A Dozen Life Lessons to Learn from Simone Biles

Simone Biles is a role model for everyone who watches her or is fortunate enough to meet her. And there are probably hundreds of things we can learn from this amazing athlete and exceptional human being—but here are 12 that resonated with me. Preparation is key. In the days leading up to her Olympic competition, […]

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Gymnastics is for Everyone!

On Sunday evening the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team was named.  In addition to being an extraordinarily talented group of athletes, it is by far the most diverse ever to represent this country–two African American women (Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas), a Latina woman (Laurie Hernandez), a Jewish woman (Aly Raisman) will join Madison Kocian. […]

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7 Reasons Why Being In Sports As A Child Is Important

At JAG we’ve always said that we measure our success as a coaches and managers not by the number banners we put on a wall or even the number of NCAA athletes, international level competitors or even Olympians our club produces, but instead by the quality of young adults we help families raise. I know […]

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An Open Letter to the Coaches who Comfort Their Gymnasts When They Struggle in a Meet

  Dear Coaches Who Comfort Their Gymnasts When They Struggle in a Meet, I want to thank you. I thank you for recognizing that your gymnast just gave it her all, came up short and still validating her worth as a human by giving her a hug and a kind word as she dejectedly walked off […]

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Advice to Grads from Your Wise Friends: Vault, Bars, Beam and Floor

It’s that time of year when graduation advice from celebrities, world leaders or just well meaning folk flood the Internet. But what if the four events that female gymnasts toil over were able to get up and give their sage advice to the kids who are moving on from our sport. What would they say? […]

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A Senior’s Farewell Tribute to Gymnastics

Get the kleenex ready, because if you make it through this one without shedding a few tears you are a tougher person than I. A coach reached out to me to share her graduation senior’s goodbye speech from their team banquet.  And I am so glad she did.  As much as I can (and do) […]

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Dominoes and Kips: Building Toward Success in Gymnastics

  This I know is true: There is no such thing as an overnight success, especially in gymnastics. For instance, anyone who has been a part of the sport can tell you this—it takes an enormous amount of physical preparation and carefully sequenced progressions to learn a kip. (Just ask Susie’s coach…) But anyone who […]

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20 Traits that Gymnastics Develops: A Diagram

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Lucky Gymnasts

Thomas Jefferson said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.” I totally agree. It’s also been said that luck is where preparation meets opportunity. For sure. But luck is also a state of mind.  It’s the gratitude that you have for […]

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Is It Worth It?

Is it worth it? This is a question that comes to mind in many parents and athletes. It’s a valid question. Essentially it is a re-evaluation of goals and actions. It’s normal, even a good idea, to re-evaluate your goals in gymnastics. Including the goal to continue for another season.   Re-evaluating our goals allows us […]

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