Posts Tagged ‘Paralympic Games’

“So sick. SO. SICK. WOW! That was awesome!”

Those are the words I just said out loud… to myself… by myself, in my apartment. It’s not sick as in gross. I’m “that guy” who uses words like sick and epic to describe things he thinks are cool. Think that’s annoying? Deal with it, I’m not ashamed.

Alright, gut check time. I have said a few times over the past few months that I am going to start being more real and more raw on this blog. It all started from a conversation with Alon, in which he commented on a video I made and said, “Tom… how did that topic REALLY make you feel?” As in, “you gave us SOME of the real you, but not all of it. We came to YOUR blog to hear YOUR thoughts. Give it to us, straight.”

So I’m trying.

This commercial that I’m pasting below basically embodies who I THINK I am as a coach, and I freaking LOVE feeling like that! Feeling that I can look at any athlete, regardless of their experience level, ability levels, or confidence level, and TRULY think to myself… Let’s do this. You CAN do anything.

Most (all?) of you who have trained with me know that I hate (yep, hate) phrases like “I can’t.” Instead, I prefer conversations like one that I had with the amazing Casey Polk once:

Casey- “I SUCK at running!”
Me- *Disappointed stare*
Casey- “UGH! I mean… I am excited to have the opportunity to improve my running today.”
Casey- *Sly smile because she realized how much better it felt to say it that way.*

Even typing that has me smiling like a goon over here.

So that’s why I started this blog. I started it to share, and communicate, and interact, and help, and offer resources to you guys. My “readers”, the athletes that I am lucky enough to train, my friends. And to hopefully bring a smile to your face that comes close to matching the ones that you all give me every day.

So here’s to hoping that we can continue to grow these relationships together. Because even though the main goal of this blog is to try and help you, it sure as hell helps me a lot, too! Keeping this a two-way street will make this a lot more fun for all of us. (Otherwise, I’ll just keep posting more Parkour and Snowboarding videos, since that’s what I like!…. and you’ll still get those things, I’d just like to post things YOU want to see/learn/talk about, too!)

You guys are amazing. And like I said above, I really do think you can do anything you put your minds to and believe in. Sometimes I’ll just believe in it a little more at first!

Boom.

My buddy Rj (aka Rejalicious) sent me this link the other day with the note, “Maybe you could feature this on your blog.” It’s so cool when your friends know you well enough to see something and think, “He would LOVE this”… and for them to be right!

Today’s Thought of the Day:
In the face of incredible adversity and hardship, how will you react? Will you throw in the towel and give up, or will you bounce back and do something incredible?

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” ~ Vince Lombardi

 

The video and story featured below are from GrindTv.com, and they discuss Josh Dueck. In 2004, Josh suffered an injury while practicing on a ski jump that left him paralyzed from the waist down. The story could stop here, with him being introduced to ski downhill racing (in his sit-ski), then entering into the racing circuit. His first year he got worked every race and didn’t like that very much. So he practiced all summer, and the next year won the World Championships. Oh yeah… he then went on to the Paralympic Games in 2010 and won the Silver Medal for Canada. How awesome and inspiring is that?!

What? That’s not cool enough for you? Man, you guys are tough to please.

Ok, fine. Josh is back again with another AMAZING story. This time, he’s featured for being the first paraplegic skier to complete a back flip (also from GrindTv.com). Next time something comes at you and you view it as a challenge, try your best to find a way to view it as an OPPORTUNITY to excel and conquer that challenge.

I know Josh did, and still is to this day! Thanks for the link, Rj.