I am an American gymnastics fan who fell in love with the sport in 1989 during what many (including myself) consider to be the Golden Age of gymnastics. The first gymnastics meet I ever watched was the 1989 U.S.A. vs. U.S.S.R. dual meet, and the first gymnast I remember is Vladimir Artemov on the still rings. Grace, power, superhuman strength, I was hooked.
As the internet boomed my freshman year of college, I found the GYMN-L gymnastics e-mail distribution list where hundreds, if not thousands, of gymnastics fans shared their thoughts and reported on meets around the world.
GYMN-L gave way to message boards, and OOBNess was my personal haven. My screen name was “pikebarani”, selected because it was my favorite skill as a recreational gymnast. Off the mini-trampoline or any diving board, I’m proud to say I can still perform the skill today.
I found my way into coaching, and I had the honor of coaching both boys and girls team artistic gymnastics early on. Although I enjoyed coaching the girls, it was the boys who needed me the most, and I decided to focus specifically on them and their events.
As I began coaching higher level athletes, I became painfully aware at the lack of social media concerning MAG (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics). Websites, Twitter/Instagram accounts, and podcasts graciously acknowledged the men, but the women were always at center stage while the men were typically the second course.
This blog is my effort to change that trend. Please read along as I try my hardest to make MAG easily understandable and to generate enthusiasm for (in my opinion) the greatest sport in the world.
