children
Did you win today?
I had a gymnast, let’s call him Nick. (this is way back when I coached boys). Nick was the kind of kid would take on challenges only if he knew he could win. He was young and had all kinds of talent, I used to say “dude you got talent falling off of you, pick…
Read MoreNegative space
I am getting deep here, and maybe a little uncomfortable in talking beyond what most would feel is my area of “expertise”. Bear with me. I am a frequent insomniac, not the up all night kind, but the kind that wakes at 3:30 and falls back asleep at 6:00. That area of wakeful un-productiveness has…
Read Moretaking the good with the bad
Recently the gymnastics world has been a blaze with the news of Paul Hamm. I felt that I should say something here because so many people have asked me my opinion. I also think that what we need to do is re-focus on what is important. So… Paul should apologize. He has made a mistake,…
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 MoreI can’t cry.
Two weeks ago we had the misfortune of losing one of our staff. Coach Ty Clark, of the Special Motion program and the TnT team died suddenly. I was in Costa Rica when I heard the news and though many miles separated us from home, both Steph and I were devastated. Last week we had…
Read MoreIt Gets Better for gymnasts
Dan Savage was bullied as a younger guy. He has always been pretty sensitive to the aggressive act provided by people you may know, or even consider friends. Dan grew up and became a syndicated author for several papers and magazines, I became familiar with him reading his column in the Onion. Dan is gay…
Read MoreMuscles
Our Motion Eveolution fitness program is amazing. I knew theis from the start but I was reminded when my 6 year old son, who is in the Thursday night class, explained over dinner that is caloric need per day is about 1600-2500 calories. I nearly choked on my tea. “Really” I said. Then he went…
Read MoreFollow up to the “Billy Wall” post
I had a parent or two talk to me about my last post. I wish you guys would make comments on the post, but either way, I do appreciate the kind words. When thinking about that post, I realized that I still had something to add. On the topic of respecting our job as coach/teachers…
Read MoreWhat’s on the other side of that glass wall?
I’ve had a few parents ask why our lobby is separated from the gym by a big glass wall. I usually answer “so that you can nap while we’re in class.” I’ve had parents suggest that our coaches wear microphones so that speakers in the lobby could let parents hear what we are saying. I’ve…
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…
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