Gymnix 2009 – Junior and International Cups
Gymbyte and I have just returned from L’International Gymnix 2009, and it was an amazing weekend in Montreal! This was the inaugural year as a World Cup event and it was a great success, especially on the men’s side where many of the world’s top competitors were present.
The Junior Cup portion of the competition included female gymnasts from Canada, France, Russia and the USA. The International Cup female competitors competed alongside the juniors, with gymnasts representing Canada, Australia, USA, France and Peru.
My favourite Bits:
– The General Warm-Up. I saw the American girls going through the routine of donkey kicks, needles, walking on hands, twisting leaps, etc…all under the watchful eye of Marta Karolyi. The Russians’ warm-up routine included rows of back extension to 1.5 pirouette on hands to front roll to press handstand to 1.5 pirouette on hands.
General Warm-Up, International Gymnix 2009
– American Jordyn Wieber stole the show, winning all four events thanks to her level of difficulty, consistency and neat form. On Vault she performed a double-twisting Yurchenko, while on Beam she nailed her front aerial, one-hand backhandspring, layout combination and her standing full to back tuck. It was also a pleasure to see that Teodora Ungureanu’s protégée, Sabrina Vega, had been added to the roster at the last minute.
– One of my favourite routines of the evening belonged to Russian junior Yulia Belokobylskaya. Hers is the most balletic floor exercise in recent memory.
Yulia Belokobylskaya, International Gymnix 2009, Floor Exercise
– Canadian Mikaela Gerber’s floor exercise was every bit as gripping as Aisha Gerber’s Dire Straits routine. Both sisters exhibit interesting choreography and nice lines.
Mikaela Gerber, International Gymnix 2009, Floor Exercise
Stay tuned for Part 2…the Montreal World Cup!
March 28th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Wow, is that choreography I see between Yulia B.’s tumbling lines?! 🙂 Nice to see that the Russians still consider dance a significant part of gymnastics. How old is Mikaela Gerber? I think she is now being coached in Oakville by (among others) Kelly Manjak, who coached Kyle Shewfelt to Olympic gold in 2004 prior to moving to Ontario.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Yes, there are many Russian floor routines that demonstrate good choreography. Anna Pavlova and Ksenia Semyonova both demonstrated lovely dance while simultaneously packing their routines full of difficulty at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Mikaela Gerber was born in 1995, so she will be competing in the Junior ranks until 2011. She and her sister moved to the Oakville Gymnastics Club from Cambridge Kips, but Aisha has just started her NCAA career at UCLA.