What is a child’s Pay Check?
Every day we see adults going to work in jobs where often the only motivation is that they get paid. Kids too have the equivalent of jobs, either school, gym, music or another activity; that is their version of a “job”. And it’s not a paycheck that motivates them to do it. What is it that motivates…
No Excuses
I work with kids. Lots of kids. I have taught in the schools (health education and physical education), taught gymnastics to kids from 10 months old through 22-year-old college women. I have coached team kids that placed in national competitions and kids that dream of attaining that level. They all have one thing in common. Excuses.…
New study says gymnastics may fight osteoporosis in girls
As reported by Madison’s Channel 27 (and thanks to Jackie Cooper and daughter Paige (Level 4 team for bringing it to my attention). WASHINGTON (WKOW) — A new study says young girls involved in long-term gymnastics training may be at less risk for osteoporosis when they get older. Across the United States, millions of young girls…
Thrill of learning something new
There is nothing better than watching a child learn. I am always quietly amazed every time my kids demonstrate something that I didn’t know that they knew. Kids are like sponges and they absorb everything, my youngest (just about to turn two) is little parrot boy. He repeats everything and sometimes we become oblivious to it and…
Sportsmanship displayed at, and with, my Alma Mater
I lifted this from Rick McCharles’ blog. It’s a great story but what struck me is that it happened at my High School. I graduated from Milwaukee Madison and in fact when I was there, we were the State Champion Basketball team. We had a great program then too and in fact the culture of…
Saying Good-Bye to a pioneer: George Nissen 1914-2010
It was at a circus in Cedar Rapids Iowa that young George Nissen watched the trapeze artists drop to safety on a large net and wondered “what makes that work and why couldn’t I build one?” That was 1930 and young George was only 16 and a member of the gymnastics and diving teams at his…