People are awesome

[Tom Dunlap]

The Internet is clotted with Fails and really badly edited videos. For us...we've all seen a cool drop that landed bang on but we had to tolerate longgggg moments of chainsaw cutting faces and back cuts. Geez...EDIT!

My TV watching is limited to whatever comes through on the free antennae network. Some are fun...reminds me of watching 'Sea Hunt' and 'Bat Masterson' with my Dad...oh, 'Combat!' too.

At about lights-out time in the evening the TBD Channel shows clips of 'People are Awesome' clips. These are the Polar Opposites of any fail that you've ever seen. SUccess...and mostly people powered...very few with motors.

Dad was a swimmer/diver/gymnast. On the supply ship across the Pacific in the waning days of WWII he was doing giants on the high bar on deck of the ship. He pealed and whacked his noggin. Sported a bit of a bump the rest of his life. That was enough of an inspiration for me to start gymnastics in 7th grade. All I could figure out was side horse. Spent the next six year on the team. Learned sooo much...but I didn't become much of a star. Had a great coach and some amazing team mates. The three high schools in our district dominated Minnesota HS for years. Eight years after I graduated my brother Jim brought home a chest full of medals from the state meet. Years later I was talking with another arbo from our area. We found out that we had gymnastics in common...he was younger. I told him that Jim was my brother....he said...OHHHHH! Mr Elastic! Jim was flexible and made a reputation I guess ...insert proud brother here!

Even though I was basically a B-squad gymnast I practiced with so many team mates that brough Gold home from the State Meet. I observed what it took to get there.

Forward...not on the fast forward...to becoming involved with TCC's. Jeff Jepson and I became friends. TUrns out we were in the same gym at comps 7-8 times in my senior year. No surprise.

Over the years I've chatted with arbos who grok the treeclimbing dance. Seeing chapter comps and ITCC showed that so many great climbers look at moves ahead of themselves and their bodies follow 3-4-5 moves late. Watching @Mark Chisholm many times over the years...well...you had to have been there! Chicago...dark...rain delayed...watching with @Tim walsh and both of us saying...if he makes this throw it's his...history..but..how does that happen?

Not luck...all the Fails happened in practice or at work. Learn...pay attention for that Moment when it matters.

Whew..bring it around!

This is a favorite vid site... very calming...these folks nail it!

People are awesome!

 

[rope-a-dope]

I also grok tree dance! I was leaning tree climbing in college and so happened to make friends with the folks practicing aerial silks and other circus stuff. I picked it up for a few years, and the way i understood motion and forces was changed for ever!
Fast forward...i dont really train circus aerial arts anymore...the body's energy is renewable, not unlimited. But my other half owns an aerial and pole studio and im the rigger, so life is fun.
And people really are awesome!

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Yeah!

When I was a junior I watched my co-captain build his eventual state championship side horse set. At one time he was working out the hand placements to do a move on the end of the sidehorse. He did a travel-down from the pommels then did highlegs on the end of the horse that lead to a change of direction. VERY complicated move. He kept missing the move and all of us would be there to spot him. He'd take a block of chalk and make marks where his fingers needed to be then give it a try or four. Then. move the mark a half inch and try again. Finally he had it worked out...like a machinist. His lesson didn't become relevant to me until years later when I was trying to be a better climber. That's when I remembered and became more deliberate. Add gymnastics to rock and ice climbing lessons from a couple of very talented climbing instructors wa so beneficial. The payoff has been retiring from full time climbing without being flat worn out.

 

[*useless info*]

Gymnastics is a fantastic education in forces correctly/incorrectly ushered thru body and devices to orchestrate different effects, mostly for conserving forces to throw purposefully forward to next move etc. i think these internal lessons are akin to mysterious martial arts training/philosophies of motion,confidence and orchestration of physical and life forces etc.
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Dang side-horse is it's own kind of movement, arms /chest strong enough to hold bod away from horse, to then swing smoothly w/o interruption, It don't even sound right; and is much harder to do!
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Many lessons on that high horizontal bar, especially giants.
i can still taste the cold steel bar caked in chalk and sweat crashing into mouth on many fails...
Found could 'kip' up to on top of bar to then do hand stand.
Then like round log, could go either way you tip the balance.
Should have correct grip for the direction turning or peel off bar on full swing (not good).
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This lesson now innately known has carried me farther than just around that salty, chalk tasting cold steel bar!
If you can hold confidence together, and allow physics to happen can swing around bar from handstand at high noon to until run out of gas about 11/11:30 climbing backup other side.
Inertia of fall side around not quite ever good enough to pull up other side. So real quick rotate hands around bar so now they are at 12-1 on clock,and simply fall again down other side. Also, you purpose-fully look down hard with head at bar if rotating forwards, but look at toes if rotating backwards. Either one tilts weight and architecture from top of head down thru neck to spine down to about center of chest; upsetting balance of body to your favour. As reaching male CoG (but not female CoG; which is found lower so balance beam and wraps around uneven bars are specifically feminine expression of power balance with their lower CoG) . Perhaps slight whip thru hips, but keep all tight and extended. Keeping body tight and extended, toes pointed, not only looks good, but adds to the firm extension of your leverage to pull off the trick! Hate getting yelled at to do it right, but in end; helps the movement be more positive! Notice if don't orchestrate right to make it over the top; fall back down that same side,and hands are now the wrong way for that rotation. Most likely to now peel off bar, thanking God for mats below....
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But rings mostly, and then parallel bars were my forte. i still remember falling to mat from rings, after only 1 hand failing grip. Other arm that held on hurt so bad would actually look up at rings many times to think would still see arm hanging there detached from me like Trejo in Conair! Had to keep head together even thru fail and then totally do opposite of strategy and let go when had to! Also, just hanging on with both hands didn't work if arms 'loose' cuz can bang knuckles of each hand together very hard when fall out of hand stand, iron cross etc.!! i cut open a bus tire innertube from trash to make long elastic band to stand in while gripping ends on rings, then lowered self into iron cross, gradually reducing support of rubber. Once i got that, i started again in L-seat Cross, as iron cross is 'only' B move, add L-seat it is top class C move. Either way, have to hold pose for the longest 3 seconds you may ever know to get credit in competition!

i l-earned a lot about self, correcting motion, persistence watching them inside myself first,then extending to perhaps a more intuitive sense of power, motion, leverage etc. thru own coaching of internal understandings. Sitting like this even for those longest 3 count, teaches uncanny respect for leverage, like few other know!
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i worked out year-round helping coach thru summer with kids for work-out rights and time. Some called me 'hamburger hands' in school cuz ripped open sores on hands from rotations on bars and rings hardly ever healed, and mite leave slight pink passing papers down classroom row ( long before GRIDS/AIDS was invented). Some called me hamburger hands; we were schooled to let hands toughen don't wear grips etc. After a while, had to sand down callouses to let hand close properly. But if one of 'em ripped off would leave kinda a hole. Walking home in dry freezing winters about made them crack open about every time. Kids are great, so rubbery. If they fall sideways, they look at you, and if you act like all is ok; lets try again, all is good! If you let'em see fear/doubt etc., the tears start, and can be contagious to their playmates (not good especially if parents then running toward you from out of bleachers etc.).
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Not sure if i was headed to tree work w/o gymnastics, certainly wouldn't gone as far; but most certainly wouldn't have understood half as much!