Woke up this morning at 3:20 and was at the gym by 4:20 ready to work out solidly in preparation for 3 hours with coach. My swollen foot (see previous post) has come down a lot and now it just plain hurts especially with a shoe scraping against the carpet burns on the top of it. Was excited to get down there and get more breakthroughs on my back flexibility and it appears my whole back is out of alignment again. I am currently working on my off side to get more symmetry but in doing so the body is having to move and twist in ways against how it is used to going. My shoulders are having to carry weight on pathways they have never had to do and so my body is getting out of alignment almost every time I train. Doc can adjust me easily and as soon as she does I tend to have an incredible day the next day as my body is at full flexibility and strength and ready to go.

I was expecting to have done my Level 4 Floor Routine by now but thanks to torso rotation and swollen foot getting in the way it STILL has not happened. When I was down there stretching it just wasn’t working. It was much harder the body was resisting the techniques. Now I have to tell you that even on a bad day I am still the most flexible person in the gym but I measure against my personal best because that is what matters to me. I am so used to having days where I get better that a day where I actually stay the same or worse is traumatic for me.

I LOVE to train. I LOVE to get in the gym and three to four hours passes by easily while I am training. Today it was just frustrating. Failing. Failing. Failing. Small Success and then more failure. Knowing I have three hours with coach I did the best thing I could think of. Withdraw. Strategic Retreat. Come back home. Feed myself a protein shake, rest, use the Sedona Method to release the frustration and get ready to come back with Coach with a new attitude rather than one of despondency. There are potentially huge breakthroughs on bars to look forward to but I need to being optimism to the session rather than legacy pain and frustration.

So I off for now to rest, meditate and release and come back. So watch for the next post. Go Heroes!!

It has been a frustrating two days since hurting my big toe on the bars. I was positioned to nail some big routines and move past some goals and now these have been severely curtailed as a result. For  a while I thought my big toe was broken, then it was my foot then it seemed only to be a sprain. It stopped me from training yesterday and got me to focus on healing and nurturing my body but that does not take away the doubt and frustation.

This morning it felt better but nowhere near good enough to sprint on, or tumble on. OK there goes my plan for Level 4 Floor again. Again. %&^(#$!!!  I woke up determined to do what I could with what I had. I went down to LA Fitness to train and did my bridges and my back was in good form. I then did Kickovers on my off-leg and did my best ever. 5 off the one panel mat and very clean. I then did 5 upslinkies onto the one panel mat off my good leg and then went for upslinkies onto the two panel mat even though I had never made one before AND my foot was lacking power. You never know I made two anyway. I then did some Front Lumber Kickovers and then went off to train with coach.

Coach taped my foot to avoid clipped the Big Toe again and then he and I started on bars and made huge progress on our Level 6 bar routine with more and more distinctions coming together and it getting tighter and tighter and my kips were getting back to their old form. I can visualize my Level 6 bar routine coming together now. So Exciting. We then did some work on beam handstands for our Level 6 dismount and they were OK but coached call the session early I was just too limited in what I could do.

I could have called it quits but went back to LA Fitness and worked on my sidesplits and went down further then ever before. Really amazing to see the progress there and it will not be long before I can be in full splits.

Time to rest. Look forward to tomorrow, know I put in the best effort today with what I have and know that tomorrow is another brand new day with new possibilities to create my dreams. Off to the Jacuzzi and then ice. Go Heroes!!

After coming back from training yesterday I went and jumped in the Jacuzzi and then iced my big toe which took a hit from my bar routine. As the day wore on it swelled more and more and was getting more painful to walk on. Finally last night I went to massage it and only in the  light did I see the big blue ring of bruising around the foot. It appears it was not the toe but the joint that had been badly sprained. I went to bed praying that it would be Ok in the morning.

When I woke at 5am to go and train it just was not going to work out so I texted coach and cancelled training. My heart sank because if it was broken I might not train for the next seven days. I had five hours more sleep and got up had a big breakfast (unusual for me) and went to see Dr Michelle my beloved Chiropractor.

First of all she affirmed it was not broken only badly sprained and would be OK to train around tomorrow. Phew what a relief. My back is in great shape, rest of the body is doing great and I was expecting lots of breakthroughs and then this. Frustrating feeling taking steps forward only to have to take a step back. Fortunately I have lots of other skills I can work on for a day or two until I can tumble on it again.

My body is craving training. Having not trained tonight I feel an overall compulsion to go and workout for a couple of hours just to get the body moving. Being idle is exasperating!!!

One of my favorite sayings is ‘This too shall pass’, and it implies there have been other challenges you have overcome (true) that the challenge is time based (true) and another step forward will be made (true). I will continue to get better in every way, every day in my pursuit of GOLD in London in Women’s Gymnastics. Go Heroes!!!

I woke up early this morning as I got to train with coach and that always makes my days even better.  I went down to LA Fitness. It was a little chilly outside which mean the gym at Elite where I train was going to be oh so cold inside. My back was doing Ok just not at its peak. By the time I got inside the gym with coach it was cold. I did not have the flexibility to do the Level 4 Routine like I hoped but will get it either Wed or Thurs with coach. 

We worked on vault and raised the vaulting table up to level 5 so I can begin conditioning that for advanced skills later on. Coach was ecstatic with the progress I am making on vault. Good body form and run and pieces coming together.

We then went over to the bars where are working on the first part of Level 6. This is a Glide Kip to Clea Hip to Glide Kip to squat on. This is tough especially being a tall gymnast at 5’7″ unlike most of the other girls who have lots of clearance I do not have that when I swing under on the low bar. My butt is inches from the ground on the swing so my legs have to be in excellent form or I am grounding them.

Well coach gave some new distinctions he realized and suddenly we had a major step forward in this technique which is great. I love it when he has these ideas to test. The final turn of the rotation of jammed both feet into the ground and I may have broken my toe. It hurts a lot, even two hours later.

We then went to beam where we were focusing on turns because I get to do a passe full turn as part of my Level 6 beam which is needed because soon after that we start doing double turns on the beam. Get dizzy spining around once. Do that ten times on a beam and check your balance!!!

Overall it was a great morning and the lesson here is mastery is the accumulation of thousands of little distinctions over time and that is why you pay for a great coach to accelerate your learning those techniques than having to do it yourself if that is even possible. Look for the distinctions, drill the skills and train, train and train.

I love my life so much. Only 7 more sessions with coach this year. Off to the Jazuzzi then to get a healthy salad for lunch. Go Heroes!!

I heard this a while ago and decided to adopt it as my personal creed. There are so many things now I do that are effortless and people look at them and they are amazed and yet to me they are normal. Back when I started I would have been amazed had I watched someone do that knowing that at the time it was impossible. But now two years into training for the Olympics my body has changed and become more supple, stronger and more flexible. What was once impossible is now easy. Not everything is easy there are still some things that scare me, that I struggle with but overall so much of what I do has become achievable and a lot of it easy.

I remember when I began two years ago focusing on my back flexibility. The idea of leaning back and putting my hands on the ground was a dream. Now I do that dream about 60 times a morning as part of conditioning. I now am at a point where I am going negative where instead of coming off panel mats to make it easier I am going up panel mats to go harder. I am also using the other side of my body for symmetry which is something I never did before.

I have started work on the side splits before but always quit no more than ten days into it and sometimes less. Coach said a couple of months ago that Bobbie you need the sideways splits now so get it. So get it!!! That was it. Something which I had struggled with and now just get it. So each morning I sit in the splits for one minute on and one minute off for about seven minutes of each. The conditioning is happening and I am moving ever closer to be able to get to the splits and then conditioning to be able to stay there. I am soooo looking forward to be able to sit permanently in the sidesplits. Talk about a dream come true. There are very few 21 years girls who can do the splits even if they could when they were younger and I have to go past that into oversplits.

The key here is the more I condition the easier all these techniques get. What was once impossible, then becomes possible and then easier and finally easy. I am currently working on doing an upslinky onto to 2 panel mats. I have never made one yet. (I have done ten to date) but I know within a matter of time I will make one and then 3/5 and then 5/5 and then will rase it to three panel mats and more,  in the meantime the standard slinky will become like breathing, easy and automatic.

It comes down to hours in the gym. Committed, focused training and realizing that Conditioning Builds Stamina. Suddenly you doing things that absolutely amaze people and they think it must have always been easy.

Off to jump in the jacuzzi and let my legs relax after sitting in the splits. Go Heroes!!!

Many of you have heard this saying as part of Frontier Trainings. I was the one originally who coined the team at a Frontier event and it just caught on. It is not surprising to me because when you wake up and have multiple breakthroughs before you have even had breakfast you start the day powering ahead.

Two days ago when I saw Doc (Dr Michelle Binkowski my chiro) she worked on my shoulder muscles which are really crunchy and then adjusted my back. Well my back went click-click-click and the entire upper back opened for the first time like it has never opened before. I could tell instantly it was different. I did not train yesterday as I was skiing and so could not wait to train this morning. I woke up at 5:20 after a big dinner last night and seven hours sleep so I could be in top form. Did I say top form!!!! I had eleven breakthroughs before breakfast including nearly all major stretching I do in the morning. I upped the ante on EVERYTHING and everything delivered. So incredible. I trained for 4 and a half hours this morning. 

I am now doing Upslinkies. This is where you do a slinky going up onto panel mats which is soooo much tougher. I made lots on the one panel mat and none on the two panel mat. But soon. Once you can do upslinkies then normal slinkies are a piece of cake because of the extra kick strength you get from Upslinkies.

My sidesplits are also coming down further and tomorrow will be another huge breakthrough on that as well. I learned a lot more about my body today and the individual muscles on my back and where I am unbalanced. I am also now working on my off side so my body can get more symmetry and strenghten over all. I ended up doing Kickovers with my off leg off the two panel mat. Once it gets into my physiology it will not be long before I will be doing it off the floor as well. It is so exciting. Hard work and dedication is showing through. Every day I train and train to get better and better and it shows in all the hours I put in.

It will not be long before I nail my Level 4 Floor Routine with the Front Limber Kickover and then onto Level 5 with the Back Walkover (90% chance), Back Extension Roll (needs work) and Front Handsprings (working on them soon) and am also working on Back Walkovers on the beam. I have a big incentive as my next super big goal is doing back handsprings on the beam. Scary but with focus I will nail those as well. Plus I have the best coach in the world.

Off to jump in the Jacuzzi and then spend the afternoon with Kenny. Go Heroes!!!

I just got back from skiing up at Snow Summit. It was gorgeous up there and Kenny and I had a great time. It is rare we both get to have a whole night and day together on the weekend with my gymnastics training and cheer and our games for the Heroes. When I arrived home I grabbed my copy of Inside Cheerleader and there was an article by US Gold Medalist gymnast Shawn Johnson. She was asked how do you cope with the strain on your body. Here is her response…..

“My body has taken quite a pounding over the years so keeping my body healthy and feeling good is a challenge. For me, I think it all comes down to your lifestyle. How I maintain a healthy body is just eating right, lots of sleep, daily visits to the chiropractor (that is what I swear by), hot tubs, saunas and when I can fit it in I love massages!”

I knew it. I am doing all the right things. I even cut back Starbucks even though it cost me my Proud Potential Sponsorship. It was more important to train successfully than to have my Grande Strawberries and Cream Frappacino. It was actually a small price to pay.

The great oil baron Harolsson Lafayette Hunt said you can have anything you want in life you just have to do two things. Firstly decide exactly what you want and Secondly pay the costs for it upfront. Most people are not willing to put in the work to get their goals. I am. I am going to GOLD in London in 2012. It consumes me. It focused me. It drives me relentlessly every day. I have not trained for 40 hours. I cannot wait to train tomorrow morning.

What do you want to achieve? What prices are you going to have to pay? When are you committing to it?

Go Heroes!!!!

I am finally back up and blogging. Today was an amazing day. For almost two years since I declared training for the Olympics I have been working on my back flexibility every day. Bridges and bridges and more bridges. Clicking as my back opens up more and more like it was as a Junior Elite. How time reduces flexibility. 

Over the last two years I had to work on a Front Limber Kickover which is where you go into a handstand then into a bridge and then kick straight back over with no hesitation. I have been working hard to do this as part of my Level 4 Floor Routine. I am already on Level 6 Beam, Bars and Vault but this was holding me back from moving on the Floor. (I am working on Level 6 Floor but have not completed all skills for 4 yet!)

This morning I went to L.A. Fitness to warm up before going to train with the best coach in the world.  My back was in fine form as I did my first Decaslinky!! That is a backbend with hands to the ground and then kicking over your head and then back and kickover and back and kickover just like a slinky ten times.  It was my best ever.

When I went to work with coach I was able to do ten Front Limber Kickovers as my back was so warm but just could not put it all together with my routine. It was exhausting however by Tuesday my back will be rested and I will be ready to complete this routine and move onto finishing Level 5 and then 6 and then we get into Optionals.

I love the life of a gymnast and pushing myself so much every day and learning so many distinctions about excellence. Thank you for following me and I look forward to sharing more on my journey for GOLD in London in 2012 in Women’s Gymnastics. As we say in my Cheer Squad. Go Heroes!!!

Welcome to GOLD: Blog of an Olympic Gymnast. My name is Bobbie-Sue Numbawon and I am currently a senior at SDU and am Captain of the West Coast Heroes Cheerleading Team. We have won the National title three years running. I grew up doing gymnastics, cheer and dance and at the age of 14 I was an International Junior Elite and was travelling and competing around the world and on target to go to the Olympics however I made a dumb mistake and hurt mistake and made myself ineligible due to a career ending (or so I thought) knee injury.

After watching the girls I trained with as a Junior go onto win Gold in Beijing I was inspired. Nastia Luikin declared for London at age 19 the same age as me. I suddenly realized that if she could declare at that age then so could I. I made a decision that day that would change my life. I would recommit to competing for the USat he Olympics. The odds are so far stacked against me but I committed to it anyway.

Since then I have been back in training every single day. I was already in great shape as Captain of the Heroes so overall fitness was already excellent but I am going to tell you that Cheerleader fit is very different from Olympic Gymnast fit. It is really like four sports in one as each piece of apparatus is so different. Strength, Balance, Flexibility as a gymnast we need it all.

So this Blog is going to be tracking all my progress. I have my website located at http://bobbiesue.tv where I have all my footage archived with my times with coach so feel free to check it out. Lots  more to come.

Lots of love,

Bobbie-Sue.