Shouldn't every parent do this? ;-)

Good job, Heather!

Real Men Wear Tights

Gymnastics World

There was a time when I used to enjoy filming and editing videos/montages.

Here are two I put together for Ariana Sokol-Sanchez and her mom, Wendy:







The title comes from the video game, "Homeworld", whose music selection I chose.

I just never got around to filming her beam stuff.

Promoting Your Club and Programs

Thinking about this Twistars package, I wondered how many other gym clubs out there are actively taking full advantage of the internet and video-hosting sites like YouTube to help promote their clubs and generate some excitement.  Most gymnastics websites are dull and often not user-navigation-friendly.

When I was in college, we had nothing like the video packages they have nowadays for collegiate teams:

UCLA Gymnastics 2012 Introduction Video
Cal Gymnastics promo 2013
Stanford Women's Gymnastics 12/1/2008 Pre-season video 

Check out this promo for Southern Utah University Gymnastics who hired cinematographer Parker Walbeck to film and document their last season:


Now that is the kind of video that generates excitement and gets fans pumped up!


Many clubs have dull promos; while a few understand how to inject life and excitement.

You don't need big-production budgets like the colleges to put together a nice video promo package.  Today's home computer technology makes it sooooo easy! 

And clubs should probably have several promos, hitting different target audiences, for different purposes.  Some promos should be a quick 30-60 seconds in length.  Enough to draw interest, without detailed, over-explanation.  Then for those with piqued interest and longer attention span, perhaps a more in-depth profile of the gym, with details on specific programs offered. 

I filmed and edited this unofficial LASG video:

Sarah Black: You're the Best Around

When I first began teaching at Santa Monica Gymnastics Center around the late 90s, it was to work for an adult fitness business, Energy Unlimited.  Aside from in-home fitness training, the owner used to have a small gymnastics equipment studio on Motor Avenue.  When that closed, she took her business and rented out space at SMGC.  UCLA alumni David St. Pierre once worked for her (currently teaches adults at AOGC), as did UCLA assistant men's coach, Yefim Furman (currently at LASG).

Here is one of my adult clients, who I dearly miss: