Considering 6-3-3, Gymnastics Canada probably wanted to get more specialists coming up the pipeline.  Maybe it'll work out that way eventually, but in the meantime they have to deal with a lot of belly aching.  People are complaing that this point system allowed some gymnasts to start gaining points while other gymnasts were too young.  Some gymnasts were able to get easy points in in easy meets while other gymnasts had a tough time getting points in hard meets.  Some events were easier to get points on.  

Perhaps if Vaculik hadn't wiped the mat with Damianova so embarrassingly at the Canadian Championships people wouldn't be so mad about the selection outcome.  Damianovo only managed to tie Vaculik for first on vault.  Then she only got fourth place on floor.  Meanwhile KV managed another first and two more second places.  

I haven't seen anything so far from Damianova or her coach.  What would they say?  I don't think people would want to hear anything from them that doesn't involve them stepping aside to let Vaculik compete.  Of course, Australia's Craig Stevens qualified for the Olympics in another race.  He was also paid some $60k for an exclusive deal to cover his announcement.  

Perhaps irate gym fans should put up or shut up.  Hey, people have been known to raise lotsa dough in a short time to get an athlete's family to the games.  Nothing says they can't raise dough to get an athlete to consider staying home.  

The one name looked up most at my blog so far is Ashley so I hope she knows how many fans she has out there. I wish her the best at Alabama.
Ashley Priess article

Canada named it's womens Olympic team a few days ago. Nansy Damianova and Elyse Hopfner-Hibss are the two gymnasts chosen. This is a huge injustice to poor Kristina Vaculik. She has been Canada's best AA gymnast for many years and it really is pretty sad that she won't get to go to the Olympics. That being said people need to stop picking on Nansy Damianova and blaming her for Kristina not being on the team. Nansy did her job. She got the points needed to make the team and for that reason she earned her spot. If you want to fight the injustice for Kristina fine but don't take it out on Nansy.

There is a few fans of Canadian gymnastics out there trying to change the rules after the fact which is ridiculous. I originally signed the petition (before) the team was chosen and I wish I could take my name off the petition. This is becoming a personal vendetta by some bitter fans against Nansy and I don't want to be part of that.

Germany named there Olympic team. Here is the list.
Oksana Chusovitina, Katja Abel, Marie-Sophie Hindermann, Daria Bijak, Anja Brinker and Joeline Möbius.
Alternate will be Kim Bui.

and now one of their gymnast is protesting the results. I would provide an article but they are all in German. The gist is Jim Bui's side thinks she should have made the team based on the rulesw of their federation.

Left out is 2007 Canadian champion Kristina Vaculik, a waif-like 16-year-old who is excellent on bars and beam but a bit weak on vault and floor.

Hopfner-Hibbs, who had been concentrating on her specialties (bars and beam) made an impressive return to the all-around to win the Canadian title over Vaculik and young Charlotte Mackie. Young Peng-Peng Lee was also impressive, winning the senior beam and floor titles.

Adam Wong won the Canadian men's title, although his victory was somewhat overshadowed by the continuing saga of Kyle Shewfelt, who made a media splash even though he didn't compete.

Most were betting that the two to go would be Hopfner-Hibbs, the only Canadian woman in about two decades to have won a World medal (bronze, balance beam, 2006), and Vaculik, who was sent to the Olympic venue for the Good Luck Beijing International Invitational in December.

Damianova has been viewed as no. 3 to Vaculik and Hopfner-Hibbs in international exposure, media coverage and probably readiness -- everything but the complicated, confusing system Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique installed to choose its Olympians. A month ago, Damianova led the qualifying, having racked up 32 points to Hopfer-Hibbs’ 30 and Vaculik’s 19.

Vaculik has become the first of what will undoubtedly be several women who are Olympic-caliber but will not be granted an berth to the Games because their countries didn’t qualify a full team or because the wildcard process screwed them over didn't work out for them.

We already know who many of these people are on the men’s side: Krisztian Berki, Vlasios Maras, Yuri van Gelder, Jeffrey Wammes, Philippe Rizzo, Yernar Yurimbetov and others (for full list, see Gymnastics Coaching.)

Damianova was impressive at the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships in April.

Nansy Damianova, 2008 Pacific Rim Championships, Floor Exercise:

In international news:

Kristina Vaculik will sadly not be going to Beijing for Canada. SOMEHOW, Nansy Damianova won the weirdo Canadian system of choosing their girls, meaning that HER coach and not Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs' coach (Carol-Angela Orchard, also coach of Peng-Peng Lee) will be going to Beijing with Nansy and Elyse. How screwy, I thought Elyse was ahead of Nansy. Oh well.

My thoughts on most everything that has happened recently:

• If Sac gets injured the USA is screwed.
• COME ON CHELLSIE!! You can do it!
• About the Canadian girls: as much as I like Nansy Damianova's face (she reminds me of Milo hee hee), I think Kristina Vaculik deserves the Canadian Olympic spot over her. The Canadian process of choosing the two girls gives me a headache. My opinion is that Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs is definitely going to the Olympics, barring injury of course.
• About the Aussies: Chloe Sims retired. First Hollie, now Chloe. That doesn't bode well. Is the whole team going to rest on Dasha and Lauren's shoulders? That's not cool...not cool at all.
• DRAMA: Shayla Worley's coach Jeff Wood is NOT AMUSED that Chellsie, Ashley Priess, and Bridget Sloan are gunning for Miss Shayla's Olympic spot. Up until a few weeks ago, Shayla was the only one of the USA Olympic hopefuls who could swing bars well enough to bring in a 15.50+ score, next to Nastia. Then the others caught on, and now Chellsie, Ashley, and Bridget are catching up. O NOES!!11!
• Speaking of Shayla, she's been asking for donations to help send her entire family to Beijing. Isn't it a bit premature to be asking...?
• I think Martha K. is more aware of the Chinese advantage than she makes herself out to be. The question is, is she going to go about strategizing the right way?
• Cheng Fei won almost everything at the World Cup. Yawn. Next please.

A petition to Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique, the governing body of Canadian gymnastics, has been set up here.

The fairly complicated Canadian selection process was explained well by Hopfner-Hibbs's coach Carol-Angela Orchard in an interview with International Gymnast Online last week.

Athletes also receive points for their previous World Championships experience.

A minimum standard has been set by Gymnastics Canada for each event: 13.600 on vault (average of two vaults); 15.300 on bars; 15.100 on beam; and 14.300 on floor.

The gymnasts are given Olympic Qualifying points when they hit the minimum standards in meets they are sent to around the world, plus Elite Canada and Nationals. The higher their score, the higher number of points they receive.

Related post: Nansy Damianova, Olympic hopeful

On Kristina Vaculik's floor
Mom: "The music is going too fast for her."

On Emily Little's vault
Dad: (after Tim talked about her bent knees) "Isn't it bad to land on straight knees?"

On Peng-Peng Lee:
Dad: "Is she Chinese?"

On Sam Shapiro marching:
Mom: "Why is she walking like that?"

On Darlene Hill:
Mom: "How old is she? She's so muscular!"

On Nansy Damianova:
Mom: "She's obviously Russian." (And then right after she said that, Elfi says "She's Bulgarian...")

P.S. Nansy Damianova gets brownie points in my book for wearing a poofy ponytail that reminds me of Milo circa 1995-1996. Hee hee.

Canadian world team members Kristina Vaculik and
Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs each won one event and tied for another as Elite Canada concluded Sunday in Abbotsford, B.C.

Vaculik, winner of Friday's all-around competition, vaulted a clean Yurchenko full (13.7) and an Omelianchik (13.4) to place first, ahead of Missassauga's Alyssa Brown and Gymnix Montreal's Nansy Damianova.

Vaculik continued her success on bars (clear hip full to Tkatchev, full pirouette to Gienger, double front dismount), tying Sport Seneca's Hopfner-Hibbs (Markelov, Jaeger, toe-on piked Tkatchev, double layout) with a 15.1. Ontario's Peng-Peng Lee, second in the all-around, was third with a 14.2.

On balance beam, Hopfner-Hibbs turned in a solid routine that included a McCool (front handspring) mount to immediate back tuck and a side aerial to two layout stepouts to edge Vaculik, 15.300 to 14.95. Vaculik also performed a McCool mount but wobbled on her switch leap, back tuck combination.

Hopfner-Hibbs, who won the bronze on beam at the 2006 World Championships, said she is focusing on uneven bars and balance beam leading up to the Olympic Games.

"I'm trying to use all the competitions I get to go to as preparations for Beijing," she said. "For me it's just practice."

Lee, who debuted a back handspring, tucked full combination Friday night, missed it Sunday but managed to place third with a 14.35, despite also falling on a tucked barani. Lee's 7.0 A score was the highest of any in the competition.

Undeterred, Lee turned in a clean, jazzy floor routine (full in, Arabian double front, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 twist, double pike) to take top honors ahead of Damianova and Oakville's Aisha Gerber.

Gerber, who formerly trained with Elvira Saadi at Cambridge Kips, took off five months between October 2006 and March 2007. She is now training with Kelly and Sue Manjak at Oakville Gymnastics in Ontario and said she is attempting to make the Olympic team.

"We are thinking Olympic Games," Gerber said. "That is my goal and we are building step by step toward that goal."

In the junior division, all-around runner up Ti Liu of Gymnix was the day's big winner, placing first on uneven bars (13.85) and balance beam (14.4). Kristen Klarenbach of Ortona Gymnastics in Alberta won vault (13.325), while Laurel Clouston of Salta Gymnastics in Alberta was the top competitor on floor (13.85).

2007 Canadian national champion Kristina Vaculik overcame a fall on floor exercise to take top honors in the senior women's all-around at Elite Canada, held Friday night in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Vaculik scored a 56.9 to hold off challengers Peng-Peng Lee of Seneca, Ont. and Nansy Damianova of Gymnix in Montreal. Although she overrotated her double pike on floor exercise, Vaculik said she looks at the meet as just another stepping stone to next summer's Olympic Games.

"I just came here and basically told myself to do the same thing I did in Beijing," said Vaculik, who was sixth in the all-around at the "Good Luck Beijing" International Invitational earlier this month.

Vaculik posted the highest score of the night on uneven bars with a 14.8 and balance beam with a 15.2. Lee put up a 14.6 to qualify first to Sunday's floor exercise final. Damianova, born in France to Bulgarian parents, was the top qualifier on vault with a 14.5.

2006 world championships bronze medalist Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs competed uneven bars and balance beam only. Hopfner-Hibbs matched Vaculik's 14.8 on bars and qualified third to the balance beam final with a 14.2.

Competition such as Elite Canada have taken on added importance for those vying for the Canadian women's two individual berths to the 2008 Olympic Games. (Canada finished 14th at the 2007 World Championships; the top 12 nations qualified full teams.) Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique, the governing body of the sport in Canada, has instituted a selection process through which gymnasts earn points based on their apparatus scores at national and international meets.

The two gymnasts with the highest number of points come June will be selected to represent Canada at the Olympic Games, but special consideration will be given to those who excel on one or two events, said Lise Simard, women's artistic director for Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique.

Lee, 14, had the lead going into the final rotation but faltered on balance beam, falling on a tucked barani and a front flip and balking on her dismount. She did, however, make her back handspring, back full combination, which she said she had been training for only two months.

"It didn't feel any different competing at a higher level," Lee said. "Everything felt really good. I was very confident with my performance."

Competition continues Saturday in Abbotsford with the second day of men's all around competition. The University of Calgary's Nathan Gafuik leads Ken Ikeda and Hugh Smith.

2007 Elite Canada
Dec. 14, Abbotsford, B.C.

Senior Women's All-Around
1. Kristina Vaculik (Gemini, ON) 56.900
2. Peng-Peng Lee (Sport Seneca, ON) 56.150
3. Nansy Damianova (Gymnix, QC) 56.100
4. Sydney Sawa (CalGym, AB) 53.950
5. Aisha Gerber (Oakville, ON) 53.900
6. Emma Willis (Bluewater, ON) 53.750
7. Alyssa Brown (Mississauga, ON) 53.600