GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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139: Steve Butcher Mar 04, 2015

Show notes

FIG Men's Technical Committee President, Steve Butcher.

This week the President of the International Gymnastics Federation Men’s Technical Committee, Mr. Steve Butcher is here. Yes, the Nelli Kim of men’s gymnastics talks about spring board thieves, fashion rules, Execution score data analysis (nerdgasm!), tons of Code of Points nerdtastic details, gymnastics jail and if he would want his own son to do elite gymnastics. This is important to you women's gymnastics fans becuase MAG and WAG rules must now inform each other. What happens in men's effects the women's rules! We discuss:

The FIG's analysis of Execution score parity between men's and women's judges.
The downfall of having too many examples of Execution scores on the FIG Helpdesk.
Bruno Grandi's statement that biomechanics will become a bigger part of the Code of Points versus the medical aspect of athlete health.
Bringing back the 10.0 and making it Execution score more visible during competitions.
Date for the next Code of Points newsletter with bonus content for the first time in 20-ish years.
Artistry in men's gymnastics: What President Butcher's female friends say they want to see on men's floor exercise.
Country imposed minimum scores which prevent gymnasts from competing in major international competitions.
Release from gymnastics jail for judges - how judges from non-power house countries can gain more experience.
Misconceptions about the powers of his position and responsibility for the current Code of Points.
How closely he works with Nelli Kim to make sure women's and men's gymnastics inform each other.
The rule making process -- concnesus or majority.
Fixing the Broken Grip Rule!
Can the FIG regulate the manufacture of grips like they do the equipment?
Getting the FIG to match the gold standard for social media and streaming video that USAG has set.

Watch the grip controversy on YouTube here.

Episode 38: Svetlana Boginskaya Feb 11, 2015

Show notes

The original diva, 14 time Olympic and World medalist, the Belarusian Swan tells all

135: The Duchess of Stalderland Jan 28, 2015

Show notes

In the news, Jessica and Spencer from The Balance Beam Situation chat about:

Auburn could be the bar dismount champions, especially Caitlin Atkinson half-in half-out (look out Katie Bailey)
Ranch News: Gabrielle Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles vs. Bailie Key, plus Laurie Hernandez is back on the team!
The latest NCAA rankings and why they don't really mean anything right now.
Our thoughts on the latest 10’s from Brenna Dowell, Haley Scaman and Ashley Lambert.
Did we think Florida was underscored on beam at Alabama? Did Alabama recover from last week's beamsaster?
Thank goodness the SEC Network is obviously listening to the show because they've fixed Courtney's Keys.
The good, the gorgeous (Kari Lee's beam! Peng's bars! DABRITZ) and the beam start-value apocalypse from Utah vs. UCLA.
Kentucky at Georgia: Brittany Rogers saves the team with all of her patented Mapleleaf stadler action bar genius.
Comeback-MANIA in Romania! Marian Drăgulescu joining Ponor to save Romanian gymnastics!
Tabitha Yim gave one of the most important interviews of all time. Print it on your soul now.
Shannon Miller's ex-husband is in trouble again.
The period, good ol' menstruation - is it still taboo in sports? We give our expert opinions.
Your feedback about the Penn State gymnastics team's 409 controversy.

Tabitha Yim says, “not everyone achieves their dreams and when I talk to my athletes now, I tell them I didn’t, but I’m okay.Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. You can always build new dreams and pursue them just as passionately.” Read the rest of her interview here.

134: 409 Wins Restored Lives Still Ruined Jan 22, 2015

Show notes

The PSU gymnastics team wrote 409 on their hands. Jessica is furious, find out why.

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spanny Tampson, and Jessica chat about (time stamps in parenthesis):

Catalina Ponor is training again. Will she make the Romanian team? (3:30)
Texas Prime Meet: Texas Dreams is raising an army of artistic gymnasts. Our listeners really liked this girl Colbi Flory
Lilia Podkopayeva resorted to thievery and dancing as a form of protest in order to defend the efforts of her team at the Legendz Classic. (11:00)
Katelyn Ohashi returns to competition! (14:35)
Spanny declares Oklahoma the new queens of choreography and has an out-of-body gym-gasm experience watching Chayse Capps in person.(40:15)
Kyla Ross working new skills and applying to Stanford next year. (23:30)
NCAA rankings and a review of the 10's on vault. (33: 28)
Kennedy Baker (Gators) does the sassiest arabian double pike in all the land. (48:45)
Our picks for NCAA floor champ if as of right now, including Denver's Nina McGee. (51:45)
Alabama vs. Arkansas - Katie Bailey (Bama) might have done the highest full-out in the history of gymnastics; Courtney Kupets makes her debut as a television commentator. (1:01:50)
UCLA vs. Arizona - Sam Peszek invents a new skill to cover a wobble, and Arizona continues their Halloween themed dramatic floor choreography. (1:15:25)
PSU vs. Nebraska - where Nebraska continues to push the difficulty level with E's on floor and variety on beam; while PSU star Robles steals the show. (1:21:16)
Rage-o-Meter: Jessica is furious that the Penn State gymnastics team wrote the number 409 on their hands, according to a television broadcast, to honor football coach Joe Paterno. Paterno who was fired for failing to report child molestation to police even though it happened in the Penn State locker room and was reported to him by an eyewitness. (1:24:35)

Jerry Sandusky grand jury report. Joe Paterno grand jury testimony. The Freeh Report.

Article: What Paterno Admitted he knew: Sandusky couldn't have done it without him

Article Penn State Hockey : Decision to put 409 stickers on helmets overshadowing program

Article Penn State Hockey: Athletic Director Sandy Barbour apologizes for 409 sticker tweet.

Episode 133: Interview Katelyn Ohashi Commits to UCLA Jan 20, 2015

Show notes

She is the gymnastics equivalent of panda cubs playing in snow for the first time, combined with the feeling you got when Nastia did a pirouette on bars; the perfect gymnastics happiness pill. The 2013 American Cup all-around champion, Katelyn Ohashi, has committed to UCLA and we have the exclusive interview just hours after she announced her decision to her future teammates. We discuss:

The candlelit moment when she told the team
Why she chose UCLA and when she will start
The status of her return to bars and what skills she's working on
Surprising her coach by busting out crazy dismounts
The look on her face after her second pass on floor at Texas Prime last weekend
What she thinks of the Tumblr posts you make about her
Switching from coach Valeri Luikin to Laurent Landi
If she knows that the gymternet is obsessed with Laurent

Watch all of Ohashi's routines from this Texas Prime here.

132: It's Never Too Late to Start Adult Gymnastics Jan 14, 2015

Show notes

Peng Peng Lee (CAN/UCLA) gracing the cover via fan art of a game that we all wish we could to play.

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

Could it be Aliya Mustafina's love life that drew her to a new gym?
If a gymnast like Shawn Johnson became a spokesperson for safe sex and contraception, could it change the image of gymnastics for the better?
Scandal in Singapore! How do you get revenge when your coaches are fired? Hire them like Lim Heem Wei did.
US elites, Ariana Guerra and Deanne Soza are back after injury and illness.
Pac-12 Conference adopts changes that could put them ahead of the SEC.

In the news, Uncle Tim, Evan, and Jessica chat about:

Updates and recaps from the NCAA meets: Georgia, UCLA, Florida, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, SJSU, and the men of Stanford and Cal.
New rules you should know about for the NCAA competition this year.
Elites premiers in college: Brenna Dowell, Peng Peng Lee and Brianna Brown from the famed Cincinnati Gymnastics.
Favorite leotards, unique skills and our opinions of veterans new floor routines, including LSU's Rheagan Courville and Lomincia Hall.

Adult Gymnastics Camp 2015 details here.

Oakville Gymnastics 5th Annual World Masters Gymnastics Championships, which really just means they give out beer as a prize--details here.

Gymnastics Injury Data http://www.gymnasticsinjurydata.com/

131: A New Hope Jan 07, 2015

Show notes

In the news, Jessica, Uncle Tim and Evan chat about:

The freshly made senior elites, why we are excited about them, from Nia Dennis (USA) and Ryannon Jones (GB) to Flavia Saraiva (BR). (7:30)
The best thing about new gymternet sweetheart Ksenia Klimenko's beam video, aside from her gymnastics; the gong show.
Evan reports in from the first and most mind blowing NCAA meet of the year so far; at the NorCal Classic where Cal won and Stanford came in fourth. Elizabeth Price murdered the vault, Taylor Rice made us imagine her beating Britney Spears down with a glittery hammer while Indian Princess, Kalliah McCartney, strummed at our heart strings with her tall-is-gorgeous-ness. (16:30)
Evan predicts the eventual rise to power of Cal's new competitor, Toni Ann Williams, the owner of a double front dismount on beam.
NCAA season means we get to see our favorite elites in a whole new light. Find out who we are most excited to see - hint it's Captain Canada for Jessica. (35:00)
What should the best qualities be in an adult gymnastics coach? We have the example by way of an unusual ballet teacher.

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

Aliya Mustafina is now working with Denis Ablyzian's coach at a primarily male gym. (44:50)
Uncle Tim reviews Shawn Johnson to find out what makes her taco pie pop on Celebrity Apprentice.
USAG gifts us a video view of Simone Biles and her new Aliya bar dismount.
Roxana Popa was competing with a torn ACL.
Adrianna Kenebrew can do beam and squat-ons even though she's legally blind - what's your excuse grown ups?! Time for adult gymnastics for everyone!
Shilese Jones is the newest immigrant to Buckeye Gymnastics with Gabrielle Douglas and Nia Dennis.
Katelyn Ohashi announces her return to competition at Texas Prime as a level 10, but at age 17 why hasn't she committed to college yet?
The Olympics official add "sexual orientation" to Principle 6 of the charter. Should the FIG follow suit and ban meets in countries with anti-gay laws on the books?

Kenzo is doing a triple-double laid out! Koji Uematsu posted an Instragram video of his piked Kovacs, tucked kovacs, Kolman, Gaylord II! Not human!

Kalliah McCartney is our gymnastics goddess of the week. The Sacramento State junior is 5' 7" tall (normal human size), went to Naydenov Gymnastics (just like 2014 Secret Classic champ Jordan Chiles), and if that wasn't enough, she is the decedent of a Native American princess in the Cowlitz tribe! We will be watching the Bulgarian trained mistress of elegance all season long. Expect her to make it to NCAA Championships again this year.

130: Mary Anne Mez Monckton Dec 17, 2014

Show notes

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 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, food report, 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 Glasgow 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.

129: Why Gabby Left Chow (or Chow left Gabby) and Glasgow World Cup Dec 10, 2014

Show notes

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

128: Aly is Back Dec 03, 2014

Show notes

AlyRaisman 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.