While I am not hanging up my hat anytime soon, I am very excited about the turn of events the past six months far more than anything I set out to do for myself.
Previously in my log, I have discussed a bit about the athletic approach with our kids, which is basically they choose what it is they are doing. Pretty simple and low stress. The constant that HAS been part of our parenting has been teaching both kids proper technique with lifting, a love for training, working hard and winning in whatever they choose to do. Through those experiences, both kids developed a solid strength base as a side effect. The truth of the matter is whatever athletic path that “sticks” for them, strength is essential. With both kids we allowed them to explore different athletic opportunities and once they decided they wanted to commit, we would be there 1000%. We are at that point with both of them and I love every moment of it.
The Girl has always been my partner in crime with training. Every day she comes to the gym with me is special and truthfully she is very easy to work. At this point she has a serious love for not only training, but strength athletics. Earlier this year I forced her to try track and field (24 hours that proved to be the most difficult ever in raising her, but will be saved for a different day).
Shot and discus are her things and she is doing exceptionally well for her age with both. I, on the other hand, have some lessons to learn.
She is young. She will change her mind with things that interest her. However, while I have her attention, focus and drive, I am giving her every tool available to become THE BEST HER in any sport if she chooses to pursue them at any point in her future.
The Foundation
The early years of her life have been learning the culture and expectations in the gym. Through structured play and “training” with us, our goal was to drill in proper technique and mindset with lifting. Lifting “heavy” was never the focus, and it still is not. However, at her request, she has opportunities from time to time to max.
The Goals
Moving forward the goal for her is to develop explosiveness, precision, an unwavering winning mindset based in self-confidence and strength. Her loves fluctuate between weightlifting and throwing. She will not have to make a choice between them anytime soon, since they go hand in hand.
The Plan
The Girl has every tool at her finger tips to excel. It will be up to her how much work, dedication and sacrifice she wants to make. Acting is her #1 love and every decision made is based on acting being her priority. She has skipped multiple track opportunities so far this summer because of her acting schedule. If she decides she wants to go play with a friend or do a typical age appropriate activity, we try to provide her as much flexibility as possible so she doesn’t hear “no” in relation to her training. This is in an effort to avoid resentment or for her to feel like she ever has to “choose”. She is far too young for that and limits the development of the whole child.
Let me be clear, she has access to the best there is where we live. If she wants to be the best (at this time she reports she does), she needs to develop under proper direction with precision so there is no relearning later on down the road. The plan is to do it right the first time and maximize every training session and opportunity available to her.
The Training Structure
1. The #1 priority we felt was appropriate to support her love for throwing and future success in strength athletics was weightlifting. She started a month ago working with a coach two times per week. She has a snatch day and the other day is working on clean and then jerk, as isolated movements. More details on her progress as it comes. Her first few months are all about technique and we already see a significant carry over to her throwing. She has requested to compete later this year in weightlifting. Her coach will make that determination if he feels she is capable and everything is able to come together. My struggle with her training is to keep my mouth shut out of respect for her coach and his methodologies. While we have very similar views and approaches, he is the coach in his gym and that is a boundary I am respecting and often bite my tongue. As a special ed teacher my specialty is reading people and assessing instruction. I do step in to “translate” for her, when her body language indicates she is uncertain or unclear of a direction or if I have previously given her different verbage.
2. The next important thing is for her to understand HOW to throw. Right now her strength carries her to success, the technique needs serious work. Beginning this month she is working with a throwing coach to help her improve and eventually perfect her skills. More on that as it develops.
3. Being a competitor is tied into mental fortitude. There is so much to learn about competing, keeping a strong mind and dealing with anxiety and nervousness when competing. The more exposure to these types of experiences she has at an early age, the stronger her mind will be when it really counts, in life and in competition.
At this point The Girl had the opportunity to compete in two higher level local opportunities. She has been around countless competitions in multiple strength sports as a spectator. She understands the “flow” of competitions. What she does not know is HOW to compete, how to maintain performance through a long and grueling day and how to think like a winner despite the adversity she might be facing. We have some plans in place for the short term competing but don’t want to count her chickens yet. For the coming year, we have agreed for her to do nationals for both track and field and USA Weightlifting provided she remains consistent, focused, working hard and improving. Following though and adhering to that criteria is for her to decide.
4. The final component of her training is training with us. Her training is designed to support her development into an explosive, strong and confident lifter/thrower. I tend to view that as time we get the opportunity to hang out with her and I think she would probably agree with that analysis. There is not really an appropriate group we can place her in so her training happens during “off” hours. Yesterday, the entire family was in the gym. Matt worked with Magnus, I worked with The Girl. It was AWESOME and one of the fondest family times we’ve had together in a while.
So that’s where we have been, where we are at right now and where we are headed. I do realize that next month she might decide she doesn’t want to do any of it and that is ok until track season. We do require our kids to be in at least one sport per year, so I do not anticipate her adopting a new one any time soon but you never know.
Her journey started many years ago. We helped shape and mold the baseline. The time has come to hand the reigns over to the experts for their respective areas, each assigned to valuable and important aspects of her development as a competitive lifter and athlete.
In anticipation of the big event, I did let her wear my coveted Team elitefts shirt. It was appropriate.