NCAA Team Field Trip

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This past spring, University of Illinois Chicago hosted the 2018 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics National Championships and of course my boys gymnastics team had to take a team field trip to watch the competition.

This was the perfect team bonding experience for our team.  We took a bus down to the venue and got to see some of the best gymnastics in the country, live. We sat right in front of the high bar and parallel bars and my athletes were blown away by what they were seeing.  These athletes defy gravity and throw big skills. It certainly is fun to watch. It was great to see many teams from the Chicagoland area come together for such a major event.

I am glad that my boys were able to have such a rare opportunity to make memories with their teammates.  UIC put on a spectacular event! If there is a big gymnastics event in your area, I suggest getting your teammates together for a fun night of big gymnastics.  Team bonding makes for the best memories!

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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Dancing with the Stars- Laurie Hernandez

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Have you been watching Laurie Hernandez on Dancing with the Stars? If you haven’t, then you need to start watching! She just scored a perfect 10 on her dance this week! She is doing so well and I hope she wins.  Laurie made a huge impression this year competing for Team USA to help them win the Gold medal in the Team Final event at the Olympic games.  She is a first year senior gymnast and certainly peaked at the right time. As soon as Laurie started competing as a senior gymnast, I could instantly tell that she was going to be a force to be reckoned with for the US team. She didn’t let her fellow competitors who had more experience intimidate her. She shines in her own way and brings a style that I haven’t seen in a while. Her sassy floor routine proved that she would be a great contestant on Dancing with the Stars. If people didn’t already know who Laurie Hernandez was, they certainly do now. I am glad that she agreed to be a part of such a fun experience and show the world her talents. Laurie is such a positive person and you can’t help but smile when she performs.  She has such awesome facial expressions and you can see them even on a small tv screen. They call her the human emoji. Check out her dances so far on Dancing with the stars and tune in on ABC to watch her the rest of the season! Be sure to vote for her too!  She has worked super hard and should win the mirror ball trophy. That would be a nice little addition to her Gold and Silver medals from the Olympics. Good luck to Laurie and the rest of the contestants on Dancing with the Stars this season!

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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“The Flip Side” by Shawn Johnson

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I just finished reading Shawn Johnson’s new book called “The Flip Side”.  Shawn Johnson is one of my favorite gymnasts and I was excited to see that she released a Young Adult novel.  This book was so good! “The Flip Side” gives us all a look into the life of a young Elite gymnast who is trying to balance life at a public school while trying to achieve her goal of making the Olympic team. This book is not a biography although I am sure that Shawn pulled a lot of her own experiences to create this story. As a former gymnast, I knew that this book would be up my alley but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book appeals to people that aren’t involved in the sport of gymnastics as well. I was thrilled when the librarian told me that this book came in and was available for check out. I think anyone, especially those involved in extra-curricular activities can relate to the characters in this book.  It can be difficult juggling all the things that life throws at us. Being a teenager is hard. There can be a lot of pressure and sometimes the pressure comes from ourselves more than anything.  Sometimes we want to give up on our dreams but it is a great feeling to push through and overcome the obstacles. It makes the end result so much sweeter when you can look back and think “I did it!”  This book talks about managing school, being an athlete and also managing relationships with friends, family. She even talks about what dating is like for an Elite athlete. Shawn Johnson’s book is very easy to follow and I thought it was a quick read.  If you are looking for a feel good story, check out “The Flip Side.”

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

 

 

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All-Around Divas

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Simone Biles and Aly Raisman tore it up today in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around event! High expectations have been set for Simone leading up to these Olympic Games and she did not disappoint. Simone rocked it and brought home the Gold medal after an amazing performance today. Simone sealed the deal on her last event which was floor exercise. Her floor routine is through the roof.  She tumbles higher than anyone I have ever seen. As soon as she landed her final tumbling pass, everyone knew this was her moment, the moment that she had been working her whole life for.

Aly Raisman had a stellar competition tonight as well. Aly is one of my favorite gymnasts of all time. She was so poised and ready to get her redemption medal. Back in 2012, Aly finished fourth in the All-Around just missing the podium and a medal. Like Simone, Aly also finished the meet of her life on the Floor Exercise. Her routine was so spectacular and as soon as it was over, she was overcome with emotion which was so wonderful to see.  I am so happy for her! It is so difficult to train and come back to a second Olympic games. She was the team leader once again and I was glad that her persistence paid off for her.  She is awesome! You can tell she has given it her all and is even better than she was in London in 2012. Aly ended up winning the Silver Medal. How exciting for them to be on the podium together in the top two.

Congratulations Aly and Simone! You are so deserving of your success and are incredible role models for young gymnasts out there. There is still plenty of competition left here at the Rio Olympics.  I will be watching the event finals for sure!

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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Rio Qualifying & Men’s Team Final

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The Rio Olympics have certainly been exciting and it has only been a few days! The Men’s gymnastics team really impressed during the qualifying round beating Japan and qualifying for the Team Final in 2nd place.

On night two of gymnastics qualifying the U.S. Women rocked the arena and crushed the competition.  They started out on Floor and wowed the audience with their powerful and exciting routines. The U.S. Women continued the competition hitting 16 for 16 routines and finished strong on beam to bring their lead to nearly 10 points. That kind of separation is unheard of. It is an amazing accomplishment that all five members of the U.S. Team qualified for an event final which will take place later this week. Simone Biles and Aly Raisman will represent the United States in the All-Around competition.

Unfortunately in the Men’s Team Final, the U.S. Men had some mistakes that kept them from getting redemption from the 2012 London Games. They will once again come in fifth place. This is disappointing considering the fact that they looked so great during qualifying. It just wasn’t their night.  There is still plenty of action coming up throughout the week and plenty of opportunities to increase the US medal count.

Make sure you tune in tomorrow night for the Women’s Gymnastics Team Final! Team USA is the team to beat.  If they can hit all of their routines, they have a very strong chance at winning another gold medal.  It will be an outstanding competition to witness. Good luck to Simone Biles and Aly Raisman in the All-Arount Final. They have been incredible leaders to this team and this is the moment that have been working towards.

I am also anxious to see their leotards because the leotards from qualifying were absolutely adorable. That’s what it’s all about right?

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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The Final Five

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What a perfect tribute to Martha Karolyi!

The U.S. Women crushed it today in the Team Final Event in Rio. This group of ladies has the most outstanding teamwork and it is so fun to see them push each other to success.  They seem to be having a blast as well!

The Final Five started off really strong on Vault. The next event was Uneven Bars and Simone Biles had a little bit of a scare in the beginning of her routine almost missing a couple of her skills. I feel like any other gymnast would have fallen but Simone is so incredibly strong and was able to muscle through and continue her routine. Gabby Douglas had an amazing bar routine and Madison Kocian sealed the rotation with a stuck dismount.

Other teams had some troubles on beam but not the United States. Aly Raisman started the Beam rotation with a solid routine and completed it with a stuck Arabian Double Front dismount. Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles got the job done on Balance Beam as well giving the Americans a comfortable lead going into the final rotation.

Floor Exercise is where the Final Five really shine and what a great event to end on!

Laurie Hernandez was first up and her routine is absolutely adorable and I love how much sass she has. What a performer! She really gets the crowd into it.  Aly Raisman had the best floor exercise I have ever seen her do and it felt like Deja Vu watching her hit her routine just like the 2012 Olympics. Simone Biles clinched the Gold medal for The United States with her powerful, through the roof floor routine.

What an exciting moment for these ladies. You can really see that they work together to accomplish their goals. It was cute that they waited until the official results came in to release their team name. In an interview with Bob Costas, it was revealed that at the next Olympics there will only be four athletes selected for the team. This along with the fact that this was Martha Karoyli’s last team is what lead them to “The Final Five.”

This was a great day for U.S. gymnastics and there is still a lot more to come. Stay tuned for the Men and Women’s All-Around and Event Finals this week.

Congratulations to Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman on winning Team Gold!

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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I Am Second Documentary

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This is a documentary that I think every gymnast can relate to in some way. Shawn Johnson opens up about her experience after taking home the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic All-Around event. This is a much watch!

I am really happy that Shawn put her experiences out there because I feel like it can really help other gymnasts that have gone through similar experiences and how to overcome the disappointment that can come with being an athlete. Thank you Shawn for opening up to the gymnastics world. Shawn was the best gymnast in the World.  She was the World Champion in 2007 and won many competitions.  She was the favorite to win the All-Around at the Beijing Olympic Games.  Shawn had an incredible meet and so did Nastia Liukin.  In the end, Nastia ended up beating Shawn in the All-Around event.  Shawn came away with the silver medal which is amazing!  It is sad that so many people were giving her grief about getting silver instead of gold.  She did her best and still achieved a high honor at the Olympics.

Shawn did get her redemption in the Balance Beam Final where she finally won her gold medal.  That was an exciting comeback moment.  Shawn is still one of my favorite gymnasts of all time.  She is tiny and powerful and is always smiling.  She should be very proud of what she did as an Elite gymnast.  She was the best in the world and I think this documentary shows that getting second place shouldn’t be such a disappointment.  Doing your best is what matters and if you get to go home with a medal, no matter what color it is, that is pretty amazing! Thank you Shawn for sharing this story and helping other gymnasts and athletes out there with their own struggles.

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

 

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The Magnificent Seven 20 Years Later

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One of the most memorable sporting event moments in history occurred 20 years ago when the Magnificent Seven won the first ever team gold for the United States. It was a heated competition between the U.S. and Russia throughout the Team Final event. In a very dramatic ending, Kerri Strug landed her Vault after falling and injuring her ankle on the first one in order to seal the deal for the gold medal. It was an amazing moment in Olympic history.

If you have never seen the 1996 Team Final competition, you will definitely want to check it out on YouTube.

Click on the link below to catch up with the Magnificent Seven 20 years later.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/magnificent-seven-gymnasts-reunite-20-years-after-winning-olympic-gold-atlanta

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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U.S. Gymnastics Team Announced

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The suspense is over… the 2016 Olympic Team has been chosen by the committee and it was announced live last night on NBC. The five ladies representing the United States in Rio will be Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman.  The three alternates are Mykayla Skinner, Ragan Smith and Ashton Locklear. This team is the favorite to win Gold in Rio and I cannot wait to see all of the events and how many medals these ladies bring home. Congratulations to the members of the 2016 Olympic Team!

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Trials Day 1

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I just finished watching Day 1 of the Olympic Trials for Women’s Gymnastics. The Olympic Team will be chosen and announced live on NBC on Sunday July 10th.  I cannot wait to see who will be representing the United States in Rio next month. The Committee has a very difficult decision.

I am always impressed by Aly Raisman and she really rocked it on her first event, the Floor Exercise. She is such a solid performer and is a team leader.  I think there is no doubt she will be one of the five gymnasts going to Rio.

Simone Biles had a huge vault on her first event and even though she had a huge step on the landing, she still scored a 16.0 out of a 16.3 start value.

I absolutely love Laurie Hernandez!  She has so much energy and is so happy all the time.  I really think she could bring a lot of positive vibes to the team if she is chosen. I really hope she is selected. She has such a sassy personality when she performs her floor routine.  She puts a smile on everyone’s face when she shows off her adorable dance moves and powerful tumbling.

Ragan Smith has the cutest floor routine I have ever seen!  Her dance is so unique and fits her personality so well.

The battle between Madison Kocian and Ashton Locklear continued on Bars after they once again tied their scores.  In the end Madison hit her beam routine which really helped increase her chances of earning a spot on the Olympic Team.

Don’t forget to check out NBC tomorrow night to find out who will be chosen for the Olympic Team for the U.S.

 

Christina Tardy Gymnastics Coach

Christina Tardy
Founder/Principal
GymnasticsTracks.com

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