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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is Excel?  Is this an alternative to USAG?[/quote]

No, Excel will be the nationalized USAG system that is outside the levels 1-10, similar to VA's current All Star program or MD's current Mason-Dixon league. Some regions were having regional prep-op competitions so this was the natural direction to go in.

[quote=Anonymous]You are probably not old enough to remember this but Olga Korbut won with a perfect ten by doing a now-outlawed move (called, naturally, "The Korbut) where she crawled up to the top of the uneven parallel bars and did an entire backflip in the air and caught the top bar and then continued her routine. Had she not caught the bar she could have broken her neck.[/quote]

I am not old enough to remember this, but I know enough about gymnastics to know that she wasn't any more likely to break her neck than any other same bar release and catch. The standard by which this move is "outlawed" under is described as "not sitting or standing on the bar" during the routine and it was a decision made not based on safety but based on the direction women's uneven bars were moving towards - more like men's high bar. No pauses, bigger swinging actions. It's why the bars are much wider today and the industry has recently developed newer, more flexible rails.

Also, anyone in the industry who has been around since that time and before agrees that gymnastics is much safer today. We have by far massively safer equipment and surfaces that put less stress on the body. The industry is constantly evolving. Also, in the early 90s, the introduction of coaches from the former Soviet system greatly improved the American knowledge of technique, and we've channeled that momentum (and our amazing talent pool of genetic diversity) into the best, most varied gymnastics program in the world.

I don't believe Olga Korbut received a perfect 10 on bars in a notable televised instance. In the Olympics she did not, controversial after a successful routine. You may be confusing her with Nadia Comaneci, another famous gymnast, who now owns a gym with her husband in Oklahoma.

Keri Strug did hurt herself on vault, but I'm sure we could find every single example of an athlete ever injured in every sport, that would be silly. That was almost 20 years ago now and another "era" of gymnastics.

Cheerleading is another sport entirely and I think anyone could have some valid concerns about their safety management practices. That industry hasn't evolved nearly as far as USA Gymnastics has in risk management. Hopefully someday they'll get there, but the fact that there is no pre-eminent national governing body (like USAG) is a big problem.

It was stated in this thread that all gymnasts have back problems. I experienced some soreness or temporary back injuries when I was competing, but today I am in great shape and can still do a lot of gymnastics without pain. I have more muscle tone than most people with minimal effort and with a little exercise can stay in great shape. Gymnastics builds the brain and body and I will definitely have my children participate on some level. Competitive gymnastics isn't for everybody so I would never push that, but I believe every child will benefit greatly in preschool and rec gymnastics. 
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