Gym Mom Book Review

Title: Gym Mom: The Twists and Turns of Your Daughter's Gymnastics Career

Author: Rita Wieber

Price: $19.95

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It could simply be called the beginners guide to gymnastics. "Gym Mom" is filled with stories of Jordyn's childhood and useful information for parents of gymnasts. This book covers many topics including, recreational vs. competitive gymnastics, the cost of gymnastics, dealing with injuries, and finding balance in life as an elite gymnast. The book starts out taking you through Jordyn's journey in gymnastics, from recreational to World Champion, showing personal photos (in black and white) along the way. Rita shares her advice on how to select a good gym, how to keep your gymnast healthy, and when to retire from gymnastics. (And much much more!) "Gym Mom" also features interviews with experts such as national team physician, Larry Nassar and UCLA head coach, Valorie Kondos Field. I thought the book was interesting and I liked that the information was coming from a reliable source. I also like that with each piece of advice or information, Rita shares how it worked for Jordyn and tells little stories along the way. I think it's great that people can possibly relate to the Wieber family. I would recommend this book to any parent who has a child that is a gymnast or the average gym fan that loves to read anything gymnastics related! "Gym Mom" is also a great read if you just want to learn a thing or two about gymnastics! This book is very well put together for Rita' first book and I enjoyed reading it! If you have read "Gym Mom" too, let us know what you thought below! 

Gym Mom will be sold at all of the Tour Of Gymnastics Champion stops!

Buy your "Gym Mom" book here.

Follow Rita Wieber on Twitter

Visit the books official site: http://gymmom.net/

A future star: Irina Alexeeva

Although she is only 9 years old and not eligible for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, (she becomes a senior in 2018) there has been a lot of buzz about this future WOGA star. Her name is Irina Alexeeva.

Photo belongs to Heather Maynez

A few years ago Irina and her parents moved to Texas from Russia (Moscow) so that Irina could enroll in gymnastics lessons. Irina's parents were good friends with Valeri Liukin and he agreed to take Irina on! She currently trains at the WOGA in Plano, the same gym that produced Olympic champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin. "It's really cool and very inspiring!" she told us when asked about what it's like to train in the same gym as Olympians. Irina competed as a level 9 last season and is currently training for level 10. She plans on going elite and would someday like to compete for her native Russia. Irina's ultimate goal remains quite simple. "I want to go to the Olympics one day." she told us.

Many people were impressed when they saw video's of her exquisite beam work. "Beam is my favorite event and it's also my best event." It's rare to find talent like this at such a young age. In fact, most of the girls who train at WOGA that are Irina's age are only level 5 & 6's! Irina will graduate high school in 2020, which will also be her Olympic year!

Photo belongs to Heather Maynez

Extra's

Favorite Gymnast: Nastia Liukin
Biggest Accomplishment: "Competing at Westerns because not a lot of girls get to go, but I did!"
Favorite Activity: Swimming



           

Written by: Ashlee
                     

My Story- Savannah Scherling

It's been a long rode to recovery for 15 year old Savannah Scherling; a level 9 gymnast who lives in South Carolina. Between gym changes, injuries, and just being a teenager, Savannah's gymnastics career has been anything but easy. But she's not ready to give up just yet. Check out her story below!

As a young girl, Savannah loved to do anything athletic, so her parents signed her up for soccer when she was 5 years old. However, at home, Savannah resorted to walking on her hands and doing cartwheels around the house. Her mom suggested gymnastics, but Savannah thought it was too girly. It wasn't until she was 7 years old and went to a gymnastics camp for a week that she realized her love for the sport. "I instantly fell in love! I wanted to keep going back." she said. Shortly after that, Savannah signed up for an intermediate gymnastics class and was training once a week for 2 hours. When she was 9 years old, she began competing level 4. At the end of the season she broke her foot during training and knew it was time to switch gyms. "I knew I would become a much better gymnast if I switched gyms." she told us. At her new gym, Savannah moved up to level 5, but was quickly progressing and ended up moving to level 6 in the same season. At the time, her gym was just starting to build their gymnastics team, so Savannah was apart of their very first level 5, 6, 7, and 8 teams!

In 2011, Savannah's first season as a level 8, she broke both of her middle fingers training a piked tsukahara.  Little did she know, that itself would keep her out of gymnastics for 6 months. In August, Savannah's personal coach announced that she was opening her own gym- one with better equipment and in ground foam pits! And with that, the owner told them they weren't allowed to come back. Basically the entire team was kicked out of the gym. The only problem was that the new gym was not done yet, and with the competition season quickly approaching the girls couldn't afford to waste any time by not training. 

"We started working out in a warehouse that one of my teammates families owned. It was mainly for conditioning. We had a floor beam, preschool bar, and panel mats. We even started practicing on the beach too." Savannah said. With almost 40 people training in one warehouse, they broke into 2 groups and took turns using the equipment. Luckily after a few weeks, another gym allowed them to train in their facility. This gym was an hour and a half away, but that didn't stop the girls from doing what they needed to do. "We started driving to that gym everyday after school. We would arrive around 5:30pm and workout until 8:00pm. It was around 10:00pm by the time we got home every night. It was a crazy experience, but definitely brought our team closer together!" 

One practice in September while doing back handsprings on the beam, Savannah landed on the side of her ankle. "I had broken my foot before, so I knew the pain." she said. Savannah tried to push through the pain and didn't tell her coach because she didn't want to complain. She even walked on it at school for a few days until the pain became unbearable and it was getting very swollen. With a trip to the orthopedic surgeon, she knew she had a tarsal coalition. "Basically, there were 2 bones in my ankle that were connected when they weren't suppose to be. When I broke my ankle, I broke 2 bones apart. It was not really a "clean" fracture. There were bone fragments and the bones needed to be smoothed out, so I wouldn't be in pain if they rubbed together."  

This meant surgery for Savannah. At the same time, the new gym was finally ready! "The facility is incredible. I couldn't ask for anything more. When I stepped into the new gym for the first practice, it was much harder emotionally that I had anticipated. We had this new state-of-the-art gym and I couldn't practice. I watched my teammates as they vaulted and tumbled into the pit and used the trench bar on bars. I couldn't help but break down." she said. "I decided that I wasn't making it any easier on myself if I just sat and watched practice. I started working out and did what I could. I eventually started doing giants on the pit bar with my boot on!

Savannah had her surgery in December. The operation took about 2 hours and she was able to go home and rest. "My mom woke me up about an hour later and some of the girls from my team were standing in front of me with balloons and presents! It made me feel so much better and I can't even begin to tell them how much their support has meant to me." she said. Savannah was in a cast and on crutches for a while. She eventually eased off the crutches and made it through 2 days at school without them. But then, one day as she stepped over a backpack, her leg gave out. After other trip to the doctor, Savannah learned that she didn't break anything this time, but she would have to go back on crutches for several weeks. "I was really disappointed because it slowed my recovery down even more." she told us. "I was pretty beat up emotionally." 

A message from another parent that Savannah reads when she's feeling down.

After this incredibly long journey full of injuries, Savannah refuses to give up! "I'm not the most talented gymnast out there, but my passion and heart for the sport have gotten me this far, so I'm not ready to hang up my leotard yet." Although she will most likely not compete this season, Savannah is currently doing physical therapy and slowing easing back into gymnastics. "For now, my coaches and I have decided to take a step back and get my body healthy before rushing into gymnastics." she says. Savannah told us she lives by the quote "Hard work given time will defeat talent." and in her case, there is not a better set of words! At her gym's banquet, Savannah was given the "Alicia Sacramone MVP Team Spirit Award" which meant the world to her. "This honor means more than what words can explain." she said. "I tried to be the best teammate I could by going to all the meets and practices."

Savannah is currently going into her sophomore year of high school and would like to do something with health science in the future. "I would love to be an athletic trainer or physical therapist." she said. Savannah also gives many thanks to god, her family, friends, teammates, and her best friend Jillian. "I wouldn't be where I am today without any of them!" Savannah would also love to do college gymnastics in the future "It's always been my dream to do collegiate gymnastics! I hope my body is able to hold up though! Right now I'm rehabbing a minor shoulder injury so I have not been allowed to do bars for about 6 weeks, but physical therapy is helping. I really want to do college gymnastics, we'll see how the next couple of years go though"

We want to wish Savannah the best of luck, and hope she can continue doing the sport she loves- injury free!

Follow Savannah on Twitter

Written by: Ashlee

12 things to remember from the 2012 Olympics

So now that the 2012 Olympics have finally come to a close, I thought it would be a good time to reflect back on 12 of the most memorable moments of these Games.

1. The Fierce Five Dominate

This was with out a doubt, Team USA's Olympics! I knew that coming into this, they would be the team to beat because every single member on this team was looking rock solid in the meets leading up to the games and of course they were hungry for gold! Not to mention they were the reigning World Champions! Claiming the gold medal in the team, all around, and floor final (as well as a silver in the vault and a bronze on the beam) the USA definitely had one of their most successful Olympic showings ever! The Fierce Five is one of the strongest groups of girls the USA has ever produced with each member capable of medaling in either an event final or the all around. I mean just think about it. How many country's can say that every member of their team can successfully do the amanar vault? This group of girls really are something special, and I love the fact that they're becoming house hold names! The Team Final, will always be my favorite moment from these games mainly because I loved seeing a smile on every one of their faces. It still gives me chills to think about what these girls have accomplished and it's something I will never forget! Hats off to the Fierce Five, for coming together as a team and getting the job done when it mattered the most!

Photo Credit: Gregory Bull

2. Aliya Mustafina's Good Sportsmanship

I give Aliya Mustafina the gold medal in good sportsmanship after these Olympics. I know that NBC made the Russian's out to be snobby diva's who cry when things don't go their way, but really I see Aliya as the exact opposite. From the teddy bears, to the hugs, and all the thumbs up in between, Aliya proved that she is a team leader, and truly a good sport. She didn't cry because she lost the gold in the all around, she celebrated because she won the bronze! She didn't make excuses after they lost the gold in the team final, instead she spoke very highly of the Americans and said that they deserved the gold. She showed class, and set a great example for all the other athletes. I was thrilled to see Musafina win the gold medal in the bar final, because I know that after battling back from an  ACL tear last year, getting to this point was not easy. I praise her for staying classy and positive throughout these entire Olympics, and hope that other athletes will take note. This is certainly something that shouldn't go with out recognition!

Photo Credit: Unkown

3. Mckayla Maroney's Vault

Even though, Mckayla came home with the silver medal on vault, we all know that she truly is the best vaulter in the world. Nobody's vault will ever compare to Mckayla's, not even Simona Amanar herself! You know your pretty dang good when you can fall and still get a silver medal at the Olympics Games! She had an off day, but the FLAWLESS vault she did in team finals is my single favorite routine from these entire Olympics. I screamed when I watched it live and to this day, enjoy watching it over and over again when I'm bored. Mckayla Maroney is a vaulting legend.



4.  Aly Raisman's Leadership

The story of Aly's Raisman's life has always been about being second best. Despite being named the team captain (and the most experienced member on the team) Aly was never really the "It" girl going into London. But she proved that slow and steady, really dose win the race, coming home with the most medals of the entire US Gymnastics team (2 golds, and 1 bronze). I'm glad that despite all the drama that circled around Aly (beating Wieber for the final AA spot and all the tie breaker drama) she was able to stay positive and be there for her team when they needed her. My favorite moment, was when Aly put her gold medal around her coach Mihai's neck. I'm really glad she did that because none of these athletes would be where they are today, if it wasn't for their coaches! Team USA could not have asked for a better leader. Great job Aly!

Photo Credit: Brian Snyder

5. Beth Tweddle's Bar Routine

This routine never fails to amaze me. I am SO happy that Beth was finally able to get that Olympic medal she has been dreaming of her entire life. And to have it all happen in front of a home crowd, makes the moment that much more special! Beth is one of my all time favorite athletes. I can't get enough of her positive attitude and spectacular bar set. With out a doubt, Beth has earned a spot on my 12 most memorable list!

Photo Credit: Unknown

 6. Jordyn Wieber's Class

Going into London, Jordyn Wieber was one of the favorites expected to challenge for the AA gold medal. I can't imagine the pressure she must have felt! Everyone in the world was expecting her to preform at her best and win as many medals as possible. Even though she leaves these games with only a team gold medal, Jordyn has so much to be proud of. Not many people can say that they're a National, World, and Olympic Champion! The way Jo handled herself was incredible. Every time one of her teammates hit a routine she was the first one up on her feet cheering! In interviews, she sounds so proud of her teammates and grateful for the medal that she earned. I hope when Jordyn looks back on this experience, she feels nothing but pride. I know I'm proud of her, and I'm so grateful that we've gotten to watch her gymnastics for the past 7 years! No Olympic medal will ever compare to the wonderful person Jordyn has become. Her determination, class, and great sportsmanship is inspiring and in my eyes, that's what makes a REAL champion.

Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez

7.  Chuso's Final Run

After her sixth Olympic Games, Oksana Chusovitina has finally said goodbye to the sport that has been her life for the past 37 years. Even though, Oksana missed out on a medal in her final Olympic run, she will always have her team gold medal from 1992 and silver medal from the vault event final in 2008. Oksana has an incredible resume that dates back to 1988 when she first started competing as an elite gymnast. She's represented 3 different countries in the Olympic Games and holds the record of  most individual world championships medals on a single event (9, on the vault). Chuso will certainly be missed by fans all across the world. Thank you for the past 25 years of gymnastics Oksana!

Photo Credit: Fox Sports

8. Men's Gymnastics

When I came up with this list, I knew that it wouldn't be complete without giving some credit to the men. Men's gymnastics is like a breath of fresh air for me. The men act like better sports, they do outrageous skills, and not mention 99% of them are pretty cute! I was really pulling for the US men. I wanted to see them come home with at least a team medal because we all know they were capable of it. But regardless of the outcome, these guys were such good sports. I loved when Sam Mikulak gave the Korean guy (I don't know his name, sorry!) a big bear hug after his INCREDIBLE vault. These guys do some pretty crazy things, and that's what makes it so entertaining for the audience. One of my favorite routine's was Epke Zonderland's high bar routine. We might as well re-name him Epic Zonderland because that was the craziest thing my eyes have ever witnessed, hands down. I was speechless the entire routine. We can't talk about amazing Olympic moments without bringing up the men. They really do deserve some more recognition!

Photo Credit: Unknown

 9.  Controversial Topics

The 2 per country rule and the tie breaker system, are 2 of the popular topics that got the Gymternet talking. I don't want to waste to much time talking about this, because I do want this post to be about all the positive things that happened. But these topics were a pretty big deal at the time and did play a pretty big part on the medal podium for some of these athletes at these Olympics. Aliya Mustafina, Aly Raisman, Vanessa Ferrari and Catalina Ponar all fell victim to the tie breaker system. Although the tie breaker worked out in Mustafina's favor 2 times (AA and Floor Finals) a lot of people disagree with the rule. I'm sure Aly Raisman has a love hate relationship with the tie breaker system, considering that it lost her a medal (AA final) and earned her a medal (beam final). Another controversy was the 2 athlete per country rule. Jordyn Wieber was one of the main headlines at these games, after she failed to advance to the AA final due to the fact that 2 of her teammates placed higher in the ranking then she did (although she was 4th after prelims). Even though Wieber is the one who comes to mind when we talk about this rule, we shouldn't forget to mention the other talented athletes who were left out (Anastasia Grishina, Yao Jinnan, Jennifer Pinches, Kyla Ross, and so many more!) I already have a post up about how I feel about this rule, so I'm not going to go any further into detail regrading my thoughts.


10. Team Canada Makes History

I love all of the Canadian gymnasts. I've always been huge supporters of them and I'm glad that they made history with their highest team placing EVER! This team includes all of my favorite Canadians (with the exception of Peng Peng!) and I really hope that they all continue with the sport!

Photo Credit: Mark Blinch

11. The Artistry

Some thing else I wanted to mention was the artistry displayed by so many of the gymnasts at these Olympics! I was actually quite impressed! We really did get treated to some beautiful gymnastics at these games thanks to Victoria Moors, Mckayla Maroney, He Kexin, Sui Lu, Vasiliki Millousi, and the entire Russian gymnastics team!

Photo Credit: Oleg Naymov

12.  The Gymternet

The past 2 weeks (and all the years leading up to it!) have been a blast. You guys are awesome and I wouldn't want to spend those long nights watching the Olympics with anyone else! Thanks to everyone for keeping me entertained through this whole process. I'm always going to remember the games we played to entertain ourselves before meets, all the entertaining blog posts, tweets, and memes I've read, and all the interesting debates I've gotten into! It really is nice to have such a big family full of bloggers, fan accounts, and average gym fans who share my obsession with this sport! I can't thank you guys enough for letting Ashlee and I into this wonderful community and allowing us to share our opinions, thoughts, and dreams with you guys through this blog! So thanks so much to everyone who has been supporting us from the start and we can't wait to continue this journey into 2016!

Here's something we can all agree on!

Gymnastics is a pretty controversial sport. We all know that. And the Olympics really do bring out the worst in gymnastics fans around the world. We like to argue. And we like to debate.

Gabby Douglas was overscored. Wieber was being underscored. The Russian's are snobby diva's. The American's shouldn't have won. NBC's Olympic coverage sucks. Aly Raisman didn't deserve to be in the All Around. Her leotard is ugly. I hope Douglas falls so Komova can win. I hope Komova falls so Douglas can win. Tie breakers are so unfair. And what the heck is up with Mckayla Maroney's hair?

ALL things I have heard on the Gymternet in the past week.

Normally, I would say there is nothing in this world that us gym fans can agree on. BUT...I think I might have found the exception.

Mckayla Maroney's vault = perfection

Photo created by Gymfan15 on IG

Now let there be peace.

"Let Your Haters Be Your Motivators"

So I'd just like to take a minute to congratulate Gabby Douglas on her win last night. She rocked the house on all 4 events, and I was thrilled to see her come out on top!

Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson

Moving to West Des Moines, Iowa was the smartest thing Douglas could have done. Her and Chow make a wonderful team and I'm glad that he finally has an AA Olympic Champion under his belt. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of young girls are waking up this morning and begging their parent's to let them move to Iowa. Hey, it worked for Gabby Douglas!

Photo Credit: USA Gymnastics





I've always loved Gabby's gymnastics. She's clean, she's powerful, she has the heart of a champion. The dedication and perseverance she has showed, even during hard times, is inspiring. In just 2 short years, Douglas went from zero to hero. I think it shows young girls all over the world, that no matter how tough a practice or how disastrous a meet. NOTHING is ever out of reach...not even Olympic gold. 

I know a lot of people doubted that Gabby would make it this far, after a disappointing performance at the 2011 VISA Championships. One blogger even predicted that it was the end of her career, saying "For those of you who missed Gabby's performance, a career ended last night. Her disastrous Nationals will not be forgotten or forgiven by Martha Karolyi. Her only hope at resurrecting her career is every other girl dropping like flies."  Perhaps you know that popular phrase "Let your haters be your motivators?" I think that worked all to well for Gabby Douglas.  Congratulations Gabby, on a well deserved win!