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gymnastic 01But there is something else, I have always found women's gymnastics to be a metaphor for my life in the academy. It happened first in 1996 when the Magnificent 7 took gold in the Atlanta games. I was studying for my comprehensive exams for my PhD and it was ridiculously hard. During that summer I continuously thought about chucking the life of the mind and heading off to sell insurance.
Then Kerri Strug completed her vault on one foot in order to give her team the gold. Bella Caroli was on the side lines chanting "You can do it Kerri." My best friend Blair and I adopted this tag for the rest of our grad school careers, "You can do it Melissa" she would chant. It was Kerri Strug's one footed vault that got me through those exams, that dissertation, and tenure.
I know it is silly. I should probably find my inspiration in the struggling foremothers of my own tradition: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells. And I do find inspiration there, but that little teenager on the world stage of the Olympics, fighting through pain for her team, also touched me.
Last night, I watched the Chinese women win the Gold and saw the connection between gymnastics and the academy again. Ok, I am a bad patriot, because I was rooting for the Chinese this year.
Seriously Yolanda, isn't teaching kind of like the floor exercises? Your perform a million tricks, smile while you do it, try to appear graceful, and keeping everyone excited, engaged and clapping along with you as you lecture. Isn't the public intellectual life like the uneven bars? You have to jump from the high bar of scholarship to the lower bar of public discourse and do it multiple times while making it looking flawless and effortless. Isn't institutional service like the vault? We hurl ourselves into it trying to use all the power we have to get it over with as quickly as possible. And I know I don't even have to explain how being a professor and a mommy at the same time is just like a balance beam routine!
Here the is part that is really like the academy. After you perform all of these amazing feats you have to wait to be judged. You must smile while people determine if you are as good as your colleagues and if you are better than your competitors. And remember that you better not step our of bounds, fall, stumble, or just slow down a bit to regain your balance. If you do any of these things then the judges deduct points and the media replay your weakest moments over and over.
Gymnastics is not like the physical competitions of swimming, volleyball, or soccer that I have also been watching. In those sports you go head-to-head with your competitors and you win or lose. No one has to judge you. In gymnastics, like in the academy, you are subjected to constant critique and evaluation.
I am not complaining. I love my job as those athletes love their sport. But I am glad that I don't have to perform alone. I am glad that I have women like you and like my girl Blair on my team.
You can do it ladies!
Melissa
P.S. At some point I am also going to have to understand why watching 90-lb teenage girls flying through the air makes me want to eat ice cream!
gymnastic coachSome folks have noted that nlike most gymnastics coaches, Liang can often be seen smiling and laughing on the sidelines.
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gymnastic girlHE IS the President of a resurgent superpower. She is a rhythmic gymnast less than half his age.
Now all Moscow is ablaze with rumours that Vladimir Putin, 56, and the flexible 24-year-old Alina Kabaeva have decided to marry.
The whispers of romance are particularly scurrilous because Mr Putin has not officially announced any separation from his wife, Ludmilla, 50. But the former KGB spy, known for keeping his private life as far out of the spotlight as his former career, is reported to have split from her two months ago.
Rumours of Mr Putin's courtship of the rhythmic gymnast champion and model, who is now a member of the Russian parliament, have been circulating for some time.
But only now has a Russian newspaper dared to print the gossip, citing a party planner in St Petersburg who claimed to be bidding to organise the couple's wedding reception.
According to Moskovski Korrespondent, the couple are to marry in mid-June, little more than a month after he steps down as President.
But Mr Putin later denied the report. "In what you said, there is not one word of truth," he said when asked about the report by a journalist at a briefing with Italy's Prime Minister-elect, Silvio Berlusconi.
Miss Kabaeva was elected to Russia's Duma last year as a delegate for Mr Putin's favourite party, United Russia.
Compared to most other world leaders, little is known about the personal life of Mr Putin, who rose from obscurity to succeed Boris Yeltsin eight years ago. Mrs Putin is rarely in the limelight, and the couple's two daughters, Masha and Katya, live under pseudonyms and are closely guarded.
Mr Putin's terms in office have propelled him from the secret service to celebrity status, as he claimed credit for rebuilding a nation shattered by post-communist chaos.
He said this week that he would head Russia's dominant party, and reaffirmed his intention to become prime minister after ceding the presidency.
Miss Kabaeva was just a toddler when Mikhail Gorbachev began the perestroika, or "restructuring", that led to that chaotic end of the Soviet era.
Born in 1983 in Tashkent, now the capital of Uzbekistan, she was reportedly a late starter as an athlete, but progressed swiftly. Her physical attributes, much prized in the rhythmic gymnastic world, have helped her clinch several medals. She represented Russia at the Sydney and Athens Olympics.
She is said to be blessed with "extreme flexibility" and practically unbeatable when performing "on the carpet", to use a gymnastic term.
"I could not believe my eyes when I first saw her," recalls her coach, Irina Viner. "The girl has the rare combination of two qualities crucial in rhythmic gymnastics: flexibility and agility."
Her interests appear not to be limited to the sporting arena. The curvaceous gymnast has been pictured semi-naked draped in furs, in shots that recall pictures sold this month of France's new first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. She has also appeared in an action film.
Nicolas Sarkozy's love affair led to a debate in the conservative French press about where to draw the line writing about politicians' private lives.
Russia itself seemed to experience a perestroika over the taboo subject last summer, when pictures of a bare-chested Mr Putin fishing in Siberia caused a flurry of excitement
gymnastic girls picParent Mtg Schedule
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| Board Members | |
| President: | im Watson |
| Vice President: | Lori Craig |
| Treasurer: | Karen Andrews |
| Secretary: | Lori Urraro |
| Member at Large | Inga Breault |
| Coach: | Michele Archer |
gymnastic girl gameNorth Sky Gymnastics offers the most experienced and highest quality gymnastic's training in the tri-cities area. Our coaches work hard to maximize opportunities to ensure that each gymnast has the ability to reach her goals and to attain her personal best, both in the gymnastic's arena and in life. Knowledgable coaching plus pulley, bungee and belt spotting systems, and the recent addition of a foam-filled pit give our team girls a training advantage.
Team participation is by invitation only for those girls who have demonstrated a willingness to work hard, a desire to progress further and perform in a competitive setting, the character of an athlete who is able to be coached and the ability to train respectfully with their fellow athletes.
The benefits of participating on the North Sky Gymnastics team are numerous. The athletic and physical fitness advantages alone far surpass those achieved by any other sport. Our team gymnasts also gain valuable life skills such as discipline, self-confidence, positive self-esteem, self-motivation, goal-oriented mindset, leadership qualities, camaraderie, and sportsmanship.
Our team gymnasts are winners, in life as well as in a gymnastic's environment, and we are proud of the attitudes, efforts, and accomplishments of all of our girls.
gymnastic team2/7 Cranberry League Meet: The Lady Trojan's finished 2nd to the unstoppable Barnstable gymnasts at the Cranberry League meet. It was a very close race though, all coming down to the final score of Barnstables final gymnast. The Trojan's received a 141.1 to Barnstable's 142.3. The league is more of individual competition. Junior Jill Kitterick was 7th in All around with a 34.7 and Rachel Livolsi came in 5ht with a 35.7. Due to the fact that these girls competed in the All around, they were ineligible for individual events. On Vault, Heather Spring scored a 9.2 which was good enough for 3rd, while Danielle Haslam was 4th with a 9.05. On Bars Senior Captain Heather Spring came in 2nd, even with a fall. Senior Captain Alyssa Baumgarten was 6th with an 8.3. On Beam, Alyssa Baumgarten and Danielle Haslam were rock solid with an 8.7 to win the event. Sophomore Maddie Small was strong enough for 5th with an 8.3. Finishing the meet on floor Danielle Haslam was 6th with an 8.7 and Heather Spring was 4th with an 8.9. Now that the regular season is done, the Lady Trojan's qualified for South Sectionals, where they are seeded 3rd. At sectionals the girls need to be in the top 4 out of 12 teams to quailify to the state championships on 2/27. Individual wise some of the Trojan's qualified for the individual state championships on 2/15. Danielle Haslam, Rachel Livolsi, Jill Kitterick, Kelsey Baumgarten and Heather Spring were all strong enough to make vault finals. Heather Spring, Rachel Livolsi and Jill Kitterick swung to take a spot in bar finals. Danielle Haslam, Rachel Livolsi, and Jill Kitterick stayed on the beam to make Beam finals, While Heather Spring and Rachel Livolsi will tumble their into floor finals.
2/5 vs Somerset: The Lady Trojan's finished their regular season with yet another win. This time the Trojan's received a 141.3 to Somerset's 131.3. Junior Jill Kitterick and Sophomore Kelsey Baumgarten vaulted to an 8.7, while Senior Captain's Danielle Haslam and Heather Spring received respectable 9.0 and 9.1. On bars Junior Rachel Livolsi swung to an 9.0 and Heather Spring to a 9.2. Junior Jill Kitterick stayed on balance for an 8.7, while Junior Rachel Livolsi went 8.8 and the always consistent Danielle Haslam went 9.1. On floor the girls tumbled to Danielle Haslam's 8.8 Heather Spring's 9.1 and Rachel Livolsi's 9.4.
1/31 vs Case/Seekonk: The Lady Trojans had their final home competition on 1/31, and continued their winning strike, with a huge upset,defeating Case/Seekonk 140.5 to 139.3. The girls started on Vault with Senior Captain Heather Spring scoring a 9.2, Senior Captain Danielle Haslam with a 9.1 and Sophomore Kelsey Baumgarten with a 9.0. On Bars Junior's Rachel Livolsi and Jill Kitterick swung to 8.8 and 8.7 and Senior Captain stuck her double back dismount for an 8.9. On beam, it was Senior Captain Danielle Haslam stealing the show with an outstanding 9.3 and Junior Rachel Livolsi with a respectable 9.1. The Lady Trojan's finished up on floor with Junior Jill Kitterick with an 8.8 and Junior Rachel Livolsi with a 9.0.
1/27 vs Attleboro: The Lady Trojan's are continuing their winning strike with a win over Attleboro with a 138.5 to Attleboro's 127.1. Senior Captain Danielle Haslam had a big day, scoring an 8.8 on vault and stuck a near perfect beam routine with a 9.2! Junior Jill Kitterick had a great day scoring an 8.7 on vault, 8.7 on bars. 8.8 on beam and an 8.7 on floor. Some other performances worth noting are Senior captain Heather Spring's 9.0 on bars, Junior Rachel Livolsi's 8.8 on bars and 9.0 on beam.
1/24 vs Carver/Sacred Heart: The Lady Trojan's defeated Carver/Scared Heart with a season high 141.05 to Carver/Scared Heart's 125.25. Each event had some outstanding highlights. On Vault, senior captain Heather Spring over powered the competition with a 9.1, while senior captain Danielle Haslam stuck for a nice 8.95, tying Sophomore Kelsey Baumgarten. On Bars Kathryn Stoehr swung to a career high 9.0, and senior captain Heather Spring went with an 8.85 with a fall. The Lady Trojan's dominated beam, Senior captain Danielle Haslam stayed on for a 8.95 tying senior captain Alyssa Baumgarten. Sophomore Maddie Small hit the routine of her life for a career high 8.75. The Trojan's finished strong on floor, with senior Captain Heather Spring outscoring the competition with a career high 9.35, with Juniors Rachel Livolsi and Jill Kitterick with respectable 9.0 and 8.9.
1/21 vs Plymouth N/S: The Lady Trojan's gymnastics team won against Plymouth North and South with a 136.2 to a 115.4. Senior Captain Heather Spring, had a very good day on vault and floor scoring an 8.9 on each. She even got an 8.5 on bars with a fall on her dismount. Juniors Rachel Livolsi and Jill Kitterick both had outstanding floor routines, Livolsi with a 9.1 and Kitterick with a 9.0. Livolsi also dominated bars with an 8.9. Senior captain Danielle Haslam rocked the beam with an 8.7.
1/17 vs Nantucket: The Lady Trojan's gymnastics team had their first victory of the 2009 season. They defeated Nantucket 137.6 to 102.2 on Saturday 1/17 at Spectrum Gymnastics in Brockton. Some of the highlights came on Vault with Sophomore Kelsey Baumgarten scoring a 9.1 and Senior Captain Heather Spring scoring an outstanding 9.3. On bars Heather Spring and Junior Rachel Livolsi were the stars, Rachel scoring an 8.85 and Heather with a 9.15. Floor exercise is where the lady Trojan's finished the meet with Junior Jill Kitterick scoring an 8.85, Heather Spring with an 8.8 and Rachel Livolsi with an impressive 9.15.
1/9 vs Barnstable: The BR gymnastics team had their first comptition on January 8th against longtime rivals and 2008 state champions Barnstable. Though BR came up short, scoring a 137.9 to a 142.9, they had some good points as well. Senior captain Heather Spring was 3rd all around and vault. Junior Jill Kitterick had a great meet finishing 4th on vault, 2nd on bars and floor. Junior Rachel livolisi was 1st on floor and Senior Captain Danielle Haslam was 2nd on beam.
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gymnastic girls 02American Olga Karmansky performs her ball routine during the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships at Klum Gym on the University of Hawai'i campus. The event is a warm-up for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
last night, Ilsy Dibsie's three favorite colors were red, white and blue.
Dibsie, of Waikele, was one of several hundred fans swept with patriotism and goodwill on the opening day of the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
"I feel the pride, especially because I have military friends in the Middle East doing their part," said Dibsie, a Hilo Hattie merchandiser who brought her 10-year-old daughter Jasmine along. "You see all these other counties, cooperating and sharing a common bond. We've never seen something like this before."
The Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships is an Olympic-caliber competition that includes the top three men's and three of the top four women's teams in the world. It's considered the most prestigious gymnastics event ever hosted in Honolulu, according to organizers.
The NBC-televised competition is one of two Olympic lead-in events in Honolulu this week, and precedes Sunday's first-ever U.S. Olympic triathlon trials.
Dibsie said seeing Team USA and the other countries energized her, and encouraged her daughter to try gymnastics. Jasmine attends third grade at Waikele Elementary.
"Coming here you can feel the excitement," Dibsie said. "You get to see their dreams, hopes, sweat, tears and frustration. You can feel the electricity in the air. A lot of the young people right now, I wish they had this kind of determination and hunger."
Taqiy Abdullah, who is on the U.S. junior men's team, said he appreciated the crowd's support. Abdullah won the junior men's all-around title yesterday and will compete for an Olympic roster spot for August's Olympic Games in Athens.
"We compete to make the whole USA proud," Abdullah said. "For people to be really happy, and for them to understand that we fight really hard, it just means the world to us."
Dennis McIntyre, the junior national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics, agreed with Abdullah. McIntyre said athletes train more than half their lives for the Olympics.
"It's kind of hokey sometimes, but it really is the pride of competition, the pride of self and the pride of country that motivates these guys," said McIntyre, who coaches at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colo. "Representing the United States is what it's all about for them."
Amy Shaughnessy, a 19-year-old freshman at Hawai'i Pacific University, said last night's competition filled her with good emotions. Shaughnessy was one of several HPU national champion cheerleaders who watched yesterday's competition.
"I do get a sense of patriotism and pride because that's my country," Shaughnessy said. "They've done so well this year. Just seeing them out there gets me pumped up."
Ten-year-old Kate Miller, a two-time state gymnastics champion, said she was amazed at the sculpted physiques of the men's gymnasts. Some of the men's athletes last night drew attention when they practiced without their shirts on. Miller attended the meet with her mother, Laura Soller.
"I'm impressed on how strong they look," said Miller, a fourth grader at Trinity Christian in Maunawili.
Miller and her mother said they planned to attend the entire competition that continues today and ends tomorrow.
"You might think these are just normal people, but you might see them on television one day, and say, 'Oh I didn't see them. I could have been there,' " Miller said. "I wouldn't miss it."
• USA earns medals: Houston's Abdullah nailed his floor and pommel horse routines to win the Junior Men's all-around title yesterday at the 2004 Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships.
Abdullah (Houston Gymnastics Academy) finished with a final mark of 55.198 to win the all-around over China's Tu Jing at 54.465. USA's Bryan Del Castillo (Laguna Niguel, Calif./South Coast) finished seventh at 52.480.
Led by Abdullah, Team USA finished second in the team final with 160.426, trailing China at 162.928. Competing for the United States were Abdullah, Del Castillo, Kyson Bunthuwong (El Cerrito, Calif.) and Derek Helsby (Houston).
In junior rhythmic action, USA's Rachel Marmer (Los Angeles, LASG) leads the all-around with a score of 40.500 following the ball and rope events.
In senior rhythmic action, USA's Mary Sanders leads the hoop and ball events. USA's Paul Hamm leads the senior men's all-around, and USA leads the senior men's standings.
Gymworld Gymnastic Club came away with a haul of medals on the 9th December 2007 at the Teesside Gymnastic Association Competition held at the Acorn Centre in Acklam. Once again they proved they are one of the top performing clubs in the region with a total 39 medals won; including 16 Gold, 15 Silver and 8 Bronze.
The results were a credit to the Gymnasts and Coaches having spent relatively short periods putting floor and tumbling routines together, then performing to high standards beating excellent competition along the way from other Gymnastic Clubs in the area.
Gymworld is currently on Middlesbrough College's Marton Road Campus and is among the properties being sold off for housing development as part of the college's move to a new home, currently under construction, on the Middlehaven site.
As part of the new college a gymnastic facility is being constructed to provide Gymworld Gymnastic Club with a new home base.
Gymnasts, Parents and Coaches have been working hard over the last couple of years to raise funds to assist with the move. Anyone wishing to make donations or provide Sponsorship to the club can contact it directly at Gymworld, Gymworld Gymnastic Club, Teesside Tertiary College, Marton Campus, Marton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3RZ
The Benefits of Physical Gymnastics
Many studies have shown that physical exercise, when done in tandem with mental exercise, seems to slow the loss of brain tissue. The reasoning? It's quite simple: exercise increases blood flow to your whole body, including your brain. Exercise delays or sometimes prevents these specific aging-related changes in your brain. And in some cases, exercise may even provide memory improvement.
How much exercise do you need to reap the benefits of a smarty pants? 30 minutes a day has long been toted as the concrete number for physical health, but if you're just getting started, don't worry about the time. One study found that a few 15-minute exercise sessions a week reduced older adults' risk of dementia. The benefit was greatest to those participants who hadn't exercised previously.
Moral of this story? It won't take a big time commitment to perk up your brain and will probably be a lot of fun. So get started. gymnastic top girls
