Imagine a time when there were no videos, no internet, no blogs. A time when World Championships results often didn't reach the press (incomplete) until days after the end of the competitions. When results of the national competitions in other countries took months to reach you, if at all. No Valentina Rodionenko press reports to ruffle your feathers, no Instagram posts from your favourite gymnasts, no Nikushkin Day videos to familiarise you with what the gymnasts want you to know of their everyday lives. No live streaming, no video posts of the youngest gymnasts. Secrets were secrets and details of upgrades and innovations rarely reached the lay person's ear before they were revealed at major competition. There was no Google translate to help you untangle news of your favourite Soviet gymnast. Information felt like gold. We pored over words and pictures for every ounce of meaning, sometimes more than was there. We devoured televised cov...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.