All - Quite a bit of stuff got moved today. There are now thick rubber horse mats over almost all of the gym, with plywood inserted to lift off of. The mats and the plywood are the same height, so one can step from one to the other without an issue. WE have 8 platforms set up now, plus the blocks to work off of as a 9th. WE can also have at least 1-2 working off of the mats in between, so we are in good shape. Troy says his mother and dad are getting a 47 inch TV to to go in there. There is a new heater installed. All we need is..... MORE LIFTERS. I told Lele of a kid I tried to recruit today.... a young kid from Mattoon High School named Zach Black(?) He knew Taylor and her brother. WE ALL... PARENTS AND KIDS.... NEED TO TRY AND RECRUIT SOMEONE EVERY DAY. Friends... neighbors..... former lifters.... even people you see. Everyone please feel welcome to come out by and see the place and watch. Most we try to recruit will not follow up and come. Of those who do, many will not be here a month later, much less a year later. One thing is clear: Those we dont try and recruit are extremely unlikely to join us. Over time, we have trained many places. MY basement... my garage.... the old swimming pool in Charleston (where McDonalds is now).... the basement of the Christian Church in Charleston.... Thornburghs garage...the shed at Baker Field....Charleston High School..... the shed at the church between Mattoon and Charleston (thanks to Caskeys).... the church out on 4th Street courtesy of the Caskeys and John Best.....and probably a a few I have forgotten. WE are very indebted to Mike Houser and Mindy. It is Mikes building and he has done most of the work, with Troy helping a lot, too. Mike Brown chipped in today. We have a set-up from which champions can be developed. Also, tomorrow Mike will bring in the machine Curt and Stewart used years ago to help them compete on a world level and which only Troy and Jim Dinaso have even seen. I have never seen another in use, and they are no longer even made. Mike spent some time working on it, and his expertise allowed him to fix it. I am anxious to see how closely it will work compared to back in the 70s. I may have paid $400 for it 40 years ago, but certainly at least $200, which was a lot of money 40 years ago. I ask all of you to invite any and all you see to come by and see the place and join our club... or at least watch us train. We train at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday) and a little before 6 on Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. on Saturday. We will try and post more pictures and videos of the gym. There is no cost to join. It is located on Marshall Ave. about 3 - 4 blocks north of Mattoon High School. I believe it is 2601 Marshall Ave. Bret and Camille leave for Washington, D.C., for the American Open National WL Championships in 11 days. Bret and Camille will spend New Years Eve at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for an all expenses paid training camp for lifters who are contenders for the 2015 World Youth WL Championships in Lima, Peru. IT will be Camilles 4th trip to the OTC this year, with 3 of them fully paid for. Bret and Camille and (we hope) Leandra Webb and Kevin Myers will attend the National Jr. (20 and under) WL Championships in Oklahoma City being run by gold medalist gymnasts Bart Connor and the legendary Nadia Comaneci. I am not sure if this link will work to watch Nadia. Nadia Comaneci-first perfect ten in history (1976 Montreal) You should all thank Mike and Mindy when you see them. Thank you very much, Mike and Mindy.- Marty
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 05:23:29 +0000
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