Today, NBC aired its coverage of the 2007 World Championships from Stuttgart, Germany. I have remarked at how well the U.S. men and women handled the competition and the tremendous strength of the Chinese women will certainly make next years Olympics an exciting event!
Again, I was surprised with the amount of falls throughout the women’s competition. Especially with the minimum 8 tenth deduction for each fall (not to mention a break in series, loss of value, etc. that can create a fall worth more than a point easy!) However, when you take a look at the skills the girls are throwing its no wonder there are a few mistakes. It’s good to see the difficulty and risks taken by these athletes, although I wish there were a little more time for presentation and the artistry reminiscent of earlier times.

A few thoughts:

Russia was devastated by Ekaterina Kramarenko who ran onto the vaulting board and stopped. With that one simple mistake any chance of a medal for Russia flew right out the window. With even a mediocre vault they likely would have secured the bronze. By running onto the vaulting board she earned a zero for the team. In this 3 up 3 count format a score of zero is obviously tragic. This format is killer and frankly I’d like to see a 4 up 3 count format so that entire countries do not lose out because one balk or an injury. (both of which we’ve seen happen since this format was introduced)

Tune in tomorrow, Monday, to Ellen Degeneres to watch Shawn Johnson visit with Ellen and perform. It’s wonderful to see this young lady from Iowa represent the United States with such grace and humility.

It was also good to see Shayla Worley back in action. After being sidelined with a hamstring injury, Shayla is back in action. She is gorgeous to watch with long lines and power that her body doesn’t seem cable of but somehow it works.

Paul Hamm is continuing to train and will be looking forward to competing in the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas.

As for me, I am heading to Oklahoma this weekend to participate in the Oklahoma Centennial Celebration. I’m excited to head back home and look forward to some great events. On Friday I will join Barry Switzer at a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. On Saturday, I’ll be signing autographs out at the Centennial Regatta. And on Sunday I’ll be participating in (what else?) the Oklahoma Centennial Parade at 2pm. I’m also excited to have some time with my family and friends and at least one round of golf while I’m there, yeah!

For more news, updates and information on Shannon Miller, please check out www.shannonmiller.com

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