Gymnastics Blog

A fight to the finish, we are ready to announce our winner of this year's Loveliest Leo! With an overwhelming majority, Arkansas takes the crown with their spirited "mullet" leo! Arkansas unveiled this leo in the 2013 post-season, but to the Gymbacks it is so much more than a piece of clothing.   Katherine Grable of Arkansas on floor. Photo by Erin Long. When debating a design for the 2013 post season leotard, Arkansas Co-Head Coach Renee Lyst relied heavily on the team's input. The team quickly established the basic design of clean l...

Kristen Maloney and the 2000 Olympic Team receiving their Bronze Medal in 2010. Photo by Ryan Shultz. Bronze medalist at the Sydney Olympic Games, UCLA National Champ, and USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee, Kristen Maloney has a lot to be proud of in her gymnastics career. This Thursday from 12PM-1PM, Gymnastike will be handing over our Twitter Feed to Kristen Maloney where she will answer YOUR questions. But before we pass Maloney onto you, we had a few questions of our own. We recently caught up with Kristen Maloney to discuss her inducti...

A gymnast in the Big 10 Conference that I've respected the past four years, but had never been able to photograph until recently, is Alina Weinstein. In her college gymnastics career, Alina has been a rock for the Fighting Illini. In 2010 I saw Alina Weintein’s gymnastics for the first time and I knew I was watching a future team leader, even though at the time she only competed on bars and exhibitioned on other events.  After her freshman year, she just seemed to get stronger, more reliable, and was consistently in the lineup as an...

Although only a year after the 2012 Olympic Trials in San Jose, the women's senior elite competition playing field proves full of changes. Out of the fifteen athletes who competed in last year's Olympic selection process, only seven are slated to compete at the U.S. Classic so far. Before introducing the new crop of talented young gymnasts eagerly training for the elite competition season, let's take a look back at those competitors who graced the San Jose Arena July 1st, what they accomplished, how their lives changed since the selection proc...

We've gone through the glitter, we've sorted the spandex, and we've narrowed down our favorite leotards of the 2013 NCAA season! Now we need your help in selecting which suit gets the crown as 2013 leotard of year! Take a look at your contenders. We love a leotard that shouts team pride, and this crimson Alabama leo does just that. It's got all the elements we're looking for with a blinged out team logo, mismatched sleeves, and a see-through nylon sleeve that gives this leo just enough sass without taking away from the class. This Bama leo get...

Personal Details: Date of Birth: May 4, 1996 Personal: Height: 5’6” Weight: 123 Parents: Kurt & Carol Middelkoop Address: 2709 Foxcreek Drive, Richardson, TX 75082 Home Phone: 972-699-3819 Cell Phone: 817-307-0613 Email: Courtney@oneway.to Academic Background: High School: Canyon Creek Christian Academy School Address: 2800 Custer Parkway, Richardson, Texas 75080 Phone: 972-231-4890 Graduation Date: May 2014 Academic Awards: National Honor Society, 2011-current National Junior Honor Society, 2009-2011 Sophomore-Outstanding Academic ...

Date of Birth: May 4, 1996 Personal: Height: 5’6” Weight: 123 Parents: Kurt & Carol Middelkoop Address: 2709 Foxcreek Drive, Richardson, TX 75082 Home Phone: 972-699-3819 Cell Phone: 817-307-0613 Email: Courtney@oneway.to Academic Background: High School: Canyon Creek Christian Academy School Address: 2800 Custer Parkway, Richardson, Texas 75080 Phone: 972-231-4890 Graduation Date: May 2014 Academic Awards: National Honor Society, 2011-current National Junior Honor Society, 2009-2011 Sophomore-Outstanding Academic High Honor Roll >...

One of my favorite athletes to photograph is Crimson Tide all-around gymnast Kim Jacob. Kim is petite and elegant, yet deceptively powerful. When photographing Kim, I like to experiment with different lenses and camera settings to try to capture both the portrait-type poses in her choreography and her explosive gymnastics elements.  Kim's look is simple and understated - and that's the beauty of it. She has a natural girl-next-door look with straight hair and bangs that compliments her facial structure. If I were doing a photo shoot for r...

Here are excerpts from two emails I received. The names of these athletes have been changed to respect their anonymity. I am extremely thankful to these women and the other’s who shared their stories of eating disorders with me in effort to bring awareness to this potential problem among gymnasts and other athletes. FROM MARY- “I am now a Division 1 college gymnast, but for several years I have struggled with an eating disorder that almost had me give up the sport. In high school had lost a noticeable amount of weight and my coache...

Team USA and Team World face off in the Pro Gymnastics Challege. Photo courtesy of PGC Facebook page. On May 20th, IGC and ESPN2 unveiled the Professional Gymnastics Challenge (PGC), a two day competition aired over three days promising to revolutionize international gymnastics competition as we know it. The premise is a skill for skill challenge where the best American and international gymnasts duke it out for the bragging rights of who can perform the cleanest, highest, and most innovative gymnastics skills on the national stage. As 2012 Ol...