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Olympic Gold Medallist Nastia Liukin at International Gymnastics Camp
BARTONSVILLE—Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic All Around Champion, wowed hundreds of young gymnasts at International Gymnastics Camp in Bartonsville.
Liukin is a Senior International Elite gymnast. She is also a five time Olympic medallist, four-time World Champion, nine-time World medallist, four time US National Champion and has won two American Cup titles and both a Senior and Junior Pacific Rim Championship. Following her success in Beijing Nastia was named FIG Athlete of the Year, Women’s Sports Foundation Individual Sportswoman of the Year and the United States Sports Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year. In 2007 she joined 1996 Olympic gold medallist Shannon Miller as the most decorated American gymnast in World Championship competition.
IGC Director Brent Klaus said, “It’s absolutely wonderful to have her here, she’s such a good influence on the campers, someone to look up to, and have a realistic outlook on life. She’s the World and Olympic champion and that stays with you for the rest of your life. She’s also entered the business world and become quite successful at it.”
Liukin was born in Moscow, Russia in 1989. Her mother, Anna (Kotchneva), was a rhythmic gymnastics world champion, and her father, Valeri, competed at the 1988 Olympics where he won two gold and two silver medals. The family moved to the United States when she was two and half years old and opened a gym.
Liukin reflected, “I always had a passion for it, and never wanted to leave the gym. I didn’t play any other sports, because I spent so much time in the gym. I never wanted to do anything else. Gymnastics was certainly in my blood, but gymnastics is more than just talent, it’s a lot of hard work, and there’s no off-season like football. Everybody thinks it’s a once every four years sport, they don’t realize how much goes into it. Gymnastics is such a hard sport. I actually realize it more since I took some time off, it’s like a newfound appreciation for what gymnasts do.”
Liukin continued, “This is my third year at IGC, it’s always a new group of kids, I never got to do this when I was growing up, it’s so cool to make one kid smile, to see their faces, it adds a whole new dimension to my life. It’s also a chance to share the knowledge that my parents gave to me.”
Liukin, who has a clothing line coming out in several weeks and will be in NY and LA, commented on her future as a gymnast, “My life has changed so much in the last year. I hope to decide by the end of the year. You have to want it really bad, it all has to be you, you can’t be forced into it.”
Liukin is launching a girls clothing line with J.C. Penney Co., which is based in Plano, Texas where Liukin lives and where her parents operate World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. Penny’s will begin selling Supergirl by Nastia clothes in July. Warner Bros. partnered with Liukin to create the Supergirl by Nastia brand
International Gymnastics Camp offers a fantastic opportunity for campers to share their summer gymnastics camp experience and training with Olympians, World Champions and Celebrities such as Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel, Shayla Worley, Jana Bieger, Hollie Vise, Svetlana Boguinskaia, Oksana Chusovitina, Susan Jackson, Maddy Curley, Tarah Paige, Blaine Wilson, Justin Spring, Raj Bhavsar, Ivan Ivankov, Paul Hamm, David Durante, Sean Townsend, Todd Thornton, Joseph Hagerty, Tim McNeill, and Wesley Haagensen.
IGC’s Laura Kaiser started out as a camper 24 years ago. “It’s so important for these kids to spend time with the Olympians because it takes an idealistic dream and makes it tangible. They see that setting goals, and working hard can yield results, maybe it’s not the Olympics, but making a college team, learning a kip, or doing well on a test. I was a camper here, it tales the ceiling out, and it’s such a family here.”
For more information visit www.internationalgymnastics.com.
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2010 Brian McClanahan Summer All-Comer Meets
East Stroudsburg University and Emrey Track & Field Association
Photos by Walter Harrell, Jr. • Available at www.photoartbywhjr.smugmug.com
EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY—In June 1971, Dick DeSchriver (ESU Track & Field Coach) started the Summer All-Comer Meet. For all ages and abilities, it quickly gained popularity, with hundreds of participants on average. In 1986, the meet was renamed in honor of Brian McClanahan; and in the early 1990’s, with the help of Bill Donahue of the Emrey Track & Field Association, the series was expanded to the Lehigh Valley.
The Summer All-Comer Meet is now dedicated to Brian McClanahan, an outstanding middle-distance runner at East Stroudsburg University, who was killed in an auto accident in November 1985. At the time of his death, Brian owned or shared seven school records at the University. He had begun his running career at the age of twelve by competing in these all-comer meets, and he continued to run each summer throughout his high school and college career.
Age Groups for Boys and Girls: 4 & under, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18, Open (19-39), Master (40 & Above). Events: Shot Put, Triple Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Pole Vault, High Jump, Softball Throw, Javelin, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, and 3000 Meters, 4x100 Relay, Men’s 110 High Hurdles, and Women’s 100 High Hurdles.
For more information on those meets, please call please call Joe Koch (570) 422-3054 for more information. or e-mail jkoch@po-box.esu.edu/.
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