Monday, October 27, 2008

Take From This What You Will

The following information was relayed in a recent Anonymous comment (sometimes I wish the blog didn't have this function... sometimes I am thankful and think the blog is a better space for it), don't know precisely who to credit it to so I don't know how legitimate it is. Seems pretty detailed to me but I am happy to accept any clarifications. The views and information expressed within the post do not reflect those upheld by myself or the blog. I thank the source but hope the information is in fact correct and substantiated.

Ashleigh & Lauren going to DTB & Marseille. Lauren to do AA and Ash to do beam and floor. Sore shoulder, so giving it a rest. Britt & Emily to Marseille. Tain was to go, but foot is not 100% yet. Georgia, Shona, Emma declined Marseille, resting and learning new skills. Georgia still has sore ankle, Emma still has sore foot--so both not full training. Shona healthy, looks good. Amber declined Marseille, new skills. Melanie Jones just had shoulder surgery, repaired a slap lesion, should be 12 week recovery. Dasha's ankle still healing. All gymnasts are at camp, all look good physically. Karina Brooks and Chantelle Turnbull are also at this camp, look like they have learned some new skills. GA has issued invitations for an international team to attend nationals in Perth, however no response as of yet. Victor Lutienko has accepted the head coach position at SA. No replacement at VIS, some reshuffling of groups has occured. National clubs is trial for Youth Olympic Festival, so should be well attended for juniors and below. Seniors are all recovering and Ashleigh and Lauren will be just arriving back in Australia after DTB & Marseille, so won't be at National Clubs. 24-2012 age gymnasts and 50-2016 age gymnasts will attend junior camps after the elite portion of National clubs at the AIS gym. National coaches will test skills and have national ranking in December for each age group according to IDEAL skills testing model.

Er... ok. I'll say "Information double plus good. Injury news ungood".

Also:

Svetlana [Sanders], Tiera [Exum] and Zoe [Lorenzin?] are also going to Marseilles so I doubt they will be at National Clubs as it as around the same time but are not going on National team but as VIS team.

Slap lesion!? I think I read about one of those in a book about sea monsters somewhere...

Oh, the huge manitee!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sweet post Mez...thanks for letting us know this top secret info :) I love juicy stuff like this, even if it is not all true, it's so complex and lengthy I get a bit excited! It's great to hear such news!

Brinds

Anonymous said...

I must say that I am a little concerned about the large amount of private, personal and sensitive information that has been delivered here.

Please remember that this is a completely open forum and our competitors (ie. other countries) can actually READ. Having them know everything about what we are about (whether it is accurate or not) makes it more difficult to be strategically ahead!

Also, there is a great deal of personal, private medical information outlined here...is that wise or ethical from a supporter of these wonderful young women?

I am usually a fan, but this may have crossed the line! Sorry...

Mez said...

Hm... well, several gymnasts post videos of themselves in training on YouTube. Magazines will post articles from visits to gyms, or ask the gymnasts what upgrades they're working on. That's probably going to inform other countries about what you're up to more than sketchy observations on a blog. There wasn't anything in this post about confirmed upgrades or particular objectives (eg "We're specifically going to be having these girls do these skills to challenge these overseas competitors on these apparatus"). All it says strategy-wise is who's going to which competitions and who is not. I think your first point is a little misdirected but I respect that you took the time to make it.

The person that posted the information originally says they gleaned the information what from what they saw and heard at the AIS (behind closed doors? In the public viewing area? On the training floor? No idea). I have said that I am happy to clarify any information that is incorrect, and furthermore I will say that I am willing to remove anything that an involved party (cf. the person it is about) objects to; I of course have no means of contacting them first and saying "Is it ok that I write that somebody reported that you're injured?"

If someone has picked up on the fact that a gymnast is still injured, or won't be going to a competition, or isn't doing full training, either way that's going to show itself in the gymnast's absence from the competition, or the gymnast sitting off to the side in traning, or wearing a bandgage... that is to say, the fact will have some physical manifestation eventually. So even if it is or isn't claimed here, at some point it will be shown to be true or untrue in some other, more concrete, way.

I respect that you spoke up about what was posted. But I admit that I object to your use of the term 'sensitive' information. I always stand by my commitment not to accept, publish or circulate information taken from a gymnast's personal spaces and networks (including but not limited to MySpace/Facebook/medical records/file at gym/their actual property), or information about their personal family or friendship circumstances. In short - it is their gymnastics role that is discussed here. The sources I use (for photos or information) are public, legal and GA (or other gym body)-approved or gymnast-approved. I would never accept, discuss or consider myself privvy to, personal information about the gymnast's emotional state or actions with regards to family/friendship situations, coaching conflicts or competition procedures. Unless I was contacted by a gymnasts who said, 'Look, I want to give my side of the story on this particular issue/event', I won't be going all celebrity-gossip-column-shi*t-stirring in your faces.

I do not consider what was posted by Anon as slanderous, libellious, insulting or illegal. I valued their input as much as I have valued any information given to me by sources, but certainly not in a greedily-rub-my-hands-in-gossip-mongering-glee kind of way.

I felt that it in some way informed people who had questions that they wanted answers. This Anon could be a coach or GA employee, they might not be.

I have as much a way of knowing as anybody else here does.

Anonymous said...

Geez, this is hardly 'sensitive' information.

I doubt 'other countries' are all that concerned 2 months after the Olympics and a year before the next major event about some random upgrades or injuries.

And everyone knew about most of those injuries anyway. It's no secret about Dasha's ankle, nor Emma and Tain's injuries. Anyone could walk into the AIS public gallery and see anyway.

I know that Mez and others who read and supply this blog with info only have the girls' best interests at heart and wouldn't post the info if they truly thought it was an invasion of privacy.

Anonymous said...

Does your poster know who the 24 2012 gymnasts going to camp are?

Anonymous said...

VHPC has a photo up titled 2010 Development Squad. Not sure if this is the same group or not.
They have labled Tierra, Zoe, Svetlana and Britt and I can see Emma Collister and Angela Donald but if someone has excellent eye, we could pick the others.