Readers' Choice: Results of Team USA Leos

Some surprising results! Thanks for voting! Here was the original post

Three Least Favorite Leos

Third Place with 10 votes - I think it's here because most agree with me - it's nice that it's patriotic but it's not a flattering leo.



Second Place with 23 votes - This was neck and neck with number one for a while. The viewers have spoken: we're done with hot pink!


First Place with 29 points - Surprised this beat out the hot pink! Guess we're not ready for metallic colors yet!


Three Favorite Leos

Third Place - tie with 7 votes!




Second Place with 29 votes - I think we can agree that the leotard looked nicer at the Olympics than on the cover of Sports Illustrated.


First Place with 44 points - Patriotism wins!


All photos property of John Cheng for USA Gym

Thanks for voting! I was planning on doing Team China but it's hard to find pictures. I might do Russia throughout the year/quad next.

Note!I have exams coming up so I likely won't post until mid-October unless something drastic comes up and I can't resist posting (which is entirely possible).

Tattoos!

Vanessa Ferrari
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We've seen quite a surge in gymnasts getting tattoos. Full Twist links to pictures of previous medalists and 2012 US Alternate Alex Naddour here but also John Geddert, Kieran Behan, and Jake Dalton here.

Erika Fasana of Italy recently posted a picture of her torn up hands from bars on facebook. What did I notice? The tattoo.

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Teammate Carlotta Ferlito also got a tattoo.

Bringing Home the Gold: Aly Raisman

Another documentary has been aired on Aly Raisman.

Aly on new celebrity status:
Aly went to a Phillip Philips private concert. It's nice to see her being a teenager, meeting someone, and sharing in the media highlight. Aly also talks about her Poland Spring endorsement, Fashion Police, and the Red Carpet Premiere for Bridesmaids. There's a clip of James Marsden saying he gets nervous around Aly!

Watch here or below:


Aly on 2016?

Russia Update Part 2

Some more videos were just uploaded of the women training in Mallorca. Anna Dementyeva, who looks to have grown a lot, seems to be training her Onodi to beat jump or another connection. Tatiana Nabieva is looking really strong. We don't see her doing too much in the video but her twisting form has not changed at all.

Watch here or below:


Many have been waiting for video of Vika and Musty. Here, we have video of Viktoria Komova. She seems to be training a full out. This could also just be a drill for her double double dismount on bars. Mustafina is also seen doing some bars.

Watch here or below:


There is also a translated interview with Alexander Alexandrov by Rewriting Russian Gymnastics. He has a lot of insight on the Olympics. Some notable things: he doesn't blame the judges too much for Vika's silver. Rather, he thinks it was her mistakes on vault that caused the problem. Ksenia Afansyeva had only been able to train properly for 1 month before the Olympics due to the ankle injury sustained at Russian National Championships. Also, he blames Grishina's coach for her performance and says that she was not put on beam in team finals because she was losing confidence. It's interesting to see that Russia had already claimed the "troika" - Aliya Mustafina, Viktoria Komova, and Anastasia Grishina. However, time was not on their side with injuries for all 3 and Komova's growth spurt.

A Little Russia Update

Russia has made available a virtual tour of Round Lake/Lake Krugloye. The pictures are great quality and you get to go through the different parts of the gym. It's amazing! I believe Grishina and Komova are on beam. There's a picture of Ksenia Semenova with Ksenia Afansyeva. There's also a picture of the girls in their classroom, reminding you that these amazing athletes are still just teenagers. Check it out here. When you get to the site, something pops up - the top option is for the women's team and the bottom is for the men.

It's unclear to me if the entire women's team is training in Mallorca (videos of Mustafina and team may be loaded in the coming days) but there is video of the Russian men. Video can be found here.

There is also video of Maria Paseka training a Khorkina II (or Markelov) in to a direct Gienger. 2012 Olympic Uneven Bar Bronze Medalist Beth Tweddle also did this combination. With the new Code of Points valuing connected release moves, I have a feeling we'll see more Tweddle-esque routines in the next 4 years.

Watch here or below:


In case you don't remember Maria Paseka's bar routine during Team Qualifications. Here it is:


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She has a beautiful smile and was such a good sport about scratching bars.

Montage Monday

Three great montages! Two of all of gymnastics (not country specific) and one of McKayla Maroney with an original rap. Make sure to check them out.

Another great Olympic montage for gymnastics! The video is called "The emotions and beauty in gymnastics at the Olympics 2012." This one highlights some lows and highs of the games. At one particular point, the video editor did an excellent job landing the vaults exactly with the music. I also really liked the portions of overlay - Jordyn crying with Aly waiting, Team USA saluting with Vanessa Ferrari on floor. There were also moments that made me smile from ear to ear, like when we see Sandra Izbasa grinning widely with Gabi Dragoi when she finds out she won gold on VT. Watch the montage. It'll make you feel good about the Olympics.

Watch here or below:

Tour of Gymnastics Champions

Everyday I'm shufflin'

The gymnasts are now on the Tour of Gymnastics Champions. Here are some clips of video! First off, the level of skills that the athletes do is a lot higher than we've seen in previous tours. They're also actually dancing! I haven't watched all of these so forgive me if they're out of order. I haven't decided if I want to go or not. Injury video is last.


First off, Aly did a pretty legit floor routine. Not all of her passes but still, impressive for a tour. here



Then, the guys apparently take their shirts off. here


Then, the Fierce 5 (according to the comments, Nastia is in it too). here

(Epic) Montage Monday

More montages = Happy Arabian Punch Front :)
There are 4 montages this time - one of Jordyn Wieber, one of the Fierce 5, one of Viktoria Komova, and one of the entire Olympics. Make sure to check them all out!

These first 2 montages probably couldn't be more contrasted. The first one is by EmmsDream and features Jordyn Wieber. It has a slower song and chronicles her career in the last 2 years from 2011 World Champion to 2012 Gold Medalist. It puts everything in perspective. No, Jordyn did not get the 2012 All Around crown but she still has the team gold which was on of her goals and is still just as important. There are also cute clips of her as a child throughout which kinda pulls on your heart strings a bit... or a lot.

Watch here or below: