A Spoonful of Castor Oil...

“Without criticism, there can be no true praise”

-Posted by John Geddert, the Mary Poppins of Gymnastics Coaching (???)

Beamopoly

I, the #1 beam coach [/sarcasm], somehow got stuck on beam by myself toward the last hour of gym last night; but I was told not to worry by Coach Jenny before she left, saying the girls were playing "Beamopoly" (Fun Friday and all).  "What in the blue blazes is that?!"  I queried:





I think I'm going to have to come up with "Shoots and Bars"; or "Bars and Ladders"; or how about "Bars and Rope"?

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I dare ye to walk t' plank!

'Tis that time o' t' year again, ye band o' land lubbin' scallywags!  'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Aaarrgh!  Hoist the Jolly Rogers and shiver me timbers!

Beware coaches with one eye that wish to make ye not walk t' plank, but to hold 'em:

Screen capture from Geddert's Conditioning video, phase 1 Build Up

Some fake history for ye scurvy dogs:
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Blanton Courbetting Drills

Illustration from Championship Gymnastics

In Memory....

.....Never forget.

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Sunday Funnies

Built by Gymnastics

Conditioning Pool Side with Texas Dreams

"A good gymnast needs good equipment; but a great gymnast needs any equipment."

I love the improvised, creative use of playground equipment for conditioning.




Nica Hult is a former AOGC student whose family had to move out to Texas. This video is posted from 3 years ago to the day:

Nica Hults training with her new team called the "Dream Team" with Texas Dreams under the coaching of World Champion and 4-time US All Around Champion American gymnast, Kim Zmeskal Burdette, and her husband, Chris Burdette. Among her teammates are 2010 US National Team Members: Senior gymnast Chelsea Davis, and Junior gymnast Kennedy Baker.

If you understand concepts and principles behind exercises, then you can improvise many things to achieve the same desired results obtained by more conventional or well-known equipment.

Karen Goeller has specialized herself in swingset fitness:




And here's Eddie Umphrey having some fun with his gymnasts from a few years back: