Inside Gymnastics February 2016 Preview

publisher’s page FEBRUARY 2016

As a kid, I thought at one point I might want to pursue photography as a career one day. From family vacations to sporting events my friends and I were involved in to everyday moments, I wanted to capture all of these experiences through photographs, which I felt so beautifully illustrated a moment in time.

When I launched Inside Gymnastics, I knew that I wanted stunning photography to be a distinguishing feature of the magazine. And I loved that from our inception through our issues today, mesmerizing photography remains one of the hallmarks of the magazine. I can’t tell you how many gyms I visit have pages from our issues on their walls and bulletin boards, or framed in the gym. On a recent visit to Brown’s Gymnastics in Las Vegas, I noticed some spreads from our magazine framed on the walls, and I of course told club owner Dayna Waroe that it made my day to see that! “It’s so inspiring for everyone, from the coaches to the gymnasts to the parents,” Dayna told me, putting a huge smile on my face. It doesn’t get better than that!

Because of reactions like that, many years ago, we decided to dedicate an issue of the magazine to recognizing some of the most photogenic gymnasts around the world. It has become one of my favorite issues to put together as it allows us an opportunity to look back through our archives of the year (thousands of photos) to select a few that captivated our attention. Gymnastics has so many intriguing qualities and photographs capture those unique qualities so beautifully. From ballerina-like grace to football player-like strength, the sport requires an incredible balance of finesse and power. For the photos in this issue, we tried to select a combination which illustrates that tremendous spectrum. We also dedicated more pages than ever to the feature (forgoing some of our regular segments, which will return with the next issue!)

PRESIDENT&PUBLISHER Christopher Korotky VICE PRESIDENT, SALES Shelly O’Brien CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mandi Mazonkey GRAPHIC DESIGNER Delanie Melehes LEAD CORRESPONDENT Christie Griffin EDITOR Kelly O’Brien SALES MANAGER Anastasia Miller MARKETING COORDINATOR Zac Nixon OFFICE SERVICES ASSOCIATE Elizabeth Caton ACCOUNTING MANAGER Sheila Brackin LEAD CONSULTANT Danielle Chehimi TECHNOLOGY AND WEB Leonard Ridley COLUMNISTS David Durante Shannon Miller Gina Pongetti John Roethlisberger Christy Sandmaier CORRESPONDENTS Elizabeth Grimsley • Jennifer Isbister Allison Taylor • Cindy Yu PHOTOGRAPHERS Grace Chiu • Lloyd Smith • Tom Theobald

I’d also like to recognize the stunning Eythora Thorsdottir of the Netherlands, who we selected to grace the cover. Along with the rest of the gymnastics universe, we have become utterly enthralled with Eythora’s charm and artistry. Her unique style, attention to detail, and ability to tell a story through her gymnastics is mesmerizing and has resonated with fans and judges alike.

Congrats to all of the honorees in this issue! We appreciate your style and the captivating quality of your picture-perfect gymnastics!

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contents

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FEBRUARY 2016

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10 Publisher’s Page 13 Let’s Get Social!

51 Industry Insider 52 Marketplace & Classifieds

54 Final Dismount

features 15 #COUNTDOWNTORIO

In Focus: Artistry

By Christopher Korotky

In an era where artistry has taken a back seat to difficulty, Dutch gymnast Eythora Thorsdottir is bringing artistry back to the forefront, winning over fans and judges alike.

16 Cover Story: The 50 Most

Photogenic, Class of 2016

By Elizabeth Grimsley and Christy Sandmaier

Newly crowned champions, veteran stars, sentimental favorites, and a certain king and queen comprise our Class of 2016 in this annual celebration of the 50 Most Photogenic gymnasts in the sport!

46 2016 Camp Directory 47 Countdown to Camp!

It’s never too early to plan ahead for summer camp! We have some top tips to get you on your way!

On The Cover: Eythora Thorsdottir of the Netherlands. Photo by Grace Chiu

maggie NICHOLS (USA) Nichols stormed onto the senior elite scene this year placing second all-around at the P&G Championships and was the only U.S. gymnast to compete all four events in the team final in Glasgow.

With the perfect combination of difficulty, artistry and a little swag, Nichols shines brightly on floor, solidifying her place and sending notice to the world by capturing the bronze medal with the second highest execution score in finals.

eythora THORSDOTTIR (NED) From the very tips of her fingers and toes to the smile on her face, Thorsdottir is graceful and gorgeous.

Mixing fluid, classical lines with modern dance, there just aren’t enough words to describe how much we love this Dutch gymnast.

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#COUNTDOWNTORIO

For years, the gymnastics community has collectively been asking, “What can we do to restore artistry to the sport of gymnastics?” A fierce debate has ensued, with many blaming the demands of the current code and the demise of ‘The 10’ for the decline in artistry. Many would argue that the 1980s exemplified the height of the artistic era. We tend to concur and our time spent watching those routines on YouTube and appreciating the breath-taking quality in the level of style and execution is a testament to that! Today’s ‘dance’ has turned into ‘posing,’ and style and form too often take a back seat to ‘throwing’ big skills.

IN FOCUS: Artistry

BY CHRISTOPHER KOROTKY PHOTO BY GRACE CHIU

Despite the artistic downfall and the shortcomings of many attempts to revive it, there is a glimmer of hope! We’re finally seeing a trend again of gymnasts (many featured in this issue) and coaches who are prioritizing artistry again. Ballet classes are coming back, fundamentals and progression training are in vogue and some programs are even bringing in acting coaches to help gymnasts ‘perform’ their floor sets – all positive moves!

Perhaps no one better exemplifies this resurgence than Eythora Thorsdottir of the Netherlands, who graces the cover of this issue. Her engaging performances are the results of a laser-like focus on emoting through her routines. Here’s what she had to say at this past year’s Worlds, where her performances won over fans and judges alike…

On the attention the Netherlands is getting for their artistic presentation and their acting classes…

It’s nice! [This is] artistic gymnastics [and] I stand for that….We have these trainings - like presentation training - with my coach and he trains us to act. [We have exercises where we have to act like] a cucumber or something [laughs] and you have to be like that! If you can do that, you can do everything on floor and beam!

On choreographing her floor routine…

My coach and I have been working really hard on it.

We kind of made a story out of it, like [with] every pose, what I should think about and what the story is behind the whole thing. That helps me to give every emotion with every position and that creates the whole picture of what story is going on.

On the story behind her floor routine…

[It’s inspired in part by] the musical Elizabeth… with the princess who doesn’t want to listen to the authorities. Sometimes she is sad and sometimes she is making fun of everybody, so sometimes it’s down and everything is so emotional and other times it’s just like ‘ha-ha I got you.’ Mixing emotions makes it special I think.

On who she looks up to…

When I was a kid [my role model was] Nastia Liukin because she had great lines and great style.

On her preparations heading towards Rio… Of course I want to be perfect, I’m always a perfectionist. The closer we get to Rio it has to be better and better and the difficulty has to be a little higher.

INSIDE LOOK: Eythora in Training Log on to InsideGymnastics.com and check the ‘VIDEO’ section for an inside look at Eythora in training at the 2015 World Championships and more I N S Iof D EGYour M N A interview ST I C S . CO M with her!

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By Elizabeth Grimsley and Christy Sandmaier

Photos by Grace Chiu

From newly crowned champions to veteran stars and sentimental favorites, expressions, personality and a certain king and queen, we celebrate these gymnasts in our annual 50 Most Photogenic feature.

THE

50 MOSTPHOTOGENIC

The sometimes controversial Komova arrived in Glasgow with something to prove, quickly regaining her fan-favorite status with upgraded routines and artistry to match. The two-time Olympic silver medalist impressed with her long, clean lines, toe point, and most of all, her smile.

viktoriia KOMOVA (RUS)

lauren NAVARRO (USA) Gliders’ Lauren Navarro flirted with major elite teams this year, being named to the Pan Am training squad. Her quiet confidence makes her gymnastics appear smooth and effortless. The skills are all there, with a little more polish, she could be a major player.

max WHITLOCK (GBR) We love Whitlock’s perfectly pasted together toes, his flair and his effortless swing. The 2015 World Champion on pommel horse, it’s no surprise he was awarded the Longines Prize for Elegance.

larrissa MILLER (AUS) Known for her elegance, the 23-year-old Miller brings a certain class and maturity to her gymnastics. After a rough outing in Glasgow, Miller will be looking for redemption in 2016.

nile WILSON (GBR)

larisa IORDACHE (ROM) Sentimental favorite Iordache continues to improve her execution and upgrade her difficulty. After a devastating team competition for Romania in Glasgow, Iordache sought redemption in the all-around, winning the bronze medal.

gabby DOUGLAS (USA) Don’t call it a comeback. The 2012 Olympic Champion stepped onto the world stage in Glasgow winning the all-around silver medal, placing second only to teammate Simone Biles. Her high-flying releases on bars and her more-than-180 leaps on beam and floor leave us breathless. Should she reach her peak in Rio, she’ll be poised for a rare repeat.

Wilson broke onto the international stage at this year’s World Championships, competing in the parallel bar final and tying for second. We love his calm confidence when performing out on the competition floor and expect more great things for this rising British star!

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fan YILIN (CHN) The trick is to make gymnastics look easy and Fan does just that. Her seemingly effortless pirouettes on bars appear graceful, her handstands pinpoint perfect. In the longstanding tradition of great Chinese bar champions, Fan shared the bars title in Glasgow earning the highest difficulty score - and she makes balance beam look like a breeze, too!

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