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!
Bronze for the US Gymnasts
The current buzz in the gym world is that a Chinese Olympian at the 2000 Sydney Games was underage at the time she competed (the FIG states that says you have to be at least 16), and thus, the entire Chinese team that placed third is packing up their medals and shipping them to the US team that placed right behind.
Personally, I feel that the age limit should be taken away. I think that if you’re good enough to compete at the highest level, you should be able to do so regardless of your age. But rules are rules, and if it’s in print, you’ve gotta follow them. It’s great that the US team is getting their medal but I feel for the team that should’ve competed at the Sydney Games but didn’t get the chance to. After all, the girl that was caught as being underage also competed at the world championships the year before, which served as the qualifying competition for the Olympics. Total bummer.
Camp Underway
Every time I come out to the OTC, it feels like coming home. I guess I’ve only lived here for two years and spent my senior year at a local high school
The Olympic Rings!
Although I’m not fond of the cold weather, it’s always great coming out here because not only do I get to see some familiar faces, but I get to train with the guys on the national team. It’s always quality training because it’s motivating to see how much everyone has improved and we feed off of the energy that’s in the gym. The last time I was out here was last year, which was right before Japan Cup. There’s one more day of training and we’re all excited about finishing this strong! Check out some random photos I took below:
The Athlete Center: This is where we check in whenever we come for camps. Most of the resident athletes live there and there's also a huge cafeteria inside.
The Cafeteria: The greatest thing is having food waiting for you right after training!
Yup, the OTC is right by the Rockies. If you look closely enough, there's vertical line on of the mountains. That's actually an old cog trail that broke down a while ago which people now use to climb for training. AKA The Incline, it's one mile of sheer uphill up the old railroad. We used to do it for x-training when I lived here.
Sherry, The OTC Mom. Awesome lady! Unfortunately, I don't know her official title, but I know she does a lot to make sure this place is running smoothly. We all know her as the "Mom" of the OTC though. If you need something or someone to talk to, you go to Sherry!
