I attended the 2013 U.S. Secret Classic yesterday! First of all, my congratulations to Molly Frack and Christina Desiderio and their coaches from Parkettes who got to compete at a USA Championship! Way to go, girls!

I am becoming the big fan of coach Chow and his gymnasts. Since the first appearance of Shawn Johnson, I was always impressed with his coaching style, silent and smiling, like all work had been done at home and they had come to win (and they always did!). He had even more impressive results with Gabby Douglas. And now, his new elites show the same attitude, discipline and respect to their coach and to their own work. Hands up, Coach Chow and a lot of respect!

Overall, it seems like a lot of juniors are struggling with bars. I believe some problems with the basics are holding them back. I enjoyed watching beam, a lot of solid, very well balanced routines. My personal picks of the day – Norah Flatley BM and Lauren Hernandez FX. What are yours?

Norah Flatley – Balance Beam – 2013 Secret U.S. Classic

Lauren Hernandez – Floor Exercise – 2013 Secret U.S. Classic

It was really amazing to see our best Russian gymnasts competing in the Universiade World Student Games. They were actually looking very good, not to compare to other countries who did not send their main team members to these kind of events in preparation for the upcoming World Championships. (more…)

It’s with great pleasure that I not only announce the introduction of my new Web site, but, my blog as well! I’m constantly being asked by gymnasts, coaches, parents and fans my thoughts about recent competitions (e.g. McKayla Maroney’s vault in the 2012 Summer Olympics), new routines, gymnastics news and coaching techniques. Now, I have a forum through which I can share news and my thoughts about a variety of gymnastics topics ! Please subscribe to my blog for the latest updates.

And, if you have a question or a topic that you’d like me to talk about, please let me know by posting a comment here. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and hearing your feedback!

Best!
Natalia Yurchenko