Archive for March, 2009

Alicia Sacramone update

March 30, 2009
Alicia Sacramone has moved to L.A.

Alicia Sacramone has moved to L.A.

Shawn’s not the only one who’s gone west. From L.A. Times writer Diane Pucin:

Alicia Sacramone, who became YouTube famous for being the tragic figure of the U.S. women’s Olympics gymnastics team — her missed mount on the balance beam and an out-of-bounds landingon her floor exercise were major mistakes that helped keep the U.S. from winning the team gold medal (it went to China) — is happily living in downtown Los Angeles now.

She is good friends with UCLA senior gymnast Kristina Comforte, who serves as an undergraduate assistant coach after a series of injuries took her off the mat, and spends time with the UCLA gymnastics team at practice. Sacramone is working for a clothing company called TankFarm. She is into designing T-shirts focused on the college market. She is also planning on going to Tuesday’s live results show for “Dancing With the Stars” to support her Olympic teammate, Shawn Johnson, who has stamped herself, along with partner Mark Ballas, as strong contenders for this year’s title.

Sacramone said she hasn’t decided whether to return next fall to Brown University, where she had completed her freshman year before taking off to prepare for the Olympics. She is interested in pursuing both a career in clothing design and hosting a television talk show, and she said attending UCLA might be a possibility.

The link to TankFarm is here.

Sui Lu at Cottbus

March 28, 2009

My favorite routine from last week’s Cottbus Cup was Sui Lu’s well-choreographed floor exercise. Sui, who I expected to be on the Chinese Olympic team instead of Deng Linlin, looks a little taller and more mature, which bodes well for her carrying off that choreography.

Sui Lu, 2009 Cottbus Cup Event Finals, Floor Exercise:

Quote of the day

March 27, 2009

Romanian national coach Nicolae Forminte:

“Health problems remain and will continue to be the No. 1 challenge of this generation,” Forminte said. “There are injuries that cannot be solved by any rest, or by treatments.”

Gee, Mr. Forminte, what sort of injuries are those?

(via IG)

Shawn and stalker — yikes

March 27, 2009

Shawn Johnson is reportedly OK after police arrested a would-be stalker who may have been trying to kidnap her.

Shawn Johnson is reportedly OK after police arrested a would-be stalker who may have been trying to kidnap her.

Oh, dear. What is it about American Olympic balance beam champions and stalkers?

From The Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who police say had guns, duct tape and love letters in his car when he tried to jump a security fence in an attempt to meet “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Shawn Johnson pleaded not guilty Thursday to stalking and other charges.

Robert O’Ryan was arrested Tuesday at the studio where the ABC show is produced. Authorities say they found loaded guns, duct tape and love letters in a car he drove from Florida to meet Johnson, a 17-year-old Olympic gymnast.

The 34-year-old O’Ryan was charged Thursday with one felony count of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle. Wearing a red shirt and khaki pants, with long brown hair to his waist and a beard, O’Ryan tried to hide behind his attorney as he was arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The Des Moines Register went into the more disturbing details:

Court records indicated both guns in O’Ryan’s car were loaded. Duct tape, zip ties, “a map to the victim” and love letters were also in the car. Johnson’s mother, Teri, said police told her O’Ryan believed he was meant to have a child with her daughter.

Documents also indicated O’Ryan “believes that she speaks to him personally through the television set and through ESP.”

Doug Johnson said there have been concerns with fans before, “but not to that extent.”

He indicated that the family could not comment on the situation, because they’ve been advised it involves an ongoing investigation. He said the family feels more comfortable, though, since the restraining order was granted.

“She’s doing fine — and everything seems to be under control right now,” Doug Johnson said.

Good thing she now has a bodyguard. Best wishes to Shawn and her parents as they hopefully move on from this.

Ferrari, Cassina still questionable for Milan

March 26, 2009

Vanessa Ferrari is still a question mark for this weekends European Championships.

Vanessa Ferrari is still a question mark for this weekend's European Championships.

The 2009 European Gymnastics Championships officially began with a ceremony held Wednesday at Milan’s Forum di Assago sports arena, but the status of Italy’s two most prominent athletes is still in question.

Italy’s Gazzetta della Sport reports that although Ferrari is in Milan with the national team, it’s still questionable whether she’ll compete. Ferrari is being observed by Fulvio Vailati, the Italian technical director, to see whether she’s made sufficient progress to be able to compete.

The newspaper guesses that if Ferrari does replace anyone slated to compete, it will be newcomer Emily Army, who made the team alongside Paola Galante, Lia Parolari and Serena Licchetta.

It’s uncertain whether 2004 Olympic high bar champion Igor Cassina will compete, either. Enrico Pozzo is scheduled to do all-around, while Andrea Coppolino and Matteo Morandi will be rings specialists and Matteo Angioletti will seek a medal on vault, the newspaper reported. Alberto Busnari appears to be Italy’s best shot for a medal on pommels.

International Gymnast Online reported last week that although Ferrari isn’t in the submitted lineup, she shouldn’t be counted out, either.

Although 2006 world all-around champion Vanessa Ferrari is not on the roster for the upcoming European Championships in Milan, coach Enrico Casella told IG on Saturday that she may well compete there.

“Vanessa is [doing] very well in her recovery process and is not yet decided if she will compete or not in Milan,” said Casella, who trains Ferrari in nearby Brixia. “We’ll make a decision at the last minute, and it may be possible to make a big surprise to everyone.”

Roster of athletes expected to compete is here.

Ten years ago I would have thought that given Ferrari’s dismal performance in Beijing that her career was cooked, but this is the era of gymnasts being competitive well into their 20s. She could well come back and be competitive — or she could be hammered for form by the code of points.

Yukio Endo, 1937-2009

March 25, 2009

Endo has one of gymnastics’s most impressive biographies:

–17 World and Olympic medals
– Member of three Japanese Olympic gold medal winning teams — 1960, 1964, 1968
– Inventor of a move that is among the most commonly used on uneven bars and high bar for both men and women. The move, the Endo, is a forward stalder
–1964 Olympic all-around champion at the Tokyo Games
– International Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee

Rest in peace, Mr. Endo.

Endo is featured in the excellent French documentary “Gymnastics in the Summer Olympics,” which chronicles the sport from 1956 to 1996.


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Johnson on DWTS — week three

March 25, 2009

The foxtrot agrees with Shawn Johnson, don’t you think? If she does return to elite gymnastics, it will be interesting to see the effect the ballroom training has had on her. It’s hard to imagine it being anything but positive.

(via International Gymnast Online)

College conference championships…

March 24, 2009

Courtney Kupets won the all-around title at the SEC Championships Saturday, but the big story was Georgias team loss to Alabama.

Courtney Kupets won the all-around title at the SEC Championships Saturday, but the big story was Georgia's team loss to Alabama.

…happened over the weekend. A rundown of the big winners:

Pac-10: UCLA over Oregon State, 196.725-196.55. Stanford third, 196.525. Washington fourth. A big letdown for Stanford, which lost what had to be an embarrassing meet to San Jose State earlier this season. They’ll still probably qualify to Nationals, but the Super Six dream is looking a bit more tenuous at this point. All-around: Carly Janiga, Stanford.

Big 12: Oklahoma, 196.125, over Nebraska, 196.075. Classy, but likely not Super Six-worthy scores. All-around: Sarah Shire, Missouri.

Big 10: Michigan broke the 197 mark with a 197.075 over no. 16 Illinois (196.750) and No. 13 Penn State (196.50). All-around: Carmelina Carabajal, Minnesota.

And the big surprise:

SEC: Alabama over Georgia, 197.300-196.925. Gasp! It was one thing when Utah took down Georgia during its first meet of the 2007-08 season at home in Provo. It’s another to get beaten in the postseason. All-around (no surprise there): Courtney Kupets, Georgia.

What happened: Georgia’s first two competitors — sophomores Hillary Mauro and Cassidy McComb – fell off beam during the first rotation. Bama freshman Ashley Priess fell on beam herself, but that probably only cost Bama a tenth or two, since the Tide did not have to record a fall.

What this means: When everybody hits, Georgia’s still at the top of the heap by a pretty big margin by gymnastics standards. But they’ve shown some falliability in team competition — if they count a fall and everybody else hits, they probably won’t win.

Could this be the year Bama takes back the NCAA title? Or UCLA or Utah? Or someone other than Georgia?

Further reading: The Tennessean has a strong, punchy article about the SEC upset, including some stuff about why the heck this championship was held in Tennessee in the first place.

New Dutch senior Wyomi Masela

March 20, 2009

15 years old. Here she is at the 2008 Dutch Championships. She’s making her senior debut this weekend at the Cottbus Cup in Germany and is second on uneven bars after qualifications.

Pretty commendable form, aside from that overshoot. Could use a little more difficulty.

Early Cottbus results

March 20, 2009

A good indicator of who’s going to be on top at April’s European Championships, and who may have an edge come the London Worlds.

Women’s Vault
1. Ariella Käslin SUI 14.425
2. Aagje Vanwalleghem BEL 14.325
3. Sidney Sanabria PUR 13.725
4. Kim Bui GER 13.725
5. Laura Gombas HUN 13.475
6. Wyomi Masela NED 13.275
7. Ildiko Forkas HUN 13.275

Uneven Bars
1. Kim Bui GER 14.150
2. Wyomi Masela NED 13.450
3. Aagje Vanwalleghem BEL 13.350
4. Ethiene Franco BRA 13.250
5. Lucia Tacchelli SUI 13.200
6. Anja Brinker GER 13.200
7. Hu Yuhong CHN 13.000
8. Lieke Wevers NED 12.900
9. Ivana Kovacova SVK 12.850
10. Vasiliki Millousi GRE 12.700

(more…)


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