“E-panel, D-panel, Line Judges” – The three branches of government.

Wut happened

Pan Ams will be in Utah. The 2020 Pan American Championships—the continental Olympic qualifier for North, Central, and South America—will be held at Utah Valley University in May 2020.

New USAG hire. Jason Woodnick, formerly of Gymnastics Canada, is the new vice president of men’s programs at USAG.

MSU investigation suspended. The Michigan Attorney General has suspended its investigation into Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar case, it was announced on Tuesday. According to the AG, the investigation will not resume until the university releases thousands of relevant documents or former president John Engler agrees to be interviewed. The investigation had been ongoing since January 2018, and the university says they’ve fully cooperated with it.

Update: The AG clarified on Wednesday that the investigation has not been suspended, but that it is at an “impasse” due to the university’s refusal to release the documents.

Rachael spoke. Rachael Denhollander responded to news reports that attorneys in the USA Gymnastics bankruptcy case were charging high fees, saying “It is USAG and USOC that made this necessary…Put the focus where it belongs.” 

She also said in an interview that everything USAG has done in the wake of Larry Nassar’s abuse “has been nothing but gross disappointment.”

• Russia will likely appeal the decision to ban them from four years of major competitions.
• In truly disturbing news, Indonesian gymnast Shalfa Avrila Siani claims that the national federation removed her from the national team in November because she lost her virginity. Coaches say she was removed for other reasons.
• Tokyo Olympics organizers ran an earthquake drill at the gymnastics venue. 
• Amy Chow talked about the shift to a semi-centralized system in 2000 and reflected on the Larry Nassar scandal in a new interview.

Star status

Commits. UCLA arrived fashionably late to the signing party, announcing that Emma Malabuyo and Ana Padurariu will both be joining the freshman 2021 class along with their difficult-to-spell-on-the-first-try surnames.

Retirements. Scottish gymnast Frank Baines announced his retirement, and looks like Mao Yi is done with the national team. 

New roles. Chuso said in an interview that she’s in the running toward becoming an athlete rep in Tokyo, which also comes with a contract with Elite Model Management. She also said she’s against “punishing the innocent,” referring to the Russian ban possibly affecting clean athletes. 

Upgrades. Flavia Saraiva did three layouts in a row, sparking a wave of 90s nostalgia. Meanwhile, in Britainland, Becky Downie is working on a Fabrichnova.

Staying social

Aly’s doing good. One poor gymnerd got a fake Aly Raisman signature for Christmas, but Aly made things right because she’s the best.

Eythora’s bringing in paper. Eythora Thorsdottir’s in an ad, and she looks amazing.

Everyone got new pets! Laurie got a dog, Heath Thorpe got a kitteh, and Simone got a snake! She named it Versace. Badass.

Brit Gym needs you. Help them design their new mascot! And no, I don’t think it can be Simone’s new snake, though you could try. 

Gender is a social construct. Check out Kenzo Shirai doing Mai Murakami’s floor routine, and speaking of, this is the future of men’s floor.

Reunited. Liang Chow, Rachel Gowey, and Norah Flatley were back together again, and it feels so good.

Because it’s Christmas…

This year, Santa (Lauren) brought you an overview of recent junior comps, and a 2020 gymnastics calendar! Plus, because you asked, Lauren answered, twice!

Last words

Happy Hanukkah!!!

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