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
No comments:
Post a Comment