Canada Can Do

Congrats to our MAG competitors who took part in the Kyle Shewfelt Invitational over the weekend in Calgary. It was apparently a very fun and spirited competition!

The team came 2nd overall behind host nation Canada, with Josh Jefferis finishing on the all-around medal podium in 2nd and Tom Pichler in 3rd. They are going to be tough to separate come Olympic selection time!

Full results via GA can be found here.

I love this.

And Then There Were Two

It can't be easy battling with your best mate for the one chance at realising a dream.

Read more about Josh Jefferis' experiences on the road to London here.

Sam Offord Update

The Herald Sun online is running a short piece on Sam Offord, detailing his injury sustained at the Waveney club friendly.

We wish him the best for a speedy recovery.

London Prepares 2012

It's upon us!

Gymnastics Australia have put up a new page for ongoing updates and photos from national coach from Peggy Liddick. Emily Little now tumbles a piked full-in!

"Emily and Georgia went through their programs normally without anything unusual.... Both girls conducted themselves like professionals and were ready for the podium."

The FIG have photos up on Facebook here and will reportedly be doing a livestream of the competition through their Youtube channel here.


*** Gymnastics Australia advises that Australian MAG competitor Sam Offord has had to withdraw due to an injury sustained during the friendly at Waveney. He will be replaced by Josh Jefferis.***


As at 7:30am Wednesday, Georgia's bars and beam are up here. Em and Georgia start on bars in session 2 tomorrow (late tonight our time)

You can follow the women's proceedings live here at the Gymnastics Examiner or here at The All Around. Unfortunately I can't stay up to follow proceedings but according to Blythe, the Aussies are in their green, gold and white national leo (hooray).


ETA Thursday...

Australia has officially qualified one MAG spot to London; the selectors can choose between Josh OR Tom to compete at the Games.


The Gymnastics Examiner and All-Around links above should take you to quickhits of the women's session. By all accounts the Aussies did a great job, notably newbie Simpson.

Check out her STUNNING floor below, as well as Em's vault.






See Emily's beam here
See Emily's bars here
See Georgia's beam here

Image below courtesy of the FIG



The Australian has a piece on Josh here.

"It's a tough situation but everyone has been great about it, Sam's been a legend," Jefferis, who knows the heartache of Olympic disappointment, said.

2011 Worlds: EF Day 1 Preamble

Another opportunity for Aussie gold this evening, as pommel prince Prashanth Sellathurai tries once again for a maiden world championship on his best event.

See the start list and schedule here. It'll be on around 4:45pm AEDST.

If he makes it to the medal dais, his qualifying scores on pommel, rings and p-bars should (fingers crossed) see him through to London on an individual placing.

And, according to an update by The All Around, the Romanian camp has confirmed that Diana Bulimar will be withdrawing from the floor final now that she has had a medical assessment. We wish her a speedy recovery from her foot injury, and the best of luck to Lauren Mitchell who is to compete in her place.

*****************************

4: 42 AEDST It's just about that time! C'moooooooooooon Proshie! Go you tiny good thing!

With the first competitor falling and Louis Smith fumbling, Proshie could be in with an even better chance!

Japanese superstar Uchimura ALSO falls! Could Prosh pull a 'Bradbury' with a hit routine???

Ah,

apparently not.

IG just said he fell. Gymnastike said he caught his foot. Nooooooo! Managed a 14.3 but is definitely out of medal contention. He finishes in 6th place.

*sigh*

I'll be over in the corner, rocking back and forth...

2011 Worlds: MAG Qualification LIVE!!!

Update 6:21 AEDST: If you or someone you know was listening to 3AW Radio in Melbourne just now, yes, that was my mother calling up the evening sports show to give a shout-out to the gymnasts competing in Tokyo.
Yes, she did it without me knowing
Yes, she spoke without any prompting
Yes, she is aware she got the competition days wrong
No, she didn't say Lauren was from SA on purpose, she genuinely forgot!
No, I probably won't get to partake in the cake shop voucher she won.

And now for tonight's competition...

You, just like me, can follow live scoring here and quick hits here or at any of the social media resources I've cited in earlier posts. Gymnastics Australia are updating Facebook and Twitter simultaneously.


You'll have to forgive me, men's gym is really not my strong suit so my attention may waver.

Parallel Bars -

Sam O kicks Australia off with a 13.833. Hooray!
Two for two - Prashanth gets a 13.7, with a step on the dismount like Sam (eek!)
Luke WOW-atowski, I reckon! Sticks dismount for 14.45
Tom P keeps the good vibes going with a stuck dismount for 14.666
Josh just a 14.53 but a commendable routine.
Go Australia, you made it through p-bars superbly!

High Bar-

Luke 'Wadsy' Wadsworth leads off on high bar. Clean but lacking the theatrics of the powerhouse nations. 12.33, eep! That might hurt!
Sam O rocks a kovacs (I love those) 13.533
Tom P clean routine, dismounts with double lay full. 13.33
No boys have come off yet (touch wood). Phil Rizzo would be proud!
Josh 13.3333 (recurring!)
Team anchor Luke Wiwatowski goes up... hoping for the stuck dismount he did in Commonwealth team final... catches his releases a little close, apparently, struggles, one step on layout double double dismount. Good enough for a 12.333 OWCH!

Floor-
Wadsworth leads off again. Near stick on last pass. Clean for 14.00
Sam O - stuck double layout! 13.866
Josh J clean but landing errors 13.733
Luke Wiwatowski - Puts feet oob on one pass 13.633
Floor anchor Tom gets "mostly stuck landings" according to GA! 14.666

Pommel-

Australia's bogey apparatus, but a chance for pommel wunderkind Prashanth Sellathurai to shine.
Jefferis is up first. IG gives me a heart attack, as I read the quick hit "slices through his routine, a tad loose in the legs" as "slices his leg open"! But makes it through, 12.766
Bugger. Wadsworth runs out of steam as has to dismount prematurely
Wiwatowski fares better, stays on, but iffy on the dismount 12.933
Tom also stays on and avoids major form breaks 13.1
COME ON PROSHDOG!
Good reviews from IG, they said he "rips through it" and that it was superb... and it's a... 15.566! This puts him just behind Berki and Smith. Doubtless a finals spot.

Rings-

First up is Wiwatowski for 13.733 (GA says he was wobbly)
Tom good positions, dismount is double back with 1.5 twist 13.833
Josh pikes down dismount and hops, but gets us over the 13's. Scores 14.533!
Prashanth nice job, double lay dismount, 14.433 IG says he is "putting on a strength clinic", haha! Watch and learn, fellow competitors! Prash is the man!
Offord takes a large hop on dismount but made it through. 14.666

Vault-

Luke Wadsworth tsuk double for 15.433 great stuff!
Same in name and vault - Luke Wiwatowski also a tsuk double for 15.366...
Josh has to take a step on landing, 15.2
Tom 15.3
Last up is Sam... 15.366! IG and GA very happy with the effort on his Yurchenko double.
We finish 15th after our subdivision.

Well done, boys. Be proud of yourselves. Now we play the waiting game!

2011 Worlds: MAG Qualification Preamble

Let's hear it for the boys!

Australia competes tonight for a maiden Olympic team berth. We wish them the very best of luck from back home.

The Aus Olympic team website has a feature on Sam Simpson and his Tokyo teammates here.

The guys compete at 6:30pm AEDST and start on parallel bars.



A start list can be found here.

Gymnastike has a couple of videos of the boys in training. Check Gymnastics Australia's Facebook page for training photos.

Update 4:52 AEDST

Pommel scores have been getting better and better throughout the day, with the likes of Smith and Tomassone making steady routines in their subdivisions. Prashanth has his work cut out for him, but here's hoping he benefits from being a later session! *resumes biting fingernails*

2011 Worlds: MAG Training

The boys have not been forgotten!



GA have put up a brief update and some photos of the men's team as they prepare for Podium Training. I thought this was a nice touch:

Our Men's and Women's Teams will be wearing special patches on their GK competition uniforms to recognize the tremendous hardship that our friends in Japan have had to endure since the tsunamis that rocked this island country earlier this year. It will be our small way of acknowledging the resilience and fighting spirit of the people of Japan.

Good luck, guys!

2011 Worlds: Australia in Prelims

Ok, hit a slight snag setting up my ADSL modem *untangles self from cables* but the good news is I should having working internet at home by Wednesday evening. Which, happily, is right before prelims kick off!

Australia WAG: Subdivision 3, Friday October 7th. Starting on beam.
Australia MAG: Subdivision 7, Monday October 10th. Starting on p-bars.

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.

Late Breaking News

Hi guys.

Check my latest tweet (Twitter link at right) for a link to a new radio interview with Lauren Mitchell from camp in Canberra.

Edit: Speaking of camp, this morning we have a brief training camp update from our MAG and WAG teams in Canberra, over at GA.

The girls are in good shape and not anything unexpected from the Physio reports. We will depart on Friday and are looking forward to arriving in Tokyo."

"The Men's team have been fine tuning their routines at training camp this week. The gymnasts are maintaining a good positive focus on the job at hand and are looking great as a team.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we also have an additional brief word from Peggy on the team trial and Lauren's championship defense chances at IG here.

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."

Strewth, Youth!

Sorry to have been conspicuously absent over the weekend, dear readers.

A driving test won't practise for itself, work shopping doesn't do itself (and it'll be cold day in hell before a roast lunch prepares itself).

Some great results coming out of the Commonwealth Youth Games, as Australia claims hardware in all three colours!

According to a GA update, we ended the competition with...

Individual All Around Placings: 12th (Declan Stacey), 14th (Kent Pieterse), 5th (Emma Nedov), 9th (Maddie Leydin)
Bronze - Australia WAG team, Australia MAG team
Silver - Rings (Tyson Bull)
GOOOLLLLDDDDD!!!! - Beam (Emma Nedov), Men's floor (Declan Stacey)

GA has some cracking photos up at Facebook.

For full results, head to the Isle of Man Commonwealth Youth Games website (link posted in my previous post).

Congrats to the Aussie delegation who battled a long trip and niggling injuries to do us proud on the international stage.

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.

Good Morning!

Best of luck to Jayden Bull who has qualified 8th to the high bar final in Ghent!

Going, Going, Ghent

Very best wishes to the Aussie MAG delegation competing at the Challenger Cup in Ghent, Belgium this weekend, Jayden Bull, Elliott Cook and Luke Wadsworth!

Jayden and Luke have been making their mark on the Aussie lineup since their inclusion in the Pacific Rim Championships last year.

Good luck, fellas!

Happy Birthday To...

More birthdays out of the Sunshine State...

Happy Birthday to Josh Jefferis! Many happy returns.

To Cool For School

Results out of the World University Games in China...


Aus MAG team - 11th

Sam Offord, rings - 4th!

All Around - Luke W, 17th. Tom Pichler, 22nd.

Prashanth S, pommel - GOLD!




Go you good things!

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"!?!?

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.)