Day Three: Giants, giants, giants

After the somewhat abysmal high bar performance by the varsity in last night's meet I told coach Foerch that I wanted to take on the varisty high bar team. Two of the five guys compete giants at all, and they do them in one direction only. I took them to the strap bar (where you lash yourself to the bar so you can't fly off - for better and worse) and told them, "I wouldn't ask any of you to do anything I wouldn't do." So I hopped up and busted out some sweet giants.

I had done giants in the straps on the beach in Santa Monica last summer, but I was still a little nervous. I survived just fine, but my back was making all sorts of cracking sounds each time I'd swing through the bottom.

By the end of the day we had three guys swinging giants on the real bar (i.e. no straps) and one at least going over by himself in the straps. As I've said before the guys have talent. The best part was when they started encouraging each other: "it's scary at first but it's not that bad after that." "Just do it, they're actually pretty fun."

Then during the strength workout I took the varsity and JV rings team and looked at their sorry crosses. I asked them, "what's the proper technique for doing a cross?" They all just shrugged. So I taught them - the way Josh Reznick (4th in state on rings) taught me.