Category: gymnastics

What to do with OLD Glasses?

On By Rick McIn about Rick, ethics, gymnasticsLeave a comment

I hope donated OLD glasses are recycled or reused.

But I’m not sure.

I recall vividly the day in Grade 6 when a teacher told me I needed glasses. I did.

And I’ve worn them non-stop ever since, even doing Gymnastics.

Fortunately 😀 … AVIATORS were cool in my youth. Chicks dig them.

Heavy? Glass? YES !

I’ve had many different pairs over the years, including the most expensive ($500 !) available at Walmart Optical.

These days I get the cheapest 2 for 1 sale at Walmart. NO extra coatings or features.

Good enough for me.

Now … what do I do with all my OLD Glasses?

BEST Social Networks 2025

On By Rick McIn blogs, ethics, Facebook, friends, gymnastics, hiking, human rights, internet, media, things getting worse, TwitterLeave a comment

For most people, Instagram and TikTok are the most entertaining. I don’t much look at either.

If you want to avoid POLITICS, Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Threads) has definitely reduced the emphasis on political arguments. In Canada, a bonus for using Facebook is that news links are banned.

I haven’t quit Twitter — surprisingly — as my own feeds focused on Gymnastics and Hiking are still good. If I click on Following and avoid For You, the stream is valuable. Of course I quickly block anything I don’t like.

I post today as many of the people online I trust and respect are migrating to Bluesky.

Looking more for VIDEO than anything else, these are the sites I use most:

I hate advertising. Facebook doesn’t offer paid ad-free feeds, so I use ad blockers.

I hate Elon Musk and refuse to send him even one penny. So use ad blockers.

I use WhatsApp only for small group communication. It’s excellent. Messenger, as well, only for communication with very few people.

I’ll check Reddit once in a while if I’m looking for something specific.

Mastodon could be my favourite, but it’s not caught on with the people I want to follow.

LinkedIn should be best of all. But I’ve never seen much value for my purposes.

I never signed up for Snapchat. Hikers are mostly on Instagram. Gymnastics coaches mostly on Twitter.

I’ll try Bluesky. But I’m worried it will never grow big enough.

If desperate, I’ll create a browser bookmark folder and open all these social media sites simultaneously to check the latest news in Gymnastics and Hiking. OR … could I use an A.I. client to do that for me?

Brainstorming … 😀

My Favourite Podcasts 2024

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, GOP USA, government, gymnastics, internet, mediaLeave a comment

Looking back on my favourite podcasts 2020 — things have changed.

If interested, search for any of these in your favourite Podcast Player.

These are podcasts I rarely skip:

Next most essential in 2024:

Sadly, most of The Economist podcasts went behind a paywall. I’ll probably buy those again, one day.

For some reason I’ve grown less interested in the TWIT network podcasts. Too much filler, not enough content.

I subscribe to perhaps 70 additional podcasts, but listen to them far less than 50% of the time.

I AM definitely listening to podcasts less than ever. I prefer audio books most of the time.

Visiting Dave & Lisa in Idaho

On By Rick McIn cycling, friends, gymnastics, travelLeave a comment

Once again I had a terrific time in Coeur d’Alene.

Our first day, we joined in the FUN at Dave’s gourmet restaurant, Candle in the Woods.

Chef David

An amazing, unforgettable meal.

baked onion

Timing of this visit was to volunteer at my favourite Gymnastics competition in the world — the Great West Gym Fest.

It’s so well organized I didn’t really have much to do.

I DID help with the set-up and take-down of the Gym. And made a few VIDEOS of the competition, including this one.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A few photos from the competition.

staring down the judges
Jeremy Mosier and Jim McLuskey

VIPs get to check out the resort penthouse. And balcony hot tub.

We did get out for one hike in Farragut State Park.

Delaney took me climbing. AND I was not bad … aside from then time I fell from the top risking concussion. 😀

Late February the weather was … mixed. We had some wind, some snow. Some sun.

I did get to try Dave’s Fat Bike out on their property.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnastics in Benin City, Nigeria

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, travelLeave a comment

I first led a Gymnastics Coaching course in the capital, Abuja, Nigeria in 2013. They were quite disorganized at the time.

Returning in 2023 — this time to Benin City — I was astonished to see how much progress had been made.

In fact, Nigeria was the best organized of these camps I’ve had over dozens around the world.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gymnastics in Nigeria 2023

Coaches from across the country traveled to Benin City, which built a world class facility 3 years ago. It’s in Edo State, by far the one most supportive of sport.

(NOT the country of Benin, formerly Dahomey, a small nation nearby.)

Busy, busy … I only got the chance to do a driving tour of Nigeria’s 4th largest metropolitan area. There is not much western tourism. Benin City has not got a great reputation.

I did not see any other pale human like myself, for a week. 😀

I stayed at a very good 3 star hotel, the Marriott Protea Hotel Benin City.

Mostly ate spicy Nigerian food. They love their food in Nigeria. Spicy.

This video gives a good feel of how this city feels on street level.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Farewell Antwerp

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, travelLeave a comment

I was in Antwerp, Belgium for the World Gymnastics Championships. An elegant city.

Grote Markt of Antwerp, Belgium at twilight.

I like Antwerp best at night.

The Gymnastics competition was the highlight, however.

Canadian women qualified to the Paris Olympics 3rd in world in 2022. And the men qualified 4th in the world in 2023. Our best Olympic quadrennial ever.

Here’s where I spent about 50 hours of my life. 😀

I have a media credential.

Farewell Bermuda

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, hiking, travelLeave a comment

I escaped the Great White North winter for about 5 weeks. I’m a volunteer with the Gymnastics Federation and did some coaching at the two competitive clubs.

Population of Bermuda is only about 65,000.

I’ve been coming to Bermuda since 2016. But still treat every goodbye as my last. 😎

Rick Mercer – an Autobiography

On By Rick McIn books, gymnastics, humour, TV1 Comment

Talking to Canadians: A Memoir was published Nov 2021.

It’s recommended. Very funny.

One of the best lines (by Greg Thomey) …

Heavy is the head that wears the lampshade.

I’d rank Rick Mercer the funniest Canadian of my lifetime.

He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report … which ended 2018 after 15 seasons.

Mercer’s two-minute “rants”, in which he would speak directly to the camera about a current political issue are what I remember best.

Like many of Canada’s best comedians, Rick is from Newfoundland. Understand?

I downloaded the audio book from the library — ideal, as Rick is the narrator.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Rick interviewed Kyle Shewfelt. Funny.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Liverpool is ready for WORLDS

On By Rick McIn gymnasticsLeave a comment

Click through to see the River of Light installations, each with a Gymnastics theme.