I’ve attached some training vids to update you on my progress.  They are not perfect by any means but it’s getting there.  I’ll be pushing myself through a couple more cycles so that I could peak at the right time!  Let’s git ‘er done!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Team Hilton!

Grateful for all the support.  Wouldn’t be able to pursue this dream without you all!

The Hilton uniform I'll be wearing at domestic meets!

A couple of months ago I started working for Google as a part-time employee!  My main work is doing quality checks and ensuring the validity of Japanese ads that pop up on Google Japan.  Sadly, as a part-time employee I don’t get the perks that a full-time employee would get.  However, my friend that works there on a full-time basis invited me to lunch the other day.  Pretty crazy that it was my first time visiting the Google campus given that I’ve lived in this area for a super long time.   As for food, it was delicious and the campus has several full-blown cafeterias.  It’s kind of like visiting a Las Vegas buffet. The perks you get as a Googler is pretty ridiculous.  No wonder so many people want to work there!

@ the Google Campus!

It was Parent's Day @ Google so a ton of parents were on campus to check out where their kids work.

Even got myself a to-go box for dinner afterwards

Food for later!

The players coming out of the Shark!

Sold out house made for an exciting atmosphere!

Love the jumbo-tron here for some reason. So clear.

Big shootout to Dr. M for the tickets!  :)

Another reason why it was awesome being here was because the Olympic Trials for London will be held at the same site!  Yes, right in my own backyard.  I remember competing there a few years ago for the US Championships.  Atmosphere was electrifying!

Click here to view the embedded video.

No one is a lock to compete at the trials.  The nation’s top gymnasts will battle out for the 15 spots at the US Championships.  The US is deep and all of us are working hard towards it.  The last stop for all US gymnasts competing in London this summer will be the HP Pavilion!

The Shark Tank - HP Pavilion!

The reason for all the craziness was because I had a short week.  The week before, I spent a few days at the Olympic Training Center for another national team camp.  The camp turned out to be a great one even though only half of the national team members were present.  There were a number of athletes representing the US at an international event in Germany, while some were resting at home or competing at collegiate meets.  With some major competitions coming up fairly soon most of us were starting to put routines together again.  The transition time from working skills and sequences, to putting together routines again can be a bit of a tough time.  However, there is no way around it and it’s just one of those things that you just have push through.

What made the camp even better was we had a special guest.  Edouard Iarov was there to help us.  For those of you that are unfamiliar, Edouard was the coach of the legendary  Valery Liukin, (former World and Olympic Champion).  He used to be a coach in Canada but apparently he is coaching in the US now.

The day after I got back from camp, I judged the Northern California State Championships for boys.  It was an all day, super long, marathon of a meet but as always it was great seeing the boys put their skills on the floor.  Unfortunately I won’t be able to judge Regionals this year but best of luck to all the boys as I know they’ve all been working hard all season long.  With States over, I am done with judging for the rest of the year.  While it’s a bit of a bummer, I’m also kind of happy that I get the time to relax and do what I need to do over the weekends.

In the hot seat. Judging pommels!

Now that the busy week is over, I am pretty much caught up on everything.  Can’t tell you how happy this makes me feel.  I definitely appreciate the small things in life!

Anyway, training has been going well.  We now only have about 3 months left until USAs and Olympic Trials and this is literally the final stretch.  I am now just getting back into routine mode after giving myself some time to recover and build some of my consistency in a few of my skills.  This is when I get back to the grind!

Tomorrow I leave for another camp with the National Team.  Will be in good ‘ol Colorado Springs for a few days.  It’ll be a great opportunity to see the rest of the guys and rekindle the fire.  Not to mention, although it is tough, it’s always good to train in high altitude.  I’ll return from camp on Saturday night.  On Sunday I’ll be judging the boys’ State Championships all day!

Check out a video of a recent ring routine.  Not quite there but working towards it!

Click here to view the embedded video.

A few days ago, I was invited to a memorial event in San Francisco to give thanks to all the people that donated and to update us with some news about the situation in Japan.  The event was held at the Presidio, which was significant because the US-Japan Security treaty was signed at the same place in the  60s.  The treaty was signed to create further ties and cooperation between the two countries so it was fitting that such an event could take place at the same site.

The event included a special video created by the Japanese people that were affected by the incident.  Speeches were also made by the Consul General and important members of the Japanese-American community.  It ended with a nice performance by a violinist and a koto player, as well as exhibitions that allowed us to gain information about the current situation out there.

The event at the Presidio in SF.

During the event, I even met an Olympic legend.  Kristi Yamaguchi was there as she also did a lot to raise awareness and bring in relief funds!  Had a nice little conversation with her and am hoping that we could work together in the future to help out as the road to recovery continues!  Thank you again to all the donated!

Me and Kristi after the event.

Anyway, the weekend went well.  The purpose of this meet was to give the kids another shot at qualifying for the State Championships.  The other option was to get a qualifying score twice during the course of the regular season, but for those that couldn’t get the score, this was another opportunity to make it in.  The kids will have a weekend off and then it’s States the following weekend.

Aside from the meet, I was able to play the tourist.  I walked around downtown for a bit and one of my coach friends took me out on a little tour of Pismo Beach.  It’s definitely got a Santa Cruz vibe to it.  Overall had a great time out there and even had one of the best clam chowders ever!  Pics below:

Splash Cafe - Went early but was already really crowded. Apparently it's a super popular spot down in Pismo.

Ridiculously good clam chowder in bread bowl! From what I heard Pismo is the "Clam Capital of the World!"

Cloudy day but still beautiful. Bet it's super nice in the summer!

Pics are below from the shoot:

Pressing up to the handstand.

Yes, the bars were pretty darn high! Kinda dangerous come to think of it...

Handstand shot with cool effects!

Not only was it a fun gig but I even got a new pair of shoes!  Thanks Keen!

Lovin' the new kicks. Better start being more outdoorsy!

Champions Invite!

This weekend, I’m off to San Luis Obispo to judge the second qualifiers to the State Championships for the compulsory boys.  It’ll be a long drive (over 3 hours) but it’ll give me an opportunity to clear my mind a bit.  Actually kind of excited for it because I’ve never been down there before.  Heard it’s a nice college town.  For those of you that have been down there, feel free to give me some suggestions on where to visit or to eat!

Loooong drive south!