The Stunt Gym!

Mothers always want the best for their children

Recently I have been getting cheerleaders who want tumbling training in my gym.  Even though my business is called, “The Stunt Gym,”  it is not a cheer-leading school.  In fact, I had reached a point after 35 years of teaching gymnastics that I did not want the cheer leading business.  So when these families inquired about classes I made it clear that I was not a cheer leading coach, nor was my program geared towards cheer-leading training.  Instead I run a true gymnastics school of trampoline, tumbling and acrobatic gymnastics.

But these families have taken a break from cheer competition and realize that their children need more training in tumbling, and wanted to sign up for classes.  One of the teens has had multiple injuries from cheer-leading.  These parents surprised me by not accepting my discouragement.  The injuries of this child has prompted me to write this open letter to all cheer leading moms. Read the rest of this entry →

God's way brings better results

Acrobatics has been the passion of all my life. As a high school Artistic gymnast of the late 1960′s, I had no idea what I would do with my adult life. When I left home, I found after 3 years of not training daily that my body hurt. So I went to the local YMCA and resumed stretching, conditioning, and, since I was already in a gym, training.   But working out was not making me any money.  So I got my first job  coaching gymnastics at the YMCA.  But I wanted to perform.  How could I make my living  performing gymnastics?  There was only one answer:  theater.

At that time I lived in Bellingham, WA.  On the radio I heard an ad for the Spherical Miracle Circus Works in Seattle.  I called the station and they gave me a contact number.  I told the circus owner that I was a gymnast and that I had a trampoline.  The circus was a small street circus that made their living passing the hat.  So he invited me down to join his circus. Read the rest of this entry →

Triune Man

Christian Dancer

I recently had a conversation from a dancer in California who found the school site and was surprised that I call my school a “Christian Gymnastics School.” She wanted to know how I could consider it a Christian school since she had been told that dancing was carnal. She desperately wants to dance before the Lord, but has been discouraged by her congregation.

For the sake of her privacy, I am going to call her, Sydnee.   Sydnee seems to be a new believer and was very confused. The congregation she attends seems to be legalistic. She had questions about the Sabbath and other matters which hindered me from explaining how physical activity can be an expression of the spirit.

God has no interest or joy in religion. Religion did not come from God. It came from Adam and Eve who tried to cover their sin with fig leaves. That was the first religious act of mankind. Religion is inherent in our carnal nature, which is why most of the world is religious. The books of Romans and Hebrews explains God’s take on religion. He gave Moses the law to show the world that it was impossible to please God through religious effort. Through Jesus Christ He took away religion completely. But mankind hangs onto religion because the carnal nature wants to justify itself through religion, not to please God. Read the rest of this entry →

To Whom Does the Business Belong?

In the latest Barna newsletter, they surveyed how many and what kinds of people would patronize a business that openly called themselves, “Christian”. Their report is very positive for those Christians who want to conduct their business openly as Christian businesses.

According to their research two out of five adults say they would patronize businesses that call themselves “Christian.” One third of those surveyed said they would be more inclined to buy products they knew were manufactured by Christian companies. And if you are looking to locate in a region that would be supportive to Christian business go to the Midwest and the South. The age group most receptive to Christian business are adults over 45.

Other demographic segments favoring businesses incorporating Christian elements were women, Boomers (ages 46 to 64), Elders (ages 65-plus), married adults, parents of children under age 18, political conservatives, and Republicans. College grads were slightly less interested than average in Christian companies, though income was not a defining factor for or against.

Barna president, David Kinnaman, concludes the survey by saying:

“There appears to be a significant opportunity for enterprises that understand and value faith to express their faith consciousness through their business practices — not simply as a marketing gimmick but as an authentic part of their content, their mix of products and services, their branding, and their corporate culture. “

“Many contend that faith should be isolated from consumer decisions, and that the marketplace is deeply resistant to products and services delivered by companies who are overtly Christian. In fact, some executives and marketers are so focused on being inoffensive to anyone that many businesses have catered to critics by avoiding or stripping away any hint of faith-friendly practices or mission. However, the research shows that the consumer audience is divided between those who favor Christian companies and those who are simply indifferent. Very few Americans appear to be opposed to such faith-related businesses.”

So, from a worldly perspective, it is still a favorable climate for running a Christian business if the right demographics are considered. However, this is no basis for running a Christian business. If you are truly a follower of Christ, and the Lord is directing you to run the business (you would be a fool to do so without His direction), then you run the business regardless of the climate. Barna is encouraging Christian businesses to not hide their faith in their work. I applaud this. I know from first hand experience Christian customers are delighted to find a business that operates by their faith.

The Stunt Gym is not a Christian business because it is favorable to do so.  It is so because the business belongs to the  Lord.  I do not market the business to the world.  It exists for those that Father brings to my gym.  Profit is not a point of worry.  We are all called to be content in whatsoever state we are in.  My confidence is in His sustaining the business.  And when He wants to close the business, that is His authority, too.

Big Brother and Gymnastics

The November/December 2010 – Vol 30 #10 issue of the USAG professional journal called “Technique” magazine finally gave an extensive explanation of why they are performing background checks on all members who join the USAG. According to the blurb inserted into the article by Marcia Bradford, “USA Gymnastics embraced the process of background checks in 2007, following the U.S. Olympic Committee’s decision to use NCSI for this process prior to the 2007 Pan-American Games.”

The claim of the article is that the background checks are being made to protect the children in organized sports from sexual predators. Having coached gymnastics for 35 years, I know that this is a legitimate issue, so I am not dismissing that problem in this post. Rather I am questioning the method for dealing with the problem.

She uses the bowling organization as an example of one of the first to tackle this issue through background checks by Jeff Breidenbach, director of planning for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). Through his own registered volunteer program (RVP) to keep predators out of the organization the “good guys” were identified.

As part of the effort, volunteers who are approved through the background checks are given badges that must be worn at USBC events, Breidenbach said. “These offer a visible symbol of assurance to parents and others involved that these people, who work with the children, have passed the background screening process.”

Seems like a reverse of the Scarlet Letter by Nathanael Hawthorn, or a reverse of Nazi Germany forcing the Jews to wear yellow arm bands. But the end result is the same: those not wearing the badges are assumed to be sexual predators, whether they are or not. Besides, how hard would it be for a sexual predator to make one his own badges, thus creating a false sense of security in the families because they see a badge? Badges mean nothing. However, this is not what the USAG or NCSI are doing.

I have to ask the question: do they really care about preventing sexual abuse or is there another matter? If this is the legitimate concern, then why did we not see this kind of background check on coaches in the 1980′s when coaches routinely verbally abused children in the gym in the name of gaining the competitive lead over other clubs and countries? I saw that abuse first hand and I know there are a multitude of mothers today who were traumatized by their coaches when they were young.

Frankly, resent the background check. It has an extremely un-American feel about it.

1. It presumes we are all guilty of sexual predation until proven innocent. This is not how our Constitutional judicial system works, neither should private companies function this way.
2. It is a violation of our 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination. The burden of proof falls on the USAG and NCSI to prove that we are guilty since they are the ones questioning us.
3. As such, it adds insult to injury that we have to pay for this self vindication in order to join the USAG.

We are being forced in a direction that most Americans don’t want to go. We are presumed guilty of terrorism every time we go through airport guilty. We are watched by video cameras in every place we go, and are even now being ticketed by cameras at intersections. No one trusts who we are and require identification for every purchase with credit cards and checks. I don’t understand the scrutiny that Costco and Sams places on us, either. We cant get in without their membership card. We can’t buy without the membership card, then we have to show our receipts when we leave as though we snuck in and stole the merchandise.

I recently found out that many red light cameras are installed by foreign companies who split the revenue gained by the tickets. One company is from Australia who installed the cameras here in Texas.

Honestly, I think the USAG adopted the background check on their members because of fear of lawsuits. Nissan stopped making trampolines because of lawsuits. Tort lawyers look for everyone they can name who has money to blame for injuries. I suspect, although I do not know, that the USAG had one too many lawsuits from parents whose child was sexual abused by a gymnastics coach.

I also know that many of the fear driven campaigns have their origin in the international arena. The USAG obtained their standing in the USA because they had gained the FIG sanction, and there was no other organization that was allowed to send athletes to the Olympics. I suspect that every national organization in countries around the world are engaging in these background checks just as we are in this country. This smells too much like an international agenda.

Business by Kingdom rules is for the King, not our selves

The Lord’s Business

I own a Christian gymnastics school. The Lord moved me in this direction four years ago. In that time I have done much meditation on both how to run a business and keeping my priorities right according to the Kingdom of God. From the outset I understood that business is a worldly affair. That does not mean Christians do not own businesses, but it does mean our priorities will be different.

As a citizen of the Kingdom, my responsibility is to build His kingdom, not my own. The natural tendency in owning a business is to see it as your business and make every effort to build your business into your own kingdom. But that is not the way of the King. Everything belongs to Him. He gives us stewardship over some things, but those things still are His.

It is noteworthy that in the parable of the talents (Matt 25), the rich ruler gave his servants the talents. The servants did not take the talents from the rich ruler. If we are engaged in a business that the Lord is not directing us into, we are stealing from the Lord and those to whom He intended to give that business. Adam and Eve were guilty of the same crime. All the fruit belonged to God, yet they were given the right to eat freely from all the fruit except from one tree. When they ate that fruit, they stole it from God. So, as believers, we are not to engage in just any business activity. We are to pursue only that business that the Spirit has led us into. Read the rest of this entry →

Who is buying and who is selling?

I am new to owning my own gym. Even though I have coached every aspect of gymnastics for 30 years, I never had my own gym where I was the boss. So I am in a learning curve on running a business. Furthermore, my business is a Christian gymnastics school, so I am trying to understand how to run an honest business according to the Way of Christ.

This morning I had a lesson in business that got me to thinking.   Yesterday my wife had a fender bender so this morning I brought her car to some auto shops for an estimate of repair.  The damage has no interference with the function of the car, nor is it an ugly eyesore.  So my motivation for repair is very low.  But I know it will make my wife happy to have it fixed.

The lesson I learned involved two different auto shops.  In the first shop when I walked in the door the receptionist immediately began asking me for information to set up a customer file on me.  I declined to give her my name and said that I would give her that information if I decided to use their business.  All I wanted was an estimate on repair.

Since I was polite in my conversation she was agreeable and asked me to wait for a salesman to give me the quote.   After a few minutes a sales man took a look at my car.  He gave me a ball park quote of $1200 to $1300, but a specific estimate would require  a list.    So he asked me to come back to his desk.  When I sat down, he immediately wanted my personal data to set up a file on me.   I told him the same thing I told the secretary that I would give it after I made the decision to use their business.  He then said that he could not give me an estimate without creating a file on me first.   I told him, “Then you do not want my business, and I will go elsewhere.”

Next door was another shop.  He came out and gave me a quote of $280 to replace the fender and to paint it.  I told him that I would be back in a few days and that he had a deal.  I shook his hand.  He never asked for my name nor desired information from me.

Driving home I had to ask myself, who is the boss and who is the customer?  With the first shop they viewed me as subservient to them.  They were the boss, but that is not true.   They lost my business, for I am boss.  I am hiring a service.  They are the customer.  The second shop seemed to understand this difference.  The hand shake was good enough.

So as I consider how I wish to run my business, this was a reminder to me that  each customer of mine is actually my employer.  In the photograph above I ask the question, “Who is buying and who is selling?”  The answer is both.     The store is selling goods to buy the customer’s money.  The customer is selling money to buy the goods.   Honest business is when both parties in the transactions believe that they have gotten a good deal.

So I am selling my skills and knowledge in training gymnastics to the families to buy their money.   They are selling their money to buy my skills and knowledge.  We are both customers and salespeople at the same time.

The  first auto shop that I went to did not recognize this truth.  They are functioning according to the world for self gain only.  The second shop did understand it.  He got my business.  He gave a price that is profitable for him, yet was a savings for me.  He trusted me to bring my car in on a handshake.  This is how I want to run my gym.

Seth pitches Mike in back tuck

In August of 2009 I took a step of faith and signed a lease for a small warehouse space to move my business. I had been developing the business under the shelter of other businesses. In signing the lease I made several purchases to run the business.

As a first need of a program, I planned for my first class meet. These pictures are courtesy of the Illicks and Barnes.

Saulsberry, Ortega and Rivera

There are many simple pyramids for the kids to learn such as this one.

Moran, Illick and Jones

The three children are almost all the same size. The base is holding the weight of two kids, with the weight of the girl on the shoulders having no support under his rear as the boy on the thighs has the shins and feet.

Saulsberry, Ortega and Rivera again.

Tatiana's toe touch on tramp

Strong personality overcomes technique

In a recent email correspondence I spoke with another coach who puts on gymnastics shows. She mentioned that the hit of her last show were the little girls in her dance program who had very little dance and lots of costuming. She was nervous that the parents would be upset not to see the dance that they were paying for. Instead that number was the crowd favorite.

I told her that people care about people, not technique. If the personality comes through with great technique, then you have a great success. But the gymnast who has personality over the gymnast who has technique, the audience will prefer the one with personality. Of course the sport is totally focused on technique and the athlete with great technique will win over the one with personality. So for this reason, no coach develops the personality, only the technique.

But this is a myopic point of view characteristic to our immediate gratification society.  The long term goals end at the Olympics, yet everyone knows that the winners of the Olympic games go on to professional careers in other fields fueled by their new found fame.   For example, Carly Patterson has just recorded a singing CD.  And, of course, the USAG promotes all their athletes who make it to the top in their new career directions.  But what has gymnastics done to prepare these performers in their new careers?  No one cares anymore that they did gymnastics.  What showmanship did gymnastics help develop in them? Next to none, in my opinion.

Television understands what audiences want to see.  They never just broadcast the routines.   Besides the fact that the routines are too short to fill air time, people want to know about the athletes.  The majority of a gymnastics broadcast is devoted to video biographies on the top athletes and the banter of the hosts who talk about the people and their struggle in training and competing.

On Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 the TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance?”  broadcast the audition of Allison Becker who is a hearing impaired dancer.  They gave her story before her audition, her dance and the judges reaction to a deaf dancer auditioning.  It was extremely moving, yet her technique was clearly weak.   Because her technique was weak, they sent her to choreography to see if she could take instruction and work with others.  She did, and they sent her to Las Vegas.

Allison Becker audition on "So You Think You Can Dance" [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Another dancer, Kelsey White,  whose technique was equal to Allison’s was also sent to choreography but did not make it to Las Vegas.  There may have been reasons in her choreography that disqualified her, but I am convinced it was because she did not have the emotional appeal that Allison has.  And that is the difference between theater and gymnastics competition.  The theater knows that star quality is not found in technique.  It is found in the personality and story of the star.  With coaching by the choreographers to improve Allison’s technique, she has the potential of drawing a huge audience as everyone wants to see the underdog win.

The gymnastics industry needs to reassess how they train their athletes. The FIG who makes the rules has been extremely narrow minded in rewarding technique over artistry and personality. The club owners need to look beyond their immediate goals of building a reputation for training high level athletes. We have a moral responsibility to help children blossom into the unique people that God has gifted them to be. I am also convinced that parents will appreciate a program that has a bigger view then just athletic training, and who see clubs as co-laborers in developing their children into creative and expressive personalities.

In my gym, The Stunt Gym, my program is advertised as a “Christian Holistic Training Center”. The parents understand that my training is geared to develop strong and healthy bodies, expressive personalities and sensitivity to their spirits. It is time for the industry to accept that their responsibilities in training athletes goes beyond mere sport.

Physical development is as important as mental development

My school is a Christian Stunt Gymnastics School.  All my customers are Christians, and 99% of them are home school families.

I got this from one of the home school parents deliberating on the change of schedule that her daughter as an intermediate needs to attend 2 hours in September. She said:

We would love for [our children] to continue their gymnastics training, but we have to view it as an elective - we can’t let it dictate our more basic
study schedule.

At first I agreed with her, because I understood what she meant. However, as I meditated upon it further, then later discussed this with her husband, I saw a fundamental error in her thinking.  The education of children is to prepare them to be godly adults equipped to face whatever the Lord may have for them later. The natural thought is in the education of their minds, equipping them to be competitive in the adult world. But this is where I realized the mistake in this narrow view.

Full education of your children is in body, soul and spirit, not the mind (or soul) alone. Physical education is just as important to the education of your children as their minds. Of course, I have a self serving interest in this, so I am making the distinction of physical education and gymnastics. Gymnastics is the elective but physical education is not. Your children can be physically trained in many other sports, too, although I am convinced that gymnastics, swimming and dance are the three best activities for gross motor movement development.

It is a statistical reality that obese children continue with obesity in adulthood. Many health problems of adults today are directly related to obese, out of shape bodies. Heart disease, organ failures, joint problems as well as sleep apnea and even cancer have a direct connection to obesity. Furthermore, it is just as true that children who are athletic in their youth tend to be slim and athletic in adult hood, having more vigor in life, which directly relates to their mental capacities.

Every child has a primary learning language. Some are visual learners, others are auditory learners and some others are kinesthetic learners. The kinesthetics especially need PE activity since they are physically orientated. Kinesthetics that are allowed to engage their bodies in physical challenges study better and learn more then they would if deprived of PE activity. But even though everyone has a primary learning language, we all need to learn through each medium. So when I teach gymnastics I try to show a skill, explain a skill and physically carry them through the skill to ensure the maximum learning experience.

I am convinced that the body and the spirit are directly connected, too. What we usually think of as spiritual discernment is often the intuitive reading of body language in other people we see. It is no wonder that so many “spiritual” people are in the performing arts. Yoga combines physical exercise with meditation, and the pagan Baal worship employed temple prostitutes for “spiritual” experience of their religion. Of course, none of these examples are spiritual connections to God, but they are examples of people sensing their human spirits or demonic spirits physically. Gymnastics training develops this intuitive movement because the skills happen so quickly they can not be performed by thinking about the skills while doing the skills. They are done reflexively.

I believe that my gymnastics training is the best physical education that your money can buy, and I hope all will stay in my program. But if not, home school kids need some kind of PE program for their overall preparation into adulthood.  Training their bodies is not an elective.