B-A-N-A-N-A-S
I was doing my iPhone self-video coaching the other day and "Hollaback girl" popped into my head. It made me smile. I've always liked Gwen Stefani - a "classy" pop star, songwriter, fashion designer, and mom of two. It is evident Gwen is in shape; she takes care of herself - she looks just a fit today as she did when used to sing along to her No Doubt hits back in high school ....Gosh, it's hard to believe "Just a Girl" debuted in '95...
Anyway, back to the my gymnastics. I train mostly on my own (since practices are during work hours). It's me, my iPhone - and my joby grillapod. This tripod is the best - I can prop in it on mats - twist in around the bars - or bend it around the beam! I highly recommend it if you do a lot Iphone videos.
My self-coaching protocol is to video the skill I'm working on and replay in slow-mo. I have the imovie video app, and I can slow-mo forwards and backwards with finger swipes. Super easy to go frame by frame and see your body position as you progress through the skill.
And that is how I spotted the banana! Both on my front handspring vault and free hip I arch my back and stick my head out. My body should be in a straight line - a tight handstand, not a C or banana shape. This is not the ideal mechanics for transferring power on the vault. The power should come from the run, then be transferred the from the jump off the spring board, and then finally, the block or push off from the vault table. With my back arched, arms bent, and head out - my back and shoulders absorb much of my power which cannot be used to spring off the vault and get "air time." Also, the position is not healthy for the back, especially when hitting a stationary object at a high speed. I'm sure it explains why my back gets sore and stiff the day after vaulting.
And so the banana follows me to bars on my free hip to handstand. Ideally, I should shoot up into a tight straight handstand.
Correcting these body positions will be my big challenge as I continue on this gymnastics journey. And its just one of the challenges that attracts me to the sport - first discovering the problem (awareness) and then addressing the correction, and fine tuning for perfection - improvement - excellence. And I think that is just how we should approach our problem "areas" in our work and personal life. - It first starts recognizing them- yep it all starts with a good dose of self-awareness.
"Yes, I'm calling about one of your athlete's registration - I think her birthdate numbers are transposed. It should read '97 not '79 - correct?" Kenan (good friend - former teammate-now coach- and owner of Lumberton Gymnastics) had predicted this call the day before. She confirmed '79 was the correct DOB, the caller responded with a surprised "oh, ok"... And it got me thinking - oh man--what in the world did I sign up for -...am I really 20 years too old?
Last Sunday, I strolled into the competition venue, a high school gym complex that was filled to the brim with preteens in leo's - bows, and sparkles, lots of sparkles. I"m not sure when all the sparkly makeup became vogue for gymnastics, but it definitely wasn't around when I was competing. What hadn't changed was the athlete number - permanent marker written on the hand. However, I did have a little trouble convincing the check-in lady that I was one of the athletes ......
Old school athlete-hand number lives on!
Such a rush of nostalgia when I got my athlete number. About this time as a kid, the nerves would really kick in, and I would be reaching for my bottle of Pepto . This go around, I was just excited about the experience and priveliged to have the opportunity to give it another go. After registration - it was on to open warm-ups.
Level 7 Team: Arina, Cailin, and Me
The floor during "open" warm ups...organized chaos!
After open warm-ups, we divided into our groups for our 1st event warm-up. For Ariana, Cailin and I, our first event was bars. In timed event warm-ups, every gymnast gets 1 minute to warm up their routine. The warm-up time seemed much longer when I was younger..... I was so rushed to get all my skills warm - think that's just one of the joys of age - ha! After warming up our first event- it was march ins - all the teams are introduced and officially begin the competition begins.
Athlete March-In ---Let the Fun Begin
Right after warm up - we reported to bars to compete. We must "greet the judges" before our routines. Big surprise here! - I recognized the head judge! She used to judge me when I began competing at 8 years old. She took a double take when I introduced myself--- and man, it felt great to be greeted my a big, warm familiar smile! I can't complain about my bar performance, except my "almost fall" on one of my easiest skills - a squat-on to the high bar....but I held on and almost stuck my landing.
Bar Routine - score 8.875
Kenan stood by the bars to "spot my routine" - but mainly for my mental support . Kenan and I have had a great time with this journey back to gymnastics and working with each other in the gym. I was so appreciative for the cheers from some of awesome parents in the crowd - I didn't even know them!--they were from another gym- with daughters competing. A great thrill to have the audience's support. Our next event was beam. Ahh, beam time - my nemesis back then - my nemesis now! My mount (a press handstand) and dismount are my favorite parts. I fell on my back walkover - but stuck my full-turn....glad to move on to floor.
Beam Routine Score: 8.15 with fall
On floor, I tried a new tumbling pass to up my start value of my routine to a 10.0 - it was a front handspring front tuck.....Nothing like meet day to try a combination you haven't done in over 17 years. I was hitting it in warm-ups, but sat down during my routine. It definitely needs more practice. My dance is a work in progress. I got to work with my friend and professional dancer, Shaleigh Comerford to help with choreography (it was a real treat to have her help---will definitely get more in the future!). I am very excited about progressing with the dance -I'm only scratching the surface where I want to be artistically with my performance
Floor Routine: 8.45 - with fall
Our last event was vault. Nice, quick front handspring for me. A few steps and some body position errors but not too shabby. The mistakes I feel I can easily correct.
Vault: 9.1
I ended up with a score of 34.5 and qualification to the state meet- woo-yoo! - And a 1st place finish on bars and 5th overall. Couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable - fun time! Hubby, Ash was there cheering me on- it was his 1st gymnastics meet! Friends Melissa and Tony came to watch - as well as my parents and a group from Lumberton gymnastics. Our coaching squad consisted of Kenan, Rachel, and Chad - - they're just great! Lots of good laughs for sure.
Next up for me is State Meet- the weekend of March 22nd- 23rd! Can't wait for that adventure
Anyway, you are never to old to have a good time. Never too old to enjoy something you love....
When my husband and I travel, we love soaking up the different culture (a real treat for us when you when you live in small rural Lumberton.) On our last adventure - a long weekend in Miami - we ooh la la'd over the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel - decked out with the touch screen coffee tables. I just love the mix of contemporary art, technology, and zen that radiates from this place!
But our most amazing story from this trip was meeting Andres. Andres, is Miami resident and parkour coach - athlete extraordinary. ( parkour is a movement sport/art of running, jumping, flipping, climbing, swinging in a fluid flow using whatever the terrain has to offer - which could be a sidewalk - stadium, train station, - anything is open game - think spiderman in street clothes). Below is a short video Andres teaching me a parkour vault in Miami - he is an awesome instructor!!!
Five years ago, Andres was an 100 lb overweight - video game-junk food addict. With his lifestyle and a family history of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, he was immersed in an environment that was destroying him. He hadn't given much thought to his path - until he felt his ankles buckle and collapse from the weight of his frame, his joints were losing there ability to uphold this excessive stress. The light bulb went off for Andres, he could not continue down this dire course. Several weeks ago in one of my earlier blogs, I discussed that habit is permanent . You cannot delete or extinguish a habit; to change, you must sub it with another routine. A very difficult task- insurmatable for some - but not for Andres. He made it with simple steps. (Please do not equate simple with easy...simple and easy are not one and the same by far!) This was his "miraculous" recipe
He found a goal. In this case, Andres was awed by the athletic challenge and thrill of parkour . He could visualize himself in that athletic role.
He took slow steps and bite size portions to reach his goal. He started out by nixing the junk food and incorporating a general fitness plan. (If you have noticed, this is completely opposite of the formula used by the "Biggest Loser" - which is one of the most misleading horror shows on prime time and slap-in-the-face to any intelligent fitness trainer or exercise professional.) He became more fit and healthy before diving into the crazy athletic technicalities of parkour.
He changed his habit routine! - this is the BIGGIE. He subbed 18 hour video game benders to a weekend full of movement. Instead, he played with parkour basics and his fitness workout. He replaced the junk food, with healthy natural ones.
And with simple habit changes - this is where Andres is today. The change rippled throughout his family-- his habits became contagious. His mother became interested in healthy foods - eliminated all junk from their house, and began to cook healthy meals for the family. Andres convinced his brother to begin working out with him and in time - they held weekly conditioning sessions in his garage with friends and school mates - ( anyone that has had the joy of training with friends, knows what a great motivational and accountability tool it can be - not to mention FUN!) With Andres change - he not only made an impact on himself ----but others ---- and that's the magic!
Andres and me- hope to add some videos of Andres' awesome skills here in the future! And I can't wait to take more more parkour lessons!
Count down to my first competitive gymnastics meet (in over 17 years) is on! - D-day is February 23rd! So it's about time I start cranking out some routines ---- (well actually - it would be CREATING some routines.) It shouldn't be too hard, right? Beam would be a great event to start with, so I thought - just string a few skills together with some fluffy dancie moves in between. So, I jumped on the high beam to choreograph and just stood there motionless - like a student with writer's block - like a pen on a blank sheet of paper. "Oh man - now whatta I do?" Time to mentally regroup. Now at this point in my adult life- I have more experience in writing papers than creating beam routines. So why not would tackle it like a writing assignment: outline, rough draft(s), final manuscript.
So, I started out with outlining my "requirements" for my assignment. In level 7 beam - (short hand - in layman's terms) I'm required to do: 1) full turn on toe - 360 degrees 2) Leap or jump in 180 degree split 3) 2 acrobatic elements connected (like cartwheels, back walkovers, front walkers) 3) 1 acrobatic (tumbling) element with flight - hands and feet have to be simultaneously off the beam - aka - airborne - example would be back handspring, front handspring, dive roll. 4) Dismount with a salto (I have to flip off the beam :) ......all this with 100+ more details in less than 1:20 - ha,ha - no prob.
Breaking it down like this made the almost alien task for my adult mind quite a bit simpler - a good thing! I've been able to piece my outlined requirements together. Now, I'm working on rough draft edits - and boy, are there some edits needed - but that is where the fun lies - in the discovery of what works, what doesn't work, and what may work - one day.
Here is a sneak peak of my mount - it's a press handstand to a planche. (It needs technique work as noted in the video---but it's all a work in progress - --fun work! )
I must confess that creating the beam routine requires some much needed mental stretching and chance to create and do. Getting the opportunity to be athlete and artist - that is what is so fascinating and alluring about gymnastics. Going at it a 2nd a second go around - may even be better than the first!
Note: Floor choreography to come - Jan. 27th - with help from a professional dance instructor - artist and friend - I can't wait to share about that experience!!!
I'm reading a great book right now - The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg. With neuro research, he has shown that habits never really disappear, because they are encoded into the structures of our brain. These habits are forever "inhabitants" of of grey matter - lurking there and waiting for the rights cues and rewards.
What a bummer!! - especially, if the habit is bad -(wonderful if habit is good.) Unfortunately, the brain cannot tell the difference between the good and the bad habits. This is not so great news for the 2013 New Year's resolutions - they are pretty much sunk - dead in the water - their fate - hopeless. It also explains why we as a society continue to self-destruct with unhealthy behavior habits and continue to treat our bodies like landfills even when we know these habits are detrimental and noxious. Ahh, but there is a glimmer of hope does it exist - we can re-wire this neuro circuit by disrupting the cue - routine (HABIT) - reward cycle.
I'm finding this to be true as I come back to gymnastics. The same habits that I had training as kid are resurfacing. If I heard it once, I heard it a gazillion times - "Get your head in!" I was the queen of the"turtle head habit" (haha) - I would stick my head out on everything! Giants on bars, full twists on floor, backhandsprings on beam, - it didn't matter. Just this week, Kenan was helping me with back walkovers - and sure enough, - the head goes out. Then, press handstand mount on beam - head goes out. My front handspring vault - head goes out. I have no clue why!? - but will blame it on HABIT. So my focus will be some re-routing these movement habits and concentrating on drills that me eliminate them. The drills will be like cues in the habit cycle - to influence the routine (skill) which results in the reward (correctly performed).
Fun stuff for sure. So darn you Katy Perry - it must be true that "this is a part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me." ( no bad habits ever extinguished - we have to re-route the mental circuit for change :) )
A little vid - of the backwalk over progress - lots to go!
Duhigg, Charles (2012-02-28). The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
While most people may be trying to kick an old habit, I'm going to resurrect one again. Most are going to start something new, I want to do something I've done before - over and over and over.
So blah, blah, blah with the New Year's resolutions - 2013 will be about reliving some childhood fun. I'm going back it to something I enjoyed when I was 5 to the age of 17 - Competitive Gymnastics.
Oh boy.......
So here goes this 33 year old dentist (So what does gymnastics and dentistry have in common? Yeah - and don't say "painful." - ha ha. Actually there is quite a bit - but for another post.) I have spent 17 years away from competitive gymnastics. During my "retirement," I became a runner (5ks to marathons), triathlete, pro fitness competitor, and recreational crossfiter. None of those can quite rank up there to being a gymnast. They just can't compare to the artistry, challenge - thrill of gymnastics. So why did all the fun have to go away when I was a kid? It didn't - I just have to go a little out of bounds, differ a little from the norm to claim it.
It would be awesome to be on an Adult gymnastics team- but there's not one, especially in Lumberton. We don't even have crossfit! But there is Lumberton Gymnastics Academy, where I coach some (and workout) - owned by former teammate and good friend Kenan Lundy. Kenan laughed when I told her I wanted to compete, but she knows that normal is not my mode and that I wasn't joking.
It's going to be fascinating to compare competitive gymnastics experienced as an adult to how I lived it as a kid - 20 hours a week for so many years. Practices will be truncated to 2- max per week, and the remainder of the days I will train at my home studio - fusing together bodyweight and gymnastics, MET, and traditional conditioning.
Time to get out the leo and chalk up the grips.....and don't hold back the laughs - this should be a real trip!
