We wrapped up our regular season of meets today with a decent showing at the "Spring Fling" at North Metro Gymnastics Center in Woodstock, about an hour north of Atlanta. Having a few weeks off for Passover took a bit of a toll on the kids, but they held it together for the most part and put together some good routines today. Of course we got stuck with the "repeat" clubs once again, so the competition was pretty stiff. But, we very much look forward to the new two division system at States that will have us competing against other first year Level 4s. We are looking forward to a great meet at the end of the month with our 10 kids who have qualified!
The big excitement today were the coaches from the other teams who were there. In OUR rotation we had former Russian Olympian and world champion (please correct me if I'm wrong, Emily), Elena Piskun coaching the Northwind team. She even knew MY name by the end of the meet! Elena looks exactly the same, just short hair and a few more pounds than she had as a 16 year old, but she was nice as can be and I was very impressed!
Coaching in the following session was former Olympian and former Parkette Hope Spivey, coaching her own club, "Spivey's" (Winder, GA) in the Pre-Op session. She looks the same as she did years ago! She has a 3 year old daughter who was there and who looks just like her. I even had an opportunity to talk to grandma and tell her I spent a fun week at camp in Allentown in my more youthful days! Big names here in Georgia gmynastics!
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You are right, she was UB world champion in 2006 . . . I found this interesting webpage about her that talks about her being asked to coach at northwinds (http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/piskun.htm)
She competed for Belarus at the Olympics (same as Bogi)
I totally forgot she was from Belarus. My weightlifting coach in Austin was on the '96 Olympic weightlifting team (Oleg Kechko) and I think he had told me that all of the Belarussian athletes trained and lived together in Minsk. I should have asked her today if she knew him! Maybe we'll see her again at States...
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