Hustled Out of a Dollar

Summer is often the time when we hope to intensify gymnastics training. Well, if you aren't working with elites and wannabe-elites, that's not likely to happen. So we often have kids who disappear for vacation trips, sometimes for weeks on end. You assign conditioning-on-the-go exercises they can do while away, and hope and pray they and their parents are disciplined enough to follow through with it.

One of my level 5's has been on vacation since the beginning of summer- almost 2 months. Monday was her first day working out and she could not do a kip on bars. Not even if her life depended upon it. She was very pouty and frustrated with herself.

Wednesday, she still could not make her kips. Wasn't even close to making it on the high bar. Lots of frowning and fuming. Then it struck me to inject some humor into it and I started picking on her over her orange toenail polish (anyone who really knows me, knows how much I hate nail polish, makeup, tattoos, and piercings of any kind- including earrings). I remember her toenails had this ugly orange on Monday as well. So I told her it was obvious she wasn't making her kips because she had ugly orange toenail polish on. I theorized, "I bet once you get rid of thatl polish, you'll be able to make your kip." A shocked, offended smile spread across her face. With feigned indignation, she denied the nail polish was the problem- especially her color choice. I insisted it was the polish. And the color. She boldly challenged me with a dollar bet that she could make the kip and prove me wrong. Based upon how much trouble she was having Monday and that particular succeeding Wednesday, I seriously did not think she had it in her to make the kip. So I took her bet.

She jumps to the high bar, long hang kips effortlessly. My jaw just dropped. her expression back was a smug, "I told you so!"


I think I got hustled out of a dollar.

Okay, so it wasn't the toenail polish....but they're still an ugly orange!!!