Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Olga Korbut in flight. Effortless, like a swallow. The fundamental contradiction of gymnastics is that it is a sport in which we can all participate; but which at the elite level is all but impossible for most of us.  Its fundamental principle is that it takes movement, however simple or difficult, to a level of refined and aesthetic perfectionism.  A child of 6 doing a handstand in the playground might have flat feet, an arched back, shoulders at an angle, hands pointing in different directions.  Take him or her into the gym, and you hopefully transform the movement into an object of beauty, perhaps something capable of being used as a progression.  The child's pride in achievement is clear, and the only difference to the playground is that the handstand has been coached and coaxed into a state of alignment, the health of the body sharpened to encourage strength, poise and coordination that will serve the child for life. Most of us couldn't attempt the high dif...