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!

Let's Hear It For The Boys

GA this week also announced our MAG squads and upcoming assignments. Congrats to the lads!

World Championship Squad:

Luke Wiwatowski - QAS

Sam Offord - SA

Prashanth Sellathurai - NSWIS

Luke Wadsworth - VHPC

Thomas Pichler - QAS

Josh Jefferis - QAS

Naoya Tsukahara - QAS

Sam Simpson - QAS

Michael Merceica - NSWIS

Sean O'Hara - SA

Philippe Rizzo - ACT

Jayden Bull - VHPC

Reserves:

Briece Newton - VHPC

Mitchell Morgans - NSWIS

Dion Pocklington - VIC

Junior Commonwealth Games Team:

Tyson Bull - VHPC

Kent Pieterse - VHPC

Declan Stacey - NSWIS

Coach: Leon Rachenko

Japan Junior Team:

Tyson Bull - VHPC

Coach: Leon Radchenko

Ghent Challenger Cup:

Luke Wadsworth - VHPC

Jayden Bull - VHPC

Sean O'Hara - SA

Elliott Cook - WA

Coaches: Greg Corsiglia

Coach/Judge: John Curtin

Open Levels Tour Team:

Level 7

Jack Norman - QLD

Matthew McKenna - SA

Joshua Meyer - QLD

Stephen Moulds - SA

Shoji Isomoto - Reserve - NSW

Level 8

Michael Tone - QLD

Dylan Sclumpf - QLD

Jordan Papandrea - NSW

Jay Pery - QLD

Zachariah Salameh - Reserve - NSW

Level 9

Michael Tonegato - NSW

Jack Doyle - NSW

Gerard Atzenl - QLD

Brendon Lee - QLD

Mark Rogers - Reserve - NSW

Officials

Niall O'Leary - QLD

Adrian Looney - QLD

Tricia O'Connell - NSW

Andrew Cordery - SA

Austrian Future Cup Team:

Scott Costin - QLD

Robert Thornton - QLD

Clay Stephens - SA

Lachlan Savill - QLD

Reserves:

Mitchell Jones - QLD

Zachary Perillo - VIC

William Sherwood - WA

Coach: Sean Wilson

Judge/Manager: Rohan Kennedy

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

Please see below the athletes who have been named on the National Squads for July 2011 - July 2012:

Senior National Squad:

Naoya Tsukahara QLD

Josh Jefferis QLD

Luke Wiwatowski QLD

Thomas Pichler QLD

Sam Offord SA

Luke Wadsworth VIC

Michael Mercieca NSW

Sean O'Hara SA

Jayden Bull VIC

Sam Simpson QLD

Briece Newton VIC

Prashanth Sellathurai NSW

Elliot Cook WA

Vincent Lam

Philippe Rizzo ACT

Kevin James VIC

Dion Pocklington

Mitchell Morgans

Junior National Squad:

Tyson Bull VIC

Declan Stacey NSW

Mitchell Jones QLD

Scott Costin QLD

Brody-Jai Hennessy QLD

Kent Pieterse VIC

Kristian Wan QLD

GA/Olympic Squad:

Prashanth Sellathura NSW

Naoya Tsukahara QLD

Josh Jefferis QLD

Luke Wiwatowski QLD

Thomas Pichler QLD

Sam Offord SA

Luke Wadsworth VIC

Michael Mercieca NSW

Sean O'Hara SA

Jayden Bull VIC

Sam Simpson QLD

Briece Newton VIC

Philippe Rizzo ACT

Tyson Bull VIC

Brody-Jai Hennessy QLD

Declan Stacey NSW

Kent Pieterse VIC

U16 National Squad:

Robert Thornton QLD

Lachlan Savill QLD

Zachary Perillo VIC

Corey Morton VIC

Christopher Remkes SA

Ben Congedi SA

Clay Stephens SA

James Bacueti ACT

Aden Messori QLD

Trenten Wan QLD

U14 National Squad:

Jackson Clarke QLD

Etienne Rousseau Forward QLD

William Sherwood WA

Justin Tan VIC

Joshua Di Nucci WA

Gabriel Swan NSW

Jack Riek QLD

Yari Marazzato WA

Rourke Jenkins QLD

Christopher Subasic QLD

Darren Fung NSW

Ethan Stethakis NSW

Matthew Richardson WA

Gabe O'Sullivan WA

Sean Forde WA

U12 National Squad:

Finaly Kroon NSW

Christopher Jenkinson QLD

Cassiel Rousseau Forward QLD

Jack Sweeney NSW

Max Mingay NSW

Andrew Sumner WA

Ben Leong NSW

Jack Miller QLD

Alec Traina NSW

Ryan Woodhouse WA

Maikolo Fekitoa NSW

Nathan Brophy WA

Elija Meegan WA

Harrison Jones WA

James Ciupac WA

Julien Horrocks NSW

Samuel Schukin QLD

Alex D'Cruz WA

Morgan Evans QLD

Brodie Chaffey QLD

Curtis Lindeman QLD

Travis Donaldson NSW

Oliver Dilnutt VIC

Whitiora Monaro NSW

Mitchell Repsevicius WA

Indigo Dragon QLD

Alexander Maratos VIC

Philip Koe-leong VIC

Kyle McCartney QLD

(Indigo Dragon!? AWESOME.)

Annus Olympicus

Best wishes to all our gymsporters preparing for London 2012.

You can see the Australian Olympic Team's official site here.

ONE YEAR TO GO!!!

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.

Rizzo Regaining Grip

Let this recent Canberra Times feature on Phil Rizzo get you buzzing for his comeback, as well as the (any day now!?) announcement of the 2011 MAG Worlds team.

The team for Japan was expected to be announced either late last night or sometime today.

''It was pretty hard for me just to get motivated for it [the nationals] but I did all right, I think I did enough to be able to be selected for the national squad,'' he said.

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: MAG wrap-up

Unfortunately, nothing much is being said in the media about our men but the senior all-around and apparatus finals have wrapped up, with a mixed bag of results.

Congrats to our 2011 National AA champ Luke Wiwatowski!

Luke was second behind the yet-to-earn-citizenship Japanese dynamo who keeps tongues wagging Naoya Tsukahara, but won by virtue of his, well, residency! Not content with just one gold, he also snagged the national floor title. AA favourite Sam Offord managed second, with Victorian upstart Jayden Bull (rocking a 6.5 high bar SV!) finishing in third.

Olympian Phil Rizzo is still making a comeback, unable to medal on his pet events, while Queensland golden boy Josh Jefferis managed three events in his road to recovery. And look out, world - Prashanth Sellathurai is comin' atcha with a 6.9 pommel SV!

The road to Tokyo is taking some interesting twists!

Nationals 2011: WAG Wrap-Up/MAG AA preview

What a weekend!

The women wrapped up their competition in style, with the men still to battle it out for all-around and apparatus titles in Canberra. Rhythmic finals also showed Dani Prince to be a real star of the future and a worthy successor to Commonwealths gold medallist Naazmi Johnston.

Full results can be found at Gymnastics Australia.

There are articles summarising the WAG finals here and here, though a Google News search should whet your appetite!

A feature article on Prashanth Sellathurai is here and one on Michael Merceica is here.

Happy Monday!