Where are they now?

Dear coach / moderators

 

I was just thinking it has been quite a while since BTGB was released and we're now into the foundation courses.  Your students from yester-year have clearly aged since then most notably Allan Bower who is competing very successfully.  Then you had Dillon the genetic mutant who started late and is still at the forefront with the foundation series and handstand series.  It would be really great to see some then and now videos showing how they have progressed - does this seem like a good idea?

 

There was another guy with glasses in the original book who seemed the oldest and strongest at the time, would be fascinating to see how he is progressing now (assuming he's still training).

 

Also I saw a video of Dillon learning the reverse muscle up (the elevator) using straps to assist....I wonder if he's still working on that to be able to do them without assistance from the straps?  Something to really show off what your students are capable of under your guidance. 

 

Last but not least, it doesn't have to just apply to your own gyms' students that were used to film the course materials - perhaps it would be a good idea to have 'then' and 'now' videos/photos showing how someone started the foundation series, perhaps with them really struggling at an early element and looking pathetic    e.g HBP - pressups and then later down the line you can have them performing advanced dips/HSPU's and making them look easy? I think that would be great to demonstrate just how good and effective the foundation series is......and if they're physically more buff in the after videos then even better right??

 

Much Love

Don

A quick rundown:

 

Allan is currently at OU on a full athletic scholarship. For those who may not be aware of OU's stature in the gymnastics community; most members of the last two US Mens Olympic Gymnastic Teams ('08 & '12; counting both competitors and reserve athletes) have come from the University of Oklahoma program; and Allan was their number one recruit this year.  Allan is currently training very hard (10 workouts per week!); trying to make his dream of making the '16 Olympic Team a reality.  He especially enjoys the mandatory 10 minute ice baths after their morning training four days a week.  

 

I have two other students who are in Cirque du Soleil; one who performs in O and one who just signed his contract.  ------ is currently in the navy in the middle of the BUDs pipeline for SEALs and doing well so far (Let's all keep our fingers crossed for him!).  Three students are currently on track for med school (Allan, Roesler and Matt).  Two others will be getting graduate degrees in physical therapy.  Another one of my students is already a successful business man here in Arizona.  

 

The common thread here is that my students have been intentionally prepared for success outside the gym as well as in.  I use gymnastics as a tool to develop young men; not simply athletes.  Courtesy, perseverance and a strong work ethic are character traits that are transferable to all areas of life.

 

I am very proud of all of them and am excited to see what other successes the future holds for them!

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Outstanding!

The athletes' success in other endeavours does not surprise me. Personally, gymnastic work is giving me so many life lessons. Never before have I jumped into positions I am totally uncomfortable with, and suck so much at - but through persistance I can persevere and make the weakness a strength. A few years ago, anything uncomfortable I would have dismissed as "not for me". But every element I master though "greasing the groove", having faith I am laying the groundwork, and reaping the results, I am learning I can achieve anything with enough persistance.

This confidence I am gaining, to jump in and suck at something long enough to be good at it, is a life skill that will serve me in anything I dream to realise.

wheezer said:

The athletes' success in other endeavours does not surprise me. Personally, gymnastic work is giving me so many life lessons. Never before have I jumped into positions I am totally uncomfortable with, and suck so much at - but through persistance I can persevere and make the weakness a strength. A few years ago, anything uncomfortable I would have dismissed as "not for me". But every element I master though "greasing the groove", having faith I am laying the groundwork, and reaping the results, I am learning I can achieve anything with enough persistance.

This confidence I am gaining, to jump in and suck at something long enough to be good at it, is a life skill that will serve me in anything I dream to realise.

 

Outstanding collateral benefit Wheezer

wheezer said:

This confidence I am gaining, to jump in and suck at something long enough to be good at it, is a life skill that will serve me in anything I dream to realise.

This

Coach,

I was wondering if ------ found that gymnastic training had carryover to the long runs required at BUD/S, similar to how you described some of your training in your early dragon door articles?

------ is not yet at BUDs proper, although he is certainly running more than the average mountain goat; I believe that he is averaging 10-15 miles per day running.  He is currenty in week 6 or so of BUDs Prep (an 8 week course).  If he continues to pass all of the evaluations (half the class failed the pushup test the other day) then he will head to BUDs Orientation (formerly known as Indoc) for another 4 weeks.  If he survives all of this, then he is scheduled to begin BUDs in November.

 

Everyone else's shins and ankles are trashed from all of the fin work, but ------ feels fine so far.  

 

Picture a steam locomotive in a pool and that is how ------ started out with his swimming.  A lot of motion and energy, but very little actual forward movement.  

 

On his last 1,000m swim with fins last week he was third out of the water, just behind a former collegiate swimmer.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Perhaps ------ will be one of the best physically (and mentally) prepared specimens to ever enter into the Navy SEALs?

 

I love the fact that the physical aspects are counterbalanced by the development of the character also - amazing, they are all tools for life and not just in the gymnasium.

 

Much love

Don

Coach Sommer said:

------ is not yet at BUDs proper, although he is certainly running more than the average mountain goat; I believe that he is averaging 10-15 miles per day running.  He is currenty in week 6 or so of BUDs Prep (an 8 week course).  If he continues to pass all of the evaluations (half the class failed the pushup test the other day) then he will head to BUDs Orientation (formerly known as Indoc) for another 4 weeks.  If he survives all of this, then he is scheduled to begin BUDs in November.

 

Everyone else's shins and ankles are trashed from all of the fin work, but ------ feels fine so far.  

 

Picture a steam locomotive in a pool and that is how ------ started out with his swimming.  A lot of motion and energy, but very little actual forward movement.  

 

On his last 1,000m swim with fins last week he was third out of the water, just behind a former collegiate swimmer.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

This is great news! ------ is a beast and a machine and a great guy! I was lucky enough to attend 2 seminars where he was Coach's assistant. He realy inspired my training. Never give up attitude. Really hope he makes it all the way.

Please keep us posted Coach.

Mats Trane said:

This is great news! ------ is a beast and a machine

Skynett... This explains alot!

Christian said:

Skynett... This explains alot!

phew! thats a relief...i thought we were assuming he was a Transformer. >_>

That's great to hear. I am sure he is the best prepared candidate they have ever seen! Out of curiosity, what kind of running work did he do to prepare ?

Has Hell Week occured yet? Just wondering on how well he did there. Great to see how these men are doing in life.

- At this point ------ has not the slightest interest in where he ranks historically.  There have been multiple Olympic Team athletes who have washed out of training.  Remember that this training program is as much or more mental than it is physical.  He is just trying to get thru the next evolution, then the day, then the week etc. etc. etc.

 

------ has a long way to go until/if he gets a shot at Hell Week.  However it is important to point out that no one does 'well' in Hell Week.  It is a matter of survival pure and simple.

 

- In regards to running, initially ------ was getting by purely on the dynamic leg strength that his years of tumbling and GST had built.  

 

------ did not do nearly enough running preparation prior to his departure.  ------ is very much built for sprinting and often found every excuse in the world to avoid his dreaded long runs.  As a consequence he fell prey to some other people's advice of using tabata sprints to prepare which were much more to his liking than the long bouts of lsd that I prescribed.  However given his experience in training so far, he has now been cured of such nonsense.  

 

- One thing that has struck ------ is how mentally unprepared and emotionally immature many of the trainees are; unable to deal with high levels of physical discomfort or the unpredicatable demands of the instructors.  ------ claims that I prepared him nicely for this aspect of training.  

 

I chose to take this as a compliment.  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Indeed. Unless you get pretty catastrophically injured, which doesn't happen that often, it's all in your head. If you can make the minimum requirements you can get through physically, that's why the entrance test is designed the way it is.

 

BUD/S is all about being on good terms with your boat crew and putting one foot in front of the other, and not being concerned with how you feel about it.

Coach Sommer said:

(...)

- In regards to running, initially ------ was getting by purely on the dynamic leg strength that his years of tumbling and GST had built.  

 

----- did not do nearly enough running preparation prior to his departure.  ------ is very much built for sprinting and often found every excuse in the world to avoid his dreaded long runs.  As a consequence he fell prey to some other people's advice of using tabata sprints to prepare which were much more to his liking than the long bouts of LSD that I prescribed.  However given his experience in training so far, he has now been cured of such nonsense.

hahahahahaha......... way to shoot a sidekick to "time untested fads"

 

Coach Sommer said:

(...)

- One thing that has struck ------ is how mentally unprepared and emotionally immature many of the trainees are; unable to deal with high levels of physical discomfort or the unpredictable demands of the instructors.  ------ claims that I prepared him nicely for this aspect of training.

The collateral benefits of high level sports are too often disregarded, or even outrightly dismissed by "our betters" in the education systems...

Does Allan Bower have a shot at making the 2016 Olympics? I recently watched him and the O.U. squad compete here against the U.C. Berkeley team. I also read he placed 7th at the 2015 Winter Cup and was selected for the U.S. Senior team. Is there another competition or two that he would need to excel in to make it to the Olympic team?

He will have to do well at the P&G championships.

Daniel, thanks. I read about the selection process. I didn't even know how many athletes get to go to the Olympics so I'm now more informed. There's a lot of tough competition for those few spots.

I am interested in a mini update on Allan's training for 2016 Olympics.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNCY2HGNRiXPqWejJDaWY8w

 

Allan will be competing at the P&G championships, so you'll be able to see how he measures up to the other gymnasts. You might not see him during the live streams, but a few days afterwards, they post everyone's performances. So you'll just have to look him up.

So did Roesler give up gymnastics in favour of going into medicine?  He looked to be the strongest athlete in the BTGB book/DVD series (Allan was very young at the time), he just made everything look easy.  Loved his demonstration on Galimores - Front lever > Front Lever pull > Muscle up > straddle planche.......his control is so smooth you don't even see the muscleup in there.

DonGray said:

So did Roesler give up gymnastics in favour of going into medicine?  He looked to be the strongest athlete in the BTGB book/DVD series (Allan was very young at the time), he just made everything look easy.  Loved his demonstration on Galimores - Front lever > Front Lever pull > Muscle up > straddle planche.......his control is so smooth you don't even see the muscleup in there.

 

Of course being remarkably strong does not necessarily make him the best technical gymnast deciding not to pursue a sport to professional level does not necesarily mean giving it up.

This years World Championships team; the best of which will represent at the Olympics: 

• Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton (Universal Gymnastics)
• Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
• Alex Naddour of Queen Creek, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness Center)
• Paul Ruggeri III of Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
• Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
• Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)

• Replacement athletes
• Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton (Cypress Gymnastics)
• Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center) 

https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=17357&prog=h

 

The P&G National Championship Results:

 

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/m_15champs_sr1.pdf

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/m_15champs_srevents.pdf

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/m_15champs_teampoints.pdf

 

Allan tied 13th (of 35) on Day 1. Pretty impressive considering most of the top guys are older and more experienced than Allan (who only turned 20 a couple of months ago). We may yet see him qualify in the coming years.