Character
History Tuesday: Balance Beam
Balance beam is an apparatus as old as 261 years. Johan Cristoph GutsMuth (1759-1839) actually dedicated a chapter in his book Gymnastics for Youth and you can bet that the event was around before he was published. GutsMuth described the beam as a rounded pine tree trunk about 64 feet long. Founder of Gymnastics Fredrich…
Read MoreHistory Tuesday
Here is a brief article on the “history of gymnastics”. But on a larger scale, I love this stuff and I think it’s cool to look at some of the names from the past, many of the names of people are attached to skills we teach today. So this one is for you history buffs:…
Read MoreOne Child at a Time
Youth obesity has become the epidemic of note throughout society. Countless governmental bodies, independent organizations and mainstream media outlets are constantly revealing statistics and projections related to this problem. According to several sources, the youth overweight/obesity numbers exceed 30 percent of people under the age of 18 in the United States and are expected to…
Read MoreWhat’s the matter with kids nowadays?
I’ve worked with children since 1980, when, to off-set the cost of my own tuition, I started assisting with classes at our gym. I can tell you horror stories from my years in the profession. I can tell you about behavior from kids that would make the Menendez brothers look like great kids. I have…
Read MoreSpring Show is more than a show
This last week we had the Gymfinity Spring Show Flip Fest 2011. It’s a week when every developmental gymnastics, tumble and tramp, Gym Tyke, Special Motion, Sprytes or Funtastics kid gets to show off. The teachers develop short routines and the kids perform. Parents video and snap pictures wildly but mostly cheer and clap. It’s…
Read Moremy letter to Garrett
I was recently in Florida to visit my Dad and he told me of a friend’s son who was a great gymnast but was considering leaving the sport. His parents were saddened because they are so proud of his accomplishments and prowess and hate to see him leave something that has given him so much success. Garrett…
Read MoreHow we are like pigeons and monkeys
I love studies in animal behavior. So much can be learned by seeing how animals behave in certain situations and under certain conditions. What we can infer from these studies about human behavior is very interesting. Take into account two studies: The first is a study of monkeys placed in a cage with a set…
Read MoreUphill…both ways.
When I was a kid my Mom was notorious for telling me how rough it was for her growing up. Apparently she walked to school uphill both ways in 5 feet of snow all year long. Hearing this, my comment was “you went to school in the summer?” Missing the point completely but honing my…
Read MoreGrabbing the “health bull” by the horns
Unstrap your feedbag (you’ll get that later) and lets take straight about the state of fiutness with ourselves and our children. Lets put away all of the polite and nice beating around the bush for one minute. We have become a sluggish culture of over-fat people who don’t exercise, eat too much and use our…
Read MoreGet your share of the important stuff…. Calcium
Our bodies need Calcium and our main source is through our diet. Although it is a mineral that is essential for life, the majority of Americans do not get adequate calcium on a daily basis. Actually Calcium is the fifth most abundant element by mass in our bodies and it’s an essential factor in keeping those bodies running…
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