Oh, what a difference a year makes. 12 months ago, I was laid up on the couch in a cast. Today, I have 365 days worth of recovery stories. This is my end-of-year recap.
Tag: adult gymnastics
Waking Your Inner Child Through Adult Gymnastics
I've seen so many people awaken their inner child in my adult gymnastics classes. If you need to make a case for starting gymnastics, this is it.
What did the GG Beta Readers Think?
Ask and ye shall receive. This encapsulates some of the incredible feedback I received from the beta reading team for my upcoming book, Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery an Defining Life on Your Terms.
Help Shape Geriatric Gymnastics: Join Our Beta Reading Team
I'm seeking beta readers for my upcoming book, "Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery and Defining Life on Your Terms". Interested in joining the GG team? Read on!
Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Time to write another book! When I started writing about gymnastics in this blog in 2020, there was a “someday I’ll write a book” vibe. I’d write about all of the feelings I was processing, the ups and inevitable downs I had experienced. If anything, it was a way to track and remember my journey. But… Continue reading Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Returning to writing
I can't believe it's been over six weeks since I've posted anything here. No, I haven't lost the love for writing. Quite the opposite. I've actually been working on another book project. As I closed out my 29th teaching year, I had to decide how to spend my time during summer break. We didn't have… Continue reading Returning to writing
Achilles Tendon Recovery: 21 weeks
Time heals all wounds. As I approach the five month mark in my Achilles recovery, I am happy report many more skills that have been added to my movement rotation. This post reflects on balancing the equation between safety and progress. May 18, 2025 As fast as my recovery may seem to the outsider, it… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: 21 weeks
Achilles Tendon Recovery: 4 months
I've officially passed the four-month mark since rupturing my Achilles tendon at the gym. It was an awful disruption in my existence. To commemorate my resilience and commitment to healing, I did something I've missed since that fateful day. I flipped! April 16, 2025 If you don't know me, I'm an adult gymnast who started… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: 4 months
Week 16 Achilles recovery: PT is coming to an end
In the past month, my biweekly physical therapy was reduced to once a week. At first, it was my March work schedule that limited my time. In April, it seems I've reached plateau. PT sessions have become, shall we say, too easy. Now what? April 9, 2025 Last week, I found out what was going… Continue reading Week 16 Achilles recovery: PT is coming to an end
The mental toll of Achilles injury
It's been over 3 months since my Achilles tendon rupture. This is a reflection on the quest to balance fear and progress through long-term injury recovery. March 26, 2025 Not too long ago, all of my posts were about the progress I was making at the gym. I’ve celebrated the baby steps and the big… Continue reading The mental toll of Achilles injury
Achilles Tendon Recovery: 10 Weeks Post-Surgery Progress
It's been ten weeks since the surgeon put my Achilles tendon back together again. This article shares exercises I'm working on, strategies for pain and fear management, and my comeback progress.
Achilles Tendon Recovery Week 6: Balancing Progress and Safety
At six weeks post-surgery, my recovery is going very well. When I compare my progress to some of the published protocols, I've been slightly ahead of the curve. That begs the question, am I progressing too fast? Am I risking re-rupture down the line? January 29, 2025 Read about my Achilles tendon story from the… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery Week 6: Balancing Progress and Safety
Overcoming Achilles Injury: My Return to the Gym
On one regular Sunday FUNday, I ruptured my Achilles tendon on a tumbling pass at the gym. Three weeks later, I returned to the gym to take back my life, one hobbling step at a time. When you endure an injury that requires surgical intervention, it seems to overtake your life. Everything you do is… Continue reading Overcoming Achilles Injury: My Return to the Gym
Managing Risk as a Geriatric Gymnast
Why do I keep coming back to the gym after dealing with so many injuries? This article gets into that very question. This is the continuing saga of me breaking myself. Again. The first major foot injury from the gym starts here. This time, I completely tore my Achilles tendon at the gym. I was… Continue reading Managing Risk as a Geriatric Gymnast
Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 On Sunday, I completely ruptured by right Achilles tendon. (Read Sometimes, You Break Yourself...Again for that story.) Today, my surgeon repaired it. This is my reflection of the ordeal. I saw the orthopedist on Monday afternoon. He listened to my story, watched the video of the event, and said "yup, that's… Continue reading Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven
Sometimes You Break Yourself…Again
Gymnastics is fraught with risk. Anyone who participates knows this. Once in a while, the risk catches up with you. No matter how careful you are, sometimes you break yourself. This is the start of another long road to recovery. December 15, 2024 I rise and shine, ready for another Sunday FUNday at Flipper's Gymnastics.… Continue reading Sometimes You Break Yourself…Again
Overcoming Gymnastics Anxiety: My Back Handspring Journey
The summer of 2024 was a bonanza of gymnastics progress. I managed to avoid injury, and I had some pretty cool successes. There was a ton of breaking through some deep-seated Mr. Lizard fear of going backwards on the TumblTrak. In this article, I share my progress and the personal strategies I've used to get… Continue reading Overcoming Gymnastics Anxiety: My Back Handspring Journey
Inspiring Others: Adult Gymnastics, Resilience, and Shared Passion
Sometimes, it's hard to express what some things mean to you. Sometimes, the right words just come pouring out. And sometimes, you get to share that with someone who needs to hear it. Finding the words I found a new gymnastics group on Facebook where I started posting my progress videos. Today, as I was… Continue reading Inspiring Others: Adult Gymnastics, Resilience, and Shared Passion
FlipFest 2024: My First Adult Gymnastics Camp Experience
At 52, I attended my first adult gymnastics camp in Crossville, Tennessee. This is all about my FlipFest experience. You can see us, front row center Sometimes, your world can feel small. This is especially true when you leave for a bit to experience something on a much grander scale. In my case, I'd been preparing… Continue reading FlipFest 2024: My First Adult Gymnastics Camp Experience
Getting Ready for Camp!
Ready for an adventure! In July, I posted Preparing for my First Gymnastics Camp, anticipating my very first adult gymnastics experience at FlipFest. I am writing this on the eve of our departure and I must say I am shaking with excitement. This is going to be a road trip from New Jersey to Crossville, Tennessee… Continue reading Getting Ready for Camp!
Rebuilding Confidence: How to Overcome Fear After an Injury
Coming back from a physical injury is a great feat. Conquering the mental fallout is like winning the Olympic gold medal. This article chronicles the steps I took on the long road to overcoming fear. Trust the process. I’ve written a lot about managing fear and the effects our Lizard brain has on our ability… Continue reading Rebuilding Confidence: How to Overcome Fear After an Injury
Geriatric Gymnasts in the Spotlight
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! My Geriatric Gymnast story is highlighted in the Atlantic! Read on for more information. I am fully entrenched in all flippy things Paris 2024. Like the rest of the world, I love watching the glory of Golden Girls Simone, Suni, Jordan, Jade and Hezly, and the greatness of the bronze boys Paul, Brody,… Continue reading Geriatric Gymnasts in the Spotlight
Preparing for my First Gymnastics Camp
Stepping out of your comfort zone is always a challenge. This article talks about preparing to take a giant leap out of mine. While I've been flipping for 16 years now, I have never flipped anywhere but my home gym. In the past year or two, I've seen lots of adult gymnastics "camp" and competition… Continue reading Preparing for my First Gymnastics Camp
Promoting adult gymnastics
Gymnastics is not just for kids anymore. This is a story of a recent encounter I had with a fellow writer, athlete and coach who is doing a deep dive into the expanding realm of adult gymnastics. I recently made a new flippy friend! Out of the blue, I got an email that caught my… Continue reading Promoting adult gymnastics
Inspiring Through Adult Gymnastics
Last June, I published Why Do I Post So Much?, a reflection on all of the gymnastics stuff I put on social media. At the time, I had posted a video that was getting some attention (over 140K views, which is gargantuan for my little account). As others commented how inspired they were by the… Continue reading Inspiring Through Adult Gymnastics
Hot June Challenge, Geriatric Gymnast Style
What do Geriatric Gymnasts do in the heat? We pull it back a bit, but we still know how to have fun. Read on for some tips and examples of how we navigate class in the hot summer heat. The heat is on! Tuesday was one of those long, hot days just before summer begins.… Continue reading Hot June Challenge, Geriatric Gymnast Style
Practice makes habits
Whether you are a newbie or veteran gymnast, this article might be helpful when you consider how you create consistency in your training habits and why the journey is so darn hard. Gymnasts, particularly those of us “of a certain age,” work to develop complex physical skills through the obstacles of body limitations, fear and… Continue reading Practice makes habits
A Primer for Back Tucks on the Trampoline
This article is designed to help gymnasts who are struggling with their back tucks on the trampoline. It offers lots of how-to tips and detailed, step-by-step descriptions of the hows and whys of the drills I've personally used to improve my technique. One of the main questions I often get relates to getting over the… Continue reading A Primer for Back Tucks on the Trampoline
Improving back handsprings, part 2
This article was actually written and published in February 2024, before my April version of Improving Back Handspring Technique. For some reason, it got lost in the WordPress ether and I had to do a lengthy archive search process to find it again. When I read it through, there was even more useful information than… Continue reading Improving back handsprings, part 2
Commit to the Fundamentals
In gymnastics, every choice you make is an important one. Each skill, whether a handstand, salto (flip) or a complex combination of moves, requires a laundry list of technical requirements. When you are first starting out, that list can be very intimidating. I coach adult gymnastics at Flipper's Gymnastics in Ramsey, NJ. We now offer… Continue reading Commit to the Fundamentals
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