MCSMaria's Artistic Gymnastics Blog

This Christmas, Wieber fans got the greatest gift of all.  The Return of Jordyn Wieber. A Long Time Ago In A Gym Far Far Away... Wieber fanatics can rejoice,

Gabby Douglas is enjoying the whirlwind of publicity she's received since winning the all-around gold in London. She's been on TV, featured in several magazines and attended the Democratic National Convention even though at nearly 17, she's not even old enough to vote yet. She also has seen the downside of fame, receiving criticism about her hair and receiving backlash in the press from her old gym in Virginia. Today, Gabby got a very public invitation to the prom from a Glassboro, New Jersey senior, Leon Purvis.

This Gymnast Profile, 2004 Olympian Annia Hatch lived a past life as a member of the Cuban National Team before she competed for the United States. It was when she fell in love and moved to the US to be with her husband, she achieved her Olympic dreams. Vital Statistics: Date of Birth: June 14, 1978 Age: 34 Birthplace: Guantanamo, Cuba Current Residence: Northern Virginia Spouse and Head Coach: Alan Hatch Club: Stars Elite Known for: Being powerful vaulter Current Occupation: Fashion Designer, Gymnastics Coach Annia Portuondo Hatch was born in Guantanamo, Cuba, where she spent the first two years of her life.

I know all you gymnastics fans out there are going through withdrawals (myself included). You're scouring YouTube for old competitions trying to feed your addiction while the rest of the US is busy with football. Don't even get me started on that. But anyways, Dr. Maria has the cure for your gymnastics blues. The FIG Official Calendar of Events for 2013! Go ahead, take a looksie, you know you wanna. FIG Calendar of Events.

This week's favorite routine is an oldie, but a goody. I'm featuring the 1996 Olympic all-around champion, Lilia Podkopayeva. Going into the all-around final, Lilia was the current reigning world champion. Only a handful of gymnasts before her had went on to become subsequent Olympic champions. The weight was definitely on her shoulders going into the all-around final.

2012 has been a very good year for Olympic Alternate,Elizabeth "Ebee" Price. Ebee won her second international title today

I have a secret. I'm turning 30 on Monday. I've been mourning this fact for about a month now and Alicia Sacramone had a birthday and turned 25. This made me even sadder. I love gymnastics, but every year, the gymnasts get younger and younger and everyday inching closer to 30 makes me feel even older. With only three more days left of  being my 20's and in the effort of making myself not feel so old, I thought I'd round up gymnasts over 30 who are still competing and kicking ass. My favorite gymnast over 30 is world and Olympic Medalist, Oksana Chusovitina.

It's about that time. The Olympics have passed, some gymnasts are continuing and some are bidding their beloved sport of Gymnastics farewell. So who is retiring? Let's find out.

I apologize to my loyal readers if I haven't been as on top of blogging lately. I'm in the middle of the holiday season and on top of that, I have just finished moving. Now that I'm all done moving and unpacking, I'm back with this week's Gymnast Profile: two-time Olympian and gold medal winning power gymnast, Cheng Fei. Vital Statistics: Date of Birth: May 29, 1988 Age: 24 Height: 4'8" (142 cm) Birthplace :Huangshi, Hubei, China  Hometown: Wuhan; Hubei Coaches: Lu Shanzhen and Liu Quin Lin Events Known For: Vault, Floor Exercise & Beam Also Known For: Consistency, power, grace, leadership                            Eponymous Skills: On Vault: round-off onto the spring board with a 1/2 turn on to the vaulting table laid out salto with 1 1/2 twists. Two-time Olympian, Cheng Fei is a rarity among the Chinese. She's known for her work on the vault and floor exercise...