INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Nov. 3, 2008 – More than 40 athletes, coaches and judges from 10 countries attended the Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) men’s artistic gymnastics camp that was hosted by USA Gymnastics at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States and Venezuela.
The camp was coordinated by Steve Butcher, president of PAGU’s Men’s Technical Committee and a newly elected member of the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) Men’s Technical Committee, and Dennis McIntyre, the men’s program director for USA Gymnastics. The camp was conducted through a grant from the FIG and supported by USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee and PAGU.
The six-day camp featured a combination of seminars and in-the-gym coach/athlete instruction. The topics ranged from biomechanics, nutrition and sports psychology to the new Code of Points, which governs men’s gymnastics. The list of instructors included: Ron Brant, the senior national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics; Juan Carlos Colon, the Puerto Rican national team coach; and Edouard Iarov, Canada’s head national coach who is a current FIG Academy instructor and a newly elected member of the FIG’s Men’s Technical Committee. Members of the USOC’s Sports Performance Division also took part in the camp, including Dr. Bill Sands, a noted sports science expert.
