastics.
Maria Olaru - notoriously bad form.
Annia Hatch - stole a medal from poor Pavs.
Kerri Strug (wacky, isn't it? Aside from that one vault, she. is. nothing.) - bad. form. overrated. Sorry, she did NOT win a gold medal. I hate it when people say, 'oh, yeah, Kerri toe-dally won the USA's team gold medal,'. NO SHE DID NOT! It was a team of 7 MAGNIFICENT girls (more like 6 cause I dislike Kerri) that worked as a team, and won a well-deserved gold medal.
Li ShanShan - Inconsistent. Her beam combos are so unenjoyable because everything looks so forced.
Yang Yilin - everything looks so forced! Not even a simple thing such as a BFF or BHS seems natural, everything looks forced!!!!!
Ksenia Afanasyeva - head case. Big time.

So if I put down any of these girls in the future, know I'm just being mean. Don't take it personally. If you will, I will shake you up like a Pina Colada.

Peszek: Double Arabian?

2009-04-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Double Arabian off beam?
Can anyone please confirm this?
Can't wait to see her do this!!!!

Youtube: Start Accepting mp3 files!

2009-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Youtube should start accepting .mp3 files. For the video portion, it can be a blank (white/black, or even cooler, you can pick the coller) screen. I'm getting tired of wasting 5 minutes longer than I should on making videos for FX Music!

Poll Results & New Poll

2009-04-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

Poll Results for 'Favorite Trio' are:

Pavs + Shawn + Nastia = 3 (37%)
Semenova + Mary Lou + Queen Khorki = 1 (13%)
Radical Raducan + Carly Patterson + Tatiana Gutsu = 0 (0%)
Perfect Ponor + Miss Zamotastic + Mo Huilan = 4 (50%)

Congratulations to Ponor, Zamo, and Huilan!

New Poll: Dragulescu vs. Nemov?

Now this was a toughie, even for me.
I'd have to say Dragulescu in the end.
LOL, both of them were head cases.

Shawn Johnson: She Better Win!

2009-04-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

If she and Mark do not win, I will murder the person that does win.
I'm kidding.
:P LOL xD
This, IMO, is her best dance with Mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhef7oXqTlE
It won't let me freaking copy and paste, so I have to link.
Sorry 'bout that.
Why an eight? This deserved all three nines!
Whaddaya think?

Nastia, Please Do Not Get A New FX Routine!

2009-04-12T14:40:00.001-07:00

I know this is kind of old news, but I really do nawt want Nast to get a new routine.
But it's inevitable. It's not common for anyone, really, to have the same routine for 3 years. So Nastia had to change it up.
Promise me, Nast:
1. Don't get Bond music.
2. Don't ditch the double front.
3. Add a double layout. I know it will be near imposs, but it will look stunning times 10.
and lastly, most importantly......
4. DON'T POSE, TUMBLE, POSE!
Well, anyways, thanks for reading this.

Review of Europeans

2009-04-05T12:13:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to do a full blog on EF. I'm going to copy The Couch Gymnast. For the most part.

Europeans 2009 In Review
- - - - - - -

Best Performance: Beth Tweddle's EF UB. She was simply stunning! She added a half-twist to her toe-on Shaposh. Perfection! Good handstands, much better than normal, to win the title with a whopping 15.575 (in the new code). The only errors were the hop on the landing, and she had some leg separations in her kips.
It's not letting me embed. Grr.

That did nawt happen!: Emily Armi of Italy bailing her UB? Check my last entry for details. I don't feel like retyping it.

Worst Performance: Youna Dufourtnet's AA FX. Tragic. Poor girl landed two of her passes on her head. She was crying after her 3rd pass :(.

Disappointment: Aagje Van Wallaghem walking out without a medal. That really killed me. She was so freakin' close in the AA and VT EF!

Predictions: I got the VT Prediction and (I think) UB Prediction right! Yay me! *golf claps*

Say What?: Sandra Izbasa's EF FX. Only a 13.900? I must watch that. She, too, walked out without a medal. Surprising? Sandra had only a 4.900 SV! What was up with that?

MY FAVORITE PART: VANESSA FERRARI of Italy's floor getting the highest Execution score in the EFs with a stellar 9.275. She hit that routine phenomenally! Ehmagawd, I was stunned since Nessa is known for her bad form? Not here, she isnt! :)

Thanks for tuning in to this (semi) long entry. Hope you liked it. Sadly, europeans 2009 must end sometime. I really liked this competition!

Euros 2009: AA Final

2009-04-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ksenia Semenova won. Unquestionable. She qualified first with a fall, and that was on her best event (UB). Ksenia Afanasyeva took second with a BB fall. I'm so glad she fell and did not win. I have to admit, I hate the girl and her gymnastics. She's so freaking inconsistent. It makes me so annoyed when I watch her, even when she hits. Kristina Goryunova was most unfairly pulled out of the AA to make way for Afan, because Afan screwed up in the Prelims, finishing 20th, and out of Russia's top two. Now what do you think of that? Unfair! I understand Goryunova was not a contender, but like Galieva 1992 for Gutsu, this was unfair! Only in Gutsu's case, Gutsu was not inconsistent. It was a fluke, and Afanasyeva' s mistakes were not. That's the end of that.
Well, anyways congratulations to Ariella Kaslin of Switzerland, who pulled in a bronze, and had the highest vault score of the AA, a 15.300 (probably her Rudi). I think Ariella will win the vault title.
Aagje Van Wallaghem, who qualified third, finished a respectable 6th.
Ana Maria Tamirjan (2nd qualifier) finished 5th, after falling on her Double Straight on FX.
Ana Maria Izurieta (of Spain!!) finished fourth. I can't remember where she qualified.

I feel bad for Youna Dufourtnet, Emily Armi, and Vanessa Ferrari. Youna could have easily won the bronze. Ferrari had one heck of a time, and struggled through everything. But the highlight of her struggle was her vault. Yuck! Emily Armi, of Italy like Ferrari, scored 2.00 on bars. She qualified with a score in the 13's on UB. She messed up on simple kips and giant 1/2's, and when her coach lifted her up for the 2nd or 3rd time, she was crying, and never finished the routine.
WHAT WAS GOING ON?
Poor girl, that's all I can say.

Well, anyways, I can't wait for event finals! Good luck girls!
And Ukraine, do me a favor: LEAVE THE INCONSISTENCY AT BEIJING!
I wanna see hit for hit and nothing else.
Consider dropping the double fronts off bars, too. I'm sick of them.
Thanks for reading this long entry!

European Finalists

2009-04-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the qualifying took place!
AA:
Semenova qualified first. No surprise. Vanessa Ferrari, only a disappointing tenth. I was so wrong about her. Belgium's Aagje Van Wallaghem finished a surprising third, and Ana Maria Tamirjan of Romania qualified second. Kaslin of Switzerland, who made the AA final in Beijing, qualified 12th, and Youna Dufourtnet of France, a make-me-cry 21st. Owch.

Vault Finalists:
1. Yulia Berger -RUS (5.5/5.7)
Boy was I wrong about her! I thought she wouldn't even qualify!
Jana Komrskova, Aagje Van Wallaghem, Ariella Kaslin, Rebecca Downie, and others qualified. Kaslin messed up her Layout Rudi.

Uneven Bars Finalists:
Beth Tweddle (1st), Anja Brinker (2nd), Youna Dufourtnet, Ksenia Semenova (fell, 8th qualifier), Anastasia Koval, Rebecca Downie, and others.

Balance Beam Finalists:
Vasiliski Milousi of Greece qualified first! What an accomplishment! She has 6.0 Difficulty in the new code. Semenova, Tamirjan, Maksyuta, Dragoi, and Yasmin Zimmerman qualifed, along with others. Zimmerman qualified last.

Floor Exercise Finalists:
Beth Tweddle qualified over Sandra Izbasa (reigning olympic champion!) first, by a .5 landslide. Ferrari qualified third, Semenova fourth, Tamirjan, Ana Maria Izurieta of Spain, Parolari, and Holenkova qualified (in that order). Looking forward to seeing Beth win!

Youna Dufourtnet screwed up. I'm quite dissappointed.

New Code Record Holders

2009-04-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

New Code Record Holders:

Cheng Fei VT 16.225 - ? (6.5/9.725)

Catalina Ponor BB 16.700 - 2007 Romanian Nationals (7.0/9.7)

He Kexin UB 17.300 - ? (7.7/9.6)

Shawn Johnson FX 16.200 - 2008 USA Nationals (6.6/9.6)

Can't wait for Euros to see if any records can be broken!
(I have to admit, I doubt it, with the only-9-skills-count thing. And nobody AFAIK* is performing a vault of 6.5 SV).

*AFAIK = As Far As I Know

Possible European Vault Finalists!

2009-04-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's tomorrow! I can't wait!
These are all those who are doing 2 vaults:
Anna Kalashnyk - UKR
Rebecca Downie - GBR
Miriam Offersgaard - DEN
Aagje Van Wallaghem - BEL
Yulia Berger - RUS
Kristina Goryunova - RUS
Viktoria Tsakalidou - GRE
Tjasa Kysselef - SLO
Joanna Litewka - POL
Diana Chelaru - ROU
Kim Bui - GER
Anna Csiszar - HUN
Youna Dufourtnet - FRA
Karin Nussbacher - AUT
Lisa Ecker - AUT
Evgenia Zafeiraki - GRE
Jana Komrskova - CZE
Ariella Kaslin - SUI
Yasmin Zimmerman -SUI
Valerya Maksyuta - ISR
Annika Urvikko - FIN
Mette Hulgaard - DEN
Ildiko Farhas - HUN
Laura Gombas - HUN
Irina Zenkova - LAT
Naomi Ruiz Walker - ESP
Lina Sjoberg - SWE
Wyomi Masela - NED
T. Hermannsdottir -ISL
Alina Sotnikava - BLR

Possible Finalists Might Be:
Rebecca Downie - GBR
Youna Dufourtnet - FRA
Ariella Kaslin - SUI (who I think will win the title)
Jana Komrskova - CZE (she's been terrific since Sydney 2000)
Kristina Goryunova - RUS
Yasmin Zimmerman - SUI
Valerya Maksyuta - ISR
Aagje Van Wallaghem - BEL

Possible Results:
1. Ariella Kaslim - SUI
2. Youna Dufourtnet - FRA
3. Aagje Van Wallaghem - BEL

We'll have to wait & see! Ehmagawd!

New Perfect 40.0 AA Total!

2009-03-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks Meredith (www.nightflare514.blogspot.com) for pointing out that Karen Lichey has scored a 40.0 AA with a fever! Karen accomplished this amazing feat in NCAA.

2009: Europeans to Come!

2009-03-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to Euros? I am!

My Predictions:

AA

1. Vanessa Ferrari (who actually is competing)
2. Ksenia Semenova
3. Sandra Izbasa

VT
1. Ariella Kaslin
2. Aagje Vanwallaghem
3. Youna Dufourtnet

UB
1. Elizabeth Tweddle
2. Ksenia Semenova
3. Youna Dufourtnet

BB
1. Youna Dufourtnet
2. Ksenia Semenova
3. Gabriella Dragoi/Marta Pihan (who had a 6.9 SV in the 2008 code...yeah)

FX
1. Sandra Izbasa
2. Youna Dufourtnet
3. Elizabeth Tweddle

Whaddaya think? Hopefully, Euros will be the Youna I Can Hit When I Want To Don't Worry About Me show!

Individual Apparatus Awards - Uneven Bars

2009-03-28T10:01:00.001-07:00

Uneven Bars awards are hereby presented to....

Svetlana Khorkina for originality, difficulty, and execution. She has 3 UB skills named after, and Queen is also my #1 UB Worker. She is a 5 time World Champion and a 2 time Olympic Champion.

Isabelle Severino for superb work. She has done a Hristakieva without any form break. Not even a 0.001 cm leg separation. Major kudos for sticking around. She is the 1996 World Bronze Medalist.

Amy Chow for actually working the low bar and super stalders. Amy would actually do stalders on the low bar. Gasp! She has a luhvly piked jaeger and is the 1996 Olympic Silver Medalist.

He Kexin for dynamo, dynamo, dynamo. She connects the Li Ya to a Jaeger, does a Layout Jaeger, and Tkatchev + Pak combo. She connects an Ono + 1/2 to her dismount. He holds the record for UB, with a stellar 17.300 (7.7/9.6). She is the 2008 Olympic Champion.

Anastasia Liukin for that geinger. Can't live without it. Lovely pirouettes and usually great execution. She is the 2005 World Champion.

Elizabeth Tweddle for the hardest bar work in the world. In the old (2008) Code, she had an amazing 7.8 SV. She's gonna win at Euros, I know it. Beth is the 2006 World Champion.

Courtney Kupets for that Tkatchev. Sky high. She is the 2002 World Champion.

and last but in no way least...

Chellsie Memmel for battling injuries to make a great comeback. She has a lovely Hindorff and a nice Jam to DF Dismount.

Individual Apparatus Awards - Floor Exercise

2009-03-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Floor Exercise awards are hereby presented to.....

Simona Amanar for being the stunning tumbler she is, and sticking at least one pass per routine. She is the 1996 Olympic Silver Medalist.

Cheng Fei for great dance, great music, and her double double. Chinese also have the best twisting form ever. She is the 2006 World Champion.

Andreea Raducan for charismatic, pleasing performances. Her 2000 FX, 'Riverdance', was a hit. She is the 1999 and 2001 World Champion.

Sylvia Mitova for maybe some of the most difficult tumbling passes I've watched. Her routine, 'Blues For Klook', has the best choreography and timing to music I have seen in my entire life.

Anna Pavlova for her artistry and tumbling. Her double layout touches the clouds. Her whip into immediate triple full is amazing.

Daniela Silivas for originating the double double tucked. Daniela has very cool choreography and awesome music. She is the 1988 Olympic Champion.

Individual Apparatus Awards - Balance Beam

2009-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

BB second.

Balance Beam awards are hereby presented to.....

Catalina Ponor for originality, difficulty, killer execution, and a gigantacus variety of skills. She remains the only one to connect 5 skills: Onodi, Aerial, Kochetkova, BFF, Layout. She is the record holder for highest BB score with a 16.700 (7.0/9.7). She is the 2004 Olympic Champion.

Tatiana Lyssenko for always displaying supreme control of the beam. She loves the beam "because it obeys me,". She is the 1992 Olympic Champion.

Anna Pavlova for beautiful, beautiful, times ten beam work. Simply stunning.

Anastasia Liukin for perfect execution and a wonderful variety of skills, and to cap it off, a stellar 2.5/Triple Twist dismount.

Shawn Johnson for Simply. Best. difficulty. ever. Not necessarily best execution, but a wobble is rare times ten for Shawn.

Olessia Dudnik for simply the best skills I have ever seen in my entire life, including my favorite combination: Free Aerial Cartwheel, Layout Stepout, Layout Stepout.

Individual Apparatus Awards - Vault

2009-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

The awards for great individual apparatus work. Vault first.

Vault awards are hereby presented to:

Svetlana Boguinskaia for beautiful execution and an always stuck landing. She is the 1988 Olympic Champion.

Elena Zamolodchikova for great form and and a good variety of vaults. She originated the Double Twisting Tsukahara (6.00 VT). She is the 2000 Olympic Champion.

Cheng Fei for supreme difficulty and flawless execution. She is a three time world champion.

Oksana Chusovitina for dynamite power and a great landing. She deserves major kudos for sticking around so long. She is the 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist, 1991 World Silver Medalist, and 2003 World Champion.

Simona Amanar for originating the 2.5 Twisting Yurchenko, the 2nd hardest vault in the 2009 COP. Major kudos for the usually perfect DTY also. She is the 1996 Olympic Champion.

last but certainly not least....

Anna Pavlova for perfect form. She usually sticks her vaults and has a great skill variety. She is the 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist.

Pictures 'n Captions

2009-03-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Couch Gymnast isn't the only one...
Mine are lackluster though.

Nastia: Uh, dad, you know...they're looking at me!
Valeri: Good. Let's not disappoint them, then.

Shawn: Sorry, folks. This really is my best death glance.

Dasha: I'm ti-yurrd of smiling! Snap the dang picture already!

Only three for now, sorry.

J'Adore!

2009-03-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Who does nawt love Omel? 10.000! Hahah! Take that Shushunova! Hahaha!
I super prefer Omel to Shush.

Two Perfect 40.0 AA Totals

2009-03-16T20:43:00.001-07:00

Seriously awesome:
1. Olga Mostepanova (URS) - 1984 Alternate Games - AA Winner (Du-uh)
2. Ekaterina Szabo (ROM) - Some meet some where - Compulsories

Impressive! I am planning to track more of these down...

Thank You To....

2009-03-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

These very kind people on youtube:
www.youtube.com/Lyssenk0
www.youtube.com/Ashkeyakaflipper
www.youtube.com/resurrecthis
www.youtube.com/skata524
www.youtube.com/postlemonkey
www.youtube.com/khorkina
www.youtube.com/khorkiFan
www.youtube.com/dionnewarwick
www.youtube.com/LBLGymnasticsCom
www.youtube.com/OlympicGymnast5
www.youtube.com/GYMBOOST
www.youtube.com/GYMANGELS
www.youtube.com/xLaurenGrahamx
www.youtube.com/Yangyun4ever
www.youtube.com/rodmius10
...and many more who I cannot name of the top of my head...

Hong Su Jong

2009-03-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hong Su Jong was not in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. WHY??
Everyone wants to know the answer to this question.
EVERYONE!
And I'll tell you why.
It's nawt a big surprise.

Hong was training a 2.5 Twisting Tsukahara (only seen in the men's side previously). It's worth a 6.7. With her Amanar, she'd have more VT difficulty than Cheng. And guess what. She was injured. She would have gone (probably) in place of Cha Yong Hwa. It would have been close. She might have even gone in place of Un Jong.

HONG SU JONG IS NOT THE OLYMPIC VT CHAMPION!
She is the 2007 WC VT Silver Medalist.
Hong UN Jong is the vault olympic champion.
And yes, they are related. Hong SU Jong is UN Jong's Older sister.
got me here?
xD, confusing, I know :).

Gymnasts That Should Be Combined

2009-03-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I have some good trios.

1. Anna Pavlova + Shawn Johnson + Nastia Liukin
2. Andreea Raducan + Carly Patterson + Tatiana Gutsu
3. Catalina Ponor + Courtney Kupets + Elena Zamolodchikova
4. Mary Lou Retton + Ksenia Semenova + Svetlana Khorkina

What do you think?
I'll try and get them into a poll.

Full-Length Goody

2009-03-02T11:35:00.001-08:00

Thanks Yezzie, AGS, chocdave, and tigermilk74 for this rare thing.

1968 - Soviet Nationals

What do you think!?

2009 Comaneci Invitational

2009-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Izbasa won the senior side. She had difficulty with her UB set though.
Results can be viewed at:
http://gymnasticsresults.com/2009/usa/nadia2009wag.html

They are shown here:

2009 Nadia Comaneci Invitational

Seniors All-Around VT UB BB FX Total
1 Sandra Izbasa ROU 14.400 12.000 14.100 15.050 55.550
2 Yana Demyanchuk UKR 13.700 14.050 13.150 13.550 54.450
3 Daniela Druncea ROU 12.950 12.400 14.000 14.000 53.350
4 Roni Rabinovitz ISR 13.350 13.400 13.600 12.300 52.650
5 Hazuki Tazoe JPN 13.400 12.550 12.200 11.800 49.950
6 Tali Liak ISR 13.750 12.500 11.100 12.550 49.900
7 Brittany Harris USA 13.450 11.100 12.800 12.400 49.750
8 Madison Mooring USA 13.400 10.850 12.900 11.650 48.800
9 Naama Bernstain ISR 13.600 11.500 12.400 11.150 48.650
10 Victoria Harrison USA 12.700 9.300 11.900 12.700 46.600

So um...
- Sandra had a very nice FX routine. She stuck her full in.

I don't have much to say about this meet. I haven't watched it yet.
Thanks to amygym on youtube (www.youtube.com/amygym) for the videos.

I Need Updates!

2009-02-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

On the following gymnasts, please:

1. Oksana Chusovitina - competing or not?
2. Yang Yilin - still injured?
3. Jiang Yuyuan - what is she upto?
4. Jade Barbosa - what's the deal with her hand?
5. Sandra Izbasa - new routines?

Would be helpful, thanks.

American Cup 2009

2009-02-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

American Cup 2009
FYI: Jordyn Wieber won!
She just rocked the house. She's very much like Shawn and Carly....
She performed BIG SKILLS such as:
*AMANAR VAULT (landed locked legged, barely got it around, but still - WOW!)*
*Double Double Layout Uneven Bars Dismount*
*Standing Back Layout on Balance Beam*
*Full Twist + Back Tuck on Balance Beam*
*Opening with a Full-In on Floor Exercise*
*2.5 Twist + Front Layout, stuck, on Floor Exercise*
*Ending with a Stuck Double Pike on Floor Exercise*
I think she very much deserved to win, even though I was rooting for Bridget.
Very impressive!
You can find her American Cup Set:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Low76BGng

Bridget did fabulously too! WOW!
You can find her American Cup Set:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sOTJKyWzMM

Two things:
Nastia was there and looked like she enjoyed Jordyn's FX. I sure did!
Umm...FYI. Marta painted her nails black. Ha ha ha.

*
Well the germans had fun, didn't they? Fabian won the mens side (Du-uh), and Kim Bui took third in the WAG side!
-
YAY!

Sorry! and WOW.

2009-02-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry - I haven't posted in a bit of time

and now for the WOW.

(totally un-gymnastics related).
So I go to my electro-fan friend's house for a SLEEPover. She has a GameBoy, TV, and a computer. She watches the TV (expert channel changer alert). uses her GBA, and won't let me use her computer! She says it was HER turn. And then at night her parents make us go to bed at 11:30. Grr. Not fun.

So happy V-day everyone!
And yesterday was Friday the 13th - what did you do? I watched the Psych Friday the 13th episode (you know - the one about Annie and the PJ's and Clyde or Clyve or whatever his name is and Jason Cunningham. Hah).
I have to admit, I got pretty spooked.

Floor Music

2009-02-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

My ALL TIME top tens:

10. Shawn Johnson 2005 - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
9. Anastasia Liukin 2007 & 2008 - Dark Eyes
8. Svetlana Boginskaia 1988 - Carmen
7. Lavinia Milosovici 1996 - Hooked On America
6. Sandra Izbasa 2008 - Taniec Eleny
5. Shawn Johnson 2007 - Highway Blues
4. Carly Patterson 2004 - Mr. Voodoo Pinstripe Bad Guy (or something like that...)
3. Jiang Yuyuan 2008 - (?)
2. Catalina Ponor 2004 - Gia
1. Anna Pavlova 2008 - Exodus

Nice Save!

2009-02-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Nastia Liukin (USA) - 2006 Nationals - Day 2 - Balance Beam - 15.700
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhpSVG8aVhE

Great handstand save! She has had lots of trouble with the
Flic Flac (B) - Back Layout with Stepout (C) - Back Layout (E).
She fell in worlds 2007 and has had problems with that.

Johnyaowuncar

2009-01-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

Get a load of this:

"Sacramones performance was terrible during the olympics and was the reason why Team USA lost. With that kind of performance and still made it to the national team, I wonder how many coaches did she have to sleep with in order to get the spot. Her ass is so fat, I think her ass is at least 20 pounds extra compared to her teammates. That was why she brought down Team USA. Stupid bitch should go to Jenny Craig. Alicia will go down as the worst, and most disgraceful gymnast in Olympic history."

and:

"Sacramones performance was terrible during the olympics and was the reason why Team USA lost. With that kind of performance and still made it to the national team, I wonder how many coaches did she have to sleep with in order to get the spot. Her ass is so fat, I think her ass is at least 10 pounds extra compared to her teammates. That was why she brought down Team USA. Stupid bitch should go to Jenny Craig instead of whoring out her 2 cents! Drop dead and get a life bitch! "

Well - what do you think? I think we should get this dude to stop! How? He has now 14 accounts (johnyaowuncar1 - 14). Why does he hate Alicia so much? Grr!

2008 In Review

2009-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

2008 In Review
~~~~~~~~~~~

Downs

Anna Pavlova
The vault zero and being robbed of a Balance Beam Bronze. She injured herself (tore ligaments), and now is out for a while (at least 6 more months).

Russia - no team medal
I really wanted Russia to medal over Romania.

Alicia Sacramone
Robbed of a vault bronze, and fell twice in the team competition. Poor girl. She retired a couple months back. I wish her all the best.

Cheng Fei
Poor girl. I expected to come out of Beijing with three golds. She took home one (team gold).

The Brazilian Team
Oleg Ostapenko (Tatiana Lyssenko's old coach) didn't do nearly as well as expected with the girls. I hope it didn't demolish their spirit. I think we have a lot of great gymnastics to come from Brazil in Worlds at London.

The Ukrainians
They're so inconsistent. They finished 4th as a team in Athens, and they didn't even qualify as a team (9th) in Beijing! I heard the National Training Center is closing down and all the gymnasts are moving back to their home clubs.

Ups

Shawn Johnson and Liang Chow
A fabulous relationship. I am really impressed. Shawn's biggest mistake in the competition was a step out of bounds. She performed a total of 14 routines at the games.

Nastia Liukin's All-Around Success
One of the best all around titles ever won.

China's Team Gold
Clean, difficult gymnastics. Looking forward to seeing them at Worlds.

He Kexin and Yang Yilin
Their medals were well deserved. In the UB Finals, Kexin lifted up Yang to wave to the crowd. :)

Jiang Yuyuan
Energetic performances! Look at her floor!

Sandra Izbasa's Floor Gold
4/5 Stuck passes.

Hong Un Jong's Vault Gold
A record for the North Koreans. Do not confuse her with SU Jong (world silver medalist - vault). Hong SU Jong is Hong UN Jong's older sister. Anyways, I am delighted with both of them.

Oksana Chusovitina

2009-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know what has happened to her? Is she still in gymnastics or has she retired? I want her to continue for London 2012, but that's going to be very hard, and sadly, Oksana is the exception, not the rule.

Yulia Kut's 1989 Uneven Bars Routine

2009-01-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

Yulia Kut (URS) performs an extremely difficult uneven bar set at the 1989 USA vs. USSR display.
Score: 9.95
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1fYzV2Ut1k

Hindorff to Jaeger, extremely wow!

Very Nice Beam Mount

2009-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is Natsumi Sasada (JPN) on the Beam at the 2009 AYOF (Australian Youth Olympic Festival) Event Final. She scored 14.35 and placed 4th.

I don't know her A-Score, so if you know, please tell me :)

She does a back layout with a full twist mount. Absolutely amazing. She's a junior now, I can't wait to see what she will do when she reaches senior! Natsumi for London 2012!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHb3VdXQq_o

(that's the video)

Top Five Gymnasts

2009-01-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

URS
1. Tatiana Lyssenko
2. Svetlana Boginskaia
3. Olesya Dudnik
4. Tatiana Gutsu
5. Natalia Yurchenko

ROM
0:) Daniela Silivas
1. Catalina Ponor
2. Andreea Raducan
3. Simona Amanar
4. Ekaterina Szabo
5. Lavinia Milosovici

USA
1. Shannon Miller
2. Kathy Johnson Clark
3. Shawn Johnson
4. Elise Ray
5. Chellsie Memmel

RUS
1. Svetlana Khorkina
2. Anna Pavlova
3. Elena Zamolodchikova
4. Dina Kochetkova
5. Ksenia Semenova

CHN
1. Cheng Fei
2. Liu Xuan
3. Yang Yun
4. Mo Huilan
5. Yang Yilin

~

*All Together*

Pavlova is like god so she gets the * rank.
Chusovitina is like an angel so she gets the 0:) rank
Silivas is ah, um ! Point because, um, uh.
Top 10

! Daniela Silivas (ROM) - 3 time 1988 Olympic Champion - Floor, Bars, and Beam
0:) Oksana Chusovitina (GER) - 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist - Vault - Age 33!!!!
*Anna Pavlova (RUS) - 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist - Team & Vault
1. Catalina Ponor (ROM) - 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist - Team, Beam, & Floor
2. Tatiana Lyssenko (URS) - 1992 Olympic Champion - Team and Beam
3. Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) - 1996 & 2000 Olympic Champion - Bars
4. Shawn Johnson (USA) - 2008 Olympic Champion - Balance Beam
5. Elena Zamolodchikova (RUS) - 2000 Olympic Champion - Vault & Floor
6. Ekaterina Szabo (ROM) - 1984 Olympic Champion - Team, Vault, Beam, & Floor
7. Yang Yilin (CHN) - 2008 Olympic Champion - Team
8. Cheng Fei (CHN) - 2005 through 2007 - World Champion - Vault
9. Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) - 1996 Olympic Champion - All Around & Floor
10. Mo Huilan (CHN) - 1995 World Champion - Beam

Elizabeth Tweddle * Awards of 2008 * All Time Awards

2009-01-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Tweddle (Beth), the 2006 World Uneven Bars Champion and 7-Time British National Champion is continuing gymnastics not only for the 2009 World Championships in London, England, but also for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Beth is very excited to compete on home soil, and I look forward to seeing her.

~

*The 2008 Awards Go To*

Best Vault:
Anastasia Lyukin (USA) - 2008 Olympics - All Around
A: 5.5 B: 9.6
C: Very nice vault, perfect form in the air, and a super stuck landing. It should have been at least 9.8 in execution.

Best Uneven Bars:
He Kexin (CHN) - 2008 Olympics - Team Final
A: 7.7 B: 9.15
C: Spectacular routine, superb height on the release moves, and quite clean! The only errors were the almost dead hand and step on the landing. The dead hand will be fixed when she gets more strength, and a step is...well, nothing now.

Best Balance Beam:
Shawn Johnson (USA) - 2008 Olympics - Event Finals
A: 7.0 B: 9.225
C: Solid routine, very difficult, and absolutely zero balance checks whatsoever. Beautiful full spin, and well deserved gold medal.

Best Floor Exercise:
Anna Pavlova (RUS) - 2008 Olympics - All Around
A: 5.8 B: 9.25
C: Stuck DLO. Fabulous Routine. Very clean for a well deserved 7th (?) place in the All Around.

~

*All Time Update*

Best Vault:
Kerri Strug (USA) - 1996 Olympics - Team Final
9.712 Gold Medal USA Vault
Need I say more?

Best Uneven Bars:
Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) - 2000 Olympics - Event Finals
9.862 Gold Medal Routine (2nd time)
I think this is better than any Nadia moment, any day.

Best Balance Beam:
Olesya Dudnik (URS) - 1989 Europeans - Event Finals
9.975 Gold Medal
Free Aerial, Layout, Layout (1)
Flic-Flac, Full Twist (2)
Round-off, Triple Twist (3, not to mention stuck landing)

Best Floor Exercise:
Ekaterina Szabo (ROM) - 1984 Olympics - Team Compulsories
10.000 1st team
Such a charismatic performance, she will never be forgotten. She went on to become the Olympic Champion on Floor Exercise, as well as Balance Beam, Team, and Vault.

First Entry

2009-01-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

This is my first entry ever in this blog. I like it more than the freewebs one. It's very nice and much easier to use.