[April 30] Good Bye, Golden Team!
After the official announcement of today's Catalina Ponor retreat, the 2004 Athens Romanian gymnastics Golden Team is entering...history of gymnastics. Thank you! Catalina Ponor ,   Daniela Sofronie ,   Monica Rosu ,
  Alexandra Eremia ,   Oana Ban   ,   Silvia Stroescu and   Andreea Munteanu !
Also congratulations to their coaches, Main coach: Octavian Belu
 coach Mariana Bitang ,  coach Nicolae Forminte and coach Lucian Sandu .
A Romanian gymnastics fan, Nade from Australia, made the best video montage for this occasion, "Good bye, Golden Team" -video montage, click to see .

 [April 30] Should Catalina Ponor stay until Worlds? Vote in our Forum Poll

 [April 30] Romanian gymnastics - 1st place on Medals Table (by total)
1. ROM : 2 Gold; 1 Silver; 1 Bronze ; Total 4
2. ITA    : 1 Gold; 1 Silver; ................   Total 2
3.RUS:      1 Gold; ...............1 Bronze;  Total 2

 [April 30] Ponor goes out with gold
ATHENS (Reuters) - Catalina Ponor kissed goodbye to international gymnastics in spectacular fashion when she picked up the gold medal on the beam and bronze on the floor at the European championships in Volos on Sunday. "This is the ideal end for my career, the one I had hoped for when I came to Volos," said the triple Olympic champion who announced her retirement from the sport just before these championships. "I aimed to win the gold on the balance beam, I knew I could make it. And on the floor I was happy to win any medal, it did not have to be the gold."
Ponor's beam gold was her third successive European title on the apparatus.
On the floor, though, she was upstaged by fellow Romanian Sandra Izbasa, who took the gold with a score of 15.550, and Italian Vanessa Ferrari, who collected the silver. The crowd jeered and booed when the judges gave Ponor only 14.600. "I am glad the audience wanted me higher -- that is why they reacted when the judges announced the score," Ponor said.

 [April 30] Quotes Senior Women's Apparatus Finals
  Catalina Ponor (ROM, gold medal on balance beam, bronze on floor exercises): “This is the ideal end for my career, the one I hoped for when I came to Volos. I aimed for the gold on balance beam. I knew I could make it. I was well-trained although I had problems with my back and my hand. On floor I’m content that I won a medal. It did not have to be the gold. However, I’m glad that the audience wanted me higher and that is why they reacted when the judges announced my score. I do not know what it will happen next. But for sure I’m not planning to open a gymnastics academy for juniors”.
Sandra Izbasa (ROM, bronze on balance beam, gold on floor exercises): “I’m very happy with winning two medals. I’m in good shape for other performances too. I have to admit that I wanted two gold medals. I hope to follow the footsteps of Ponor”.

[April 29] Romania's junior team-Silver at the European Championship
/Rompres/ - Romania's junior team, formed of Aluissa Lacusteanu, Andreea Grigore, Cerasela Patrascu, Madalina Gutu and Alexandra Ghita, was awarded with the silver medal at the European Gymnastics Championships in Volos, Greece, in the women's competition, with a score of 170.250 points. Following a good performance with difficult and well made exercises three of these young gymnasts also succeeded to rank honorably among the first 10 at the individual combined event, Aluissa Lacusteanu - 5th, with 57.650 points, Andreea Grigore - sixth, with 57.050 points and Cerasela Patrascu - 10th, with 55.550 points.
On the occasion of the press conference Nicolae Forminte coordinating trainer of Romania's teams, stated: "We are happy because we have succeeded to step up on the podium by conquering the silver medal. The level proved this evening is one reflecting a big progress. Russia was a team hard to catch up due to the Russian gymnasts who proved exceptional in this competition. As well, I wish to congratulate Germany's team; for me it was not surprising it got the bronze although it performed in the morning". In her turn, Aluissa Lacusteanu, the best ranking Romanian gymnast, said: "I am happy I climbed the podium with the team at my first participation in a competition of such level".

[April 29] 'Stick It' sticks up for the girls
There's no other word for Stick It, the new Disney comedy about girl gymnasts, than "giddy." Except for "giggly." And "rude," bracingly rude. The gym rats of this frenetic female farce talk trash and talk dirty.

[April 29] European Championships-Press Conference - Women Team Final
Catalina Ponor (ROM): “After the finals I started crying in the dressing room, because we almost touched the gold. In such competitions mistakes are paid bitterly and we made mistakes that we paid for them. This is my last competition. I feel very tired to go on. I am also facing difficulties with my injuries, something you can all see”.
Nicolae Forminte (ROM, Coach): “The Italian team wrote history today. I am very disappointed, that we did not win the gold. We will try harder and I hope that we will win the gold next time. I would like to thank the Organizing committee for this competition”.

 [April 29-30] Live TVR2 coverage from European Championships
Saturday:16,00 - 18, 30 / TVR2 : live from European Championships
Sunday  : 15,00 -18,00 / TVR2 :live from European Championships

Iceland hiring Romanian gymnastics coaches
We are a small Gymnastic Club in Iceland and we are looking for coaches for our club. We are willing to hire a couple or a individual coaches who can work together. If you are interested here are some information's about our club: About 260 girls from the age 5 to 16 ears old practice gymnastics both artistic and trampoline.We are club in Keflavík, Iceland...

[April 28] Southborough gymnast wins junior state championship
Chloe Herczeg of Southborough, in one of the best meets of her season, won the Junior Olympic Level 8 Massachusetts State Championship, Child Division in Auburndale on Saturday, April 8. Chloe is a member of the Brestyan's American Gymnastics Team in Ashland, Massachusetts where she is coached by former Romanian National coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan, and Rodica Marcov and Albu Nelu. Brestyan's is also home to Alicia Sacramone the 2005 World Champion in the floor exercise.

U. Mall lines up new restaurant, hosts gymnastics
The University Mall in Athens will soon have a new restaurant in its parking lot, and according to a mall co-owner, plans are in the works for several other businesses to locate in and around the mall by this fall. Meanwhile, one of the biggest vacant storefronts at the mall is being used for gymnastics.

[April 28] Gymnast Miller to be honored
OKLAHOMA CITY — Ten years later, Shannon Miller doesn’t feel that much different than the 19-year-old who led the U.S. gymnastics team’s “Magnificent Seven” to Olympic gold. The most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, Miller is now a law school student in Boston. Tonight, she will be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame along with three others. Among her seven Olympic medals, Miller has two golds — one for winning the balance beam in ’96 and a team gold won with Dominique Moceanu, Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes and Kerri Strug. She also won nine medals at the world championships.

'The Dude' plays the coach of a teen girls gymnastics team
Jeff Bridges will always be 'The Dude' from The Big Lebowski to me, no matter what role he takes on. In his latest film, Stick It, he's the coach of an elite team of female gymnasts. When former gymnast and bad girl, Missy Peregrym, returns to the sport, it's Jeff's character who takes her on as his prodigy.

OPENING THIS WEEK:The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
(R for nudity and profanity) Dark comedy about a lonely, 63 year-old man (Ion Fiscuteanu) who falls ill and calls for an ambulance only to be shuttled from hospital around Bucharest without ever being admitted due to each new doctor’s arriving at a different diagnosis. (In Romanian with subtitles)

[April 27] Ponor hoping for a golden finale at European meet
ATHENS: Triple Olympic gold medallist Catalina Ponor will have one last chance to shine on the international stage when she takes part in the European championships, which start in Volos today. The 18-year-old Romanian, who dominated the 2004 Athens Olympics with victories in the team competition, the beam and the floor exercise, plans to quit the sport after the event.

[April 26] Ponor: "I want two gold medals in Volos"
Catalina Ponor: «I have an injury problem on my left leg, but I hope that it will not cause me any trouble during the competition. My aim in this European Championships, which will be my last, is to win the gold medal in balance beam for third consecutive year and to retain the team title that we had won in 2004. I hope that I will also be among the challengers on floor exercise, but we will see. My decision to quit gymnastics after the Europeans of Volos is definitive. This is my last performance and I want to enjoy it as much as I can. I don’t know what I will do next. Maybe I will become a coach in Romania or elsewhere, but I’m not sure if I will do it immediately after my retirement. The Nea Ionia sports hall is small, but very good. I believe that it will host a very interesting European Championships».

'Stick It' Cast Tumbles Into Gymnastics — Neon Leotards And All
They're trying to make a living at something that destroys lives as easily as it makes dreams come true. They're looking for friendships in a cutthroat world where betrayal is commonplace. They're putting themselves out there to be judged on tiny details beyond their control. It's no surprise that actresses and gymnasts deal with the same high-pressure challenges. On the set of "Stick It," the two groups came together.

[April 26] Moceanu pays visit to Gulf Breeze
Before she was old enough to drive a car, Dominique Moceanu had done it all in the world of gymnastics. Now 10 years later, Moceanu is trying to climb that mountain again, with her sights on the National Championships in August.

[April 25] Cinema: Stick It /Reviewed by Scott Tobias
Fake punk-rock has its own visual language, and the opening minutes of Stick It—a movie about that most punk-rock of sports, gymnastics—piles on the "Do The Dew" clichés: credits spelled out in dripping graffiti, crazy jump cuts and camera bobs out of thirteen, extreme stunts in an empty suburban pool with skateboards and trick bikes, and much flashing of the "devil horns" hand signal.

INTERVIEW: Missy Peregrym Gets Her Gymnastics On in Stick It
For her role in Stick It, Missy trained three months prior to the start of production to get into the best shape in her life. Even though she did have a stunt double, Missy knew she had to look her best. "The camerawork was amazing, the way that they filmed it; I thought the double was phenomenal. When she came in, we were in the middle training and I was terrified...

[April 24] Romanian movie in NY: THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU
Reviewed this week in The Current Cinema. In Romanian with subtitles. Opening April 26. (at Film Forum.)

[April 24] Former Olympic champion making competitive comeback
The tiny girl wearing a lime-green outfit and bright-eyed expression approached Dominique Moceanu with nervous caution. "Hi, sweetie,'' Moceanu said, helping ease her young admirer's shyness during a visit Saturday to Gulf Breeze Gymnastics and Cheer.
"It's really quite an honor for me to still be able to do this, 10 years later,'' said Moceanu, 24, who is training for a competitive comeback. "If my autograph can make someone smile or make their day, I'll do it until the day I die.''

Adult stem cells help paralysed 18 year old to walk
A paralysed 18 year old, Jacki Rabon, who was injured in a car accident in August 2003, is now able to walk with braces six months after being treated with her own nasal adult stem cells. The operation took place at Hospital Egaz Moniz in Lisbon in October 2005 and involved taking olfactory tissue from the upper nasal cavity and transplanting the cells into the patient. The Portuguese neurologist and adult stem cell pioneer, Dr Carlos Lima, who treated her and whose surgery has benefited over 45 paralysed patients, since it was developed in 2002, said that the long-term benefits and possible delayed side effects of the procedure need to be documented, but even the smallest amount of restored function can have profound benefits for paralysed patients. Dr. Lima is collaborating with physicians at the Detroit Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine to further develop, advance, and implement this promising surgical procedure.

[April 22] Barden on chess
The rival world champions Veselin Topalov (Fide) and Vlad Kramnik, who beat Garry Kasparov, have signed up for a 12-game $1m unity match in Kalmykia starting on September 23. Topalov has far less match experience than his rival, which explains the recent series in Bucharest, where Topalov took on the European champion Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu. The Romanians made it a high-profile event, whose match guests included the state president Traian Basescu and the legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

[April 21] Catalina Ponor, "The Mom" of the Romanian gymnastics team
Catalina Ponor said in an interview for the news channel N24 that she is thinking seriously about retirement after European Championships. "I no longer feel the desire to push myself for hard training's" (everybody saw this past 12 months, darling, glad to hear it from you). She hopes to get a Gold at Balance Beam "if not, a Silver or Bronze". We still hope for a Gold, Cata!
Catalina Ponor said she likes to train now along with all the girls from Deva, at least "the gym hall is not empty any more" (boys were send to train at Izvorani, to give a meaning to that useless big investment). Catalina likes to give advice to the younger team members: "girls even call me Mom" -said laughing Catalina. Asked about this, an afraid-to-speak-about-this-looking Izbasa said (in a very mechanical way): "no, only coaches give us advice's" (looking she was scared to admit any help from the "rebel" Catalina). Still, Izbasa has admitted that younger girls "steal" from Catalina techniques. Nice, let's hope crossed legs and things like that doesn't fall into this category.
Asked about her post-gymnastics career, Catalina said she don't want to become a coach and she sill have to think what else to do, apart from finishing her school. She looked happy and ready to defend her Beam Queen reputation, maybe for the last time. Good Luck to Catalina and all the team!

[April 20] Anastasia Soare - God Mother for Baby Boy "Zece" Comaneci
Anastasia Soare , a Romanian native and owner of a beauty empire, will be the God Mother of the Baby Boy "Zece"-the child of Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner, according to "Ciao" magazine released today. Using some (kind of) tricky questions (like "Nadia already told us"), the "Ciao" magazine made Anastasia Soare to confirm this (by pretending they already know it for sure).
The "waiting list" for God Parents-to be for the Baby Boy Zece is long, a lot of celebrities asking to be among the ones to baptize the new baby. Not announced...the Mayor of Montreal, which soon will have the 30 years anniversary of 1976 Games. He is still busy...paying the debt of 1976 Games.
We can only hope that Baby 10 will not spend much time at his God Mother "office", a beauty saloon may not be the best place to hang out...at least not before the age when he will look for some (famous) girls. Good Luck to all!

[April 20] The musts for this week
Dominique Moceanu tumbles her way to the Gulf Breeze Gymnastics and Cheer facilities. Get ready to flip out 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22.

[April 19] Romanian Gymnastics Federation has launched their website
In their Anniversary 100 year, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation has launched their website (is still a work in progress). To visit the official website of Romanian Gymnastics Federation, click here.

[April 19] OPINION: Keep the midriffs, ditch the TV dinners
They bump. They grind. They shake their booties and gyrate their pelvises to suggestive music. Yeah, Mickey! They are the cheerleaders. While it's true that cheerleading is polluted with bare midriffs, skimpy skirts and shorts, and inappropriate moves that may be sexually implicit, it is preposterous to say that such display of flesh could encourage eating disorders.
The best way to combat eating disorders is for parents to dress up what they put in their children's lunchboxes.

[April 19] Cameraman sticks it to convention in gym pic
Reuters/ Written and directed by "Bring It On!" scribe Jessica Bendinger, "Stick It" centers on a law-breaking athlete who attempts breakneck moves both in the gym and in her life. Okada choreographed a performance of muscular camera work that expresses the gymnast's unique perspective and challenges the sport's dainty and balletic reputation.

[April 19] European Championship gymnasts announced
The Secretary General of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, Mircea Apolozan, announced on Tuesday the athletes that are to compete in the European Championship in Volos, Greece. The Women's competition will take place between April 27 and April 30 and the Men's competition is scheduled between May 4 and May 7. Sandra Izbasa, who took the gold medal in the floor and vault events at the Romanian Internationals that took place between April 8 and 9, is part of the senior women's team. Also, Catalina Ponor, who placed first in the beam event at the Romanian Internationals, is part of the European Championship team.

[April 17] Americans hope to offset China Syndrome in 2008
Take the world's best coaches, throw them into a country with more than 1 billion people and implement some of the philosophies that helped turn the Eastern bloc into a powerhouse during the Cold War — politics aside, it's true that young athletes can be cloistered and trained more efficiently in a totalitarian society — and the results should be predictable.
"You can bring a lot of kids into a gym, but if they're not gymnasts, what good does it do?" Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, said of China's voluminous training system. "The system we've developed, I'll take that to the games any day. It's the best coaches in the world under the guidance of one of the best coaches in the history of the sport" in Martha Karolyi.
[the AP story is also wrongly saying that "Romanian star coach Octavian Belu is considering working for China in 2008." -this changed since January, but the sleeping AP writer still dream about it]

[April 16] Australian Cheerleaders Told to Cover Up
Australian cheerleaders have been banned from baring midriffs by officials of the sport who fear displays of skin may encourage eating disorders. Gymnastics Australia has ordered cheerleading troupes to find new uniforms by the end of the year. The ban will affect about 105 teams registered with Gymnastics Australia. In the United States, the National Federation of State High School Associations issued a new rule for the 2006-07 school year requiring that cheerleading uniforms cover the midriff.

[April 16] Stick It TV Spot: Rock It
Courtesy of Touchstone we have a brand new clip for STICK It. This TV spot is called "Rock it". Haley Graham (Missy Peregrym) is a rebellious 17 year-old who is forced to return to the regimented world of gymnastics after a run-in with the law. A judge sentences Haley to her ultimate nightmare - attending an elite gymnastics academy run by legendary hardnosed coach Burt Vickerman (Jeff Bridges, Interview). Haley's rebellious spirit and quick-witted banter quickly shakes things up at the strict school – making both close friends and bitter foes along the way. click to view Stick It TV Spot

[April 16] Living 'statues' tell history's tale
History came to life Thursday at Limestone Creek Elementary School. More than 200 characters from history and current events were represented by living "statues" in the second annual Biography Living Museum staged in the media center. Kacy Turenne, 11, picked Dominique Moceanu, who was part of the first American Women's Gymnastics Team to win the Olympic team gold medal in 1996.

[April 15] Cheerleaders banned from baring midriffs
Cheerleaders have been banned from baring their midriffs, with their governing body fearing it might be encouraging anorexia. Gymnastics Australia has given cheerleader troupes until the end of the year to find new uniforms, saying current revealing costumes make other teenagers feel uncomfortable about their weight. The move has angered cheerleading squads who believe the move is against the wishes of crowds who attend sporting events, News Limited papers report. National cheerleading program manager Nerine Cooper has defended the move saying the girls often appeared in front of a large number of families. The ban is already in place in the United States and will effect about 105 teams registered with Gymnastics Australia.

[April 15] Gymnastics: 'Bad' attitude gets Postell the boot
Maybe it was the pressure of the upcoming NCAA Championships or maybe it was simply a bad day, or maybe it was a mixture of both. Whatever the exact reason, gymnastics practice came to an abrupt end for Utah sophomore Ashley Postell on Friday as she was kicked out of the gym by coach Greg Marsden. Marsden said Postell, ranked No. 7 nationally in the all-around, was dismissed after she brought a bad attitude into the gym. Asking gymnasts to leave when they're not being positive is a common ploy by Marsden, but he acknowledged the timing wasn't good.

 Interview: Missy Peregrym from the movie "Stick it"
Missy Peregrym is currently promoting her latest film, Touchstone Pictures’ "Stick It," which opens nationwide on April 21st. In "Stick It," Peregrym plays Haley Graham a former gymnastics prodigy who devoted her life to gymnastics until, at the age of 15 and a nationally ranked Final Championship hopeful, she inexplicably walked out in the middle of the prestigious Championships competition. It is during this meet that she discovers a secret that rips apart her family life and, out of despair, she quits the sport forever. "As a kid sometimes, the weight of the world is so difficult to carry, so to be Haley’s age and to find out that the adults in your life aren’t who they say they are – that really messed her up, "Peregrym explains.
 Stick it Movie Trailer
 Stick It TV Spot: Rock It.

[April 13] Perfection no longer possible in gymnastics
A score traditionally associated with gymnastic excellence — the perfect 10 — has been replaced with a new scoring system that is drawing mixed reactions at this week's Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships in Honolulu. "When you think of a perfect 10, you automatically think gymnastics — it's Nadia Comaneci," said Ron Galimore, a 1980 U.S. Olympian, who currently works for USA Gymnastics. "I think it's going to be a little more exciting, but a little more confusing," U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin said.
For example, U.S. gymnast Carly Patterson's final balance beam routine that scored 9.725 at the 2004 Athens Olympics would translate to 15.7 under the new rules. The system favors athletes who perform difficult and clean routines, and gives harsher penalties for those who make mistakes.

[Apr 13] Bearing Witness
In 1903, a young poet named Franz Xaver Kappus wrote a letter to his literary hero, Rainer Maria Rilke, attaching some of his poems for the famous writer to critique. To Kappus’ delight, Rilke responded, saying nothing about the poems but everything about writing poetry. The letter soon grew into an exchange, eventually published under the title “Letters to a Young Poet.” Since then, Rilke’s format — candid letters consisting of personal anecdotes, technical observations and collected wisdom about the craft — has been frequently copied. Several years ago, Basic Books launched a series inspired by Rilke’s effort, with luminaries from gymnast Nadia Comaneci to self-described contrarian Christopher Hitchens addressing their hypothetical successors with words of advice
“Letters to a Young Journalist” (Basic Books), is written by Samuel G. Freedman, a professor of journalism at Columbia University and an education columnist for The New York Times. The good journalist does not seduce and betray but empathize and report, getting to know his subjects and then writing about them with fairness and dignity. Which, he added with a rueful smile, can make his life as a journalism professor difficult. “You can’t teach people character,” he said. “What you can do is take people who have character and teach them how it is applied in journalism.”

 Olympian tells parents to support, not push, their kids
They never pushed him. They never demanded a specific level of performance. They were just there. They supported Shine all the way to a silver medal in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. "I've watched kids cry when they didn't do well because they knew Mom and Dad were going to be upset," Shine said. "The biggest thing I can do is encourage moms and dads to just be supportive. Don't push them. If they don't want to do it, there is no amount of pushing in the world that is going to make them do it."
Among Shine's memories of the 1976 Olympics was life in the Olympic Village where the cafeteria attracted stars such as Nadia Comaneci.  

[Apr 13] Bulgaria hosts international aerobic gymnastics tournament
Competitors from 16 countries will take part in a round of the international aerobic gymnastics tournament in Borovets. Austria, Australia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Portugal, Romania and Russia will send their representatives to the Rila resort. The competition’s award pool totals 10 000 Swiss franc, BGNES Sport agency reported.

 Millions of pounds set aside for Olympics
Greenwich has been picked to host six events, with equestrian and modern pentathlon events at the National Maritime Museum, shooting events at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Repository Road, a 20,000-seat venue for gymnastics and basketball at the Dome and rhythmic gymnastics and badminton in a new arena next door.

 Gymnastics club getting ready for summer program
With the gymnastic season now over, Armstrong said the club will not be idle during the summer. It will be holding a summer program and already the club is getting some positive feed-back on the program. Armstrong said with the various skills shown during the season finale, the club can only grow stronger and more popular. “We have groups as young as two-years-old coming out,” Armstrong said. “No one is too little to learn and have fun.”

[April 13] Millennium Dome to host 2009 world gymnastics championships
Millennium Dome looks as space-agey as you can get, squatting on the Greenwich peninsula in east London like some recumbent alien mothership.
Now re-branded as O2, after the mobile phone company that is providing £36 million in sponsorship, the Dome will open in July 2007 with a major exhibition about Tutankhamun and the golden age of the pharaohs, while stellar pop names such as the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Sir Paul McCartney have been cited as future stage attractions. It will also host the 2009 world gymnastics championships, the basketball events of the 2012 Olympics...

[April 13] Olympic gold medal gymnast on Olympics day
Gulf Breeze Gymnastics and Cheer will be conducting Olympics Day on April 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2984 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu will be on hand to sign autographs.

[April 12] Jury acquits local gymnastics coach
Jurors in the trial of local gymnastics coach, Todd Beaney, found him not guilty Wednesday night on second-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Beaney was on trial, accused of sexual abuse and improperly touching a female student last year.

[April 12] Ponor plans to retire after European Championships
Gymnast Catalina Ponor's coach, Matei Stanei, said that he will quit coaching and return to his old passion which is yachting. According to Stanei, Ponor supposedly is determined to quit gymnastics after the Women's European Championship in Volos, Greece between April 27 and April 30. "Catalina quit gymnastics but reconsidered her decision," said Stanei. 

[April 11] Protests mar Gymnastics event
Protests by participating states at the Gymnastics event marred the commencement of the sport at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta at the weekend. Petitions, accusations and counter accusations of manipulations among officials from the Gymnastics Federation and the technical officials almost resulted into exchange of punches, but for the intervention of security personnel .
Trouble started when some states protested the inclusion of some elite athletes, who according to them, were not qualified to be part of the event, but the athletes insisted they must take part because they were duly registered. This scenario continued for hours until the technical committee stepped in and urged everyone to maintain peace and direct all protests to their office.

[April 11] Edo, Ogun Trade Blames Over Gymnastics
The gymnastics event at the ongoing National Sports Festival ran into hitch Sunday when the officials of the event seemingly handled the scoring event poorly. Our reporter at the venue of the event witnessed gymnasts from Edo State crying after performing on the mat. When we sought to know the reason behind the crisis, an official of the Edo contingent, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, hinted that the event, which is a scoring sport, was poorly handled by the officials. He added that there was a ploy by the Ogun to unseat them in that event since it was apparent that they (Edo) had the upperhand in gymnastics. “This is their plan to ensure that they decentralize our plan to win medals in this sport, which is one of our strongest sports. I believe the officials are doing the biddings of officials of the organizers in order to favour them,” he revealed.

[April 11] Junior, member of Gymnastics Club, involved in cancer awareness
After five days in California for a national competition, the IU Gymnastics Club landed in Denver Sunday to catch a connecting flight back to Indianapolis. The team members were excited since they had had a successful tournament and one member had won the beam competition. Soon after deplaning in Denver, junior Julianne Repay received a text message from one of her friends from high school. A few minutes later, she announced that team member Christine Wampler had died earlier that morning in Louisville after attending a Phi Kappa Sigma formal with her boyfriend.

[April 11] Gymnastics instructor gets a six from judge
FORGET the high bar or the parallel bars, Elizabeth Chiementon will spend the next six months behind bars for embezzling $36,000 from a gymnastics club she sent to the brink of bankruptcy.
The former instructor and treasurer plunged the Sunshine Coast Gymnastics Academy into turmoil and pummelled it into a dire financial state between January, 1999, and December, 2001.

[April 10] Catalina Ponor, thinking about retirement after Euros
Catalina Ponor is thinking about retirement after European Championships.
During a live interview Monday evening at State TVR2 (with the show host Andreea Raducan), Catalina said with a smile "maybe it's time to leave and let the place for another gymnast". The (bad) news made Raducan looks very surprised and unprepared for such a topic. Catalina said the team from Deva will come to Bucharest for final training, so she will train along with them.
Catalina's coach, Matei Stanei, also a show guest in the studio, admitted that after last year Worlds, both him and Catalina gave up training (which shows, now); few weeks later, Catalina Ponor asked him to start again the training and he agreed to help her. The live phone interview of Andreea Raducan with coach Nicolae Forminte has brought a freezing cold air in the TVR2 studio, the two national coaches still being in "opposite corners".Still, a salute can't hurt.

[April 9] Patulli and Willis at Romanian International gymnastics competition
PLOEISTI, Romania- Dawn Patulli of Beaconsfield, Que., and Emma Willis of Sarnia, Ont., posted sixth place finishes on the beam and uneven bars finals respectively on Sunday to conclude the 16-country Romanian International gymnastics competition. On beam, Olympic champion Catalina Ponor of Romania won the gold medal earning 15.850 points with her compatriot Sandra Izbasa second at 15.000 and Mandy Loes of Luxemburg third at 14.250.

[April 9] Residents Angry About Accident
Less than two months ago, a local gymnastics coach was killed in an accident at the very same location. Since then, residents in the area have gathered more than 2 thousand signatures on a petition to have a traffic light put up there. But officials in Lowhill Township have said they don't have enough money for a light.
It's always money, money, money..it's not lives. They don't care about people's lives..they just worry about how much it's going to cost.

[April 9] Romanian gymnastics Ploiesti International Championships Results

Romanian gymnastics fan work
Hello!
I made some romanian gymnastics banners and wallpapers; hope you like them.
Andreea Luca, Canada
Great work, we have included your nice banners and wallpapers into our Gallery. Have send you the tracking no. for the gift which was send to you. Thanks for being such a great romanian gymnastics fan.

Romanian Gymnastics International Championships 2006 schedule
Friday, April 7th - 17-19 ; men competition (live on TVR2 : 17,00-19,00)
Saturday, April 8th - 15-17 ; women competition (live on TVR2 : 15,30-17,00)
Sunday, April 9th - 11 - 13:30; event finals (live on TVR2 : 11,00-13,30)

[April 7] Famous Coach Inspires Local Gymnasts
"Love your sport," said Karolyi. "Work hard and keep you eyes big and wide and open and dream. Dream about becoming the best among the best."

[April 6] Geneva annual invention expo
A snore prevention device, self-cleaning clothes and a vibrating condom were among 1,000 devices on show at Geneva’s annual inventions exhibition on Wednesday. The five-day event, claimed to be the biggest of its kind in the world, opened on Wednesday. Health products on show range from a Romanian eyeball gymnastics device to a “special Chinese herbal formulation to suppress all forms of flu”.

[April 6] Olympic Gold Medalist guest at gymnastics meet Gulf Breeze Gymnastics and Cheer is hosting Olympics Day on April 22, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Special guest Dominique Moceanu, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics will be on hand to sign autographs. The meet, cosponsored by the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, is open to the public and offers gymnastics demonstrations and cheerleading entertainment.

[April 5] 2005 Gymnast of the Year
The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame has organizing the world's only worldwide Gymnast of the Year award. We have chosen three male and three female gymnasts, all of whom gave memorable performances in the year 2005, and are inviting you to vote! The gymnasts nominated for this prestigious honor are Yann Cucherat, Diego Hypolito and Hiroyuki Tomita, Cheng Fei, Nastia Liukin and Chellsie Memmel. All these gymnasts led their respective national programs in international competition in 2005. The results will be announced April 28, 2006, at the 10th Annual International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in Oklahoma City, Okla.

[April 5] Los Angeles Times: A star is born?
Romanian-born Bela Karolyi, now the U.S. gymnastics coach, is in Hawaii promoting the upcoming Pacific Alliance Championships and spreading a little gossip. Asked about former pupil Nadia Comaneci, the petite Romanian who at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 scored the first perfect 10 to upstage the powerful Soviets, Karolyi told a Honolulu Star-Bulletin columnist: "Nadia is 45 years old. Oh my! She's 45 years old, she's living in Norman, Okla., married with former gymnast Bart Conner. Happily married. And expecting now, 45 years of age, a child!" (For the record, she is 44.)

[April 4] Former youth gymnastics coach in Florence pleads to misdemeanors
A former youth gymnastics coach has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual abuse charges, avoiding a trial on felony counts, after former students accused him of inappropriately touching them when they were preteens. With the plea to three charges, 39-year-old William Carl Foster was sentenced to six months in the Lauderdale County jail and must register as a sex offender.

[April 3] Bela Karolyi to visit local gym
Legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi will visit Island Tumblers Gymnastics tomorrow to promote the upcoming Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships. The coach, who led the 1996 U.S. women's Olympic team to a gold medal, will be on hand from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. to sign autographs and speak about the April 13-15 event at the Neal Blaisdell Arena and the Hawaii Convention Center. Island Tumblers Gymnastics is located in the Waipio Business Complex at 94-475 Ukee Street. For more information, call 678-2999. Directions are also available online at itgym.com.  

[April 3] GYMNASTICS: Durratun RM133,000 richer
DURRATUN NASHIHIN ROSLI received a whopping RM133,000 under the National Sports Council cash incentive scheme for her four silver medals at the recent Melbourne Commonwealth Games. The 17-year-old gymnast won the medals in the individual apparatus (club rope, and individual all round) and contributed another in the team which also had Fong Seow Ting and Chrystal Lim Wen Chean playing a pivitol role. Under the scheme, a gold is worth RM80,000 while silver and bronze are worth RM40,000 and RM20,000 respectively. There are more rewards coming for her. The Form Five pupil at the Bukit Jalil Sports School learnt that a private corporation will be rewarding her for her excellent performance in the Games.

[April 2] Un year ago: The Pope

[April 2] Carly Patterson Launches Singing Career
FORT WORTH, Texas -- There is more to Olympic gold medal gymnast Carly Patterson than tumbling. The North Texan is launching her singing career and you can be among the first to hear a sample of her new song...

[April 2] A rare peek at North Korea
Tour group to visit secretive nation during gymnastics show
While the Bush administration continues to enforce -- and tighten -- its ban on U.S. tourism to Cuba, it is tolerating American tourism to North Korea. A Kenilworth, Ill., tour operator, Asia Pacific Travel, is promoting trips to what is called the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" for the primary purpose of attending the mass gymnastics of 100,000 spectator-participants at a stadium in Pyongyang from Aug. 9 to mid-October.

[April 1] Gymnastics takes a toll on the body
Many people believe that gymnastics is the foundation of all sports. It teaches balance, flexibility and builds strength. But many people do not know about the negative effects gymnastics can have on the body over time. Stacey Bevan does.
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a division of the United States government’s Consumer Products Safety Commission, in 1998, the injury rates for kids age five to 14 in several popular sports from least to greatest goes as follows: Dance, 19 per cent of athletes sustaned an injury; basketball, 31.5 per cent; ice hockey, 35.3 per cent; football, 45 per cent; soccer, 45.7 per cent; baseball, 50.4 per cent and gymnastics at 77.3 per cent. “Many gymnasts I see only after they were forced to take time off by either their parents or coaches,” said Ganglon. “They are so involved with the sport they want to heal just enough so that they are able to train again. This is very harmful because they do not give the injury enough time to fully heal only increasing the risk of a more serious injury down the road.”

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