WomenTalkSports highlighted the athlete video which is narrated by Natalie Coughlin. There is also one celebrating the PAC-10 fans. Check out all three videos, they really are very powerful.

Gymnastics Videos on Gymnastike

Whether you are a prospective college gymnast or other prospective college athlete in another sport, these videos will help you start getting organized, give you some insight into the college athletics experience and let you know what coaches are looking for.

Additionally, Kupets is the all-time NCAA leader with nine individual championships and was named SEC, AAI National Senior and NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year.

The other finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup were:

• Connecticut’s Renee Montgomery (basketball)
• Colorado’s Jennifer Barringer (track and field)
• Penn State’s Nicole Fawcett (volleyball)
• Washington’s Danielle Lawrie (softball)

Courtney is one of the many gymnasts appearing in as characters or stunt doubles for the new TV series, Make It or Break It which has a gymnastics drama storyline. The series premiers June 22 on ABC Family.

After putting in years and years of gymnastics training, many gymnasts wonder what they will do with their lives. Former UGA gymnast and USA National Team Member, Ashley Kupets is done with her competitive gymnastics career, but has found a way to take all her training and skills to a new level as a member of the cast of La Reve at the Wynn Theater in Las Vegas.

Ashley, the older sister of the newly crowned 2009 NCAA All Around Gymnastics champion Courtney Kupets, wasn’t sure what to do job-wise when she graduated from UGA. Even with a degree in graphic design, she just felt the need to act or perform – something she had been doing since she was a little girl in the gymnastics arena.

According to the Online Athens story,

When Kupets told Suzanne Yoculan her aspirations, the Georgia gymnastics coach put her former athlete in contact with a casting director, who had e-mailed her the day before.

Two weeks later, Kupets was on a plane to Las Vegas for her first audition.

“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” she said.

Kupets was put through a series of tests – strength, choreography, improvisational dance, tumbling and trapeze work. But the most grueling part was the swimming portion.

She had to swim 250 meters without stopping, swim 65 feet underwater without coming up for air, drop 30 feet from a trapeze into the water and tread water for 10 minutes.

“It was just crazy stuff that I’ve never done before,” Kupets said. “It was exhausting, but it was so much fun.”

A week later, the 24-year-old was told she had the job. She picked up and moved to Las Vegas in November to begin training for the show.

“It’s not a place where I would have thought I would ever move,” she said. “I didn’t know anybody here. I didn’t know where I was going to live. It was really scary. But I felt like it would be a really good time for me to grow and become the person who I’m going to be for the rest of my life. It’s an incredible experience to be on your own so far away from home and not know anyone.”

Kupets’ sudden move surprised her former coach.

“I’m very proud of her because she’s very introverted. She’s very shy,” Yoculan said. “For her to just break out and go out there, it’s not something that you would have expected Ashley Kupets to do.”

After two months of training, including scuba diving certification, Kupets performed in her first show in late January. She dances, does aerial acrobatics, tumbles and swims in at least two major acts in back-to-back shows five nights a week.

Its neat to see the different career paths collegiate athletes take, and this one seems to be such a natural fit for Ashley while still challenging her in many ways. I can only wonder if little sister Courtney will follow again in her footsteps, return to Elite competition or forge a completely different path all together.

Oh to have been in Nebraska last night! The energy in the arena for the NCAA Gymnastics team final – aka the Super Six – must have been amazing. Reigning champs, University of Georgia, were going for their 5th consecutive title, and 10th title overall. While the performances from their competitors were fantastic, it just wasn’t enough to overtake the Gymdogs.

Super Six (team) finals results
1.  University of Georgia, 197.825
2.  University of Alabama, 197.575
3.  University of Utah, 197.425
4.  University of Florida, 196.725
5.  University of Arkansas, 196.475
6.  Louisiana State University, 196.375

Event finals start tonight at 6 CST and will feature some of the best gymnastics ever. These girls are good! Complete list of event finalists and competition order.

For more coverage and photos of the event, check out UGA Gymdogs, NCAA Championships page, and Gymnastike (great interviews, video and more).

As Courtney Kupets comes to the end of her NCAA career one only wonders if she is done with gymnastics or will she return to her former club Hills and decide to go Elite again. If anyone can do it, it is Courtney. I have had the pleasure of following the careers of both Courtney and her older sister Ashley (also a very successful UGA gymnast) since they were little kids. I distinctly remember them at early meets (when they were 7 & 8 ish) – there was something about them that left an impression on me then. Courtney has gone on to fight back from multiple injuries both as an Elite gymnast and as a collegiate gymnast (an Achilles injury kept her from last year’s NCAA) and every time she comes back she just looks stronger than before.

Individual results from the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships:

All-around finals (top 10 only)
1.  Courtney Kupets, University of Georgia, 39.800
2.  Kristina Baskett, University of Utah, 39.600
3.  Vanessa Zamarripa, University of California – Los Angeles, 39.575
4.  Michelle Stout, University of Arkansas, 39.525
4.  Ariana Berlin, University of California – Los Angeles, 39.525
6.  Tiffany Tolnay, University of Georgia, 39.500
7.  Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, University of California – Los Angeles, 39.475
8.  Ricki Lebegern, University of Alabama, 39.450
8.  Ashley Priess, University of Alabama, 39.450
8.  Maranda Smith, University of Florida, 39.450

The top four individuals, plus ties, on each event in each prelim session qualified for the individual event finals which will be held on Sunday. (Complete results from preliminaries)

In the team competition, five of the six teams advancing to Saturday’s Super 6 are from the strong SEC conference. The teams include:

Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
LSU
Utah

While Utah barely squeaked in winning a tie-breaker with UCLA, Utah is considered to be the only team with a chance at dethroning the mighty UGA team. Georgia is banking on winning their 5th straight NCAA team title in their coach, Suzanne Yoculan’s final season. Yoculan is retiring at the end of this season.

Thursday’s competition is just the beginning of an exciting weekend of college gymnastics (both the mens and the womens titles are on the line this weekend.) You can actually watch coverage of the meet online – here is the viewing schedule. Or watch the Women’s NCAA National Gymnastics Championships May 9 on CBS at 12 PM ET.

Courtney Kupets, NCAA Champion Gymnast and former Olympian -- photo by Kelly Lambert/Athens Banner-Herald

Looking for ways to keep kids in the sport longer? Try this one – coaches take your team (or parents take your athlete) to a college level game or competition in their sport.  Seriously!

While college sports are a lot of work and there are limited spaces and scholarships available, they are fun and are a viable goal for many high school aged athletes.

In a recent discussion with Megan at Because I Played Sports, we both agree that exposing kids to a variety of levels in their sport is important for helping them decide where they fit in – from a local high school team, division 3 college, junior pro team, to everything in between – and will ultimately help keep kids in sports longer.

Over the weekend a group of gymnasts from our gym went to the NCAA Regional gymnastics meet held at UNC.  In that meet alone they were exposed to a varying level of skill, intensity, and team spirit. I asked some of them what they thought of the meet and they all loved it. However, it was interesting to see how a few of the girls could really relate – they saw gymnasts doing skills they train everyday.

I also think it was helpful for the girls to see that the teams were all different – from the coaching styles, gymnast skill levels, and the overall team chemistry. For some of the girls who are in high school it helped re-energize them – giving them a new goal to work towards.

In addition to the basic benefit of exposure for your athletes, college sports are an excellent entertainment value as ticket prices are usually inexpensive – plus, they are just FUN!

PS – looking for a fashionable way to show your support of your favorite team? Check out these great ladies team shirts done with Swarovski crystals and a great feminine fit.

• Let’s start with a blast from the olden days – Coach Rick found this photo of women doing a group warm up in 1916 – look at the outfits – they don’t look comfortable for working out.
• Continuing the push to Chicago winning the bid to host the 2016 Olympics, Chicago is hosting this year’s Tyson’s American Cup Gymnastics competition on February 21. Gymnasts slated to compete include Olympian Bridget Sloan, up and comer Jordyn Wieber and 10 additional athletes. The roster is almost complete and can be found at USA Gymnastics.
• USA Swimming’s junior squad finished a very successful competition in Guam at the 2009 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Dagny Knutsen not only won gold in the 200 IM, she also set a meet record in the process.
• The 2008-2009 Gatorade Girls State Cross Country Runners of the Year awards have been posted. What a great achievement for all 50+ of these young women!
• Because I Played Sports offers a very interesting commentary on the recent NCAA study on women and careers in athletics.  One of the reasons I have continued to coach (albeit at the club level and not collegiate level) is that I feel that kids need great coaches and role models at all levels and of both genders.
• On a related note, the USOC and the NCAA are holding a women in coaching conference this weekend in Colorado Springs. I’d love to sit in on some of those sessions.
• Youth Sports Psychology really wants to make parents think this week. Are Young Athletes Entertainers for Parents Today? Whether you think they are or not, you really should read the article. As a society, are we getting too wrapped up in winning, chasing scholarships, and the performance of athletics?
• And just for fun, did you see Olympic gymnast turned fashionista, Alicia Sacramone reporting/commentating for E! at the pre-Golden Globes Red Carpet show. She is such a natural performer. Here is a link to the You Tube videos of the show.

One of the best recruiting things you’ll ever do is visit college campuses. Visits show you what colleges are really like. They take you way beyond glossy websites and brochures and show you all the bumps, scrapes, and hidden delights colleges have to offer.

If you can, schedule your visit with the coach. That way, when you get there, you’ll find a schedule waiting for you that lists the people you’ll stay with, who you’ll go to class with, when meals are, and so on. Then again, maybe you won’t get the royal treatment. Don?t worry if this happens. Some coaches roll out the red carpet for recruits. Others require you to be more self-sufficient. Either way, a can-do attitude will go a long way.

Your visit is your one real chance to investigate the school and the team. You have a ton of say in this whole decision. You may be trying to convince the coach to recruit you, but he has to convince you that his school and team are great as well. Remember, if you don?t like a college, you don?t have to go there just because the coach wants you to come.

Most importantly, this is where you might go to college. Ask yourself these questions: does it feel like home? Does it feel like a great place to spend four years? Does the campus have the right vibe?

Of course, this is also where you might play for the next four years. Do you like what you see in terms of style, the quality of play, the quality of coaching, the team?s attitude on the field, as well as the social dynamic off the field?

While you’re on campus, ditch your parents. Much as they might like to relive the glory years, this is your college experience. Take the tour with your parents and then go off with some of the kids on the team. Get the real college experience by staying in the dorms with them and eating in the cafeteria.

Finally, you have to meet with the coach. Try to sit down with him one-on-one. Ask for a tour of the facilities, watch a practice, and a game. In the few days that you’re there, do as much as you can to simulate what your college experience there would be like. Then, once you get home, be honest with yourself by answering one key question: How did you like it?

Avi Stopper coached at the University of Chicago and is the founder of CaptainU.com.

Have you watched as your friends are getting attention from college coaches and wondered, am I invisible to these guys? Or, if you’ve gotten some attention, have you wondered why it’s from colleges you don’t want to attend?

Unfortunately, this is where a ton of athletes throw up their hands and say, “I guess this isn’t going to happen for me.” They give up and miss out on the chance to be a college athlete. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of college coaches out there who want you.

At this very moment, there are college coaches out there who are looking for an athlete just like you. Believe me. It’s true. I’ve been one of those college coaches. Right now, they’re sitting in some office or at the kitchen table, sifting through stacks of athletes, looking at databases, trying to find the right athletes. By introducing yourself to them, you can make their lives much easier. They want to hear from you.

The key is to find the right colleges. At CaptainU, we always tell our athletes to focus on the complete fit, not just the most prestigious name or biggest scholarship. Rather it’s about finding the place where the sports, academics, and social environment all match their needs – and show them how to find these colleges. Once you’ve found these colleges and introduced yourself, you’ll be well on your way to a great college career.