Half-Way Point
Wow, it’s June and we’re already at the half way point of this year!
Lots of things have already this year and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be slowing down anytime soon. In January, I came back from Japan after a three month, study-abroad prgram. Speaking of which, I miss my friends out there.
After coming back, I started judging a bunch of boys competitions as I returned right at the beginning of the season. It was fun as I got to judge all the way up to regionals this year! Also, as soon as I came back to the US, I went straight into intensive rehab at Stanford to get my knee back shape after hurting it at last year’s Japan Cup. It was only a few weeks ago that I got fully released from rehab and to go back to training without any restrictions.
Now I feel like I’m finally back into a consistent schedule of work (I currently have 3 part-time jobs) and training. While the combination does put a toll on the body and mind, I’m grateful not to be in school anymore. Juggling school, gymnastics, and my part-time work as a tutor was definitely tough. Having school out of the equation is definitely a huge weight off my shoulders.
Speaking of which, a lot of the students should be finishing up their school year right about now. Good luck to everyone with their final exams and Happy Summer!
60 Seconds w/Sho – Average Day Of…
Here’s a new 60 Seconds w/Sho (or me).
Thanks again to Luke and Donna for setting this up!
Japanese Gymnasts!
Just like anybody I know, I love watching YouTube videos.
Anyway, I recently came across a neat video (below) that features some of the best gymnasts to come out of Japan in recent years
Crazy thing is I’ve pretty much met everyone featured in the video, but the craziest thing is that I’ve been directly coached by a few of them throughout my years as a gymnast. Some of the coaches include Koichi Mizushima and Hatakeda Yoshiaki (coach of Kohei Uchimura, the reigning world champion). And most recently, I trained with Tomita Hiroyuki and Kashima Takehiro while I was in Japan for three months during my study-abroad program.
If only I could become as great as them…
I guess the solution is simple. Train hard!
Built Back Up
The magic words finally came out of my physical therapists mouth today, “you are done with rehab.” 
After tearing my ACL and meniscus last summer, and 10 months of intense rehabbing, I’m finally free and out of the rehab room. It was a long time running that’s for sure! Even though I had previously written that I got cleared last month to go back to doing full gymnastics, I haven’t stopped going in to do my therapy exercises. During the most intense phase, I was in there 3 times a week and for 2 hours at time. Not to mention I was doing my normal training on top of that in the gym.
It’s definitely a weird feeling though. Having gone through some fairly big injuries, I’ve gotten really close to my physical therapists and doctors. But, at the same time, the rehab room and the hospital is not really where you want to be.
From now I’ll be monitoring my own leg exercises during training. Thanks to Melissa, Dr. McAdams and Dr. Garza for building me back up again!
60 Seconds w/ Sho
Here’s a quick little interview that I did the other day at a PR firm close to where I live (LMGPR)
Thanks to Donna and Luke for creating this!
Enjoy!
NCAA Program
My old teammate surprised me the other day when he brought back the program from this year’s NCAA Championships.
Surprised that they would use me!
Cover of this year's NCAA program
Definitely need to work on making a better celebration face…
Baby Hands!
Minor cuts and bruises are part of any sport. It totally goes hand-in-hand…literally. Well, the other day, I took one too many turns on high bar and this is what I left practice with:
Baby Hands!
Guess my hand got a bit soft during the few months that I wasn’t able to swing high bar because of my knee surgery! Blisters are totally minor though and it happens all the time.
Practice is starting to get more intense but I’m pluggin’ away. This is all part of the preparation process so that I could start competing again!
Good Luck to Everyone Competing at All Japan!
All Japan Championships takes place this weekend in Tokyo.
I just checked out the roster and saw that a bunch of my friends are competing, including the ones that I trained with while I was at Juntendo University.
Me and some of the guys I trained with while I was in Japan!
Good luck to everyone that’s competing this weekend!
Thanks Feriagrafix!
Wanted to give a quick thanks to Ben and Renee Feria of Feragrafix for creating a cool watercolor painting for me.
Painting Created by Feriagrafix
They surprised me with their project and delivered it to me while I was down in SoCal for the regional championships (they’re based out of San Diego).
Ben works as a photographer at big gym meets including the Stanford Open. He usually creates montages out of the pictures and at times will do some watercolor painting. Check out his website here.
Thanks again!
Balancing Out
Finally got the opportunity to head back home during the weekend (I currently live only an hour away from my hometown). It was the first time in a really long time so it felt super refreshing!
The very best thing was being able to get my mind off of my normal routine. I feel that having these small get-aways, or the chance to think of something aside from training is incredibly important. Some athletes read, go outdoors, or take part in other sports. In fact, the US national team has started to incorporate yoga into the national team camps. It’s not only a good way to become more flexible (physically) but it’s an equally great way to take your mind off of things and to be able to relax.
In general, having a good balance in is vital. Now that I’m refreshed it’s back to training again. I’m hoping it’ll be a week of good training!
