Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...

Where are they now?


Paul Gray
 Share

Recommended Posts

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.  :icon_twisted:

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tristan Curtis

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.

  • Upvote 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FREDERIC DUPONT

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 :)

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 :)

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

------ 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

  • Upvote 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

------ 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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keilani Gutierrez

Skynett... This explains alot! :ph34r:

phew! thats a relief...i thought we were assuming he was a Transformer. >_>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- 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.   :icon_cool:

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

  • Upvote 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joshua Naterman

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.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FREDERIC DUPONT

(...)

- 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" :D

 

(...)

- 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...

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
Curt Ferson

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Curt Ferson

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

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.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please review our Privacy Policy at Privacy Policy before using the forums.