The 'You're Too Tall' award

Gold - Maria Olaru (ROM) - She seriously must have grown 2-3 inches since China, and it looked like the extra height was seriously hampering her training. But she still possesses an understated regal charm that befits her new height.

Silver - Lisa Mason (GBR) - Pushing 5' 7", but she's been that way for a while now and she did pretty well.

Bronze - Eva Serrano (FRA) - French RSG star was on hand to present awards during the EF. She was taller than the gymnasts standing on the podium! She must be around 6' 2" or so. Wow!

The 'Most Impressive Juniors' award

Russia - As usual, Russia has a strong set of kids for the future. They took the team title and both Anna Pavlova and Natalia Ziganshina secured a few individual titles.

Romania - Silvia Stroescu and Sabina Cojocar made impressive AA debuts, taking the top spots of the competition.

Netherlands - Came in third place for team and were present in all EF events. Cool!

Hungary - Watch out for Renate Kiss and Ando Csilla.

The 'Best Metro Line' award

Line 14 - Less than 5 years old, its pretty clean and the stations are very nice.

The 'Coolest Freebies' award

FFG Press Package - Included an oversize black and white loose leaf booklet on the history of French gymnastics, a gymnastics mousepad and a sticker.

The 'Jair Lynch' award

Andreea Raducan (ROM) - Splits open her palm badly during AA UB and blood is pouring out all over the place. Fortunately her last event is beam which is not too intensive on the hands. Ick!

The 'M*A*S*H' award

Russian Medical Team - After Raducan rips open her hand on UB, the Russian trainers provide battlefield medical assistance and clean up all the blood prior to her beam routine. It was a nice display of one team helping out another despite the highly competitive atmosphere.

The 'Keep Pushing the Elevator Button (Even Though It Won't Get Here Any Faster)' award

Adriana Crisci (ITA) and Octavian Belu (ROM).

The 'Photographers Worst Nightmare' award (Part 2)

The competition schedule - First, they have the juniors and seniors competing simultaneously. That was bad enough. Then they have the junior and senior apparatus on opposite end of the arena (except for the floors). Then to top it all off, they had the Russian junior and senior teams compete in the same subdivision. Ack!! Even during EF they would have a junior start a routine halfway through a senior routine. Supposedly the UEG wanted to save money by doing it this way, and the FFG wanted to 'do something different.'

The 'Most Hardcore Gymnastics Fan on the Planet' award

Boris Pilkin (RUS) - He sat in the stands watching every single subdivision, occasionally clapping to the FX music. Now that I think back, he did the same thing in Switzerland, St. Petersberg, and China, and I suspect he's done that at every meets he's been to. Now that is true dedication and fanhood.

The 'Most Mysteriously Beautiful Location' award

Cemitaire d' Pere Luchaise - This is the cemetery where several famous people were laid to rest, among them Sarah Bernhardt, Jean Francois Champollion, and Jim Morrison. I initially went just to visit some of the more notable figures, but the unique headstones and the quiet atmosphere were indeed something to behold. Quite reminiscent of the amazing cemetery I visited in Moscow. I hung out for a little while longer to take some photos. Eerie yet very stunning.

The 'Best Bargain' award

Arc d' Triomphe - Usually tickets to get to the top are 25 francs. But on the day we went it was free!! I was told the freebie was due to the VE Day holiday that was going on that weekend.

Weekly metro pass - 82 francs for a weekly pass with unlimited use. As a tourist staying for over a week, believe you me I got my money's worth out of that one!

The 'Poster Child' award

Ludivine Furnon and Svetlana Khorkina.

The 'Best View' award

Eiffel Tower at night - Take the two elevators all the way to the top for the most incredible views of Paris. Many times you can see lightning in the distance. Gorgeous!

The 'Know Where Your Flag Is' award

Romania and Russia - The UEG and FFG did not have a flag raising apparatus for any of the awards ceremonies (probably to save more money), so they hung all the flags on either end of the arena. When the anthem was played for the Russian junior team, they faced the wrong group of flags. Sabina Cojocar did the same thing during the junior AA awards. It seems only Svetlana Khorkina knew where her country's flag was located, and she faced the right direction.

The 'Most Stable Gymnasts' award

Esther Moya (ESP) - Except for a slight bobble on her team FX , Esther was as solid as a rock throughout the competition. Her 4th place spot in the AA was quite well deserved.

Olga Roschupkina (UKR) - Quietly performed very strong and stable routines which helped Ukraine win a team medal and 5th place in the AA. She will definitely be a key team factor in Sydney, and a strong candidate for individual glory as well.

The 'Too Big' award

The Louvre - Almost impossible to see in one day. I only checked out the more notable pieces like the Mona Lisa and Nike Of Samothrace and ditched the rest. Being an artist for the last 20 years, I have visited many museums. So when I see a Greek statue or Renaissance painting that looks very similar to the dozens of Greek statues or Renaissance paintings that I've seen before, I tend not to hang around and study them too much.

Versailles - Much bigger than the Hermitage, and the gardens were gargantuan. Despite its massive size, I was more impressed by the Hermitage overall. The stairway to the upper floors were pitiful next to the grand and glorious staircases of the Hermitage. And it seemed like half of the Versailles palace was empty and the building seemed to be kind of worn down and somewhat dilapidated. But Versailles is still a must see for a first time visitor to Paris. Don't miss it!

The 'Not as Big as I Thought It Would Be' award

Notre Dame - Don't get me wrong. The cathedral is HUGE. But I was under the impressions it was HUGER.

The 'I'll Pass on That' award

Confessional services at Notre Dame - Were I too confess all my sins, I would miss all of the competition!

The 'So Much for the National Hero' award

Ludivine Furnon - After thrilling the hometown crowd with her gold medal EF FX, the press corps didn't ask a single question of her or coach Nellu Pop at the press conference. Instead, they queried Octavian Belu and the Romanians and Russian junior Anna Pavlova. Interesting,