Category: safety

teaching kids to be independent

An important post from Wendy Bruce Martin:

As sports parents, we would do anything to protect our athletes. We want to take away their sorrow, we want to give them the answers they need, we want to protect them from pain. We want to ride in our our white horses and be their saviors. We want to fight their battles, remove their enemies, and provide a life a happiness. For if they are happy, then we parents must be doing our jobs.

When we rescue them, what are we really teaching them? If we always come to their rescue when they are hurting, sad, embarrassed, angry, or suffering, we are only teaching them that we will solve their problems, we will save them. We are teaching them they aren’t strong enough to think and fight on their own and we must think and fight for them. …

What happens when we aren’t there? …

You Don’t Need Me…You Got This: Teach your Athlete to Rescue Themselves.

sad gymnast

over-parenting

I’d agree that many children are over-protected.

And many have their childhood over-scheduled (with things like Gymnastics).

This could have been ME 40yrs ago.

Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville

I waxed nostalgic. … Memories of digging up clams, splashing the girls, trying to drown the boys in the shallows. Family holidays at wonderful Rathtrevor Beach on Vancouver Island.

But that photo was taken recently.

sand castle - Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville

Kids are the same. But one thing has changed.

Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville

A swimming pool with that many children would have only one lifeguard.

What year was it that parents became so much more protective than my own?

related –

The Fragile Generation

If You Want Your Kids to Succeed, Let Them Fail

Jason Mortimer catches gymnast on Tap Swing

Yep. Coach was ready. You never know.

Tap swings (and backward uprise) are surprisingly dangerous, especially for kids who are really trying to get as high as they can.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

FIG still allows “single point of failure” equipment

In an era with redundancy in all things related to safety, why does FIG certify equipment where failure of one link in a chain can result in the apparatus falling?

Jalon Stephens walked away. This time.

related – FIG – single point of failure

Giving Trans Kids a Sporting Chance

As throughout history, somewhere less than 1% of children are born transgender. It ranges from <0.1% to 0.6%.

Of course those children should have an equal right to participate in everything, including sport.

Each competition sport will have to have rules accepting children into either boys or girls divisions.

Sport New Zealand recently released guiding principles for the inclusion of transgender people in community sport. Trans young people in Aotearoa experience considerable health and wellbeing disparities, as a result of stigma, discrimination and violence.  They face challenges within their own families, at school, in medical settings and in their wider communities.  

Engagement in sport has positive effects for psychological and physical wellbeing, academic performance, and sense of belonging, and can be a source of passion – a strong protective factor for mental health. …

Giving trans kids a sporting chance

I was excited to see Cat Runner win a new reality TV show. 10 amateur climbers competing for a cash prize of $100,000 and $100,000 prAna sponsorship.

It was impressive as Cat does not have much reach. He’s the short guy in the blue jacket.

It helps to have long limbs for rock climbing.

Cat identifies as transgender, one reason he’s a climber — an activity where gender doesn’t matter.

Finally — I’m disappointed with politicians and deplorable who are today trying to win votes, make money, and accrue power by targeting transgender kids and other minorities. Attacking some of the most vulnerable people in society.

That’s despicable.

#SpartanStrong MSU

February 13, 2023, a mass shooting on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing. Three students were killed and five others injured.

#SpartanStrong remembers those innocent victims.

World record 1055 Circles in series

Vedant Sawant from Australia.

I once videotaped Jackson Payne doing 200 circles on Mushroom. Astonishing. Over 5 minutes long.

Click PLAY or watch Vedant on YouTube. Over 20 minutes. … 😕 … This can’t be good for the wrists. I advocate doing no more than 40 circles in series.

RUS will not compete Europeans

I understand the argument that some athletes suffer when their governments are banned from internationals sporting activities.

And I feel badly for those athletes.

That said, it would be even worse for the world if RUS and BLR were allowed to compete in Paris.

https://twitter.com/UEGymnastics/status/1638166724016054275

British Gymnastics – ‘Leap Without Limits’

Building on their Reform ’25 progress, British Gymnastics wants to put positive experiences for ALL at the heart of the sport.

The Vision at a glance:

  • A significant step towards delivering genuine lasting and positive change in gymnastics
  • Puts positive experiences at the heart of the sport
  • A united approach across all home nations, shaped by the gymnastics community
  • Recognises benefits gymnastics can provide for individuals, communities and society
  • New vision has received backing from within and beyond gymnastics

Details

Soviet documentary – Tatiana Groshkova, Elvira Saadi

Elvira Saadi coached in Canada. But was suspended by Gymnastics Canada late 2020, pending an investigation into abuse allegations.

She has not returned to coaching, so far as I know.

Tatiana Groshkova is age-49 as I post. She trained at Moscow Dynamo with Saadi. An astonishing gymnast — but Tatania was overshadowed by the many other stars of the late 1980s Soviet team. Training was harsh.

Click PLAY or watch a documentary on YouTube. (28min)