TEXT your NAME and EMAIL to (517) 618-9993

Are you looking for the best gymnastics camp to actually improve your gymnastics skills?

Now is your chance to get into the 2013 V.I.P. Club for Twistars Summer Camp.

V.I.P. Club Members will get exclusive access to early registration plus chances to win lots of other great prizes.

To join the V.I.P. Club, simply TEXT your NAME and EMAIL to (517) 618-9993. That’s it! You’re in!

Or, scan this QR Code with your smart phone

For more camp information, visit www.TwistarsCamp.com, or check your email after you join the V.I.P. club.

See you “in the club!”

-John Geddert
2012 Olympic Team Head Coach
Owner and Head Coach, Twistars USA

Anchor: a person or thing that provides stability or confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation, provided with a firm basis or foundation

It is my belief that this is the role that every parent should play in the lives of their children, and more appropriately for this blog topic, the lives of athletes. Parents need to be the anchor in which the athlete can depend regardless of the situation, through good times and in bad.

Athletes need that place to which they can turn, that consistent safe haven of support. An anchor that holds things in place when rough waters want to toss them about. An anchor that keeps their minds from drifting to places that are undesirable. This is the role of the parent.

Setting a proper anchor is not as easy as it sounds however. Parents must learn the appropriate amount of rope to use on their anchor. Too little or too much rope and the anchor loses its effectiveness. Parents that work with too little rope create a situation where athletes cannot learn from mistakes, they feel stifled and smothered. These parents hover over every move, every decision, are “overprotective” and fail to allow the learning process to take its course. These parents are undermining, and manipulative and make the development of a coach/athlete relationship next to impossible. Consequently the athlete becomes accustom to mom or dad making all the decisions, and fails to develop this important ability. Give your kid and those responsible for their training a little rope.

Allowing too much rope is equally as frustrating. Too much rope puts the athlete in a situation to make too many important decisions. Disciplinary issues go unchecked and eventually multiply due to the lack of direction. Too much rope usually retards the development of proper behavior, attitudes and respect for authority or norms. Monitor how much rope you give your children and reel them in from time to time.

A properly set anchor represents that unconditional love and support. Parents need to be their child’s number one fan, not their coach, their trainer, or their sports psychologist. Leave this to the professionals.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends.  And don’t forget to check out Geddert’s Success Videos for Gymnastics Coaches, and “Gymnastics Homework” for parents and athletes, in the Store at www.TheGymnasticsCoach.com

I have been nominated and accepted to run for the USAG board of directors. I think I can provide the much needed voice that coaches, athletes and judges need on this important governing body. Can you pass this request for support (votes) on to your professional members friends and staff as I can use all the support available? I certainly appreciate the effort.

Board of Directors Elections

Please excuse my audacity but I’m willing to bet that your Conditioning Program could be producing much better results for your gymnasts than it is now.

The fact of the matter is…every gymnastics coach knows that  an effective conditioning program is essential to the  ultimate success of their gymnastics program.

Lets face it, without the necessary strength and flexibility,  its nearly impossible for your gymnasts to learn and perform skills that earn top scores when it matters most. More importantly, a good conditioning program can help reduce the number injuries and allow gymnasts to learn more advanced skills.

Consider this fact: many coaches believe that setting up and implementing an effective conditioning program is easier said than done.  I’m telling you, it’s not difficult at all.

Here’s the deal: it simply takes a good, easy to follow, step-by-step plan.

Look, I have spent the past 25 years developing, tweaking and testing my conditioning program.  Make no mistake, I have dedicated thousands of hours to creating my proven system.

And now, for the first time ever, I will be answering your top 20 questions and challenges that you face when setting up your own conditioning program.

Are you ready to take your conditioning program to the next level?

I am personally inviting you to join me on Wednesday, November 28th for my first ever “Live Webinar,” where I will answer your questions….LIVE
Click here to RSVP

And…I need your help!  What is YOUR question?

I want to be sure I’m addressing your questions specifically.  So, real quick, let me know what your question is by
1)   clicking the link below to RSVP for this LIVE webinar.
2)   After you RSVP, tell me your question by commenting below your RSVP.

The Webinar is called “Setting up your Gymnastics Conditioning Program for Success.” It will be a paid webinar for most but … if I answer one of your questions, I’ll refund your ticket so that you can attend for free.

Fair enough? Here’s how it works …

1) RSVP at this Facebook Event page
2) Submit your Conditioning question below your RSVP as a comment to the post.
3) If you are the first to ask a question I use, I’ll refund your ticket so you can get in for free.
4) If your question wasn’t chosen and you still want to attend, I’ll send you purchase directions.
Hope to “see” you there!

-John Geddert
TheGymnasticsCoach.com
2012 Olympic Team Head Coach
2011 World Team Head Coach
Owner and Head Coach, Twistars USA Gymnastics Club
Region 5 J.O. Program Chair

P.S.  I urge you to take action today.  The championship season will be here before you know it.  Don’t let another year go by before you kick your program into high gear.  Your gymnasts will thank you when their skills improve and their scores sky-rocket!
Reserve your seat today

P.P.S.  Please reply promptly because there are only 100 spots available on this webinar (yep!  Not kidding…there really are only 100 spots and we’re almost 50% sold out already.)

RSVP Now!

Coaches beware! If you haven’t experienced it you will. If you haven’t felt the stabbing pain of loss and disappointment it is just around the corner. It is not a matter of IF but only WHEN you will have your heart ripped from your chest, thrown on the floor, and kicked to the curb.

I am referring to the inevitable loss of an athlete. Some quit the sport for the long list of reasons that we all could write. Some are forced into retirement due to their bodies not cooperating with this unforgiving sport. Some move away due to their families relocating. Some decide that the grass is greener at the club down the street (the focus of this blog). Loosing an athlete is often a heart wrenching experience, yet we must all learn to deal with this in a professional manner.

Regardless of the reasons, no matter how well thought out the decision process, the exit strategy used will serve as a life lesson etched in stone. Far too often the exit is dealt with in a way that sends the message that relationships are disposable, loyalty is a matter of convenience, and emotional attachments are insignificant. The trend towards “running from conflict” or “convenience relationships” will haunt the users of this train of thought throughout life.

Now I am a big proponent of being happy where ever you train. If the program you are at fails to meet your expectations or falters in delivering the product that you as the paying customer deserve, by all means search out alternatives. This of course is after you have explored all options at your current club using the proper channels and methods of communicating your concerns.. No I am not an advocate of “club hopping” and feel that this is the overused “cop out” solution to problems, but again if all avenues have been explored and you (more specifically your athlete) are not happy, exercise your American freedom of choice. Simply put … if you are not happy and happiness is not in the foreseeable future, shop elsewhere.

Back to the “regardless of the reason”. If indeed you come to the conclusion that moving on, retiring from the sport, quitting is in your best interest at least have the maturity to handle the situation with class. We all know that children have problems when is comes to listening to adults, but one thing is for certain … they never fail to mimic our actions. If you depart in a way that disrespects the efforts put forth (sometimes for years) or the emotional investment made, you send the message to your child that THIS is proper behavior for adults. Likewise, coaches or managements must painfully accept the decision of the family in a way that shows they athlete that they are the priority in the decision (not your team score, enrollment, chances for state titles etc.).

DEPARTURE PLAN:

1- Communicate your concerns- In some cases this may be a difficult situation (head strong owners/coaches), but in the worse case scenario, communicating your concerns serves a much more valuable purpose than bottling them up inside. It not only puts ownership/coaching staff on notice that their are issues, but teaches your child a valuable lesson on the importance of expressing their concerns so as to come up with a better approach.

2- Timing- Departures should be timed so as to teach the important lesson of fulfilling an obligation. Walking out in the middle of a competitive season teaches a very ugly commitment lesson and one that is sure to send the wrong message about loyalty, teamwork, and respect. I firmly believe that insisting that a child fulfills their commitment to their club, coaches, and teammates is a great lesson and one that will serve them well later in life (finishing school, toughing out the hard times, completing difficult projects etc).

3- Face to Face Meeting- If the decision to leave the sport or gym is final, then show respect for the organization and people who have invested time, effort, resources and emotion into your child. In most cases there is a significant emotional attachment to the child, respect this and exit with class. This meeting is not to rehash your reasons or validate your decision. It is simply a display of respect and appreciation for the efforts of others. It is the right thing to do. An email, a text, or a phone call is an impersonal slap in the face. Do a face to face meeting, give a hug and a thank you can walk out the door knowing you have shown your child what class is all about.

4- Don’t burn bridges- If things do not work out, I advise using the “if you don’t have anything good to say … say nothing at all approach. Speaking poorly of former programs or coaching staffs serves little purpose other than to alienate and again teach poor lessons. The reality is that not every program is for every customer (that is why there are Walmarts, Kohls, Meijers, Sams, Cosco) and knowing this the classy approach to dealing with exits is to respect the differences rather than ridicule them.

5- Settle your financial obligations- This is an issue that often times causes hard feelings. The bottom line is: IF you owe for services rendered, close your account prior to moving on. Clubs accepting new athletes should make it a professional responsibility and insist that all past financial obligations are settled (or acceptable payment arrangements made) prior to allowing club transfers into your program. This is ethically the right thing to do.

I have to admit, that I have been guilty a time or two and taken the gloves off when it comes to dealing with parents and or clubs that I feel have violated the silent and unwritten code of ethics surrounding the issue of loosing athletes, accepting athletes etc. In all cases however, my disillusionment centers around outstanding unpaid bills, or allowing (even encouraging) negative propaganda. I do have a breaking point but in all cases my intension is to remain professional and mindful of the lessons being taught.

The euphoric highs associated with the phenomenal successes of Team USA at the Olympic games linger to this day. Sometimes it feels as if I was watching some well scripted movie with me playing a role as supporting actor. The stars are the stars and the supporting cast quickly learns that they are just that… supporters.

Heading into London a few of the coaches had every intention of milking the experience for all it was worth. We would fulfill our obligations to our sport and team and then enjoy the rest of the games as spectators. Kathy Kelly and few of the more experienced simply smiled and said “when the last dismount had landed we would be begging to get on a plane.” For the most part she was right. 4 straight weeks of living, breathing, thinking and doing nothing but gymnastics will take its toll on your energy level. Throw in the natural highs of success and the gut wrenching lows that come with not meeting expectations and you start longing for the stability of home. All the coaches were on a plane the day following event finals and happily bound for good ole USA. The athletes did stay through the closing ceremonies however and soaked up some well deserved attention.

In hind sight I still have this beaming sense of pride. USA won it’s second Olympic Team Gold Medal ever and we were a part of the process, my athlete was there, and I have my name attached to USA Gymnastics history. It is an amazing feeling. I could not be prouder of the Fierce Five!

Speaking of the Fierce Five, the media jumped the gun a bit prematurely after hearing a few mumblings about the group being called the Fab Five. After a little research (isn’t google wonderful), the girls soon learned that the Fab Five had already been taken and was associated with a group of U of M Basketball players who had a couple members who, shall we say, didn’t  live up to the code of ethics that most would expect of true champions. This team wanted their own identity and they played with countless “F” combinations. Fenomenal Five (nope, didn’t want anyone thinking they couldn’t spell), Flashy Five, Fearsome Five (too long), Famous Five (too cocky), First Aid Five (too appropriate). They settled on the title that best fit the Team’s personality and their ‘fierce” ability to compete on the world stage.

Someone asked what the biggest disappointment of the Olympics game was for me personally. I would have to say it was the media or more specifically the media that had no business covering a sport that they knew absolutely nothing about. Let me preface this by saying that there are some fantastic journalists, and bloggers out there that know our sport, and those that take the time to learn all they can about it. This of course puts them in a much better position of reporting accurately. Others, who claim to be professional, take the easy road and focus on the overstated, over dramatized sensationalistic approach. One such “professional” was Bill Reiter of Fox Sports. Not only did he call Jordyn the biggest disappointment of the Olympics, he also characterized me as making excuses for my athlete. Neither is even close to the truth. The entire 4 week process leading up to the games, Jordyn started having issues that presented themselves as a potential stress fracture of the fibula. We of course had to adjust training to compensate and in my opinion this certainly had an impact on her performance. This is not an excuse but mere fact. Post Olympics MRI discovered that indeed she had a full fracture. Now you try doing a Amanar or a Double Double on a broken leg Mr Reiter…. Jordyn endured with the heart of determination of a champion and is by no means a disappointment to anyone.

Back to the media. Never once did we focus on the training issues. Never once did we allude to the injury as a justification for not attaining the medals that “THE MEDIA” said were certainties. We focused on contributing the best that we could. After event finals I didn’t feel the need to rehash Jordyn’s disappointments again but was specifically asked to talk to the media. From the opening question everything centered around the “injury”. I made a specific point that we would not be making any excuses … the result were what they were and we congratulated the medal winners. I did answer questions honestly when asked about the injury. I stated that it looked as if Jordyn had been dealing with a potential stress fracture for 3-4 weeks BUT wild horses would not have kept her from competing. I was asked the question as to whether or not Jordyn would have competed IF this wasn’t the Olympics… the answer was “of course not”.  This is the problem with dealing with media… you answer questions that they ask… you try to be as honest as possible… and then they (Mr. Rieter) sensationalize your answers to fit the story they think will create the biggest stir. Mr. Reiter not only twisted my words but he misrepresented my message, all for the drama impact. Shame on you sir and for your unprofessionalism and heartlessness I dub thee “the biggest disappointment of the Olympics”.

Back in the USA the whirl wind impact of the Olympics is still being felt. Clubs across the USA are reporting record numbers of recreational students. Our two clubs have seen 30% growth in one and over 100% growth in the other SO THANK YOU TEAM USA! The related problems with massive growth in a short amount of time are significant. Staffing, scheduling, equipment needs, staff training etc all take their toll too. BUT if you are going to have problems, these are real good ones to have.

My personal calendar has been filled with speaking engagements, hall of fame inductions (one for me, one for my wife), coaching awards, and the thrill of a life time opportunity of throwing out the first pitch at a Detroit Tigers baseball game. I have enjoyed the recognition (lord knows it took it’s good ole time getting here) but getting back in the gym, getting back to the grind has been my biggest priority. A new crop of talent is coming up and there is just something that draws me towards helping them achieve. We will see where that leads.

Jordyn is currently about mid way through her obligations with the Tour of Champions. She has stopped by the gym a couple times and expresses how much she really loves the entire experience on the road. All I know is that we certainly miss her in the gym. She loves the show and is increasing her level of participation now that the leg is progressing well. A second tour is in the works and will keep her pretty busy through January or February and thus her graduation date may have to be pushed back a bit. No worries… college isn’t going anywhere. Still no firm commitment as to her plans after the tours so we will wait to see where that leads also. Life is an open book at this point.

Jordyn’s Mom Rita has been busy putting together her web site www.gymmom.net, which will feature a blog from a gym mom point of view, sell apparel and gym mom goodies. Rita has one book on the market “Gym Mom” and there is rumors of another coming soon. Check out this web site if you get a chance.

Speaking of Web Sites, coaches, gymnasts and parents will want to take a look at THEGYMNASTICSCOACH.COM. This is my project and designed as a coaches/gymnast/parent education blog site. The topics cover a full array of issues and will deliver some experienced based observations and advise so as to help shorten the learning curve in this complex sport. “ASK JOHN” is a tool you can use to seek advise on any area related to gymnastics that you may be struggling with. Whether it be technique oriented, organizational details for setting up a productive training program, dealing with staff, parents, coaches or athletes, I will do my best to help point you in the right direction. THEGYMNASTICSCOACH.COM is newly RE-DESIGNED and easy to navigate. Check it out!

The Olympic Games provided case and point to the old adage “that’s why you play the game”. Jordyn was picked by many as the pre-meet favorite in the All Around… but that is why you play the game. If their was a “LOCK” for a gold medal, most would have placed their money on Makayla Maroney and her world class moon shot vaulting ability. But again, that is why you play the game. I felt so bad for her as she sat down her second vault thus opening the door for the biggest upset of the gymnastics weekend. 9 times out of 10 Makayla wins the gold on Vault but this was that 1 in 10 day. She stated it best saying she was not disappointed with the SIlver medal, but just the performance.

Event finals at World and Olympic games use a NO 30 SECOND TOUCH rule. You have access to the podium for an open training period and then are transferred to the warm up gym for additional warm up if needed. This creates a situation where athletes have to change equipment, and sit around waiting for hours (Jordyn had 3 hours from podium exposure to actual competition). NO 30 Second touch is something the FIG deemed appropriate due to the supposed needs of television. NBC officials state that they really wouldn’t care (perfect commercial time) WOW great call FIG… lets put the health of the athletes at risk for the sake of TV ratings and efficiency.

Rumors of a vault finals controversy struck when one Amanar was deemed incomplete by the judges (thus giving it .7 less in start value). This was over turned by the FIG WTC chair Nelli Kim. I am quite certain that slow motion replays will verify that the floor judges made the right call BUT the end result was a medal for the wrong athlete. The evaluations of vaulting through the games was frustrating from the standpoint of separation of the good and great. Team finals was in my opinion a judging travesty. Just review the vaults of the top teams and if you can justify the separation of scores I would love to know how.

I hope I do not sound like I am bashing the FIG. I am sure all their decisions and rules have a sound fundamental basis and many great people with good intentions serve on this governing body. But when rules don’t make sense, people need to voice an opinion if for not other reason than to enrich the debate. Rules that need to be revisited with open minds are:

1- The 2 per country rule. The FIG stance is that this rule helps promote the sport of gymnastics. My stance (and many many others) is that this is flawed thinking. FIG feels that spreading the wealth for more countries will foster growth in that country. I do not see any indication of this working and feel that growth of the sport can be directly attributed to exposure to it’s best athletes. Nadia and Olga sent gymnastics sky rocketing in the USA. The point being, the gymnastics world wants to see the sports best athletes. The 100 meter sprint featured 3 Jamaican and 3 USA sprinters in a final field of 8 athletes, yet it is inappropriate for countries to have 3 AA finalist in a field of 24? I beat a dead horse.

2- The Tie breaker rule. First of all if athletes tie for the Bronze, award both as this would spread the wealth and give more countries a moment in the gymnastics glory spotlight. BUT if tie breaking is deemed necessary then do so based on execution scores NOT dropping your lowest of your 4 event scores as this allows the athlete with the largest mistake to gain the upper hand.

3- The Age rule. We all know the controversy here and it is widely believed that the forging of documents still exists. Regardless of the FIG thinking, this is a little girls sport. Yes it is wonderful when we see such established champions as Ponar and Ferrari, Chusovitina and more grace the Olympic stage. BUT younger athlete’s can perform this sport at it’s highest level also. This combined with the rules that contradict the mission (i.e. we want older athletes yet create a disadvantage with a 180 cm spread on the bars and 125cm table and beam height) makes the lure of cheating very attractive. Lower the age limit back to 14, and more countries could field competitive teams and in turn create less incentive for cheating.

4- 3 up 3 count team finals-  On one hand the FIG wants to spread the wealth by limiting the number of finalists per country, but on the other they limit the number of opportunities to participate in the Olympic Games. One argument for this rule was given by FIG committee member and former USAG president Bob Colarassi … he stated that some countries simply can not field more than 3 athletes to which I reply these teams are more than likely not the ones that qualify to team finals so this is a moot point.

5- 5 Member teams- Another contradiction. The FIG wants to foster the growth of the sport yet limits the number of opportunities per country. Providing realistic opportunities to represent your country would serve this goal much better. First 7 members, then 6, now 5. With this as evidence I would say that the mission to growth the sport is failing miserably.

Event finals were separated into 3 days of competition. Day one had Mens Floor and Pommels with Women’s Vault. Day 2 had Mens Rings and Vault with Women’s Bars and Day 3 had mens PBars and High Bar with Women’s Beam and Floor. Going into Bar finals we knew a medal would be very difficult. The Chinese, Russians and home country favorite Beth Tweddle would be tough to match.

On the final day Aly Raisman shined for the USA winning a bronze on Beam and Gold on Floor. Nobody works harder than Aly and I couldn’t be happier for her and her coaches. The beam results looked to mirror the AA with Aly finishing 4th and out of the medals. BUT an inquiry was posted and upheld thus giving Aly a tie for 3rd. This time she won the tie breaker (which is based on the execution score).

As I mentioned earlier Jordyn had a 3 hour wait between the podium warm up and Floor finals. In the mean time she waited patiently in the warm up gym. With 30 minutes to go prior to march in for Floor finals we did our normal meet warm up trying to time the conclusion as close to march in as possible.

Jordyn has not verbalized much about her intentions past these Olympic Games. This brought about the realization that these Floor finals could very well be the last routine she ever performs as one of my gymnasts. A emotional moment for me. I pulled her aside and gave her a misty eyed pep talk. “I am hoping that this is not the last routine of our partnership but if it is I just wanted to thank you. Sincerely. I have added many lines to my personal resume that would have never been possible were it not for you. So if indeed this might be our last hurrah… lets make it sparkle! I want you to channel all the frustrations from the all around day disappointment and let it serve to fuel the Jordyn Wieber fire inside. You deserve and have earned success. Love you”.

The individual accolades for Jordyn were just not to be at this Olympic Games. Whether it be fate, pressure, health, lack of focus or lack of coaching, I guess we will never know. Whatever the final verdict is let it be known that I could not be more proud of any one individual had she won 5 gold medals. It has been a remarkable journey since Jordyn tumbled into the national and international gymnastic scene in 2006. She has always been a remarkable athlete but even more than that a remarkable young lady. Her resume may not include all of her ultimate goals but it certainly is one of the most impressive ever and let us not forget the fact that it includes an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL. Thank you Jordyn!

Thanks for all the texts, tweets, emails and such. Obviously pre-lims did not go as planned but we have zero excuses. Jo had a good day (4th in the world) but was not as good as her teammates on this day. We congratulate Gabby and Aly on their remarkable performances and are extremely happy for them, their coaches, family and fans. They are both outstanding athletes and we wish them the very best in the upcoming AA finals.

The mark of a true champion is the grace and dignity they display when the results don’t read in their favor. With the sting of disappointment leaving a mark that could very well last a life time, Jordyn made me, her family and the entire world gymnastics community extremely proud. She handled herself with class and immediately set course for assisting the USA in their quest for Team GOLD!

Many wondered how she would respond to such a gut wrenching set back. Knowing Jordyn there was never any doubt in my mind how she would come out of the gates on Tuesday night. There would be FIRE in her eyes, the fire we have seen so many times in the past. She is a team player, she has a competitive spirit that few can match and I was confident that her disappointment would only provide fuel to that fire inside.

Sure she cried! Shame on those that saw this as some sort of poor sportsmanship. Passionate athlete’s have invested so much. A career of investment and sacrifice can tug on the emotions a bit when the heart crashes head long into crippling disappointment. After a little alone time and a few embraces I advised her to handle adversity in the same manor that she had handled the uncountable successes. She did just that. She handled the media like the champion she truly is.

Team finals was incredible. The teams are seeded with the top 2 pre-lim finishers starting on Vault, teams 3-4 on bars, 5-6 on beam and 7-8 on floor. We were to rotate with Russia. In the warm up gym the organizers were operating by the letter of the law … nobody on the equipment until the stated starting time. To them this meant mats, runways, and sitting on the floor exercise mat. Most teams were 15-30 minutes early and thus needed a place to sit and stretch. The organizers asked all to remain off any equipment yet ONE TEAM ignored the request. Well if they could use the vault runway for stretching, we could use the floor, and other teams other areas. It became a infantile battle of if they get off … we will get off. Quite childish actually but the drama did pass the time more quickly.

Warm ups would start on our second competitive event with each rotation being 20 minutes long (more than enough time to ready 3 athletes). The warm up gym was set up on podium and was equipped with 2 sets of bars, 2 beams. On these events we took one and the Russians took the other. On vault and floor we split the time evenly. I am not sure if the meet was won in the warm up gym but it has to be somewhat intimidating when USA rattles off routine after routine with precision while other teams struggle with individual skills. Now granted this is the training style for some teams, but still the USA machine, pounding out a flawless warm up, has to have an impact on the psychological warfare that occurs.

We were first team up on Vault which was our strongest event. Jordyn was assigned the lead off spot due to her experience and consistency. We needed a dynamic opening to the competition. We could not have scripted a better first event for Team USA. Jordyn launched and stuck 15.933, Gabby followed and stuck 15.966, and then Makayla blasted a text book moon shot with a perfect landing for a 16.2? We were off and running with a 1.4 lead going into Bars. I later called this BOOM, BOOM and then a REALLY BIG BOOM!

Our goal was just to maintain a lead coming off of bars. The Russians are dynamite on this event and could very well close the gap. They posted some great scores which to some might have felt like pressure. Not Team USA.

Jordyn was up first again. This meant we could not do an entire routine in her 50 second touch warm up due to the lack of recovery time prior to the green light going on. She opted to warm up just the first one third of the routine. When the green light is lit, the gymnast has 30 seconds to mount. I told Jordyn (and we rehearsed this several times) to use as much of the 30 seconds as she needed so as to maximize her rest time. She mounted and delivered another great lead off performance. We were not quite happy with the score but not much we could do about it. Kyla was next and nailed her set. On day one she kicked the bar (a .5 execution deduction) which cost her making individual event finals. Today she was flawless yet only scored .1 higher than pre-lims. Something was rotten in Denmark (something my Dad used to say when something was questionable or fishy). Gabby anchored the round with a great performance which from our perspective was not rewarded accordingly. The end result was that Russia closed the gap to .4 going into Balance Beam.

I have always hung to the belief that major meets are won or lost on Balance Beam. This is the very reason that we put so much emphasis on this event in training. Performing on a 4 inch wide plank with the entire world watching via TV camera’s stuffed in your face is NOT an easy task. The beam seemingly shrinks at times like these for most teams. Kyla, Gabby and Aly drew the beam assignments. There was debate as to use Jordyn’s more consistent and time tested competitive ability OR Gabby’s potential for great scores. We opted to roll with Gabby’s building momentum. The choices paid off as all 3 looked like they were walking on a sidewalk. You could sense the pressure building on the sidelines as the Russians watched. Some wobbly and shaky performances later and the USA had rekindled their lead to 1.3 going into the last event.

Voo doo dolls had to be working overtime. The Russians led off with a strong performance from Mustafina. The next 2 competitors however made uncharacteristic mistakes which pretty much sealed their fate. All we had to do was to avoid a total melt down and the Gold Medal was ours. Gabby opened with a energetic and charismatic masterpiece. Prior to Jordyn’s turn I advised watering down the jump out of her triple (we didn’t need it). Similarly Mehai watered down Aly’s first tumbling run. Both rocked and exited the floor with emotion filled expressions etched on their faces.

These looks on the girls faces (the coaches faces for that matter) were priceless. Everyone was beaming with the pride of accomplishment and the crowd (a very USA friendly bunch) responded with great enthusiasm. A team GOLD MEDAL was our number one objective. Individual accolades take a back seat to the team first concept at USA Gymnastics. Mission accomplished!

Kathryn arrived yesterday, which helps direct my wondering mind towards the vicinity of a comfort zone. All the “better halves” are now in London and by this I am referring to the halves that seldom get the credit for the work they do. Silvia Brestyan (internationally respected Brevet Judge) , Galina Mainova (1980 Olympian and 2 time World Team Member for Bulgaria), Liwen Zhaung (beam coach for Olympic Gold Medallist Shawn Johnson), Howie Liang ( Producer of numerous USA and China national team members) and Kathryn (Beam and Floor coach for the 2011 World AA Champion). Each athlete represented here has 2 very capable and respected coaches, yet sometimes they exist silently in the shadows. These are not “secondary coaches” as they are sometime referred to by the national office. These are Olympic coaches that miss out on a little bit of the glory due to the limits enforced by the USOC, FIG and USAG. Their contributions have created the athletes that will represent the USA today.

The final 2 training sessions were very light. We were limited to one session on the day of opening ceremonies (the day after podium) and chose to do only one session yesterday being that it was the day prior to the real competition. I purposefully backed off Jordyn’s numbers. She needs her rest and Martha has little issue with this strategy provided it is not something we overuse.

It is the day of the single biggest competition of my 36 year coaching career. My thoughts drift back to the days of teaching my little brother and sister to do back handspring in the front yard when I was 14 and teaching some after school tumbling classes to the elementary schools while I was in high school. I was hooked early on. I loved coaching. Influences that contributed to this passion are not forgotten and in fact respected and appreciated. My elementary school assistant principal, Roger Witherbee who invited me to participate in a special after school gymnastics program, my high school coaches Jack Discher and Ray Timm who basically instilled work ethic and integrity as well as how to do things the right way. My first club boss and mentor Gary Anderson (the originator of the Capital Cup format) who instilled the strategies of organization and disciplined training. These are people that I owe a great deal too. They pointed me down a path that twisted and turned, went uphill and downhill and eventually led me here to London. I am grateful.

Then there are the countless athletes that helped mold my ever evolving coaching style and philosophy. It to has taken some twists and turns over the years and some of my early athletes paid the price for my lack of knowledge at the time. This is one reason I pledge to assist with coaches education, to help shorten that learning curve for those coaches that wish to pursue excellence in this wonderful sport. But back to the athletes that stretch over the years… I thank them for enduring, achieving and putting me on the coaching map.

Likewise there are a long list of parents that have supported and endured as well. Those that believed that beneath the often gruff exterior was a heart that truly had that best interest of every athlete in mind. Parents that believed in the tough love approach to discipline and training. Parents that assisted in forming what has now become a gymnastics program with international acclaim. The numbers are too great to mention, but let it be known that I remember. I know and appreciate all that have contributed to this quest.

The clock nears the departure time. I close just in advance of slipping on the Red White and Blue Olympic Team Warm Up. This is a proud moment.