Lateral Ladder walking in handstand

Sunday Funnies

Worst Workout Ever?

This poem by Chanie Gorkin, an 11th grader, has been gaining some traction over the internet.

Tonight at the end of practice, I had the JO Girls sit and read it out loud; asked what it meant to them (one of the older girls thought it was an awesome poem because it sounded real and relatable- interesting!). So our discussion segwayed into a reading of it backward. We then talked about the Yin and the Yang- the dichotomy of perspective and attitude; of looking at things from a perspective of half empty and half full; and on the importance of flipping things around in your own head when you think you're having a bad day. 

The girls thought the poem was really cool (You could see the light bulb go off on their heads upon reading it backward) and they even wanted to keep their handout copy and share it with their parents.

I have one level 4 girl in particular who has been struggling with her kip.  On account of that, and comparing herself to her teammates, she's been sabotaging her workouts by allowing her emotions to affect her self-confidence and energy output which reinforces her negative feelings, which....a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. 

Here's hoping she can turn her negative energy around on its head.  Attitude is everything.

Sunday Funnies

Water Weights

Novelty item just for fun.  If I could just fill these up with even more water- then we're talkin'!

Maybe some bottled water company should market their bottles in the shape of dumb bells.  I'd love to bicep curl a 5 gallon jug a few times before setting it on the water cooler dispenser.

And here's a Gymnastike throwback Thursday to a Technique Tuesday:

Home-Made "Sticky Toes"

Tumble Trak is now marketing this idea as a new product ("sticky toes").  So I finally decided to see if I could make my own.  I was going to use sweat bands or the tube end of cut-up sports socks; but then I was in the 99¢ store and saw these ankle braces for....99 cents.  So I picked them up, some needle and thread and industrial strength strips of velcro.  Tested them out on Marissa at the end of practice tonight.

It might be a useful tool to pull out once in a while; especially for kids who can't feel that they are breaking form.  Not only can the gymnast feel the velcro separate, but she can hear it happen as well.  Great instant feedback!

Here's a link to Tumble Trak's product because they deserve support and you might want to save yourself on time in sewing labor:

Sunday Funnies

You Just Got Served!

Partner Relay Slider Race

What Gymnastics Teaches

Fall down 7 times....

Think about the first time you failed at something: blowing a job interview, not getting in to your dream college, even struggling through a bad breakup. Now imagine someone told you the next day to go back to that employer and try again, march up to the dean at your dream college and demand to be let in, bang on your ex’s door and refuse to leave until you work things out. Crazy, right? People do crazy things like this maybe once or twice in their lives, if they truly feel passionate enough to put aside their pride and refuse to give up.

Gymnastics asks you to do this every day. Fall flat on your face? Get back up and do it again. Break your leg? You better be back in the gym tomorrow, conditioning and doing everything you can to make up for lost time.

~~~

It is easy to work hard when you are doing well, but it is a whole lot harder to give your best effort when you have already failed multiple times. Gymnastics teaches you to push yourself even when you’re tired or have tried the same skill twenty times. And that twenty-first time when you finally do it right is what makes it worth it.

 Read from the beginning.

Hat tip:  ChalkBucket Forum

Find a way or find excuses

This photo has been trending on my FB newsfeed. It was taken last month by Joyce Gilos Torrefranca, a medical student in Cebu:

It shows 9-year-old Daniel Cabrera kneeling on the pavement with the famous golden arches in the background. He's using a makeshift wooden bench as he writes in his workbook. "For me as a student, it just hit me a lot, like big time," Joyce Torrefranca told the Philippine news network ABS-CBN. "This kid, he doesn't have anything but he has dedication to study." Joyce said seeing Daniel struggling with his homework inspired her to work harder. The photo was quickly shared thousands of times with other people saying they'd been inspired by him too.

An inspirational reminder of the blessings in our own lives, the struggles of those less fortunate, and the adage that if it's important enough to you, you will find a way; if it's not, you will find excuses.

Gymnastics is an expensive, "elitist" sport; and many kids don't have the opportunity to discover their potential in the environment of training in a well-managed, well-equipped, well-coached facility. As a gymnastics coach, I try and remind my athletes to never take their opportunities in life for granted. I have one athlete on the team whose parents struggle to afford her monthly tuition. The mom does not speak fluent English. Does not have a computer or email. She once pulled her daughter out of gym. At the end of the month and at the end of practice, without fanfare or warning, her kid comes up to me and matter-of-factly states, "This is my last day. Bye." I guess the mom was too embarrassed to let us know her husband lost his job and they were struggling. She was doing extra work just for her daughter because she knew how much her daughter loves gymnastics Fortunately we were able to talk her into keeping her daughter- my gymnast- enrolled in our program. I'm grateful to the gym I work for in that the owner and office management were willing to work with the mom and negotiate something that she could afford.


 At the annual Vidmar Invitational out in Los Angeles, '84 Olympian Peter Vidmar reminds the competitors of this life lesson, telling the gymnasts that the next time their parents drop them off at the gym, to take pause and thank their parents and show deep appreciation. Because their parents don't have to do any of this: Driving them to practice, financing it, watching meets, etc. The 3 golden rules for the staff at my gym: Do your best... Always do the right thing... And everyday, do something selfless that benefits others.

Iconic Chris Pratt Jurassic Pose

I've not seen any of the Jurassic movies (yet); but I did read about a meme taking shape:

Since the release of Jurassic World the raptor training pose has become a sensation, with people all over the world taking up the challenge to copy the look and post the results to social media,

 That's my Gym-rassic pose.

Who says this ol' fossil ain't hip and up-to-date on trending pop culture? 

Sunday Funnies

Source

"I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."

- Thomas Jefferson

Horizontal rope climb & slider relay