GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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Episode 122: Team Finals at the 2014 World Championships Oct 10, 2014

Show notes

Our full recap of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championship men's and women's team finals from Nanning, China.

Graphic Design by MegTwelve. Visit her store at http://twelvestore.bigcartel.com

Our coverage of the 2014 Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China continues. Jessica, Uncle Tim and Lauren Hopkins cover the men's and women's team finals:

Gabby Jupp redeems herself and Jessica apologizes for confusing Hannah Whelan and Ruby Harold!
Sexy Data about the men's start values and execution.
The Japan vs. China team men's team final controversy-- is it worth discussing and is it different from any other sport?
Olivia Vivian and her beer cozy wrist band to honor her father.
The best routines of team finals.
The fluidity and O'Beirne Code approved brilliance of Japan's beam routine composition.
The reason the Chinese women lost the world championship -- they didn't use Bai Yawen in finals!
The leadership and patience with which Aliya Mustafina and Larissa lordache lead their teams.
Khorkina's complains about team Russia.
The adorableness of Bai Yawen hugging Mustafina on the podium.
The new trend in men's gymnastics, the comb-over bump it.

Come back Saturday to hear our recap of the women's and men's all around finals.

Lauren Hopkins is head honcho over at The Gymternet. Uncle Tim puts data miners to shame on Uncle Tim Talks Men's Gym. Find inspiration for your adult gymnastics career at Masters Gymnastics.

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

Nanning TV is showing a live stream and has very entertaining behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. No Chinese language knowledge necessary! Check it out here http://www.nntv.cn/live/nntv_gg/Check out the video grid of routines from Worlds http://thegymter.net/2014/10/05/worlds-qualification-videos-running-master-list/

121: Qualifications Recap from the 2014 World Championships Oct 07, 2014

Show notes

Bai Yawen (China) kicks major booty on beam at Worlds in her hometown!

Coverage of the World Championships with a recap of the men's and women's qualifying rounds from Nanning, China. Jessica, Coach Rick, Lauren Hopkins and Spanny Tampson chat about:

Mr. Miguel Zapata of Spain, winning fans worldwide.
New Zealand's Anna Tempero.
Whittenburg didn't make vault finals, but Re Se Gwang did it with no legs.
Aimee Boorman calls out International Gymnast magazine.
Romania's deep troubles.
Diego Hypolito, the veteran cannot be denied!
Skinner, so so so consistant
Simone has cast a happy spell on everyone at the World Championships.
Newcomers everyone is talking about: Nile Wilson and Bai Yawen's bow.
The status of the Azerbaijan experiment.
Oleg Vernaiev! Finally! Or Uncle Tim may have had a stroke.
Score changes made overnight on the FIG website.
Celebrity couple nicknames we need for skills competed by two gymnasts at the same Worlds

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

Nanning TV is showing a live stream and has very entertaining behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. No Chinese language knowledge necessary! Check it out here http://www.nntv.cn/live/nntv_gg/

Nanning TV shenanigans.

120: The World Championships Preview Show Oct 01, 2014

Show notes

Larisa Iordache, Simone Biles, Kyla Ross and Aliya Mustafina battle it out in Nanning, China! Illustration curtesy of The Magnificent "USA, Russia & Romania"

CODE FOR LIBSYNC HERE It's our annual World Championships preview show! Jessica, Uncle Tim and Evan chat about:

What these championships mean for the Olympic Games in Rio.
Our picks for top contenders and dark horses for every event final and medal (except rings and pommel horse because those events are only exciting in finals).
Who will the US put up in beam finals?!
How will Sosnitskay's Cheng help the Russian team.
Will Tatiana Nabieva and Biles burn the floor down with their collective sass at the post-meet banquet?
Will Chusovitina win another vault medal at age 39?
If this US men don't win a medal, will there be a shakeup at USAG?
Can Japan upset the Chinese men at home!?
The fan favorites you need to watch; the one's who will win the crowd, even if they don't win medals.
How to watch podium training and the qualifying rounds (select teams only) for free from anywhere in the world

And here are the latest news stories we cover this week from around the gymternet:

Precision Choreography adds another legend to their roster
Katelyn Ohashi is back on beam with a full.
Sarah Finnegan does a double side flip.
Marcel Nguyen is out with a torn ACL but his YouTube diaries are keeping us happy.
Dutch gymnasts star in a pole dancing television contest.
The latest episode of The Hard Way to Success is on the Downie sisters.

If you aren't in the United States, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like TunnelBear or Hola to watch podium training and the qualification rounds being broadcast by USA Gymnastics at USAGymWorlds.com

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

119: How to Watch Nanning Podium Training and The Tumble Finale Recap Sep 29, 2014

Show notes

Our recap of the Tumble Finale

This week Scott Bregman, Director of Content and Communications for USA Gymnastics joins us to talk about live coverage direct from the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. Then in the official unofficial podcast of BBC One's Tumble recap, Emma and Jessica chat about:

Which celebrities and gymnasts we'd like to see on the next season of Tumble.
The alleged sex tape of Louis Smith that doesn’t exist.
Nadia performing for the first time in 20 years!
Host Alex cutting off a judge AGAIN!
Our favorite moments from the show.
The Bobby and Kristin romance that we haven't recovered from.

Here is the full schedule of the the live (if all goes well) broadcast from Nanning.

Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like TunnelBear to watch podium training and the qualification rounds being broadcast by USA Gymnastics at USAGymWorlds.com

Find an adult gymnastics program in the US on Jessica’s website masters-gymnastics.com. Or discover the gymnastics program that’s right for you with a video introduction to all of the different disciplines of the sport.

Find out more about BBC One’s Tumble on the official website. Watch routines on the BBC One YouTube Channel.

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

118: Pan American Championships and the American Men at US Championships Sep 22, 2014

Show notes

This week on GymCastic, it's raining men.

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

The triumphant return of CUBA (WAG 4th place team) and how much we want Yesenia Ferrera and Manrique Larduet to defect too!
Marvin "The Hot Mess of Unlimited Potential" Kimble
Comparing the US men's scores at the national championships to the rest of the world (see chart below)
How we felt about the US men's team selection process
Pan American Championships: the good, the bad and the injuries (Maggie Nichols, noooo!!!)
Yamilet Peña and the tale of the sliding sting mat
Marta gives advice to parents and Arthur Zanetti loves to take pictures with Cordelia
Sexy Data: How did Pan Am Championship scores compare to P&G Championships for the US women
How the performance of the US women at Pan Am's effected their positions for the world team
We lament the loss of thrown back artistry from our beloved, Tomás "Porn Stach" González
How Donell Whittenburg stole the show at P&G Championships

How competitive was the men's competition at the Pan American Championships? This chart shows the top men's all-around scores for the qualification rounds at each competition. Pan Am's for men were more competitive than Commonwealths, about equal to Europeans, but not as competitive as Worlds. Compiled by Cordelia Price.

Apply for tickets to the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto here.

Jessica Lopez (L to R), Mykayla Skinner and Yesenia Ferrera of Cuba.

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

117: Youth Olympic Games, Romanian, Russian and Novara Cup Sep 17, 2014

Show notes

The Youth Olympic Games artistic gymnastics champions.

This week Bea, Blythe, Emma and Jessica chat about:

Romanian Nationals
- Could Larisa Iordache have a higher difficulty value at Worlds than Simone Biles?
- Jessica picks her new junior superstar: Andreea Iridon.
- The state of the Romanian World Team and the dreaded (for the seniors) bars.
The Swiss, Romanian, Germany Friendly meet
- An update on Swiss stalwart, Gulia Steinbruger.
- Germany's steller bar workers are getting it done!
Youth Olympic Games
- The most overwhelming display of affection and sportsmanship we've ever seen in the history of gymnastics.
- The educational component of the YOG that none of us knew about!
- Becky Downie pushing her coach away from the camera to stop from dying of teenage embarrassment.
- Vault final was won by a Chinese gymnast, Wang Yan with a big 14.783
- Giarnni Regini-Moran, another sign of the next super power is British Gymnastics.
Novara Cup
- The fan insanity/zero security for athletes at Italian gymnastics meets.
- The return of veterans, Joana Adlerteg (SWE) and Julie Crocket (BEL).
Russian Cup
- The return of Victoria Komova on bars from her growth spurt and injury.
- Aliya Mustafina is back, with a vengence!
- The glorious zero-craps-given attitude of Tatiana Nabiyeva.
Sandra Isbasa to do Romanian Dancing With The Stars.

Get more from Bea over at The Couch Gymnast.

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

116: Louis Smith, Amelle and David Roy Wood Sep 13, 2014

Show notes

This week's interviews are with: Amelle Berrabah, shown here with her pro partner, sports acro world champion, Doug Fordyce; Louis Smith who gives us the deets on his Euros disappointment; and Amelle's coach David-Roy Wood who talks about what he learned from, no biggie, Nadia.

It's interview-o-rama today on the show! Louis Smith is here to answer your Book Club questions. Amelle Berrabah, the British singer and finalist on BBC One's gymnastics tv show, Tumble, is here with her coach David-Roy Wood (who also coaches Princess Catherine). And by the way, Amelle is going to continue with adult gymnastics when the show is over because she loves the fitness results she's achieved during training! To conclude, Jessica and Emma recap Tumble episode 5 before the big finale on Saturday where NADIA WILL BE PERFORMING!

Louis Smith tells us:
- If he was every suspicious of his dad's motives when he came back into his life.
- Exactly why he was so upset about not being named to the GB squad for Europeans and how he thinks it should have been handled.
- If there is any truth to the Lucy Mecklenberg romance rumors
- How he concentrated on training with Lisa Mason and Rochelle Douglas in the same gym and advice for asking out a teammate.
- What he would change about Tumble for next season.
Amelle and Dave tell us:
- What they learned from Nadia's surprise visit to their balance beam training session.
- About the training schedule and pressures of Tumble.
- Overcoming fear and doubt when there are millions of people watching.

Find out more about BBC One’s Tumble on the official website. Watch full episodes on the BBC One YouTube Channel.

If you are outside of the UK and want to watch Tumble on BBC One, you can use FreeTVCafe.net here. Use at your own risk. There are a ton of play buttons that will automatically download crap onto your computer. Be extremely careful not to click on an advertisement. Less risky is using a VPN like TunnelBear, Zenmate, GetUsVPN.

115: Kenzo Shirai Sep 10, 2014

Show notes

2013 Floor World Champ, Kenzo Shirai of Japan

Kenzo "The Prodigy" "Quad King" Shirai of Japan is here! The 2013 World Champion on floor, who did the quad as his last pass (because he's that good), chats with Jessica about:

Upgrades on high bar
How he learned the quad
His challenge for the US team at Worlds
His favorite American gymnast.
His advice for Aly Raisman on how to master the quad twist.

Special thanks to our interpreter, Sho Nakamori!

Follow Kenzo on Twitter here.

Kenzo Shirai showing his absolutely perfect twisting form.

In case you missed it, click on the photo below to see Christy Linder's photo gallery from P&G Championships.

Click on Simone Biles cringing photo to see the full gallery.

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

114: Fallout From Gymnastike's Handling of Maroney Hack, plus a Tumble Recap Sep 03, 2014

Show notes

This week, Jessica, Olympian Jenni Pinches, and Emma Bailey chat about the latest gymternet controversy and BBC One's Tumble episodes three and four:

News broke over Labor Day weekend that a hack took place that exposed racy photos of several celebrities and athletes, including McKayla Maroney. We discuss how the gymternet has responded--specifically how Gymnastike and parent company Flocast, handled the news--and the backlash they have received.
How much Jessica loves coach, Katie Richards from Heathrow who presents stickers for goals met and gives exactly zero craps about the feelings of wimps.
Was it fair that this week the celebrities didn't have to use real rhythmic equipment?
All trampolines should be covered with rose petals from now on.
The awkward sexual innuendo moment between Louis Smith and host, Alex.
The magic Dave-Roy Wood must be working on Amelle because she hasn't developed any mental blocks after a terrifying crash!
How to avoid accidental choking when attempting rhythmic gymnastics.
Behind the scenes scoop from Emma and Jenni who were in the studio.

Read Jenni's thoughts on Tumble and more on her blog or Twitter. Emma is on Twitter and blogs about her gym nerd here. Danusia Francis has been blogging about Tumble on her blog as well. Check out all of Emma’s nerdtastic adventures in gymnastics fandom at MoominWhiskey Meets.

Find out more about BBC One’s Tumble on the official website. Watch full episodes on the BBC One YouTube Channel.

How we all felt when Nadia saved Lucy.

Watch this week's playlist on YouTube here.

113: Junior and Senior Women's Finals from the 2014 US Championships in Pittsburgh Aug 26, 2014

Show notes

Repeat senior champion, Simone Biles hugs new junior champ, Jazmyn Foberg by Christy Linder.

Today, straight from the P&G Championships in Pittsburgh, Jessica, Lauren, Dvora, Cordelia and Lindsey recap the event and:

Kim Zmeskal tells us about the Hunger Games-themed leotards and the core values of her coaching (interview beigns at the 1:45:35)
The rise of MG Elite, is quite possibly the top junior gymnastics program in the country.
Laurent Landi, coach of Alyssa Baumann and Madison Kocian at WOGA, stopped by the GymCastic studios to give us an injury and goal update on his seniors.
The wise, reliable, Kyla Ross.
Breakout fan favorites, Jordan Chiles, Morgan Hurd, Macy Toronjo, Emily Gaskins, Marissa Oakley, Maile O'Keefe, Jazmyn Foberg, Deane Soza and Alexis Vasquez.
The Uneven Bars Situation: Ashton Locklear, Madison Kocian, Kyla Ross and seemingly fantasy, gym nerd created bar routine of Brenna Dowell.
Would it make any difference to our World and Olympic results if the US ladies went to more World Challenge Cups around the world?
Should USAG President, Steve Penny, revoke the broadcast rights from NBC for showing John Orozco crying in London on the big screen in the arena while John waited to go on pommel horse?
We present the deeply coveted GymCastic Execution and Artistry awards.
Will Simone Biles be the Kohei Uchimora of women's gymnastics?
Missing in action - where was Kyla's coach Howie this weekend?
The MyKayla Skinner factor - she's made huge improvements.

Extra special thanks to the DoubleTree hotel in Pittsburgh for finding a great room for the podcast and feeding us warm cookies to sustain our recording long into the night!

Results from the 2014 US Championships here.