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Tag: gymnast

  • McKayla Maroney To Appear On Episode of “Bones”

    Olympic gold medalist, McKayla Maroney, went into the audition for a character on Bones while having a severe sore throat and not having rehearsed her lines. She never dreamed that she would land the part, but she did and will be appearing on tonight’s episode.

    “I had strep throat when I went in. I didn’t know my lines or anything!” Maroney told TVGuide.com. “I kind of just winged it. I honestly had no idea how I did. … So when I got the part, I was so excited.”

    Her character is obviously a gymnast, and is the prime suspect in her rival’s murder. “The plot is so crazy,” Maroney said. “It’s funny because a lot of people have been tweeting me, ‘I always knew she was a little dangerous. Of course she’d go in for this. Of course she’s a suspect.’”

    Even though her character is a gymnast on the show, this opportunity called for Maroney to show off more of her acting skills rather than the gymnastics that she is know for.

    “I probably would’ve done some vaulting, but they didn’t have any set up for the level that I am. They were all for younger gymnasts,” she says. “It’s more acting-based. I had to do gymnastics, like I did a round of handspring layouts, which I do every day in the gym and isn’t hard for me to do. But it was very hard for me to be ready to do gymnastics and then be ready to act. I would do a tumbling pass and then have to talk. But that’s how it’s supposed to be, like I’m in the gym and it’s OK if I’m out of breath. It was an amazing experience. I had so much fun. Everyone was so nice.”

    Maroney doesn’t say whether or not her character is guilty, but she does say that she can definitely relate to her. “She wants to be the best, which I can relate to, and [Amanda] was her top competition. When this happens, she’s scared and freaked out,” Maroney said. “The weird thing is, when I was on set, it was really emotional because a little part of you thinks, ‘What if this happened at my gym?’ It’s scary.”

    To see Maroney in action, watch tonight’s episode of Bones at 8/7c on Fox.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Rhythmic Gymnastics Judges Caught in Cheating Scandal

    Around Olympics time there are plenty of jokes about judges favoring certain countries, but a new scandal that is rocking the gymnastics world is no joke. A massive cheating scandal has hit the world of rhythmic gymnastics this week.

    According to a New York Times report, the alleged cheating implicates as many as 60 “experts” from the world of rhythmic gymnastics. The suspected cheaters included people being tested for judging qualifications for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and those administering the tests. The allegations stem from “hundreds of pages” from an International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) investigation of the cheating obtained by the Times.

    The cheating allegedly occurred in late 2012 in Europe. The cheating itself was a series of unskilled attempts to influence the results of tests. Specific examples given by the times include copied answers from a test in Bucharest, Romania; over 100 answers changed on tests in Moscow, Russia; and over 250 answers changed on tests in Alicante, Spain. Other evidence of cheating included mysterious “bonus points” and one test that had two different handwriting styles on it.

    One “top Olympic official” has been expelled, according to the Times report, and six other officials have been suspended. The suspended officials will not be allowed to oversee gymnastic competitions in the future.

    One of the suspended officials is Caroline Hunt, the rhythmic gymnastics program director for USA Gymnastics. The organization has said that they and Hunt plan to appeal the decision.

    FIG is planning on a do-over for the tests. The new tests will be taken in Frankfurt and supervised by top officials.

    (image courtesy cdephotos/Wikimedia Commons)

    (via New York Times)

  • 86-Year-Old Gymnast Dominates the Parallel Bars

    This viral video from Mainz, Germany will put you to shame for ever complaining about growing old. Take a tip from 86-year-old retiree Johanna Quass, who has stayed healthy in her senior years by practicing daily on the parallel bars.

    She has won 11 medals in the German senior citizen championships, and by the looks of it, she could win a few outside of the senior games.

    This video captured at the Cottbus Challenger Cup gymnastic competition shows Quaas performing a full planche on the bars, a move where you hold your body parallel to the bars while supporting yourself with your arms alone. This advanced move would be difficult for a gymnast half her age. I doubt most non-gymnasts can do it regardless of age or sex.

    In her floor exercise routine she does handstands, cartwheels, and rolls with ease.

    The two YouTube videos of her performances have accumulated over two million views a piece in a little over a week. She has been causing quite a stir, being featured in articles from msnbc to Mashable.

    Quaas has given up competitive gymnastics, not because she can no longer do it, but because she got tired of winning all the time. “I want to give the others a chance too.” she said to German television station MDR. She no longer has anyone her age to compete with, most of the people in her group are in their 70’s or younger.

    Though she has retired from gymnastics and the demonstrations at the Cottbus Challenger Cup were just for fun, she is getting more media attention than most professional gymnasts ever get. She has had to hire a media agent in Berlin to handle a recent onslaught of interview requests.

    And I can’t even touch my toes…