No Man is a Failure Who Has Friends

We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are

-Max DePree

A Tale of Three Friends

I like the autographs on that sand chalk box.

Charlotte Drury:

We were literally like chalk monsters! We would get chalk and we didn't even know what chalk did. We were at that stage where it was… 'chalk, chalk, chalk, chalk! You need chalk to do good!' We would stand in the chalk bin for hours and chalk up before our turn. So, that would be that!

Read the whole interview.

A Strapping Idea

Sometimes coaches use a belt harness when spotting certain skills on bars so that they don't get pulled off balance in the middle of spotting.  Since I never liked having one of these cut into my gut, and when we didn't have any such belt, a couple of years ago I began improvising straps that were strung together into a belt I could loop around my leg and hook onto the bar.




Here is Nick Blanton offering up some other ideas for the non-orthodox usage of straps:

Handstand clinic with Sebastian Melander

Hanging and Tapping

Great bar clinic by Nick Blanton at Louisiana Training Camp earlier this year:

The Secret Life of Your Gymnasts

The gym can be a kind of escape.  An escape from the outside world and all its problems.

For my team girls, I've sometimes talked about how Japanese gymnasts and the martial arts world have the tradition of bowing before entering a dojo (school); and when leaving.  It serves as an act of respect; but the physical ritual of bowing also serves as a reminder- a trigger- to put the practitioner into the proper frame of mind to focus upon the task at hand:  The workout.

But sometimes, the problems of the outside world are too great to be ignored and set aside for the 2-4 hours we are in the spiritual battleground that is the gym.

There are times when one of my gymnasts suffered a personal loss- a pet dying; the passing of a loved one.  And we as coaches adjust accordingly to care for the mental and emotional health of our athletes.

Today, one of my Hot Shots- a mature 7 yr old- wasn't quite behaving like her normal self.  Nothing too drastic- but just enough to make me notice that her energy level, her attention to form, and her focus wasn't quite what it normally is.

When we got to RO BHs, she was so off- loose in the air- that I asked her what was going on.  I pointed out what I was noticing and asked if she was tired, not enough sleep, or what.  She said it was a couple of things. First thing was, she didn't have enough to eat or something to that effect.  The second thing she said to me was that her parents were getting a divorce.

My heart broke for her right then and there, so I embraced her with a hug and told her I was so sorry.  She said it was okay (to comfort me, maybe).  But it explained a lot to me, what was going on with her during workout.

She did better after that.  And for a moment, we were both able to focus on the rest of gym as a kind of escape from the really real world and not dwell upon it.

One of my best kids....

Same thing happened to me

Today, I had 4 yr old team developmental gymnast Avery on bars, trying to get her to hold a front support without resting on her belly. Her elbows were bent in front support; so I told her to straighten her arms and she lets go of the bar and puts her arms up in the air to show me her straight arms...all while still resting on her belly!

Post by Blanton's Gymnastics Consultancy.

I also remember a couple of instances where I'd ask a young gymnast to cover her ears and she'd take her hands and, sure enough, cover up her ears with the palm of her hands. One time this happened while the kid was in handstand (I was holding by the feet and both hands came right off the floor).

Gymnastics Club Promotion with Song Parodies

This is actually pretty fun and creative from Gymnastics Olympica, apparently done for their awards banquet last season:




I'm not so out of touch not to recognize that it's a song parody; I'm just not hip enough to recognize what the song is (although I know I've heard it before).

Another parody song by a gymnastics club that I discovered quite a while ago is this take on the Bruno Mars song:



And this reminded me of another song parody video by Zak Johnson and Club Champion out in Pasadena:

Read more »

Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies

Maroney on Bones

On Bones tonight:

McKayla Maroney might be in big trouble on this week’s episode of Bones.
In the episode, airing Friday, the gold medalist finds herself on the wrong end of one of Booth and Brennan’s investigations after a fellow gymnast meets her end. In the exclusive preview below, Maroney, who was part of the 2012 gold medal-winning U.S. women’s olympic gymnastics team and brief Internet sensation, admits to her Bones obsession and talks about her day on the set.



First Look:

Maroney becomes the key suspect in Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan's (Emily Deschanel) latest case, which involved the murder of a nationally ranked gymnast. While the deceased was ranked No. 1 prior to her death, Maroney's character Ellie just so happens to take the top spot once her competition is gone. Suspicious, no?

But we've got an exclusive sneak peek that may just clear Maroney's character and that shows off her very impressive tumbling abilities!

IDP Bar Clinic (Progression to Full Out)

Sunday Funnies

I like how the dude is on the uneven bars...