Cutest thing you will see all weekend!

Check out the team spirit/support and a 2 year-old's round-off backhandspring:

Unsafe Bridging

*UPDATE* 9/12/2015

I decided to look up who this kid is.  Looks like it's Arat.  Also here.  Backheadspring at 2 years old.  Limbering.

*END UPDATE*


nd of mine yesterday morning linked to this video.  My friend was a former gymnast/teammate when I was young; and I think even started coaching again.  But I cringed when I saw it.  And now my own gym posted the video up.  Ugh!

Some community education:

Bridging in Preschoolers

Safe Bridging - Beth Gardner

preschoolers should not do back bridge

walking in ‘bridge’

 Bridges – How to spare the back…

 Bridge Mobility: Why Your Gymnasts May Be Struggling: Possible Injury Prevention For The Lower Back and Tips To Help

Community Discussions (Chalkbucket Forums):

Preschoolers and Backbends/Bridges

bridges

I will continue to update this post with more links as I find them.

Beth Gardner comment from 2008 worth reposting:

The current industry standard for bridging recommends that children do not start bridging until age 5. The industry standard USED to be based on the concept of "developmentally correct" in which the child was allowed to do a bridge if they could place themselves into the bridge position on their own. This, however, is no longer the standard. The standards can be found in the old USAG KAT book, and it remains the standard within the Preschool Fundamentals and HOT courses.

Here's a little background on the issue..

Read more »

Gymnastics Puzzles

Source:  High Flyers Gymnastics

Malaika's Bad Day(s)

Malaika's a 6 year old princess whom I have known since at least 2004; maybe longer. She's a pretty strong, coordinated kid in the junior advanced program...pretty athletic; but this video isn't about that.

It's about those breakdown moments in the gym, which aren't unique just to her (remember: videos don't tell the whole truth!). But she certainly does have them, in dramatic fashion.

One of the "best", was when teacher Lilly quit suddenly, leaving Al to teach the junior class. Malaika let loose with the waterworks. Even though she knew Al, she was carrying on about how she didn't want "no strange man teaching me!" Al was short on patience for that sort of nail-on-the-chalk-board drama that day, and I thought he was going to tear his hair out or send Malaika packing. I think she eventually did join the class.

She is an extremely funny kid, crammed full of personality and oddball sayings. It may seem odd and cruel to capture a person's worst moments in life; but this video was made with love and affection; and somehow, recording the drama in a little kid's life can be something that hopefully even Malaika can look back upon and laugh at (or perhaps recognize how ridiculous some of her moments were, and...um...cease and desist, and not carry on so in the future? Yeah, right....).



I did receive Stacey's (Malaika's mom) blessings on this project, at least 2 years in the making. I just had to include the closing credit footage in its entirety; it was worthy enough to stand alone as a clip. Somehow, like the clip of Anna smiling with the orange in her mouth while Malaika is in misery next to her, seeing Malaika crying from a collision in the mommy & me class, contrasted to the summer camp girls singing along to "If you're happy", just seemed deliciously funny to me.

But maybe that's just me.

Here's to posterity and "bad" memories made good!