Shocker and Revelation of the Day

The following was relayed to me by my coworker during our level 3 session at Lady Luck in Vegas:

Annabella, Taryn, and Danielle G.- first gymnastics meet ever- upon watching some of the other teams: "THESE GIRLS HAVE THE SAME ROUTINES AS US!"

New level 3s, folks. Still a little wet behind the ears; but a wee bit less so, after today.

Making a correction

When taking turns, I try to have young gymnasts focus on just one or two aspects of the skill. Sometimes I give feedback, right after they have a go; then when their turn is coming up again, I ask them, "What are you going to fix?"; because if I don't, sometimes they just mindlessly take their turn without focusing on making a specific correction.

So tonight with the level 3s on tumble trak, I ask Summer, "What are you focusing on fixing?"

Summer: "I'm focusing on not farting."

Apparently during the previous round, she had "stepped on a frog" while waiting in line, causing a smelly ruckus amongst her teammates.

The same way we all got into gymnastics

Prior to start of practice, 6 year old mini-shot Ashley came out onto the floor where I was hanging out with another coach.  Carrying on a conversation with her, I ask her:  "How did you get into gymnastics?"

Ashley points off into the distance, behind her.

Confused, as I don't know who she's pointing to and why, I ask the question again.

Ashley:  "I got in through that door, over there." [points again, toward the gate that leads out onto the gym floor]

FIguratively speaking, maybe I did

After arriving late to work due to car issues today, 8 yr old Mischa:

"Did you have a good day today Coach Michael?"

Me: "No."

Mischa looks hurt/offended.

Me: "No, no...it's better now that I'm here with you guys. I like working with you. I just had a bad day before I got here."

Mischa: "Why? Did you poop in your pants?"

That's not my name

Coach David has been the primary coach for the level 4s since May or June.  He's with them for most rotations.  These days I get called "Coach David" by many of the girls before they catch themselves.  Last week, I also got called "Coach Stella".  And also last week, one of the level 3s accidentally called me "Mommy". 

I want to be like her when I grow up

My small-talk conversation with an 8 yr old level 3 gymnast before practice today:

Me: "Zoe, what are you going to be when you grow up?"

Zoe: "I don't know. What are you going to be?"

Hold your breath judges!

Level 4 gymnast today: "Coach Michael? What happens if you fart in the middle of your beam routine? Will you get a deduction?"

The Greatest Adventure is What Lies Ahead

Said to me yesterday:

"I'm younger than you, I still have a big journey to go through."
-Mischa, age 8, Hot Shots

Funny things little ones say

This was posted back in February by Gym Gab:

Looking for Different Results

5-1-2014  Coach David with a rapt, captive audience

Overheard second-hand last night:

Coach David with the girls on tumbletrak last night:  "Make sure you point and push all the way through your toes and straighten your legs; make them longer."

Anonymous level 3 gymnast:  "So in other words, don't do it like I normally do?"

The Birthday Request

I got invited/requested by one of my Hot Shots, Scarlet, to work her birthday party at the gym last year (for a party that is this weekend).  She's been excited about it for well over a week.

Yesterday, I was all over them, being knit-picky, smash-mouthed, relentlessly badgering the Hot Shots on their form and focus; the quality of their effort, constantly demanding better. Finally, the exasperated future birthday queen looks at me and says in a fatigued way, "Please don't be like this at the birthday party."

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).

The Journey to arrive at the destination...

"If we are facing the right direction, all we have to do is keep walking"

-Buddhist saying

So Eve (age 9) is one talented gymnast. But she has a tendency to allow her mind to race ahead of herself when working on a new skill. So if it's a layout at the end of a round-off backhandspring layout salto (as a new skill), she'll either balk or flub the skills that precede the end skill her mind is fixated on.

So today she's working on her layout half and layout full, and she begins balking. Instead of the usual way of reminding her of what was happening to her mentally, and how step A has to follow step B before you can get to C.....I phrased it in this fashion: "A path is formed by laying one stone at a time."

She gets back in line....comes back to me and says, "I don't get it." I tell her to ask her teammates for help in deciphering. I send her to Remi, who loves a good philosophical story. Remi comes over to me, confused. I ask her to repeat back what Eve told her. Remi says, "Something about a 'path to your stones'...."

  "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Judging Moments of Humor

This one's posted by Coach Simon at the Chalkbucket Forums:

Story 1:

A six year old is in the middle of her L5 bar routine.

After her Long Hand kip ontp the highbar, instead of casting she stops her routine. She leans forward over the highbar to balance, and then picks her leotard.

My partner judge muttered, “Wow, really?” while I exclaimed, “What” before we subsequently started laughing

The girl’s coach was staring at her in shock (and probably dismay)

~~~

Story 2:

This group of girls came up to us and we talked to them, and as they saluted they said
"Have fun judging us!"

Our timer started laughing, and my partner judge was like, "in all my years of judging, I have never heard that before..."

Then twenty minutes, after the next group saluted THEY SAID IT TOO

I tried to not laugh, but I failed to hold it in. They looked awfully pleased with themselves.

~~~

Story 3:

A group of very little 4's come up to our table, they were most likely 5 year olds.
The other judge is talking to the girls, telling them about how she wants to see their very best routines and to have fun etc. etc...

As you might know, when you judge they often will leave food on the table for us to eat. This meet in particular, they had given us a small bowl full of skittles.

There is this VERY little one in particular standing in the middle of their line.
She is clearly not listening to my partner - I know this because she reaches into the bowl and takes a handful of the skittles.

I bite my lower lip trying not to burst out laughing as my partner’s voice falters and she proceeds to stare at the kid who is now nonchalantly eating the skittles she took.

When you have to go, you have to go...

Funny moment posted by usnagymnasts11:

one of my level 2's (at her first meet) was more than halfway through her beam routine, stopped, climbed off the beam, walked up the the judge and said "May I please go potty?" One of the funniest things I've had happen in a meet.

Ouch!

Gym private early Saturday morning:

Thea: "It's cold in here!

Me: "That's 'cause you're wearing a leotard and haven't warmed up yet."

Thea: "At least you have clothes on!"

Me: "Yeah, thank God I don't have to wear a leotard."

Thea: "Yeah well, we can ALL thank God for that one!"

Quotes of the Week

Blair March 1st: "Last night after gym I was by the toilet bowl ready to puke, thinking I had the stomach flu. My mom gave me Pepto Bismol. After a while I realized my stomach was just sore from too much conditioning."

Blair February 28th being spotted on her two giants to layout flyaway...I tell her to come back up and go again; she says, "Yesss! This is like getting a free ticket pass at a Magic Mountain ride!"

Quote of the Week

5 year old Marissa in Perfect 10's today to Christy Linder during stretches:

"I want to be a gymnastics coach just like you.....so I don't have to do the exercises"

Finding Life's Thrills in Simple Skills

Thursday Shooting Stars, I'm spotting 6 year old Olivia on her cast to back hip circles. After 3 casts, I usually hold her up to check her hollow shape then lower her to the bar to touch her thighs, then push her around in a back hip, placing emphasis on her maintaining the same body shape, throughout.

So this past Thursday, I start only catching her very briefly at the top of her cast for shape-check, then letting go rather than lowering her to the bar, just making sure she keeps shape and lets her thighs come in to the bar. After a few of these- and while still in the middle of one- she tells me, "Wow! I'm getting pretty good at this!"

Then Friday Perfect 10's, I have 4 year old Kaya who's strong enough to do a pull over with her feet off the ground. I decide to push her around the bar in a back hip circle without pause since she's showing me that she can maintain a pretty decent shape. After about the third one, she tells me, "Whoa....it's like a roller-coaster ride." So then I think, maybe I'm pushing her around the bar too fast and go back to carrying her through the skill at half the speed. So then she says to me, "That's too slow."

Reminds me of how Erin Akamine, after I let her do round-off backhandsprings by herself for the first time one Saturday, described the sensation to her mom as "a rollercoaster ride".

Whenever competitive gymnasts begin to lose that sense of why they are in the sport and what they loved about it in the first place, I think it sometimes helps to go back to remembering what it felt like when you got that first "big" skill, like a simple backhandspring. It really isn't quite so simple when you consider how many people on this planet will never experience that sensation and acquire that kind of physical talent.

~~~

Thea told me about a conversation she had with Kort, today:

Thea: "Can I fill my water bottle and go to the bathroom?"

Kort: "That sounds like a really weird combination."

Quote of the Day

Emma Totsubo on Wednesday: "I can always do it when no one is watching."

Fine.

Let the judges know they can take a coffee break and get some fresh air while you do your bar routine. When they come back, you can let them know how you did and what score to give you.

Broadway Stars is now comprised of those who haven't seen competition yet. Hopefully, most will compete in 2 months.

Claire's had a lot of trouble with the single-leg shoot through and started getting into a bad habit of letting go with her left hand to cheat it. The other day, out of momentary resignation, I told her when she gets up to do her bar routine for the judges, ask them to sit to her right where they won't see that hand come up off the bar.