Kathryn Mahoney update (February 2012)

Hi, all. One of the biggest searches I see in my stats is for Kathryn Mahoney updates. I'm sure most of you remember her horrible accident while training vault for MSU in December 2010. In fact, I did quite a bit of Googling myself, trying to find out how she's doing, but there wasn't much information available.

So I spent about an hour carefully crafting the most tactful email I could possibly put together, making it clear that my blog is not monetized so driving traffic is of little consequence to me, and that I am not seeking an interview with Kathryn—only an update on her progress and health. I sent it to MSU gymnastics, and left it at that. If they responded, great. If not, I was not going to bug them or pry. There's a fine line between seeking information and being tacky, and it was very important to me to stay on the side of expressing compassion and grace.

I'm giving this long explanation for a few reasons. One, I'm not going to hide where it came from to try to present myself as some kind of "insider". On the (very) rare occasion that someone tells me something new and asks me not to say where it came from, I respect that, but I'm not going to pretend I'm all "in" with anyone. If I want to know something, I go to the source and ask.

Two, because I don't want to downplay the care I put into tactfully requesting information, lest someone think, "Wow, all you have to do is ask!? That's easy! Now who can I harass for information?" You know what I mean? I want it to be clear that I'm not just shooting off emails to gymnastics programs all willy-nilly like some kind of sad Lois Lane, intrepid reporter wannabe. Tact and grace go a long way, and while most people know that, I don't want to be the asshole who inspired one moron (it only takes one!) to start hunting down injured gymnasts.

Anyway—that's a lot of explanation for a simple post. Moving on.

Kathie Klages was kind enough to respond, and here is what she said (with Kathryn's permission):

"Kathryn returned to MSU in August to complete her chemical engineering degree.  She took one class and one independent study.  She is taking 11 credits this semester including the completion of the independent study.  One class she is enrolled in is wheel chair basketball.  She has also teamed up with our men’s tennis coach for some wheel chair tennis.  She enjoys both activities. 

 

During the semester break Kathryn took driver’s training and passed the course.  She is anxious to get her own car so that she can be even more independent.  She has not missed a MSU home gymnastics meet this season.  She stills loves her sport and realizes that many of the life lessons she learned in gymnastics have helped her manage her situation.

 

We are still taking donations for the Kathryn Mahoney fund.  Thanks for any help you can give in that area.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kathie Klages"

If you haven't decided where to focus your charitable giving budget this year, I strongly encourage you to consider the Kathryn Mahoney fund. Information about the fund is available HERE. Funds will be used to support Kathryn's continued recovery.

I'm so glad for Kathryn that she's finding ways to channel her energy and talents, and that she's been able to regain some of her independence by learning to drive herself and re-enrolling in classes. What an inspiration.

Will Wieber make a go at the 2014 Winter Olympics?

That's the impression that I got from this headline:

That's almost as much fun as the Skating and Gymnastics Craptacular press release that reported about Nastia's silver AA medal in Beijing. I'm sure she was THRILLED to see that.

2012--Year of the Sports Comeback?

Okay, I typically avoid anything FOX-related, aside from a few select television programs, but there is a Fox Sports article featured on the MSN homepage today about sports comebacks in 2012, and I had a feeling some of our girlies would get a shout-out, which they did. It's only a small shout-out, but with the Olys right around the corner, I think all of the "athletes to watch" across all sports are interesting to read about, so I figured I'd link it.

Of course, as for the gymnasts, it's only Nastia and Shawn who got any mention, but there's an excellent chance that we're going to see at least half of the 2008 team fighting for a 2012 spot. Bridget Sloan is presumably still gunning for London, and I've heard that Samantha Peszek is, as well. My instinct tells me that Chellsie Memmel is done now, but you know what? Do not ever count that woman out. Seriously. And of course, there's Sac, who has every intention of fighting for her place, too.

Year of the comeback, indeed.

Useless Speculation

Hi. I'm bored, so I've been picking the Olympic team. You know--the one that won't actually be selected for seven months, and for which we have no idea who will be healthy/upgraded/ready. That one. I'm assuming Nastia to be ready only on beam and bars, but if she has a floor ready, too, then I guess that could change things a bit. I'm also assuming that Sac is NOT upgraded because of her injury. Anyway--it's my useless speculation, so take it and like it.

Here's my team:

Vault: Raisman; Wieber; Maroney 

         Back-up: Bross (I don't love this)

Bars: Wieber; Bross; Nastia 

         Back-up: Maroney

Beam: Nastia; Bross; Wieber 

          Back-up: Raisman

Floor: Bross; Wieber; Raisman   

          Back-up: Maroney

Alternates: Ross; Sac; Douglas

Tell me what you think. Am I headed in the right direction, considering that for all we know there could be injuries or failed comebacks in the next few months (please, no)? Or am I batshit crazy? Tell me what you think. I'm sure this list will evolve.

Fifo's Christmas wishlist

Dear Santa,

It's been awhile, old friend. I haven't written you since I was eleven--um, er, uh, eight or nine years old. Yes; eight or nine. Perfectly reasonable Santa-believin' ages. Ahem.

Anywho...

I have to tell you, I've been AWESOME this year. I got good grades, made the Dean's List, and graduated from school. I made and personally delivered an entire person. And I kept my room--and the rest of the house--tidy all summer, until Baby Fifo was born and all hell--um, heck--broke loose.

So I've been thinking, and I feel like I'm well within the bounds of reason to make a few teensy-weensy Christmas requests. Hear me out! I make these requests on behalf of gym fans and fellow bloggers everywhere! I'm being, like, selfless or something.

So here goes:

1.) I'd like, above all else, an injury-free 2012 for gymnasts everywhere. It's an Olympic year, you know, and while I am always in favor of zero-injuries, next year will mean a lot not only to the fans, but to the athletes. Let the landings be soft and steady and the twists be fully rotated.

2.) Let Bruno Grandi get voted out of his post as head of the FIG. It's time for some new blood, someone who actually listens and "gets" it. I nominate Spanny Tampson.

3.) Let all EF and AA medalists succeed without falls. I think this is reasonable. We had some very exciting EFs at Worlds, and I'd love to see that same kind of tension--and then some--at the Olympics.

4.) Let the AA field in London be both worthy and unbroken. Well, okay, let everyone who makes the teams be worthy and unbroken. But what I mean is, let's see those AA medals be hard fought for by gymnasts who are at their very best. It would be awesome to see an AA final where the gold medal could reasonably go to any one of several athletes instead of just an obvious two. And let the results be close.

5.) May coverage of major meets continue to increase in both volume and accessibility. It's definitely better than it was a decade ago, and I'd like to see more and more meets receive real coverage over the next few years. And I'm talking live coverage here. Rewatching it later on NBC is a nice treat, but we want to see the action while it's happening. Ya' got that, fatass?


So rather than get greedy, I'm going to cut it off here. Thanks in advance, and feel free to throw in a few stocking stuffers (I have my eye on a nice return to the three-per-country EF rule) if you're so inclined.

With Warmest Regards,

Jen


Okay, so I'm aware that several bloggers have done lists like these. I had this half finished before I realized it, and I did not feel like coming up with something else, so...yeah. But I intentionally didn't read the other posts when I saw their titles because I make it a point not to copy other people's shit, so any similarities are unintentional. I know Blythe did one for Universal Sports, and I think I saw at least one other. I'll link it if I come across it again. Now I'm off to read Blythe's. :)

Know a Coach--Vanessa Atler

I know that all of my Know a Coach segments in the past have been about current elite coaches. However, Vanessa was kind enough to take time out of her day to talk to me about her careers both as an athlete and as the team coach at Gymnastics Unlimited, and her thoughts and ideas are so refreshing that I think she's perfect for this. So the format is a little different, but I'd like to hit a few little tid bits of our conversation.

1.) Vanessa believes strongly in putting the mental and physical well-being of her athletes ahead of progression, although she values hard work and focus, too.

2.) She choreographs all of her girls' floor routines herself. Although they are free to bring in their own choreographers, they've all trusted her.

3.) The staff page on Gymnastics Unlimited lists her favorite events as "the Balance Beam and Uneven Bars". With a laugh, she said that that is totally untrue and was just a simple mistake, and her favorites are actually floor and vault. Floor is her favorite to coach.

4.) She got her start coaching just a few years after the 2000 Olympics, leading recreational and Mommy & Me classes.

5.) She gets more nervous at competitions than her girls do. She coaches levels 4-9, and says that, "It's just nerve-wracking for me the entire time. That's all I am is nervous. And it's one of the things I struggle with as a coach, because you know the kids, they really want to see you calm and that's what I wanted to see in my coaches. I get so nervous for them! I don't know what it is. I mean, it can be a level four competition and I'm just like, 'Please do what you do at practice!' That's all I'm thinking. And I just want them to be happy and do well."

6.) She loves coaching athletes with positive attitudes, and believes that coaching plays a huge role in developing an athlete's mental strength and outlook.

7.) If she could claim credit for coaching one current elite, she says she'd choose, "Shawn Johnson, just because she's so, I think, grounded and probably mentally--at least the things she says to kids and media-- very grown-up and very mature, and [she's] just a great role model. And I think besides her gymnastics, which is probably my favorite just by how she tumbles, and just the way that she does her stuff, I love that she looks happy out there."

8.) She likes watching videos and montages of her competitions on Youtube, and has watched even the tougher ones many times.

9.) She has definite opinions on how things are run and who should take over when/if Martha retires.

10.) She has many fond memories of her competitive days, and now has an adult perspective on the hard times at the end of her career. She blames no one, and wants to be remembered as a good person and a gifted athlete who was a National Champion and a Goodwill Games winner; not as the girl who didn't make the Olympics. She no longer sees herself that way, and wants to help make positive changes to the sport.


So that's a very small taste of what we talked about. I'm working on a full-length article, but I thought you might enjoy a sampling of where Vanessa is and what she's up to. She could not have been more gracious or open and honest, and I really enjoyed listening to her tell her story. Once I have the full article written, I'll let you know where you can read it. :)

Merry Christmas, all!

Nastia training update

There was a piece on NBC in Dallas this morning on Nastia's training for 2012. There's quite a bit of training footage, though not really anything new. Same bars dismount and the like. It looks like she's keeping the music and at least some of the floor routine she showed us at that Skating & Gymnastics craptacular thing last year.

I was impressed that the reporter actually seemed to know what he was talking about. Instead of proclaiming that Nastia will be on the Olympic team, he apparently actually understood that she's not a lock, and he even talked about how the team is smaller/harder to make now. They showed Becca on bars for a few seconds, too.

It's really nothing new, but it's worth a watch.