Daniel Geri 09 July at 19:22Dear Friends and Supporters,The Cal Gymnastics Forever Foundation will be meeting with the Chancellor of UC Berkeley NEXT WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH. We will be submitting our Business Plan for financial viability, including ALL your letters and pledges.PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR LETTERS AND YOUR PLEDGES NOW so that your voice will be heard. Pledges will only be collected after the University guarantees our program beyond the 2011 season.We have made it easier to submit your letters, and even designed an ONLINE auto-create letter system so all you have to do is enter your name and contact information and click a button! It will take you LESS THAN 3 MINUTES!just go to http://www.calgymnasticsforever.com/We have already received 25% of our annual operating budget and over 100 letters, but there are 1200 of us in this Facebook group alone!If you truly support Cal Gymnastics, now is the time to act.Thanks to all who have already submitted, and to all of you for your ongoing support,Sincerely,The Cal Gymnastics Forever Foundation

July 10, 2010

Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau

200 California Hall # 1500

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720-1500

Dear Chancellor Birgeneau,

“But one of the redeeming things about being an athlete - one of the real services we can perform - is to redefine what’s humanly possible.  We cause people to reconsider their limits, to see that what looks like a wall may really just be an obstacle in the mind”. - Lance Armstrong

The decision for Cal is simple.  Abandon a program with a rich history - probably the easy simple solution, or celebrate in 2012 a new 100 years of one of its most successful athletic programs. Cal could reverse this trend of minimizing the value of athletics and redefine what is humanly possible for a University experience.

I was a student athlete for Cal in the mid 1970’s, probably the golden era for Men’s NCAA gymnastics with well over 100 division one programs.  We were NCAA Champions in 1975, 3^rd in 1974 and 1976.  I won 2 individual NCAA titles, was the USA individual All-Around champion and a 1976 Olympian. As a team we maintained one of the highest graduation rates from one of the toughest and highest rated Universities in the country. These statistics can easily be looked up. What isn’t in the record books is that we trained in Harmon Room 109, a facility so small that we couldn’t even have all the equipment set up at the same time, we would have to run down the hall into the room to vault because the room wasn’t long enough for the vaulting runway.  Even though this facility was sub-standard even then, we found a way to redefine what was humanly possible.

I take these experiences from Cal with me every day.  They give me the courage to challenge difficult situations, to serve underserved sectors of our society and have the confidence that I can be successful.  Being a student-athlete defines who I am today.Gymnastics was one of the original sports in the ancient Olympics and one of the glamour sports of the modern Olympics today.  Cal has one of the richest histories of any Universities, a perennial leader.  Please take the challenge to show the value of college athletic, redefine what is possible for University life today.

Sincerely yours,Thomas A Beach
Executive DirectorThe Non-Profit Toolbox
tom@thetoolboxinc.com

Cc: Sandy Barbour

_____________________________________________________

July 10, 2010

Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau

200 California Hall # 1500

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720-1500

Dear Chancellor Birgeneau,

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has thepower to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” - Nelson Mandela

This is what I think of when I think of Cal Men’s Gymnastics. No it’s not the most popular sport, nor does it bring in the big bucks for the athletic department. We do live in a capitalistic environment, but should a sport be discontinued because it is not the most popular?As a graduate, I see the University of California as a melting pot, and a pillar of great traditions. Cal has a tradition of research and development for not only the moneymaking ventures; but is what it is because it is there to also support the inspired.

2012 is the 100^th year of support for men’s gymnastics, a sport that has evolved through the years, and still Cal is (and always has been) a major player in the evolution of the sport. It is a proud tradition, with Dr. Frey at the forefront of the creation of what is now the USAG (United States Gymnastics) and attracting superior coaches and athletes. International Teams and individuals came to Cal to compete and train.

I met my husband at Cal, he was on the team, and represented the United States (and Cal) in the 1976 Olympic Games. The facility was not “cutting edge” but the coaching was, and the team proved it in 1975 when they won the NCAA’s when there were many teams competing for the honor.I am sure that what we see going on with the Cal Men’s Gymnastics Team is a microcosm of what is happening to many sports all across the US, as cities, counties, and states grapple with strained resources, and budget problems.

What should a college or university provide to the community, the students? Much can be said about how the sport provided various individuals with an avenue to success, and there are many of those stories.

I state my appeal for Cal to continue to support Men’s gymnastics and leave you with two last statements:We currently live outside of Boston, where college traditions thrive. The Ivy League Colleges with their reputation of honor and tradition. I think Cal can be like them, where sport is respected, and very much a part of their legacy.

My adult daughter is currently taking classes at Cal; she recently visited Harmon Gym, and was proud to see that Cal had a representation of the gymnastics tradition that her father was a part of for all to see.

Sincerely yours,

Reiko Beach
President
The Non-Profit Toolboxreiko@thetoolboxinc.comcc: Sandy Barbour

Begins July 20thRegister now!

Term 1 of USA Project 2012 has been awesome so far, thank you to everyone who has joined us! Term 2 begins July 20th and there is still space available. Term 2 will feature presentations from Tony Retrosi, Tammy Biggs, Mary Lee Tracy, Russell Warfield, and Mas Watanabe. Coaches will learn cutting edge information from the best clinicians in our country! Sessions include 45 minutes of lecture and 15 minutes of question and answer, using live lecture, video, power point, and of course your questions, all on your computer. Watch it live or watch the recording from anywhere you’d like.

Visit www.usaproject2012.com for more information and registration.

What a year it has been, and 2010 has started off with a BANG!!

Our YouTube views are going off the charts…Thank you for all that have visited, and for those of you that haven’t yet…better get there for your Gymnastics Minutes Tips…all the other coaches are there!!

Don’t forget to visit: www.GymsmartsCommunity.com. for more coaching information, comment back to the coaches. 

Mas Watanabe writes about  Competition Goals

Let our coaches what you would like to hear about.  Let us know what you want. 

• Join our Facebook Fan page for discussions & news!!  FB link: Gymsmarts Community - Gymnastics
• Follow us on Twitter: @GymSmarts https://twitter.com/gymsmarts
• Visit The Gymnastic Minute for free quick tips on training from our coaches!

Learning the Glide Kip   DVD by Dan Connelly Learning the Glide Kip will help you teach you a successful glide kip on uneven bars. The kip is one of the fundamental skills needed for bars, and a complicated skill of timing and strength for the beginner/intermediate gymnast to do correctly. You will learn conditioning drills before learning the kip, some of the fundamentals of the glide, and some of Dan’s favorite kip drills with demonstrations of each in this comprehensive DVD. (More info). $29.95

Balance Beam Dismount Basics DVD by Tammy Biggs Tammy Biggs, continues her in-depth balance beam skills basics with this Developing Balance Beam Dismount Basics. In detail she breaks down each critical portion of developing dismounts from the beam. From the stretch jump, root skills needed and punching, to single flipping, and beginning double backs, she clearly and succinctly explains basics of each part of the cartwheel, round-offs and back handsprings as they relate to the beam dismount. This DVD is a must for anyone wanting to perform advanced dismounts, and the body positions are clearly performed by the demonstrators from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. (More info). $29.95

]]> http://gymsmartscommunity.com/blog/2010/01/08/new-jan-dvds/feed/ http://gymsmartscommunity.com/blog/2010/01/08/welcome-wibiya/ http://gymsmartscommunity.com/blog/2010/01/08/welcome-wibiya/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:57:36 +0000 Tom & Reiko Beach http://gymsmartscommunity.com/blog/2010/01/08/welcome-wibiya/ Do you have a web site that needs updating?  I have some, and I wanted to add social media awareness to the site…enter Wibiya.  Now I have an apps bar that shows my visitors where to find us without them leaving the site, and I get stats!

Search the site, translate it, show my latest on YouTube, Facebook friends, twitter, latest blog entries, let them share the page with friends. Put on a chat, show realtime users.

It took me about 30 minutes to set everything up, and was so simple to add to a blog or website. So as I work on updating my site, I have at least added something new to it.  Check it out at: GymSmarts!

GymSmarts Top DVDs for 2009

Five Sets ranked in the top 20…

1. Mas Watanabe’s Tumbling Set
2. Tony Gehman’s Advance Tumbling Set
3. Mas Watanabe’s Bar Set
4. Mas Watanabe’s Vaulting Series
5. Beth Gardner’s Preschool and Rec Gym 1-3

Top 10 individual DVDs:

1. Tammy Biggs – Leaps and Jumps
2. Tammy Biggs – Beam Complexes
3. Mary Lee Tracy – Core Strength
4. Mary Lee Tracy – Circuit Training
5. Tammy Biggs – Flexibility
6. Tony Retrosi – 5 Bar Skills
7. Tammy Biggs – Round-off
8. Tammy Biggs- Flipping Drills
9. Tammy Biggs – Aerials
10. Debbie Rodriguez – Beam Stability

Purchase any of these that you missed at: http://gymsmarts.com