June 29, 2003

Not just potatoes you know …

I am back from the scenic lakes & rich forests of the Idaho panhandle. I was invited to be a guest coach at a gymnastics camp in Coeur d’Alene.

The head coach Dave Adlard started his career in Edmonton & this year invited to camp a number of coaches from his distant past. We reminisced.

I had heard great things about Dave’s gym in Coeur d’Alene and the experience exceeded expectations.

Dave is one of the most travelled and popular clinicians in the States, many years on the move working for U.S. Independent Gymnastics Clubs & around the world. He has taught in Australia 5 times, for example.

But looks to me like David Adlard is starting to settle down. He remarried last year — he, his wonderful wife Lisa, his Norwegian Elkhound, 2 cats, & 4 tiny kittens hosted us in their log house on a large wooded property.

Like good north Idahoans, we smoked cigars, shot guns & considered taking out the (appropriately named) quad. Dave had me up early every morning exercising; 3 mile run followed by sets of log lifting. I had not known that Dave in recent years had become a gourmet chef, renown for his grilling & deserts. He and entourage put on major dinner parties. I was lucky enough to attend one of them. Fantastic.

Dave & Lisa are coaches at FUNtastics Gymnastics. They have two gyms; wonderful coaches, parents & gymnasts.

Greater Coeur d’Alene has a population of about 50,000. The club membership reached 1001 while I was there. Funtastics is becoming well known too for the excellent competition they host, the Great West Gym Fest.

Dave’s camp, the 6th annual, was unique. The focus is on FUN with a child-centred approach. Funtastics does everything they can to ensure all gymnasts feel valued & avoid injury. There is not an iota of elitism in their system — yet the gymnasts show good difficulty. This club is on the right track! I hate to admit it, but the USA will soon produce the best gymnasts in the world. The efficiencies of a free market system will supersede the focused training systems in the few remaining totalitarian countries. It is just a matter of time. World Championships will be hosted in California this August, by the way.

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I have a love – hate relationship with the USA. The gaffs they have made historically make me histrionic — though I am not 100% sure that Iraq was a mistake. Long term it may be good for the world, where Vietnam clearly was not. Short term Iraq looks bad … but I live in hope.

Sometimes I have doubts. Is the American way working? How large a prison population can a country support?
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Canadian Championships Saskatoon — I returned to Saskatoon in May to help the organizers of this the major year end competition. It was excellent in every way.

A highlight was Rhett Stinson winning gold on Parallel Bars in front of his hometown crowd. Photos of some of my friends there

In June I helped out my buddy Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk with his barbeque fundraiser at Rouge restaurant in Calgary . Booze, Blues & Barbeque. A good time was had by all.

Mad Cow? Fear No Steer.

The barbecue team was able to buy Kobe beef cheap; it is normally all exported to Japan — but not this June.The team will travel in the Fall to Lynchburg, Tennessee for an all important Barbeque championships at Jack Daniel’s distillery.
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I am off to Perth Australia tomorrow to lead athlete camps & coach education sessions down under. I will definitely use some of the Dave Adlard playbook.

– Aussie Rick

Aug 27, 2002

In Christchurch they all tell you that Spring starts September 1.

I reckon that is about right. On August 20 I saw my first swimmers wading the surf. The dusting of snow on the Port Hills melted away.

On the mall workers are refurbishing empty shops. At Jacksons bakery the clerk told me summer would be full-on. She’ll be right.

My gym is built on a huge estuary of the rich Canterbury plains. Across the street, two percent of the original swamps are protected as Travis Wetlands.

This is a sanctuary for birds including the endangered Pukeko, a creature so stupid it could only have evolved in New Zealand. Most Kiwis believe Pukeko cannot fly. Actually, they fly well but are too dim to recall this fact, preferring to dart under moving automobile wheels for protection.

A seal washed up in the river near the gym, perhaps injured. While some of the gymnasts went to take a peek we called Animal Protection.

Last weekend we travelled to the big city, Auckland, population 1.1 million. I saw only the motel and gym, however my gymnasts tell me Auckland is boring, all wanting to go to Sydney instead.

We were there for the Auckland Championships — equivalent to Provincial Championships in Canada. This year Auckland Champs was also the selection meet for NZ teams to Australia Clubs Championships in October so there was an added incentive for the girls. We had a good meet qualifying 4 of the 5 girls who trialed.

The competition was hosted in a fabulous new gymnastics sports training centre, better than any gym in Canada.

Jeff Thomson from Vancouver is moving to Auckland to work for NZ Gymnastics. Word at the meet is that he has already bought a house over the Internet.

Full-time gymnastics jobs are not numerous in NZ, but there are several open right now. E-mail me if you might be interested.

Sport in NZ is facing criticism. The medal table at Commonwealth Games looked bad; India, Kenya, Jamaica, Wales, Scotland, Cameroon, Bahamas, Wales were all surpassing us since the last Games. Imagine how this looks to Kiwis with Australia thriving. A last day flourish brought New Zealand back up to 5th on the medal table behind India — but the press was still questioning.

New Zealanders are not Aussies. They are far more different than Canadians and Americans. A recent newspaper survey found that over a third of Kiwis hate Australians. (Of course it was Rugby season.)

New Zealanders do not celebrate sport victories. I gleaned this insight within hours of arrival. When a Kiwi Rugby player scores a try it is essential to show no emotion; just the opposite of North America where half the football team does a funky dance in the end zone.

An Aussie journalist writing about the famed Kiwi All Blacks called them dark visaged, menacing, and morose … forbidden by contract to ever smile.

A bigger problem for the sports coach here is the tall poppy syndrome; anyone successful in sport or most anything is immediately chopped down by one and all. Poppies keep their heads low.

Actually, this Commonwealth Games was the second most successful ever for NZ. Kiwis won more medals than Aussies on a per capita basis. Our gymnasts finished 4th, as high up as we could have achieved. This accomplishment was celebrated, but modestly.

Finally got to the highest mountain in New Zealand, Mt. Cook. Captain Cook? Seems everywhere I go the last few years this bloke has already been there.

Hawaii? Can I get there before Cook? Some good coastal hiking I hear.

Mount Cook Village is charmingly undeveloped compared with similar resorts around the world. We listened to a folk singer and had lunch at the most famous hotel in NZ, the Hermitage. We visited with the town teacher / karate sensei and her mountain guide husband. I got some good advice on the tramps around Mt. Cook — they are poor.

We ended up at Mount Cook after being turned away from the ski hill which was closed due to wind. This was all the snowboarding we got that day.

The Road to Oxiana published 1937 by Robert Byron (distantly related to Lord Byron) was touted as the best travel book ever written. As you know, I am attracted by hyperbole. It is good.

Best travel books? I have been reading mainly travel since 1996 — a few of the classics that jump to mind:

Wilfred Thesiger, Arabian Sands

Jonah Blank, Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God (India)

VS Naipaul’s India trilogy

Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard (Himalayas)

Eric Newby, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Art L. Karras, North to Cree Lake (northern Saskatchewan)

Less acclaimed is Around the World in 18 Holes by sports writers Tom Callahan and Dave Kindred. These blokes dreamed up the mother of all boondoggles; a round of golf selecting one hole from courses around the world.

For those who want to die like Bing Crosby, New Zealand is a paradise. Average green fees on the empty courses about C$17.

I must rattle me dags.

– Kiwi Rick

July 22, 2002

New Zealand is synonymous with tramps; Abel Tasman, Routeburn, Milford. I have a map on my wall with Great Walks highlighted.

I am too busy for hiking so far, but I did finally get a Sunday afternoon walking the volcanic Banks Peninsula near Christchurch. It was misty on those ancient crater rims. I learned all about NZ stinging nettle.

The top of the South island is home of the Abel Tasman coastal track, undoubtedly and deservedly the most popular and crowded hike in the country. But I was not there to tramp. I was there for the TOTS gymnastics competition in Nelson, the biggest and most important invitational in New Zealand.

Our team had won the Shield for best all-around club in 2001 and we were determined to repeat in 2002 despite the fact that North Harbour from Auckland, by far the best elite program in New Zealand, was attending this year. Shield points formula credits participation as well as performance — we managed to win again by a combination of good results … and bringing 56 competitors!

Nelson, population 52,000, is a classic tourist town packed with bars, backpacker hang-outs and hiking gear shops. I stayed an extra night to wander the streets, eat Chinese takeaway and walk along the river to the Marina at sunset.

We earlier took gymnasts to another competition in nearby Blenheim, a small town of 26,000 renown only as the centre of the most famous New Zealand wine district. We raced past the largest winery in the country, Montana.

Aside from good wine, we travelled to Blenheim as this meet is hosted by Marlborough man Tony Quirk — one of the great characters in NZ gymnastics. Tony is a lawyer but spends most of his time as volunteer administrator, judge and coach. He runs a great club where competitive coaches are still volunteers. We stayed at Tony’s house and I had a good chance to get to know him.

The competition venue was most excellent too. It goes to show what is possible in a very small town.

The highlight of this trip for me was the drive back to Christchurch on twisty highways, snow-capped mountains in the distance. We stopped several times to admire the scenery and take photographs of seals. One had somehow washed up almost on to the highway.

Driving New Zealand is the best way to travel. Most of the many narrow bridges are one way only.

Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s autobiography is a good read similar to, but not as essential as the autobiography of Gandhi. Everyone needs to read Gandhi’s book, My Experiments with Truth.

It is election time in New Zealand. The incumbent Prime Minister had her hands slapped when it was revealed that a painting she had donated to charity was signed but not painted by the politician. It seems certain she will be returned to power.

Voting with my feet.

– Kiwi Rick

May 27, 2002

Gymnastics here is surprisingly similar to gymnastics in Canada. The sport is not much less evolved in NZ though the Kiwi population numbers fewer than 4 million. However there are not many modern gymnastics facilities.

My gym is BUSY — as we speak 840 members a week plus drop-in and over 600 kids each week in school programs.

We have over 140 competing; WAG (women’s artistic gymnastics), MAG (men’s artistic gymnastics) and a few Trampolinists.

In New Zealand many more kids compete than in Canada. Club revenue from those competing equals the revenue brought in by recreation. Gymnastics is a much less elitist sport here — I prefer the NZ model. It is much easier to get to Nationals here than it is to get to Western Canada Championships, for example.

I am Head Coach of all and personal coach of 19 girls age 11 to 17 as well as 3 male gymnasts age 15 – 22. I have no “partner” coach with the girls though I work with 4 or 5 other very experienced part-time coach / judges. There is never a dull moment.

Our upstart boys competitive program is rocking. We will need a dedicated men’s coach by next season latest.

I arrived at the worst possible time — only a month prior to the start of the competitive season which runs May through to Nationals in September. Most competitions in our region are hosted in our gym as it is an ideal competition venue. I will not need to travel much.

Our gym is organized; the staff is dedicated and over-worked. Many nights we are short coaches. We are always looking to hire.

Our gym was the Pacific Alliance championships training venue and training facility for the Canadian team staging for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. There is a strong affection for Canadian gymnastics here. To my surprise there was another Canadian coach when I arrived, Kendra Wilke ( coached Rec at U of Calgary) who is in New Zealand as National Short-track Speed Skating coach. Kendra coached the Olympics Salt Lake City.

I did not get to meet my predecessor Alexander (Sasha) Pozdniakov.

Laura Smit is the top gymnast in the club, age 14, brilliantly artistic but still struggling to meet the very tough FIG requirements this code.

Laura is the only carded (National team) athlete from the South Island, ranked 6th in selection for the 5-member Commonwealth Games team. (NZ may only send 4 gymnasts or fewer.)

Other top gymnasts in the club include team captain Hayley (doing the double back) and Karry, a 17-year-old who has finished high school but who is going strong, still improving.

The gym has great potential. Obviously we have a great base. Other clubs in town do not train Senior gymnasts, sending them to us when the athletes outgrow their facilities.

There are far fewer overweight children in NZ than in Canada though no doubt Kiwis are making chase. Gymnasts here make no effort to hide McDonald French fry cartons when they arrive at the gym. Fish and chips is a staple for families.

The gym is in a marvellous setting between a park and a golf course / tiered driving range. We are part of the largest multi-sport complex on the South Island. I spend a fair bit of time at the nearby Academy of Sport which provides me all manner of high tech computer and video toys.

I have connected with coach education people at NZ Gymnastics and expect to be teaching courses by July. I have not judged as yet but am scheduled for the next competition. I really do not have much time to judge.

National Championships is concluded in Canada, but you are all invited to Kiwi Nationals in Christchurch, September 25 – 29th! See you there.

Ciao for now.

Getting fit, having fun in Christchurch