An exciting "first post" post!

Welcome to Damn it, Gym! Take your shoes off, get comfy, and stay a while!

I have been thinking about starting a gymnastics blog for some time now- I'm a recovering graduate student, and as my thesis defense rapidly approaches (it's this upcoming Monday, actually!) I have been spending more and more time procrastinating by reading my favorite gym blogs. I'm sure you've all heard of them- The Couch Gymnast, Blythe over at the Examiner, and Between the Olympics are probably my most visited- and while they all have commenting sections, of course, I wanted my own space to ramble on about this wonderful, exciting, infuriating sport.


I want to stress right away that I am not a variety of things, all of which will be reflected in this blog.

1. By and large, I am not interested in collegiate gym. I might occasionally post about what schools former elites are heading to, but aside from that, this blog won't have a lot of college coverage. 
2. I lack an encyclopedic knowledge of the COP, as well as the names of a lot of skills, especially on bars. I can't watch a routine and immediately say "oh yes, the way gymnast A connects skills B, C, and D will get her this much in bonus blah blah blah". MostepanovaFan's montages on Youtube have drastically improved what I do know about this subject, but I still have a lot lot LOT to learn.
3. I am not, nor have I ever been, a gymnast, so you won't hear me discussing the actual mechanics of performing any kind of skill. Unless that skill is typing really fast or applying eye makeup. (It probably goes without saying, but this blog will definitely contain a lot of awkward jokes.)

What you will find on this blog will be mostly current events in the gymnastics world, analyzing the run-up to the 2011 Worlds and London 2012, and looking back on past great performances and heartbreaking losses. I'm a bit of a sucker for a good retrospective glance at gymnastics history, in all its glory or lack thereof.

 

To complete my "introduction", my next post will feature some of my favorite gymnasts and routines of all time. Hope to see you around Damn it, Gym, and if you have questions/concerns/requests, drop me a comment!