Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner guest star on "Make it or Break it"

Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner guest starred on Monday's episode of "Make it or Break it!" So far, they've featured Nastia Liukin and Bela Karolyi, as well as Carly Patterson's floor music on the show.

If you missed the episode, you can catch it on Hulu.com or ABCfamily.com. The episode is 2x20, and it's called "Worlds Apart." The girls compete at World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and of course there is a lot of other drama with boys, teammates, parents, the whole bit. Nadia and Bart's roles are as commentators, where they both seem to feel very natural! It's a fun episode, so don't miss it!

Magnificent 7 Documentary

I wanted to share with you guys a fantastic Magnificent 7 Documentary that tells the story of the '96 women's Olympic gymnastics team and the journey they took towards a team win. I am posting the first 10 minute segment. It's a five-part doc, and you can follow the related videos in the sidebar to see the whole thing. Why this documentary was aired on the Game Show Network, I have no idea, but it's quite interesting nonetheless and gives a real picture of how much these girls and their families sacrificed and how hard they worked for their Olympic dream. If you care to discuss it or have opinions you want to share, please post comments! Enjoy!

Gymnastics Movies and Books

Just thought I'd point you guys towards some books and movies about gymnastics that you might be interested in! Unfortunately you don't see gymnastics in the media too much, but I have found a few things I enjoyed.

My FAVORITE gymnastics book is called "Gymnastics: The Trials, The Triumphs, The Truth" by a guy named Dan Gutman. I have loved this book since I was a little girl. There are a few bios in there of famous gymnasts, both men and women, of the past. It provides general descriptions of all the events and has a "gym talk" vocabulary section, which is pretty funny :) It also talks about some of the down-sides of the sport, like some occurrences of eating disorders in elite gymnasts. My favorite part about the book is the stories/biographies of Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut and their journeys in gymnastics!

There is a movie called "Nadia" that also gives an overview of Nadia Comaneci's life, being trained by Bela Karolyi in Romania and reaching success at a young age. It's a little corny but VERY interesting and definitely worth a view, in my opinion. It gives you some insight into her life, and you learn that she had to overcome many obstacles. You may be able to find this at a library, but you might need to do some searching. I also know that is available on VHS from Amazon.

Another is a Lifetime movie called "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" about a gymnast who moves from her more fun, relaxed gym to a very serious gym to follow her elite dreams. The movie deviates a little bit from the real world of gymnastics (ex: at the meets, the gymnasts compete with spotlights moving all around them. It's just little things like that), but if you're willing to look past that I think it's a worthwhile film.

This next one I would direct both to you as gymnasts as well as to your parents. It's called "Gymnastics" from the Sport Psychology Library. I have not read it myself but have heard it's immensely helpful in giving insight on how to overcome the mental obstacles that gymnastics presents.

Then, of course, we've got "Stick It" and "Make it or Break it" :)

Who knows, maybe I'll write a gymnastics novel someday. But only if all my blog readers promise to read it and pretend like they like it :D

Poll: Name One Skill You're Working on Now

Name ONE skill you're working on right now in the gym, and I will in turn provide you with ONE tip for successfully learning that skill. :)

Gymnastics Camps

The following is a list of some of the best-know and most reputable summer gymnastics camps in the US. I've compiled some of the basic information by looking at the camps' respective websites. Seek out those sites for more information.

International Gymnastics Camp (IGC) -
Location: Pennsylvania
Ages: 7-17 (co-ed)
This camp offers week-long sessions throughout the summer for gymnasts beginner to advanced. They, like most camps, offer other general camp activities like a climbing wall. They've got a great staff of elite coaches, National champs, and Olympic gymnasts. This summer they've had a lot of Olympian visitors, including Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel, Paul Hamm, etc. The facilities are very conducive to learning; they have five different gyms - an Olympic gym, a beam gym, an uneven bars gym, a vault gym, and a dance gym. As far as training facility goes, I think ICG wins.

Lake Owen Camp -
Location: Wisconsin
Levels: Boys and girls, levels 1-10 and elite.
Lake Owen is a fun place with a lot of great coaches. They have clinicians who are All Americans, National Champions, International Competitors, Judges and Olympians, and they have a lot of college coaches there as well. Like IGC, Lake Owen has Olympian visitors, and in the past have had Carly Patterson, Dominique Moceanu, Shannon Miller, and Kim Zmeskal. They have a floor gym which includes beams, pits, and vault tables, and they also have a separate bar gym. All their facilities have the best equipment available. At the end of the week, this camp has an exhibition where parents and friends can watch what the gymnasts have learned over the course of the camp session. One of the unique things about this camp is that they have really fun recreational activities. They have one of those giant blob that you can bounce on into the lake, as well as tubing, skiing, and a ropes course.

Camp Woodward -
Location: Pennsylvania
Co-ed. Gymnasts are grouped by age and ability.
This camp has special guests each summer, including US Olympians, International Olympic medalists, National teams from many countries, and coaches from the US National team and many Universities. This summer they've been visited by Bridget Sloan, Sam Peszek, Svetlana Boguinskia, Courtney Kupets, Courtney McCool, and tons more. The facility includes a beam gym, a pit gym, and a fully-equipped open gym that's available for 4.5 extra hours of practice for kids who want a little extra gym time. They also have a separate men's gym. There is also a Woodward West located in California that opened in 2003. It also has a gymnastics camp for kids 7-17.

Karolyi Camp -
Location: Texas
Ages: 7+
This camp was established by and is directed by Bela and Marta Karolyi. This camp actually offers some of the most reasonable rates, as far as gymnastics camps go - about half the cost of the others, which is a definite plus. They have a 25,000 sq. ft. gymnastics complex. Not much information is available online about the equipment but I would assume that the Karolyis provide nothing but the best, especially considering this is the USA National team's training center. Other than gymnastics, a bunch of other activities are available. They have an Olympic sized swimming pool, a petting zoo, and a lake for boating, as well as horseback riding, basketball, tennis, and other activities.

There are, of course, many smaller camps in different states like YMCA camps, so if none of these camps are in your area or if you're not willing to travel, a Google search should be good to help you find something that's more convenient for you. These are just some of the most notable camps in the country. I hope you find the right summer camp for you or your kids!

List of Compulsory Gymnastics Skills

This is an alphabetical list of COMPULSORY SKILLS only (by request). Bracketed is the abbreviation for the event(s) that skill is used on in levels 5 and 6. If you have questions on any of these moves, or on any other higher-level moves that I may not have listed, feel free to ask in a comment!

Aerial cartwheel [FX]
Baby giant [UB]
Backbend [FX]
Back handspring [FX]
Back hip circle [UB]
Back extension roll [FX]
Back tuck [FX]
Back walkover [FX,BB]
Cartwheel [FX,BB]
Cast [UB]
Cast to handstand [UB]
Clear hip circle (AKA free hip circle) [UB]
Dive roll [FX]
Front... Blah blah, all the same as the "back" skills.
Flyaway [UB]
Full turn [FX,BB]
Handstand [FX,BB]
Handspring vault [V]
Kip [UB]
Long-hang kip [UB]
Pivot turn [BB]
Roundoff [FX]
Scale [FX,BB]
Split jump [FX,BB]
Split leap [FX,BB]
Squat on [UB]
Straddle jump [FX]
Tap swing [UB]
Tuck jump [FX,BB]
Undershoot [UB]
Wendy (dismount) [BB]

A Gymnastics Poem, for Inspiration

Patience is a man's greatest virtue,
Or so the saying goes.
A gymnast must've said it
For a gymnast surely knows

That in this funny sport of ours
Discouragement runs high,
And at times the very best will find
This virtue has passed us by.

When hands are ripped and throbbing,
When every muscle is sore
Can a gymnast have the patience
To limp back in for more?

When you've lost moves you used to do
And progress seems so slow
Can you have faith in better days,
And not feel sad and low?

Can you admit you're frightened,
Yet not give in to fear?
Can you conquer pain, frustration,
And often even tears?

When someone else does something
You've tried so long to do
Can you really feel glad to her,
Or just pity for you?

And when success feels far away,
Your efforts all in vain,
Can you force yourself to wear a smile
And disregard the pain?

If despite the tribulations,
You can say, "I won't give in."
Maybe someday you'll discover
That it is your time to win!

-Anonymous

The Road to Elite Gymnastics

There are a lot of questions about the path to becoming an elite, and that's probably due to the fact that that path changes all the time; just about every time the Elite Committees meet, something is changed. It keeps us on our toes, as gymnasts or gym parents, that's for sure. So as of July 2010, I'd like to give you a brief overview of the progression of a gymnast to elite status.

There are a few different ways gymnasts can go with this. One is with the J.O. (Junior Olympic) program. This is the level 4 - 10 program that a lot of you are probably familiar with. For gymnasts who have their sights set on the world stage from the beginning, this is not a popular option, but it is the option that your average USAG competitive gymnast takes. It is the path I took, along with the TOPs program which we'll get to later. The purpose of the J.O. program is to give the gymnasts experience in meets and to move forward in the sport at a steady pace (this is what I was talking about earlier, when I said most gymnasts take one year per competitive level).

A separate program is the TOPs program. TOPs is a program for young gymnasts, ages 7-11, who have the strength, agility, and flexibility it takes to potentially learn elite-level skills. They are tested less on actual gymnastics moves (such as back handsprings, vaults, etc.) and more on their strength and other attributes that are important in high-level gymnastics. While TOPs is not required of gymnasts who want to test into elite, it does emphasize the abilities elite gymnasts need to have and can be play important role in training for the elite level.

Finally, you have the Elite programs. Gymnasts have to test into the elite program by their scores in an elite qualifier meet. You've probably heard of the two classifications of elite gymnasts: Juniors and Seniors. This has nothing to do with skill, but with age. Junior Elites are between 11 and 15, and Senior Elites are 16 and up. When gymnasts first test into the elite level, they are classified as National Elites, and then have the opportunity at various Elite meets to qualify as International Elites. As you guys know, there are age restrictions at the Olympics, so only Senior Elites can compete at Worlds and in the Olympic Games.

Something relatively new in gymnastics is the Hopes program, for 10- to 12-year-old pre-elite gymnasts. Gymnasts must test into this division at a Hopes qualifier.

So there you go, gymnastics lovers. These are just a few of the ways that gymnasts can reach their elite dreams. However, there's a lot more to this stuff than I can't begin to understand. I've given you a brief (well, somewhat brief) overview of the information I gathered from gymnasticszone.com. If you would like to read the full answer that includes all this information and more, check out http://gymnasticszone.com/EliteProgression.htm

So you think you're too old to start gymnastics?

Q: Am I too old to start gymnastics now?

So maybe it wouldn't be the best idea for my 80-year-old grandmother to get involved in gymnastics... But too many of you out there worry about being "too old." If you are 13, 14, 15, or even 20, you are NOT too old to get into recreational gymnastics classes. I REPEAT: You are NOT too old! You may be older than the other kids in your class, but don't let that hold you back. The gym I used to go to held adult (18+) recreational gymnastics classes once or twice a week for people who decided a little later on that they wanted to try out the sport, and they all had a great time. Just because you're a little older doesn't mean that you can't be successful and enjoy the sport. Sure, you probably won't be an Olympian or even a level 7, but who cares! Do what you love, no matter what. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to get involved in this sport. If nothing else, it will earn you a great work ethic, a new leotard, and some wonderful friends.