This is part 7 in the Fox Lane series. The season continued with John and I see-sawing back and forth for the single spot on rings. We both peaked at a 3.1 for our season high. The New York State High School Championships were hosted at our school. John Lawler won Rings and a scholarship to Southern Connecticut State College. The level of competition was such that it became apparent to us we needed to up the intensity of our training. John and I start living at the peg board during lunch until we could climb it easily several times. We train and compete in the Marine physical fitness test. This includes push ups, pull ups and the standing broad jump. Everyday we practice handstands for hours until perfect and being able to hold for at least 1 minute. It's this summer I go to my first gymnastics camp. I am fortunate to receive some of the best coaching available in the United States. I quickly become aware that this sport requires a committment level I haven't even thought of. One of the biggest influences I have is a gymnast named Jim Culhane. In order to know that what I am about to tell you is not an exaggeration please click link and read.http://www.geocities.com/jpculhanejr/
He takes our group and explains that in order to advance to an elite level you need to eat,breath and shit gymnastics 24 hours a day for at least 10 years to even have a chance. People both fear and revear him. He is the first in the U.S. to do many of the skills being performed internationally. I ask him to teach me how to learn to do a back handspring. He very calmly sat me down and explains that if I really wanted to learn one he could guarantee it in 30 minutes. Thinking I have just found a miracle because I had been trying to do one for over 6 months with no success. He has me do various drills teaching me how to create sufficient force to carry my body through the aerial arc of this skill. He very patiently spends 30 minutes with just me and after spotting me at least 100 times he said " Well Jody it's time. Go by yourself. " I laughed and said " Jim I'm scared. I can't do it. I need to be spotted a lot more until I feel secure enough. " Jim all of a sudden got serious and grabs me saying " You need to take me deadly serious now. I didn't just spend my only lunch hour on a kid to walk away and have him not do a back handspring. I asked you very clearly if you wanted to learn one and you said what?" I just stood there in shock. Yet somehow again I have placed my self in the hands of psychopaths and am paying the price. I try begging " Please I don't want to break my neck. I'm really scared." Well I somehow have the magic power to ignite this borderline lunatic to action. He said " 10,9,8,,," I ask why are you counting?" He continues "7,6,5.." I say " O.'k. I'll go hold your horses." He stops counting. I just can't muster the courage. I look at him pleading. His response was " Listen you little fucker I will dismantle and staple your asshole to that tree outside. Understand me?" I stand there as he goes "4,3,2,1 o.k...." At this I run out of the building wishing I had never opened my big mouth. I keep running until I finally think I'm safe. I slow down to catch my breath, when out of nowhere an iron like vice clamps on to my arm saying "Come on and let's get this over with so I can grab something to eat before the afternoon session." Realizing I really have nowhere to go and no way home I begin to resign myself to this task. We enter the gym and he is pushing me towards the 4'x8'x4inch crash mat. He kneels down and says to me "Kid you're not going to die or even get hurt just go balls out and do what I taught you. Otherwise I wil beat the ever loving piss out of you right here and now." I nod and am shaking. I get set raise my arms and jump back perfectly on top of my head and collapse to my knees. Astonishingly I was fine. Jim said "Way to go spaz, now reach a little harder and push off when your hands hit." I do and land a little better. After about a hundred more I finally am doing something that resembles a back handspring. Jim goes to lunch and I am consumed with vision of all the possible moves there are. It was later in the week when we are at lunch again and I am watching Jim Culhane work on a move in the ring compulsory. It's a kip to "L" seat and he is having tremendoua difficulty with it. I don't know what posseses me, but I ask if I could try. He explains the skill to me and I perform it perfectly the first ime effortlessly. The look on his face was priceless. he says " You mean to tell me you never tried that before." I reply " No I have 't why is it hard?" He runs gathering everyone he can find to show them my kip to "L". He says " Years from now they will remember you for that move. One in a million can do it like you can. It's truly amazing." It is at this moment that I realize I have a chance to reach an elite level. He keeps asking me to perform this move over and over analyzing my technique. Finally he asks " Why do you think it's so easy for you and not others." I said " There is a guy who was good on rings in my gym named John Lawler.." Culhane stops me and says " John Lawler? You went to high school with him?" I said " Yeah he told me if I wanted to get good on rings I had to be able to do these strength prerequisites like 30 pull ups and 10 muscle up to handstands and a few others. When I could do that this was easy. I just flick my legs, lean back and fan the rings out." I did a few in a row and then did it in slow motion. He grabs me and said "I train with John at Southern Connecticut State College. Thank you. If I make the 1976 olympic team you will have helped. I was approaching this as a technical skill when it's really a strength skill. I'm going to pick up my parachutes from ther airfield want to take a ride with me?" I said "Sure I 'd like that." No other campers were allowed off the grounds . I follow him out to the Red MG convertible and we speed off to the airfield. We are in eastern long island . There are long narrow winding roads. Jim is driving not only insanely fast, but is cutting the curves so as if another car is coming we would be in a head on crash for sure. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the airfielld. He pulls up and gets out to get his chutes. A few minutes later he returns saying "Look I got a chance to jump, go take the car and fool around until I get back. Just don't go on the main road or strip the gears." I see him get onto a plane and take off. I start to look at the shifting pattern. It's a standard "H" which I've driven before. I start it up and practice driving it up and down the abandon air strips. He lands from his jump in a bout 45 minute from when he left. He comes running back to the car all wired with crazy energy. We start to drive back, but this time he decides to drive the entire way on the wrong side of the road and go about 90 miles per hour. It starts to get dark and he tells me the lights don't work. We make it back to camp and it takes me a while to get out of the car. These were the highlights of my freshman summer at gymnastics camp. It was gymnasts like Jim and others that instill the spark to risk my life on a daily basis. After this I go to Europe with my parents and return in time to get ready for school.I return before my parents and still have a few weeks to go . My mother arranged for unc and I to have a driver so that we can go places. She is a German woman woman named Helga Mueller. The thing about her is that she drinks like a fish and drives anyway. One night I have the most vivid dream. It's the star from the movie "godspell" in the superman outfit showing me the future.It's Helga driving me home from the bowling alley drunk and she crashes killing both of us. It shows me exactly where when and how. The next night I'm bowling in the summer league and I get a flash of this dream. So in between my turns I call to cancel her from picking me up. I get a weird feeling and tell the girl on my team Linda about it and she tells me she called back to make sure I got a ride home so I wouldn't get in trouble at the bowling alley. Furious I call back and explain to unc. He makes sure that Helga knows I have a ride, which I actually don't. I ask around the bowling alley and no one seems to be able to give me a ride. Finally I wait for Julie from the snackbar who gives me a ride home. On the way home we see an accident and it's the German woman who fell asleep at the wheel and drove her car into the woods and crashed it. She's alive, but it gives me an eeirie feeling because it's in the exact place that I dreamed it. To this day I wonder what causes things like that to occur. Anyway I'm glad it did happen, the dream I mean. After Julie brings me home I invite her in and we talk about what has been going on in each others lives and at the bowling alley. Unc join us and makes us a late dinner of bacon and eggs. The subject of cars eventually comes up. Who drives what and how they all stand up. We 're talking about the 1966 gto which she drove me home in and she give us the specs " 1966 GTO was no longer an option on the Pontiac LeMans. It was a model of it's own. The GTO received all new sheet metal and interior for 1966. Mechanically they were the same. The sides of the car were no longer straight. They were given a "Coke bottle" shape. The rear window was recessed into the semi-fastback design. The 1966 GTO could be ordered in three different body styles. The hardtop had no post between the front side and rear side quarter glass. The sport coupe had a pillar or post between these two windows. The convertible was the third body style that the GTO was offered in. The 1966 GTO's set of standard options included; bucket seats, special exterior trim (such as the hood scoop), 335hp 389ci engine (optional Tri-power) with chrome valve covers and air cleaner(s), dual exhausts, and 3-speed manual transmission." She then goes on to say " You know Gary had the same one until he crashed." I reply shocked " Gary Roberts?" Julie says " I thought you knew. He was racing with 2 other cars and they all crashed and burned. Gary is the only one who lived, but he lost his left arm just below the elbow.I'm sorry I thought you knew." Unc gets real quiet and looks sullen. I say "Oh my god So how is he?" She replies "He's getting out of the hospital next week, but he doesn't seem the same on the inside. There's no light or spark. It's like he died too. I pray he will come out of it." I ask Julie to wait a minute while I run upstairs and get the Mauve John Jay Track sweatshirt he lent me. I come back down and ask " Julie do you think you could give this to him. Tell him unc and I send our love and hope to see him soon." Julie says "Of course, well it's late and I have to go pick up my little brother from work. Goodnight and Unc thanks for the delicious meal. It's usually me doing the cooking, it's nice to be spoiled once in a while." Unc just smiles and waves. I walk her out to her car and wish her a safe trip home. I think of something " Julie you said you were short on Cooney cooney ala mode. I have some if you want." Smiling her eyes light up and says "Hell yeah boy go get it." I run up stairs and grab the stash I have under the coconut shell in my room. I'm going to give her the same pot she gave me earlier in the year. I decided I'm not really a pot smoker. It makes me paranoid. Julie says "Jody, thank you so much. I won't smoke until I get home so don't worry. I know you do worry about me. I think it's cute." We kiss and she drives off. It's that time for me to drive of the page so thanks and goodnight. Jody
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