Sunday Funnies

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Happy New Year! I heard it's going to be a Boar...

Now to go find Lucy and finally kick that football....

"As long as he believes he's part of a team..."

Proactive Coaching:

A man became lost while driving through the country. As he tried to read a map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he was not injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. Seeing a farmhouse just down the road, the man walked over to ask for help. 

“Clyde can get you out of the ditch,” the farmer said, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the haggard mule, and then looked back at the farmer, who just stood there nodding. “Yep, old Clyde can do the job.” 

The man figured he had nothing to lose, so the two men and Warwick made their way back to the ditch.After the farmer hitched the old mule to the car, he snapped the reins and shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Clyde!” With very little effort, the lone mule pulled the car from the ditch. 

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call out all those other names before you called Clyde?” 

The farmer smiled and said, “Old Clyde is almost completely blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he always gives his best.”

Failing your way to success

I was checking out the blogroll and sidebar links on an old blog of mine; and was pleased to see that some of the links still work (sad that others are wiped with good content lost).  There are blogs that aren't really active that still are enriched by having archives to peruse.

One person I was pleasantly surprised to find still active is J Orkowski's Gymfinity blog.  He posted as recently as yesterday:


I have a very different definition of success. I have always believed in the oft quoted “Shoot first, what you hit, call the target” philosophy. As a coach, I have guided many athletes to great success by my definition and as defined by other people as well. I have always believed that if we focus on success, rather than growth, we often lose the biggest benefits from trying to do anything at all. Here are 5 things that we tend to lose when all we focus on is success as defined in a traditional way.

ou limit Discovery

When we follow the laser focus of working to achieve a specific goal we will often lose sight of the many opportunities along the way. I drove to Illinois yesterday and ended up stopping at a great roadside market. If I would have only been focused on my destination, I would have missed some of the best sweet corn I have ever had. Not to equate striving for our goals with shopping for produce, but it illustrates the odd and interesting things we can find on our path to success.

You limit your ability to Grow

If we are only focused on one outcome we lose the opportunity to learn as we go. We need to embrace our shortcomings, our failures, and mistakes. By doing so we learn to adapt and we learn to overcome future mistakes by developing resiliency. Striving for our goals is a long-term commitment; persistence, resiliency, quick thinking, and wisdom are natural byproducts of the process if we commit to the long term effort and stay open to the process.

You fall into Black & White Thinking

When we are solely focused on a successful outcome we are quick to label those errors, misjudgments and mistakes as failures. If we do not achieve our stated goal then everything else seems to be a failure. There is nothing more untrue. We cannot, in any effort, be so short-sited that we only see black and white. The world is made up of shades of gray and there is not only much to be learned in the gray areas, but there is a lot of happiness in them as well.

Read more, along with past posts of his.  A lot of good reflections from a good coach.

The Day After the Worst Day Ever

1-16-2017

For 5 or our 6 who competed level 3 this past weekend, it was their first gymnastics meet; and it was hosted in a big venue.  The girls did amazing.  I was already proud of them before they even entered the competition hall because I know how hard they've been working, leading up to the meet.  So my expectations were grounded in reality; but I suppose for a couple of them, their expectations were...a little different than mine?  So we talked about their experiences and thoughts.  Most of it was positive; but one girl thought the judges just didn't like her- like they had a personal grudge against her, especially on beam (lol).  Another, I heard, had tears during awards because some of her teammates medaled and she did not (I posted a couple of great blogposts on the GW FB page, that should help any gymnast feeling this way).

Anyway, one of the things I shared with them was a poem by 11th grader Chanie Gorkin that went viral a couple of years ago.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/11760731/Hidden-meaning-behind-poem-will-brighten-your-day.html

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don't try to convince me that
There's something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
And it's not true that
It's all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one's surroundings are good
It's not true that good exists
I'm sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It's all beyond my control
And you'll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day

After reading it, the kids described to me what the poem meant to them.  A couple of them said they liked it (this was after reading it forward- lol!).  One of them actually thought it was a positive poem, telling me the part about "My attitude is beyond my control" meant how she was feeling wasn't her fault- omg, rofl!

I started the video clip as they read it next, from bottom to top.






Almost 2 years ago, the older girls seemed to get a lot out of this poem, asking if they could keep their copy.

Mitch Gaylord: American Ninja Warrior?

Apparently according to his wife Valentina, at age 55, Mitch Gaylord is training for American Ninja Warrior:

TLS Co-Owner and my loving Husband, Olympic Gold Medalist, Mitch Gaylord is set to compete in Oklahoma City, OK on May 13th in one of the final regional qualifiers for Las Vegas. There were 50,000 applicants in total and only 500 applicants were chosen to compete - 100 applicants in each region. 

Mitch has been working incredibly hard to prepare for this competition in hopes to represent the love of sports, health and fitness of our hometown Austin, Texas! He looks and feels absolutely AMAZING at 55! We are truly so grateful to have found Lagree Fitness back in 2009 and to have it back in our lives now...it is truly the ABSOLUTE BEST full body workout out there! Thank you Sebastien Lagree for creating Lagree Fitness & The Megaformer!

You can see Mitch training and be coached by him at The Lagree Studios in Bee Cave & Downtown Austin!

70- It's just a number. A very good number.

Today was a Great Day

Lisa's letter to her daughter:

Today was a bad day. You fell on beam. You missed your connections on floor. You didn’t reach handstand on bars. Your execution was low. Today was a day you wanted to quit. All that hard work for what? All those long hours of training, missing out on friends, missing out on parties. Getting up early, struggling with being tired. What was it all for? It was for nothing. A big fat zilch.
Today you wanted to quit. Today you wanted to hang your grips up, you wanted to wipe the mag off your rough and bleeding hands for good. You wanted to throw away all your leotards and be a “normal” kid one again. You wanted to turn your back on something that was so engrained in you, such a part of you that cutting a limb off would be the closest thing to it.
Today was a sad day. The disappointment etched in your face, the hot tears burning your skin as they tumbled down your cheeks. The hurt clearly displayed on your little face for all the world to see.
Today broke two hearts. Yours and mine.
Today was hard. Hard for you. Much harder for me to watch you fall apart. I wanted to swoop in and save you from this heartache. I watched helplessly as you fought those demons that tortured you from inside. I was powerless to stop them. I felt like a failure as a mother as I hadn’t protected you from this hurt.
Today was a struggle. The little voices in your head told you that you were no good. They told you to quit. They tormented you and filled you full of doubt. And with doubt comes failure. I watched you in a tug of war with your mind. I saw the inner turmoil that threatened to consume you.
Today was a battle. Somewhere deep inside of you a war was raging. Would you let disappointment and hurt win? Would you let those mental demons tear you apart? Would you fall and never get up again? No. You gathered your strength, you stood up to those voices. Every fibre of your being held steadfast in your resolve. I saw my little girl fight from the core.
Today was a day of hope. The flame that burns inside you, that had all but been extinguished today, flickered again. You held your head high as you watched other gymnasts, not better than you but who had cleaner routines, stand up and receive ribbons and medals. I watched you hug your team mates, congratulating them, sharing in their victory. The joy that had been robbed from you was soon replaced with the love you felt for your sport. I saw that tiny glimmer of hope light the dark place that was your heart. I saw you banish the voices in your head saying you should quit, you were a failure, that you were no good.
Today was a good day. Today you learnt things that I could never teach you. You learnt how to lose. You learnt how to fight back. You learnt the importance of not always winning. You learnt how to take disappointment and turn it in to a positive. You learnt that love prevails. You made me proud, much prouder than if you had a gold medal hung around your neck.
Today you won.
Today was a great day

Julia Sharpe: MAG competitor and All-Around Mother of Twins.

She stayed in shape throughout her pregnancy; and competes in men's artistic gymnastics.  Watch her.



Hat tip:  JAG

Kate Foster on Good Morning America

Fired Up Friday!

Tribal flow:

Dekiru.

Ganbatte!

This is Japan ! Can not explain in word ... Watch video
Posted by I'm Gaijin on Saturday, February 27, 2016

Hat tip:  JAG Gym

Sunday Funnies

Respect

Kate's beam routine at the 2016 Bravo Classic.
Posted by Lynn E. Foster on Saturday, January 16, 2016

Living an Abnormal (Re: Extra + Ordinary) Childhood

Wendy Bruce:

Because of gymnastics I was able to experience and learn things that only sports was able to teach me. I was able to be better than normal, I was able to be extraordinary.

I learned how to be on time.
I learned how to be dependable.
I learned how to de disciplined.
I learned how to travel.
I learned how to be mentally strong.
I learned how to take criticism.
I learned how to fix mistakes.
I learned how to work hard.
I learned how to be independent.
I learned how to compete.

Sacrificing is giving up or losing something that you wish to have. When gymnastics is what you wish to have, then there is no sacrifice. Gymnasts that train 25 hours a week do not sacrifice their childhood. They have a childhood, and it is an amazing childhood filled with amazing experiences that only sports can bring them. And my stories about my childhood are far more interesting, inspiring, and entertaining because they aren’t well, “normal.”

Hat tip:  JAG Gym

Flashback Friday: Heather Dorniden

It's hard to find a good quality video of this inspirational athlete:

When you fall down?  Get back up.

All in for Full Out tonight?

The Worst Workout Ever?

This poem by Chanie Gorkin, an 11th grader, has been gaining some traction over the internet.

Tonight at the end of practice, I had the JO Girls sit and read it out loud; asked what it meant to them (one of the older girls thought it was an awesome poem because it sounded real and relatable- interesting!). So our discussion segwayed into a reading of it backward. We then talked about the Yin and the Yang- the dichotomy of perspective and attitude; of looking at things from a perspective of half empty and half full; and on the importance of flipping things around in your own head when you think you're having a bad day. 

The girls thought the poem was really cool (You could see the light bulb go off on their heads upon reading it backward) and they even wanted to keep their handout copy and share it with their parents.

I have one level 4 girl in particular who has been struggling with her kip.  On account of that, and comparing herself to her teammates, she's been sabotaging her workouts by allowing her emotions to affect her self-confidence and energy output which reinforces her negative feelings, which....a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. 

Here's hoping she can turn her negative energy around on its head.  Attitude is everything.

What Gymnastics Teaches

Fall down 7 times....

Think about the first time you failed at something: blowing a job interview, not getting in to your dream college, even struggling through a bad breakup. Now imagine someone told you the next day to go back to that employer and try again, march up to the dean at your dream college and demand to be let in, bang on your ex’s door and refuse to leave until you work things out. Crazy, right? People do crazy things like this maybe once or twice in their lives, if they truly feel passionate enough to put aside their pride and refuse to give up.

Gymnastics asks you to do this every day. Fall flat on your face? Get back up and do it again. Break your leg? You better be back in the gym tomorrow, conditioning and doing everything you can to make up for lost time.

~~~

It is easy to work hard when you are doing well, but it is a whole lot harder to give your best effort when you have already failed multiple times. Gymnastics teaches you to push yourself even when you’re tired or have tried the same skill twenty times. And that twenty-first time when you finally do it right is what makes it worth it.

 Read from the beginning.

Hat tip:  ChalkBucket Forum

Find a way or find excuses

This photo has been trending on my FB newsfeed. It was taken last month by Joyce Gilos Torrefranca, a medical student in Cebu:

It shows 9-year-old Daniel Cabrera kneeling on the pavement with the famous golden arches in the background. He's using a makeshift wooden bench as he writes in his workbook. "For me as a student, it just hit me a lot, like big time," Joyce Torrefranca told the Philippine news network ABS-CBN. "This kid, he doesn't have anything but he has dedication to study." Joyce said seeing Daniel struggling with his homework inspired her to work harder. The photo was quickly shared thousands of times with other people saying they'd been inspired by him too.

An inspirational reminder of the blessings in our own lives, the struggles of those less fortunate, and the adage that if it's important enough to you, you will find a way; if it's not, you will find excuses.

Gymnastics is an expensive, "elitist" sport; and many kids don't have the opportunity to discover their potential in the environment of training in a well-managed, well-equipped, well-coached facility. As a gymnastics coach, I try and remind my athletes to never take their opportunities in life for granted. I have one athlete on the team whose parents struggle to afford her monthly tuition. The mom does not speak fluent English. Does not have a computer or email. She once pulled her daughter out of gym. At the end of the month and at the end of practice, without fanfare or warning, her kid comes up to me and matter-of-factly states, "This is my last day. Bye." I guess the mom was too embarrassed to let us know her husband lost his job and they were struggling. She was doing extra work just for her daughter because she knew how much her daughter loves gymnastics Fortunately we were able to talk her into keeping her daughter- my gymnast- enrolled in our program. I'm grateful to the gym I work for in that the owner and office management were willing to work with the mom and negotiate something that she could afford.


 At the annual Vidmar Invitational out in Los Angeles, '84 Olympian Peter Vidmar reminds the competitors of this life lesson, telling the gymnasts that the next time their parents drop them off at the gym, to take pause and thank their parents and show deep appreciation. Because their parents don't have to do any of this: Driving them to practice, financing it, watching meets, etc. The 3 golden rules for the staff at my gym: Do your best... Always do the right thing... And everyday, do something selfless that benefits others.

"Empty Cans Make the Most Noise"

At the SEA Games earlier this month, 21-year-old Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi won six medals, including two golds. After winning the gold in the women's floor exercise, a Malaysian TV channel posted a photo on their Facebook page of Farah holding her medal. Disdainful comments immediately began to flood social media, including several from Malaysian clerics and officials, criticizing her for wearing a leotard. The young athlete’s supporters soon responded, however, with a deluge of positive comments -- including a powerful statement from Malaysia’s youth and sports minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, telling them to “leave our athletes alone.”

Critics of Farah's attire argued that she had failed to cover “aurat”, an Islamic term that can refer to genitalia and thighs. One prominent cleric Harussani Zakaria told a local newspaper, “Gymnastics is not for Muslim women. It is clear that exposing one's aurat and the shape of one's body is haram [forbidden]. If Muslim women want to participate in gymnastics, they have to find outfits which cover the aurat and this, in turn, might not be suitable for the sport.”

Read more at A Mighty Girl.

I have one of my gymnasts visiting in Iran for two months, right now.  I believe she's found a gym where she does not have to wear a hijab, so long as there aren't any male coaches in the gymnasium.