Sunday, July 25, 2010

Blog Voyage

Probably should have raised this sooner...


On Wednesday, I am heading off on an 18-day tour around Asia. I probably won't be utilising internet access although, if I do, it won't be for blog updating.

If you're looking for a good place for further discussion as various events unfold (I'm pretty sure I'll be missing the Youth Olympic Games?), don't forget that the Worldwide Gym Forum (www.wwgym.com/forum) has a dedicated sub-forum for Australian content.

The latest news I have on hand to satisfy your appetites while I am gone is that the draw for the Rotterdam Worlds has taken place!

Australia's WAG team will compete in subdivision 5 of 12 alongside Denmark, Greece and one of the mixed groups.

Australia's MAG team will compete in subdivision 5 of 10 alongside Belarus, Bulgaria, Portugal, the USA and a mixed group.


So enjoy any news and gossip as it breaks.

Unfortunately, I can't bring you all back batik headscarves (much as I would like to).


Stay cool, cuddly wombats. Chat soon.

(I'll leave you with the following discovery)


135 comments:

Anonymous said...

stay safe and have fun!

Anonymous said...

Have a great time Mez!

Brinds

Anonymous said...

Have fun Mez!

Robin said...

Mez, have a fabulous time!

Anonymous said...

Following wins at the ANNC International Championship and FIG World Series Final (USA) on the weekend Kieran is now ranked 1st in the World creating history for Australia.

Kieran Gorman qualified in second place for both events with room for improvement. In the finals Gorman performed an outstanding routine to secure first place in both events held in Las Vegas 20-24 July 2010.

Winning these events and combined with his winning results in previous 2010 World Series events Kieran was awarded the World Series 2010 Championship trophy . This officially confirmed Gorman as the World number one ranked Senior Male Aerobic athlete. This is the first time in Australian history that a gymnast has achieved this ranking in any discipline.

Coach Trudi Nurse said 'This is an amazing and historical result, I am so proud of Kieran and his achievements. He is proving himself to be an athlete that dominates all international events. At age 22 Kieran still has the possibility of at least ten more years at this level. He is highly motivated to continue to push the boundaries of our sport. I am just so thrilled for him and Australian gymnastics.'

Kieran is from Western Australia and is a member of Spirit Gymsports where he has been training for more than ten years. In 2004 he won his first major international event and was crowned World Age Champion in his division. In his career he has earnt more than twenty international medals for Australia. This year has been his most successful year ever and he has recently secured sponsorship from McInerney Ford.

Outstanding results were also achieved by WA junior athletes at the competition. Chelsea Carroll (16) won gold in the Age Group 2 category. Carroll defended her 2009 title with the highest junior score ever achieved by an Australian athlete. 'Her routine was her most outstanding performance ever. Chelsea has developed a reputation of not only performing an excellent technical routine but becoming a crowd favourite around the world with her artistic flare.' said Nurse.

Ciaro Leicester (14) competed in the Age Group 1 category and received the silver medal equalling her result in last year's competition. This tops off a great year for Ciaro. Next year she will move into Age Group Category 2 to compete along side team mate Carroll.

The trio of Jazmin Crawford (12), Carissa Curia (10) and Giveney How (12) are the youngest to compete from Australia. They placed second in their division. Nurse said 'I am so pleased for these girls and their amazing result it has been a lot of fun preparing for this event with these girls. We did a lot of early morning training sessions and the girls were always keen and positive, they have an exciting future in Sport Aerobics.' This team is coached by Trudi and Jodie Behan at Spirit Gymsports.

Full results will be available on the Gymnastics Australia website.


Gymnastics Australia Gymsports
Gymsports

Anonymous said...

Have a fun & safe trip Mez! :) We'll miss you.

Bec

Anonymous said...

The above report taken from the Gymnastics WA website. Well done to all concerned.

mistysakura said...

Awesome! Where in Asia are you going? Have a safe trip!

Anonymous said...

Gosh how hard is it for GA to announce the national squads already! hurry up slackers!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if the AIS program is closing down?

Anonymous said...

I highly doubt that they would close the AIS in the Middle of an Oylmpic cycle.

Anonymous said...

I have heard rumours that it was closing. I am looking at coaching options for my daughter and just want to know whether to rule it out or not.

Anonymous said...

Are you located in Canberra? What level is your daughter - perhaps someone can make some suggestions

Anonymous said...

If you are considering AIS for your daughter I would talk to them, not the anonomous posters on here. Having said that, most rumours posted on here have turned out to be at least partially true and the AIS closing it's gym program has been around for a while.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps some anonymous posters can give you info on their experience at another elite club or high performance centre - depends on where you live

Anonymous said...

I know Mez isn't here to help but MLC have announced Stella Savvidou as an MLC gymnast.

I thought she was in NSW?
Has she moved?
Anyone know why?

Anonymous said...

She moved from NSW to AIS for a period. She is now seeing how she like MLC.

Anonymous said...

How is it that MLC know who are on what squads? Do all clubs know and if so can someone PLEASE post the squads up here for the fans.

Anonymous said...

MLC and HPC have both listed their squad girls - so all the institutes and clubs will know who is on the list but the only people that would post it here would be parents

Anonymous said...

Stella was at Bunnerong Gymnastics before going to the Epping YMCA program.

Anonymous said...

This is getting ridiculous. 3 weeks on and they still haven't found the time to post a couple of lists of names! Can anyone please tell us who made the squads for WAG? And who Shona's replacement is for the worlds training camp?

Anonymous said...

well we know from MLC and HPC that Georgia Wheeler, Zoe Lorenzin, Ashleigh Brennan and Brit Greeley are on the Senior squad the rest would have to be Georgia B, Emma D, Lauren, Larissa, Emily, Maryanne and probably Natasha and Georgia S seeings they are on the worlds squad. Maybe Sophie Budack as well hopefully

Anonymous said...

It is clear that all the squad members know and have probably know for a while. I would love to know who is in the olympic squads too.

GA can you please post junior and senior aquad lists.

Anonymous said...

The draw is out for YOG. Angela is in Subdivision 2 with Japan and China, competing 2nd and starting on Bars. I'm very excited about this comp. I hope she has a great experience.

Anonymous said...

Link to draw http://www.singapore2010.sportcentric.com/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,5240-202320-219543-nav-list,00.html

Anonymous said...

WOMENS ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
2010/2011 NATIONAL SQUADS
----------------------------
SNR NATIONAL
G. Bonora*
A. Brennan*
S. Budack
E. Dennis*
B. Greeley*
N. Hammann
E. Little*
Z. Lorenzin
L. Miller*
L. Mitchell*
M. Monckton*
G. Simpson
G. Wheeler*
*SNR AIS/GA OLYMPIC SQUAD MEMBER

JNR NATIONAL
G-R. BROWN*
N. CHUNG*
S-L. CLARK
A. COONEY
E. COLLISTER*
A. DONALD*
T. EXUM
L. HINGSTON
N. JOURA*
A. KING KOI*
A. KITTL
C. O'DONNELL
A. McGRATH*
E. NEDOV*
S. SANDERS*
K. WURTH*
*JNR AIS/GA OLYMPIC SQUAD MEMBER

Anonymous said...

Thankyou

Anonymous said...

Where did that information come from? Why don't GA have it up?
There are only 9 Snrs named in the AIS/GA squad, is'nt it normally 10?

Anonymous said...

The olympic squad is only until the end of the year it will change again after National clubs

Anonymous said...

thank you to who ever it was who gave us the lists. maybe it was someone from ga? I think the olympic squads can have up to ten in them. i thinkk it can be less

Anonymous said...

ZOe removed from olympic squad?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know who the reserve for the Youth Olympics is?

Anonymous said...

They announced the youth olympics rep at nationals and no reserve was mentioned. Maybe there isn't one.

Anonymous said...

zoe hasn't competed for a year - she is still on the National squad so she'll probably go back once she competes

Anonymous said...

I assume there probably isnt s reserve for the Youth Olympics. There is no team, only individuals.

Anonymous said...

for Australia ayway

Anonymous said...

I'm sure there will be someone that they will send if Angela gets injured.

Anonymous said...

Yeah but maybe theu haven't decided who it is yet.

Anonymous said...

Says this in selection criteria:

Gymnastics Australia will identify one (1) femail (yes, they actually spelt it this way!) athlete as a non-travelling
individual reserve who satisfies the eligibility and nomination criteria as
stated in Section 1 and 4.

Anonymous said...

I assumed that if there was a reserve it would have been announced at nationals but maybe that isn't the case. I am not sure who they would pick so hopefully Angela doesn't get injured.

Anonymous said...

Youth Olympics is shaping up to be a bit of a ridiculous and poorly-planned event anyway. Great opportunity for Angela to get some experience, but otherwise.... meh.

Anonymous said...

Why do you say that, Anon @ 2.26?

Anonymous said...

Competition organised by the IOC and the FIG together with the Singapore organising committee.

42 of the best junior gymnasts, competing in the MG and WG comps from every continental federation.

Compare this to our own very successful Youth Olympic Games held every 2 years at Homebush.

Anonymous said...

From what I have heard the Youth Olympics isn't turning out as it was initially planned.
The US isn't sending a female gymnast. I not sure if other countries are doing the same.

Anonymous said...

These are the countries that are going. As far as i know only the US did not put up a qualifier. They weren't happy with the original coaching position which stated that only one coach would go for MG and WG but that has since changed.
http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5187-188043-19728-44766-307524-18047-5233-layout188-205265-news-item,00.html

Anonymous said...

I don't think the YOG will be a disaster just because the USA are failing to send a representative.

Komova from Russia is coming! She alone will make this a great comp. Adding in Tan Sixin from China, Sasada, etc (and of couse, Angela!)...it should be amazing!

And it will be on TV! Free-to-air, no less!

Personally, I am REALLY looking forward to this one.

:D

Anonymous said...

I didn't know Komova was going, that is great. It sounds like most countries are taking it seriously.

Anonymous said...

It's going to be on free to air tv? Really? As in channels 2, 7, 9 or 10? Not OneHD or something?

Or did you mean free to air DIGITAl tv?

Anonymous said...

Youth Olympics will be on Foxtel and GO! (Channel 9's digital channel).

Anonymous said...

Anyone know what vault Angela will be competing? She is so good on the other events, it would be good if she had at least a yurchenko full to give herself a good chance in the All around.

Anonymous said...

If your package with Foxtel includes the sports channels, you will have access to the special designated Youth Olympics channel :) It will be listed now under your sports channel options from your menu options.

Becka

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I was the Anon at 2.26. My take is that the YOG was supposed to promote the Olympic movement to young people who are increasingly a) shifting attention from olympic sports to more extreme sports or b) glued to the couch playing computer games. But the YOG isn't going to garner the attention of anybody who wouldn't be paying attention to the Olympics, and the participants involved are already aiming for the Olympics anyway. Really, it seems like it will simply be a poor man's Olympics for teenagers, and I'm willing to bet the entire concept will be a money pit that gets scrapped after one or two goes.

The gymnastics competition itself... well, one gymnast per country? With one coach over two completely different disciplines (I know that got changed, but only because the USA made a fuss about it)? And the 'age limit' consists of a lottery where you have to luck into being born in 1995? It will be a fun competition to follow, if only for seeing girls like Komova who have the entire gym world talking but it could have been awesome. They messed it up with too many random rules.

Having said that, it's an experience of a lifetime for Angela, who missed out on Commonwealths because of another ridiculous rule, so I hope she gets the most out of it. I think she'll be gaining a few new fans!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your thoughts, Anon. I see where you are coming from now. Hopefully it will well enough that the organisers will wish to increase the number of competitors next year, and fix a few of the silly rules.

Myself, I'd love to see the age rules scrapped altogether -- if you are good enough, you are good enough. But that's another debate...

Really looking forward to seeing how Angela performs -- I think she is a real contender for 2012.

:)

Anonymous said...

The Couch Gymnast (link on the right of Mez's blog) has a nice preview of the female gymnasts at YOG.

Anonymous said...

http://www.gymnastics.org.au/?Page=17517

Anonymous said...

OMG. The ais gymnasts and parents have been told that the ais is closing at Christmas.

Anonymous said...

as one of the parents I can say it's true. The whole AIS gymnastic community is devastated and in shock at present

Anonymous said...

Any ideas where people will go? Victoria would be the obvious choice.
What about Valery and Olga????

Anonymous said...

Poor Mary anne, just named in Comm games and worlds squads and now faces changing coaches!

Anonymous said...

Yeah that would be hard, same would go for Ashleigh just named on the national jnr squad, Naomi Lee and Jazz who is National Champion as well. I feel sad for all the girls

Anonymous said...

I would imagine they all have a plan in place as it has been on the cards for a long time. It's been discussed on this board for most of this year, so was pretty much public knowledge. I don't think Peggy would sit back and not advise/consult with the gymnasts and their parents about where they will train.

nade00 said...

It has seemed for a while there are better ways to make use of the resources given they don't have that many athletes anymore.

But I am really sad for the girls and I hope they can find new gyms where they are happy. They are all promising and after their hard work they deserve to be welcomed somewhere else.

Sympathies to the parents also - it must be a bit of a shock seeing the fees you will pay for elite training at private clubs.

Anonymous said...

Does this include the men's program too?

Anonymous said...

yes includes the mens program as well :((

Anonymous said...

nade00,
Not just the fees the whole relocation thing will be challange aswell. Will the other elite clubs except the girls would be a question as well. There standards are differnt and not all the girls may get accepted

Anonymous said...

I would be relocating straight away, not waiting until Christmas.

Anonymous said...

I dont believe its just a matter of packing up and leaving. It doesnt just affect the girls training. It affects their whole families, schooling, housing, training....theres alot of things to take into consideration.

Anonymous said...

anon 4.19
It is as easy as packing up and moving. I think people make it harder than it is when they don't really want to move.
Many families do it all the time, and most of you probably did it when you moved to the AIS in the first place. Once you make the decision to move everything will fall into place.
We moved about two years ago because of my husbands job and once I got over the fact that we had to move it made it easier.
There are many great clubs out there with fantastic coaches, probably better than the AIS coaches in some instances, so just get out there and do it. The quicker you get it organised and move the quicker your family will settle into their new life.

Anonymous said...

It is not quite that easy, your husband had a job that is why you moved..... families can't just pack up and move, we need to find jobs and of course $11,000 that we haven't had to pay for gym fees in the past. It's a lot to ask a family to pick up and move for one daughter... what about the other children.

Anonymous said...

Who pays $11,000 in gym fees? I thought the going rate was about 6 or 7000. Not sure why I thought this though. Wouldn't most of the girls be eligable for some form of fee relief once they are on national squads regardless of where they train?

Anonymous said...

Stop being such sooks.
You have all had a great run in getting free training, free medical, free schooling, free transport, free physiotherapy and free operations for such a long time. I have been paying for my daughters fees for years and years now and never once complained or even thought to complain. Why should our tax payers money go into supporting the AIS gymnasts that have never really had any success anyway. I am over it, as is the rest of the Australian gymnastics community.
Be thankful for what you have had and move on.

Anonymous said...

$11000 is probably closer to the mark than $7000 at most places.
This is a big ask for many families on top of the additional other costs like medical, travel etc.

National squad members receive no fee relief, don't fall into that school of thought, this is an expensive sport unfortunately and I feel for all the families at this time.

Deciding whether to move the whole family for one daughter or send a single daughter out on her own or splitting a family is a big decision, lets hope they get plenty of positive help from GA, AIS and the gaining clubs.

Good luck to each of you

Anonymous said...

I guess it will all depend on individual circumstances. If you look at the girls that are there now it’s mainly ACT and NSW girls. ACT never had a HPC or elite program other than the AIS and NSW only has 2 maybe 3 Elite programs. To ask all those family’s to move to VIC, or QLD or anywhere else is a huge ask. The fact that the AIS supported the NSW girls a lot for whatever reason which now has given them an International gymnast, this decision in the short term will once again leave a huge hole in women’s gymnastics in NSW at this level.

Anonymous said...

I do agree with the last two comments. This has been on the agenda for a while , I'm sure the Families involved have been kept up to date with what was happening and should have been looking at alternatives for thier gymnasts.
All programs differ in what they offer,but it is still very expensive, especially the medical side of things. Welcome to the real world!
On another note, why can't GA get thier act together with thier website! How old are some of the profiles on the Squads they have just put up! Its not fair for the girls to have to have old information up for all to see.

Anonymous said...

yas gym is expensive for us non ais gym families, by the time you factor training, travel for comps, camps, etc. it would be far wiser to distribute the sports commission funding to senior (firstly)and junior (secondly) girls in National squads rather than IDP 6 and 8 girls who could well leave the sport before they have even got to IDP10

Anonymous said...

Anon 8.23am, I completely agree. More financial support for all the girls who make it to the Junior International and Senior International levels and their families would be an excellent idea.

Anonymous said...

@ the Anonymous person who called out the AIS as a bunch sooks. First point is that you had the choice to come to the AIS and experience al,l the perks that they receive.

Get your fact straight aswell, Phil Rizzo 1st Gold Medal Australia has ever produced at a World event, the poor guy has been in the program for 15 years putting his life on hold for the wider Gymnastics community and people like you spitting in his face. is disrespectful to Australian Gymnastics as a whole. This guy was a major breakthrough in Australian Gymnastics and made it seem possible to obtain a high level of acheivement for future gymnasts in this country. WHO HONED HIS SKILLS AT THE AIS CANBERRA AND STILL DOES TO THIS DAY.

The list goes on Josh Jeffries Comm Games Gold Medalist is a AIS gymnast has given up a good few years of his youth to the Australian Gymnastics community.

Both Phil and Josh could have been getting drunk chasing girls and doing all the other stupid s#*t that young men get up to but the prefer to stay disciplined and are really great role models to the Australian community.

Let me move onto the Women's program Mary Ann Monckton Current Silver at AUstralian Nationals and Silver Medalist at the AYOF Hollie Dykes and Naomi Russell Commonwealth Games Medalists. Again great role models who served the Australian Gymnastics community.

So as for results being produced if you look at present Australian Gymnastics History the only people who have won medals at significant events are the following:

- Phil Rizzo
- Josh Jeffires
- Prashanth Sellathurai
- Hollie Dykes
- Monette Russo
- Naomi Russell
- Daria Jura
- Lauren Mitchell

4 out of 8 recent and current acheivers, 50% of recent champions and the highest acheivement's have came out of the AIS Canberra program. That's a pretty good statistic. Plus the rest of the the acheivers come from the AIS Canberra's sister programs WAIS & VAIS except for Prash. So your dumb ass's need to get your facts straight.

What you ignorant people don't realise the move to close the AIS program is going to put us 20 years back. GA wants to put more money in High Performance Clubs, my question is which High Performane Club has taken Australian Gymnastics to the higher levels, they may have Members of Olympic Comm Games and World Champ teams but has a club member produced a significant medal at a world event. Sorry but a club needs all the support and facilities that the AIS provides to produce a World Standard Gymnast. It's not all about the coach, once GA gets rid of this it's going to be a rich mans sport it's not only gym fee's you have to worry about it's all the other expenses that go along with this sport. Cause with gymnastics especially the real elite levels come injuries, phsycological challenges, nutrition etc. Once you get rid of this program I don't see Australia ever producing a medal in the Olympics.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I can see where you're coming from. That was a while ago,
but I hardly see the point in having a club now, with all of about 10 gymnasts there. AIS used to have around 20 wag juniors and seniors . Now they have what, three?

Anonymous said...

Yes I agree but who would commit to a program that they have been threatening to close since 2004. One of the main factors for the small numbers.

Anonymous said...

Plus what you got to realise is the massive amounts of money poured into the ASC pre 2000 to prep for the Sydney Games. Thats what the influx of past numbers were all about and what everyone seems to forget about. So in all fairness you cant use the numbers it produced in it's heyday a an accurate measuring tool.

Anonymous said...

@ anon 11.39.
As far as I'm concerned, and I can guarantee there are others out there with the same opinion as me. Its about quality not quantity. What does it matter if there are only a small amount of gymnasts there if they can still produce Australian Team Members?

Lets compare this cycle to 2006. There were alot more AIS Seniors, and still only one got onto the Commonwealth Games team...Hollie.

Now, there was only one, and she made the team.

Anonymous said...

I thought Naomi was from QAS - when did she train at AIS?

Anonymous said...

Naomi never trained at AIS?

Anonymous said...

to anon 11.32
You obviously need to get out into the wider gymnastic community and witness how things work in the real world.
Gymnasts all around Australia are training at the same level if not higher than the AIS gymnasts, and they are needing the same requirements and have no problems achieving this. Some of us work a number of jobs just to achieve this, in the real world this is how it works. What makes you think you are all better than everyone else doing gymnastics.
As far as becoming a "rich mans sport" when the AIS closes, pull your head out from where you have it. It won't change anything for everyone else, it will only be the AIS gymnasts that will be affected. In fact it will benefit everyone else as it will open the facility up for outside clubs to come and utilize the great facilities. It will also give more money that can be injected into other areas - not just the AIS program.
I understand with regards to Phil, but on the other hand how lucky is he that he has been able to train for free for 15 years. There are a lot of gymnasts that have had to quit because of lack of funding that were damn good gymnasts.
The facility will be well utilized from now on and instead of a program costing hundreds of thousands of tax payers money, there will be an option to actually make some money.
The problem with you AIS parents and gymnasts is that you feel it is your right to have free training. Let me tell you most people out there agree with the closure of the program. It really is about time that you AIS people started to see the big picture and not be so self centered.
I do not want to sound nasty, I am just seriously fed up with the attitude of "Poor AIS". There are programs out there closing all the time. Get over it!

Anonymous said...

What happens if the coaches decide to leave before the end of the year which is a possibility if they get offered positions elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

She had a stint at the AIS

Anonymous said...

Anon 11.32
Stop making statements about parents from the AIS when you don’t know what there circumstances are. You don’t know who or why they or were given the option to train at the AIS. A lot of people have really forgotten what the AIS as whole stands for. It was a central place where the best sports people could train and become the best to represent their country.
Every elite gymnast that met the AIS standard had the opportunity to join and train at the AIS but for whatever reason they decided not to. I won’t judge the parents or the athletes that decided not and you should not judge the parents that decided too.
The parents and gymnast that were offered (yes were offered) to join the AIS made that choice and I am sure money was not the major reason they made that choice. I know if my child was offered the same opportunity train at the AIS Free or not free we would have made that choice. But now that choice is no longer there. So if your child was offered to train at the AIS would you choose to make that sacrifice?

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 1:24 You are obviously a sour puss, how could you point your finger at AIS people and their parents, this is a blog how do you know that wasnt a general member of the public . You sound like one of the people begging for funds from GA that your never ever going to get because you belong to a non performing lack luster club that tries to sell the dream but in actual fact never be able to produce any significant results. As for the AIS the next time Australia wins a medal at anything make sure you don't cheer because it's a good chance that the person winning the medal is an AIS athlete. Giving money to private gyms or local clubs bad idea, look what happened last time the government gave money to the general public ie the national insulation program money was distributed to dodgy subcontractors. So if you live in the real world I'm sure there are a few dodgy gyms out there that would utilise the money for personal gain. So if your fed up with AIS ppl answer this question name a WAG (private) Club Gymnast that has produced a significant medal at a world event at a senior level.

Anonymous said...

I think it is wrong to point fingers at AIS parents. I am not an AIS parent, nor do I have anything to do with AIS but what did the parents do? Honestly, I would rather invest my tax money to these gymnast than not know where it is getting spent on. And besides, what's with all this fuss?? Don't we all have a goal in getting gold for Australia??? It's a shame how parents have to be like this rather than just support these poor gymnasts, be it free or not!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm a taxpayer SAVE AIS GYMNASTICS better than spending money elsewhere and @ Anon 1:24 you need to get a life and find another sport cause you sure don't know what it takes to build a champion.

Anonymous said...

To all you dumb closed minded people I would just like to add my bit to this conversation. I have listed below some of the gymnasts from clubs that have been on Australian teams Senior/Junior over the past two years.

Larissa Miller - MBC
Georgia Rose Brown - MBC (previously)

Georgia Bonora - Waverley
Shona Morgan - Waverley
Emma Dennis - Waverley
Rachael Collister - Waverley
Emma Collister - Waverley
Angela Donald - Waverley

Georgia Wheeler - MLC
Amelia McGrath - MLC

Emma Nedov - Epping

Forgive me if I have missed any. I am sure if you go over this list you will notice that gymnasts from clubs have made up a large part of all the teams over the past years. This has been achieved with no big handouts like the AIS has received, so I can only imagine what the clubs could achieve with a little funding.

Chloe Simms also from MBC won a number of medals at last Com Games and I actually thought she won overall too.

In the last couple of years I can't remember any of the AIS gymnasts been on any teams apart from Maryanne who was on the Youth Olympics but did not compete as she injured herself.

Anonymous said...

http://www.canberrahs.act.edu.au/announcements/mary-anne_selected_in_aust._gymnastics_team

Anonymous said...

Above: Just a random article I found, while doing some research to see if there is any announcements about the AIS Closure.

Anonymous said...

On a more positive note, GA have finally put up a list of senior and junior squad members as well as the olympics squads.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:29, I think comparing giving private clubs money and the national insulation program is a but harsh.
Whilst private clubs may not have produced many gymnastics who have one medals at major international meets, Waverley did supply a third of the olympic team and Georgia and Shona were the two that were the most consistent at the olympics, helping Australia to their best ever sixth placing. Both girls also made good account of themselves in the AA final. As mentioned Chloe Sims for MBC was commonwealth AA champ in 2006, Larrissa Miller from MBC was 7th in ub at last years worlds and then one a world cup medal on that apparatus a couple of months later. Waverley won both junior and senior AA titles at nationals with Georgia and Angela.

Anonymous said...

well said anon 5.34

Anonymous said...

At the end of the day does it matter where the girls come from they are all putting in hard work in the hopes that they make National teams, parents put in alot of support both financially and personally and if families are happy to uproot themselves for their daughters to train at the AIS then that is another sacrifice. it is supposed to be about the gymnasts and not about the families and the govt funding should go through to girls that are on National squads no matter where they are from

Anonymous said...

Well said Anon 6.24pm

Anonymous said...

well said anon 4.21 and anon 6.24.
I have no bias towards clubs or HPC's, but to the blogger that said that most of the top girls come from HPC's and that clubs are a waste of time, I would like to remind you that just about all girls in HPC's come from clubs originally.
Without clubs Elite Gymnastics in Australia would not be possible just because of the numbers of gymnasts in the clubs. It is the numbers in the clubs that support the sport not the top few elite girls supporting the rest of the gymnasts at clubs.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know why Zoe Lorenzin is not on the squad lists? Has she retired? VWHPC lists her as being selected for national squad but GA does not.

Anonymous said...

That's strange I am sure Zoe was on the squad lists that went out to the clubs.... maybe it is just an error on GA who have forgotten to put her on the list on the webpage. I a sure she would be on it.I know she has been injured and not competed for along time.
My opinion all seniors and junior should be on these squads. As they should all be recognized for their hard work.

Anonymous said...

I've also seen the lists that went out with the squad members so i would say that it is a typo

Anonymous said...

Yeah, anon at 2.29?
Don't cheer for the girls winning medals at International comps because they're AIS gymnasts?
Becuase I'm pretty sure the last Australian girls that got international medals as a team was the Pac Rim Team - none of which were AIS, and Emily Little and Amelia McGrath. Emily from WAIS and Amelia from a club program?
All I'm saying is (Commonwealth Games aside), who was the last AIS girl to get selected to represent Australia?
Come on, give the girls whose parents pay ridiculous fees a break. Give them some fee relief. They're clearly work hard, and they and their parents deserve some benefit for all they put in.
I just think you should give credit where credit is due.

Anonymous said...

Let's look at the positives, maybe it is time for Australian Sports Commission to finally realize that our top gymnasts, and upcoming gymnasts are situated all over Australia.... times have changed and we should be encouraging girls to stay in their home states and the funding that is given to Gymnastics should be spread far and wide to where the gymnasts are. The AIS has not been viable for some time now, it's not the gymnasts or the parents fault....it's all the politics!!
All junior and senior girls should be treated equally, all parents need to support their girls financially at the beginning but once they reach these higher levels they should get some relief, and the girls some recognition for all their hard work.

Anonymous said...

Small article on GV mentions Angela has got her yurchenko full for YOG - well done!

Anonymous said...

Also, I suspect Zoe may have retired in the last little while as GV do not list her for the national squads either. I hope it's not the case, that's for sure.

Anonymous said...

She is still listed on the vwhpc website... I would be devastated if Zoe had retired!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Zoe has not retired she is still training and is on the Senior Squad - GV would have taken their information from the GA website which seems to be an error going by the squad lists that have gone out to all the clubs, institutes and parents. I saw her at the end of training on Saturday at the HPC, in fact all the Vic girls from Waverley and MLC were there.

Anonymous said...

oh me too! In my view she could be a star by 2012. I know she missed this year with injury but plenty of gymnasts have missed their first year at senior level with injuries and have gone on to be great. Larrissa wasn't on the radar in 08 and made the world team in 09, Steliana Nistor missed all of 05 and won a world AA medal in 07.

Anonymous said...

It's really disappointing that national and state level organisations make these kinds of foolish and misleading errors.

Omitting someone from the national team list warrants a published apology on their site.

Anonymous said...

What I want to know is what's going on with Fiona Coley?

Bizarrely she just got announced by both GV and VWHPC as a member of the Gymnastics Victoria Development Squad, which consists mostly of younger IDP athletes like Maddi Leydin and Grace Flood.

Why on earth would she need to be on a development squad?

Anonymous said...

Zoe has not competed since AOYF in Jan 2009 - that is quite a while, has she been injured all that time??
I hope she can come back after so long...

Anonymous said...

When i saw her at the open day early in the year she was building her program back up and then got injured again. she was training full in, LO DBL front and Dbl LO on floor at various stages - does anyone know if those are still in her program?

Anonymous said...

If am not mistaken hasn't Zoe injured her knee... if so she would not be doing any of those skills at the moment, hopefully it won't take her long to get the skills back as she needs these skills at senior level. It's ashame but her body is getting injury after injury.

Anonymous said...

Her knee injury was in March or April

Anonymous said...

Maybe Zoe isn't in the current national squad because she has been injured for so long. I would find it strange that GA would have left have left her out of the squad list on their website if she is in the squad.

Anonymous said...

GA are always making errors - it's not unusual

Anonymous said...

I think it is still her knee causing her problems. However I saw her at Nationals so she must have been competing, otherwise why would she have been there.Maybe she is Ok now and back in full training.

Anonymous said...

Well she definitely didn't compete at nationals lol - we would have noticed! Does anyone know if she is indeed back in full training?

Anonymous said...

Zoe definitely didn't compete at nationals or vic states

Anonymous said...

I don't see Zoe ever making a major team. I'm not saying she is not good enough, but she has been plagued by injuries for so long and I don't think it was a typo that they left her off the lists. They kept her on the squads for years when she was sitting on the sidelines - finally they have taken her off and given it to someone who is healthy and competing a lot more often than she is.

She will be a great age for 2012, and she still has time to make it there but I won't believe it til I see it.

I believe Fiona Coley has all but retired. She is currently in America holidaying as far as I know, and didn't make the trip to Perth this year because of outside gymnastics commitments I believe - not because she was injured or out of shape. I think she's just moving on.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:20 -

peggy must believe that zoe has some talent if she was on the senior olympic squad twice over the past year. just because someone has been 'plagued' by injuries, doesn't mean that they won't be there in the future.

don't forget ashleigh brennan had 2 or 3 years out because of her elbow

Anonymous said...

Quite right. Competing is only a small piece of the picture. If you didn't know Jorden Weiber had a year out for injury last year you wouldn't believe it. Their are many other examples.

Anonymous said...

I imagine that the dissapointment of not being able to compete or trial for comm games would be hard for anyone without the ridiculous comments that are posted by people who don't know what Zoe does in training

Anonymous said...

Anon at 5:20, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

They weren't asking about Zoe because it appeared she was left of the national team altogether and they thought she should be there, they were asking because she was named to the team on the internal lists and the VWHPC website (who I think would know!) but not the lists eventually published by GA and GV.

You say 'I don't think it was a typo that they left her off the lists.' Are you suggesting that there was some great conspiracy by GA to originally name her to the team and then promptly yank her off as a punishment for being injured too long?

Also, her being there does not disadvantage other 'healthy' athletes who must also earn their spot by achieving a certain score. There is no particular number of athletes chosen.

It amazes me that people who call themselves fans rag on athletes when they are injured and probably have enough disappointment to deal with as it is. Being injured is not a crime you know.

I for one would hate to see an athlete drop out of the sport because they felt people had given up on them and no longer thought they had a chance of reaching 2012.

I don't know if you have ever seen Zoe train but she just has talent bursting out of her. She has the artistry, the form, the ideal physique and plenty of spring. She is an athlete who just has 'it'.

I think that if she has a clean run once she overcomes her current injury issues and wants it enough, she will more likely than not make the 2012 team because she simply has the ability and access to the coaching to get her there.

Anonymous said...

It's been interesting to hear this debate, but can anyone post anything of substance about what Zoe's status actually is? Is she training? Is she not training? How is her program looking? Could she return at national clubs? She has fans who really would like to know how she is doing. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe she has retired. i saw her watching nationals with the girls from victoria, as if she was part of the team.
i thought she was still training, slowly building up her program

Anonymous said...

Zoe is indeed training and has not retired.
Her knee is getting better and better and she has normal movement in it.
Now she is working on abnormal (gymnast type) movement.

Once she is past this knee, Zoe will be incredible.
She is the gutsiest kids with beautiful skills.

Look out world!

Go Zoe!!

Anonymous said...

Even if Zoe isn't currently in the national squad it doesn't mean she will never be again.

I am sure once she competes again she will be in the national squad and possibly the olympic squad. Hopefully she will be at national clubs and so people what she is capable of. I feel really bad for gymnasts who have constant injuries and miss a lot of competition because of the hopefully she will get over these.

Anonymous said...

Even if Zoe or any girl is fit enough to compete, I don't think Gymnastics will get enough funding in time for the next cycle.

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/funds-boosts-frozen-until-after-elections-20100728-10w3p.html

GA has tendered for funds against other sports like NRL AFL Swimming etc. This could be a big factor why the AIS program has been shut down all of a sudden. Other sports will suffer due to the Crawford Report. So no support for the AIS program will also see funding reduced or taken away from WAIS VIS QAS eventually and be injected back into clubs.

Looks like the AIS program was just a pawn in the tactics of GA tendering for the funds to meet the Crawford Specifications. Sacrificing the crown jewel.

Hopefully the gamble pays off (GA creating a business model to Suit the Crawford Review) and GA get the desired amount or above. So we see our beloved sport move forward. If it backfires Australia won't be ranked in the top 10 internationally in the very near future.

In the real world money talks, so don't blame the parents of gymnasts in the AIS or club gymnasts and parents. What you all don't know is that you are all in the middle of a political saga that's been going on for a few years.

In the real world Gymnastics isn't at the tip of everyone's tongue when it come to sport especially in this country, so fingers crossed that GA opted to part ways with the AIS because it will be an uphill battle trying to create a program like this ever again.

Anonymous said...

Also to add, yes the following are/were fine Gymnasts:

Georgia Bonora - Waverley
Shona Morgan - Waverley
Emma Dennis - Waverley
Rachael Collister - Waverley
Emma Collister - Waverley
Angela Donald - Waverley

And they hold/held a good percentage of the GA Squad but as an honest opinion the rest of the world aren't/weren't intimidated by them now or then. At this point in time and hopefully her injuries heal Lauren Mitchell would be a world beater at the moment on certain apperatus's.

Anonymous said...

Also from a Business perspective because this is what it is leaning to I would be much more confident investing money whether it be private funding or public funding with the ASC (AIS).

Because of the following:

Reputation
Facilities
Support
and Past Results

And when your in with the ASC (AIS) your affiliated with all the sports attached. Which in the Real World makes it easier for GA to ask for Money from a private financier or public fund.

If I was someone sitting on a Tender Panel as is the case now, in all honesty I would not know a private club by name and once again if I was in the real world if you had to make a decision I would go with the reputable brand. And if you think I am talking nonsense just have a look down at the shoes your wearing, car you drive and I bet your not wearing a no name brand or if you are and you had a choice I'd say you'd be wearing a Gucci Bag, Fendi Jeans and driving a Ferrari. And that what the ASC / AIS is it's a proven brand and severing links with them could be costly in the long run.

PS sorry Waverley just using you as an example. I think your doing a great job.

Anonymous said...

on the subject of the AIS closing down. 'poor mary-anne. poor jazzy etc' are you kiding me take a look at how many coaches those 'poor' QAS kids have been through, it was no wonder that naomi chose to move all the way to vic to train when she lives right next the the QAS gym...literally. let me see there was vlad, stacey then mardi then min then stephania, then Xi another chinese chick who lasted a total of three weeks, then belinda, mark, then darren and now the joura's.no wonder so many kids have vanished from that place like naomi and hayley, kayla winch etc and it was rumoured that amber cut her career short because the instability of the program had drained her passion for the sport. besides i perhaps changing coaches for the AIS girls will be a good thing as far as i have heard, valery and olga werent cutting the mustard. mary anne will be fine she is such a talent and i think she will thrive under any coach i suppose the only down side of all this is the pressure on the families involved to up lift their lives so their child can persue their dreams.

Anonymous said...

Its not necessarily poor MaryAnne poor Jazzy- its poor families! They have to make a decision to uproot their lives or cut their daughter's career short. I'm sure they have jobs in Canberra (and if they have public service jobs their expertise mightn't be applicable in private enterprise in other cities) and other children who have schooling and maybe sport to think about. Its a big life-changing decision to move everyone (again! for most of them) when they're probably quite settled.

I think its sad that the AIS is closing but not because of the AIS itself, just that the Canberra region doesn't have anywhere for these girls and guys to train and therefore the lives of their families are heavily affected.

Anonymous said...

Just to clarify - Zoe's name has now been added to the GA list