Your Favourite TV Family

Loathe though I am to promote reality tv shows, this week sees a gymnastics connection make it to the screen!

Acclaimed Victorian singer Peta Jeffress, sister to Olympian Georgia Bonora, will appear in an episode of 'The Voice' tomorrow night (Tues) on Channel 9. I have had the pleasure and privilege of seeing Peta perform in person, she is just a delight. We wish her the best in her pursuit of musical fame!


Check out Peta's performance archived at The Voice website here.

Lauren has Landed

Lauren's VISA commercial is up!



For those of you in or near Perth, Loz will be appearing at Challenge Stadium this Saturday (nov 26th) to sign autographs with other WA sports stars from 1:00pm as part of ABC Grandstand's 21st birthday.

2011 World Championships Preamble

Our thoughts and good wishes go with the Aussie teams departing for Tokyo today.

So here's where AGB starts cranking into overdrive. Caffeinated beverages and aviator hat at the ready! There are a number of ways to follow the team's progress, so I hope you have a pen handy...


1. Right here. Or at my Twitter account. I'll be updating as time and resources permit, and welcome your contributions in the comments. That said, I will be firmly moderating discussions, so be advised that your inappropriate comment may be deleted. I can't stress this enough: I'm all for open-mindedness, but if you wish to use colourful or discriminatory language, or have something not backed up by an official gymnastics source, please PLEASE take it elsewhere. Having to break up fights really brings down the tone of the site.

I hope to have the kind of as-it-happens excitement we had during the last two World Championships. It was fun, and it was great to see so many supporters of Aussie gym showing their spirit. Here's hoping we get the kind of results to cheer and type in capitals about!


2. Gymnastics Australia who will be working their hardest to outdo the likes of British Gymnastics with frequent social media updates (jussayin'. GB are a hard act to follow!) so check out
- Their homepage
- Their Twitter
- Their Facebook page


3. Officials and On-The-Scene
- OFFICIAL Tokyo 2011 Event Page
- OFFICIAL FIG Tokyo Event Page
- International Gymnast (usually updates live)
- FIG
- Gymnastike
- The All Around (usually updates live)
- VWHPC Facebook Page


4. Blogosphere
- The Couch Gymnast
- The Gymnastics Examiner (usually updates live)
- Full Twist
- Universal Sports


Got all that? Great! I hope you'll be having 200 tabs open at any one time, like me!

Now, with regard to livestreaming sources, we can consider any of the following sites dutifully suggested by other gymfans:

Sportv: http://www.zuumptv.com/2010/06/sportv.html
Sportv 2: http://www.zuumptv.com/2010/06/sportv2.html
CCTV5: http://english.cntv.cn/live/
or anywhere that can give us a non-geoblocked BBC or Universal Sports stream... but I'll keep you posted.


Just to get you that bit more excited, here's a thing.

No Sir That Ain't Right.

Coverage of women’s sport makes up 9% of all sports coverage in Australian television news and current affairs, while male sport makes up 81%.

Horse racing alone receives more airtime that all women’s sport combined, making up the other 10% of all coverage.

Appalled?

Read the rest of Damien Johnson's worthwhile opinion piece [namechecking Lauren Mitchell] here.

Where There's a Milly...

Nice catch-up interview with PacRim medallist Amelia McGrath over at The Couch Gymnast.

Sounds like a lovely afternoon was had over at MLC!

Jayden Has His Day

As Worlds draw nearer and nearer, check out a short feature on Tokyo prospect Jayden Bull over at International Gymnast online.

"For us, the world championships are not about individual achievement, but rather putting a team into the top 16. So whether or not I fit into that team of six gymnasts is up to the selectors."

Catching Some Air

Bit of an unfortunate finish to Jayden Bull's Ghent campaign with a slip in the high bar final that landed him in 5th. But errors aside, he has a real flair for the apparatus. That much is obvious. So chin up, sonny, and chalk it up to experience. I have to admit it's a bit weird seeing new faces represent Aussie MAG overseas! I'm so used to the usual suspects!



And speaking of people going places, best of luck to our Junior Commonwealth Games team who yesterday departed for the Isle of Man! I promise not to make any The Fast Show jokes*.



*ask your parents.

I've Just Been Cutting Onions in the Rain

*sniffle*

If you haven't checked out the UK documentary about the 2008 British women's team selection for Beijing, "Gymnast", DO IT NOW. Part 3 is particularly moving.

I'M NOT CRYING I JUST HAVE SOMETHING IN MY EYE. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 (got your tissues ready?)

BGTV FTW!

Not a lot of nice news is coming from our friends in the UK at the moment (though I urge you to Google or twitter-search "Operation Cup of Tea"). Here is something nice.


I got an email in the last couple of days from Gareth Finchett*, the Production Manager of BGtv, that excellent online resource put out by British Gymnastics. They're going bigger and better in the lead-up to 2012 so here are some new developments any fellow fans might be interested in:

* All 2011 players now have the 'blog this' button enabled so everyone can get the video code.
* We have started to live stream all our main BG events and the intention is to make these available via the embed code feature. Where possible we will no longer be geo blocking this content (the Women's British [championships] will not be geo blocked in the future)
* All BGtv VOD content is now available on iOS and smartphone devices
* We release weekly coaching tips from our top coaches
* During our live events we have interactions through Facebook and twitter including shoutouts / questions for gymnasts.

And they welcome any feedback on the service at their website.

So how's about that, eh? EH!?

Who's for a tea and a biscuit?






*I bet he lives in Toad Hall or with the Wombles or something. SHO CUUUUUUUUTE.

I Just Really Like This Picture.

(except that she's clearly standing between men's parallel bars, not women's uneven bars!)

photo credit: Courtney Reese

Don't Hate. Cooperate.

It's nice to have greater traffic numbers stopping by here when Anon is switched on, but there is still some tetchiness hanging about in the comment areas, notably since various assignments and lists have been announced.

Working with geeks, as I do four days of the week, you get funny and apt stuff circulating about the office and pinging between inboxes.

This is one of those things, and I hope you all keep it in mind when feeling like getting yourself into a nasty situation in the Comments.

(caution: low level coarse language)

Love, Mez and the lovely geeks she works with.

Lukey Here

Awww, nice suprise in my Twitter feed just now: a short interview with Luke Wiwatowski over at International Gymnast!

"On a side note, high bar will also be a focus for me, I have a potential 7.0 start score and I hope to be competitive on that apparatus at the world championships."

A 7.0 SV?

o_0

DID SOMEBODY SAY "AWESOME"!?!?

Weekend Edition

What better way to get acquainted with our homegrown world floor champ before her Wide World of Sports appearance tomorrow than with this new feature article from Linda Pearce!

Lauren now has an official Facebook fanpage which you can check out here. There is a very sweet welcome message from the girl herself!

What She Said

Hello, sleepyheaded Tuesdayites.

GA confirms that Lauren Mitchell will appear on Wide World of Sports THIS Sunday.

And some things got said here as well.

"I'd rather have a team full of very good gymnasts than a bad team with one medallist.

"The fact that our team did well (at the World Championships) set Lauren up to win her medal last year, because it is very, very rare if at all that a gymnast comes from a team that isn't strong to get a medal."

And yesterday, GA also announced the following WAG assignments and cohorts:

Junior Commonwealth Games Team:
Alexandra Eade - VIS
Maddi Leydin - VIS
Emma Jane Nedov - Epping YMCA
Coach: Misha Barabach


Japan Junior Team:
Georgia Godwin - MBC
Jasminne Cassis - MBC
Coach: Sasha Belooussov

Open Levels Tour:
Level 9
Christine Bonfadini - VIC
Kenyah Lawler - ACT
Isobel Looker - VIC
Sophie Musgrave - QLD
Jessica Wigglesworth - QLD
Brianna Wong - QLD

Level 10
Natalia Bennison - QLD
Kirsty Bishop - QLD
Claire Black - QLD
Alicia Brown - VIC
Taylor Ryan - QLD
Amy Smit - NSW

Coaches:
Jackie Caldwell
Wendy Gilliver

Congratulations to all gymnasts, coaches and official for their selection to represent Australia.


Please see below the athletes who have been named on the Senior and Junior National Squad for July 2011 - July 2012:


Senior National Squad
Georgie Bonora - WAV/VIS
Ashleigh Brennan - VIS
Georgia Rose Brown - VIS
Sophie Budack - QAS
Nikola Chung - WAIS
Shar-Lee Clark - MBC
Angela Donald - WAV/VIS
Tierra Exum - VIS
Britt Greeley - VIS
Laura Hingston - VHPC
Natalia Joura - QAS
Amaya King Koi - QAS
Emily Little - WAIS
Zoe Lorenzin - VIS
Amelia McGrath - MLC/VIS
Larrissa Miller - QAS
Lauren Mitchell - WAIS
Mary-Anne Monckton - VHPC
Clare O'Donnell - MLC
Svetlana Sanders - VIS
Georgia Simpson - WAIS
Chloe Sims - QAS
Georgia Wheeler - VIS
Katie Wurth - QAS
Crystal Yeo - SA


Junior National Squad
Ebonie Boucher - VHPC
Rachel Boyd - WAV
Jasminne Cassis - MBC
Emily Conran - QAS
Emma Curry - MLC
Alexandra Eade - VIS
Grace Flood - VHPC
Franceska Fusha - WAIS
Georgia Godwin - MBC
Nicole Grout - SA
Tamika Jones - QAS
Ashley Kittl - WAV
Elisha Lai - Epping YMCA
Naomi Lee - WOD
Maddi Leydin - VIS
Celeste Loo - CH
Isis Lowrey - Jets
Kiara Munteanu - VHPC
Emma Jane Nedov - Epping YMCA
Madeleine Nedov - Epping YMCA
Desnee Richter - Epping YMCA
Stella Savvidou - MLC
Aimee Warncok - WOD
Eden Tarvit - WAIS


Please see below gymnasts who have been selected onto the GA/Olympic Squad:

GA/Olympic Squad July - December 2011
Ashleigh Brennan - VIS
Georgia Rose Brown - VIS
Emily Little - WAIS
Larrissa Miller - QAS
Lauren Mitchell - WAIS
Mary-Anne Monckton - VHPC
Chloe Sims - QAS
Jasminne Cassis - MBC
Alexandra Eade - VIS
Georgia Godwin - MBC
Tamika Jones - QAS
Naomi Lee - WOD
Maddi Leydin - VIS
Emma Jane Nedov - Epping YMCA

Congratulations to all gymnasts for their selection on to the National Squads

I ask that you observe and speculate on these outcomes RESPECTFULLY. The Anon function is still in place but I ask you to really think about what you're posting because I do monitor what goes on.

Wide World Out West?

Just got word National Champion Lauren Mitchell will be featured on Nine's Wide World of Sports this weekend?

Nationals 2011: Go West

This is a short media round-up for the women's national championships; if you see anything on the men's or rhythmics PLEASE let me know!

GA results page for competition rounds out of Perth so far is here. There are some great updates coming via Facebook throughout the day. I hear Queensland have been fighting off all comers in just about every national levels division!

There is a West Australian article on the home soil seniors here, and I am told by a number of fans who watched that the Today Tonight feature on WAIS was fantastic, above and beyond what we've seen from current affairs pieces of the past focusing on our sport. Of particular note? Lauren Mitchell training a Patterson dismount off beam!

Speaking of Lauren, here is a new article from PerthNow with a lovely smiley pic of Lauren as she prepares to take on the best in the country.

ETA: A factsheet (transcript?) from the second night of the Today Tonight feature can be found here!

Not A Shonky Builder in Sight

Thanks to the Anon for the heads-up and then GA for confirming:

The WAIS program will be having a large story covered on Channel 7's Today Tonight on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th July, 2011.

This will be viewed on Perth's program and follow the intense training that all gymnasts go through in the WAIS program and what it takes to become a World Champion like Lauren Mitchell.

A Stately Affair

AGB will be at this weekend's Victorian State Championships for as much as can be managed.

Thus far, attendance at Saturday evening's session (IDP 10-Snr Day 1) is confirmed. Friday is a possibility too.

Unfortunately I still don't have a working laptop, so that means I don't really have anything to upload videos to if I take any. That said, I am definitely not ruling out filming.

But don't despair, bloggerinos - have smartphone, will tweet! You can always follow my tweets, live from the event, at www.twitter.com/ozgymblog.

Lauren's Universal Appeal

Hi all.

Universal Sports have an updated interview with our floor world champ Lauren Mitchell available, with added 'behind the scenes at the 2011 American Cup' photos.

We read that Peggy Liddick thinks you can do a four rotation wolf turn.

Maybe on beam? Maybe a three-and-a-half on beam, but probably not on floor. Not [on the American Cup floor] because that was "carpet carpet". The one at Worlds was more slippery so I could do three.

What is the key to that turn? Is it core strength? Quad strength?

Being able to twist your foot and your heel so you get around and using the momentum from your shoulders and being able to balance.

Do you have any other tricks in the works?

One more trick on floor and then bars and beam dismount. [Coach] Nikolai [Lapchine] wants me to do a two-and-a-half on vault, but I haven't attempted any yet, so we'll see how it goes.

Carpet carpet?

Carpet carpet!

Chloe the Comeback Kid

Hi all.

A GIGANTIC thank you to the dutiful Sunshine State fan who sent me these links to videos of Chloe Sim's recent QLD regional/state championship performances.

Best of luck on your journey back into gymnastics, Chloe!


Chloe Sims FX

Chloe Sims BB

Chloe Sims VT

Chloe Sims UB