Most shocking things to happen at Worlds so far #Glasgow2015

Most shocking things to happen at Worlds so far:

1) Brenna Dowell's heroic floor performance
Brenna's floor music failed to play, but she didn't let it bother her! She performed like a champ. I suggest "Honey Badger" as her nickname, if it hasn't been suggested already.

Brenna Dowell on her FX: "I heard Martha saying 'go go go' because the timing was all the way down, so I just went."

— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) October 24, 2015

2) Romania's Implosion
Everyone already knows about this. The End.

3) The Netherlands Qualified to Team Finals, and therefore Rio!
Wow, they did it! So thrilled for them :)  Such a talented team!

De Nederlandse turnsters doen het geweldig goed op de WK. Gaan ze naar de Spelen in Rio? https://t.co/cIIo6XQ1p5 pic.twitter.com/XwY2fRjME4

— NOS Sport (@NOSsport) October 24, 2015

4) Aly's Meltdown
Shockingly, Aly had a rough floor performance, a rough vault landing, a fall on bars, and then finally pulled herself together on beam.  She did have a weird leg shaky thing going on before her beam dismount though:

I certainly feel for her, but I hope Marta doesn't take away spots from others who qualified for the all-around or event finals to give her a spot. 

I know...I'm a horrible, mean person for GIF-ing her mistakes...but this post IS about shocking things and Aly making mistakes is shocking.

5) Maggie Nichols qualified to floor finals over Aly!
This girl is a rock star.  I hope she doesn't get bumped from it and gets to shine even brighter than she already has on the world stage!

6) Russia didn't need Aliya

They showed the world that they can do just fine without her! Yes, they certainly had some major mistakes (as did just about everyone so far), but they certainly did better without their fearless leader than many expected.

7) This terrifying fall on bars
Paola Moreira Irizarry of Puerto Rico had a nasty fall on her dismount where she hit both bars.  Thankfully she is ok!

More to come soon!

Things that DIDN'T happen at Worlds - Qualifications Day 1 #Glasgow2015

I figured there are probably PLENTY of articles about the things that did happen today, but i doubt there are many about the things that didn't happen.  I apologize in advance if some of the items on this list may re-break any gymternet hearts. Consider yourself fairly warned!  

Here we go; things that did not happen today:

1. Maria Paseka's Beautiful Wolf Turn
In case you've been living under a rock, you should know that Maria Paseka's wolf turn is probably the worst one we've seen yet. @arfedorova created this wonderful gif that made the rounds on Twitter so that everyone could experience this piece of gymnastics history:

Paseka’s ultra-graceful wolf turn. cc: @GymCastic pic.twitter.com/fAbIPyynL3

— Эми Федорова (@arfedorova) October 23, 2015

2. Chuso's Perfect Produnova
I was all for her and believed she could TOTALLY do it, but Chuso did not land her Produnova.  It wasn't suicidal, but it also wasn't all that much better than the other near-landed attempts we've seen over recent years.  Hopefully it will still be enough to land her a spot (no pun intended) in event finals. *Fingers crossed* #PrayersforChuso

3. A Successful Romanian Bars Rotation
Yeah...I'm not even going to go there. If you want to know what happened, go to Twitter...or any other website with gymnastics-related news. I'm watching it right now because apparently I'm a masochist. Be warned: it's extremely depressing.

4. #DoubleDownies and Bars Finals
The Double Downies were double down on bars. There, I said it. I made the worst joke ever and I should be sorry, but I'm not, because I'm still in denial that this happened.

It's ok; they'll come back next year and dominate at Rio...right? Please tell me yes...

Here's a video of Becky Downie winning the bars title at the 2014 European Championships to make you forget about everything that happened today:

5. Correct Spellings of Glasgow
In the hashtag wars the other day, I ALMOST said that it was "really easy to spell Glasgow" as a reason why #Glasgow2015 was a better hashtag than #2015WGC. Sadly, no one seems to be able to spell it correctly; even some of my favorite people and organizations :(

excited to compete tomorrow w/ my girls at prelims 🇺🇸❤️ #GoTeamUSA #Glagsow2015

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) October 23, 2015

Enjoying our coverage from #Glagsow2015? Make sure to let our friends @ATT know! #ATTWorlds

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) October 23, 2015

Reaction: @claudia_frag delighted with @TeamGB @2015WGC qualifying #Glagsow2015 https://t.co/ukSuEn3qHV

— British Gymnastics (@BritGymnastics) October 23, 2015

Well, that's all for Day 1 before it gets too depressing.  Hopefully Day 2 will bring much more joy, happiness, and healing of gymternet hearts <3

Excuses to give work/school so you can watch gymnastics Worlds live #Glasgow2015

Worlds are soon to be upon us, which means we, as diehard gym fans, need to watch it!

I've been struggling to figure out how I can find an excuse to miss work on the 27th and 29th during the ~2-3 hour slots for the women's team final and all-around final so I figured I'd share some of my ideas!  Naturally, both are smack dab in the middle of my work day.  If it were two days in a row then it would be easier, but it would be awfully suspicious for me to be "sick" on two days within the same week and fine on the day in-between :P Therefore, I need to get creative! I'd feel bad lying* so I need to come up with something that is somewhat true, but maybe not quite what it sounds like. 

*For the record, I DO NOT condone lying to your employer...but I do believe in watching Worlds...How you decide to make that possible is your own decision to make and for which to be responsible.

Here's what I have in terms of potential excuses so far:

1) Eye infection - caused by tears over Brenna Dowell's successes or setbacks, of course.  Hopefully the former, otherwise I really WILL have an eye infection.

Image source: Giphy

2) Headache - caused by someone's disgusting form.

3) Back pain - Hey, I'm a total hypochondriac and there's no doubt that at least one of those world class gymnasts has back pain, which means my brain will tell me I do too.  (Also let's face it, I will totally also have real back pain regardless since my body is falling apart. #ballerinaproblems)

Image source: Pinterest

K, yeah my back DEFINITELY hurts looking at that...The only way my body could end up in that position is if my back were broken.

4) The good old "personal business" excuse - let's be real: no one is going to ask you what that means. My "personal business" is that THE BEST ****ING SPORT IN THE WORLD NEEDS ME TO WATCH AND TWEET ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW INSTEAD OF DOING WORK!

Image source: Giphy 

5) I need more excuses! Help me out!

Image source: Giphy

Seriously...if you have a good idea, please share it either in the comments below or via Twitter @Gymtertainment so that all of us gym fans can figure out a way to enjoy Worlds :)

The Gymternet's Collective Waiting-for-Worlds Announcement Freakout #BreaktheGymternet

Every year the gymternet collectively freaks out over the impending US women's world team announcement, and this year was no exception. Here are some of the most entertaining tweets from tonight.  Enjoy :) 

Many teased and joked:

I know the team for the 2024 olympics and you losers dont1!1!😉😉😉😉😉😉

— Jamie (@jordynsleftbrow) October 8, 2015

How funny would it be if I missed this email I'm waiting for picking up my dinner? HAHAHAHAHAHAH

— Scott Bregman (@sbregman87) October 8, 2015

Yes, the team has been announced and USAGym told everyone except you.

— BalanceBeamSituation (@TheBBSituation) October 9, 2015

SImone Biles has been named to the 2015 U.S. World Team. (Source: common sense.)

— Bluffington Gym Post (@BluffingtonGym) October 9, 2015

Unashamed stan displays were rampant:

brenna Brenna Brenna BREnna BRENna BRENNa BRENNA BRENNA! BRENNA!! BRENNA!!! BRENNNA!!! BRENNNNA!!! BRRENNNA!!! BRREENNNA!!! BRRREENNNA!!!

— Jyosef (@jyosefr) October 9, 2015

(That's not news, just general screaming in my heart)

— Lauren Hopkins (@laurenchopkins) October 9, 2015

EVERYONE was in constant refresh battery-killing mode:

One hand washing dishes, one hand refreshing Twitter. And tweeting this.

— GymMapStics (@GymMapStics) October 9, 2015

@jordynsleftbrow oh and BTW #twins #lowbattery pic.twitter.com/PVdFMxIUrm

— Daniel (@Daniel_san2013) October 9, 2015

And some just couldn't handle it all:

I can't.

— livinglife (@gymnasticloving) October 9, 2015

For the love of Nastia

— Lauren Hopkins (@laurenchopkins) October 9, 2015

Then, it finally happened:

The U.S. women's team for the 2015 Worlds in Glasgow is Biles, Douglas, Dowell, Kocian, Nichols, Raisman, + Skinner! pic.twitter.com/8I5bcTjbzG

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) October 9, 2015

After the announcement, the gymternet celebrated and commiserated:

DON'T WORRY GUYS THE ENTIRE SONY PICTURES LOT JUST FOUND OUT BRENNA IS GOING TO WORLDS *pterodactyl screech*

— Nikki Collette (@nicol_ette) October 9, 2015

Actually crying for @brennadowell though. Do you know what it takes to come back from NCAA and jump into elite and MAKE WORLDS? #Amazing

— Lauren Hopkins (@laurenchopkins) October 9, 2015

So so so sad @Bailie_Key is not on this team. Seriously shocked and sad.

— Beam Dreams (@beamdreams) October 9, 2015

I could cry happy tears for @MadisonKocian! She is such a strong young lady, and here she has made a 2nd World team! :) :)

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) October 9, 2015

Looking at the bright side, SWAGGIE IS IN DA HOUSE!!! 💪

— Andrea (@Lamtey2) October 9, 2015

...I can only imagine what it'll be like next year! #RoadtoRio

The "World" Championships - Competing for Another Country

What is the point of the world championships in gymnastics, or in any sport?  The world championships are a chance for the top athletes from a country to compete against the top athletes from other countries. In order to prevent one country from dominating the competition and it becoming more of a domestic event than an international one, most sports have rules in place that limit the number of entrants from one country.  In gymnastics, each country is limited to a team of 6 for the world championships, or 5 at the Olympic games. The all-around and event finals competitions currently only allow two athletes per country to compete. While there is controversy over this rule, the point of it is to allow representation from as many countries as possible.

So what happens when athletes find loopholes in these rules and end up competing for a country with which they have no real affiliation? You end up with a "World" Championships that isn't really a true representation of the world's best athletes. Hmmm...

Image source: Giphy

There are examples of gymnasts switching nationality that are completely legitimate, such as Oksana Chusovitina who has competed for Uzbekistan, Germany, and the Soviet Union over her lengthy career. A second is Anna Pavlova who switched from competing for Russia to Azerbaijan over the last quadrennium. More recent examples include NCAA stars Danusia Francis and Toni-Ann Williams, who plan to represent Jamaica at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow. All of these athletes have real ties to the countries for which they are competing or have competed.

Image source: Giphy

Then, we hear some news from International Gymnast that two girls from AOGC named Alaina Kwan and Kylie Dickson are planning to represent Belarus: a country with which they have no affiliation, other than happening to know someone who can help them get citizenship. 

To quote the IG article:

"IG: What kind of contact have you had with the team itself?

AK: As of right now we don’t have contact because the team is really small, but our coaches have a really good connection with Nellie Kim, who also helps the Belarusian team a lot. So that’s kind of how we got associated with them."

Image source: Giphy

I don't think I'm alone in thinking this, but you should not be allowed to compete for a country that you have no affiliation with.  Heck, it doesn't seem like they've ever even BEEN to Belarus!  That makes NO sense and is unfair to the Belorussian gymnasts who have spent their lives training there, hoping to get a spot on the world team, and then having some American girls come in and take their spots.

Another interesting quote from the article: "I always had my mind set on competing for America because that’s my country. But once the idea sank in, it showed me how much I can do and see. I can travel the world and experience everything, but just representing a different name. So I’d rather go for the experience than for the name."

Gee, well then lets just call it the "Everybody Pick a Name to Represent" Championships instead of the World Championships, because that's what it'll become! Forget having pride for your country, let's just all pick a random one and go with it!

K, I'm done. Thoughts?

#MCM Gymnastics Image of the Day - Jonathan Horton

Jonathan Horton competed at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and is now training to try and make the 2016 team!  He has won 24 national medals and 11 international, including a silver and bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Image source: Gymnastike

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Larrissa Miller

Featured today is Australian gymnast Larrissa Miller who competed in the London 2012 Olympics.  She won two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games: one for the Australian team and the other on the uneven bars.  She also competed in the floor finals at the 2014 World Championships where she finished in 6th place.

Image source: ABC News Australia

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Deanne Soza

Deanne Soza's beautiful form makes her stand out among a highly talented group of US juniors.  She is a joy to watch and one to keep your eye on for the future!

Image source: Pinterest

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Maggie Nichols

Maggie Nichols is one of the USA's rising stars.  She proved at both the 2015 Secret Classic and P&G Championships that she has what it takes to be at the top.  Hopefully we will get to see her shine at the World Championships in October!

Image source: Gymnastike

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Rebecca Bross

Rebecca Bross is one of the most hard-working and focused gymnasts I've ever seen and it certainly shows in her medal count shows: she is a six-time world championships medalist, the 2010 U.S. All-Around National Champion, and the American Cup champion in 2010, just to name a few highlights. Sadly, injuries and timing prevented her from having her chance to shine on the Olympic stage, but she is nonetheless adored and admired by gymnastics fans around the world.

Image source: GymNet

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Becky Wing

Becky Wing is a British Olympian and Stanford alum who excels on the balance beam.  Here she is performing a wolf jump at the 2009 World Championships.

Image source: Gymnastics Wikia

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Asuka Teramoto

Today's image features Japanese Olympian Asuka Teramoto on the balance beam at London 2012.

Image source: Zimbio

#MCM Gymnastics Image of the Day - Zhang Hongtao

Zhang Hongtao is a Chinese gymnast who specializes on pommel horse.  He has won nine gold medals on the pommel horse at various World Cup competitions and also won the gold medal at the World Championships in London in 2009.

Image source: Zimbio

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Kayla Williams

Kayla Williams is the 2009 World Champion and the 2009 US National  champion on the vault. Following the culmination of her successful elite career, she competed for the University of Alabama where she helped the team to a national championship in 2012.

Image source: Zimbio

Gymnastics Image of the Day - He Kexin

Chinese uneven bars phenom He Kexin won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic games (uneven bars & team) and a silver on the uneven bars in 2012.  In today's image she is shown competing in the bars final at the 2009 world championships in London where she also won the gold medal.

Image source: Zimbio

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Koko Tsurumi

Koko Tsurumi is a Japanese two-time Olympian.  She won four gold medals at the Asian championships in 2008 and two at the 2009 world championships.  Koko has beautiful form and is one of Japan's most successful female gymnasts.

Image source: International Gymnast

#tbt Gymnastics Image of the Day - Natalia Shaposhnikova

That toe point! Natalia Shaposhnikova is a four-time Olympic medalist who competed for the Soviet Union. On the uneven bars, she pioneered a complex transition from the low to high bar which is still widely used today.

Image source: International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Lauren Mitchell

Lauren Mitchell became the first Australian gymnast to win a gold medal at the World Championships when she won the floor event final in 2010. She also won silver medals on balance beam and floor at the World Championships in 2009.

Image source: Zimbio

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Allana Slater

Two-time Olympian Allana Slater is considered to be one of Australia's most successful international gymnasts of all time!  She and the women's artistic gymnastics Australian team won bronze at the 2003 World Championships, and she also won numerous World Cup and Commonwealth Games medals throughout her career.

Image Source: Photobucket

#MCM Gymnastics Image of the Day - Max Whitlock

Max Whitlock won two Olympic bronze medals at London 2012: one in the Team Final and one on the pommel horse!  In 2014, his silver medal in the all-around at the World Championships tied Dan Keatings for the most successful British all-around performance at a gymnastics World Championships.

Image source: Fame Images

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Catalina Ponor

Catalina Ponor is one of the most decorated Romanian gymnasts with 5 Olympic medals: 3 gold from Athens 2004 and 1 bronze and 1 silver from London 2012.  Every time she makes a comeback, she seems to be just as fabulous as she was before!

Image source: Panda Whale

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Yana Kudryavtseva

Today's image features three-time rhythmic gymnastics all-around world champion Yana Kudryavtseva.  I can't get over the ridiculous amount of flexibility, strength, and control these women have!

Image source: Pinterest

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Mary Lou Retton

In honor of the 14th anniversary of 9/11, today's picture depicts a time of American joy and triumph: 1984 Olympic all-around gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, America's Sweetheart. She needed a perfect 10 on the vault in order to win the all-around competition and she did so, twice, thus becoming the first US woman to win the gold medal. 

As we remember and honor those who lost their lives on that terrible day 14 years ago, let us also celebrate our country's greatest moments of triumph and joy. By doing so, we can show those who tried to destroy us that they cannot bring us down. #NeverForget

Image source: Sports Photography Tips with 10 Incredible Moments in Olympic History

#tbt Gymnastics Image of the Day - Ludmilla Tourischeva

Ludmilla Tourischeva won 9 Olympic medals and competed at 3 Olympic Games. She and Simone Biles are the only two women to win four gold medals at a single World Championships. In 1975 she was also involved in an incident where the uneven bars collapsed while/after she completed her dismount! Thankfully, she was unhurt and was able to land her dismount, albeit not as perfectly as she would have liked.

Image source: Name's Pudding Tumblr

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Dominique Dawes

Three-time U.S. Olympian Dominique Dawes, aka "Awesome Dawesome" won at least one medal at each of the Olympics she attended: Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000.

Image source: BuzzQuotes

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Roxana Popa

Roxana Popa is a Romanian-Spanish gymnast who competes for Spain.  Here she is on bars.

Image source: Shared by Carmen Popa on Twitter

#MCM Gymnastics Image of the Day - Marian Drăgulescu

Romanian gymnast Marian Drăgulescu is an 8-time world champion, 9-time European champion, and 3-time Olympic medalist.

Image source: Libertatea

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Jordyn Wieber

2011 World All-Around champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber had a very successful gymnastics career! Despite missing out on the all-around competition in London 2012, she still made herself a household name based upon all of her accomplishments. Now, she attends UCLA and is a team manager for their NCAA gymnastics team.

Image source: Pop Sugar

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Brittany Rogers

Canadian Olympian and George GymDog Brittany Rogers is one of a small number of gymnasts to continue her elite career while in the midst of her college career. Here she is on bars in London 2012!

Image source: Gymnastics News Network

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Amy Tinkler

Today's image features 2015 British all-around champion Amy Tinkler competing in the floor final during the 2015 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 2015 is her first year competing as a senior and she hopes to be on the team for Rio 2016!

Image source: 2015 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships - Floor - Amy Tinkler 07" by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons.

#tbt Gymnastics Image of the Day - Andreea Raducan

Andreea Raducan captured the hearts of many when she won the all-around at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Sadly, she was subsequently stripped of her medal after testing positive for a banned substance from a cold pill she was given by the team doctor. This substance has since been removed from the banned list, but sadly her status as champion has not been reinstated. Nevertheless, we on the gymternet all know that she is the real 2000 Olympic all-around champion, regardless of what the record book may say! 

Image source: Libertatea

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Claudia Fragapane

Known for her powerful tumbling and break dancing moves on floor, Claudia Fragapane has emerged as one of Britain's newest gymnastics stars. She won the all-around gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and swept the podium with fellow England teammates Hannah Whelan and Ruby Harrold. At the same competition, she also became the first English woman in 84 years to win four medals!

Image source: Daily Mail

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Larisa Iordache

Larisa Iordache competed for Romania in the 2012 Olympics where she won a bronze medal with her team. In 2014 at the world championships, she won a well-deserved silver medal in the all-around as well as on the floor. She has been injured lately but plans to return to competition next month, and hopefully we will see her again at Rio 2016!

Image source: Romanian Gymnast

#MCM Gymnastics Image of the Day - Sam Oldham

Sam Oldham competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics where he and his team won a surprise and thrilling bronze medal!

Image source: Cecilie Harris

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Taylor Rice

Stanford standout Taylor Rice brings sass, skills, and entertainment to gymnastics. She also is an excellent and hilarious writer!  Read her blog here :)

Image source: Stanford

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Marissa King

Marissa King is one of a few Brits who competed internationally and then went on to compete in NCAA.  Marissa was a member of the 2008 British Olympic team and contributed to Florida's maiden NCAA championship during her senior year in 2013.  She also was the 2011 NCAA vault champion.  Here she is competing for Great Britain at the World Championships in 2009.  Such a gorgeous leo!

Image source: ProfessionalGymnastics

Gymnastics Image of the Day - Jennifer Pinches

I first heard about Jennifer Pinches when I stumbled upon a documentary about her from 2005 called A Different Life.  I became a fan of her after that and have been ever since!  I was very excited that she made the British Olympic team for London 2012 and even more excited when she went to UCLA, my alma mater :) Here she is in a beautiful shot from the London 2012 Olympics:

Image source: Girls are Geeks

#tbt Gymnastics Image of the Day - Henrietta Onodi

Two-time Hungarian Olympian Henrietta Onodi won the gold medal on vault and silver medal on floor at the 1992 Olympics.  While beam wasn't her strongest event, one of the most beautiful skills on beam bears her name: the Onodi!

Image source: img.fanbase.com