A Day in New York!

I was born in Manhattan. A rare breed I've heard it said. To be a native New Yorker is like a badge of courage among some. I believe that each person forms his or her own symbiotic relationship with each special place by the adventures they experience there. This next couple of blogs will be about what I do to connect to the city.I live on 10th st. It was voted the most romantic block in Manhattan. We even have our own block newspaper. It's a fairly well kept secret from tourists. Greenwich Village has rich history steeped in art, music and literature. William Faulkner used to live right across the street, though it was a bit before my time. The point I'm attempting to make is that a tremendous amount of culture lies within just a few blocks of each other. So as best as I can, I will give you my own little tour of New York filled with fascinating little tidbits of questionable value. Most New Yorkers(Manhattanites) seldom if ever leave a 5 block radius, unless absolutely necessary. It may seem overly restrictive at first glance, but it's a fairly easy habit to fall into. I've had friends move a mere 10 blocks. We gave them a farewell party, knowing that we would seldom if ever see them again. While I spend most of my time in Cozumel, it's around this time of year that I start to get Island fever and really miss New York. I guess my New York symbiont is crying out for its fix. I get varied responses from people when I tell them I vacation there. Most just furrow their brow and pucker their lips in detest and disapproval. It's a constant source of amusement that never fails to make me laugh. Well to each his own or one mans prison is another mans paradise. I'll start with a typical arrival. You're in one of the three major airports. For this particular jaunt we'll be landing in Ls Guardia airport. It was named from the former mayor Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia who represented "the conscience of the twenties":

As Democrats and Republicans cavorted like rehearsed wrestlers in the center of the political ring, LaGuardia stalked the front rows and bellowed for real action. While Ku Klux Klan membership reached the millions and Congress tried to legislate the nation toward racial 'purity,' LaGuardia demanded that immigration bars be let down to Italians, Jews, and others. When self-styled patriots sought to make the Caribbean an American lake, LaGuardia called to remove the marines from Nicaragua. Above the clatter of ticker-tape machines sounding their jubilant message, LaGuardia tried to tell the nation about striking miners in Pennsylvania. These are just a few of the things he's known for.

This man was truly one of New Yorks finest. So let's return to the airport. After clearing immigration and customs you'll emerge at baggage claim. It's here where things start to move a little faster. People will fly by you like you're standing still and scramble to reconnect to the life they know so well. Signs and porters are everywhere to get you where you want to be. Since you're with me it will go a little more like this. Ricky(our hero from a previous story) will be waiting when we get to baggage claim. You'll be embraced and lifted from the floor regardless of age, weight or sexual identity.Then he will proceed to yank the luggage off the carousel as only a Samsonite gorilla could, and lead you to his newest vehicle. Ricky is famous for having no less than 3 vehicles at any given time. Due to his gruff, but generous nature they are usually being used by those he loves. I can hear Ricky saying in a New York accent "What? You got a problem with that? I didn't think so!" So let's hurry up because Ricky doesn't have all day you know. He works for a living, a real job, not whatever it is you do. Now I would in all earnestness recommend you to fasten your seat belt. I mean it buckle up and hold on we're going to the city Ricky style. You may be suffering from a little jet lag, you would be well advised to keep it to yourself. Ricky was up before dawn and has already worked a full day. Usually at a job site of some famous building in New York. Since Tammy, Ammba(his god daughter) and I are with you you'll just have to assume you're safe as we speed past cars like they were parked and weave an intricate design through bumper to bumper traffic. From workng so many years in the city , he knows more tricks than a taxi driver paying alimony to 3 ex-wives.Though he's never crashed, it will make all other car rides appear safe in comparison Taxi and limo rates will begin to look more reasonable. As the car comes to a screeching halt one of us lucky passengers will jump out and get the doorman just after kissing the ground and thanking our maker. Ammba has learned over the years that no force known to man can stop Ricky. She recommends keeping your mouth closed and ears open if this is your first trip, wise advice to the uninitiated.. The doormen know Ricky and go jogging out to help as he tosses them the bags. I will go with him to park the car, while you guys go up stairs with the luggage. Sargent Ricky suggests not getting too comfortable. We gotta go eat, so hurry up we don't have all day. We all scurry to get what we need for the upcoming trek on foot. We meet in the lobby to find Ricky talking faster than an auctioneer at a clearance sale. The doorman, who this time is a chap named Bogdan, is carrying on a completely different conversation with Ricky. Neither seems aware of the fact or even concerned. Bogdan is virtually unflapable. Even the most caustic remark rolls off him like water off a ducks', well you know the rest. Ricky's intensity can take a little getting used to. Bogdan and him have know each other for years, so just sit back and watch the show. I see a slight glitch in the upcoming program . It's where to eat. Never has a group been as diversed in eating habits as this circus act marching down 6th ave. Ammba wants Mr. Softy. Ricky's a Grays Papaya man(best hotdog in New York) Tammy only enjoys strictly healthy and organic food. Me,I got a hankering for a slice of Rays(best pizza in the world) So the debate begins, where is everyone going to eat? We usually treat Ricky because of tradition and it's the only time we'll have money. After that he usually foots the bill. We all tell Ammba " No Mr. Softy until after you eat a real meal, young lady you should know better." Tammy pipes up saying"Hotdogs! Over my dead body. Ricky!" Ricky grins saying " Well that's not my first choice , but we can use you as a table once rigamortis sets in if you like." I start and am interupted in chorus" For the love of god! Jody Please eat something other than pizza!"Slumping I shrug and say "Jeez! What a welcome!" This banter goes on for at least 5 more blocks bringing us downtown near to Soho. Everyone now looks to me . I mockingly raise my hands in complete disbelief "Oh! So now you want my opinion. I see how it works." I am tolerated for all of 3 seconds when real hunger begins to become an issue. Now everyone is looking around for a restaurant like a starving vampire just before dawn. What usually happens is we agree to eat at the next place no matter what. It then that no matter where we look there isn't a restaurant in sight. Eyes are back to me and I scramble through this familiar episode to come up with a quick solution. For the sake of argument we will end up at a place called Snack. Ricky will snicker " Yea! Nice name Snack. What dream team, in what think tank delivered us this gem?" We walk in and it's hopping and there's a small wait for the waitress to notice us. Smiling she greets us. This is usually where Ricky snaps his fingers at her saying " Hey honey! Even statues get hungry. So howz 'bout rustling us up a table darling. Before my tip forgets just how cute you are." He then flashes his most demonic smile and winks. Somehow and don't ask me how they always seem to know that he's just a hard working blue collar guy who bust his ass just like they do all day long and all he want is a little attention. I used to cringe in embarassment and pity the poor person waiting on us. This I can assure was not the way to go . Ricky is no idiot and knows when he's being tolerated or being condescended to. So since you're with our group toughen up and stay with the program. The program being breaking through the facade we all fall back on when in new situations. Dining with us is not for the faint of heart. Ricky then switches to the eager endearing child who can't make heads or tails of the menu. Please don't take the bait and offer to help. Tammy can tell you that it's a true test of the tensile strength and limits of your patience. The waiter or waitress will come to take the order, usually reciting the specials of the day. Ricky immediately orders quickly and decisively. "Give me something with meat and potatoes, well done, not too spicy and please nothing green on my plate. A large diet soda Please. " He smiles hands back the menu and sits quietly until the next stumbling block comes. Tammy's next and here begins the show. She hems and haws and asks for her to please come back to her later. Ricky wisely stops this and quickly narrows her choices. Ricky will say " Just bring her a wheelbarrow full of raw vegetables and a fork. Next" Ricky then turns to me "What's Mr. Esoteric having today? Just bring him something he can't pronounce and he'll be happy. Make sure it has lots of garlic." The waitress usually picks up on this saying " O.k. no garlic how about the so and so special?" I just nod and say "Thanks" All eyes turn to Ammba and she looks up and then looks at me saying " Papi? I don't know what I want." The waitress usually tells her what she likes or gives a suggestion of what other kids order. Ammba looks to me and I interupt saying "Yes, you can have mine if you don't like yours." She smiles and now it's your turn. Be quick, we're all staring right at you. No pressure, it will just define who and what you are in our eyes. So while you're rolling that over in your mind , please excuse us we have important things we need to catch up on. Like where in the name of scampering strumpets did we find your sorry ass. Welcome to New York and don't forget to tip 20%. If you're still with us we'll show you around some more tomorrow. This one we're not submitting it's getting sent c.o.d. Jody

Captain Redundant, Pennies from Heaven and Pete Rose!

This is the 6th and last installment for a while about the birth of Deer Park Gymnastics. Our new gym was built and now we had boys equipment as well. Immediately a lot of boys from other gyms flocked to see if the grass was greener here. Knowing how much hard work and time it takes to train gymnasts, I discouraged other gymnasts from leaving their coaches and gyms. I did this for a few reasons. The first and most selfish reason was I didn't want to have to fix other coaches mistakes. Another was slightly more virtuous, taking athletes from coaches was unethical. So I turned most away until I met a group of kids who asked only for a chance to try out. My immediate thought was this will be a breeze. I brought out the youngest ones of the girls team and said if they could keep up with them for a week they could stay. The boys were 12,13 and 14 already to old by Soviet standards to teach. I told Kurt to give them a fair but tough audition. We rotated them throughout the week from one event to another. Kurt and I stumbled on the fact that none of them could do a standing back flip. All of our girls could easily do as many as 100 in a row without tiring. So we used this as both bait and an excuse to get rid of them. Well Kurt had them leaping and landing on their faces. We said that if they could learn it before the week was out we would give them a months probationary period. The oldest boy , who we will call Rack learned it in one try and snottily said "That's it? You guys are a joke." Kurt took this personally and asked Rack if he could do this. He walked on the mat placed a quarter down and proceeded to so a standing full twisting back flip landing back on the quarter without so much as a wiggle. Rack eyes got wide and said "Check it out guys chubby boy here can flip. Isn't that just the cutest? Not bad old man Let me try." Rack walked out and tried and landed flat on his side. Both Kurt and I ran to see if he was alright. He shakes his head getting to one knee and snidely says " Back off faggots, I'm not done yet." We look at each other and with simultaneous sweeping arm motions bow and say " Be our guest young esquire, you've got till the end of workout and then you're out of here Mr. Personality" We walk away discussing what a brave and tough kid he was, but with the attitude of a rabid weasel. He'd be gone by the end of workout and we would be well rid of him. He personified the reason why we wouldn't take kids from other gyms. Too much hassle breaking them in and they would never come out right. Well 9pm rolled around and Rack is still doing his one man human sacrifice act. I said "You got to give the little punk an E for effort. Not many kids can crash for an hour and a half and still walk away." Kurt shrugs indifferently. I walk up to Rack and say " Well thats it kiddo , sorry it didn't work out. Good luck and good night." We walk into the office plop down on the couch and crack an ice cold Meisterbrau from the out of order button on the soda machine. We had convinced the machine guy to give us a button so we could put what we wanted in it. He put a Motts prune Juice label and then and out of order sign under it He said "If that doesn't deter the little buggers I don't know what will."
So far it had and we were having a laugh when there was a knock on the door. I go to open it and a woman who resembled "Murphy Brown" pokes her head in. Smiling she casually says "Jody, may I talk to you a minute?" I nod walking out to the lobby where there are seats. I ask "Would you like something to drink?" She shakes her head and says " Do you know who his brother is?" My eyes must have widened .I suddenly did and the pieces started to fit together. Seeing this she continues"I gather you remember him from the town recreation meet you held last year." That's where I knew him from! Wow! What an overbearing arrogant bully he was, pushing kids out of the way yelling at other coaches to get off his equipment. I had to have a confrontation with him to get him to act civil. She goes on " I don't know exactly why my boys are spoiled liitle shits. I'm sure it's a lack in my parenting abilities or working too much. Nevertheless they are and they got kicked out from the other gyms and you're the last place I could find. So honestly, how did my boy do? " Gulp! I scrambled and recovered quickly at the thought of spending the next 3 years with little Rack. I look her straight in the eyes and say" He didn't make it. It came down to one skill. He just couldn't do it. I'm sorry." Solemnly she bows her head and says. "So if he cold perform this skill you would give him a chance?" I nod in mock sympathy and say "Why yes Mrs. Rack that would be the case . We gave him all day to do it and he just couldn't." Putting her hands together in a prayer like movement she asks " Could you find it in your heart to give him just one more chance at this skill? Right now, if he fails we walk away friends no hard feelings." Starting to get a weird feeling I answer " Sure , I'm not unreasonable. It's late so bring him in and we'll give him one more shot at it. Walking back into the office I grab my beer and chug it. Burping under my hand I say to Kurt "Come on out, you might like to see this." Raising his eyebrows in a question I wave for him to follow. Rac walks in like Oliver from the movie. Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. He takes off his jacket throws it down and walks on the floor exercise area in his sneakers. I start to protest but Kurt raies his hand to stop me. I say " Well the floor is yours little man." He walk to the center and proceeds to leap into the air higher than Kurt and do a full twisting back flip and stick the landing perfectly." Both our jaws drop and we look ar each other, then at Rack who is still playing the little saint. Rack says in a weak timid voice " Coach Jody was that good enough to make the team?" Rubbing my head with my hand looking around for help I finally say" Wow! That was truly amazing!" Kurt says "Would you mind doing it one more time?" He nods eagerly and raises his arms and looks at Kurt and says "Ready coach Kurt?" He then does it exactly like the first one and Kurt nods and says "Very Good Rac you got my vote." He walks away and back to his beer in the office as he shuts the door. Mrs. Rac tells little Rac to go wait in the car. She then says "I'll take what you're having, if you still have any left." I go tap the prune juice button twice and give her a Meisterbrau we return to the lobby and sit across from each other drinking our beer. We each waited for the other to start. I broke first and said "I'm a man of my word. He has 1 month to show he can keep up. After that I'll make my final decision." She nods looks at her beer and says " My this is god-awful stuff." I say smile saying "At $3.99 a six it grows on you. Look , I have a question. If little Rac should have a behavior problem, how would you like to handle it?" She stands up and gently places the can on the magazine table like a dead animal and says " Call me immediately and I will drop what I'm doing and you'll see then how I 'll deal with it. Let's cross that road when we get there. I say "Fair enough, have him here at 4pm tomorrow." She shakes my hand and says "Thanks Jody, Rac ws so happy when he heard you moved to Long Island and opened a boys program.To be honest I never heard of you. Who have you coached? I look at her and say "We don't take credit for individual athletes we are a coaching staff we all make contributions ." She narrows her eyes to see if I'm serious and then she says "Sort of like, it takes a whole town to raise a child kind of thing." I shrug and say "I don't know maybe."She leaves and Kurt pops his head out and says "Why do all the jerks have to be talented?" I start to answer and he walks away saying "Shut up!"The other two boys proved to be less talented, but a pleasure to work with. We'll call them David and Timmy. I decided to keep them as not to be stuck with Rac alone. Some moths later I was teaching preschool gymnastics in the morning with Kurt when he taps me on the shoulder and says "Is that kid in your group?" I say "What kid?"Pointing he smiles and says "Oh that one walking back and forth on the high-bar." I look up and see a 3 year old walking back and forth on the high-bar 9 feet off the ground. Jumping up and running over I tell Kurt to watch my class. I approach the kid and gently say "There you go tiger jump down to me. I'll catch you. Everything is going to be o.k." He looks at me and says "no no! Mikey Mikey fly fly!!" I say "o.k. Mikey Mikey jump to me." He laughs and says "No no I I stay stay silly silly! I get a ladder and climb up to where he is. He says "Watch watch!" and jumps head first as far as he can into the pit yelling "Weeee Weeee!" I ask who the mother is and find out she went to the bathroom when all this happened. She emerges calling for her son. By now I have him in my arms and give him back to her. I say " Would you be interested in having little Mikey here evaluated? She says evaluated for what? I answer "A mini-boys program I'm starting as of now after seeing him." I picked 5 others and that's how The Pathetics were born. After working with them for a year other wanted to join. I said to the parents "Try outs will be Friday night at 9pm. Drop your child at the door and do not I repeat do not enter the gym. You may pick your child up at 10pm sharp." I should add that at this time we had won every gymnastics meet we entered. We entered 9 open invitationals that year. Meaning there was no age limit on the team you brought. You needed a minimum of 4 gymnasts we had only 3. So like Pete Rose I stepped up to the plate and competed with them. We soon became well known and the team to beat at nationals. All 3 of them qualified and made national team. I was nominated to be coach of the junior national boys team. I was finishing my career as they were starting theirs. Let me state this now for the record. These boys were like pennies from heaven. We made each other great in a time when greatness was thought forgotten. Let's not leave those little boys waiting. They have a try out tonight. I had cleared the area below the balcony of any mats. I brought a vaulting board upstairs to the observation deck. I greeted them and wished them all luck. I then sincerely apologized that some wouldn't make it. They asked "You mean the team?" Shaking my head I squatted down to be at their level and very slowly explained what they were to do was run and jump on the board and dive over the balcony while I was below trying to catch them. I said "I usually drop only 1 out of every 5-6 jumps. I've gotten better since last year when Fred died." There eyes were like fried eggs. Mikey-Mikey ,who I finally dubbed Captain Redundant because he repeated everything several times, asked how many times did we get to jump?" I said at least 3 times. Well I went down stairs and said " O.k. lets.." before the words were out of my mouth Mikey was already swan-diving towards the concrete. I ran and caught him. Then I said " Wait until I say go." This went on for an hour and only 3 little boys didn't jump. I guess they didn't want to end up like my imaginary friend Fred. When the parents returned they told them what happened and none of them believed it. One parent asked "So what did you test them on?" I said "I just wanted to see who was brave and trusting enough to jump." The father smiled and said winking "Sure you did." I'm grateful to report after 11 years of coaching no one in my gym got seriously injured, except Fred that is. If you watch gymnastics on television you can be sure you've seen at least 1 or 2 of the Pathetics When they first competed they wanted a cool name like the tigers or the panthers. I decided to keep their little egos in check. So I named them The Pathetics. They had warm up suits with this printed on them and were laughed at by all the other teams. Our first meet they won by a ton. On the way out I heard "Mom I want to be a Pathetic." Deer Parks' proud Pathetics grew to be the backbone of American mens gymnastics. They all graduated college and several are coaching in gyms of their own. Pete Rose did not bet on his own team, though it would have been a good one. Now he is in another type of gym trying to make his clients as pathetic as possible. Submitted for your approval Jody

An Act of Kindness,A Leap of Faith and A White Elephant

Here we go part 5 is alive: We were finishing up the movie and getting ready to go back home. It had been over a month and Zagreb was losing some of its allure.The weather was getting colder and the environment even more so, What I mean by this is that unbeknownst to us there was grave political tension growing into what soon became the Cerb and Croation war. Parents were begging us to take there children to America. Older gymnasts asked if they could come live with us somehow.They offered everything they owned to get out and we were helpless to make a difference.. Real fear was growing in the heart of the city of Zagreb.We started to get bizarre threats in the form of letters left in our rooms and late night calls.It was heart wrenching to leave our new found friends behind. We checked with our consulate and there was no way to help. In fact we were told the sooner we leave the better.Yugoslavia was going to be carved up like a Christmas goose and life there would never be the same.After tearful goodbyes and many hugs we left to go home filled with a mixture of guilt and gratitude.The discrepancy of lifestyles left a gaping awareness that no amount of sugar would coat. The movie company had saved millions using cheap local labor and paying pennies for extras. The moment that is forever etched in my mind is when the director was shooting a stadium scene. We drove to the arena had them build a set to duplicate the olympics to the last detail.. Then in order to fill that stadium they paid for free liquor as an incentive. People were lined up around the block. Here we were taking advantage of a city in a social strangle hold by playing to their alcoholic natures.All of this so the bottom line can be met. I still have a bitter taste when I look back to that time. What I did take from there were the real life experiences that have helped calibrate my moral compass.Gymnastics became our international language. We trained and learned from each other everything that we possibly could. For a short time petty personal differences were put aside for the sake of learning the art of human movement and the science that made it possible. Rarely do art and science form a symbiotic relationship. Artistic gymnastics is that marriage.As my bowling coach likes to say "I 'll try not to sprain my ankle jumping down from my soapbox" So back to the story: Landing in J.F.K. airport we wearily made our way home armed with the knowledge that we were somehow different.!984 came and went leaving us the undisputed world champions in gymnastics. Wow! Wait a minute where was Russia and all the other eastern block nations? Oops, they boycotted just like we did in 1980. Except us not going to their olympics changed very little.They not coming to ours made our victory a hollow one. Don't misunderstand we performed well. After seeing the eastern block countries train and compete, it was like when the NBA competed in the olympics for the first time, a different sport..Nevertheless the U.S. was hungry for gymnastics. Our gym soared in numbers and success. Our lease was up for renewal and the landlord decided to triple our rent. Making it impossible for us to continue our gym. We were at the peak of everything we had worked for and now it was all being taken away.One of the gyms parents offered us a deal. We could buy one of his properties at a good price and move the gym. By the time we got the loan approved and were coming to the end of the lease, the property offered to us was sold out from under us. This was due to the sudden rise in property values.I remember being in the lawyers office when the deal fell through. This unscrupulous person called our gym a white elephant(A white elephant is a supposedly valuable possession whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) exceeds its usefulness, and it is therefore a liability. ) and all of a sudden that was it.No one would tell me what it was and the guy was laughing. I was half way across the table grabbing for this guys throat when I got pulled off by my lawyerand escorted out of the building by security. I waited for the guy downstairs but he never showed. This was probably a blessing in disguise. My anger and outrage was second only to my determination to see it through to the end. There were a lot of people counting on me. I returned to the gym and told no one the news. I knew somehow in my heart that this was going to get fixed. I had no idea how, but it was going to happen.Earlier in the year this homeless guy walked mud into the gym and demanded to see the owner. I asked Kurt to take my class. He whispered "Get that guy out of here.He's scaring the kids and their parents" I was thinking the same thought . It wasn't until I heard it come out of his mouth did I realize just how ugly a thought it was.I motioned him through the lobby into the office where I asked Diane and a few other overly curious employees to leave. Begrudgingly they did, but not without making known their disapproval of this dirty bum by sneering on the way out. I offered the man a soda and a chair. He said "I don't have a lot if money. I want my son to have gymnastics classes. Would you please teach him for free now, until I can pay you? I don't know when that will be, but I will make good on the debt. I promise." The song Mr. Bojangles rushed into my mind and I began to chuckle. I apologized to him. Assuring him I was just thinking of something funny.His eye narrowed and he asked " Well, I like a good joke tell me, or don't you think I can handle it ?" I asked him " Do you know the song Mr. Bojangles" He laughs and says "Ofcourse I guess I do look like him in this getup.Look the reason I even tried this was because my bartender said he knows you and that you were a straight shooter." Curious I ask " Who's your bartender?" He answers "Sam Harvey he said you'd remember the wallbanger story?" I now laugh whole heartedly and really start to like this guy. I ask mockingly suspicious " Did he happen to mention my impulse control issue?" We both were now laughing now. He says in an irish accent"Oh he may have rabbit he may have." He left and I started working with his son. The gym had 2 weeks left on the lease and then they were going to start the eviction process. To be perfectly honest it's not one of my favorite processes.2 weeks later he returns. Kurt sarcastically yells to me "Jody, your friend is here." The guy barks back in a Bogart accent " Yea tell Mugsy, Mr. Bojangles is here to see him and make it snappy." I was depressed to say the least and as much as I liked the guy I wasn't up to being social. He waves me into the office trapsing mud everywhere. He goes to the soda machine, buys 2 sodas and offers me a chair in my own office. After we were seated and opened our drinks he says " Look Jody I need to talk to you about something very important. I also need you to believe me or at least try." I say "O.k., I'll try" He leans forward and says "My name is Mr Biaggio does that mean anything to you?" I say "No" motioning for him to continue "I am one of the largest land owners in New York state. I know what happened to your building deal and I want to help you." Closing my eyes so as not to show my immediate disbelief and irritation. I say " Well, thank you Mr. Biaggio I appreciate the sentiment, but please believe me when I say this ship has sailed." He slumps back in his chair and says " Is there anyone you trust who I could talk to about financial matters? Surrendering to the moment I say " My Dad is a business person. If you are who you say you are then he's the guy to talk to. But let me warn you he doesn't put up with any bullshit " He smiles saying "Good,neither do I. Can I use your phone?" I get the phone and call my Dad. I tell him exactly what he said. In a fatherly gesture he pats me on the back as he reaches for the phone and asks " May I?" Preparing myself for a fiasco I handi it over say "Go ahead this should at least be fun for somebody." They talk while I return to coaching. 30 minutes later he emerges from the office motioning for me to come to the phone. I do and my Dad says "I'm on my way. I'll be there in about an hour." I ask "Well is he?" My father says " Let's just say he knows an aweful lot for a supposed homeless man." It turns out he was who he said he was and he built a brand new state of the art gym for us in 3 months. The dynasty that was to be Deer Park gymnastics was set in motion by a white elephant and Mr. Bojangles. As I always do I run out of steam before the story ends. The leap of faith part is the story of how I picked my boys team. Nicknamed " The Pathetics" This means .. Oh yea!! Part 6 Tomorrow. Submitted for your approval. Jody

Harvey Wallbangers, Roasted Chestnuts and Mr. Bojangles

This is the next installment. Part 4: It turned out that while I was staying at Dougs,I discovered a veritable shrine of photos. They were of Diane.A detective would have thought he stumbled into the lair of a stalker. I started to get that sick feeling that Diane was the girl that broke his heart. Just wonderful! Why didn't anyone tell me? Then the conversation with Kurt and other pieces started to fall into place. I picked Diane up at the airport and explained my prior relationship with Doug. She responded angrily "You were staying at his house? What's wrong with you?" I spread my hands and quickly said " Me? I didn't know it was you that broke his heart.Why didn't you tell me you were rebounding? You know he's going to think I was buddy fucking him." She squinted and started yelling in the middle of La Guardia airport " Why does this always happen to me?" This began a long tirade about her being the innocent good deed doing saint that only tries to help others. Security walked over and asked "Are you alright Maam?" She whip on them and in an insane soliloquy began telling them everything that has happened since we met. She finishes with " This is why I flew 3000 mile without underwear!" They escort us out of the terminal. She then turns her back on me and walks away. Then Diane grabs a cab alone, leaving me holding a short term parking ticket. I stand there dumbfounded trying to figure ot what had just transpired. 20 minutes later I was no closer. I went to get my bike and pay the parking, to give me some time to decide what to do next. My first thought was "I 've never been to Mexico,maybe this is a sign." My next was if for no other reason than our time together Doug deserved an answer.God I hate it when my conscience wins! So I drive onto the VanWick expresway and head to Dougs house. It's Sunday so he might still be home. I arrive and see his van there. I knock and guess who answers the door in tears. That's right little Miss Diane. Doug is drinking a beer(Meisterbrau) and waves me in. He tosses me one and we sit there and each tell our side of things,. While Doug looks at us as if " These 2 idiots deserve each other." He then says very calmly " I know we're over Diane. It took some time , but I am seeing someone else now. It's going very well and I am happy for both of you. So lighten up." We stay there and talk shop for a while and then Diane and I leave to go home. This scenario pretty much sums up what inevitably lead to disaster.You can fill in the blanks like an "Adlib" and pretty much not be wrong. That's all I have to say about our mutually painful union. The fruit of this poisenous tree did ironically bear sustinance for many others. This is what I will focus on.Out team was up and running and the little girls were on their way to success. One day I was coaching vaulting. I set up the usual drills. Running fast, practicing the hurdle to the board and the block off the horse for post flight. This one gymnast named Nicole Harvey was the daughter of bar owners. While vaulting she would run back in line as fast as possible. I am spotting about 150 feet away when I hear this hollow thud. I look up and all the girls are standing over an unconscious Nicole. I ask "What happened?" The kids turned and said "She ran into the wall." I administer basic first aid while she regains consciosness. I call the parents and ask them to meeet me at he hospital to be on the safe side. Nicole had an unusually large forehead for someone her age, probably from her mothers side. It now resemble a large flat surface with a cue ball attatched to it. She is icing it while we're on the way to the emergency room. Diane and I are waiting for her parents. All tests return favorably. The parents are relieved. Diane is talking non-stop and I approach to explain what I saw happen. Whle explaining I smile and chuckle. Mrs. Harvey takes offense and says " Oh! You think this is funny Jody?" I reply "Well, you got to admit she lived up to the name." Frowning the father glares at me saying " And what name would that be son? "I shrug my shoulders and say "Nicole can honestly say she is now a genuine Harvey Wallbanger." The father erupts in laughter slapping on the back and says" My wife was right you do have an impulse control disorder" I raise my hands and say emphatically "You do know I really care about your daughter." They both nod saying while smiling " We know Jody, we know, she thinks you walk on water. You're a very good coach. Just let others do your pr work for you." While waiting the usual decade to get released from emergency we talked and became good friends. Mr. Harvey spent the time telling me some very funny bar stories. I will save these for another time.Where does the time go? O.k. real quick That same year we were invited to Zagreb Yugoslavia to film the Nadia Comanice movie. The star was none other than the only living person to beat her, Marcia Fredricks.I was there as her coach and spotter. I also competed in an international meet while there. What I remember most were the warmth of the local people and roasted chestnuts everyday coming home from the gym. It also was my first introduction to Russian training. This trip opened my eyes to the depth of athletic talent that the world really has.Mr. Bojangles will have to wait until... Wait for it.... That's right part 5!!!!!!!

Bikers,Flintstones Vitamins and Back on the Horse!

This begins part 3- Life was flowing at a quick and interesting rate. I was staying at Doug's apartment and working in his gym. Later I would drive 20 minutes to Dancing Gymnast and help Kurt train our newly picked team.Diane was still in California consulting on a movie. I was beginning to see the makings of a career here. I had worked at gymnastics camps before, but never with the same gymnasts day after day. It was amazing to see them learn so fast. We would work all day then go to Kurt's apartment and study films of the best gymnasts in the world. We would drink Meisterbrau and watch each skill over and over in slow motion. Kurt would make comments, like "Checkout that flip flop(back handspring)is that pure power or what?" or "Look at the late timing on those giants. That's the latest tap I've ever seen.It's no wonder he flies." In the beginning it all looked pretty much the same. After weeks of watching the same tapes over and over again I began to see what Kurt was talking about. When we were in the gym a strange thing began to happen. Time flew by and my desire to do gymnastics returned. When the kids were finishing their strength training Kurt and I would begin to tumble.(The following descriptions may confuse those not familiar with gymnastics)Kurt would warm up with a layout and go right into double backs and full in back outs. I hadn't yet learned to do a double back on floor. I scored decently in college with a double twisting layout. Kurt had never competed.I swallowed my pride and asked him if he would teach me how to tumble. He frown at me and said "Why would I want to do that? For that matter why do you?" I said "Well, working with these kids, watching videos all night and seeing you tumble circles around me is waking something up in me." Kurt laughed saying "Well you better just put it right back to sleep." Sensing I was serious he said"Are you willing to do what I tell you without arguing?" Like a kid getting his hopes up, I said "Yes! You say it and I'll do it." Kurt said " O.k. run down there and do a double back right now. I said "Without a spot?" Kurt sneered and said "Sure I could do with watching a human sacrifice" I got pissed and snapped back " You think I can't do it. O.k. you're right I can't, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of learning one." Kurt replied glibly "Look at you! You're a ringman big and strong, not quick and bouncy! Why do you want to tumble? Besides you a big guy, I can't spot you." I walked away saying "Whatever! I heard you could be a dick, but this is the first time I've actually met a spineless one." I put my gear away and went out to my 450Honda Hawk. I jumped on the starter revved it up and left to go to Doug's gym. As he would say "Got the hell out of Dodge." He had just come back from the clinic he was at. The 20 miute ride took me 10. It was almost 10pm and everyone was headed home. Doug asked me if I wanted to sta and swing some pipe(high bar). Doug was a former ncaa high bar champion. Everyone loved to watch him swing. He then said " Kurt called saying you'd want to train, so he's on his way too." Oh great! Just who I wanted to see. Doug sat beside me and started to stretch and said "I think I'm going to compete in Farmingdale this year. Do you want to train with us? I'm trying to get Kurt to compete for the first time. Can you believe that?" I asked " Did he say he wanted to?" Doug grinned slyly saying "Well, sort of the same way you asked me to learn how to swing high bar remember?" Oh boy did I remember! You see when I got to college I told the coaching staff I would do everything except high bar. The year before I watched my best friend Steve Scandale break his neck and die on a dismount. Everyone respected my wishes. Everyone but Doug that is. One day he called me in to the gym early and told me in his best fake mexican accent. "Listen to me god dammit! I didn't give a shit what you want to do or don't do. Junno know who I am god dammit?I am going to make you swing high bar or put my boot up your pussy ass god dammit!" I laughed because Doug was half my size and a lot weaker. He responded "You think that's funny ring boy? It's not me who's going to do the ass kicking Holmes. It's your little tiny roommate Signor McRae, who has offered to do the honors." Kevin(just picture Apollo Creed) had just walked in to the gym. I said "See ya!" and ran my scared ass out of there and hid in the cafe. Peeking out the window I saw them climbing the steps . I tried to run out the emergency exit, but they caught me and dragged me back to the gym. I begged and pleaded, but they dragged me up on the high bar and literally carried me around the bar. My hands barely even touched it. This went on everyday instead of lunch until I finally felt safe enough to swing with only one spotter. Getting back to Dougs' gym I felt a sinister pleasure at the prospect of Dougie putting Mr. Sulkala in his place. Kurt walks in takes of his shoes and starts tumbling into the pit. Doug joins him and finally I do too. This began a long training tradition that lasted for over 10 years. Yes Kurt did compete. Yes, I learned and competed a double back in the pike position no less. Between Kurt and Doug I became one of the most successful junior national coaches in the country. Between us we put more than half of the olympic team for men and woman. My gymnastics career soared beyond what I thought possible. I see the need for a part 4 so I will quickly explain the photos. The first is of a gymnastics pit. The same as I trained in at Dougs. The second is a glimpse of what I looked like at my prime. Pommel horse became one of my best events, along with tumbling. The third is the first national commercial I did(Flintstone vitamins). I was the the ring guy at the end if you remember the commercial. I took the money from that and other commercials and built a gym with Diane changing the name to Deer Park Gymnastics. The last is a picture of the biker gang who freely voluteered to build the new gym. I will elaborate more on these events in part 4. Thank you . Jody

Parking tickets,warning signs and the eye of the storm!

This begins part 2:{David Bowie looks like Kurt Sulkala, Radar looks like Doug Day, Robert Culp looks like Bobby Piehler} Bobby's reply was "This chick is a party animal, she won't care that we're working for her". I get Bobby's attention and say " When this thing blows up in our face and believe me it will, don't come running to me to bail your ass out." He nods his head and says " School's over man! It's the summer, let's go have some fun for a change. We haven't partied together since nationals!" That's pretty much how it went the whole night. We drank, danced and laughed till the bar closed. Somewhere along the line someone picked up the little girl and took her home. Bobby asked if he could stay with me. I said " Sure take my car and park it on the right side of the street. If I don't make it home wake up before 8AM and move it to the other side. Promise me?" Bobby pats me on the back and says : "Sure , no problem. I need the key to get in. Call and tell the doorman I have permission." I did these things and he left with my car. Diane was still bubbling over with energy. She grabs me and says " Have you ever been to an after hours place?" I said "No I haven't. It's late and we both have to get up early tomorrow. Why don't I just take you home. Then I'll meet you tomorrow at your gym." She puts her arm around me and says" Tonight let me show you a different side of New York. Everything is on me ,even you if you want." I was curious and a little drunk. So I said " O.K., let's go" We took cabs to several different clubs until it was dawn. The last club gave you sunglasses when you left for your eyes. We walked out and were in the middle of a sea of suits. Everyone was going to work, while we were just going home from the night before. She's still full of energy and says "Now what?" I said " If you want me to work I'm going to need a little sleep." She replies " Sleep! I don't thing so big guy. I have 20 girls that will be waiting in front of my gym in a few hours. Lets call Bobby and we can take your car." I call and no one answers. We take a cab downtown and find my car gone and Bobby sleeping. I shake him and say "Yo! Bobby boy! Where the hell is my car?" He opens one eye and says " It's parked on the street like you asked me to. What time is it ?" I reply "9A.M., and no my car is not there." Diane pipes in " Oh my! They probably towed it. That's going to cost a pretty penny." Bobby looks at me and says "Hey! Don't look at me! I don't have any money, it's your car." Postponing the urge to smack him, I say " Lets go see how much it is" Diane says " I can tell you that. It happens to me all the time. Can you believe that? (giggle, snort) It's exactly $378 plus the price of the ticket which is usually about $150." I put my hands over my face, which is starting throb with the beginnings of a world class hangover. Diane says "Don't sweat it guys! I'll pay for it and you can pay me back after you finish evaluating the team for me. You can stay at my house." I say "Thanks , but we already have a place to stay." So we trudge down to bail the car out and pay the fine, which turned out to be exactly what she said it would be. So now deliriously tired, hungover and now in debt we head out to Long Island. We arrive at her gym, which is called Dancing Gymnast. It's in the middle of an industrial park. The gym is already open and who should pop his head out but none other than Kurt Sulkala. Bobby runs and grabs him saying "Lord Kahmchaka(A cheap vodka he always drank) what are you doing here? I thought you were in Boston coaching at T.W.I.G.'s (True Winners in God) gym. Kurt smiles and says "I'll tell you all about it when we go out tonight.It appears they take their bible a little more serious than I imagined." Spinning to me he says "Hey, Juke Box!" My nick name became juke box when we were out drinking one night in this local hick bar and the juke box got stuck. Someone asked me to kick it. I did and all the glass shattered. Falling to the floor, the music screeches to a stop.All heads turned to me. Kurt took it upon himself to keep me from getting a good old boy ass whooping from these mutant farm boys with pool cues. He also convinced the owner not to charge us. A favor to this day I'm very grateful for. Kurt continues " So I moved down here looking for work and Voila! I got hired. Stick around, we're picking the girls team today." Bobby looks to Diane and says "So why do you need us?" She says " I am looking to restaff the entire gym and you guys are here for an informal sort of interview. Since you guys are all friends this will be great." Kurt begins to look suspiciously at us. I immediately say "Yo! Kurt I had no idea about all of this.I'm just here because Bobby asked me." Kurt goes aside with Diane and some heated discussion occurs. Returning, she says "Listen guys , Kurt is the boss! Just do whatever he asks." We nod and look to Kurt to see if he is o.k. with all of this. He squints his eyes and says" You guys ever pick a girls team before?" We both shake our head. Kurt hands us a sheet with various skills and ratings on it, saying "Just like at camp, give them 3 chances to do the skill and rate them between 1-5. Then we break for lunch and come back to test strength and flexibility. Here, each of you take a group of 5. Call me over if you have any doubts or questions. Jody remember what I taught you!" I reply " You got it" This process lasts for 3 days. Can you stay that long?" I reply " If you want us, we're here!" Every night we would go out and shoot pool and talk shop. Kurt began to drop hints that Diane might be interested in me romantically. He strongly advised me to be careful, her previous suitors hadn't faired so well. I acknowledged his warning and we continued to hangout and catch up. We still hadn't stopped by Dougs' gym or even called him. At the end of 3 days Bobby and Kurt decided to take off on some adventure I wasn't invited to. Diane and I started to date. She seemed nice enough when she wasn't drinking. We went together back to the city to spend some normal time and get to know one another apart from everyone else. I would go to work in Brooklyn during the day and we would meet in the city at night. After a week of this she got me a modeling job and an audition for a national commercial, which later I got. We quickly became boyfriend and girlfriend. I told her I was planning on returning to school in the fall. She had to go to California for a week to consult on a movie set. She asked me to watch the gym for her with Kurt. I said "Sure" Well instead of commuting back and forth I called Dougie and stayed with him. He was all bummed out about some girl breaking his heart. He went into excruciating detail, while I tried to cheer him up and take his mind off of it. We hung out at his gym for a few days and then he left to go to a seminar. He asked "Would you stay at my place while I am away?" I said " Sure , see you Monday" Here ends part 2. I will write part 3 tomorrow. Thanks Jody

Kamikazis,Split leaps and Psycho Barbe!!

It's Monday 11:30PM, almost Tues. I trained legs today and bowled so I'm a little tired. I 'm deciding on what I'm going to write today. I think I'll go with one I've been working on for a few days now. This story is one of the major turning points in my life. It starts in the summer of 1982. I had just finished college and had the summer free. I had retired from competitive gymnastics and was living in Manhattan alone for the first time. It was to be the summer of fun and freedom.The direction this story takes mirrors the concepts I was about to learn. #1-(Force and direction, transfer of momentum.)#2(Every movement in life is bipedal) This all begins with a friend named Kurt Sulkala. He was the greatest influence I had for perceiving and understanding movement. As fate would have it we arrived simultaneously for the same job. Actually he was there a little before me. I knew him from camp as an instructor. He understood tumbling better than anyone I had ever met before. Ironically no one paid any attention to him. He wasn't much to look at, but he could tumble amazingly. If were to describe him physically I would say he looked like a chubby David Bowie without the flash.I had never heard of him or seen him in any gymnastics competition. He wasn't famous for coaching. In fact he was pretty easy to ignore as he strayed away from popularity. My college roommate Bobby Piehler introduced me to Kurt when I got my first camp job. They were good friends from another camp. We began to hang out at work. After work we would train together and then go drink. This boy could drink, I had trouble keeping up with him. The fact that I could concerned many people. He was a notorious drunk. This served me just fine, for it took the attention off of my drinking. He was also famous for having dropped out of the same college 6 times. This laid the ground work for our early days together. We were to meet again in a few years. I had a job teaching gymnastics in Brooklyn at a place called Brooklyn Gymnastics Academy on Bath ave. near to L.I.U.(Long Island University). I received a phonecall from Bobby saying he had a weekend job for me in Long Island that paid really well for just a few hours work. I asked "What is it?" He said "You're going to love it. It's a walk in the park. We go out to this womans' gymnastics school and just pick a group of kids we think have talent. She's trying to put a competitive team together. Plus we can stay at Dougs' place."Doug Day was our assistant coach when we were freshman.The 3 of us had some very wild times in college. Doug was just a few years older than us. He was more like a teammate and a friend than a coach. He was also the one that got me the job at U.S.G.T.C.(United States Gymnastics Training Camp) where I met Kurt. He later moved to Long Island to start his own gymnastics school. It was doing really well. He had several girls on National team. To have an idea of what he looks like just picture "Radar" from the T.V. show M.A.S.H.. I said "Sure that sounds great.Are you sure Dougie said it was o.k.?" Bobby replied " Sure, he can't wait to see us and catch up. It'll be great. You know how much fun Doug is." The night before I was to go with Bobby, I got a call at midnight. It was from this woman who said she was with Bobby at an uptown bar where Billy Joel used to hang out. She then demanded"So get your ass up here the drinks are on me." I was a little bored and decided to meet them. I arrived and this crazy blond girl throws her arms around me and says "Hi, Tee Hee!! I'm Diane, I'm the one you're working for tomorrow. I hired you to go out to my gym and pick my new gymnastics team." There is a 10 year old girl there hanging on to hem of her mini-skirt. I give Bobby a look that says " What the hell have you gotten yourself into, and why would you drag me along as well?" Diane jumps between us and says " Don't blame little Bobby here, I put him up to it. He was talking so highly of you I just had to see you tonight and Oh boy! just look at you. He wasn't kidding!" Smiling brief and politely,I step back and say very clearly to her "Let me have a moment in private with dear sweet little Bobby here please." She says in a pouting childs voice " Only if you do shots of kamakazis with me" Shoving one in my hand, she sloshes half of hers on me and slurs "Cheers, bozums up cutie, hic tee hee!" Wiping myself off, I down my drink, put the glass upside down on the bar and pull my friend aside saying "What's with the kid? Is it hers?" Bobby sheepishly replies " No, Wendy is one of her gymnasts. Her mother leaves her either alone or with Diane" I stare directly into his right eye and say" Just exactly what did you tell Psycho Barbie here about me? Please, feel free to tell me everything." Defensively Bobby raises his hands and says" Woah! Chill Dude! All I said was 'You were a living breathing god at Ms. Pacman' You could maybe show the kid here how to play, there 's a game in the back." I continue to glare at him and say "That's it? You sure? That's all you said? Returning to his sheepish posture his voice raises an octave and says" Well, Maybe I might have mentioned you broke up with your girlfriend." Rolling my hand in attempt to exact the whole story out of him, I say "And?" He finally slumps and confesses "Shit jody! She's a maneater and I didn't want to be left alone to be her next meal. You know I'm shy. That schizophrenic valley girl says she has plans for me tonight! Come on help me out . You don't think she's even a little bit hot?" Shaking my head smiling, I said " Even if I did numbnuts, she's our boss for the next 3 days." End part 1 Good night Part 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Atlas, Baby showers and the Mets!

There are certain urban landmarks that define a feeling for that city. These are but a few that I grew up with. When at the movies and it's filmed in New York(Manhattan), I get so excited that it triggers a bout of homesickness. The same is true when I'm in New York and I see Cozumel in the window of a travel agency. Standing next to a skyscraper and looking up is an amazing feeling. I didn't have this sensation when I lived there. It wasn't until I moved to Cozumel that the city took on an almost bigger than life aura. It dissipates quickly, so it's vital to experience it while you have the chance. I hear many people say New York's a cold place and I laugh. This is because these poor souls don't understand that New Yorkers(real New Yorkers)are dealing with an insane amount of sensory input. In order to function and enjoy their day they must selectively pick and chose what to pay attention to. If they didn't they would be like a centipede trying to figure out which foot to place in front of the other. So the next time you encounter a New Yorker who ignores you or doesn't stop to say hello, realize that you may not be on their designated radar or they have a.d.d.. To be completely honest most of us are islands unto ourselves and only interact when there's an emergency or a celebration. Like when the Mets won the world series or a blackout. If you're lucky enough to be around during one of these events, you'll see us act as a family. Opening our doors , sharing food, checking on those who live alone. We will have spontaneous parties in the streets and rooftops. You'll feel like you walked into a family reunion. The closest thing I've experienced to this were when the hurricanes hit Cozumel. I find it fascinating that for years you may not have spoken to your neighbor , but if one of these events come to pass you instantly have a major source of help and support. It's almost like when it's over we look at each other and say "See you next disaster, take care." I was at a baby shower today that allowed men. A revolutionary idea in itself, the father played a part and should receive community recognition as well. I am not by nature a social person, in fact I'm intensely personal and private. I find that by writing this blog I'm developing a greater appreciation of friends and neighbors. Please don't take this to mean that I relish my next social gathering. I guess what I'm saying is that if people want to get to know me, they can read this. It can save me numerous hours of small talk.Well it's late and I've run out of gas. Goodnight. Until tomorrow. Jody

OW! Why does it hurt? How do I fix it?

If you're anything like me, you probably have some sort of chronic injury or the makings of one. Regardless of how careful you are there will always be some unexplained ache, twinge, crack or pop. There are literally thousands of reasons for why this happens.The explanation may exceed your desire to know. It hurts and I want to fix it now. I don't care why it hurts. I just want it to stop. What's important to realize is that it's part of the journey and not necessarily a bad thing.When I first heard this I thought it was some half-baked hokey motivational pep talk. Now after several surgeries and numerous injuries I look back and see, that without these injuries, I would not have enjoyed the success that I did in my life. It's such an important part. So many of us want to forget it, put it behind us and move on. Moving on without learning the lesson can doom one to repeat it. Goals and failure to meet those goals have volumes to teach us. I will use myself as an example as I have a plethora of experience injuring myself. I will move from the most recent and go backwards. Right now I am at a standstill in my powerlifting training. Before I delve into the gory details, let me say that toughing it out needs to be tempered with intelligent guidance. The difficulty in finding this guidance is that it requires some leg work on your part,by leg work I mean research. If you have the injury chances are someone before you has had it and recovered from it. Many are philanthropic and willing to share their harrowing journey and return from the brink with us. I've found that only by seeking out those who have fallen and gotten back up, can we begin to make informed decisions about how to recover. I love to lift heavy. It gets me completely out of my head and leaves me with a longlasting sense of accomplishment. It also fuels me to return and train harder the next workout. Now by heavy, I am referring to what is heavy for each individual. This is not a technical training article, so I urge you to seek guidance before you suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous trauma. So often I ignore the subtle hints my body is sending me. By doing this I invite louder and more direct instructions about what needs to change. Slowly over a period of 2 years I ignored pain in my left hip. It wasn't until I couldn't walk without limping did I begin to admit something was wrong. The root of the injury stemmed from a strength imbalance as so often they do. I bowl 2-3 nights a week and over time my slide leg got to be much stronger. Now this is usually my weak leg from previous a surgery. Bowling not only strengthened it , but made it so much stronger than my left that when I squatted and deadlifted it began to take over. My left hip and glute stopped working. Now that I am aware, I see there were everything but cowbells and foghorns alerting me to a problem. Being tough sometimes is taking several steps back in order to walk forward without a limp. I am overly general on these topics of training and injury rehab, because I am in the process of writing a book about this very subject. As you can tell I like to tell stories. I both teach and learn through these stories. There is a method to my madness. If you're someone who has been trained by me, some of these stories may sound familiar. They all contain a link in the chain that has led me to concepts I feel bridge the gap from mind to body. Though it may be a toll road, it will get you to where you want to go. How you piece these links together is up to you. I invite you to stand on my shoulders to get a better view what's to come. Listen to your body. It has stories of its' own that will most certainly be valuable and entertaining. Submitted for your approval. Jody

Suiting Up And Showing Up.

Today was an interesting one. I felt out of sync with just about everything I did. It started with getting up earlier than usual and with less sleep. It fascinates me how the mind and body work so differently when not rested. Everything appears flat to me . It must affect my depth perception somehow. If you remember yesterday I was coming to terms with a situation I felt was unjust. Today proved to be quite entertaining and educational. My friend and teammate is the secretary of our league. He is the one who had to file the protest and do the score audit. I was there to help and give moral support. We all have our areas of strength. Johns' is negotiation and leadership, he exudes a quiet authority that naturally inspires trust and respect. This can be a useful quality when dealing with overbearing bullies who throw their weight around simply because they can. The villain of this tale shall remain nameless for the purpose of discretion. References to her shall be under the assumed name Mildred. I encouraged John to file this protest and do the audit. I think he was willing to let it be, which may have been the wiser move. We shall see what becomes of this tempest we created. So John painstakingly started going through each score of each team for each time they played for 6 months worth of bowling. I read off the numbers and checked addition. About an hour into this accountants fantasy, we noticed Mildred had put various notes about deducting points for various reasons. We double checked them and began to find discrepancies. John was very calm, but I sensed he too began to see a ray of hope for the downtrodden Armadillos. I don't remember who first decided to check the handicap limits for each division. I'll give John the credit, because he drew the dubious honor of notifying Cruella(Mildred) of this new development. It turns out that the team claiming victory over us was playing with an unfair pin advantage. Had it not been for the greediness of Mildred to take away points whenever she deemed appropriate,we never would have caught the mistake.To make a long story short it would appear we did win. How all this will play out is yet to be seen, but barring anymore rabbits being pulled out of hats, we will take our rightful place amoung the exalted once again. I will borrow a quote from Paul Newman in "The color of money" "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned." It's late and I'm running out of gas. I'll explain about differential relaxation and yoga tomorrow. Submitted for your aproval. Jody