I Play For Peace!
For those of you that don’t know, aside from being a full-time gymnast, I’m also a part-time Japanese tutor (I also tutor English). For the last two years or so, I’ve been working with a family and their three kids (2 b0ys and 1 girl). The kids are always full of energy and I have a lot of fun every time I go and teach.
Me and the Kids
When I went to go tutor the other day, the family surprised me with an early-birthday cake (my real birthday is tomorrow)! They’re awesome and I feel lucky that they call me a part of their “family.”
Birthday Cake!
Anyway, I also wanted to introduce a website that one of the boys started. Ben, who is the oldest of the three kids, is working on raising money for children in Iraq that are disabled and in need of wheelchairs. Each wheelchair costs $300 and every penny helps. Please take a look at his site and learn more about his cause @ I Play For Peace. This is pretty awesome stuff that he’s doing!
Ichiro is the Man!
I had a day off from training so today I went to the Oakland Coliseum with my mom to watch the A’s-Mariners game. It’s hard to say which team I like better because while Oakland is my home town, my favorite athlete, Ichiro Suzuki is on the Mariners. As an athlete, I look up to Ichiro because he’s so consistent and calm under pressure.
Me and my Mom at the game
Anyway, the game was super exciting because Ichiro started off the game with a double, and he became the second fastest player in the Major League history to record 2,000 hits!!! It was inspiring to be able to see that in person. It immediately made me want to get in the gym and start working out. Well, it’s a good thing that training for the new week starts again tomorrow!
Ichiro!
Sho the Builder!
The other day, I decided to build my own paralletes for training! I made a quick trip to Home Depot and bought a couple of PVC pipes, as well as some connectors. Seriously, with a PVC cutter and PVC cement, paralletes are so easy to make. This only means one thing…more strength training for me!
Home-Made Paralletes!
More Improvements
Definitely seeing more improvements in rehab lately. Ever since I saw the doc last week for my follow-up, I’ve been able to push the flexion of the knee a bit more. Today I rode a stationary bike for the first time, and boy, did it feel good! I know I said this before but it’s crazy how small things like riding a bike can make you so excited when you’re coming off of an injury.
I’ve also been a lot more exercises to get myself ready to start walking again. Aside from riding the bike, I did some one-leg stands. It felt a little strange at first since it’s been a while since I’ve put any weight on just that leg, however, it’s important that I start re-training the muscle again. Either way, all of these exercises are fun because they’re fresh. Seriously, anything to get away from just ankle pumps and straight leg raises is a good thing.
