Gymnastics 24/7 - April 2008

U.S. male gymnasts do well playing catch-up
Los Angeles Times - CA, USA - Mon March 31, 2008
The U.S. gymnastics program, which has produced a steady stream of proficient pixies since Marta Karolyi became the women's national team coordinator, fell on hard times on the men's side after the 2004 Olympics.

Joura, Rizzo win gymnastics medals in US
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney, Australia - Mon March 31, 2008
Australian gymnast Daria Joura has tuned up for the Olympics in style with a bronze medal in the all-around event at the Pacific Rim Championships.

USA wins 15 medals in event finals at 2008 Pacific Rim Championships
USA Gymnastics - USA - Sun March 30, 2008
On the last day of the individual event finals, the U.S. men and women claimed a total of 15 medals, nine gold, two silver and four bronze, at the 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships presented by Gillette Venus in San Jose, Calif.

Hamm displays his Olympic form
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA - Sat March 29, 2008
Picking up where he left off after winning the gold medal in the all-around competition in Athens, the 25-year-old American scored 94.450 points on the six apparatuses to easily turn back the competition Friday night at the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships.

GYMNASTICS: Tide, Tigers part of SEC championships
Montgomery Advertiser - Montgomery, AL, USA - Sat March 29, 2008
Four of the nation's top six teams are among the seven competing in this year's Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championships.

Largest college gymnastics crowd ever witnesses Utes' win
Salt Lake Tribune - UT, USA - Fri March 28, 2008
An overflowing capacity of 15,447 people packed the Huntsman Center on Friday for the Utah-BYU gymnastics meet. Many who made up the largest crowd to ever witness a collegiate gymnastics meet probably came with the hopes of seeing Ashley Postell do something special in her final home performance.

Comaneci no longer inspires Romanian gymnasts
Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland Sport - Wed, March 27, 2008
Romanian girls no longer dream of being Nadia Comaneci -- that is the hard fact facing the country's women's gymnastics coach.

Brazilian gymnast Hypolito undergoes surgery
Sports Illustrated - USA - Tue, March 26, 2008
Within four weeks, Hypolito will be fit to resume training for the Beijing Olympics, doctor Joao Grangeiro said in a statement.

NU men's gymnasts halt Air Force
Lincoln Journal Star - Lincoln, NE, USA - Sun, March 23, 2008
No. 10 Nebraska earned a 353.650-335.100 win against No. 15 Air Force on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. The team score was a season high, as NU finished the regular season 5-8, its best record since 2006.

Gymnastics Squad Captures 2008 ECAC Championship
Southern Connecticut State University Athletics - New Haven, CT, USA - Sat, March 22, 2008
The Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics team captured its ninth Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in the past 11 years on Saturday afternoon in West Chester, Pa. The Owls scored a 187.625 to edge the University of Bridgeport, who tallied a 187.200. Sophomore Taylor Murray (Islip, N.Y.) was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the competition, while freshman Justine Basley (Danielson, Conn.) was tabbed as the ECAC Rookie of the Year.

Gymnastics heads across causeway for final regular season meet on sunday
HornetsSports.com - USA - Sat, March 22, 2008
The Sacramento State gymnastics team will compete in its final regular season meet of the year this Sunday, March 23, when it makes the short trip across the Yolo Causeway for a four-team meet hosted by UC Davis. The meet also includes 10th-ranked Stanford and 34th-ranked San Jose State.

Bama whips Tigers again, eyes SEC meet
Press-Register - Mobile, AL, USA - Sat, March 22, 2008
Sixth-ranked Alabama made it 94 in a row over its upset-minded rival Friday night, winning 197.1-195.9 before an announced crowd of 10,193 at Coleman Coliseum.

Southern Utah sweeps Utah State in gymnastics
Deseret News - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Sat, March 22, 2008
Southern Utah gymnastics wrapped up its regular season with its third win over the Utah State, 195.075-193.150 Friday night. It was the regular-season finale for both and the Aggies' senior night.

Horton is one of five finalists for 2007 AAU Sullivan Award
USA Gymnastics - Indianapolis, IN, USA - Fri, March 21, 2008
Jonathan Horton of Houston, who finished fourth in the all-around at the 2007 World Championships, is one of five amateur athletes chosen as finalists for the 78th James E. Sullivan Memorial Award. The winner will be chosen by votes cast by AAU officials, U.S. Olympic Committee members and college sports information directors, with fan votes counting one-third toward the final tally. Fan voting ended on March 10, and the winner will be announced on April 1 at the New York Athletic Club.

GM backs Inter-Gulf gymnastics clash
Gulf Daily News - Manama, Bahrain - Thu, March 20, 2008
GENERAL Motors have confirmed their sponsorship of this year's Inter-Gulf Gymnastics Championships, to be held in Bahrain on April 11. The competition will be held at the St Christopher's Senior School premises in Isa Town. The event is expected to attract the top young gymnasts from across the Gulf, with teams from Dubai, Qatar and the hosts having already verified their participation.

Walt Purigroski keeps Vassar gymnastics alive
The Saginaw News - MLive.com - Saginaw, MI, USA - Wed, March 19, 2008
Without Walt Purigroski, Vassar probably wouldn't have started a gymnastics program. The Vulcans certainly wouldn't still have one, as the number of schools offering the sport dwindles.

Gymnastics coach emphasizes academics and humor
Columbia Missourian - Columbia, MO, USA - Wed, March 19, 2008
MU gymnastics coach John Figueroa is also a laid-back, upbeat coach who the gymnasts say they can always count on.

Gymnastics Team Visits Local Hospital
LSUSports.net - Baton Rouge, LA, USA - Wed, March 19, 2008
The LSU gymnastics team visited patients at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge on Tuesday afternoon. The team split up into smaller groups and visited about 25 patients of the pediatric unit, taking pictures with them and their families.

ALABAMA GYMNASTICS: Injuries force Tide's Humphrey to end career
Montgomery Advertiser - Montgomery, AL, USA - Wed, March 19, 2008
Alabama gymnast Terin Humphrey, the program's first Olympian, has decided to give up the sport after recurring back problems limited her to just four events this season.

Humphrey retires from gymnastics
Tuscaloosa News - Tuscaloosa, AL, USA - Tue, March 18, 2008
Two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time NCAA event champion Terin Humphrey is hanging up her leotard and retiring from gymnastics.

Sun Devils Sweep Pac-10 Weekly Gymnastics Honors
Pac 10 - USA - Tue, March 18, 2008
ARIZONA STATE's Francesca Mercurio and Tia Orlando have been named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week and Pac-10 Event Specialist of the Week, respectively, for March 11-17, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today. The Sun Devil sweep of the Pac-10 weekly gymnastics honors marks the second consecutive week and third time this season that an institution has garnered both accolades in the same week.

U.S. Olympic coach defends gymnastics program
The Tribune - Kingwood, TX, USA - Mon, March 17, 2008
"Anything less than a full-time professional would be completely unacceptable," said Kevin Mazeika, the 2008 U.S.A. Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team head coach. Mazeika addressed the packed Humble ISD school board on March 12 concerning the recent decision to cancel funding for the program. Utah gymnastics: Utes chomped up by Gators
Salt Lake Tribune - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Sat, March 15, 2008
Third-ranked Florida (8-2) handed the Utes (10-1) their first loss, taking a 197.700-196.875 in Florida's O'Connell Center in front of 4,274. The defeat leaves Utah's 1993 team (17-0) as the program's only team to go unbeaten through the regular season.

UF gymnastics has memorable night
Gatorsports.com - Gainesville, FL, USA - Fri, March 14, 2008
Florida ended its regular season on Friday night the way it hopes to end the postseason: With a championship-worthy performance.

Hawaii Gymnast Selected for Pac Rim Gymnastics Championships
KGMB9 - Honolulu, HI, USA - Fri, March 14, 2008
Nani Vercruyssen, a 16-year old from Roosevelt High School, has been selected to represent the US in the biannual Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, previously called the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships, in San Jose, CA, 29-30 March 2008. In 2006 this event was held in Honolulu where Vercruyssen performed to the screams of her home town crowd and received a silver medal.

Utah gymnastics: Utes face biggest test
Salt Lake Tribune - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Fri, March 14, 2008
Not since the season opener against Georgia has Utah's gymnastics team been in a battle where every tenth counts and the difference between winning and losing can come down to a single wobble.

Gymnastics: Federation to hold National Championships next month
Malta Independent Online - Malta - Fri, March 14, 2008
The Malta Gymnastics Federation will be holding its National Championships in Artistic Gymnastics on Sunday, 13th April, 2008 at the Gymstars Gymnastics Club at Tarxien from 9 a.m onwards.

CHS coach opens Rhonda’s Tumble Time Gymnastics
Journal Review - Crawfordsville, IN, USA - Thu, March 13, 2008
A love for gymnastics and a desire to help the youth of Montgomery County has led Rhonda Fritts to open Rhonda’s Tumble Time Gymnastics.

Judge Rules Gymnastics Will Return
Gazette Newspapers - Long Beach, CA, USA - Thu, March 13, 2008
A federal judge last week ruled that Wilson High School officials showed a "disregard for the impact on female students" and discriminated against them when it dismantled the girls’ gymnastics practice room last summer and planned to convert it into a fitness center.

Beirut Gymnastics Dome to Improve Skills
Naharnet - Beirut, Lebanon - Thu, March 13, 2008
Riyadi-Beirut gymnastics coach Ahmed Sharaf expressed hope Thursday that a new dome, which ex-Premier Rafik Hariri had promised to build, will be established soon. He told al-Mustaqbal newspaper that Hariri's son, MP Saad Hariri, made the contribution to build the "Beirut Gymnastics Dome" which will help develop the Lebanese gymnasts' skills.

Louis remains on course for Olympics spot
Peterborough Today. Peterborough, UK - Wed, March 12, 2008
Eye ace Smith performed well in the opening World Cup event of 2008 – the Qatar Grand Prix at the Aspire Stadium in Doha – in a field full of the best pommel horse exponents from across the globe.

Washington Sweeps Pac-10 Weekly Gymnastics Honors
pac-10.org, USA - Tue, March 11, 2008
Washington's Ashley Houghting and Nikki Waiss have been named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week and Pac-10 Event Specialist of the Week, respectively, for March 4-10, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

Springfield College to host 2008 USA Gymnastics Men’s Collegiate Championships
USA Gymnastics. Indianapolis, USA - Mon, March 10, 2008
Springfield College will host the 2008 USA Gymnastics Men’s Collegiate Championships, March 28-29, at Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass. The College of William and Mary, seven-time defending champions, and Arizona State University look to repeat as team champions in the varsity and collegiate divisions, respectively.

Postell Selected To USA Gymnastics Hall Of Fame
CSTV.com - Mon, March 10, 2008
Utah All-America gymnast Ashley Postell has received notification that she will be inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame on June 22 in Philadelphia, Pa. She will join her 2003 USA teammates in an induction ceremony held in conjunction with the 2008 USA Olympic Team Trials and the USA Gymnastics National Congress.

BYU Gymnastics vs. SUU
BYU Newsnet - Provo, UT, USA - Mon, March 10, 2008
The BYU gymnastics team was determined to prove to Southern Utah University that their last meeting was a mistake, and after Friday night's meet, the Cougars reinstated their authority, tagging the Thunderbirds with a 194.550 to 193.300 victory.

Gymnastics: Utes fall but still record highs
The Daily Utah Chronicle - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Mon, March 10, 2008
If the U gymnastics team was in a slumber going into the meet against Oregon State Friday night, its performance served as a blaring alarm.

Gymnastics finishes third at George Washington tri-meet
Diamondback Online - College Park, MD, USA - Mon, March 10, 2008
Don't be surprised if Terrapin gymnastics coach Bob Nelligan chooses to begin practice today with a brief lesson in Latin.

Mantcheva and Mo big winners at rhythmic gymnastics Elite Canada
BrandonSun.com - Manitoba, Canada - Sun, March 9, 2008
Demetra Mantcheva of Vancouver won two event finals in senior competition and Nerissa Mo of Vancouver was a triple winner in junior competition on Sunday at the Elite Canada rhythmic gymnastics competition.

US Women's Team won friendly meet in Italy
FederGinnastica.it, ITA - Sat, March 8, 2008

Teams 1. USA 179.050 2. Italy 177.950 3. Spain 151.050 4. Poland 150.100

Individuals 1. Shawn Johnson 61.700 2. Vanessa Ferrari 60.100 3. Samantha Peszek 59.050 4. Lia Parolari 58.300 5. Carlotta Giovannini 58.250 6. David Chelsea 57.700 7. Lenika De Simone 57.150

8. Francesca Benolli 56.450 9. Olivia Courtney 56.000 10. Monica Bergamelli 55.500 11. Naomi Ruiz 55.400 12. Sara Bradaschia 54.400 13. Joanna Litewka 50.700 14. Gabriela Janik 50.350 15. Marta Pihan 49.650

Utah Utes gymnastics: 2nd-ranked Utes win 11 straight
Deseret News - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Sat, March 8, 2008
Afterward, Utah's Ashley Postell could smile about it. She could admit she was human. "Apparently so," said the woman who's been chasing so many of Utah's gymnastics records.

Gymnastics Instructor Arrested On Molestation Charges
WSOCtv.com - Charlotte, NC, USA - Fri, March 7, 2008
Mooresville police arrested a gymnastics instructor at the Gym Company, on Talbert Pointe Drive, shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday. Police say they’ve charged Phillip Thompson with molesting eleven girls while teaching gymnastics at a Sanford school between July 2006 and January of this year.

Ushakov and Karavaeva take the lead at the 2008 Wroclaw World Cup preliminaries
AcrobaticSports.com - Fri, March 7 2008
Irina Karavaeva (RUS) and Dimitri Ushakov (RUS) took the lead in the preliminaries of the first World Cup of 2008 that took place today at the Sports Hall-Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland. Anna Korobeynikova (RUS) and Jozef Wadecki (POL) took the lead in tumbling.

Gymnastics: Alabama faces tough trip out West
Montgomery Advertiser - Montgomery, AL, USA - Fri, March 7 2008
Alabama's gymnastics team will face a unique test out West this weekend, traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., for a tri-meet tonight, then venturing to Los Angeles for a quad meet on Sunday.

Results from World Cup Doha (Qatar) 2008 Mar 5
GymnasticsResults.com - Wed, March 5 2008
Check the results from Artistic GYmnastics World Cup in Doha, Qatar - March 4-6

Videos from World Cup Doha (Qatar) 2008 Mar 5
YouTube.com - Wed, March 5 2008
Check the videos from Artistic GYmnastics World Cup in Doha, Qatar - March 4-6

Special report: Gymnastics in peril as programs get cut
Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Sun, March 2 2008
Recently, Rhode Island announced it was going to drop its program after the 2008 season, news that shocked coach Chelle Kassabian, her gymnasts and their fans.

Georgia star gymnast out
Deseret News Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Sun, March 2 2008
Two-time NCAA gymnastics all-around champion Courtney Kupets of Georgia is out for the season after tearing an Achilles tendon in Saturday's 197.90-195.95 win over Arkansas at Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum, which will be the site of the 2008 NCAA Championships April 24-26.

Paul Hamm and Nastia Liukin won 2008 American Cup
New York City - Sat, 1 March 2008

Men			FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB	Total
1	Paul Hamm	USA	15.70	14.75	15.85	16.20	16.05	15.85	94.40
2	Alexander Artemev	USA	14.40	15.15	15.05	16.25	15.40	14.90	91.15
3	Hisashi Mizutori	JPN	15.15	15.00	14.35	15.45	15.45	15.55	90.95
4	Bo Lu	CHN	13.85	14.25	15.90	16.00	15.80	14.40	90.20
5	Jonathan Horton	USA	15.35	13.50	15.80	15.35	15.75	13.85	89.60
6	Raj Bhavsar	USA	14.75	14.35	16.00	15.55	14.50	14.40	89.55
7	Flavius Koczi	ROU	14.80	15.05	14.85	16.15	14.35	12.40	87.60

Women			VT	UB	BB	FX	Total
1	Nastia Liukin	USA	15.025	16.600	16.200	15.600	63.425
2	Shawn Johnson	USA	15.175	15.625	16.325	15.975	63.100
3	Samantha Peszek	USA	15.150	15.425	16.100	15.400	62.075
4	Shayla Worley	USA	15.050	15.525	14.750	15.075	60.400
5	Joeline Mobius	GER	14.200	14.150	14.725	14.850	57.925
6	Jessica Lopez	VEN	14.225	14.075	14.800	14.300	57.400
7	Alyssa Brown	CAN	14.800	14.275	14.800	11.350	55.225
8	Nathalia Sanchez	COL	13.425	14.400	13.750	13.175	54.750

Qatar ready to host Gymnastics World Cup
The Peninsula. Qatar - Fri, 29 Feb 2008
Doha • As many as 106 top ranked world level gymnasts from as many as 38 countries will be seen in action in the three-day World Cup Gymnastics professional men and women - Category A to be held at Aspire Academy from March 4 to 6.

Gymnastics: World waits for Johnson to set bar
DesMoinesRegister.com - Fri, 29 Feb 2008
The American Cup is more than a test run for Beijing for Shawn Johnson. It's round one. It's where the mind games begin.

Live on NBC the 2008 Tyson American Cup
USA Gymnastics - Thu, 28 Feb 2008
Catch all the action of the 2008 Tyson American Cup from the comfort of your own living room on Saturday, March 1. NBC Sports will broadcast the competition LIVE from Madison Square Garden from 1:00-3:00 pm EST

Youthful Gymnast on a roll, eyes Olympics
USA Today - USA - Wed, 27 Feb 2008
Shawn Johnson, 16, was once one of those rambunctious girls. She was 6 when her mother, Teri, brought her to tumble for club owner and coach Liang Chow.

This Week in Pac-10 Women's Gymnastics
Pac 10 - USA - Wed, 27 Feb 2008
One team will be named undefeated Pac-10 Champion after this week's competition.

Ex-gymnastics coach locked up for raping girl
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Wed, 27 Feb 2008
Former East Rochester gymnastics coach Marian A. Penev was sent to prison Tuesday for having sex with a 13-year-old student.

Azerbaijani Gymnasts Win International Tournament in Vinnitsa
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan - Mon, 25 Feb 2008
The team consisting of men including Rustam Najafguliyev, Elnur Mammadov, Ilham Abbasov and Farid Mammadov outclassed the Russian team in the finals of the tournament

GB ready for teenage Olympian
BBC Sport - Mon, 25 Feb 2008
Grandi recently told Chinese news agency Xinhua he did not agree with young gymnasts like Comaneci performing on the world stage. "Sports like gymnastics should not be there for kids," said Grandi.

Gymnastics: Utah overpowers UCLA
Salt Lake Tribune - Sun, 24 Feb 2008
There may not be defense in gymnastics, but there is offense, and the second-ranked Utes unveiled plenty of firepower to hand No. 9 UCLA its first loss of the season Sunday, 197.45-195.825.

Sidney Gymnastics Club looking toward future
Sidney Herald-Leader - Sun, 24 Feb 2008
Sidney Gymnastics Club officials say the program's existing building is excellent for practice, but an expansion is needed in order to hold large competitions at the site.

Dynamite Gymnastics hosts invitational that draws hundreds of competitors from across Illinois
Herald & Review - Sat, 23 Feb 2008
Hours of practice paid off for Karee Martin on Saturday in the seventh annual Heart of Illinois Gymnastics Invitational. The Springfield 9-year-old had a lot to be proud of. She did her first front tuck at the competition. Her mother, Tammy, was right there, cheering.

US men’s gymnastics team defeated Canada on Friday in Calgary
Gymnastics Canada - Sat, 23 Feb 2008
The Americans, with two members from the fourth place squad at last year’s worlds, totalled 361.560 points to 352.600 for Canada Guillermo Alvarez of the U.S., posted the best individual all around score at 89.000 followed David Kikuchi of Halifax at 88.710 and Danelle Leyva of the U.S., at 86.600. A big confidence boost for the Canadian team was Adam Wong of Calgary in fourth at 80.800.

Utah gymnastics: Postell posts a 10 to lead Utes
Salt Lake Tribune - Sat, 23 Feb 2008
Postell earning her second 10.0 of the season on the vault Friday, leading the Utes to a 197.2 score and an easy win over Southern Utah (193.1) and Utah State (189.65) in front of 12,963 at the Huntsman Center. Utah's score was its second best of the year.

Claude Pelletier to resign as Gymnastics Canada National Coach
Gymnastics Canada - Fri, 22 Feb 2008
It is with regrets that Gymnastics Canada is announcing the departure of Claude Pelletier, National Coach in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics since July 2005, for family reasons. Claude Pelletier will maintain his full time responsibility as National Coach – WAG until March 7 2008.

USA men prepare for dual meet with Canada
Usa-Gymnastics.org - Fri, 22 Feb 2008
The USA men's senior national team is in Calgary preparing for a dual meet against Canada. The meet will be Friday at the Calgary Gymnastics Center.

Horton a Semifinalist for AAU Award
Soonersports.com - Fri, 22 Feb 2008
Oklahoma senior gymnast Jonathan Horton has been selected as one of 11 semifinalists for the 78th James E. Sullivan Memorial Award presented by the Amateur Athletic Union. Fans can cast their ballot from Feb. 22-March 10 at sports.usatoday.com

Utah gymnastics: Double duty for Utes
The Salt Lake Tribune - Fri, 22 Feb 2008
What started out as a scheduling mistake for Utah's second-ranked gymnastics team might turn into a favor for the Utes, at least that is the way they are viewing their busy weekend.

Olympic champion picking right back up where he left off
USA Today - Thu, 21 Feb 2008
As Hamm will tell you, every little detail really does matter in gymnastics, never moreso than now. Returning after a 2 1/2-year layoff, the reigning Olympic champion is determined to put the U.S. men back on the medals podium, show he's still one of the best in his sport and maybe, just maybe, end his career with another gold medal - this time, without controversy.

Gymnastics coach to lead team USA
Penn State Collegian - Thu, 21 Feb 2008
Penn State gymnastics coach Randy Jepson spent this week away from his team, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Calgary, in what could have been the perfect winter getaway.