Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Let's try this ...

I promised a while ago I'd try to put up a gymnastics video ... I tried at the time and couldn't work it out, I think I have now! The first one is one I took of Charlotte (5yo) this afternoon - doing her self-taught "middle" part of Rhiannon's Level 3 routine (Rhiannon also does some gliding and swinging on the top bar) - what is amazing (to me) is that she has the strength and know-how to pull herself up and over, Rhiannon still has to give a kick to get herself over, Charlotte can do it by upper body strength. The second one is the one I recorded at the beginning of the competition season a few months ago - of Rhiannon's floor routine this year, not the most polished, but it impresses me!!




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Sunday, September 02, 2007

Got to keep this up ...

I'm not sure I've got a lot to say, I'm determined to try and keep this blogging thing going! ... then again, once I start rambling who knows how much I've really got to say?





Sunday morning here - Fathers Day - and a quiet one for me ... in fact David has been joking that *I* get the Father's Day, not him ;) ... Cameron is playing soccer over in Carterton (about 1.5hr away), so they left early this morning, Rhiannon went with them - which leaves me with just Josh and Charlotte (David Jnr is at a mates and then will be at work). House is nice and tidy because I had a card-making thing here yesterday, Dad who I planned to see this afternoon is on holiday down the South Island ... which leaves a nice relaxing day - which is nice for a change! My nice relaxing day will include some baking for lunches for the next week, doing a couple of cricket funding things that need to be done today ready to go out tomorrow, lots of laundry and making a gift for Rhiannon's teacher who finishes next week (after 53 years of teaching!).





Kathryn (in NZ) asked me how the girls' gym has gone this year - so I get a valid excuse to ramble on about that! LOL ... they're done really well - Rhiannon has just finished up Level 3 - she came at the bottom of the pack at most competitions (moved from last up to about 5-6th to last), but to be doing the level she is doing she has to be pretty good - so that doesn't give a true reflection. The club have pushed her and her two team mates through the lower grades pretty quickly so they are also usually the youngest and smallest at the competitions (they are all 8yos) - there thinking is that they will now spend the next couple of years with them in Level 4 fine tuning things and it gives them a few years in those higher levels to really polish them off - a lot of the girls winning this year are 12-13yos who haven't got many years left to travel up the higher grades. Makes kinda sense, the main thing is Rhiannon is still loving it :) ... they've moved on to conditioning and training for level 4 next year ... to give some idea - level 4 they do walkovers and cartwheels on the beam, they do a floor routine where they have to choregraph their own routine to music, the bar they start jumping from smaller to higher bar and they start using the "real" vault - so it's a huge step, basically from junior to senior stuff :)





Charlotte (5yo) is doing her last general competition next weekend, after that she will move into the Level 1 class to start training for next year - this girl is just amazing, Rhiannon is good, but has to work - Charlotte seems to have natural gymnastic strength (lucky thing!) - for those who know any of the terminology - she can already pull herself up and over on the bar - Rhiannon still needs a little kick to get herself over, Charlotte can actually pull herself up (like a chin-up) and use her strength to pull herself up. Having said that - she is still 100 miles/hour Charlotte and needs to learn to slow down and be graceful ;)





I'll try and put a link to Rhiannon's floor routine this year - it was at the beginning of the season, so not the most polished routine, but it gives you an idea ;)



I'm going to edit my last post and put in more details for the fabrics for sale - I've had interest in a couple - but mostly they are still all there for the picking!





Sorry I haven't been commenting on anybody's blogs ... I am reading and enjoying :)





I'll leave you with a photo of the three cards I used for a class yesterday - I'm just loving this stuff!