NEW 01
Yul Moldauer
The conquering American
Éric Demay
Cairo, nest of hopefuls
Linoy Ashram The Olympic grail
Maëlys Lenclos Continental gold
Laëtitia
Bégué
“Marinitch, gymnastics, and me”
POSTERS
Aline Friess Viktoria Listunova
vrille-magazine.com JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 - 5,90€
Behind the scenes in gymnastics and sports acrobatics with Decathlon Do you know Decathlon’s gymnastics & acrobatic sports team? Decathlon’s gymnastics and acrobatic sports team is made up of enthusiasts who imagine, design, develop, produce, manage and distribute products and services to satisfy gymnasts and acrobats throughout the world. In order to meet your needs and desires, we are constantly working with gymnasts and clubs to co-design our products. Perhaps you know Caly ? She has been training at a gymnastics club in Dunkerque in northern France for two years, and won the “Elite French Champion” title in the 10-year-old category in June 2021.. This year, Caly participated in the development of our artistic gymnastics apparel products. She also took part in our photo shoots... Patience, in a few weeks you will be able to discover all the photos of the 2022 collection on the Decathlon website and on the Instagram page @decathlongymnastics !
What gymnastic and acrobatic disciplines do we offer at Decathlon? ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS We are committed to making gymnastics accessible to as many people as possible. The gymnasts’ equipment is important for their confidence, in order to progress and perform in the best conditions. From training apparel to leotards that shine in competition, as well as handgrips, we observe gymnasts all over the world every day to develop products that are more and more adapted to their needs. As enthusiasts, we know how much you may miss the gym at times. If it strikes your fancy to do some acrobatics in the house or the garden for the thrill of it, you will find your happiness thanks to our equipment that you can use at home.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS Ribbon, hoop, ball, clubs and rope are the favourite apparatus of many gymnasts. Individually or as a group, they put on their rhythmic slippers to move gracefully on the floor in their most beautiful leotards. What a pleasure it is to contribute for more than twenty years to making this magnificent sport known and accessible, with our offer of products to discover and progress in the practice of Rhythmic Gymnastics.
TRAMPOLINE Thanks to trampolines, training continues at home. Who has never dreamed of doing a somersault ? From the very first training session, this is the dream of every young gymnast. The trampoline is the ideal accessory to achieve this ! It’s also the favourite place for children to have fun in the garden. But not only children... What parent has never tested their child’s trampoline ? In any case, at Decathlon Gymnastics, we have tested them more than once!
PARKOUR Parkour is the freedom to practice an acrobatic sport in all types of environments: in the city, in a park, in a gym... You’ve never seen Decathlon’s Parkour products ? This is our first surprise of the year 2022. We have developed a range of apparel products with many tips to make Parkour easier. You won’t need to worry about where to put your keys, how to protect your phone, or losing your wallet... We’ve thought of everything so that you can ride through the city in complete peace of mind.
CIRCUS ARTS Dexterity, balance, coordination, flexibility and concentration are essential skills for the practice of Circus Arts. Does this remind you of another sport ? Like you, we made the connection with gymnastics. Many gymnasts also practice Circus Arts. We don’t need to tell you about the former gymnastics stars who have continued their careers at the “Cirque du Soleil”, you all have their names in mind as these sportsmen and women have made us dream. So it seemed obvious to us to develop a range of products for juggling and balancing that you will soon be able to discover in our stores and on our website. This is our second surprise of the year 2022... and we have many more in store for you !
Now that you know our disciplines, we have lots of great stories to tell you about our products, our photo shoots, our ambassadors, our stores, our team and so on... Each issue of Vrille magazine will be an opportunity for you to discover our brand behind the scenes. We can’t wait to see you for the March issue. Wondering what secret we’re going to reveal to you ?
A little hint if you’re impatient: it is the essential accessory to the uneven bars, the high bar and the rings. From design to sale, through production and user tests, we will reveal everything about this essential product of Artistic Gymnastics.
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Yul Moldauer, the conquering American
BODY AND SOUL
Simone Biles confronts the ‘twisties’
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Maëlys Lenclos’s continental gold
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
Linoy Ashram and the Olympic grail
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Photos of the moment MEDIA ZONE Olga and the cinema of gymnastics COMPETITION M&M's : from Morges to Marseille THE COACH’S WORD Cairo, nest of hopefuls TECHNIQUE Pike stretch ON THE TRAMPOLINE Sébastien Martiny, a decade of flying high CLUBS AND TRAINING CENTERS AEL Guéret CAST OFF The world of Juliette Mariage WARMUP
Laëtitia Bégué and the story of a Marinitch
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S TA R T VA L U E
Vrille, addicted to gymnastics ! n a memorable 1961 essay entitled “The Triumph of the Image,” Daniel Boorstin denounced the ravages caused by the superficiality of photos. Fifty years before the selfie became standard, the famous American historian, in a chapter dedicated to tourists who travel around the globe obsessed with photographing famous sites with the sole aim of parading them before their friends, described in visionary fashion, the advent of the narcissistic and ephemeral self-portrait in vogue today.
This is the raison d’être of Vrille, the new gymnastics magazine dedicated to exploring the many universes of gymnastics, and to paying each a permanent and lasting tribute. Here the spotlight is cast on artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, tumbling, acrobatic, and aero-bic, on Olympic champions, World and European champions, with competition reports, profiles, and exclusive interviews, accompanied by wisdom from coaches, judges, former elite athletes, and posters of the sport’s brightest stars. We plunge into the world of the clubs and training centers around the globe, offering a look into the sport and its artists. In English as in French, Vrille is henceforth a must-read for aesthetes in general — but for gymnastics aficionados in particular.
In this age of the image, which spread through the 20th century and has filled up the me-dia landscape via the internet in the 21st, gymnastics can only shine. This spectacular sport, often aesthetic, always artistic, is at its most brilliant when part of an object, whether poster, newspaper, book, or magazine. In gymnastics, the “wow” effect is eternal, whether it resides in the beauty of a pose or the adrenaline of acrobatics. It obviously deserves to be explored further, in order to do justice to the immense effort put out day after day by the gymnasts who produce such art.
David Lortholary Editor-in-chief @lortho
IN THIS ISSUE…
KSENIYA MOUSTAFAEVA
CHRISTINE VOYEUX
JESSICA PREVALET
FABIEN MARTIN
Born in Minsk in 1995, “Ksucha” is coming off a rich rhythmic gymnastics career that unfolded with her sporting the colors of France. 10th at the 2016 Olympic Games, over the past decade she has also amassed five French all-around titles and participated at nu-merous European and World Championships. Her trajectory since has married coaching with journalism.
Christine Voyeux is the former national coach of the French trampoline team. She has taught trampoline for 34 years. Coming from an unusual background — neither elite trampolinist nor sports professor — she was lucky to cross paths with the late, great Georges Rivoal, who trained her and gave her a chance as a coach.
A former rhythmic gymnast with a masters degree in sports training, Jessica is a coach and performer in the domain of relaxation. She employs knowledge acquired through her experiences in rhythmic gymnastics, dance, contortionism and aerial circus arts to teach original and effective relaxation techniques, where benevolence and positivity are the keywords.
Head coach of the Swiss women’s artistic gymnastics team at the Macolin National Center from 2017 to 2021 after officiating as national coach since 2005, most notably with Zoltan Jordanov, the 46-year-old Frenchman is the artisan of the World and continental success enjoyed by Giulia Steingruber, whom he accompanied at the highest level.
Cover : Laëtitia Bégué - photo Angélique Cacioppi
Vrille - MODERN GYMNASTICS ©All rights of reproduction (articles and photos), even partial, are strictly reserved, except with prior agreement from the editorial staff. EDITOR VRILLE 2 rue Pierre-Édouard - 78220 Viroflay, France
Vrille-magazine.com contact@Vrille-magazine.com Publication and media director : David Lortholary Artistic director : Ludovic Bondu Editor-in-chief : David Lortholary Photo editor : Thomas Schreyer Editorial consultants : Thierry Bretagne, Thierry Large Copy editor : Pascal Angenault
Contributors : Kseniya Moustafaeva, Chloé Sivadier (GR), Fabien Martin (GAF), Thomas Bouhail (GAM), Christine Voyeux (trampo), Jessica Prévalet (coaching) Illustrator : Juliette Mariage English language translator : Blythe Lawrence Russian language translator : Miroslava Shcherbak Printing : Teebird – 156 chaussée Pierre-Curie 59200 Tourcoing, France – 00 33 3 20 94 40 62
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GRAVITATIONAL ACCELERATION ZURICH, SUNDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2021
Photo Thomas Schreyer “Why does this apple always fall perpendicular to the ground? Why does it not fall sideways or upwards, but constantly toward the center of the Earth?” wondered Isaac Newton on 15 April 1726. Whether they mean to or not, in their permanent quest for invention, gymnasts sometimes unearth the foundations of a new figure. Switzerland’s Stefanie Siegenthaler seems here, in a relaxed manner, to defy gravity as she tames the beam in an unprecedented way. At least, that’s the magic of the photo; an instant later, everything once again becomes “normal”...
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AT FIRST GLANCE
ZURICH, SUNDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2021
Photo Thomas Schreyer A product of the U.S. junior program, Olivia Greaves has retained the solid fundamentals of her early training, in addition to a virtuosity acquired from, among others, her French coach Laurent Landi. Along with excellent basics, demonstrated here to perfection, she shows the importance of spotting and all that can be captured with a look. The young New Yorker, who acceded to the senior ranks in 2020, eyes a bar that so often slips away due to matters of centimeters or an imperfectly positioned handgrip. In Switzerland last autumn, this apparatus played a nasty trick on her (for more on that, see in this issue), reminding everyone that it can, in one movement, show itself most ungrateful for the attention it receives…
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360 DEGREE INTERVIEW
“I want to stand out” Vrille Magazine
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By David Lortholary, in Zurich Photos Thomas Schreyer
WHILE SIMONE BILES PERSONIFIES AMERICAN — AND WORLD — GYMNASTICS, HER MALE COMPATRIOTS ARE ALSO EVOLVING, AND PRESENT A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE LEVEL. TAKE YUL MOLDAUER, ONE OF THE MAIN PROTAGONISTS FOR THE U.S. TEAM AT THE 2021 OLYMPICS : AT 25, HE IS, IN HIS DYNAMIC AND REFRESHING WAY, PUSHING TOWARD THE TOP.
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360 DEGREE INTERVIEW
Yul, how would you sum up this year of gymnastics, and of your life ? It was fantastic. I got to go to the Olympics, and I got to go to Worlds, and then recently I was supposed to do the Swiss Cup. So for me, the gymnastics was definitely all there, but it was also really motivating, going into the Olympics, seeing what that experience is like, it just makes you hungrier to go to the next one where there is a crowd, where there are a lot of people watching. And then going to Worlds and getting into the finals that I got into and seeing where my gymnastics was at was really motivating (for me) to just keep pushing and keep fighting. How did you get through the 2019-2021 pandemic period ? How tough was it for you ? It was really tough. You know, I got kicked out of the college I was training at because of the covid protocols, so I had to scatter to find a new gym, and so I decided to move back to 5280, my club gym that I used to train at, and then ever since then it was just routines, it was skill building, so there was a lot of stuff that was going on. You know, some meets you’d go to there’d be no one there, some meets you’d go to you’d have you know, 15-20 different kinds of protocols. You know, some meets you went to you couldn’t leave your hotel room, so it was definitely mentally challenging more than physical just because you never knew what you were going to have to do, what the next steps were. It was just ‘hey, we have these things in place that you might have
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“Going into the Olympics, seeing what that experience is like, it just makes you hungrier to go to the next one where there is a crowd, where there are a lot of people watching” Vrille Magazine
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to do if someone gets covid,’ and so it was just more just understanding that you were in a situation where anything could just be flipped right over and something unexpected could happen.
Would you say there is a common style, or at least a common signature, that we see from American gymnasts ? I think about U.S. gymnastics as a whole, the girls’ side are just very stacked in difficulty, I think. They always have some of the best vaults, some of the hardest tumbling passes. Individually you never know what a gymnast will pop off on every event. We had Suni Lee who was amazing on bars, we had Simone Biles who could do every event. We had Morgan Hurd who was just so consistent on all of her events that she competed very well in the all-around. So for the U.S. we don’t have a particular style, I think it’s just we really emphasize on what that individual can do or compete well. They make sure that those are their best events, they have high difficulty, good execution, when you put yourself in competition with the rest of the world.
So the toughest part is mental, yeah ? Yeah. A word about Simone Biles : what influence her experience at the Olympics had on you and your teammates ? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the one word I use to describe Simone is the GOAT, just because of her success, but you know, at the Olympic Games when that situation happened, you just have to stand back and almost be understanding. I always tell everyone we don’t fully understand what she’s going through even though we might be gymnasts, there’s never true understanding when you go out and compete a triple double and you get the twisties, that can be scary, and so we all just had to be there and support her, because look at her : she’s done so much compared to what happened at the Olympics. So you just have to be grateful. Yeah there’s some things that you have to understand that you might not truly understand, but that’s just life in general. There are situations you won’t understand until you’re truly that person, so for me it was just be there, be supportive, and just show her that we’re a special country.
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It’s kind of the same for the men too, right ? Yeah, it’s the same for the men too. You never know who’s going to be good on what event until you actually go out and see, and then when they go out and do it and you’re like, oh, he’s really good on this event and this event and this event, and just keep working on those specific events. The all-around spot is something we all dream of, and so we all work hard on every event and it’s hard when you can only have two all-arounders go out when you have a whole national team of 18 people, so you have to be pretty blessed and honored to go out there and get to be picked.
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“The one word I use to describe Simone is the GOAT, just because of her success, but you know, at the Olympic Games when that situation happened, you just have to stand back and almost be understanding”
just teaches you to push through things you didn’t think you could push through, and it honestly just mentally makes you stronger, coming into gym tired and sore and having to do routines or you know, these past few months, going to the Olympics, going to Worlds, going to Switzerland, that can be hard mentally. But the bigger goal for me is I want to win some World medals, I want to get an Olympic medal. So those are my individual goals, but also I want to show that gymnastics is a really cool sport. In the U.S. it’s not that big of a sport, and when I go to Europe, when I go to Asia, you can see from the audience that they love gymnastics, and every time I go and compete internationally, I want that same feel when I come back home. So my goal is to make gymnastics a popular sport in the U.S.
How would you describe your gymnastics ? Is there a “Yul style”? To what extent has your gymnastics evolved in the last few years ? Oh man, it’s hard talking about yourself, but my gymnastics I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in without my coaches Vladimir and Mark, Sasha, Irina, you know, all of them. I feel like they’re all collectively done something for my gymnastics. Vladimir, Sasha and Irina have definitely brought the style to my gymnastics, and finding unique skills that people don’t do around the world. And then going to Oklahoma and competing in college every single weekend four years in a row, you learn how to compete consistently. But for me, you know, my goal is always to try and look different than every other gymnast. When you look at Kohei, or when you look at Alexander Artemev on the pommel horse, that was the gymnastics that I always wanted to try and be where someone was perfect compared to everyone else. So every day I tried to work on the details, whether that’s a little toe here or a knee bend here. So my gymnastics over the years, I think I’ve just embraced that I need to stay clean, no matter how hard the routine gets is the way I go out and compete is that I want to look very clean and different than any other gymnast.
Tell me a word about your relationship with the apparatus. What’s your favorite one and why ? Does it change all the time ? You know, I get asked that a lot, and I honestly don’t have a favorite because every event brings something else. When you compete floor, it’s a way different feeling than training floor, because you have that adrenaline, you don’t get tired on your last pass. Horse it’s almost like a mental game, it’s like who can mentally be the strongest on this event. Rings is just fun because you feel so much stronger. Vault, honestly you just run as fast as you can and punch and be tight and hopefully you land well, and p-bars is one event where it’s one of my favorites because it’s like who can throw down the biggest routine and look good doing it, because p-bars you hit almost every position from swinging to strength to handstands to all that and then high bar is just fun because you get to throw releases, but I think I might be most nervous to compete pommel horse, and high bar is second. It’s a mental game too. So honestly, every event just brings something else unique to the mind and to the body, and you just have to accept it. Competing for me is just so enjoyable because a lot of people don’t get to see all the work in the gym, all the hours spent, what you’re pushing through injury-wise and all the soreness. When I go out and compete I make it almost like a show because this is your time to show everyone what you’ve been doing for so long.
What is motivating you most ? Is it simply competition, or is it something more specific ? I have multiple goals. For the daily one, I just think it brings a big discipline and work ethic and it kind of just teaches you how to be under a schedule and it kind of Vrille Magazine
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360 DEGREE INTERVIEW
It brings a lot. Just their work ethic, their culture, and it also brings a lot of respect too, when you get a coach from a different country and you just think about the position and you have to think, man, they must be a really good coach if they’re getting a guy from a different country to come over here, so when you get a coach that’s from a different country, of course the style is going to be different from what you’re used to, and I think that’s bringing something interesting each day. You’re not just living an American life and then going and getting coached by an American; you’re living an American life and then you go to the gym and you can feel the culture’s different just because of that coach.
Looking back, when do you feel you’ve made the most progress in your career ? I think honestly either in 2016 to 2017 or 2017 to 2018, and maybe there was a couple of years in college, but honestly this past year. I feel like I’ve definitely started to mature and started to realize what I need to do to be competitive. We should discuss the relationship between the gymnast and his or her coaches. How special is the relationship between a gymnast and a coach ? My coaches, they’re just like parents to me. Without them I don’t think a gymnast would be who they come to be. The relationship between a gymnast and a coach is incredible because you see them more than your parents at times. They have a big impact on your life. They do the extra for you. If you think about being a coach, it’s almost more stressful watching your gymnasts go than being in control, so you have to give the coaches a lot of credit because if you’re stressed they’re probably twice as stressed. If you’re tired, they’re probably just as tired. So it’s very special to have a relationship with a coach, because they do more than just coach you; they also coach you in life stuff too.
In your opinion, what’s the difference between a very good gymnast and a great one, between someone who is qualifying for finals and someone who is winning them in dominant fashion ? I think if you’re a gymnast that’s in the mix of podiums and getting into finals, I think you’re almost there, but it just takes a little more time, and you can’t let that deceive you, you just have to use it to motivate you, like ‘oh, I’m getting really close, all I need to do is maybe add in another skill here and clean this up.’ But it’s kind of hard to talk about a gymnast who is in the finals and a gymnast who wins all the time because anything can happen in gymnastics. You’re the best or you’re just right there, so I think it just
A word about gymnastics worldwide : there’s a blending of different cultures and countries. We see Russian coaches in Brazil, Romanians in France... What does that bring to the sport ?
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“When you look at Kohei (Uchimura), or when you look at Alexander Artemev on the pommel horse, that was the gymnastics that I always wanted to try and be where someone was perfect compared to everyone else” comes to preparation and being patient, because your time will come. If you work hard every single day, at one point you’re going to be there. I actually watched this Michael Jordan documentary, and he said the amount of times that he went to the playoffs and was just right there before a championship, he didn’t let that bring him down and like, ‘ugh, I can’t do anything else.’ He just said, ‘I’m going to keep working hard,’ and through the years of getting closer and closer and closer, one day you’re going to be there. So I think it just takes time and patience, but also using it to motivate you and get you there.
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What can you tell us about other points of interest in your life ? I’m a big sports fan. From hockey to basketball, baseball, football, all the college sports, track and field, I’m a person that loves watching sports. When I watch people compete, I try to think about what they’re thinking and I use it to motivate myself to try to bring it to gymnastics, because gymnastics at one point is one of the biggest mental sport games in the country. You have to understand that with gymnastics, at some point it all levels out skill-wise. You’ll have 6.2s, 6.3s, maybe differing by a few tenths, but they’re all in the 16.0 kind of range. And now it gets to the point where you have to be able to tell yourself up here what do I need to do to go out and hit this set, and I think that’s the biggest thing about gymnastics is it’s a huge mental game, and it teaches you so many different things of hitting under pressure and going out there as a team and making sure you hit three for three. I think it’s all just a fun mind game.
You’ve spoken about your goals at the Olympics and World Championships. What else do you dream of achieving in sport... and in life ? In life, I just want to be able to put food on the plate for my family, be successful and have a house, and live a happy life. But the ultimate goal right now, because this chapter in my life right now is gymnastics, is to be one of the best U.S. gymnasts that has ever walked through this nation. I want to be able to be someone who says I have multiple medals, not just one, and that I have a team medal in the Olympic Games. My ultimate goal is getting a team medal. I think when you earn a medal as a team and you look to your left and right and you can see the guys that you just went and competed with, that brings more of a special feeling than just standing on the podium by yourself.
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olga gymnastics, and the world By David Lortholary Photos : All rights reserved
FILMS DEDICATED TO GYMNASTICS AND ITS ENVIRONMENT ALWAYS LAND WELL, AS DEMONSTRATED BY “OVER THE LIMIT,” MARTA PRUS’S 2018 DOCUMENTARY THAT CHRONICLED RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS OLYMPIC CHAMPION MARGARITA MAMUN. “OLGA,” RELEASED IN CINEMAS IN NOVEMBER 2021 AND FEATURING A HEROINE SWINGING BETWEEN UKRAINE AND SWITZERLAND, DOES NOT DEVIATE FROM THE RULE. VRILLE SAT DOWN WITH DIRECTOR ELIE GRAPPE. Olga is a teenager in exile. She is an elite athlete, but her practices are troubled by the revolution that hits her native country. How can she reconcile the inner turbulence pro-voked from being far away ?” Such is the problem at the heart of this Elie Grappe film released at the end of 2021. Set in 2013, a 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast is torn between Switzerland, where she is training for the European Championships and the Olympics, and Kiev, where her journalist mother covers the events of the Ukrainian revolution. Developed between Kiev, the Swiss Olympic Centre and Paris, the film was co-authored with Raphaëlle Desplechin, and produced by Point Prod and Cinema Defacto in cooperation with the RTS and Canal+. It was screened at the Angers European First Film Festival, where it obtained the Visio Foundation Prize. The project was then presented in 2020 as part of the Films After Tomorrow initiative, which highlighted productions interrupted by the pandemic. Shooting wrapped in autumn 2020. In 2021, Olga was one of the selections at the 60th International Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival. Vrille Magazine
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Doing a film about exile, with a heroine who doesn’t feel at home and is torn between different loyalties and confronted with a geopolitical situation that is beyond her. How will she reconcile her perso-nal desires with the course of history ?
Elie, before we talk about the construction and the film’s raison d’être, are you aware of the war opposing Russia and Ukraine in the eastern Ukrainian territory ? Yes, of course. Since the revolution (2014), one realizes how much this news from eas-tern Europe concerns us. We talk about it every week. Before that, we spoke very little about Ukraine. I was interested in that. And I follow the events closely.
You have known music, you have filmed dance. Have you found things in common with gymnastics ? I had everything to learn, but gymnastics, like music or dance, shows the effort that very young people can demand from themselves in the name of their passion. It was within the continuity of my work. It’s a sport that is at the same time individual and collective, which resonates with Olga’s dilemma. Full of sound and in perpetual movement, gymnastics is a very “cinema-genic” discipline. What interested me in this codified sport was also filming the gaps: the deep breath before a skill, the looks, the hesitations and the errors. In these moments we become aware of the vulnerability of gymnasts, that is to say, of their humanity. And we become aware of the risks they take. I’m filming a discipline in which words are not at the center. Deposited in the country of a father she hardly knows, Olga’s French is poor. Though she is talkative on Skype with her mother or her friend Sasha, she has difficulties with the Swiss. Olga is an adolescent: it’s the age where one’s identity is still hazy and the body is changing. And at the same time, it is often the peak of a gymnast’s career.
Mixing these different themes — gymnastics, Eastern and Western Europe, geopolitics — does this reflect your own history ? At the end of 2015, after a short film on ballet, I co-produced a documentary about an orchestra, in a universe of conservatories that I know well. I filmed a Ukrainian violinist who had arrived in Switzerland just before the events in Ukraine. The way that she talked about the revolution, and the way the images of it affected her moved me deeply. I had a glimpse of a people who were deeply committed to their cause, all while being young. And there I found the junction between the different motifs that interested me, for the subject of my first feature-length film : filming the passion of an adolescent, the body in motion, and individual and collective stakes set face-to-face. [I wanted to] explore the possible link between geographic borders and internal borders. Vrille Magazine
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furthest away from what is happening in her homeland. The Swiss confederation, in the center of Europe without actually being part of it, offers a neutrality and a distance that Olga herself can never have. Macolin, the Swiss Olympic training center, is situated in the heights of Bienne. It’s a small mountainous plateau, very closed off but open to the sky, where winter is as beautiful as it is anxiety-inducing. It is this hushed, protected environment that is mixed with Euromaidan’s images throughout the film.
You also had to master the geopolitical dimension… I had to surround myself with Ukrainians who had been very close to the unfolding events, who served as consultants from the time we began writing the script. Euromaidan is for me a particularly interesting revolution : the protestors were of all political stripes and all social classes. Yet even among such a fractured society, there was an incredible sense of solidarity. To represent it, I used only videos taken by the demonstrators themselves, with their phones, at the heart of the event. I was gripped by the intensity, the presence of bodies in these images, which reflected a collective urgency to be seen.
…is nonetheless a strong film about gymnastics itself ! Olga has nothing but her passion for gymnastics to hold onto. She is in a trial period for the Swiss team, and if she wants to integrate, she must adopt the nationality. In Ukraine, you lose your passport if you take another one elsewhere. But does Olga want to choose? Anastasia Budiashkina, who plays Olga, is the key to the emotion of the film. For her, as for all the gymnast roles, I did not want to work with professional actresses. We sought to capture the truth of those in the roles; therefore I chose young elite athletes, used to the risks of training, and used to life inside a performance center. The gymnasts who played the roles of Olga and Sasha are part of the reserve national team in Ukraine. The coaches and several of the athletes — notably Steffi and Zoé — are members of the Swiss national team.
Olga too… From Switzerland where she trains, she is effectively overwhelmed by the images of her city, which she no longer recognizes. This young woman who wants to be a super powerful athlete finds herself totally powerless when confronted with events that disturb her mother’s and relatives’ lives. When these videos seep into her daily life as a gymnast, Olga finds herself in a floating world, between two places, always tense. It’s this conflict that the film looks at, including through the sounds, because the sounds of the revolution begin to resemble the sounds one hears in a gym. Switzerland is the place where Olga is at the same time safest and the
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MEDIA ZONE
I could talk to them all while writing. Their testimonies helped me to enrich and refine the scenario, even if their characters were fictional. What interested me with these young athletes was the distance between their ideal of perfection and what they were outside of practice : adolescents steeped with emotions, with their contradictory strengths, fears, and desires. They trusted me and confronted the long shoot with incredible courage. On set, I asked the actors to enter the situations in their own words, emotions, and reactions. My work consisted of proposing the space in which they were free to surprise me, to bring to the characters colors more vivid and more ambiguous than I had imagined. Filming high level athletes necessitates a particular plan that respects their considerable physical efforts. For the gymnastics scenes, the shoot adapted itself to the rhythm of training sessions. The body in particular must stay warm. The fiction thus inserted itself into quasi-documentary situations at a very intense rhythm during the shoot.
Cast of characters Anastasia Budiashkina Olga Sabrina Rubtsova Sasha Caterina Barloggio Steffi Thea Brogli Zoé Tanya Mikhina Ilona Jérôme Martin Adrien Alicia Onomor Juliette Lou Steffen Andrea Alexandr Mavrits Vassily
Production team Director Producers Screenwriters Photography Editing Sound Design Original music
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Elie Grappe Tom Dercourt, Jean Marc Fröhle Elie Grappe, Raphaëlle Desplechin Lucie Baudinaud Suzana Pedro Jürg Lempen, François Musy, Simon Apostolou Ivan Niclass, Pascal Baillods Pierre Desprats
Angelina Melnikova Vrille Magazine
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COMPETITION
38th MÉMORIAL GANDER (MAG-WAG) - MORGES (SUI) - 3 NOVEMBER 2021
38th SWISS CUP
(MAG-WAG) - ZURICH (SUI) - 7 NOVEMBER 2021
31st ELITE GYM MASSILIA
(WAG) - MARSEILLE (FRA) - 19-21 NOVEMBER 2021
The lights of autumn STALLED BY THE PANDEMIC WELL INTO 2021, THE GYMNASTICS CALENDAR RESUMED THIS AUTUMN WITH THE TRADITIONAL END-OF-THE-YEAR TOURNAMENTS. A SEASON OF CONFIRMATIONS FOR SOME, IT PROVED A MOMENT OF DISCOVERY FOR OTHERS, WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST GYMNASTS TAKING THE FLOOR. By David Lortholary, in Zurich and Marseille Photos by Thomas Schreyer and all rights reserved
Mémorial Gander and Swiss Cup
“A super week” Rodolphe Bouché and Vincent Pateau, coaches of Léo Saladino and Taïs Boura, respectively, accompanied their gymnasts on the Swiss “tour” and testified about their helvetic experience. Rodolphe, Vincent, why select Taïs Boura et Léo Saladino for this assignment ? R.B. : The decision was made in August with the National Technical Director. Léo returned from the European Championships as the gymnast in the best shape at the moment. He is strong on at least four apparatus, and therefore had the correct qualifications for these competitions. V.P. : After the Worlds test, where Taïs finished first but not with an enormous total, we realized with the Elite Level Director that she lacked competition experience and that she needed it for stability. It made sense for her to do these competitions. Véro (Legras) gave her a chance. It was super. She presents interesting content that she really has to succeed at from now on. She was second at the Gander, which is very good.
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What was the ambiance like? R.B. : It wasn’t at all laid back! Vincent and I had a real strategy. In Zurich, the objective was to get into the final group. We chose the apparatus and order in which we would compete based on what we saw of our adversaries at the Gander [the Wednesday before]. It could have functioned well, but Léo made an error on parallel bars and Taïs had one on beam. Otherwise we would have been second. The Swiss Cup is not a show; it’s a true competition, and we had a very precise goal there. When we come to gain experience for our gymnasts, we expect things from a technical point of view, and certain reactions. Not necessarily success right away, but some of the ingredients of it. And we saw some very interesting things, in a context where there was pressure. 21
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V.P. : It was not at all relaxed; it was even super stressful ! On the podium, you are all alone, the lights on the apparatus… it’s hard to handle. Taïs met expectations and did well. There are still things to take care of, we know, but it’s a nice door that is opening for her — psychologically, for her performances, for her assurance. Such a week is physically draining. The gymnasts trained twice a day almost every day, in completely different environments, with schedules surrounding mealtimes, when they get up, when they go to bed, and competition times that changed… it was very difficult ! We can be super proud of what these two young gymnasts did.
accountability where there is a precise goal, it’s really interesting. The Top 12 functions a bit like this as well. One must remain focused on what one has to do no matter what else is happening. One cannot get excited or tell oneself that one is going to succeed. I am sure that when Léo and Taïs go to their next team competition, they will not be the same. Is there an anecdote of the week that we can’t tell ? R.B. : We spent several evenings with Laurent Landi (Simone Biles’s coach), who was there with Olivia Greaves. We drank strawberry syrup. V.P. : And sparkling water. R.B. : And discussed gymnastics. He gave us his point of view on our system. We had not seen each other in a long time. V.P. : I had a great week. Rodolphe expressed my feelings very well. The little evening debriefings were rich. It was a training week “plus plus” ! R.B. : And I think that the gymnasts appreciated our relationship. And that they had a great week too.
What did you think of the competition formats ? V.P. : For Taïs, we wanted international totals, which at the time we did not have. Having them opens up different reflections, interesting for the gymnasts. And the competition dynamic is terrific. There are things to take away…and to copy for a tournament not far from where I coach ! (bursts out laughing) R.B. : The pairs aspect engenders an interdependence. As part of team preparation and athlete
Taïs Boura and Léo Saladino
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COMPETITION
“A big honor” With his teammate Olivia Greaves, Yul Moldauer represented the United States on the “Swiss tour.” He tells us all about it. Yul, what did you especially appreciate here ? It was simply exciting ! The formats were different, with a big strategic dimension. It was really cool. It’s different from the six apparatus system. You have to repeat performances at precise times, be in sync with your teammate…I loved these formats, which are easier on the body. You still have to make your routine in these face-to-face matchups. Here in Switzerland, the energy from the crowd was awesome. After the Olympics and the World Championships, it was really a pleasure to come to these competitions, which are more oriented toward being shows. Had you heard about these Swiss tournaments before ? Allan Bower came in 2019, and he’s my teammate, so yes, I knew about them. I wanted to come, and was the first to show up. After the World Championships, I was in shape, and it was the perfect time to come. Also, my coach’s daughter lives here, and we were able to visit her. This trip offered me a mental break too.
Yul Moldauer
Did you like the strategic aspect ? Oh yes! As a gymnast, you know which apparatus you want to show, and on which you can theoretically have the best score. My coach agreed with everything I suggested. It was really nice.
THE EYE OF FABIEN MARTIN
“One of the most beautiful competitions in the world”
The Gander is a memorial honoring the old FIG President and is alternately held in the French and Italian parts of Switzerland, with a substantially identical organizing committee. It is coupled with the Swiss Cup, which allows athletes to participate in two competitions. The Gander is more individual, with prizes per apparatus, for men and for women. The Swiss Cup has a different format, and is on a different level in terms of organization, budget, bonuses for athletes, and ambiance. The Swiss Cup at the Hallenstadion is one of the most beautiful competitions in the world. Having done many of them, I can say that it is truly extraordinary. With the man-woman teams, the format brings people together. Even if it changes regularly, the general formula stays the same. And it is rare: Besançon tried it around 2008 in the junior category, as did Lugano at about the same time. But to bring in a crowd, you need a certain level of gymnastics. Certainly when one has Melnikova come, the headlines are imme’diately different and that helps fill the arena [laughing]. It’s broadcast on television, everyone watches, and it is very popular in Switzerland. Young gymnasts from local clubs come to watch with incredible enthusiasm.
What do you like here in Europe ? I love Europe. I tell everyone that if it’s possible, in the future, I would like to live here a bit ! For the European supporters who write to me and who show me so much affection, showing what I can do, that’s a dream come true. A big honor. For me, this is very special. A word about the unfortunate Olivia Greaves, who was injured warming up on the uneven bars… I hope only that she’s okay and that she gets better. After her injury, I did my routine for her too. I wasn’t going to give up, knowing that people had come to see me compete. I even asked to do an additional routine, but it wasn’t possible with the timing of the competition.
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COMPETITION
Élite Gym Massilia
Know-how “Made in France” Now in its third decade, the traditional Marseillaise tournament at the end of November affords French gymnasts an occasion to shine at home — and to measure themselves, as always, against the stars on the international circuit. Here’s a look back in photos.
Ambre Frotté, one of the great hopes of the French women
Asia d’Amato, grande dame of the Marseille weekend, winner of the all-around competition
Lucie Henna, representative of INSEP and team France
Léa Franceries, darling of the French public
Silane Mielle, an incarnation of elegance from the Saint-Etienne regional training center.
Taïs Boura, the latest standout from the Marseille training center
Results : memorialgander.ch, swiss-cup.ch, elite-gym-mass.com Vrille Magazine
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Modern Gymnastics
T H E C OAC H ’S WO R D
Demay Eric
Cairo, nest of hopes
By David Lortholary Photos by Thomas Schreyer and the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation
INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED AS COACHES, THE FRENCH TECHNICIAN AND HIS WIFE CÉCILE HAVE RISEN TO THE CHALLENGE LEVIED BY THE EGYPTIAN FEDERATION IN VIEW OF UPCOMING EDITIONS OF OLYMPIC GAMES. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE, HE EXPOUNDS ON HIS GOALS AND METHODS.
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T H E C OAC H ’S WO R D
“The President wants the best level possible for this deadline, so that should Egypt present a team, it would be very good. Egypt is today 22nd or 23rd in the world, and if the team goes to the Games in three years, we will have hit the jackpot !” Éric, how did this new Egyptian adventure begin ? At the end of August I received a message from my longtime friend Donatella Sacchi, the President of the FIG Women’s Technical Committee. “Hello Éric and Cécile, would it interest you to help Egypt ?” she wanted to know. For me the situation was complicated by the fact that we were deeply involved with other projects, notably with the committee in Isère, whose new President is a coach I worked with when we were younger. I was not really at ease with the idea of telling them that we wouldn’t be working together because I was going abroad. All the same, I responded to Donatella and said “Why not!” and she instantly put me in touch with the technical manager of the Egyptian Federation. We had a video meeting the next day and she explained that our qualifications had immediately interested her. Cécile and I came to a quick agreement and got back in touch with the manager. During the first meeting, she explained that she wanted to recruit us to run camps, train coaches, and spread our technical knowledge. Presented that way, it would allow us to leave from time to time to continue the project in Isère.
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At this time, there was not yet the question of taking charge of the national team… Exactly. After a half hour’s discussion, she invited me to call her back the same evening, after she had seen the President. “We can offer you a three year contract with two full-time posts in Cairo,” she told me. “We will confide you with the senior national team and preparing the junior national team as well as managing the coaching staff (composed of six people).” In the wake of that, she made us a financial proposition that, like those that can happen in Switzerland, simply could not be refused. And she wanted a response the next morning, or she would turn to somebody else. She put a lot of pressure on us! So there was time to call Isère… Effectively, I called them amidst the excitement, and also let a few friends know about the project. Everyone told me I had to go, that preparing for the Paris Olympics was more prestigious than coaching in the départment. The committee’s project had been put in place with me, but it could continue without me and I could be kept up to date about what was happening there. The next morning, we 28
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T H E C OAC H ’S WO R D
“On the calendar there are also the African Championships each year. The new FIG rules require continental qualification in order to bring a team to the World Championships. But there is only one quota place for Africa…” called Egypt to say “all right, let’s go!” And on October 1, we began our mission.
and if the team goes to the Games in three years, we will have hit the jackpot ! I told him frankly that I did not think we would be able to do that. It was the response he expected and I think he appreciated our honesty. But this signifies that there is a good hope of having a team in 2028 and he is counting on us to make that happen. Whether he will offer that to us or whether he will find someone else for the job, at this point it’s all the same to me. If in 2024 things are going well and he proposes something to us, we will see if we want to stay. In any case, we’re working with the idea of getting them into the best possible shape for 2028.
How’s it going ? We began with 17 girls on the senior team. There are two male coaches in addition to me and three female coaches as well as Cécile. At the first technical meeting — during which the federation asked for an evaluation — I indicated that a senior team of 17 would not be worth much if some girls were scoring 42-43 points. So for me it was a question of removing five from the outset and then three to five more in the short term to make room for younger ones. The President of the federation even thought I was going to propose seven rather than five. We pretty much agreed on the shortened list. The federation wanted to keep a dozen or so seniors at the national training center and bring up six to eight juniors.
With who ? We asked that the seniors who were not at the national center gather together so we could meet them. We asked the federation to furnish us with names of gymnasts who seemed promising. They sent us four girls. Among them we found one who is exceptional, Jana Brahim, who had already been at the center and had been injured, and who, along with her family, had been in total disagreement with the former national
With Paris 2024 as the only thing in your line of sight ? The President wants the best level possible for this deadline, so that should Egypt present a team, it would be very good. Egypt is today 22nd or 23rd in the world,
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T H E C OAC H ’S WO R D
“Everything is done in English, so I am making enormous progress with Google Translate, even though some of the girls attend a French school. The French imprint is very strong in Egypt” coach, who had quit the center almost two years before. Her technique amazed us, even though she was training very little — a golden barworker like we rarely see. A very beautiful gymnast. Whether she will withstand high level training, I don’t know. But she has superb potential, and could be scoring 53-54 points by the end of the cycle. And a second gymnast, who had also been injured and quit the center and stopped for more than a year due to the pandemic, but who began training again when she learned that she had been summoned to the national center. For a girl who had stopped for such a long time, she was very impressive. Nour Amir is very ambitious and works hard. Jana Hany, very talented but very anxious, is rather difficult to coach. But these are the three who could reach a higher level. That said, surprises happen. Maybe that’s the reason I love this job !
wants a good junior team. But it’s going to be quick, because it’s in about a year and a half…in addition to that, the country is organizing a World Cup each year, a big national event. On the calendar there are also the African Championships each year. The new FIG rules require continental qualification in order to bring a team to the World Championships. But there is only one quota place for Africa… So, therefore, there will be competition from South Africa. Yes, and only from them. The number one goal is to have a team at the World Championships, then to have an excellent World Cup in Cairo. We will have big routines on floor, beam, and perhaps on bars — by that I mean the possibility of making a final. At the World Championships, we will be trying to take a step forward and be among the top 20 teams in the world. It may be a bit complicated, because I don’t have any data yet, but it’s possible.
Are you also free to visit the clubs ? The federation indeed asked me to to do so, to detect juniors and propose a collective of six to eight gymnasts of the target age: those born in 2007 who, if they are very talented, could be part of the World team in 2023, and then the 2008-2009-born gymnasts, because the 2023 Junior World Championships will be held in Cairo. It will be an extremely important showcase: Egypt Vrille Magazine
How are you acclimating on a human and social level ? Everything is in English, so I am making enormous progress with Google Translate (laughs), even though some of the girls attend a French school. The French imprint is very strong in Egypt. We have three or four 30
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girls who jabber in French the way I did in Spanish when I was in Mexico ! If they have a good level of English, it’s rather easy to communicate. The supervisors want to learn, are rather well trained, work hard, and are truly nice. Their approach is based on the Russian and Chinese models, with a heavy volume of work. The former national coach is still with us, moreover, and wants to continue progressing, even if it’s complicated for her.
Are the training conditions good ? The gym is air conditioned, so there’s no problem there. It’s a mixed use gym, in the form of a competition hall rather than a training gym like we have at home. There are two beams, one of which is against a wall, two sets of bars — one on a hard surface, the other over a pit — a floor with a tumbling strip and two vaulting tables — again, one on a hard surface, the other backing up to a pit. We share the vault and floor with two groups of six junior boys and a group of eight seniors. It’s a bit tense. Everything must be well planned. Everyone makes accommodations for each other, and it works well, even if long-term profitability is problematic. What’s new for me is managing the coaching staff. I’m doing less hands-on coaching than I was; I’m here to give overall technical guidance.
How are the training sessions organized ? We have modified the schedule a bit: 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. This allows the girls to take their time and eat dinner before going to bed. A meal in a basket in their rooms won’t work. That’s the first big change that we instituted. We’re emphasizing the amount of time spent on the apparatus as more important than ever before. They have the impression, spending 34-36 hours a week in the gym, of doing a lot of work, but we’re not in the gym just to be in the gym. Fridays being off in the summers, the young women return home to their families on Thursday afternoon and come back on Saturday. During the school year, they go to school on the weekends.
How would you summarize the immediate strategy ? We have identified a “big six” — young women who are technically malleable with great physical qualities, who are intelligent and rather hard workers. (We are instilling) rigor and autonomy, and empowering the athletes. The men’s coaches are inspired by it. At the African Championships in April, we’ll see what it brings.
“At the World Championships, we will be trying to take a step forward and be among the top 20 teams in the world. It may be difficult, because I don’t have the data yet, but it’s possible”
Cécile and Éric Demay Vrille Magazine
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TECHNIQUE
PIKE STRETCH : CLOSING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TRUNK AND LEGS Article and photos by Jessica Prevalet
A FLEXIBILITY ELEMENT DIRECTLY LINKED TO GYMNASTICS, THE WORK OF THE PIKE STRETCH CAN BE BENEFICIAL FOR INCREASING THE AMPLITUDE OF SKILLS THAT REQUIRE THE SAME POSITION. It is notably useful in artistic gymnastics with in-bar elements such as Endos and stalders, as well as dismounts, and is also often seen on parallel bars and floor exercise. It mainly works the hamstrings. Mastering this position may also be useful for improving splits, since it involves the same muscles.
Piriformis Erector spinae muscles Hamstrings JESS’S ADVICE A brief warmup containing ten minutes of exercises to elevate the heart rate and raise body temperature is recommended before beginning to work on this position. Afterward, you can go forth with this exercise, which targets the hamstrings. In flexibility work, breathing is a pri-mor-dial aspect, and one that is too often ignored. Deep breathing provokes a sense of relaxation, which stimulates muscle stretching.
Gastrocnemius muscle
DURATION : 10 minutes FREQUENCY : 2-5x per week MATERIALS : A block, elastic
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TECHNIQUE
SLIDES
Lying on your back, rest your weight on your heels. Raise your bottom, keeping your abs tight.
Keeping your pelvis lifted off the ground, slide your heels forward until your legs are straight. To make this easier, try placing a cushion under your feet.
Afterwards, return to the original position.
Do 3 series of 8.
THE DOWNWARD DOG
Stand with your feet together and flat on the ground, arms stretched in front of you. Concentrate on keeping your back straight : Open your chest a bit toward your legs.
Bend your knees without letting your heels rise off the ground.
Straighten your legs once again.
Rise high onto your toes, then repeat the exercise. Use your arm strength to make sure your chest is being pushed in the direction of your legs.
Repeat this exercise and do 2 series of 8. Make it easier by holding a block in your hands. Make it more challenging by standing on a block.
HOLD THE POSITION WITH ONE FOOT Put all of your body weight on one leg and push down toward the floor, then lift the other foot. Try to push your belly button to your thighs. Help yourself by holding a block if needed.
Keeping your leg as straight as possible, bend forward as much as you can and try to bring your navel and chest closer to your leg each time you exhale.
Maintain this position for 40 seconds on each foot. Add difficulty by holding a block and dropping the heel to the floor.
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TECHNIQUE
ROUND-HOLLOW BACK
Sitting on the floor with your legs straight in front of you, grasp the end of your feet (using an elastic if necessary).
Lean forward, rounding your back as much as possible.
Still leaning forward, arch your back as much as possible and push your belly button toward your thighs.
Slip the elastic under your arms and around the ends of your feet. Try to place the elastic at a level where you feel your back rounding, which will help you flatten it. To make this exercise more challenging, place one or more blocks under your feet.
Repeat this exercise with 2 series of 8 repetitions, then hold the closed position between 1 minute and 1:30 with an elastic behind your back. If you are unable to bend over your legs, try sitting on a block. This way your body weight will transfer forward.
CLOSING THE PIKE AGAINST THE WALL
To help you flatten your back, bend forward with your back to a wall, then let yourself and lean in with your body weight forward.
Try to bring your feet closer to the wall as you go.
It may also help to stand on a block.
Hold this position for 1 minute to 1:30. To finish, you can test the position by finding your level at the end of the tutorial. Good luck with your training ! And don’t forget, in order to progress effectively, stretching should be done regularly.
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TECHNIQUE
ADVICE To have a straight back in this posture, you must have the intention to keep your abs tight and push your belly button against your thighs, widening your ribs as much as possible and opening your chest out toward your legs.
Before bending forward, always try to flatten your back and lengthen your spine upward toward the sky.
Always remember to release tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders.
Be sure to keep your legs straight.
To help you release your head, look between your legs.
In this position, close your eyes, be aware of which muscles are contracted, and try to relax them a bit more each time you exhale. Try to make yourself heavier, projecting your weight toward the floor.
LEVELS
1
The simplest version of this position consists of elevating your heels by placing a block under them. This will transfer your bodyweight, making it easier to bend forward.
2
3
With feet flat, your hands are planted behind your feet — perhaps a long way behind, if you feel comfortable.
If your back is flat and your hands are flat on the floor, you can add height under your feet with blocks, books, or chairs.
For more tricks and tips about flexibility, follow Jessica on her Instagram page @jess_prvlt Vrille Magazine
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B O DY A N D S O U L
Simone
Biles TWISTS OF FATE By Blythe Lawrence, in Tokyo Photos Thomas Schreyer. All rights reserved
SIMONE BILES’S OLYMPICS MAY NOT HAVE TURNED OUT THE WAY SHE PLANNED, BUT THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF HER ACTIONS MAY BE HER MOST SIGNIFICANT LEGACY.
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B O DY A N D S O U L
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B O DY A N D S O U L
imone Biles has always been capable of a good bombshell, though before the Tokyo Olympics the U.S. superstar restricted her surprises to envelope-pushing new skills, rolled out on a seemingly annual basis. Then, on the evening of July 27, Biles executed her most shocking move yet, withdrawing from the Olympic team final after balking on her normally rock-steady Amanar vault. Biles’s early exit from the competition sent shockwaves through the Olympic universe. The diminutive Texan had been heralded as the star of the Games, and pundits predicted she could become the first woman in history to win five gold medals. In the days to come, Biles withdrew from more finals - the individual all-around final, to which she had qualified in first place, and the apparatus finals on vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise. She was not physically injured, she said, spurring confusion. Why would someone at the apex of her career choose to walk away ?
a process that can take months. Tokyo was not Biles’s first bout with the twisties, but it was the first time a high-level gymnast had waged such a public battle with them.
Beaten at Trials Underpinning Biles’s stress was the pressure of living up to her “Greatest Of All Time” status, which manifested itself in small ways before the Olympics began, including in a less-than-stellar performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where Biles was beaten on the second day by future Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee, ending an undefeated streak in the all-around that
The reason was the “twisties”, a nefarious mental block that causes gymnasts to lose their orientation in the air when they twist. The sensation, which caused her vault in team finals to go awry, was so strong that she could not tell up from down, Biles explained. Often brought on by stress, the twisties can be demoralizing, and gymnasts who attempt to push through their routines risk severe injury. Curing the twisties means rebuilding confidence through basic drills,
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extended back to 2013. With the stands inside the Ariake Gymnastics Centre mostly empty and her family not there to support her, Biles made several uncharacteristic mistakes in the team and individual qualification on 25 July. In the gym the morning after, she found that her body seemed to have forgotten the moves she had spent 15 years perfecting. By the time the team final began, Biles was not the gymnast she had been. Discontinuing her competition, she insisted, was the best thing she could have done, for herself and for her teammates. Without Biles, the U.S. women won silver, finishing behind Russia. The circumstances left room for debate : had Biles’ absence caused the team to lose the gold, or did her early exit pave the way for them to gain the silver? In the days following the competition, Biles was lauded as a mental health champion and praised for her decision to protect her well-being. Yet some questioned her commitment to her team, particularly after Biles commented that she was “not having as much fun” in Tokyo compared to other competitions, and that she felt sad because “this Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself, but I came in and I felt like I was still doing it for other people.”
More dangerous than a “wobble” “You’re not just at these Games for yourself, Simone”, British journalist Piers Morgan chided her. “It’s not worth it to push yourself through a wobble to win gold for your younger teammates who’ve never tasted such Olympic glory ?” Gymnasts, however, understood perfectly what Biles was going through. The twisties, they said, were far more dangerous than a “wobble”. “When you’re twisting in a somersault, sometimes your brain just malfunctions and you get lost in the air. You literally don’t know where you are, how many twists you’ve done, how many you still have to do”, Olympian Rhys McClenaghan wrote. “That is such a scary feeling. With the twisties comes a huge amount of anxiety.” “It’s really dangerous if you doubt yourself a little bit, or you find it really hard, you can really really hurt yourself”, said 2016 Olympian Claudia Fragapane. “I’ve been in her shoes and I ended up hurting myself.” Jacoby Miles, a former gymnast who was paralyzed after getting lost in the air while doing an uneven bars dismount in 2012, watched the
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“Tokyo was not Biles’s first bout with the twisties, but it was the first time a high-level gymnast had waged such a public battle with them” competition and she felt immense relief when Biles made the call to stop. “It only took one time of getting lost... in the air for me to break my neck and leave me paralysed, most likely for life”, Miles said. “I’m so, so glad she decided to not continue.” What Biles did, Miles and others contend, is set a precedent for younger people that it is okay for an athlete to prioritize her health and say enough is enough if she feels she has reached the end of her tether, even at the Olympics. The fact that Biles felt empowered enough to walk away rather than cave to others’ expectations, former gymnasts say, shows a new level of empathy and understanding is filtering through the sport. On the final day of artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo Games, Biles competed in the balance beam final. She modified her dismount so she did not have to twist, and won the bronze medal. “It means more than all the golds”, she said. It was not the victory she had foreseen, but in the eyes of so many, victory it was.
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WHY IS LINOY ASHRAM THE BEST ? By David Lortholary, in Pesaro Photos Thomas Schreyer
THE TENACIOUS ISRAELI CAUSED A SENSATION LAST SUMMER WHEN SHE CAPTURED AN UNANTICIPATED OLYMPIC GOLD, UPSETTING TWENTY YEARS OF RUSSIAN DOMINANCE. FROM GYMNAST TO COACH TO JUDGE, VRILLE GIVES THE FLOOR TO THE PRINCIPAL ACTORS OF THE EXPLOIT TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT.
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Linoy, everyone was struck by your mental strength at the Games. Where did it come from ? After the qualifications, I knew I had made errors and that I had to do better. (I told myself that) the bad things were over, and now I was going to focus more, calm myself, and realize that I was physically and mentally in good shape at these Games. The reasons for my mental strength…it’s a number of things. Each day I come to training with passion, willing to give everything, not only for myself but also for the gymnasts who train with me. When did you realize that it would be possible to capture Olympic gold ? We did not think that we would win, actually. I only wanted to do what I had to do, what I knew how to do. It was the judges who decided that I was the best. After the qualifications, I remarked that if I made no errors, it would be possible to finish first. That gave us some hope that we might be on the podium in the final, but we never seriously thought about first place. I never dreamed it (laughs). Never ! What did you feel at that moment ? I can’t describe it in words…there were so many emotions at the same time…it was very exciting. I was very moved. Very happy. When did you understand that you could be at the highest level ? At the World Championships in Pesaro in 2017. I won the bronze. It was very tight with Laura Zeng and Ekaterina Halkina. In 2018, I took silver. I knew from then on that podiums were possible.
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POINT OF VIEW : AELET ZUSSMAN Linoy’s coach
“She presented herself in the best way” “After the qualifications, I felt that she was extremely focused, that she wanted to give her best. And she did. That could be seen also in training, in her way of presenting herself…at these Olympics, she presented herself in the best way she ever has. But this is also someone who takes time to explain things to the gymnasts around her. She knows the exercises of all her adversaries. She adores rhythmic gymnastics. I think it’s in the order of passion. And she adds hard work to it.
that thanks to the very high level of her exercises, it is possible. In training, even when I tell her that she is doing too much, she wants to do it anyway. There’s something in her. She wants to be the best in everything, and not only gymnastics. I am sure that it will be the same in her sports management studies. Now we are going to concentrate on the new code of points, and that will take time. We are going to establish a program at the beginning of the year.
The gold medal was a moment of joy for both of us, and I think that she really deserved it. I see her in training, and Linoy has something that not everyone has : she wants to be the best all the time. And she knows
And later, I am sure she will stay in gymnastics! She has it in her blood, and has a lot to give to this sport. She will be a great coach, and a very good judge too if she wants to be, because she knows the code so well.”
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Has this title changed your life ? In Israel, I was known, and now I am well known ! (laughs). Everyone recognises me in the street. There has been a lot of interest and a lot of girls want to do gymnastics now. They think they can be the next to do the Olympics. Before, no one thought it was possible. It gives hope not only to Israeli gymnasts, but to gymnasts all over the world. By working hard, and believing in themselves, they can get there. For my part, after the Olympics, I took a big break, went on vacation, and spent time with my family and friends. I began living a life outside the gym. I received a congratulatory video message from Nadia Comaneci, which was broadcast on Israeli television. She said that she was very proud of me and that I had brought a big change to gymnastics. That was a very touching moment for me.
THE EYE OF KSENIYA MOUSTAFAEVA
“As though she were levitating” Imperceptible emotions and a disconcerting ease in what she does : this is how I see Linoy Ashram. In spite of the difficulty of her exercises, I had the impression that it was so simple, so fluid, almost as though she were levitating. This strength on the carpet, this precision, this pleasure that she projected, stood in contrast with all the gymnasts present. In comparison with other competitions, at the Games there was nothing new in her attitude, and the stress was imperceptible. Her strength of character allowed her to do three impeccable routines with extraordinary precision. She had a problem with the ribbon and there was a drop. The error could have been big at that stage in the competition.
What is your plan for the seasons to come? I will not participate in the next World Championships, nor will any individual Israeli, nor the Group. After that, evolving will be important. You have to be ready to change everything all the time. Not only does that make the work more interesting, but it is more attractive for everyone: the gymnasts, the coaches, the judges, the spectators…. You always have to have something new to put in your exercise, whether it’s music, or a leotard…
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POINT OF VIEW : EVA SERRANO International judge
“It’s her mental strength that’s impressive” “Linoy has physical and technical qualities that are very advanced, without which she never would have been Olympic champion, but since I have known her, it’s been her mental strength that’s impressive. When she comes out onto the carpet, she moves. There is an energy about her, an incredible strength. That’s what struck me at the Games. Her performances the day before the final and the day of the final weren’t the same. In qualification, she was assured, but on the day of the final, she gave everything. Impressive. She came into the arena saying “the gold medal is mine!” She is exceptional. She is a real champion, and they don’t grow on every streetcorner. Certain rhythmic gymnasts move you emotionally, or with the purity of their technique, or their grace and their artistic qualities. Linoy’s artistry is nice, and goes with her style, with very fair choices that correspond with her personality, but it is not what we remember most. She is mentally superior. She fought like crazy. Dina Averina, for her part, appeared more stressed out and hesitant.
doing flat-footed. This difficulty, worth 0.7 when she does four rotations, becomes 1.2 when done on toe… The Israelis thought about all the details and exploited the code to the maximum, matching it to Linoy’s strengths. Also, she took the lead with her first three exercises. She went elbow to elbow with Dina in difficulty, and made the difference with her body difficulty. I saw the trend as the season went on, because I was at practically all of the World Cups. There she was beginning to work on pivots on toe. In Pesaro, at the last World Cup before the European Championships, she did her pivot on toe with the Clubs. That caused a stir among the Russians, who asked for confirmation about it the next day. They were beginning to worry, sensing what was coming [laughs]. This whole story has been largely ignored by the public, but that pivot was of capital importance. The Russians, who were worn out and injured, did not manage to improve their body difficulty. The apparatus that impressed me most at the Games was the Clubs. She took a lot more risk than Dina. She executed several catches with her foot, and with such precision…nothing moved a centimeter. She had three catches outside of her field of vision without her hands…you can’t do anything more difficult than that. In the end, those three risks were enormous in terms of points. And without the smallest error in trajectory! It blew me away. And that’s how, despite the error with the ribbon, she won.”
This mentality comes principally from her, but from her environment too. Because there is, moreover, a lot of strategy. I find Israel as a nation not only strong but intelligent and professional. Linoy has always analyzed her needs, what needs to be added, the evolution of others also, in order to always be leading the peloton, with a monstrous capacity for work. And her work has only gotten more difficult over time. An example? At the Games, she produced a pivot on toe that she had been
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ON THE TRAMPOLINE
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ON THE TRAMPOLINE
By Christine Voyeux, at INSEP Photos by Thomas Schreyer
“AN IDEAL DEBUT”
AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF JUMPING ON (TRAMPOLINE) BEDS AND 21 YEARS ON THE FRENCH TEAM, 16 OF THEM SPENT AT THE SENIOR LEVEL, SÉBASTIEN MARTINY HAS BECOME COACH OF PART OF THE FRENCH COLLECTIVE. HE ACCORDED VRILLE A LONG INTERVIEW, TOUCHING ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS, FROM HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS TO THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING HIS EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY.
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ON THE TRAMPOLINE
ébastien, how are you feeling in your new role? Very well! I decided to focus on my professional career five years ago now, first by getting a coaching diploma and then becoming professor of sport, because I wanted to be an elite coach, and today that’s what I’m doing. It was something I had expected to do for several years and it happened more quickly than I thought because the former coach (Christine) decided not to continue after 34 great years of coaching. I found myself at the French training center at INSEP running training sessions alongside Franck Bardy and I felt really good in the role. I liked it. I still have so much to learn. The changeover went very easily for me because I know the gymnasts I’m working with; they are my old training partners. Since I decided to become a coach, I’ve been trying to express myself at practices the way my own coaches would have. I watched how they did things, and told myself, “in their place, I would have said…” So today, I don’t feel caught off guard by this or that situation, and I feel very good. You’d have to ask the gymnasts if it’s working for them, if they feel they have improved with me! (laughs) In any case, the first experience that I had with them (at the World Championships in Baku in November 2021) brought excellent results. The women’s team (two of the three from INSEP) made the final, which hadn’t happened for 29 years; there was a synchro final for the young team of Cléa Brousse, who trains in Rennes, and Marine Prieur, who is at INSEP; a bronze medal for Josuah Faroux of the Antibes training center, and Pierre Gouzou of INSEP, in synchronized trampoline; an excellent 4th place for Léa Labrousse (INSEP) and a wonderful 5th place for Allan Morante (INSEP) in individual trampoline. I was delighted with it: it was an ideal debut.
“I have discovered that when you are a coach, the only thing that makes you happy is that the gymnasts are happy.”
These emotions and the stress that comes with them, are they different ? Yes ! It’s funny because the gymnasts and the coaches asked me this too, and it’s true that it’s very different. I’m already lucky to be someone who is not particularly anxious or anguished to begin with, and I did not find the tests for the World Championships nor the Worlds themselves stressful. But I was focused. I did not have to be, but I was focused on the little words that I could say, on my behavior, trying to be as natural as possible and as simple as possible. Honestly, I was relatively relaxed compared to when I was an athlete, where, when you’re getting ready and when you get on the trampoline, there is, effectively, stress. In those moments, I was always very stressed, but I dealt with it well because I was very focused.
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What was your reaction to the bronze medal in Men’s Synchronized ? It was the culmination of a lot of work. I was so pleased for them; it made me happy and proud. I have discovered that when you are a coach, the only thing that makes you happy is that the gymnasts are happy. I know that they trained every day for those medals. It’s easy for me because I attribute absolutely nothing to myself: the gymnasts were trained by their former coaches. When they won the medal, I was just a fan like everyone else; I wasn’t in my role as coach. Once it was over, there was the medal and I could just enjoy it with them and congratulate them. 48
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Let’s go back to your journey. How were you able to remain at the elite level for 21 years ? For me, there were two things that allowed me to stay there for so long. The first was passion. I am truly passionate about trampoline and I always will be. Being able to play a principal role in the sport that fascinates me helped me a lot, because I was always hungry. The second was the support that I received, notably from my coach, that is to say, from yourself. I began when I was five and a half years old, and I finished at 36. It was a source of daily motivation to train with a coach with whom I had a great affinity. You were not just a coach, and that helped me so much. And there was also a familial environment, with people who always supported me, while at the same time kept a distance, without ever forcing something or, when I was defeated, dramatizing things. My family has always been benevolent. That is extremely important. I’ve been lucky in that. Finally, the last part of the environment were the gymnasts. When I began I rubbed shoulders with gymnasts who were older than me but who were always welcoming, and whom I got along with well. Little by little, as I got older, the younger ones who arrived have always been wonderful. It also helped that I wanted to stay in this group longer, to perform with them. So it was a mix of passion and the human environment. Read the rest of the interview in edition no. 2 of Vrille.
Léa Labrousse, Sébastien Martiny, Christine Voyeux and Allan Morante Vrille Magazine
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“Show emotion on the floor” As told to David Lortholary Photos by Cybile Cresson. All rights reserved.
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THE GYMNAST FROM THE ASSOCIATION MUNICIPALE GYMNIQUE D’ARQUES CAPPED OFF HER JUNIOR CAREER IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY: IN TAKING GOLD AT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PESARO AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, MAËLYS LENCLOS BROUGHT BACK THE SPIRIT AND GAVE A FUTURE TO FRENCH AEROBIC. FRESH FROM THE COMPETITION, SHE ACCORDED US HER FIRST INTERVIEW.
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AÉROBIC
Maëlys, has the junior category become too small for you ? Oh no, no no ! (bursts out laughing) This is the first time I have finished first, and with a score like this! I have never managed to finish so high, so it was hard.
How did you manage to stay focused on the competition day ? I am always less stressed out in the final than in qualification. In qualification, if you make a mistake, your competition is over. Once you’re in the final, you know that you’re among the eight best Europeans. There is less pressure, and you can have fun.
What were your first thoughts after you finished your routine in the final ? I knew that I had done a good routine. So, satisfied and happy. I was just waiting for the score and I was impatient to see what it was going to be. When I saw the number (20.700), I was so happy! (laughs) I told myself that I would be on the podium, but I didn’t know in which place.
Is the adrenaline stronger in the final ? No, I think that there’s simply less stress. And then I was telling myself that this was the last time I would do this choreography, so there was nothing to lose. What did your coaches tell you at the beginning of the final ? To have fun, because that’s what would make the difference. And to show emotion on the floor.
What does this score mean to you ? It was really a surprise (smiles). I wasn’t expecting it at all. I had to wait until the final routine (from Italy’s Lucrezia Rexhepi, who finished above her in qualification). But no matter what the result was, I was already very happy with myself and with what I had done. In qualification I missed a turn, and only did only one rotation instead of two. We all finished very close to each other, but I knew that my score could go up, while the other competitors had done rather good routines in qualification.
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In hindsight, your music and choreography choices were validated by the result… Yes, it’s because of that that I finished first. The judges appreciated the style, and the risk paid off. What made the difference was my choice of music and my interpretation of it. Because when it comes to difficulty, we are all at the same level.
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MATTEO GUERRINI French national team coach
“She has everything that’s necessary” “Maëlys has a great talent for our discipline. She has everything that’s necessary: she is quick, explosive, flexible. And the most important thing: she has charisma. In a category like this one (women’s individual), where everyone has about the same level of difficulty, it’s the emotions and magic that will bring higher scores. Where we were a bit afraid, but what was also a strength, was her musical choice, which was rather risky because it was different from the others and interpreted differently too. Without her charisma, the score could have actually gone down. But it worked in Pesaro. We know that she had the ability to go out and get that score, but that she would need to do a perfect exercise and be very attentive to the details; and she did. And moreover, even though she’s competing as an individual, she is a team player. We see her in company with the other athletes.”
What does it mean to you to be European junior champion ? I’m not sure if I realize that it’s true yet ! (laughs) It’s a bit complicated! I never would have believed it…
“With the pandemic, she had some hard times. It was therefore a question of reassuring her before her routines. But she’s a born competitor. She always knows how to rise to the occasion, especially in a final. She is always more nervous in qualification than in the final. She needs guidance to remain focused on her principal objective. From this point on, she will have a place in the senior ranks. She’s a fighter. If she can manage to improve her program and manage the stress of the first year among the “big kids,” she could be a contender. In 2022, the code of points will change. The artistic aspect will be worth more. This will be her strength. But her technical quality is also above average. She is capable of doing very high level skills. She can present a routine worthy of the best in the world. She needs to work to do this. Even with one less element in the new code, the nine left are going to make things even harder. To win medals we will have to raise the difficulty and strengthen the execution of each one.”
Did the prospect of winning such a title help motivate you in training ? Yes, I told myself that it was possible to perform well at these European Championships. How did your preparations go ? With the pandemic and very little competition, it was longer than other years. We trained for a while without a goal. But finally it has paid off. Has this title allowed you to reflect a bit on what comes next ? It’s motivating for 2022, of course, but I don’t have a precise goal yet. It’s good to be here! (laughs) Is being part of the best seniors possible ? Oh yes, yes ! What kind of gap separates you from them ? They are better than the juniors, naturally, but there are some who were in their first year in 2021 who are really performing well already. Everything is possible. What were the first reactions you got from people after you received your medal ? Everyone was super happy but had not necessarily been expecting it. There was a lot of emotion. It was a beautiful moment !
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JOHAN LENCLOS Maëlys’s father and coach
“Deliverance for us too ” “We knew what Maëlys was capable of. Her routine in qualification was complicated : facing such a high level of competition and realizing that she could achieve something put a lot of pressure on her and she produced a routine below her abilities. Despite that, what she did was well received. With 20.150, we were confident (that she would make the final), even if the wait made our hearts race. What we dared with the choreography was so different from the rest of the field. We made a bet, and she rose to it by showing an exercise infused with emotion. The judges felt something, and her artistic score was high. Thomas Caron, one of our athletes, helped build this routine. Maxime Genge, a judge and sparring partner, also helped conceive it. Everyone contributed something. We watched her perform in the final and we were with her each second, each step, each movement. At the end, it was deliverance for us too.The two-minute wait for the score was, I think, the longest of our lives. It was interminable.
this time. We hoped she would be on the podium, but first place was beyond what we had hoped. And magnificent. Especially with such a good score… She has a pretty tough character. She can withstand big setbacks, then get up and go fight. It’s her saving grace, despite all the pressure. She knew what was expected of her, and that others were beginning to be afraid of her. But that’s her trademark: she has her mother’s bad temper! (laughs) Truly she’s a competitive spirit. She gives everything to the end. She would not melt into the floor even if there were errors. And above the individual, there is a nation, but also a club, a city, and the pride of the Audomarois. The people in this region, through our director Thierry Large, know that it’s time to get out the champagne. Something is coming! Her music and choreography is the result of knowing that she had to stand out. Conform to the aerobic of today and you are lost. You have to imagine what the sport will be like in three years. Always be innovative. The judges’ opinions were important, and a futuristic vision of aerobic guided our choice. Today, we know that it was the right one, and it’s wonderful to have succeeded at this marvelous challenge. It’s certain that she won’t stop here. She’s an athlete who is very intuitive on a physical level and progresses easily in training. We are preparing for her arrival as a senior by doing other things. She already has her senior choreography. She has worked the skills, the transitions. We are giving ourselves the means so that she will continue to perform. She’ll need to dedicate herself and do still more, a lot more, in order to shine. Without forgetting, of course, her studies and the future, which remain very important.”
The fourth place finish at the World Championships (in 2021) was very bitter and did not reflect the performance she gave. There she could only have done better. The morning of the qualifications, she cried because the emotions overwhelmed her. Just before the warmup, she burst into tears. She wasn’t therefore at the best of her abilities. Today (the day of the final), she went in with the knife between her teeth. Not for her fourth place
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CLUBS AND TRAINING CENTERS
AEL Guéret Creuse and the work of gymnastics By David Lortholary, in Guéret Photos all rights reserved
HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST SCATTERED POPULATIONS IN FRANCE, THE DEPARTMENT OF LIMOUSIN DOES NOT LACK FOR GYMNASTICS. ITS AEL GUÉRET CLUB, SPECIALIZING IN WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS, JUGGLES, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, THE CONSTRAINTS BEING HOUSED IN A MUNICIPAL GYMNASIUM.
gymnastics hive positively buzzes with activity. The Grancher gymnasium, located in the heights above the Creuse prefecture, resounds with the cries of young gymnasts on and around the apparatus. In the midst of the brouhaha, club President Magali Bonaldo is explaining the perspectives of the AEL, the artistic gymnastics club attached to the French Union of Secular Works of Physical Education (UFOLEP). “Our activities concern women’s artistic gymnastics, but even so we have young boys!” she laughs. “It’s great ! We have 110 members and 17 volunteers, our highest number ever, much higher than last season, where we counted 80 members and 12 volunteers. Our youngest gymnasts were born in 2017, and the oldest are 16. Monday training sessions, from 6-8 p.m., present an introduction to gymnastics, and there are about 15 gymnasts. Tuesdays we have our biggest group, with 35 children, who are beginners and gymnasts with Vrille Magazine
2-3 years of experience. Wednesdays there are two 45-minute baby gym classes and a 2-hour class with gymnasts with five years of training. There are no sessions on Thursdays. Fridays, for 90 minutes, the 11-12-year-old age group comes in, and on Saturday, there is a 3-hour session for the oldest.”
Welcoming children ages 4 and up As they so often do, some material problems present themselves. “Cross your fingers: we hope to find a space of our own,” the President whispers. A project has been presented at city hall, but for the moment other sports are being given preference. AEL gymnasts have always trained at the Grancher sports complex, which offers a nice space, though one not equipped with a gymnastics floor. “On Tuesdays we have the gym to ourselves. No problem there. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we share it with archery students. We have half the gym.” And with each practice there is the need 56
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to set everything up and put everything away again. “And with the pandemic, we disinfect everything,” she adds. The club shares part of its equipment with the nearby Marouzeau Junior High School. “The difficulty, when we find a hall of our own, is that we won’t get to take with us the little equipment that we have.” That’s not enough to discourage them, considering that some gymnasts travel dozens of kilometers to train at the club. They arrive from as far away as La Souterraine, at the western edge of the department. The county capital also includes Flip Flap, another UFOLEP club dedicated to artistic gymnastics. “The advantage that we have is that we welcome children at 4 years old”, Bonaldo notes. “After two years of baby gym, with 45-minute sessions, the young ones switch over to a 2-hour group.”
Federation (FFG). At 14, I left for Cahors and another FFG club, where I earned my coaching diplomas in MAG-WAG and a level 1 judging certificate. I came to Creuse for professional reasons, but I was itching to get involved in gymnastics again ! (laughs). I had to find a club. Once you’ve got the bug…” Among her many responsibilities : finding sponsors and organizing competitions. “With the UFOLEP, we are part of the Limousin organization — Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Corrèze — when it comes to competitions, but affiliated with Puy-de-Dôme, which manages the training.” Among Bonaldo’s numerous projects: equipping the kids with polar vests, creating calendars, organizing lotteries and tambolas, club competitions, and recently, a cheerleading team. “Not all gymnasts are forcibly interested in all the apparatus, so it would be nice to have this. It will allow us to have a link with our basketball team,” she says. “But we’re starting from scratch, and we have to create it !” In November 2021, the club began participating in judges’ training, with nine people destined for judges’ chairs. “We are sending children to compete, so the least we can do is to have judges with them, if only so they have more or less fair scores,” Bonaldo smiles. In Creuse, she is truly “dug in” for her gymnasts !
Branching out with cheerleading The AEL (Amis École Laïque) Guéret, founded in 1926, is an entity comprising several sections : gymnastics, archery, volleyball, table tennis, and basketball. In 2021, Bonaldo became President of an gymnastics section that has existed since 1952. “I’ve done gymnastics since I was 5 years old. It was passion as much as necessity that brought me to my current role. I began in Lot, at a club affiliated with the French Gymnastics
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16 ans 16
Ilona Fayette “I like children ”
“I am a gymnast and I supervise the young ones. The challenge is first of all to get them to listen (bursts out laughing). Afterwards, the goal is that they enjoy what they’re doing and acquire the basics that will allow them to become more advanced if they want to. We change groups in eight week cycles in order to see all the children, so they are exposed to different methods. For my part, I began at this club when I was in CM1 (4th grade or year 5). At first I was afraid to come, but I liked it from the very first class. We had competitions and I got into the game. I remember how stressed I felt in the beginning! But when I understood that I really enjoyed it, that helped me relax. When I was little, I loved beam. Now I really prefer floor. You get to dance, and I have done dance for a very long time. I think I’m best at that! (laughs) The younger ones are all drawn to bars. I adore children and gymnastics, and just sports in general, so I would like to be a coach in the future. I find it interesting and enriching.”
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Cerise Provost “Set the Example”
“I began gymnastics here when I was 8 years old. I always liked it, because I adore working out. When I began helping the youngest in my own group three years ago, I became an assistant, for children aged about 6 to 10, all while training myself on Saturday mornings. I love sports and began coaching very early. I really like coaching a team. From time to time we change groups so that everyone contributes their stone to the edifice of the progression of the little ones. I come after school to help them. They really like being together, and being with us too. They are always very happy to come back the next week. For some it’s their first year. We are trying to have them follow in our footsteps. Most of the time, they have a lot of energy to burn off ! We can always do something with it ! Sometimes they are afraid to do something, and you have to reassure them. But after, when they’ve done it, they are proud of themselves and immediately want to tell their parents or do it again in front of us to show us. And when I do skills, they look at me with big eyes. It inspires them. I am very happy to set an example. Now I am planning to take a judging course and more first aid training.”
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“MARINITCH, GYMNASTICS, AND ME” By David Lortholary Photos by Thomas Schreyer and Angélique Cacioppi
A GYMNASTICS PRODIGY AND FRENCH ALL-AROUND CHAMPION IN 1994 AND 1996, THE MONEGASQUE LIFTS THE VEIL ON HER LIFE IN GYMNASTICS, DELVING INTO HER MEMORIES EXCLUSIVELY FOR VRILLE, AND SHARING HER VISION OF MODERN GYMNASTICS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING AND PERFORMING. A SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW.
warlike relationship. Our coaches were almost our enemies. The approach is much more maternal and benevolent. (Coaches) are listening to how gymnasts feel, especially given what happened recently with Simone Biles. I spoke with Cécile Canqueteau. There has been a huge turnaround. We’ve realized that athletes are not robots, that they feel things. I think that’s very good, even if in gymnastics a certain strictness is necessary.
Laëtitia, the name of Vitali Marinitch, who took over in autumn 2021 as head of the French men’s team, must mean something to you… (Smiles) I only know him through my bar release, even if I knew he was a luminary during his era of gymnastics. It’s good for the federation. I hope it works, because it’s not always easy. One can be a very good athlete but that does not forcibly make one a good coach. Things have changed since the Soviet era. I personally would have wanted to compete in this era. It’s completely different, especially when it comes to the approach taken. At least, that’s the impression I have, now that I have distanced myself from gymnastics. I see how Marie-Angéline Colson and Elvire Teza work. There is no longer this
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Reactions to the misadventures of Simone (see in this issue) were generally quite understanding… We have all more or less experienced this loss of orientation (the “twisties”). We hurt ourselves doing hard skills in training.
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Vitali Marinitch, in any case, reminds us that several female gymnasts in the 1990s executed his release move. I remember a camp, my first with the Marseille training center, in 1991, in Indianapolis. I was 11 years old. There was a tiny Korean girl, who was still missing her front teeth, who did the Marinitch before me. There weren’t a lot of us, but some, yes, did this skill. Barbara Solans, Karine Boucher, Karine Mermet, Jenny Rolland et Marie-Angéline Colson were on the World team that hoped to qualify for the Barcelona Olympics that year in Indianapolis, and they qualified unexpectedly in 12th place. It was amazing ! I watched it from the stands with Cécile Canqueteau et Éléonore Couffe. Let’s stay with the uneven bars for a second. Was this apparatus your specialty ? I was rather well balanced over all four. I was a generalist, an all-arounder. But yes, bars and beam. On vault,
I had mental blocks. Before the French Junior Championships in 1993, I ran and ran around (the vaulting horse). But I managed to do my vault even so. I was never really at ease with vault, and it was there that I tore my ACL in 1996. I really liked floor. What you have to know is that our coaches — the big coaches — were very icy. In training, we did skills and sequences that were a lot bigger than what we presented in competition. For example, I did the Marinitch isolated in competition, while in training I did a Jaeger-Marinitch in combination with a pirouette. I dismounted with a double-twisting double tuck, and I presented it only once in competition. I did roundoff, full in beam dismounts all the time in training, but only once in competition, and once at a tournament. On floor I knew how to do a full in, triple twist, double layout…we did so many things! I’m not the only one! On beam Elvire and I amused ourselves by doing as many layout stepouts as we could. At some point, you run out of beam… Layout, flip, Rulfova…Let’s say that this is what allowed us to feel at ease in competition. But it’s a regret, a small frustration, not having shown more of what we knew how to do. France had more skills than she showed.
“One can be a very good athlete but that does not forcibly make one a good coach. Things have changed since the Soviet era. I personally would have dreamed of competing in this era”
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And why did the Marinitch appear in your exercise ? Mao and Xuan were visionaries about certain things. They loved testing things out. I’m the one who began doing dorsal turns combined with Tkatchevs, for example. As I did not have Elvire’s shoulder flexibility, we gave up on it. For her, it worked really well and became her trademark. The lateral twist on beam (later “The Teza”) was the same; I began testing it before her. When I was 10 years old, in a competition, Xuan made me do a flip crosswise to the beam. They had the ideas. Afterwards, everyone was more or less comfortable depending on the skill. Cécé (Canqueteau) was world champion when it came to twists and turns [laughs]. She was unbeatable. I am sure in training she did a quadruple full one day. You evoke Simone Biles. Do you keep an eye on gymnastics ? For a long time now, no. I have trouble swallowing it. I did not like speaking of gymnastics. I had nightmares for a long time, which dissipated over a period of 2-3 years. I don’t follow it at all. But now I watch the Olympics, and it’s nice. It has changed. It makes me want to watch more. We were bullied. It was seen as bad to express joy. It could be interpreted as pretentiousness or lack of respect for our adversaries. Today it’s more lively. There’s a human side to it that was not there in my time. The pleasure of competition is felt much more acutely. Are you struck by how the equipment has changed ? She stopped in 2021 but my daughter did gymnastics. She took part in the elite track tests. One, then two, then three practices a week. When they went to four, she didn’t want to go anymore. But I got back on the apparatus. On the beam. I found it very high, strangely! (bursts out laughing) Whereas before, it felt so natural…what shocked me was the floor. It’s a tumbling strip! I understand, however, the evolution of gymnasts’ builds, the acrobatics. In the past couple of Olympiads, we have seen a clear evolution. Maybe that’s why the gymnasts stay in the sport longer. The apparatus are perhaps less traumatizing on the body. During the era of Comaneci or Tourischeva, the floor was practically a carpet, and they still managed to do double backs and double twists. Furthermore, I was rather frustrated to have been part of the last Olympic cycle with compulsories. Certainly they gave gymnasts a strictness and beauty in execution,
but we lost a lot of time. In one day of training, the morning would be entirely dedicated to compulsory work. Women today have the time to explore different acrobatic paths. How did you manage your post-gymnastics career ? I underwent knee surgery in September 1996. My goal was to return to training. I was well taken care of by my kinesiologist, who was like a big brother to me, but otherwise I was completely abandoned — though not by my teammates, whom I still lived with. But I had this impression. I took it very badly. When I wanted to return to the gym — I had put on a few kilos but I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel — I had the impression of being an illustrious stranger. Mixed with adolescence, this feeling of abandonment was very hard to live with. I decided by myself not to return to the gym. No one questioned it. No one was bothered about it. But I was lucky in that my original club in Monaco, which I had always been loyal to, was a family and spotted the
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problem. It recruited me for the Games of the Small States of Europe, in Reykjavik, in 1997. It was a small, benevolent kick in the ass. When we came back from the Olympics, the Marseille training center moved to the Jean-Bouin stadium while the Saint-Giniez club served as the other gym. I was able to go back there, and a certain Laurent Tricoire took me under his wing and got me back in the saddle, making me want to get back on the apparatus again. Monaco finished 2nd at the Games and I won gold on the uneven bars. I got back the Marinitch and the Jaeger! And Dany Scotto was judging for Monaco ! It was nice. In the wake of it all, we went directly to the French Championships in the National Division (DN), in Strasbourg. Monaco won the title in DN2. I was annoyed not to be at my best, but in hindsight I realize that people were happy to see me again.
French champions. We had a blast! It was a great way to end a career. And afterward, you remained loyal to your city… Yes, I am completely established in Monaco. It’s a great place, which makes it difficult to leave. We always come back, even if the territory is only 2 km2. For 15 years, I have been an archivist and manager in a detention center that holds people awaiting trial or sentencing. I like my work a lot, even though I studied marketing. I learn something every day. Is there a memory from your best years that you cherish today ? Two competitions are close to my heart. The Gym and Dance, in 1993, with Isabelle (Severino) and Elvire, where I did some skills that my coaches forbade me to do afterward (laughs). With their endorsement! The other is my first Bercy [French International], with the entire arena chanting my name. In gymnastics at the time, that was not common. In the years after, my parents confessed that they cried…I am sorry that I did not give back to the public what they gave to me. We were shy and young…
What was your relationship with the sport after that ? There was the blank year, and then, two months before the semi-finals and the National Division final, I got back into it. Then I stopped competing. The year after, Éléonore Couffe and I did the French Championships in Eurogym with Nice. We became
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Cast Off By Juliette Mariage
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