Wanted to thank the parents, the staff, and Coach Steve at Oroville Gymnastics for hosting me to do a training clinic for the boys yesterday! After a 3.5 hour drive north from where I usually train, I finally made it up to the facility.
My trek up north
And while I’m on this topic, I wanted to recognize the parents really quickly for all that they do to support their kids. During the drive up (and down back), I kept thinking to myself about how much work it must be to drive long distances to central locations for competitions during the season. After all, there’s a competition almost every weekend for 3 months straight, and for those who live far north or south, there aren’t that many “local” meets. Made me really think that there’s a very strong support system behind every gymnast! And, this isn’t only about the gymnasts at this particular gym, but every gymnast that’s out. That said, kids: remember to thank your parents!
Me and the Oroville Team
Anyway, with State Championships coming up in a few weeks, Coach Steve asked me to do a clinic for the boys so that they could get some feedback for their routines. All of them worked really hard and I could tell that they were excited about having a new face in the gym. Funny, because I was the same exact way when I was younger! I’ll be seeing the boys again soon though when I come back up to Oroville to judge the State Championships. Good luck to the guys at the gym and the rest of the boys in NorCal who are training for States!
great point about the importance of parental/community support, sho. when i was little i used to train about 30-45 minutes away from home, and my mom and my friends’ parents always had to tag-team to get us to the gym on time. when i finally got my driver’s license i was able to drive myself to practice (with the car my parents bought for me of course), but they were still there for the meets. i only fell asleep at the wheel once! as an adult, i’m in awe of how they balanced everything.
same, keith. i mean, you remember my dad. an hour each way from berkeley. and above all that, he was in the gym with me 5 hours a day as my coach. lots to be thankful for!
You go, Sho! It’s wonderful to see you connecting with so many in the sport. And yes, there is a lot of supportive parents that drive gymnasts to practice and to meets and that work the snack bar, clean the gym, move equipment, etc. for those days. Good of you to remind these athletes of that important part of their careers! Keep up the good work to everyone and to you, Sho with your recovery.
oh yea, i forgot about all the volunteer work the parents do during competition season. thanks to all the supermom/dads for helping us out!