Rick Mc

The Olympic Promised Land

Tim Do you recall the name Tim Dalrymple?

Stanford gymnast in the 1990s? Olympic prospect?

Today Timothy Dalrymple is …

… the manager of the Evangelical Portal at Patheos. Educated at Stanford, Oxford, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Harvard, he writes on religion, politics, culture, and faith.

Sho Nakamura recommended one of his recent articles titled The Olympic Promised Land.

… I knew that my gymnastics career was over — and my own Olympic Promised Land forever out of reach — when a team of men was screwing a “halo” into my skull and a neurosurgeon standing at the foot of my bed informed me that my neck was severely broken. An hour earlier I had walked into the hospital, every footfall sending long needles of pain up and down my spine, and asked for an x-ray. The radiologist gaped at what he saw: a part of a vertebra had slid forward to rest against the spinal cord, and fragments and chips were scattered inside my cervical spine like thorns in the grass. …

After a fusion surgery, I attempted briefly to return to the sport, urged on by a coach who told me that “We all break bones now and then.” Yet the pain grew excruciating, and it became clear that I would live the rest of my life with chronic pain. My career was over, my Olympic dreams finished. And my body was broken and could not be put back together. …

read the rest of this article

Sounds horrific. Yet the article is uplifting. (Sho found the article inspired him to continue his own physical rehabilitation from injury and return to competition.)

… In fact Tim is grateful for what the injury taught him. And how his life was redirected after retirement.

The Olympics, it turns out, was never the Promised Land. I found the Promised Land in that hospital room, and God used gymnastics to bring me there.

new skill – HYPOLITO 3 ??

This is getting a bit rediculous.

Is this a “new skill” … (double Arabian with 1 1/2 out) … or a truly sloppy double twisting double back.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I wouldn’t give this performance credit for any kind of new skill.

$.03 each gymnastics Floor routine?

… The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) has been pursuing gymnastics clubs across the country to pay for the music they use …

SOCAN initially tried to get Gymnastics Canada to pay for a national licence. When Gymnastics Canada said no, SOCAN began a telephone and fax campaign at the provincial level. …

read the entire article – Music industry pressuring gymnastics clubs to pay up

I have no sympathies at all for SOCAN’s case. They must find a new model for paying musical artists. This is one tiny piece of a much bigger problem.

Mr. Topp said he doesn’t dispute SOCAN’s legal right to collect the fees, “but to me, that’s similar to asking the parent of a kid at a birthday party for a royalty when playing music for musical chairs.”

inexpensive gymnastics bar grips?

In Bangladesh the coaches cannot justify bringing in costly grips from Europe, Japan or the States.

And they currently have no good supplier of less expensive grips.

Though Bangladesh produces a great deal of leather, it is too “stiff” for home made grips. (Like the ones we used when I was a boy.)

larger version – flickr – alexjamessss

Any suggestions for them?

Is there a less expensive supplier in China?

Or … should we simply ship them all the “old”, left-behind grips from our clubs in developed countries? They could mix and match from single grips.

coach in Bangladesh

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m currently teaching a 9 day gymnastics coaching course in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Do you know it?

Very close to Calcutta, India.

Though Dhaka is a frantic city of millions, we’re housed in the green, tranquil BKSP Multisport Training Centre. That’s 104 acres of lush sporting paradise.

Many foreign coaches have been brought in to Bangladesh. We live in this building.

Right now we have a British Archery coach here for 7 months, two new Judo coaches from Iran, a Canadian gymnastics coach. Coaches from China, Korea, India. All over.

We are treated royally, let me tell you.

Bangladesh is a fast growing economy, devoutly Muslim … but with no security problems. Inside BKSP the religion is SPORT. More than any other place it reminds me of the American Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs.

The gymnastics facility is spacious though the equipment is 22yrs-old from Senoh, Japan. A pit has been “roughed in” but is not yet finished.

I learned of a terrific opportunity this week. If a foreign coach pays their own transportation, BKSP might be able to “host” them. Free meals and board. An Artistic Gymnastics coaches is needed to assist the current coaches. There are boys and girls in this gym.

Kids train 22hrs/wk. Two trainings / day. The school is on site. Most of the gymnasts board at BKSP, as well. It’s an ideal set-up.

If you want to travel … and build your coaching resume at the same time … email me at Rick_McCharles AT hotmail.com for more information.

They are looking for a minimum 3 month commitment.

gymnastics book – Chasing Impossible Dreams

My old friend Jim Holt has written a memoir about his two decades striving for the international development of gymnastics. I’m certain it will be a great read.

It is an extraordinary saga of inspiring and (often) hilarious efforts to change the world through sport. Jim has transcended venality, corruption, and oft non-sensical institutional and bureaucratic resistance in a manner which ultimately affects the lives of those with whom he comes in contact. In short, it is a manifesto for self-determination, individual achievement, and a refusal to capitulate to the tides of conformity which threaten us all….

… He has coached (to date) in 11 World Championships, including 1991- Bolivia; 1993- Bolivia & Ecuador, 1994-Bolivia, 1996-Iran, 1997 Barbados; 1999-Namibia; 2001-Bolivia; 2002- Bolivia; 2003- Bolivia; 2006-Yemen; 2007- Yemen. He was the National Coach for Zimbabwe at the 1995 All-African Games where he also served as Gymnastics Competition Director, and was Assistant Coach for Nigeria at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. …

read more

It’s titled “Chasing Impossible Dreams”; check out the website:

www.chasingimpossibledreams.com

It’s available from the author, Money Order or Cheque for US$18.95 inclusive of mailing. Cheap.

Or … order through the website via Paypal.

It’s coming to Amazon.com soon, but possibly not soon enough for Christmas.

Amelia – La La La Human Steps

James Glader linked to perhaps my favourite dance troupe ever, La La La Human Steps. In a video production of a long performance called Amelia (part 1).

I first saw La La La Human Steps on their 1985 tour, Human Sex. The physicality of lead dancer Louise Lecavalier blew me away. I’ve still never seen any other dancer anything like her. The reckless abandon.

This clip unfortunately doesn’t do the live performance justice. But it will give you an idea of Louise’s work. Watch it on YouTube. (Warning – partial nudity.)

The genius behind La La La Human Steps is choreographer Édouard Lock.

Kiara Nowlin is growing up

An update from Bekah on the IG Forum on Cheerleader / Powertumbler Kiara Nowlin.

kiara_headshot2

She’s on the U.S. national tumbling team and won gold in Double Mini and Tumbling at this year’s Age Group Games in the 13-14 age group. She’s also the Double Mini and Tumbling U.S. Junior Champion.

Click PLAY or watch her 2009 VISA Championships tumbling lines on YouTube.