A FLAIR for Gymnastics

Women's Team Captures Gold at World's!

2011-10-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

This week Team USA competed in the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. For the first time since 2007, the women's artistic team won gold ahead of Russia and China. This victory is really special for a team that struggled with injuries prior to preliminary competition. Alicia Sacramone and Anna Li were not able to compete due to injury. They were, however, awarded gold medals making Sacramone the most decorated American gymnast surpassing both Shannon Miller and Nastia Luikin. You can watch clips on YouTube of the competition or view it in its entirety on NBC this weekend. The Women's All-Around competition is set for Thursday, October 13, and individual apparatus finals will be this weekend. Live streaming will be offered through Universal Sports. Click here to view the entire schedule of events and the results. As an added note, this meet serves as a qualifying event for the 2012 Olympics with the top eight teams advancing. Look out London!!

Flairs 2011 Fall Workout Schedule

2011-08-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

2011 Visa National Championships

2011-08-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's late summer and time for the 2011 Visa National Championships! The junior and senior men's events begin Wednesday, August 17 while the junior and senior women's artistic events kickoff Thursday, August 18. Rhythmic competition begins Friday, August 19. Event finals for each division will be live on NBC Saturday and Sunday. See below for the complete broadcast schedule.

Television Broadcasts
All times are EASTERN

Aug. 18 - Women Day 1 - 8-10 p.m.
Universal Sports - LIVE
Aug. 19 - Men Final Day - 8-11 p.m.
Universal Sports - LIVE
Aug. 20 - Women Final Day - 8-10 p.m.
NBC Sports - LIVE
Aug. 20 - Women Final Day - 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Universal Sports - re-air of NBC broadcast
Aug. 21 - Men Final Day - 2:30-4 p.m.
NBC Sports - Tape Delayed

Webcasts
All times are EASTERN

Aug. 18 - Women Day 1 - 8-10 p.m. - LIVE
Aug. 19 - Men Final Day - On-Demand following Universal Sports broadcast
Aug. 20 - Women Final Day - On-Demand following NBC Sports broadcast

Webcasts will be on UniversalSports.com

This is sure to be a great event as seasoned veterans like Sacramone, Johnson and Memmel, go head to head with new talent like Bross, Caquatto, Vega and Wieber. Complete bios of each athlete, as well as, starting rotations/results are all posted online. Also, check out the official event program. Show off your national pride this week at gym by wearing red, white and blue! Support these gymnasts this weekend as they get one step closer to Worlds and then Olympic Gold!

YouTube Highlights

Day 1: Junior Girls Competition

2011 CoverGirl Classic Live Coverage

2011-07-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend Shawn Johnson makes her comeback debut at the 2011 CoverGirl Classic. Watch it LIVE and FREE online tonight at 7PM EST through Universal Sports. Here's all of the information.

CoverGirl Classic 2011 Live Stream on Universal Sports

Universal Sports will provide live video coverage of the Senior International division on its cable network and website, universalsports.com, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Olympic gold-medalists Tim Daggett and Amanda Bordenare the commentators.

This is the last chance to qualify for the 2011 Visa National Championships in August and the first of many for the upcoming 2012 London Olympics.

Go Team USA!!

North Shore Flairs Pampered Chef Fundraiser

2011-07-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!!

The North Shore Flairs are having their annual Pampered Chef fundraiser. You can view the catalog online via this link.
Upon checkout, please make sure to enter the following code:

Flairs Code: BTT3

The team will receive money based upon how much merchandise is sold. This is a great way to stock your kitchen, surprise a friend or buy early Christmas presents while helping out the girls. This is our ONLY fundraiser this year!!

Thanks for your support!!
The Booster Club

NOLA.com article- Mandeville's Flairs Win National Gymnastics Title!

2011-07-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Flairs brought home a national championship title at the USA Gymnastics Open Championships held in Orlando, FL as part of the ESPN RISE Showcase. The full article can be found here.

There is an old Chinese proverb that states: "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." We watch our girls face many struggles as gymnasts. There are falls, injuries, tears of frustration, and difficulties to overcome. Each one of them, though, found a way to work through these and rise to the occasion. They realize that meets are not won on the day of competition, but through hours of hard work in the gym. We are so proud of the girls and our coaches!! Congratulations on a great year!!

Lean, Mean, Tumbling Machines

2011-06-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Click for a great article!

The girls came home from Alabama's gymnastics camp with more than new skills. They brought back a new interest in health, nutrition, and fitness. Travis Illian, Bama's strength and conditioning coach, spent time each day teaching the campers about the importance of eating healthy foods, improving their strength and flexibility, and, finally, their overall tissue health. Here is some of the advice he shares with campers, as well as, the collegiate gymnasts to help them be lean, mean, tumbling machines!
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Basic Guidelines

If God made it, it's good for you! If it is man-made, then it's not so good! (Eat fruits, veggies, nuts, etc...)
Muscle burns fat! Feed the machine that helps you be lean!
Exercise and eating speed up your metabolism. Don't do one without the other!
Get approximately 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of body weight each day!
Consume 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day! Eat smaller meals and spread it out throughout the day (especially on big workout days).
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! (That means lots of water, Powerade, etc...!!!!!)

Meal Time Checklist:

Choose lean protein for every meal or snack.

Example: chicken, turkey, eggs, egg whites, fish

Choose healthy carbohydrates for every meal or snack.

Example: any fruit or veggie, oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, whole grains, whole wheat breads

Add some healthy fats if not found in the food you are eating.

Example: flax seed oil, nuts, natural peanut butter

Foods to Eat All the Time:

Veggies
Fresh fruit (Choose fresh fruit over juices. Less sugar and more vitamins!)
Fish (salmon, tuna, etc...)
Whole grain carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, barley, wheat, rye, quinoa, etc...)
Potatoes (sweet, red, or white, or try something new, like jicama)
Whole grain breads (whole wheat, rye, 7-grain, etc...)
Low fat & non-dairy products (Try freezing some of the fun yogurts like Yoplait Splitz! Chobani makes a great, Greek-style yogurt! Both contain all natural ingredients.)
Chicken or turkey (baked or grilled, not fried!)
Egg whites or egg substitutes
Lean red meat (top round, extra lean sirloin, etc...)
Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, etc...)

Mix these with Goldfish and dried fruit for a quick snack.

Tissue Health:

I have to admit, I wasn't quite sure about this. However, the girls were sold! They said it felt great after a long practice.

Foam roller: Available to purchase at Perform Better or Power Systems

Rollers are used in pilates and yoga to enhance training by developing balance, improving posture, and increasing flexibility. Also, they are a great tool for targeting pressure points during self-myofascial release exercises. In other words, they are great to help massage sore muscles!!!

Make a peanut with tennis balls taped together. Below are two exercises.

Lie flat on the floor with the peanut placed in the middle of your back. Then, do 5 crunches.
Remain lying on your back and bring both arms in front of your chest. Lower your right arm behind you touching the floor and hold for 2. Then, lower your left arm and hold for 2. Repeat these arm touches 5 times per arm.
This makes one set! Repeat for 5 sets working up to 10.

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As you read through the notes, two things stand out to me. First, this advice really applies to all of us. Make fitness a family affair! We will all reap the benefits of a healthy diet and improved physical fitness. Secondly, this presents a healthy approach to diet and nutrition for young girls. Throughout the years, many dancers and gymnasts have suffered from eating disorders. Teaching young athletes a healthy, balanced approach to fitness and nutrition will hopefully encourage positive habits, help them feel good about their changing bodies, and improve their overall performance.

If you have any healthy recipes, training tips or other advice, send it my way!

Alabama Gymnast, Kayla Hoffman, Earns Academic Honors

2011-06-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Alabama gymnast, Kayla Hoffman, tops off her amazing gymnastics career with her latest award, Capital One's Academic All-American of the Year. She's a great example for future athletes by showcasing the rewards of hard work and dedication both in the classroom and in the gym. Congratulations Kayla!

Her honors include:

National team member (2005-2006, 2006-2007)
Perfect 4.0 throughout her collegiate career!
2011 Honda Award presented to the National Collegiate Gymnast of the Year
2011 NCAA National Championship
First team All-American honors in the all-around, vault and balance beam for 2011
Five-time All-American
First student-athlete to be named as SEC Gymnast of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the same season
NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year
Received post-graduate scholarships from both the NCAA and SEC
Throughout her career, won 55 event titles, posted 78 scores of 9.900 or better

Read more about Kayla Hoffman on Gym Tide. Highlights taken from the article published by Alabama Athletics on RollTide.com and featured on USA-Gymnastics and Inside Gymnastics.

Extreme Gymnastics: Two Amazing Videos!

2011-06-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Abby found two amazing videos showcasing the sport of gymnastics. The first clip highlights extreme gymnastics skills. It is absolutely unbelievable!

Then, take a step back in history as you watch the uneven bars routines evolve from the 1950's through the 2010's.

Let me know if you have any others to share!

ESPN Sports Science Tackles Gymnastics

2011-06-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

The popular ESPN show, Sports Science, tackles gymnastics. Watch as they explain why gymnastics is tougher than football as they look at the gymnasts from the SEC Championships.

Oh, I do have to say they do an excellent job of bragging on the girls from the SEC!!

USA Gymnastics Open Championships

2011-06-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

The North Shore Flairs competed this past weekend, June 3-5, 2011, at the USA Gymnastics Open Championships as part of the ESPN RISE Girls Showcase. The team was amazing in this tough field of competition! Overall, they had six all-around champions and 15 athletes winning 52 medals. In addition, North Shore Gymnastics captured the Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 session team champion award and was awarded the Overall Club Champion award.

All- Around Winners are shown below. To see complete results click here.

Level 4:

Jr. A- Sophie Fernandez (1st), Parker Mercola (2nd), Ellie Allain (3rd)
Jr. B- Carol Anne Van Zandt (1st), Lauren Sliman (2nd)
Sr. A- Lacey Marchand (1st), Emma Pollet (2nd) Hannah Gray (3rd)

Level 5:

Sr. A- Erin Sellers (1st), Grace Thomason (2nd), Abbie Vollenweider (3rd)

Level 6:

Jr. B- Abby Allain (1st), Reagan Kuhn (2nd)
Sr. A- Regan Sellers (1st), Jade Willoz (2nd)

Level 8:

Open: Christina Ramon (1st)

This was an amazing opportunity for our gym and the ladies of North Shore! None of this would have been possible without dedicated coaches, parents and gymnasts. It is truly a TEAM effort!!

News Links:

12 Stars from ESPN RISE Showcase - Great article from ESPN about the success of the gym at this event

Videos:

Abby Allain- Beam - USA Gymnastics posted Abby's beam on their YouTube channel.
Gymnasts Enjoy Showcase Expereince - Many of the Level 4's are featured in this montage.

Photos:

USA Gymnastics Photo Gallery
GK Elite Facebook Wall - You don't have to have a Facebook account to view photos. You do need to scroll through their gallery. Great pictures of many Level 5 and Level 6 gymnasts.
Allain Picassa Gallery - These are photos we took at the Level 4 and Level 6 sessions.

Congratulations to the ladies of North Shore Flairs! As more information is received, I will update this post. Please let me know if you have any pictures or videos you would like to share.