Skip to main content

Gymnastika - new issue out

The Russian Gymnastics Federation has published a new issue of its magazine.

Every time I look at these, I wish I had stuck at my Russian classes ... as things stand, they are a wonderful visual recorder of Russian successes and histories, but I would love to be able to engage more with the deeper things presented here.  This issue has a stunning picture of Mustafina on the cover, and inside it a gem ... a piece on Bruno Grandi entitled 'Bruno Grandi : Russian gymnastics is very beautiful!'.   It's an interview, so the man speaks for himself.  I'd love to know what it says and if I do manage to get into a Google translation or find a translation anywhere that the author doesn't mind me using, I promise to post the findings here.  

You will also find an amazing, Facebook-page-worthy picture of the Russian team, all fitted out in best fashion wear, and serving as the topping for a 2011 calendar.

The magazine also includes a feature on Mustafina along with comments from Alexandrov, a look at the life of the doctors on the Russian coaching team (seems to emphasise the relationship between doctors and coaches and how the doctors work hard to get the coaches to follow their advice), and a feature on Evegenyi Podgornyi.  Podgornyi, incidentally, comments ruefully that 'no one does the triple back any more'.

Worthy of more than the momentary scan I've been able to give it, and perhaps grappling with the Google translate will reveal more ... I'll let you know once I've finished this huge pile of marking.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

No Paseka for Russia in Berne

Barely two weeks will elapse before the WAG European Championships begin in Berne, Switzerland, and the news we had been fearing has been confirmed : world vault gold medallist Maria Paseka is  off the Russian team while she nurses a back injury.  This leaves Russia significantly weakened for the coming competition, with co-star Viktoria Komova also missing from the line-up.  It is a little disappointing, but it seems the right decision to rest the gymnasts so that they can be at their best when and where it really matters. Who will replace Paseka?  Valentina Rodionenko says that the youngster Natalia Kapitonova, who trains in Penza, has been chosen on the basis of her solid performances at national championships.  Well, we will have to wait and see - these announcements often turn out to be unreliable.   I personally would prefer to see the dynamic Seda Tutkhalyan be given a chance at this level, but Kapitonova has certainly shown herself to be more reliab...

WAG Senior start lists are out - Afan does one, Mustafina three

Start lists are now available for tomorrow's senior team and event quals.  At present, the Russian roster  looks like this - Beam - Melnikova, Tutkhalyan, Mustafina Floor - Melnikova, Tutkhalyan, Mustafina  Vault - Melnikova, Tutkhalyan, Afanasyeva  Bars - Melnikova, Spiridonova, Mustafina  Things can still change, dear reader, but this is the most reliable official news we have.    It will be good to see all five members of the team compete - I am relieved that Mustafina isn't doing all four but worried for her legs on floor; delighted to see Melnikova and Tutkhalyan making such a strong contribution; and pleased that Afanasyeva is having a chance to try out her training, despite what might be a small injury.  Spiridonova is also looking good for bars, in fact to me she is underused here.   Good luck!  Udachi!  To all the team.  We are very excited to see you compete and do well! The start lists can be found here - http:/...

The State of the Art - Gymnastics in 2013

Just picked up Peter Aykroyd's 1987 book  International Gymnastics: Sport Art or Science?.  Seeing it reminded me that gymnastics is in a constant state of flux and change; its identity has been subject to debate and conflict since the earliest days of competitive gymnastics, well before it existed in the form we recognise today.  I want to try to talk about the state of the sport today, how it compares to past models, how it arrived at this point, and what are the questions arising. I make no apologies for publishing the picture comparisons on this page, which were created by Lifje.  Some have seemed to find them rather challenging in the past, but they are not airbrushed or altered in any way.  Yes, the pictures are purpose selected for the sake of comparison, but they express a truth about the direction the sport has taken over the past few years.  They are not so much about Russia versus America as artistry versus athletics.  I do not pretend...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more