www.InsideGymnastics.com
start list in every issue 10 Publisher’s Page 17 Inside Buzz 19 Chalking Up 21 Opinion Line
In the Know with John Roethlisberger
23 People, Places and Faces 25 Opinion Line
Shannon Says with Shannon Miller
47 Industry Insider 60 Marketplace & Classifieds
photo features 13 Picture Perfect Lord of the Rings 15 Freeze Frame 50 Picture Perfect Trademark Skills 62 Final Dismount
features 29 Sweet 2016 The U.S. Women’s Team left nothing to chance, dominating the quad, celebrating a very sweet 2016. 32 Gaining a Mental Edge - Inside Interview with Robert Andrews, M.A. The founder and director of The Institute of Sports Performance in Houston, Texas discusses working with high performance athletes. 35 Annual Readers’ Choice! You voted! Now see all of the results here as we celebrate 2016! 38 Laurie Hernandez: Her Best Year Ever Her place in Olympic history already secured, the sixteen-year-old superstar chats up her best year ever in this candid Q&A. BY CHRISTY SANDMAIER
45 Spotlight! Le Reve® Meet Justin Valentin 52 Holiday Gift Guide Stocking stuffers and gifts! All of the latest and greatest products sure to have you looking and feeling superb! 59 In the Zone Gina Pongetti Angeletti, MPT gives us 10 Tips for staying focused for 2017! ON THIS PAGE AND ON THE COVER Laurie Hernandez PHOTO BY RICARDO BUFOLIN
contents December 2016
PICTUREperfect
lord of the
RINGS!
Arthur Zanetti (BRA), 2012 Olympic Champion on rings, won silver in Rio with monster strength moves and finesse. Photo by Ricardo Bufolin
10 hot topics that have the gymnastics community buzzing!
inside buzz By Anna Rose Johnson
trending First Rotation
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The Next Generation: Valeri Liukin, the new U.S. Women’s National Team Coordinator directed his first round of national team camps. At the conclusion of the October camp, he stated, “We look toward the beginning of a new Olympic cycle in 2017.”
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A Legend Retires: Australian veteran Lauren Mitchell recently announced her retirement from gymnastics. The 2010 World Champion on floor exercise made a run at three Olympic Games, falling just short of qualifying for Rio 2016.
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Maggie Magic: 2015 World Champion Maggie Nichols (USA) is beginning her freshman year at Oklahoma, but hasn’t quite closed the door on a possible elite comeback. Could it be that we’ll see her making a run at Tokyo 2020? Catch an interview with Nichols on InsideGymnastics.com
All-Around Potential: The artistic Eythora Thorsdottir (NED) is training an Amanar vault and could be quite a force in 2017.
Gold-Medal Talent: UCLA Gymnastics looks to have an amazing NCAA season ahead - their fab freshman class includes Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, Felicia Hano, and Grace and Anna Glenn!
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Forminte Rehired: Romania has rehired Nicolae Forminte as the head coach of the women’s team. Forminte lead the program from 2005-2010, and hopefully can restore Romanian gymnastics to its former glory.
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Mannequin Mania!: As the #MannequinChallenge exploded on social media, we loved how the gymnastics community jumped right in! Among our favorites was a creative post from BYU gymnastics. Check it out on our Instagram account, @InsideGym!
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Booking It!: Final Five members Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez have written their autobiographies! Biles’ book, Courage to Soar, is available as of November, while Hernandez’ story, I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, will be released in January 2017. Dreaming of 2017: The gymnastics community is already looking ahead to the American Cup in March, one of the biggest competitions of the year. Could this be an opportunity for Rio alternate Ragan Smith to shine on the international stage?
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{10} Grace Chiu
Russia Regroups: Daria Spiridonova and Seda Tutkhalyan, members of the 2016 Russian Olympic team, have both decided to continue in the sport. Time will tell if veteran Aliya Mustafina makes a run at 2020.
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Olympian Shannon Miller shares her take on hot topics and more!
opinion line
viewpoint
For this edition of Shannon Says, we had readers submit questions for Olympian Shannon Miller. Here’s how she responded…
Renee Parenteau
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How did you handle the post-Olympic hype and stay focused during the tours, appearances, etc. after Barcelona and Atlanta? Unfortunately, we had to learn the hard way how to cope with the post-Olympic hype. We were finding our way without much understanding of what each day would bring. I had received a glimpse of post-Olympic life after the 1992 Olympics. We went on tour and I felt the pull of media, appearances and more obligation but I was still training for competition so it was my coach, Steve Nunno, along with my parents, who helped me navigate my schedule. However, nothing can compare to what we witnessed after winning the 1996 Olympic Games! We were on tour for 99 cities (almost a year and a half with little time off). I was retired at that point but I relied a great deal on those time management skills I had gained throughout my career to keep up with the hectic schedule. I learned the importance of sleeping and eating whenever I could. We were still performing and training most days of the week so keeping in shape was about conditioning and proper rest. It truly is an amazing time, you just enjoy every moment!
shannon says
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What do you think of the Olympic Team being reduced to four members? Like many, I feel like we’re losing a bit of the “team” aspect with only four members. However, countries can also qualify up to two additional spots for an all-around or individual event athlete. For the U.S. women’s team, this is good news because they are almost certain to qualify athletes for all six positions. This means more athletes would actually be competing for medals than we’ve had since 2008! On the men’s side it’s going to be a bit trickier but they have already begun working on a strategy for the next 3 1/2 years. I’m a firm believer in taking what seems to be a negative and making it a positive. Go Team USA!
sweet
2016
These Five, This Time
The Success of the U.S. Women’s Program By Gina Pongetti Angeletti, MPT I N S I D EGY M N A ST I C S . CO M
The U.S. Women’s Program left nothing to chance in 2016. The result was domination. The difference was over 10 points in prelims. In Team Finals, it was over eight. It is evident that the difference was not because the Americans got lucky and hit. Simply, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman made their stamp on Rio with 28 straight routines. Stuck. So, what was the key to the women’s program being so successful? Was it Martha Karoyli? A lucky group of athletes? Is it coaching? It’s certainly a combination of all of these, built and perfected over time, which has led to international dominance. A focus on perfection, consistency, work ethic, and utilizing the very best resources sports can find. It was five incredible young ladies who settled for nothing less than gold.
A Perfect Balance
Great athletes exist all around the world, in every sport. We’ve seen “dream” teams in basketball, Super Bowl dominance and World Series magic. But it’s rare that five athletes
come together with the perfect balance of talent - with these coaches, and with this staff, at this time. Over and over again, the U.S. coaches and staff have mentioned that the reason they do so well is because the athletes are prepared. Prepared for the pressure. Prepared for the demand of perfection, as this is an expectation in the gym each day. Great results happen when competition is nothing more than one more routine. Head Coach and Biles’ personal coach, Aimee Boorman stated, “The girls were just so prepared. Not only physically prepared, they are mentally prepared.” This mental toughness is a combination of teaching the athletes how to control nerves and energy, as well as how to have the confidence to ‘trust their training.’ After her silver medal performance on uneven bars, Madison Kocian was very happy with her results, but not surprised. “I think it’s all the numbers we put into the gym,” stated Kocian. “I’ve been consistent this whole trip. I don’t think I’ve missed a bar routine, so I just went out there and did the same thing.” It showed.
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gaining a mental edge
PEAK PERFORMANCE
for
Inside Gymnastics Interview with Robert Andrews, M.A. The Institute of Sports Performance Houston, Texas By Chris Korotky and Christy Sandmaier
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2016
READERS’ C H O I C E AWARDS
And the Winners Are… !
MOST JAW-DROPPING MOMENT OF THE OLYMPICS Simone Biles’ flawless floor exercise in the women’s AA
FAVORITE AMERICAN FEMALE GYMNAST Aly Raisman
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Simone Biles Gabby Douglas Laurie Hernandez Madison Kocian
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Chris Brooks Jake Dalton Danell Leyva Alex Naddour
FAVORITE MALE GYMNAST OF ALL TIME PAUL HAMM - USA
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Sawao Kato - JPN Alexei Nemov - RUS Vitaly Scherbo - BLR Ivan Ivankov - BLR Li Xiaoshuang - CHN
FAVORITE FEMALE GYMNAST OF ALL TIME Lilia Podkopayeva - UKR
Ricardo Bufolin, Grace Chiu
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Nadia Comaneci -ROU Svetlana Khorkina - RUS Shannon Miller - USA Shawn Johnson -USA Svetlana Boguinskaia - BLR Nastia Liukin - USA Carly Patterson - USA Mary Lou Retton - USA Elena Shushunova – RUS
Kohei Uchimura’s victory of 0.099 over Oleg Verniaiev in the men’s AA Sanne Wevers’ artistic masterpiece in the beam final Japan’s first team gold since 2004 41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina’s Produnova vault
GYMNAST MOST LIKELY TO HAVE A REALITY SHOW Laurie Hernandez - USA
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Aliya Mustafina - RUS Fabian Hambuechen - GER Maria Paseka - RUS Louis Smith – GBR Catalina Ponor - ROU Daniele Hypolito - BRA
FAVORITE AMERICAN MALE GYMNAST Sam Mikulak
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Each year, our editorial team selects a group of nominees for our Readers’ Choice Awards and then you cast your vote (in droves!) on InisdeGymnastics.com. The results are in and, cue drumroll…
MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENT OF THE GAMES
and Aly’s 1-2 finish < Simone in the all-around
BEST FLOOR CHOREOGRAPHY Eythora Thorsdottir – NED
Diego Hypolito and Arthur Nory Mariano’s silver and bronze on floor
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Simone Biles - USA Laurie Hernandez - USA Catalina Ponor - ROU Ragan Smith - USA Rebeca Andrade – BRA The Belgium Women’s Team
SKILL YOU TRIED IN YOUR LIVING ROOM DURING THE OLYMPICS Wolf turns
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Uchimora in oleg’s cate
The Final Five’s team gold Kohei Uchimura’s second consecutive all-around title Aliya Mustafina’s uneven bars victory Sanne Wevers celebrating her beam gold with her Dad/ Coach and twin sister Lieke
MEMBER OF THE FINAL FIVE MOST LIKELY TO COMPETE IN TOKYO 2020 Laurie Hernandez
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Final pose in Simone Biles’ floor routine Air flairs on floor Sanne Wevers’ double spins Split leaps
Simone Biles Gabby Douglas Madison Kocian Aly Raisman
FAVORITE COVER OF 2016
< Sept./Oct. Final Five! Team USA Soars to Gold in Rio
Jan./Feb. Annual 50 Most Photogenic Mar/Apr. Jonathan Horton May/Jun. Gabby! Queen of the Comeback Jul./Aug. Guide to the Games! Alternate Sept./Oct. Simone! Biles Sails to Historic Gold
MOST EXCITING HIGH BAR PERFORMANCE OF RIO Danell Leyva - USA
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Fabian Hambuechen - GER Sam Mikulak - USA Kohei Uchimura - JPN Nile Wilson - GBR
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Her Best Y ear Ever By Christy Sandmaier Laurie Hernandez had no idea what city she was in. Having divided her time between Dancing With the Stars and the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions, she’s also trending at award shows and appearances, on the road, flying from one city to the next, keeping up on social media and just soaking it all in. “The Human Emoji” as she’s known on social media – a nickname that caught fire right before Rio – has got a mega-watt smile, and is as authentic as they come. Following a stunning performance on the Halloween episode of DWTS, Val Chmerkovskiy said of his partner, “Maybe she could change the world.” While all of us held back tears and smiled, the rest of the world got to see what gymnastics already knew - Laurie Hernandez has already changed the world. She rose to stardom at the 2016 U.S. Championships and continued her momentum at Trials. In Rio, Hernandez took home a team gold and silver medal on beam. She’s the lead character in a story that’s just started. Hernandez took time out (turns out she was in Greensboro, North Carolina getting ready for a leg on the tour later that night) to share her best year ever with Inside Gymnastics.
Formidable Focus Gold medalist with her team, Hernandez won silver on beam in Rio. Sanne Wevers took gold and U.S. Teammate Simone Biles captured bronze.
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GK Turns 35
Staying true to their mission and honoring their brand, GK celebrates 35 years of excellence this year. Here’s an inside look at their journey, their goals and what they have planned for the next 35 from Kelly McKeown, Chief Design Officer & EVP of Corporate Relations. Congratulations on celebrating your 35th Anniversary! Tell us what you have planned for the upcoming year. We will certainly be celebrating GK’s 35th birthday in a few months at our annual company celebration. We have several big initiatives planned for 2017 but I do not want to spoil any surprises. Stay tuned! What have been some monumental or favorite moments that have really led to today’s success? GK innovated the concept of co-branded signature collections with Olympians several years ago. Four out of five of the “Final Five” Olympic Team athletes are GK brand ambassadors with signature collections. We also partner with Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic All-around gold medalist. We are proud of working with the best athletes in the world and listening to what they like, love and want. Our commitment to the young athlete is also foundational for GK. We design collections for tiny gymnasts starting at Toddler sizes. GK also proudly partners with Under Armour to develop and manufacture gymnastics apparel through a licensing agreement, as well as with Disney and Cirque Du Soleil® with co-branded collections that highlight the essence and authenticity of their respective brands. What’s the best part of being on the GK team and a part of the GK brand? What are you most proud of? I have to say that we are extremely proud of designing and manufacturing Olympic apparel for several countries. Every women’s silver and gold medalist in this past summer Olympics wore a leotard manufactured by GK. The apparel worn by the USA, Russia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Algeria in Rio were created in our factory in Pennsylvania. Innovation and quality is important to both of our brands, which creates a solid foundation for a great partnership. We are also partners with USA Gymnastics and support the sport from grass roots programs all the way through to the Olympic Teams. What is the most important part of your brand and mission? GK is known to have the best fit in the industry. We often hear that no other leotard out there fits like a GK. Our commitment to fitting our leotards like a second skin is the foundation of our DNA. Quality is also extremely important. We put our fabrics
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through extensive testing before approving them. Our designs are fit approved, wash tested and wear tested. When our Designers create dynamic new styles these steps are all woven into the process. We are proud to have the largest collection of styles in the industry ranging from regal and elegant designs to athletic and modern looks. What do you want readers to know most about GK? We are laser focused on the future and yet extremely proud of our heritage. The journey that has brought us to this exciting place as the largest premium global brand is something that we do not take for granted. In our mission statement we say that our goal is to be the athletes’ first choice. This passion is what keeps our brand #1. We want athletes to be happy with the fit, the quality and the designs. We are constantly researching, developing and testing new concepts to lead this industry into the next generation of innovation. Our team is deep with expertise and continues to push our brand forward. Have you thought about what the next 35 years will look like? The future will be filled with innovative manufacturing techniques, state of the art fabrics, Swarovski crystals, and some concepts that cannot be revealed at this time. Being on the forefront of what is next and leading the industry in apparel trends is certainly front and center for us.
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