Jezebel: Gymnastics

Pervy Gymnastics Coach Banned From Sport For Life

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:50:00 EST

An investigation into the conduct of US Gymnastics coach Don Peters has concluded that his sexual misconduct with teenage gymnasts in the 1980's warrants a lifetime ban from the sport. He's also being removed from the US Gymnastics Hall of Fame. More »

Olympic Gymnastics Coach Accused Of Sexual Abuse Finally Resigns

Anna North — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:50:00 EDT

Don Peters, the former Olympic gymnastics coach accused of sexually abusing three young gymnasts, has resigned from his job as coach and director of an Orange County gym. On November 11, USA Gymnastics will hold a hearing to decide whether to ban him from the sport. More »

Sexual Abuse In The Land Of America's Sweethearts

Chloe Angyal — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:40:00 EDT

Every October brings the World Gymnastics Championship, and every October this former gymnast greedily scours YouTube for every available piece of video footage of the competition. I spent six years eating and breathing the sport, spending up to twenty hours a week in a chalk-covered leotard. Those six years in the gym shaped me as a person, teaching me discipline and focus and how rewarding it can be to throw yourself — literally — into the things you care about. They also shaped me physically, leaving me with a royally messed up spine that precipitated my retirement from the sport. But that wasn't the only thing that was messed up. More »

Olympic Coach Accused Of Sexually Abusing Teen Gymnasts

Anna North — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Gymnastics coach Don Peters led the US women's team to eight Olympic medals. But according to a new exposé, he also sexually abused three teenage gymnasts. More »

Ring, Ring

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:25:00 EDT

St. Paul, MN, Aug 19: Jonathan Horton competes on the rings during the U.S. gymnastics championships. Arms. (AP Photo/Genevieve Ross) More »

Shawn's A Balanced Flip Flopper

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 13:30:00 EDT

Chicago, July 23: Shawn Johnson competes on the balance beam during the Covergirl Classic gymnastics competition. The 2011 CoverGirl Classic is the final qualifying event for the 2011 Visa Championships, which is USA Gymnastics' national championship scheduled for Aug. 17-20 in Saint Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) More »

Pole Dancer Magazine Features Kids

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST

In November, we gave you a peek at the premiere issue of Pole Spin, the magazine just for pole dancers and pole fitness enthusiasts. Today: Issue two! More »

Stick A Fork In Kerri Strug

Jessica Coen — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:20:00 EST

Happy 33rd birthday to the gymnast, who at the 1996 Olympics executed near-perfect vault while seriously injured—and with that, she secured the gold medal for the U.S. May your weekend be just as epic! (Minus the pain, obviously.) More »

The New Magazine That's Just For Pole Dancers

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:35:00 EST

Friends, this is the premiere issue of Pole Spin, "The International Pole Dance Fitness & Lifestyle Magazine." Let's take a look inside, shall we? More »

Gymnast Performs A Hair-Raising Routine

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:55:00 EST

[China, November 14: Lim Heem Wei of Singapore competes on the uneven bars during the women's gymnastics team event at the 16th Asian Games. Image via AP.]

When Will Gymnasts Realize That High Beams Are Scary As All Hell?

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:56:00 EDT

[Netherlands, October 20: Sui Lu of China performs on the beam during the women's team final of the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. China won the bronze medal. Image via AP.]

Thighlighted Gymnast Upends The Competition

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:20:00 EDT

[India, October 5: Jennifer Mbali Khwela of South Africa in action on the vault during the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Qualification during day two of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. Image via Getty.]

Getting Creative With A Hula Hoop

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:18:00 EDT

[Moscow, September 20: Cristina Francisca Bello Contreras, of Chili, performs during the Individual All-Around at the 30th Rhythmic Gymnastics world championships. Image via AP.]

Sixin Tan Takes To The Air

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:55:00 EDT

[Singapore, August 17. Sixin Tan of China in action on the Balance Beam as she competes in the Girl's Artistic Gymnastics Qualification at the Bishan Indoor Stadium on day three of the Youth Olympics. Image via Getty]

Thighlighted Gymnast Bends Over Backward

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:40:00 EDT

[Hartford, Connecticut, August 12. Rebecca Bross competes on the beam during the Senior Women's competition on day two of the 2010 Visa Gymnastics Championships. And she looks awesome. Image via Getty.]

Australian Gymnast Shows Off Balancing Act

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:50:00 EDT

[Perth, July 11. Georgia Wheeler of Victoria competes on the beam during the WAG Junior and Senior Apparatus Finals for the 2010 Australian Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Image via Getty]

Jumping Through Hoops

Anna Holmes — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:10:00 EDT

[Medellin, March 29. Image via Getty]

Tweddle Dee, Tweddle Done

Anna Holmes — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EDT

[London, October 18. Image via Getty]

I'll Tumble For Ya

Anna Holmes — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:10:00 EDT

[Copenhagen, September 30. Image via The Official White House Photostream]

Unlucky Duck Gets Orthopedic Sandal • Overuse Of IVF Due To Sexism?

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:40:00 EDT

• This poor duckling was going to be put down following an accident that left him with a fractured leg, but his owner enlisted the help of a local cobbler and ended up with an adorable corrective sandal. • More »

"It's Not Called Gym-NICE-stics"

Lindsay Robertson — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EDT

In this scene from the new-ish ABC Family scripted show about gymnasts, Make It Or Break It, two young women confront threatening street toughs the best way they know how: by doing gymnastics at them. More »

Reaching For The Rings

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:20:00 EDT

Meet Olympic hopeful Alexis Page, 13, who travels 2½ hours by bus and subway to practice rhythmic gymnastics, even though her mom was recently laid off. Asked her favorite place in New York, Alexis replied, "Barnes and Noble." [NY Times] More »

Up, And At 'Em

Anna Holmes — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:10:00 EDT

[Kaohsiung, July 21. Image via Getty]

Chinese Continue To Deny Allegations Of Age-Fudging In Women's Gymnastics

Jessica G. — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Even though the women's gymnastics competitions ended days ago, controversy is still roiling over the age of the Chinese gymnasts, specifically He Kexin and Yang Yilin. The IOC has said that there is no proof at this time that He and Yang are under 16, but that they want the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate the matter further. According to the AP, the Chinese coach, Lu Shanzan as well as He and Yang's parents are "indignant," and furthermore, Shanzan says, "They have faced groundless suspicion. Why aren't they believed? Why are their children suspected? Their parents are very angry." More »

Golden Girls: Evgeniya Kanaeva

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:50:00 EDT

Retro Sports Style: The Haircuts & Smiles Were As Uneven As A Gym Apparatus

Anna Holmes — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

We think everyone can agree that it's been an amazing two weeks of the Olympic games: Michael, Usain, Rebecca, Nastia, Shelly-Ann, Dita, Valerie, Kerri and others have both entertained and awed. And even though the games are just about four days away from ending, and the major news networks are already running (and hawking) highlight reels, we thought we'd close out the second and final week of the Summer Games with a little nostalgia of our own, namely, our own sports-related failures and triumphs...in fashion. One thing we noticed: A lot you participated in gymnastics, soccer and softball. Fewer played Little League. Even fewer, lacrosse and tennis. But all of you were awesome...and, of course, ridiculously adorable. After the jump, a few dozen of our favorite Olympics-inspired past fashion photos. More »

Shawn John And Mom Thrilled With Olympic Gold

Jessica G. — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Maybe you heard, but Shawn Johnson won gold last night in the individual balance beam competition. And we've got some clips! This first bit of footage shows the self-proclaimed "daredevil with a big smile" waving to the crowd — her mom and dad included. Her mom is crying tears of joy, and it's just about the sweetest thing imaginable, made even more poignant when the announcer says that the Johnsons mortgaged their house more than once to pay for Shawn's training. You can see a video of Shawn's winning performance here. The second clip, posted after the jump, shows Shawn on the podium accepting her gold medal. The medal ceremony music is a little cheese, but the sentiment is clearly authentic. More »

Golden Girls: Shawn Johnson

Anna Holmes — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:50:00 EDT

Butterface

Anna North — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Shawn Johnson won gold today in the balance beam, but in her home state of Iowa she received a perhaps tastier honor. The Iowa State Fair displayed her likeness carved in butter. The adorable and awesome Johnson now joins such luminaries as Elvis, John Wayne, and Harry Potter in the State Fair's pantheon of butter honorees. You can watch a slideshow of Butter Shawn's creation here, or check out more photos of the finished gymnast — and a butter American flag — after the jump. More »

Nastia Liukin Gets Silver In Olympic Uneven Bars Controversy

Jessica G. — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Last night, all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin stuck the hell out of her landing after an excellent performance on the uneven bars. She earned an execution score of 9.025 and her routine had a 7.7 start value. For those non-mathletes, Liukin's combined score was 16.725. Those three scores were absolutely identical to the scores of Chinese gymnast He Kexin, but Kexin was awarded the gold medal, while Liukin walked away with the silver. If you're anything like me and the millions of other spectators, you're probably thinking: what gives? Well! There are no ties allowed in the Olympics, and according to Sports Illustrated, in the new scoring system if a tie occurs, it is first broken by start value…which in this case was identical. Then it's broken by the deductions taken by the middle four judges…which were also identical. More »

33-Year-Old Oksana Chusovitina Wins Silver In Vault

Jessica G. — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EDT

33-year-old Uzbekistan native Oksana Chusovitina was living in her native country her son, Alisher, got leukemia. He could not get treatment in Uzbekistan or even in Moscow, so Chusovitina moved to Germany, where she had a training base. Well there's good news all around: Chusovitina, who has been in five Olympics and is a decade older than the next-oldest gymnast in Beijing, won a silver in the vault, and 9-year-old Alisher is healthy, happy and excelling in gymnastics. "I could go to London in 2012," Chusovitina said to reporters. "I will only be 37." Clip above. More »

Last Friday's Houston Chronicle profiled...

Sadie Stein — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Last Friday's Houston Chronicle profiled the silent player in women's gymnastics: the super-tight,skin-stretching ponytail. "When I'm doing my tricks, my hair doesn't whack me in the face," says 11-year-old gymnast Lindsey Stone, while other young gymnasts talk about the importance of wetting the hair, using pins and always carrying auxiliary elastics. The naif style is the bane of hairdressers. '"I have so many women who cut their hair to fit into a ponytail, and what happens is that they all look the same instead of having a style," says Austin hairdresser Allen Ruiz, who doesn't allow stylists at Jackson Ruiz Salon to wear ponytails. "It drives me crazy. These are the same people who say, 'I look terrible in short hair.' Well, I'm looking at you (in a ponytail) and you have short hair."' [Houston Chronicle] More »

This Week We Talked About Booties, Olympian And Otherwise

Jessica G. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:40:00 EDT

We're not gonna lie, there was some gawking at Olympic bods 'round these parts.
But there was also grinning at gymnasts, thrilling wins from Michael Phelps, controversies over the Chinese and Golden Girls all around.
Jennifer Love Hewitt wants you to kiss her ass. But only if it's skinny!
Speaking of ass masters, don't miss our interview with Margaret Cho.
Moddles got lost in teh soopermarket, kan no longer shop hapully.
We, however, can shop happily for Mad Men-inspired 60s duds.

Nastia Liukin And Shawn Johnson Talk Medals With Meredith On Today

Jessica G. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:20:00 EDT

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Gold and silver medalists Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson were on the Today Show this morning after they completed their winning routines. Both girls were gracious and poised, and of course, Meredith Vieira always gets points from the Jezebel judges for not being Ann Curry and actually conducting a coherent interview. Some of y'all were discussing Liukin's "bitchface" in the comments of the first post, and I want to put in my two cents. That bitchface is what's also known as "focus" and I don't understand why girlfriend has to have the smiley face disease while she's competing. She's competing. Her job is to kick ass and take names on the balance beam, not be Miss Congeniality. If she were outwardly rude that would be one thing, but her intense focus is pretty damn impressive in our book. It's not called gymNICEtics, people. More »

Golden Girls: Nastia Liukin

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:50:00 EDT

U.S. Women Win Gold, Silver In Gymnastics All-Around

Jessica G. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Nastia Liukin's gold medal win in the women's gymnastics individual competition over teammate and best buddy Shawn Johnson is part of a family history so Olympically perfect, you'd think a sports writer had invented it: 20 years ago, Nastia's dad, Valeri lost the gold medal by one-tenth of a point to his Russian countryman, Vladimir Artemev. And last night, Nastia, 18, beat 16-year-old Johnson by a mere 0.6 to win, edging her out by performing routines that had a high degree of technical difficulty with a great deal of artistry. Many commentators remarked remarked on Liukin's grace, and watching her long body float across the bar last night, you realize that even the most florid sportswriter was not exaggerating. But don't take my word for it. You can watch a video of Liukin's floor routine and check out a photo of her mid-twirl, after the jump. More »

Watching Children Compete: Olympic Gymnastics And The Age Controversy

Anna North — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:40:00 EDT

The accusations have been flying since before the Olympics began: some of the women (girls really) on the Chinese gymnastics team may be underage. After the team won gold in yesterday's final, Meghan O'Rourke took the debate to next level. In an article in today's Slate, she says that next to the Chinese team, the American girls looked, well, old. So how do even begin thinking about a sport in which twenty-one is already over the hill? More »

Golden Girls: Deng Linlin

Anna Holmes — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:50:00 EDT

Cheering For Injury

Maria — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:20:00 EDT

A new study from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reports that high school cheerleading accounts for 65.1% of all catastrophic sports injuries among girls, making it one of the most dangerous high school sports for girls. However, the study fails to mention that most girls are cut out of aggressive team sports like football and hockey, which inflates the amount of injuries in cheerleading compared to other "girl's sports." That isn't to say cheerleading isn't serious business (we've all seen Bring It On) and girls can take just as many physical risks as boys when there is a competition at stake. [LiveScience] More »

Gymnast Shawn Johnson Conquers Critics, The Balance Beam

Jessica G. — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Gymnastics is one of the most popular, and consistently controversial, sports in the summer Olympics. But, despite Buzz Bissinger's scathing New York Times column from last week decrying the many corrupt elements of gymnastics — the eating disorders, the injuries, the possibility that the Chinese are allowing underage girls to compete — if you watch Shawn Johnson's near-flawless balance beam performance in yesterday's qualifying round, all that criticism falls away. Johnson finished first in the qualifiers, and even though two members of the U.S. team were hobbled by ankle injuries (Samantha Peszek and Chellsie Memmel), the team managed to qualify in second place behind the Chinese. More »