Archives for 2014

December 31, 2014 by GymCasticCrew Leave a Comment

GymCastic’s Top 14 Episodes of 2014

2014 has been a great year for GymCastic. Month after month, our community of gym nerds has expanded, which has motivated us to work even harder to bring you great gymnastics coverage.

If you have missed any episodes, we hope that this list gives you a chance to find some new favorites.

14. Episode 99: The GymCastic Interview with Princess Catherine Lyons of Europa and Coach Rochelle Douglas

13. Episode 124: Event Finals at the 2014 World Championships

12. Episode 104: Gabby Missing in Action and the US Championships

11. Episode 112: Junior & Senior Women’s Prelims from the 2014 US Championships

10. Episode 94: Women’s European Championships – Part One

9. Episode 90: The 2014 Women’s NCAA Championships!

8. Episode 105: The Chicago Secret Classic Preview, Cuba Is Back, and Nadia Promotes Adult Gymnastics

7. Episode 77: The GymCastic Interview with Aly Raisman

6. Episode 87: NCAA Regionals and Russian Nationals

5. Episode 82: Cottbus, the English Championships, and Danusia Francis Finally Gets a 10

4. Episode 114: Fallout from Gymnastike’s Handling of the Maroney Hack – Plus Jenni Pinches Discusses Tumble Episodes 3 and 4

3. Episode 80: Marta did commentary for Nastia!

2. Episode 113: Junior and Senior Women’s Finals from the 2014 US Championships – Plus an Interview with Kim Zmeskal-Burdette

1. Episode 89: Everybody Loves Raymond (Plus, Pac Rims, the Men’s NCAA Championships, and the Russian Nationals)

December 17, 2014 by GymCasticCrew Leave a Comment

130: Mary-Anne “Mez” Monckton

Mary-Anne Monckton beam series — Mary-Anne Monckton doing her aerial layout series on beam . Photo by Nadia Boyce.

The 20 year-old is a student of the sport, should probably be a in the next episode of The Hard Way To Success, she still loves gymnastics despite seven surgeries, she gym nerded-out because she made a beam final with Catalina Ponor, is inspired by the number of women (20 and older) who held their own in the all-around final in Nanning–she is Australia’s Mary-Anne “Mez” Monckton! Emma and Jessica discuss the following gymnerdery with Miss Mez:

Why she hated gymnastics at first and being chosen like Nadia at age 7.
Surviving seven surgeries with her love for gymnastics intact!
Trying not to freak out while competing in beam finals with her gymnastics idol, Catalina Ponor.
Thinking the wrong score was posted when she placed second to Larissa Iordache on beam in Doha.
Her description of the beloved post-beam finals celebration with Ellie at the Commonwealth Games.
Tales from Nanning, her favorite competitors there and her opinion on the tie-breaking procedures for finals.
Being coached by the infamous, Ju-Ping Tian.
Explaining her desire to do American NCAA gymnastics to her Australian mother.
Why she became a student of the sport (AKA super gym nerd), not just an athlete.
Jet lag tips everyone can use.
Her thoughts on Australian Gymnastics Jail and how the team for the Commonwealth Games were chosen.
She tells the most endearing Peggy Liddick story you will ever hear and shares Peggy’s sage advice.

Follow Mez on Twitter, her YouTube channel for progress videos or Instagram.

Get us to 100 ratings on iTunes before the end of the year!

December 10, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 9 Comments

Episode 129: Why Gabby Left Chow (or Chow left Gabby?) & Glasgow World Cup

Larisa Iordache 2014 glasgow world cup blue leo leap — Larisa Iordache ended the year on a high, winning the 2014 Glasgow World Cup.

This week we’ve included time stamps for each segment of the show per your request. Let us know if you like it. Uncle Tim, Emma, and Jessica chat about:

The Glasgow World Cup (00:00): massive moments of joy, shooting fire, Vanessa Ferrari looking tired, pulling shorts up to belly buttons, John Orozco and Oleg Verniaiev scamping around Glasgow, why Pauline Schaefer of Germany stole the show. Plus the juniors we fell in love with from Espoir.
The Mexican Open (34:14): The Four Amiga’s: Boguinskaya, Daniela Silivas, Podkopayeva, and Chusovitina; the greatness that is Marta Pihan-Kulesza’s exquisite form; the return of the fierce little Italian, Enus Mariani to international competition; and most importantly, our review of the latest super bling $10,000 leotard by GK.
NCAA previews (52:49): Our thoughts of Chayse Capps new floor routine, the genius that is Stacey Ervin’s stick-a-thon floor routine and our gratittude for NCAA gymnastics after the long artistic drought that is the elite gymnastics code of points hell.
Our favorite items from the 2014 Ultimate Gym Nerd Gift Guide (1:01:16) and what Uncle Tim’s gymnastics nieces want for Christmas. It involves heavy excavation machinery.
Uncle Tim gives his review of Cirque du Soliel’s steampunk-inspired show, Kurios–complete with droplets of man sweat and what made the wive’s in the audience smack their husband’s mouthes closed. (1:05:34)
Gymternet News (1:13:43): Gabrielle Douglas’s agent dished all the dirt on why Dougy left Chow’s, an explanation for Mustafina’s poor performance in Stuttgart, the coming out stories of a rhythmic and artistc Olympian, how we feel about men’s and women’s Olympic trials being held separately, new skills in the code of points and why you should sign up for college Fantasy Gymnastics.
Mail Call (1:41:43): An outraged Russian listener, Irish Daniel asks what we think of Verona van de Leur announcing her comeback, and a very knowledgable listener takes gymnasts to task for copyright theft against choreographers.

Check out our Gift Guide here. Draft your fantasy gymnastics team by December 27! collegefantasygymnastics.com

Kayla Nowak of University of Oklahoma (AKA Mrs. Jake Dalton) doing her infamous Knock-Knock-Open-The-Door choreography at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

December 8, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 2 Comments

The Ultimate Gym Nerd Gift Guide

Welcome to the gift guide that will fulfill all of your gym nerd needs; with something for the baby tumbler, coach, adult gymnast, fan or hardcore athlete on your holiday gift list. There are even some DIY options for you crafty types.

1. X-Bands. If you are tired of your stupid grips getting loose, these are for you. The X-Band is a safety band that prevents gymnastics grips from coming undone and it comes in lots of fancy colors.

2. LegacyBox. Do you have millions of hours of meets on VHS or *gasp* Super8 film, slides or negatives? For the true gym nerd who has hoarded a million years of meets, this digital conversion service will preserve your [in Gollum voice] treasures.

3. Advent Calendar App. The 24 exercises of Christmas. Staying in shape over the holidays can be combatted with this fun gymnastics conditioning app.

4. Christy Linder Photography. Hire the gymternet’s favorite photographer all for yourself! Guaranteed to capture the hard core actions shots and the adorable emotional moments she’s famous for.

5. Custom Paintings. One of our favorite blogs, GymGab, has a great post here, about two artists who will create custom gymnastics portraits.

6. Yoda Pants. Why stick to boring ol’ workout clothes when you can rep’ all of your fandoms at the same time! Star Wars pants on + gymnastics = champion super nerd status.

7. True Nude Colored Briefs. Do you dye your own panties or sports bra to match your skin tone? Sick of “nude” color being no where near the color of your skin? Then one of these companies has the answer for you. Nude Barre, developed by a dancer, and Nubian Skin have the full color of the human rainbow for you to choose from.

8. Keep Calm, Coach. Show your coach that you understand her pain.

9. Plum Leos. All you need to know about these is that the girls at MG Elite wear them – Jazzy, Ari, Laurie, so yeah.

10. LeoCards. Get a postcard pack of 8, poster size, request a custom print of your favorite gymnasts iconic leo or have one specially made for the gymnast in your life. We would die if we had LeoCards of our adorable level 5 leotards.

11. Home Gym from Tumbl Trak. The ultimate fantasy gym for your living room champion. Pure joy!

12. Star Stuff Shirt. Because no one does gymnastics fashion more beautifully than Cloud and Victory.

13. VagaCare. For that friend at adult gymnastics who just had a baby and can’t do a cartwheel now without having to run to the bathroom. This is the cure-all for a the postpartum gymnastics blues. Now she can do trampoline without having to pee!

14. Acro Blocks. Be just like Kristin Allen; master your handstands with these sturdy, portable, hand balance training blocks.

15. Toe Point Stretcher. Whether you are watching from the couch, or practicing in the gym, every gym nerd needs to have great toe point. Since this is the machine used to torture ballerinas, you can be sure that it works.

16. Let The River Flow Book by Vanessa Atler. The embattled star has written a children’s book filled with the wisdom that allowed her to find peace.

17. TICKETS! Everyone needs to go to ALL the meets! American Cup, NCAA’s, P&G’s, the Glasgow World Championships or even Olympic Trials in 2016!

18. DIY Shadowbox. Give the gift of memories, perfectly preserved in a tiny glass box. Imagine these with a first pair of grips. Awwwww.

December 3, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 4 Comments

128: Aly is Back

Raisman prepares for bars back on the national team — Aly Raisman training in the recent USA Gymnastics documentary

Uncle Tim and Jessica chat about:

Komova’s triumphant return to international competition (nobody cares if she watered down)
Oleg’s baby mohawk, Ruggeri’s floor , Roxana Popa’s hot new bars steal the show at the Blume Memorial.
Why does Boguinskaya make Chusovitina pose in front of lingerie shops wherever they go?
Our jazz hands filled love for Elythora Thorsdottir and Axelle Kinckaert’s big band choreography.
Why the Romanian juniors are leading the charge for artistry and uniqueness in eastern Europe.
Should all competition bibs feature names instead of numbers like the did at the Stuttgart World Cup?
Afanaseyeva is back with a new floor routine and a huge neck tattoo. Seriously.
We lament for the Mustafina who could have been in Stuttgart (it wasn’t pretty, e.g. helicopter legs triple full is back).
The adorable VK fan chat with Oleg Vernaiev. That American’s are the friendliest and he still hates high bar!
All the reasons to love german announcers especially when they talk about Donell Wittenberg and Hambuchen.
Andres Breischneider does the double twisting kovcas again! You better STEP UP Epke!
Who has the best team on paper — the NCAA signing day debate.
The 43-year-old mother of three, Louise Andrew’s experience competing in the masters gymnastics (AKA being the coolest mom ever).
The cheerleader who’s never competed in gymnastics, Laney Madsen of Gym-Max, was invited to national team training camp.

November 12, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 2 Comments

127: T&T Worlds, Medellin Cup & Gymternet News

In the news, Uncle Tim and Jessica chat about:

Our favorites from Tumbling and Trampoline World Championships and what we think artistic gymnastics can learn from these daredevils with good form.
Are fake music endings acceptable in floor routines or a cruel joke on the audience?
The floor routine to the Sia song Chandelier by Ellie Boterell of England is everything!
The GymCastic Floor Music contest playlist is up on Spotify here.
A guide to shapashnikova variations on uneven bars, because Jessica sometimes needs help with bars.
Standouts at the Medellín World Cup: Yamilet Peña, Mariana Chiarella of Peru and Jossimar Calvo Moreno.
Mustafina’s latest interview where she discusses her injuries, coaching (can’t because she doesn’t dislike children enough) and frustrations with the bar code.
Will the open division at Shawn Johnson’s new NCAA-esque meet series allow for international elites to compete?
Oleg Vernaiev talks about training in war-torn, pit-less Ukraine.

The Gymternet’s Ultimate Floor Music Playlist is ready for you listening pleasure. Send us videos if you use one of the songs for a floor routine! Check it out here.

A GymNerd’s Guide to Shapashnikova’s on Bars:

1. Shapashnikova = Clear hip
2. Van Leeuwen = Toe-on with 1/2
3. Khorkina = Clear hip with 1/2
4. Toe on Shapash = Maloney
5. Toe on Shapash ½ = Van Leeuwen
6. Stadler Shapsh = Isn’t named, but sometimes called the Chow after Amy Chow
7. Stadler Shapash half
8. Inbar (piked) stalder Shaposh = Komova II (2011 World Championships)
9. Inbar (piked) stalder Shaposh with ½ turn = Komova I (2010 Youth Olympic Games)

Audrys Nins of the Dominican Republic vaults — Audrys Nins of the Dominican Republic, gives good cowboy.

November 7, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 6 Comments

The Gymternet’s Ultimate Floor Music Playlist – The 2014 Edition

It’s here! Over 8 hours of floor music that you, the gymternet, have deemed appropriate for floor routines!

Please recognize that some contributors sent their nominations with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. For instance, “Home” by Phillip Phillips was sent to us with a caveat. The song is to be used only by a member of the Fierce 5 on the comeback trail.

Other nominations were sent with specific gymnasts in mind. Princess Catherine Lyons of Europa, if you read this, many people have floor routines in mind for you. You could perform to “Once,” “Winter,” or an instrumental rendition of “Cosmic Love.”

What fascinates us about this playlist is the fact that there were no repeat submissions. No two people submitted the same song. If anything, this list shows that the gymternet is eclectic and that there’s no such thing as universal taste when it comes to floor music.

With no further ado, here’s the playlist. We hope that you find a song or two that you enjoy!

P.S. To those who submitted multiple songs, we thank you for your dedication to great floor music. Unfortunately, we could not include every song on this playlist. (As you can see, the playlist is already incredibly long.) If one of your favorite songs did not make the list, feel free to link to it in the comments section below!

November 5, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 20 Comments

126: Post-Worlds Hangover

In the news, Uncle Tim, and Jessica chat with Scott Bregman, Communications Director at USA Gymnastics, who lets us know how to watch Tumbling and Trampoline World Championships starting this week in Florida.

Jessica hit Scott with the hard hitting question about China – the squat toilets, the lavishness of the event and being an exotic foreigner.
Our favorite saves from Worlds.
Lots of emails and voicemails from the listeners!
Who is the Nanning Bee on Twitter?
Articles about artistry that drive us nuts, especially when they rely on nostalgia to make their arguments.
Kenzo does a triple double at the Swiss Cup.
Hip thrusting and Lilia Podkopayeva at the Gala de Estrellas de Gimnasia in Mexico.
Jessica’s favorite new Romanian junior Alexandra Mihai and her 2.5 backspin.
Khorkina lets it be known that she was pissed off after the 2008 Olympics; we discuss the recent interview (there’s a lot of discussion about public crying).

To watch TTWorlds.com outside of the United States just use a VPN! We like TunnelBear, Hola, ZenMate and GetUsVPN.

Olivia Searle, Maria Layton, Danica Taylor and Kalley Skitch. Contact us via email (gymcastic @ gmail.com) ASAP with a numbered list of your prize choices. Prizes (small shirt, chalk, water bottle or towel) are first come first serve.

We proudly present, thx to Monsieur @TandooriPoulet, #YaoJinnan & #BaiYawen with our grips! http://t.co/mhCMwMy0eo pic.twitter.com/6Cnvpwak7C

— GymCastic (@GymCastic) November 6, 2014

October 22, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 1 Comment

125: Growing Up In China – Jiani Wu Interview

jiani wu at the 1984 olympics and as a child in china — Jiani Wu

What was it like growing up in China before they were a gymnastics super power? Jiani tells us all about it. A native of Shanghai back when China was a closed society, Jiani was one of the first allowed to compete outside of the country. Wu helped the Chinese women win their first World Championships team medal, a silver at the 1981 Worlds in Moscow and a bronze for the team at the 1984 Olympics. We discuss:

Adjusting to coaching in the United States and working with parents.
The Yurchenko loop and Teza skills that she was doing back in the 70’s.
Her coaching philosophy and how it ties into her experience as an accidental champion.
Secret romances and how she met her husband in the training halls of the national training center.
The training schedule and beam complex seriousness of the Chinese training regime.
Gymnastics urban legend busting about China’s conditioning, pizza and hamburgers.
What China was like in the 1970’s before their athletes were allowed to compete outside of the country.
Coaching both of her daughters, 2012 Olympic alternate Anna Li and level 9 Andrea Li.
That time she Yin Alvarez’d when Gabby Perea hit her bar routine.
The major award China gave her for winning an Olympic medal.

Legacy Elite Gymnastics

jiani wu beam — Jiani Wu performing the Yurchenko Loop

Jiani Wu eponymous skill — Jiani Wu performing her eponymous skill on bars.

October 15, 2014 by GymCasticCrew 12 Comments

124: Event Finals at the 2014 World Championships

yao jinnan huang huidan bars — Graphic Design by MegTwelve. Visit her store at http://twelvestore.bigcartel.com

Our coverage of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China continues with a full recap of the women’s and men’s all-around final. Uncle Tim, Lauren and Jessica chat about:

Every single event final, even rings and pommel horse!
The judging of the balance beam final Mustafina’s score vs. Terramoto’s score.
Which side of the gymnastics debate won Execution or Difficulty. We have the statistical proof in this week’s edition of Sexy Data.
Which gymnastics need to sit in over splits until next year’s worlds or stop complaining about their E scores.
Bruno Grandi’s latest call for change. Why doesn’t he understand that EXECUTION IS NOT ARTISTRY!
All the ways in which the Italian Gymnastics Federation is like the Perez Hilton of gymnastics federations.
Would reducing the number of skills with a simultaneous minimum time limit on floor (for men and women) and beam, help address the lack of artistry in the current system.

Contest Alert!

Why: We want to create a playlist of songs that should be used for floor routines.

What: Send us the song title and artist name for a song that’s never been used in a floor routine before.

How to Enter: Send your song to gymcastic@gmail.com, and we will choose the winners at random. Not Twitter or Facebook, please!

Deadline: November 1, 2014

Prizes: Official P&G Championships chalk (a whole box!), black polo shirt (small), water bottle, towel with carrying case.

Uncle Tim puts the artistic in men’s gymnastics over on Uncle Tim Talks Men’s Gym. Lauren Hopkins is head honcho over at The Gymternet. Find inspiration for your adult gymnastics career at Masters Gymnastics.

Watch the Universal Sports broadcast for free on http://www.usagymworlds.com/live/

Check out the video grid of all the available routines from Worlds http://thegymter.net/2014/10/05/worlds-qualification-videos-running-master-list/

Archives for 2014

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