tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76899036309921573912024-03-13T00:45:25.453-04:00Welcome to GymfangoFan opinions
on rhythmic gymnastics (also available <a href="http://ludafenka.blogspot.com">на български</a>)Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-450349787524495832021-08-05T13:42:00.008-04:002021-08-05T13:45:06.983-04:00Life Is Unfair and So Is Gymnastics. Can Linoy Prove Me Wrong?<p>The 2020 Olympics are about to begin. In the battle for the individual medal, Linoy Ashram from Israel and Alina Harnasko from Belarus receive another opportunity to compete against the Averini sisters. Perhaps Boryana Kaleyn from Bulgaria and Anastasia Salos from Belarus can hope for a medal, too. Sure, it is great to go to the Olympics and have a shot at the top 3. But we are all going in with the knowledge that one Averina will likely win gold. This knowledge certainly makes the competition less exciting and from the perspective of the gymnasts, there must be other motivating factors that keep them going. Like being loved by audiences around the world, competing at an exciting Olympics and just getting better than yourself at what you do.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2M9r3PaZmwU/YQwfWp4iiYI/AAAAAAAAfoY/ntxf5KGQpjgmHPq2mRpXqBoZahTz39IbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s715/linoy2.PNG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="715" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2M9r3PaZmwU/YQwfWp4iiYI/AAAAAAAAfoY/ntxf5KGQpjgmHPq2mRpXqBoZahTz39IbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h190/linoy2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>I admire Dina and Arina for what they have achieved. They showcase routines with tremendous difficulty and they work extremely hard. They have all the qualities of a champion. But if we had a meaningful Code of Points and fair judging, gymnasts like Linoy and Alina (or Vlada from Ukraine who we will miss so much!) would have been able to have more than "a chance for gold if mistakes from Dina and Arina happen and if someone bothers to notice."Surprises happen at Olympic Games more than at other competitions. Surprises, in the individual final in rhythmic, are the best thing we can hope for. <p></p><p>If I had to predict the top spots, though, I would still bet on Dina or Arina for the medals. Here are my predictions:</p><p><b>Top three: </b>Dina, Arina, Linoy</p><p><b>Following:</b> Harnasko, Salos, Kaleyn</p>The most interesting part of the competition will take place after 6th place. Who will join the top gymnasts in the final and make the top 10? Here I see chances for a number of gymnasts starting with the two Italians, the Ukrainians, Zohra from Azerbaijan, Taseva from Bulgaria, and Laura Zeng from the United States. While I wish them all good luck, my preferences would be for Milena Baldassari (ITA), Zohra Aghamirova (AZE), Laura Zeng (USA) and Khrystyna Pohranychna (UKR).<div><br /></div><div>Let's hope that this competition will be surprisingly fair and fairly surprising.</div>Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-69131299358427512312020-03-08T20:01:00.003-04:002020-03-08T20:03:13.393-04:00First Medal for Evita Griskenas in 2020Evita Griskenas, one of the most talented gymnasts in the US, just won a bronze with ball at the Grand Prix in Brno this Sunday. She is extremely elegant and has previously earned both spots in finals at prestigious international tournaments and the attention of both experts and fans.<br />
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This is a gymnast who shows off her own style with every step on the carpet, aims to execute perfectly every time, and also seeks to improve for the next event where she participates.<br />
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While Laura Zeng has been the long-standing leader of team USA, Evita is a team member that any coach can dream to have, a strong competitor, who rarely falters at important competitions and continuously shows promise for the future. Congratulations to Evita and her coachers, keep dazzling us, keep moving forward, keep bring medals home!<br />
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-81745101220396880942019-09-18T22:18:00.000-04:002019-09-18T22:18:18.987-04:00Elegance, Your Name is Milena<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have watched gymnastics for more than three decades now. I have experienced some high and many low moments as a fan. Sometimes the athletes and coaches you admire disappoint you. Sometimes the judges cruelly deprive the best of what they deserve. Sometimes a talented person chooses not to develop her talent further. Sometimes you watch what you considered a future star turn into a mediocre person with heavy make up and lots of plastic surgery. It isn't easy to be a fan, believe me, it's actually hard work. I struggle with it all and there are times when I am about to give up.You have to keep your heart open and keeping expecting the best of people. You have to let go when disappointment settles in. You have to deeply appreciate beauty and never let go of hope. </div>
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For the last couple of years I have watched the Averini sisters run around the carpet fast and perform with no regard to the music whatsoever. I have watched them get high scores with major errors and I have watched them come out in kitschy leotards and do element after element, not cleanly, but cleanly enough to win. Every time. I was about to give up on rhythmic gymnastics and think that we are doomed to see the same movements and style again, and again, and again.</div>
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But then, Milena Baldassari stepped on the carpet. Honestly, she's the reason I am staying a fan now. She is that ray of light I needed in order to believe this sport is still worth it. Because she is different in her elegance and elegant in her difference from others. She brings her own style and expression, she moves and lives with the music, she glides from one element to the next. She looks as though all of her movements come from a fairy tale about elegance</div>
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All I want to do now is wish her the best of health and luck and say: Milena, you will one day receive the medals you have already deserved. People who make a difference eventually receive recognition. You are supremely talented and you have chosen to try to compete with yourself: to become better. That choice is all that matters. For someone as gifted as you, the rest is a matter of time.</div>
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-84259495310578896672019-08-18T12:34:00.001-04:002019-08-18T12:38:09.202-04:00Bulgaria's Golden Team Deserves More and They Aren't the Only OnesThe Bulgarian team won a much deserved gold in the mixed group routine today. But we all saw that the judging in the all around and ball final was not great. While fans are not experts, fans <span style="color: red;">are</span> the heart of this sport. If nobody watched gymnastics, gymnastics would not exists. And if fans watch a routine with mistakes that gets an unexpectedly high score, fans have every right to feel indignation and anger.<br />
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I write about the issues with judging here not because I like certain gymnasts more than others. I have always written heartfelt and inspired posts here, not just about Bulgarians but about gymnasts Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Israel, South Korea, USA, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and many other countries. Even about gymnasts from countries that do not have a strong tradition in gymnastics, like South Africa, Australia or Argentina. But I am getting really tired of watching teams make serious mistakes and still win medals. The Bulgarian team has tremendous difficulty built into their routines. When they perform cleanly, they should not be outscored by teams with mistakes. The situation is very simple and the injustice is visible for all of the fans. I would imagine that the gymnasts themselves want to win fairly, not receive medals from "gifts" from judges, as fairness is the fundamental principal of athletic competition.<br />
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Many fans, myself included, are also getting tired of the sisters Averini making drops, stumbling on pivots, and wiping the carpet with the ribbon, only so as to win another gold. We have fantastic gymnasts like Linoy Ashram and Katya Galkina who have routinely been prevented from winning gold when they deserve it. The truth is that if we want fans in this sport to still enjoy it, all of this should stop. These comments don't mean that Dina and Arina are not wonderful gymnasts. They are. But if they want to continue to earn the admiration and respect of fans, they need to win fairly and be scored fairly. Just like everyone else.<br />
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Sports should be an opportunity for those who are <u>the best</u> to win, not a place where scheming and machinations among judges determines the winner. If the interpretation of the code of points or the code itself results in unfair treatment, we need to revise the code to make our sport attractive and loved by the viewers, rather than mocked and despised because of constant drama related to judging. It should not be that hard to see those who are the best take the podium!Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-85031995161768303842019-08-09T13:47:00.001-04:002019-08-10T15:56:18.364-04:00In the Cloud<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After my ex-husband Alex passed away in 2017, his parents insisted
on bringing some of his things to my apartment so our daughter Nadia could use
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got a lot of blankets and
pillow cases, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>notebooks he bought, but
didn’t use, from back in college, some kitchenware, even boxes of old pasta
from his kitchen. Two of my friends helped me move the stuff, which was packed
in thrash bags, to my one-bedroom apartment. One of my friends exclaimed: you need
his old soap holders?! I didn’t, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But my daughter Nadia declared that we should not throw out anything
because the things were “soaked with daddy’s love.” She had obviously heard her
grandparents talk about his possessions in that manner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I kept some things for a while and
eventually convinced her that donating them would be better than keeping them
in storage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the time it did not occur to me to ask about the technology
Alex had used daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Months later I
learned there were laptops, a hard drive, and other equipment which he
purchased with his company’s funds. His business partner tried to retrieve it
and wipe out any client data that certainly had been on it. For a business that
provided security and identity management services, this seemed like a natural and
logical thing to do. But nobody seemed to know where Alex’s laptops were. Then,
I got a report filed with the probate court with regard to Alex’s estate. The
report said that it was not clear where any of the technology was presently
located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had previously received
emails and texts from Alex (creepy, I know), but thought maybe his parents who
are using his old iPhone had sent those by accident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After hearing, now on official paperwork for probate purposes,
that the laptops had been lost, I thought about the hundreds of hours Alex
spent, for work and for leisure, using these laptops. I thought about my
daughter’s birth certificate, our medical records, tax returns, copies of old
passports, pictures from trips together, recordings from theater performances:
it was all there. I also thought about how much Alex valued the security of his
personal information. In a way, I could not help but think that a part of Alex
himself had stayed with those machines, especially given his work as a software
architect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I chose to fight for finding the laptops and
destroying the data that was on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
daughter heard me speak about destroying the laptops and once again said they
contained her dad’s love. She felt sad, so I asked Alex’s brother to provide
one of the laptops for her to use after cleaning out the data (he seemed to
have now found it). The response was that a 6-year old had no business
using a laptop. Instead of trying to explain this statement to Nadia, I did
something we often forget to ask others (or even ourselves). I asked her: what
do you want? “I want to have the computer daddy had when he was a child.” In
response to this, a dear friend found, in his grandma’s basement, an old laptop
he had received when he was 9. He gifted it to Nadia (picture below). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">So, I said: this would have been the kind of laptop daddy would
have used as a child if he had one. (It doesn’t matter that he actually didn’t.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I kept moving with trying to figure out where the computers
were. At some point during this ordeal, Alex’s sister in law from Texas proposed
the solution she could think of: we find the laptops and we shoot them with
guns at her parents’ ranch<span style="color: red;">. </span>I thought about Alex,
whose LinkedIn profile headline used to read “Identity Management Guru” and I
thought about how he really did spend more time with his laptops than he did
with his relatives. And now, his laptops were about to get shot with a gun at a
ranch in Texas. The irony, the laughter
and tears that this image brought to me are hard to describe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to describe them only because that is
the only thing we have left to do in this life: describe to others how we
really feel. After we are gone, that might just be all we have left them to remember.
You may say, who cares? Does anything remain from us in
the things we used and in what we created? Do we remain conserved in the things
we touch? Are our possessions truly soaked with our love? Or is everything
already perhaps “in the cloud”? Does a piece of us live on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I did think about all of that as I pursued the legal battle
and demanded that the the laptops and the data be destroyed. Here was I,
trying to comfort a 6-year old and trying to figure out how $8K worth of
property somehow got lost and why messages were coming to me from a dead person's account. I was in the midst of all of this, when someone had just proposed that we shoot
at the problem. And that is when it hit me, pun intended,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the proverbial “moment of clarity” just like
in that song by Jay-Z.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Yes, sometimes we forget to ask ourselves what we want, but we
also forget what we are fighting against and that is important. It hit me that I am in a rather absurd fight: fighting with legal paper against someone's lack of desire to do what is right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But while some people around the world have to fight against corruption,
violence, hunger, and disease, I think all of us are stuck with something much worse: choosing whether to fight against a combination of ignorance, lack of attention, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>carelessness, a desire to always take the “easy
way out,” untrustworthiness, indifference, and thoughtlessness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Guns do not really fight this kind of thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Words do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-5393119770348824052019-08-04T19:05:00.001-04:002019-08-04T19:05:39.569-04:00The Ever So Elegant Evita Griskenas Wins the Pan American GamesA very promising gymnast with unique style has won the all around this year's Pan American Games in rhythmic gymnastics. She also grabbed the gold with ball and hoop and is competing with ribbon and clubs tomorrow. Her main competitors included the new Canadian star, Katherine Uchida, the Brazilians Barbara Domingos Natalia Gaudio, her teammate Camilla Feeley and a young gymnast from Argentina who has shown great potential, Sol Feinberg.<br />
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"Elegance" would be the first word that comes to mind when you see Evita. But also: a gymnast with polished classical lines, musicality, apparatus technique and charisma.<br />
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Born to Lithuanian parents, who were both athletes, Evita Griskenas comes to the US national team from Chicago-based North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center. In 2015, she became the US Junior National Champion and placed 3rd at the Moscow Grand Prix Junior International Tournament.<br />
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As a senior, Evita placed 7th in the team competition at the World Championships in Sofia and advanced to the all-around finals where she dazzled with beautiful performances and a great personal presence on the carpet.<br />
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Evita is coached by Natalia Klimouk and Angelina Yovcheva.<br />
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She has received ballet training from a very young age with Russian, Bulgarian and Cuban professionals.<br />
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I have no doubt that Evita will continue to place among the top 10 in the world if she will continue to show more original and memorable routines. <br />
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She fully deserves to be among the world's elite and in contest for the medals at large international tournaments.<br />
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Although Evita is less experienced than her powerful teammate on the national team, Laura Zeng, Evita, who is only 18, is already standing out among the world elite with her personal style.<br />
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I think her continuous participation will bring competition and improvement in the American team as a whole, and I really hope that her performances and achievements will inspire many girls in the Americas to try to follow in her footsteps.<br />
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Congratulations to everyone on the US team on their great work and fantastic potential!<br />
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-90476245436018598872019-07-04T10:23:00.002-04:002019-07-04T15:24:28.776-04:00Laura Zeng Has Returned: Ready and ConfidentLaura Zeng from the United States has returned confidently on the carpet after a suspension due to the use of a prohibited substance. In the 2019 season, she showed she kept in good form and worked to meet the next challenge with difficulty and originality.<br />
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While prohibited substance use happens rarely in rhythmic gymnastics, the federations and communities may consider why it should happen at all and whether the substances used really have a significant effect on performance at all, in a sport where success does not depend on strength or speed.<br />
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When Kabaeva, Tchachina and then Peycheva received suspensions in the early 2000s, they returned with confidence as well but it was a pity they lost time away from competition.</div>
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Coaches and team doctors alike should look out for substances that may turn out to be an issue but that people commonly take for very banal problems, such as a cold.</div>
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In Laura's case, she was ready to become a permanent contender for finals and secure a spot in the world's top 8, which she fully deserves. She has shown that she is back with both glamour and ambition and I hope she can resume this great position in the world elite.</div>
Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-39386262287908772082019-05-22T13:59:00.000-04:002019-05-22T13:59:40.042-04:00Boryana Kaleyn Faces New Challenges Following Her Amazing European Championship PerformanceThe new leader of the Bulgarian team, Boryana Kaleyn, took two bronze medals with ball and ribbon at the EC in Baku. In her interviews for Bulgarian TV, she shared that the week following the championship will be very challenging for her because her "matura," exams, which take place during the last year of high school, are coming up.<br />
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She has been studying for these exams while also preparing for a very strong performance at the EC. A high school senior, Boryana placed ahead of gymnasts who are 6-7 years older and much more experienced than her, including her teammate, the Olympian Vladinova, who is 25.</div>
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Boryana truly is one of the most hard-working and determined athletes in Bulgaria and I am sure she will shine in everything she does, from school to sports, to her personal hobbies and aspirations.</div>
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We are fortunate to have her on a team that really needs new ideas and originality in order to defend a proud and beautiful gymnastics tradition. Go Boryana!</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-32197462535823577102019-04-22T03:17:00.001-04:002019-04-22T03:20:09.123-04:00Captain of Bulgarian Group Simona Dyankova Can Rock on Any Carpet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Photography:Dimo Dimov</b></div>
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We have all seen her leap in the year behind her teammates but do you remember her as an individual gymnast? I wrote about her along time ago here: <a href="https://ludafenka-en.blogspot.com/2011/01/beautiful-young-gymnast-from-bulgaria.html.">https://ludafenka-en.blogspot.com/2011/01/beautiful-young-gymnast-from-bulgaria.html.</a></div>
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At first I was skeptical about her move to the group. This is a gymnast who always adds her own interpretation to every movement and, with those touches, can make a routine memorable, but groups are about uniformity and harmony, not rock-star individual stage presence. I thought she would stand out with her own style and not look like the other four girls, to put it simply. Now that she has been with the group for a while, I think her place as leader of the group has made a significant impact on the entire national team, an impact she may not have had the chance to make before. She raises everyone's spirit and pushes for a more expressive style. I think the others on the team perform more boldly under her guidance and contagious example. </div>
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Being part of the group exercise does not work smoothly for everyone and many top performers retire due to the internal politics of their federation because they don't "break through" as an individual competitor, or at least not as quickly as their coaches expect. The group is not some kind of second chance, though; it is simply a different challenge and a choice to commit and contribute to a shared goal.</div>
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While Simona had a lot of potential to bring her gymnastics to the next level as an individual as she's a true actress and a diva of dance and expression, all the personal sacrifices she has made to be part of the group are definitely well worth it. She has become the leading athlete in a dream team and is participating in performances that will leave a mark on the history of the sport.</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-9281032618230273612019-04-18T09:36:00.000-04:002019-04-19T12:55:38.621-04:00The Bulgarian Group Shines and Amazes, the Individuals: Not So Much<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This spring at the World Cup in Sofia, the Bulgarian group has made everyone rise on their feet and jump with joy and pride. Both of their routines have been amazing, but especially the clubs and hoop routine.</div>
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The Bulgarian group also replaced Eli Bineva with the former individual competitor Erika Zafirova and it handled this challenge gracefully. As the group won the all around gold and despite some mistakes in the finals, it truly dazzled.</div>
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Last year the group began its journey to writing history in the sport of rhythmic gymnastics with a ground-breaking, high-speed 5-hoop routine, which showcased a lot of risk and a musical interpretation from another level.</div>
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This year, both the 5-ball routine and the mixed routine have risen to the same level.</div>
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I just can't help but wish that the individuals attempted a complex choreography of the same scale and effort. Unfortunately, although Boryana Kaleyn's routines have some original and wonderfully choreographed parts, these routines are not there yet. As for the Vladinova and Taseva routines, I have felt that they just don't "shine" this season.</div>
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While the gymnasts are not in top form yet, I think many fans expected that Taseva and Vladinova will both truly represent the Bulgarian style. A style and choreography that makes you say: wow, this is different.</div>
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Not this season, but perhaps soon, as Kaleyn matures into the exciting gymnast and superb athlete she can become.</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-6935237412372566522018-09-30T16:48:00.001-04:002018-09-30T16:48:43.352-04:00An Unforgettable Routine to a Song with a Life Lesson<span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkRuimfO2Kg" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Alexandra Agiurgiuculese</span></a> </span>from Italy made history with her bronze medal on ball set to the song "Zaidi Zaidi.'<br />
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This is an original, difficult, and provocative routine where everything from the choice of leotard to do risky tosses and the harmony with the music works together into a memorable performance.</div>
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For those who wonder, the lyrics of the song discuss the idea of time and youthful experiences and stress how our younger years will not come back:</div>
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<i>Set, set, clear sun, go dark.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And you, clear moon, set, drown.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Cry, forest, cry, sister, so we cry together<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>You cry or your leaves, and I cry for my youth.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Your leaves, sister, will come back,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>My youth, forest sister, won’t come back.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Alexandra's work and her evocative performance definitely reinforce the hidden meaning we can read into these lyrics which is: our days on Earth are counted, so make all the risky moves you can make, go into all the jumps and turns, and throw yourself into life.</span></div>
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For everyone who watched Alexandra's coach, Spela Dragas, who literally jumped with joy after the score came out, I think the lesson about being joyful and enjoying life has come through very clearly.</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-86265766949497882182018-08-13T20:45:00.003-04:002018-08-13T20:45:54.946-04:00Maria Petrova Still Has the Upper HandI found a funny video from an internal competition in Bulgaria which shows Maria Petrova catching a wondering ribbon from her desk as a judge. Next to her, the other Bulgarian three time-world champion, Maria Gigova (in the middle), is trying to not to get hit with the falling ribbon. Silvia Miteva is laughing next to her.<br />
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The video is available here: <a href="https://www.sportal.bg/my_video.php?video=109538">https://www.sportal.bg/my_video.php?video=109538</a>.Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-7040529174963125562018-08-12T18:21:00.001-04:002018-08-12T18:21:07.297-04:00Kamelia Dunavska Creates Breath-Taking Routines for TurkeyThe amazing Bulgarian coach Kamelia Dunavska is now coaching the Turkish team. Known for risky elements, natural elegance and grace, Kamelia always delivers te best surprises when working with both individual gymnasts and groups.<br />
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The Turkey rhythmic group can show a lot of creativity and potential now:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/100000189366490/posts/2321362667880023" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/100000189366490/posts/2321362667880023</a><br />
Two Bulgarians might be joining the Turkish team if they obtain the required paperwork. This will cetainly be a feat of beauty, bravery and talent.<br />
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You don't need a Facebook log-in to watch this dynamic, powerful hoop routine, so please do.Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-12943985506586401152018-02-15T19:13:00.001-05:002018-02-15T19:26:17.888-05:00The New Bulgarian Hoop Routine Will Blow Your MindIf we go all the way back to the 1960s, when the triple world champion <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5EDaBppozE">Maria Guigova </a>entered the world podium with a hoop routine, or back into the 90s w<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rps78qgySy8">hen Maria Petrova's hoop routine set to "Carmina Burana" dominated the world</a>, Bulgarians have showed supreme mastery with hoop.<br />
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Now, in 2018, we see an original, extremely dynamic routine, charged with energy and risky until the very end. <br />
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The routine has left many fans wonder how it is possible to put so much movement in two and a half minutes of music:<br />
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I feel hopeful that the team will prepare psychologically to take this routine to the next level of performance where we could see all masterful touches and expressions that the potential of the routine and the choice of music hold in store. The music by the famous "Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices" is fitting for the upcoming season when the world championship will take place in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. <br />
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This routine is Bulgaria's claim to literally throw the hoop higher, faster, with more risk, to continue to assert the creative tradition of the Bulgarian school, and, most importantly, to show fans around the world that rhythmic gymnastics is spectacular and breath-taking, a demanding athletic discipline that elegantly touches the border of art.Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-18154038363248908192018-01-20T12:18:00.001-05:002018-01-20T12:26:36.893-05:00Above Language and Outside of Time, Mikhail Baryshnikov Gives Flesh and Blood to Brodsky's Poetry<div style="text-align: justify;">
I walked out of the Cutler Majestic theater in Boston on January 17 after the Brodsky/Baryshnikov performance feeling absolutely grateful to life for putting me in this city at this time. I was also feeling somewhat lighter. As if life had become clearer and easier. But because reality often has to ground us during any flight of joy, I heard a woman walking in front of me say to an Uber driver "This was the most depressing thing I have ever seen."</div>
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If I say that Brodsky's poems are not for everyone, I would be wrong. They really are for everyone because the poet's clarity of thoughts makes it impossible not to understand them. This understanding, however, may have caused some in the audience to feel depressed. The poems were in Russian and they were a very deep dive into difficult questions and a dissection of time, old age, and loneliness. There were subtitles in English which may not have been necessary during the entire performance. Everyone understood. This kind of poetry does not allow you to shut off your senses and intuition at all, and it may not immediately strike you as "empowering" or "positive." It is not about healing or overcoming. It is a dangerous search of truth, which is not always life-affirming.</div>
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To contemplate Brodsky's poetry might not be what one's therapist recommends. You cannot really discuss Brodsky at the golf course or during your lunch break at work. A discussion with the Uber driver is perhaps suitable because, sooner or later, your ride ends. How long is a short Uber drive with an existential discussion in it? How short is a long life? </div>
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When Brodsky had to leave the Soviet Union, he wrote a letter to Leonid Brezhnev: "Dear Leonid Ilich . . . A language is a much more ancient and inevitable thing than a state. I belong to the Russian language. As to the state, from my point of view, the measure of a writer's patriotism is not oaths from a high platform, but how he writes in the language of the people among whom he lives . . . Although I am losing my Soviet citizenship, I do not cease to be a Russian poet. I believe that I will return. Poets always return in flesh or on paper." The return of the poet, to all of us, clearly takes place on stage during the Brodsky/Baryshnikov performance.</div>
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Brodsky was interested in exploring the nature of time and what it does to people. To put an interest so abstract into a performance, to give it physical shape and dimensions, is an extremely ambitious task. This is not a task for an actor, perhaps not even a task for a philosopher. It is a task for someone who has the means to express ideas with unconditional precision. A true maestro. Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the best dancers of the 20th and 21st century, is one of very, very few people in the world person who can do that. He is uniquely able to express ideas with the universal language of movement. He took Brodsky's words and translated them into a message that goes beyond the boundaries of language. Every small gesture, every turn of his head in the performance had meaning and the meaning was mercilessly clear. </div>
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The effortlessness with which he delivered this meaning to us, the audience, leaves one incredulous. We may have thought about the questions raised by Brodsky on our own, time and time again, but seeing these questions literally embodied by another human being, brings a a feeling of tremendous, pure energy. I felt as though I stood in the same room with the strength of the human mind rising through time. Not a collective mind or an individual mind, but the mind as a possibility, outside of quantitative measurement.</div>
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To comment on the other aspects of the performance, I would like to share that the set and lighting were exquisitely designed to match the genius of Baryshnikov. He could have delivered this performance on an absolutely bare stage and still dumbfounded us, but this set was worthy of his presence and talent: a white structure full of light and shadows through which a single human being moves with graceful precision. What an eloquent way to present the miraculous battle of humanity with understanding itself.</div>
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-57363179312963914392017-11-28T21:36:00.000-05:002017-11-28T21:44:00.911-05:00The Stubborn Beauty of the Bulgarian SituationWhen I was a student in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2002, I had pictures of the gymnast Diana Popova on my desktop. These were, as you can see below, low quality pictures of a pale Diana, wearing boring monochrome leotards, hardly any make up, her natural hair color and eyebrows that are not even emphasized with pencil. My anthropology professor in Brazil looked at my screen and said, "Who is this girl? Wow, I can't stop looking at her."<br />
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He had never even heard of rhythmic gymnastics but thought she was beautiful. Many of us thought the same. In fact, some gymnastics tournaments in 90s had a "Miss Tournament" prize and Diana often won that one, after a vote from a jury that included mostly journalists who covered the event.<br />
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I wrote a post in Bulgarian about this, and, sadly, it is not about gymnastics. I am using Diana's pictures to make a point because pictures can be a lot louder than words (even though I love words more deeply and way beyond anything I have seen on a picture).<br />
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This post is about the latest Miss Bulgaria contest, where yet another choice of a new Miss Bulgaria has left the public wondering if the jury judged with their eyes open, so to speak.<br />
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Before, I get into this I would like to address some of the comments I have gotten so far to a Facebook post that I wrote. First, many think that the Miss Bulgaria contest is not that important. While that is certainly true, I happen to write about a rhythmic gymnastics, a sport that is very far from the popularity of sports like soccer of basketball. But even soccer or baseball are not as important as war, hunger, terrorism and climate change. Yet, millions of people around the world watch these sports and write about them with passion; that by no means shows that they do not care about "the real issues."<br />
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In fact, if anything, sports events and beauty contests can frequently look like a rather striking reflection of the overall state of affairs in a society.<br />
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The second comment has been that the contest is "compromised anyway," so we should not expect much from it. Here is where the real problem lies. We can't just go around accepting that things are compromised, no matter how unimportant they may be. This attitude means that nothing will ever improve.<br />
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With this introduction, I will get into how this discussion started. The problem is illustrated, as mentioned earlier, by pictures.<br />
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The population of Bulgaria is several million. Out of them, thousands try to become Miss Bulgaria. This person was selected. Because a picture means a thousand words, I ask in a few: do you really believe that this can possibly be the most beautiful woman in all of Bulgaria?<br />
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An old joke said that French use the prefix "de" in their names, the Dutch use "von," and the Bulgarians should use "our," meaning that "our Ivanova" or "our Petrov" often gets appointed to positions, or given a title because he is "our man," as nepotism in Bulgaria is so rampant.<br />
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I have always thought that nepotism is an important issue but, to my surprise, some people don't. After all, it's just "some chick" going to a beauty contest. We have bigger fish to fry. Yes, indeed. Very big fish. Like bank bosses, hospitals leaders and ministry officials who get appointed without having any qualities or credentials either. I truly wonder how we are going to fix those bigger problems, if we can't manage "a stupid beauty contest."<br />
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But, hey, some say, this is not news. Indeed, it isn't. Some previous pageant winners have looked almost identical to this winner. The same overdone plastic surgery, the immovable forehead, the huge eyelashes, the inability to put together a meaningful sentence in Bulgarian. They may have used the same plastic surgeon or even dated the same person. At any rate, the were all "ours." Or, rather, "theirs." The girlfriend, daughter, niece...of some person in a position of power who chooses to abuse power.<br />
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"But the other contestants are just as bad," some people commented. Now, this is where I really object. Please refer back to the bad pictures of Popova. Not all participants, and not all Bulgarian girls look like this contest winner. It's just not possible that they all do. If you wish to defend to current Miss Bulgaria, tell me, with a hand on your heart, that when you look at her, you want to say, "Wow, I can't take my eyes off of her." This kind of attitude is what the Luda Fenka (Crazy Fan) wants, not some illogical argument about how the whole world is just ugly and corrupt anyway (even though there is some truth in that!).<br />
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I want your heart to start racing when you see beauty because the ability to see beauty means you are free to love life. "There is no worse prison that the one in our heads," says the Russian singer Victor Tsoi. It seems to me that if people truly think this beauty contest is fair and honorable, they are locked in a prison where the sentence is complete lack of dignity.<br />
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A friend wrote to me that we should focus on the victory of the Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov and ignore the beauty contest. I fail to see why we can't be happy by one and disgusted by the other. But let me tell you about Grigor. As a child, Grigor got support from two very influential soccer players, Hristo Stoichkov and Dimiter Berbatov (both better good looking that the present beauty queen). They are very different but they both are able to see beauty and to respect other people's talent. They picked Grigor and sponsored him, not because he was "theirs," but because he was great. Now he is at the top. Even if he doesn't stay there, nobody can take his talent away from him and put some mafia boss's friend at the top three of world tennis. That is, in fact, comforting, to say the least. You know, not as important as war, hunger and natural disaster, but very encouraging nevertheless.... for those in pursuit of whatever dream they have chosen. Even the dream of winning some silly beauty pageant.<br />
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I am not sure if we need to measure whose dream is more important , or compare a beauty contest to other world events. There will always be some political problem or natural disaster that is much bigger than contests or athletic events.<br />
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But I do know that the worth of a person is certainly not measured by the number of people who will say, "well, she won because the other contestants weren't that great either." I think real success in such a public endeavor should measured by the number of times the heart of a fan flutters with admiration and awe. For every 100 people who think the new Miss Bulgaria is "not that bad," there are 10,000 who think that Grigor Dimitrov is "amazing."<br />
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"Our" people have no right to rob us of the rewarding and hopeful feeling that someone who deserves it has won. That is the feeling that fuels dreams.<br />
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I, for one, stubbornly refuse to engage in a pitiful acceptance of the ugly and unjust, even if it has to do with an "already compromised" contest. I also look at those pictures of Diana Popova and it strikes me that, despite all the nepotism, despite how unpopular rhythmic gymnastics is, I showed her to a random person in Brazil and made his heart race. Isn't that reason enough not to be silent?<br />
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If we speak up now, maybe next time, or in 5 or 10 years, the jury at this particular contest will not be quite so corrupt. The real beauty if our situation is that we can make changes. Very small changes, at least at the start.<br />
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"I affirm, " says Victor Tsoi, "that good always prevails over evil, and patience is stronger than the sword of the samurai."<br />
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-78244995866992067902017-11-13T11:16:00.003-05:002017-11-13T11:16:58.626-05:00Happy Birthday to the Absolute QueenMy favorite gymnast of all times, three-time world champion Maria Petrova ( 1993, 1994, 1995), also a winner of the European titles (1992,1994), one European cup (1993), the SummerUniversiade title in 1995, and two 5th places at the Olympics (1992, 1996).<br />
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While she was most celebrated for her hoop and ball, this less known routine with rope remains very exciting to me because of the choice of music and choreography and the amazing work with the rope.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4CqON7_nxNw" width="560"></iframe>Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-18404364989101014342017-10-06T22:53:00.000-04:002017-10-06T22:53:12.571-04:00Morgan Hurd, the New American Superhero<div style="text-align: justify;">
People watch sports events because they are thrilling and competitive, but they also watch sports in order to be inspired. Well, if you would like to be inspired by a wonderfully talented girl who tumbles with her glasses and braces on, look no further than the latest American star.</div>
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Morgan Hurd has just won the all around women's title in artistic gymnastics, an achievement hundreds of thousands of girls around the world dream about. Many fans like rooting for the underdog, but who everyone likes to root for is an athlete who is talented, focused, humble and sweet. This is exactly what Megan Hurd is. She has all the qualities of the kind of unexpected superhero that can inspire everyone.</div>
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16-year old Morgan was adopted from Wuzhou, China as a toddler. She lives in Middletown, Delaware with her mom. Her coach is from a beautiful town called Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. </div>
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All three places are not exactly the kind of locations that most people can spot on a map.</div>
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But winning is not about where you started or about where you stopped at the end. It is about the distance in between. Morgan's journey is tremendous. She had some good marks before winning this title, but not really big wins. She truly started from zero and ended up right at the top.</div>
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To be fair to her and her competitors, Morgan's victory was somewhat unexpected, though it was completely deserved. Her name now stands next to those of Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller, Shawn Johnson, Chelsie Memmel, Bridget Sloan, Jordyn Wieber, Simone Biles.</div>
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Above all the skills and the hours of training, and above the natural talent or even all the pain involved in learning new moves, Morgan stands where she is because, during the most challenging time in her career, unlike many of her competitors, she stayed calm and confident and did not make mistakes. Being a hero is not always about spectacular moments, drama and competitive thirst. Being a hero can be mostly about quiet, unwavering resistance. Morgan may have surprised some fans. But she really just went out there, and did the very best of her best. That's something that many people, who are otherwise extremely killed, frequently fail to do under pressure. </div>
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Morgan has won and she's smiling with her braces in order to remind us about the great range of things in life that are <b>possible</b>. She "dwells in possibility" as a poet wrote. I think it's no accident that her coach's first name means "glory."</div>
Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-63448729998381443612017-10-04T14:59:00.001-04:002017-10-04T21:17:57.794-04:00Time for Changes in a Traditionally "Female" SportFor many decades, rhythmic gymnastics has been a sport that only women can enjoy as participants (but, curiously, not as spectators).Rhythmic gymnastics stands alongside synchronized swimming in terms of this restriction. No other popular sport, whether an official Olympic discipline or not, draws a gender line. <br />
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In fact, some other sports that involve dance, music and even ballet moves, such as figure skating, not only allow participants from both genders, but also allow them to participate at the same time (for example, in the mixed pairs). The same is true of various disciplines of acrobatics.<br />
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In Japan, men have been training and performing as rhythmic gymnasts for many years. Other countries have also shown an interest introducing routines for men and among them is the current leader in the sport, Russia and other prominent rhythmic gymnastics nations, such as Spain and Italy.<br />
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If so many people around the world think that including men is a good idea, why hasn't it happened yet? Well, a lot of it has to do with overcoming the force of habit and addressing stereotypes. <br />
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Some fans and professionals alike worry that the sport will become "too acrobatic" and lose the characteristics of gymnastics that involve musical interpretation and work with the apparatus. Others worry that working with a different type of apparatus for men may make the sport "more like juggling." What is not clear to me is why these concerns apply only to men, and not to women in the sport. There are certainly women who have strong acrobatic skills or who emphasize apparatus work. If there is a Code of Points in place which mandates what routines should include, the dangers of swinging to the acrobatic or juggler side can be prevented.<br />
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Still others are concerned that some of the mandatory elements in the sport "just do not look good on men." But if we look at pirouettes and jumps in ballet, many elements are frequently performed by all dancers, including the essential turns and jumps.<br />
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Also, because rhythmic gymnastics has been so "feminine" over the years that other critics of the inclusion of men in the sport may wonder: would men "look good" in colorful leotards with Swarovski crystals? The answer is that, of course, they will look great if everything is done with taste and attention... and, in fact, we know from experience that plenty of existing women teams can certainly use more taste in attention in leotard design. It is very easy to look ridiculous in an overly decorated leotard, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman.<br />
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But a greater point should be that, if you want to be a gymnast, you should have the opportunity to do so under existing rules. If your desires and talents include more acrobatics, or more dance, or more sparkles on the leotard, you should have the opportunity to show that within established limits. Other sports have shown that audiences enjoy watching men and women as long as they are good athletes. And if we look at the Japanese men who have engaged in this sport so far, the quality of athleticism is hardly a question.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wP-tFbN_THg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-77403663081827665032017-07-25T23:03:00.000-04:002017-07-26T01:53:49.376-04:00Ten Years with An Open HeartIn the summer of 2007, I accepted an internship at the legal department of the Cleveland Clinic, a legendary hospital, known around the world for treating heart problems, among others.The internship included an opportunity to attend an open heart surgery in the actual operating room, where you, the legal intern, stand next to the medical professionals and observe everything.<br />
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I accepted the generous offer to attend.<br />
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On the day of the surgery, I arrived at around 6:45 am and received a key to a locker that a medical resident would typically use. I put on blue scrubs, a mask, and a cap and went straight in.Then, for about five and a half hours, possibly more, I remained alongside two surgeons and watched them place a bypass into a woman's heart after removing a vein from her own leg. They also added an artificial valve into her heart.<br />
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Let me share with you about what I observed in these deeply empowering hours of my life.<br />
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The patient was lying on the table and her skin looked a shade of orange. This apparently happens to some people under anesthesia, who may turn a yellowish color that borders on orange. One of the nurses gave me a stepping stool, like the ones they have in libraries, so I could be up next to the surgeon and see better.<br />
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They removed a vein from the patient's leg and discussed it over speaker phone with another surgeon. "The vein looks good," they determined. They decided that the bypass would be from the patient's own vein.<br />
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Then, they cut through the patient's chest and pushed her ribs to the side to open it up. Our ribs look no different than ribs we barbecue on July 4th, I thought, except that the smell is another story. At this point I felt dizzy and felt that my hands were getting warm. I asked if I could step down from my stool and sit down. I fully expected that someone would say, "Why have you come to observe surgery if you can't stand the sight of human ribs?"<br />
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Instead, one of the nurses said, "I am sorry you feel sick. Did you have breakfast?"<br />
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So here I was. I am the person who, at age 6, had her adenoid removed with local anesthesia and watched the doctor waive it in front of her face. But here I was, feeling dizzy, and someone who I'd never see again said she was sorry that I got sick. I told the whole operating room team that I had had a croissant and a latte for breakfast, and minutes later, I asked if I could resume my spot on my stepping stool because I was fine.<br />
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At that point the medical technician told me that they would stop the heart and explained how the machine that would instead circulate the blood works. He made a drawing for me, too. "Though you don't need to know this, because lawyers have no hearts," he said.<br />
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Then I watched them put in the bypass, and the artificial valve. The two surgeons seemed completely ambidextrous and I thought their hands were moving way too fast. But they were also calm, and made jokes about Albania, because they thought I was from Albania instead of Bulgaria. At some point one nurse signaled another nurse to come and tie up my mask which was coming down.<br />
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There was also a lamp next to me which I nearly knocked down because I was, I admit, standing on my tiptoes on the little stepping stool like an awkward, nosy, barely breathing bird. Overall, I felt so proud not to have puked on top of the patient. You know, the little things. I haven't figured out the big ones yet, but the little ones, those I got totally covered even back then.<br />
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Completely mesmerized, at some point I heard someone say that they will now "restart the heart." It would be too crazy for me to wish that all of my readers observe surgery, but, I have to tell you: the feeling you experience when you hear the words "restart the heart" isn't the imaginable kind of happiness. I do sincerely wish that feeling upon you all because it is one of very pure and powerful joy.<br />
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Then, I watched them close the chest and watched a nurse do stitches. Before the patient was wheeled out of the room, I checked on the monitor and saw that her blood pressure was 11 to 8 and her body temperature was 36.1.<br />
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All of this felt as if it took shorter time than it is taking me to write about it now. I would say 5 hours feel like 20 minutes or so.<br />
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No other experience, not even falling in love, can even remotely come close to the exhilaration I felt while watching open heart surgery unfold. Watching open heart surgery unfold feels like standing on a rock of indestructible hope, like coming face to face with both life and death in a relentless, organized confirmation of humanity.<br />
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Many have written about faith, fate and about rational choice. Here is a fact of life, though: there are people, who, for many reasons, wake up one day and consciously chose to devote their time and efforts to doing surgery on others. This doesn't happen merely because they want the rewarding feeling of helping people. This choice certainly is not about financial success either. Think about the hundreds or thousands of ways in which one can be both helpful to others and successful financially, but without having to push open people's rib cages and make their hearts stop.<br />
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Think about the millions of us who would never ever agree to attempt any of this, not for any price.<br />
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Choosing medicine is about being good, and about being the best at what is good; it is also about being good at what is most difficult. A life-changing choice, but also one of the biggest risks one can take. So many things can go wrong while medically treating another human being that I would not know how to convince anyone to take this risk.<br />
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What do we call the part of us that allows us to stand for five hours, to cut others open and put them back together? Is it bravery, is it ambition, is it strength, or confidence, or a special kind of kindness? Call it what you wish, it's the best part. It has to be the best part of us because we would never have gotten this far. So far, in fact, as to allow some clumsy tax lawyer to observe heart surgery.<br />
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I feel so sad to know that some people reject medicine, whether by rejecting vaccines, by refusing blood transfusions, or in other ways, though that attitude has been around for many years. But the fact is that when someone walks into an emergency room bleeding (because you can't stop bleeding with chamomile tea and meditation), she will receive care. This affirms my position of joy: life can be saved and will go on; life goes doggedly on despite all stubborn ignorance.<br />
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Hospitals take all patients and we all have the liberty to make medical decisions based on theories that are anything but logical. I just hope that one day people who support these other theories will also stop and think about what medical professionals give to the world. It is fine, and perhaps even life-saving, that those of us from other occupations never have to shoulder the immense responsibility that medical professionals carry. Doubt is fine, too, when reasonable.<br />
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I, on the other hand, observed an open heart surgery. And I am done doubting that human beings can do absolutely amazing things. For 10 unforgettably wonderful years now I have known that they can.<br />
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I have also opened my heart to the truth that, while we choose who we want to be, we don't get to choose what others become. We can only marvel at their choices, and occasionally, feel shock at some of them.<br />
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The choice to work in medicine is no sacrifice or noble deed. It means constantly rising above fear and above the potential for failure. It means holding a shield of caring forgiveness against the likelihood of guilt. It requires both objectivity and courage. When I think about this astounding choice, I have no desire left to criticize the choices of others.<br />
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So all I have to say to those who reject medical care is this:<br />
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<b>I forgive you.</b><br />
<b>Seventy seven times multiplied by seven, I forgive you.</b><br />
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The most human of angels, the best chances we got before we depart, in their scrubs and white garments, are standing strong. They wouldn't be here for us all if they were not ready. They soar above weakness, ours and their own. And that's salvation.Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-59195964422226108712017-07-22T16:04:00.000-04:002017-07-22T16:04:13.352-04:00The World's Best Gymnasts Performed in Poland and Nobody Watched Them<div style="text-align: justify;">
The World Games in Wroclaw proceeded with the rhythmic gymnastics event, where the gymnasts were watched only by their teammates and coaches. Fans wanted to watch the event, too, but most of the broadcasting channels were either restricted to a handful of countries, showing other sports or only broadcasting a couple of performances.</div>
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If, as things are, the people of Poland have bigger fish to fry than to watch sports, then perhaps the World Games should take place somewhere else. The World Games are not limited to gymnastics either; they cover many other sports.</div>
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The competition itself I will refrain from discussing. The air conditioner was either off or blowing off ribbons and hair pins, and the judging was stranger than ever. </div>
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But, to keep up a good mood, I will comment that the two gymnasts with longest legs and super model bodies, Grace Legote from South Africa and Olena Diachenko from Ukraine both competed in one event which does not happen often. In fact, it is rare to watch someone so beautiful.<br />
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I snapped some shots from the limited broadcast on one of the Russian channels. Olena "had better do better" next time, this picture seems to be saying.</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-50120303552665590352017-07-04T21:24:00.001-04:002017-07-05T13:48:08.565-04:00Pinceladas de Ritmica, a Love Letter to Elegance<div style="text-align: justify;">
I received this beautiful book in the mail after I had marveled some of the art included in the book.<br />
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It contains very creative illustrations showing each of the 50 featured gymnasts in a moment of unique grace. The book spans from the 80s, starting with the legendary Bulgarian Lilia Ignatova, and finishes with the most promising contemporary star, the extraordinary Sasha Soldatova.</div>
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Each gymnast is honored with least one drawing dediated to her and a page or two of narrative in Spanish about the gymnast's strongest qualities and achievements. Here are some of my favorite depictions.</div>
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1.<b> Yanina Batyrchina from Russia, the silver medalist from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, shown in her bright red ribbon.</b><br />
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</b> <b>2. Two-time world champion Dilian Georgieva from Bulgaria illustrated in a way that is very telling of her expressiveness and emotion</b><br />
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</b> <b>3. Elena Shamatulskaya from Ukraine who performed very interesting choreographies and was noted for her graceful feet.</b><br />
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<b>4. The three-time world champion Maria Petrova from Bulgaria shown in a memorable opening pose from her 1992 clubs routine which scored a 10.000 at the European championship. The caption features a quote from coach Neshka Robeva: "There is no better applause than the silence of the audience."</b></div>
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Also included are less popular gymnast like the French Eva Serrano, the Romanian Irina Deleanu and the Georgian Salome Pazhava.<br />
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I would have loved to have seen Daria Kondakova and Simona Peycheva, both gold medal winners at world championship, included in this book as well as the Belarus star Inna Zhukova.<br />
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But I think the book is wonderfully passionate and well-crafted, a great way to remember the artists and athletes in rhythmic and a tribute to the poetic qualities of hour favorite sport. You can buy the book here: <a href="https://libros.com/comprar" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">https://libros.com/comprar</a>.<br />
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-76832245758707372492017-05-21T11:36:00.000-04:002017-05-21T11:36:03.183-04:00Are Belarus and Soldatova Tired of the Permanent Second Place?As delicate as a flower, lyrical, smooth and very, very high skilled, Katya Halkina should have won medals art this European Championship, but she made many mistakes. Still, the team from Belarus is very strong and deserves to one day finally win gold as a team. The problem is that they do not project enough confidence. Perhaps in the mind of many, they will always be second best after Russia. And that is unfortunate. Or, as the American President Donald Trump would say, "SAD."<br />
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Yes, Katya was sad and next time will be better, if she continues to work hard. She had a difficult time with some of the routines, especially the clubs in the team championships (left) and waited for her score knowing she could do a lot better.<br />
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Here is the other question: how can someone as talented as Sasha Soldatova only win one individual medal? Well, it happened because, in terms of apparatus technique, she is only good with ball. It's even more sad because, well, she is incredible. Her balances, pivots, jumps, her emotional expression: all in a class of their own and way better than the Averini sisters, who move around without any regard for the music. Actually, at this event, Sasha's expressions, especially with ribbon showed a new level of intensity. The overall strength of the routine: not so much.</div>
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Perhaps gymnastics scoring should change once again. The Averini should be penalized for not showing any synchronization with the music. What they are demonstrating is not "rhythmic" gymnastics. It is a complete lack of rhythm. Their errors are not being counted and they are pushed to gold in front of many better gymnasts who work just as hard.<br />
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But the hope is that Alina Harnasko (below) will start looking at the medals with even more intensity, too, that Halkina will clean up her routines and blossom into the amazingly graceful flower that she is, and that Sasha will rise to her true potential. Let's restore the grace and strength of this sport and make it inspire audiences around the globe!<br />
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<br />Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-7510310756656917572017-05-21T09:49:00.002-04:002017-05-21T09:50:33.487-04:00The Ukraine Rises Again<div style="text-align: justify;">
Team Ukraine didn't medal in the team competition at the 2017 European Championship in Budapest but they looked more gorgeous than their usual gorgeous. Which is extremely gorgeous!</div>
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Viktoria Mazur was much more confident than usual, Olena Diachenko</div>
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made a good debut on the Euroepan scene and the group was adorable. Congratulations to the gymnasts and fans and the Deriugini dynasty!</div>
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Also, look at Ireesha, how can she be so beautiful! How is it possible! <3</div>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689903630992157391.post-2928533365762262832017-05-20T11:45:00.001-04:002017-05-20T11:45:14.012-04:00Beautiful Team Finland<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rebecca Gergalo just needs to keep her leg straight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hello, European Championships in Budapest!</td></tr>
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Луда Фенкаhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319804485752186734noreply@blogger.com0