To the moon, Alice!

Today marks the end of thirty years of space shuttle missions.  I remember the excitement of that first launch, the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, the excitement of Dr. Sally Ride being the first American woman in space, and the general sense of pride, amazement and wonder at the men and women who commit their lives to Space...the final frontier (sorry, Captain Kirk, had to do it).

It's impressive, you know, all of this "spaceman" and "going to the moon" stuff. And, it's challenging. Kind of like many things in our lives, achieving what we've only imagined sometimes requires us to accept a seemingly impossible (or just plain CRAZY) goal, challenge our comfort zone, and rely on individual and collective commitment. Here's a clip of President Kennedy giving a speech at Rice University describing the challenge our space program faced when he was President...Have a look:

We choose to go to moon in this decade not because it will be easy, but because it will be hard; because that goal will serve to organize the best of our energies and skills; because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.

Thirty-five years after we started flying airplanes across the Atlantic Ocean, our President told our country we were going to invent new super-strong metal and go to the moon.

And, we did.

Wow.

I'm always impressed with loose collectivism -- people who share a common dream towards the success of a mission, or idea, and then see it through. Our space program has operated in that manner for most of the last century, and I'm sad a big part of it (at least where my life experience is concerned) is coming to an end.

Anyway, enough with the sadness, it is time to for me to: be bold; accept the challenges ahead of me with the excitement and confidence of a kid running into the waves at the beach; keep loving the ones I care about with everything I have; keep challenging my mind, working on my fitness and...

...figure out how I'm going to get my happy a** to the moon one day.


:)


Take us home, Blue Eyes...



3-2-1, GO

"The 4th": Freedom, Family and Fireworks

Joe G.

Every morning, my step-grandfather shows up at my Dad's house with a delivery of something "fresh" for my Dad and step-mother. In his 80s, his health is waning, and that shrapnel he's carried in his back for over sixty years after being on the first boat in the first wave at Iwo Jima during World War II gives him fits, but it doesn't deter him from getting up with the sun and hunting out good vegetables or homemade tamales.

Nobody really talks to him about how it happened, but I know one person who has, and he's told the story to me.

Basically,  Iwo Jima is a very small island shaped a little like Brazil, with a big mountain/volcano at the "small" end of the island. The Japanese held the strategic little island, and the United States wanted it.

The Japanese had tunnelled throughout the island, and the thinking was that if we could cut off the "ant-hill" at the small end of the island from their counterparts on the other end of the island, we could divide and conquer.

The orders to my step-grandfather and the others in his unit were to hit the beach and scramble to the other side of the island -- if they were successful, they would essentially create multiple points of attack. To be honest, it was suicide -- "just go" didn't offer a whole lot of opportunity for shelter or survival. Those boys knew the Japanese would be taking shots at them as they hustled to find cover anywhere they could. Joe took some shrapnel that made it impossible to run, but he continued fighting, and kept pushing - ultimately dragging himself by his elbows to the other side of the island and helping secure the United States' position on the island, and ultimate victory in that war.

Terry

My Mom's Dad grew up a California beach kid who loved surfing. In fact, over twenty years before The Beach Boys made surfing "cool," Terry was the president of the Santa Monica Surfer's Club -- a group of boys who made their own surfboards and skipped school every Thursday morning to catch some waves before the local truant officer showed up and escorted them to class.

After the war, Terry married my "Nana", an Irish-Catholic girl from Maine (a real corker) and somehow, they wound up in Texas where their love for the water turned from surfing and lobster to walking the beaches together down near Bolivar at sunrise and looking for sea shells.

I remember listening to him hum big band and Frank Sinatra songs while I was in the front seat of his brown Cadillac on our way from Houston down to their beach house in Bolivar. The windows were cracked a little to let the smoke from his cigarettes escape, and the air would get increasingly humid as we drove along the beach highway and he'd try to convince me that he saw a pink elephant on his last trip down to the beach.

"Pop" never spoke of the war, but we knew he was in it. He'd say just about anything to get out of the conversation. I remember as a child I'd ask if he was at Pear Harbor and he'd say yes, then I'd ask if he fought the Germans and he'd say yes. It turns out the latter was accurate.

Just before he died, he gave my Mom a letter of thanks personally addressed to him from the country of France, and medal from our government commending him for his service at Normandy that he had never shown anyone. We don't know any details of what he did there (he handed those things to my Mom as he said he wouldn't talk about it), but whatever it was made such an impact that he'd never speak of it, and it was important enough to receive a medal and letter of thanks from a foreign country. The United States also gave him a flag for his service, which I now have, and will always treasure.


Pepaw Joe (yes, another Joe)

I didn't get a chance to know my other grandfather, Joe. He was killed before I was born, so I don't know much of his story or experiences during World War II. I do know, however, he was a gunner on a plane much like the one in the movie the "Memphis Belle," and he married one of the most spirited women anyone will ever know.

Bonnie, a fiery, tall and slender, dark haired young woman of German descent from Memphis was seventeen or eighteen years old when her brother was getting married in Dallas. Bonnie travelled with the rest of the family from Memphis to Dallas for the wedding, and after the long trip, she laid down and fell asleep on the couch at the home of her soon to be sister-in-law's (Ruthie's) family, facing away from the room and towards the cushions.

After Bonnie had been asleep for a while, Ruthie's brother Joe, on leave from the war, showed up at the house in uniform, walked into the living room and spied Bonnie asleep on the couch. Joe saw the young woman (who, from the back, was about the same age, hair color and body type as his sister) and just assumed it was Ruthie -- he hadn't even heard of Bonnie at that point -- so Joe did what any brother who wanted to surprise their little sister would do, he walked over and gave her a huge smack on her rear-end.

Bonnie was startled. Who was this soldier? How could he? How DARE he?!?

That was Sunday. By that Thursday (only four days later) Joe and Bonnie were holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes and saying "I do" while standing at the altar for a (completely unexpected) double-wedding featuring the brother and sister of one family marrying the brother and sister from a different family...

My grandmother, Bonnie, is still alive and tells us stories about Joe now and then, and even though she remarried to a wonderful man over thirty years ago (whom we all very much love as our grandfather), we are all sure Joe still has a pretty safe place in that heart of hers. And, Joe must really deserve that spot, because my Dad, Aunt and Uncle all turned out to be great parents, and wonderful examples for their kids and other people in their community.

Heroes

Every year, we lose more and more people like Joe G., Pepaw Joe, and Pop -- part of the Greatest Generation. Most of those men were just boys when they were called into the service of our growing country. Their efforts helped secure America's place as the most incredible country in history.

During our national holidays, it can be beneficial to revisit the way President Lincoln closed his Gettysburg Address in November 1863 and draw the parallel for what our grandparents did in World War II, what our military had fought for before that generation, and what we, as Americans, must continue to do today:

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.

Happy 4th of July

I realize this is a little early for the 4th of July, but I am involved in a fundraiser right now called The Hero Course that benefits the Military Warriors Support Foundation which helps servicemen and women injured in combat transition back to civilian life, and these ideas have been at the front of my mind for the past few weeks. I feel it is important, and as my Mom reminded me, it is never inopportune to give thanks and celebrate our freedoms.

It is dry, and really hot this year. There will be no fireworks for sale in Central Texas this 4th of July. With that in mind, I encourage you to spend whatever you might have spent on fireworks on those who insure the freedoms we will all be celebrating. My fundraiser ends next week, so if you'd like to sponsor me in our effort to raise awareness and funds for Military Warriors Support Foundation, click here. If you have a relationship with a different organization, thank you for supporting them.

Thank you Joe G., Pepaw, Pop, and all the other men and women out there like you who put their lives on the line so that we might enjoy the freedom we have.

Y'all have a great 4th of July.

Advanced Principles of Education through CrossFit, Part II

Some of You May Be Wondering Who The Best Is...

TOP GUN!

So, what do you get for being The Best? Your name on a plaque. That's what you get for being the best fighter pilot, in command of a $40million machine, trusted by 350,000,000 Americans to keep us safe.

Cool.

Okay, I'm exaggerating, you know you get more than that... When you are The Best, you get stuff like respect, your choice of assignment, the ability for advancement in your career, access to cooler stuff, and even if you are like Tom Cruise and stand only slightly over 5 feet tall -- if you are The Best, you get the hot chicks.

So, there is a reason to be the best. But, does being "The Best" mean you are the best scorer, or does being "The Best" require something more? After watching the LeBron James fiasco last summer and seeing JaMarcus Russell turn into the biggest bust, "evah," I think being "The Best" takes something more. Let's explore...

Foundations

If we want to get to Bestville, we have to start by laying a proper foundation. A good foundation helps us understand  information and gives us a platform from which we might advance. At this stage, we have to learn how to think, and learn how to move.

At this cognitive level, we process information, apply the result of that process and develop preferences. Through the application of proper foundations (taught to us by good teachers and coaches!), we see improvement, and we start to learn.

Whew...Finished. Tough WOD, thanks!

Easy there, Trigger -- the proper application of foundational principles isn't going to get your name on any plaque (well, maybe if you play soccer, but that's a different story). You'll have to push deeper, farther, faster if you want Top Gun.

Deeper, Farther, Faster!!!

Once the foundation is in place, we are capable of moving on to higher order thinking, or metacognitive skills. This is where we start thinking about thinking. We learn to evaluate ourselves, the landscape ahead, and how to best approach it. We problem solve at this stage, and through awareness, we make some critical gains.

With great metacognitive ability layered on top of a solid foundation, we achieve the potential to become the best scorer. But don't be complacent -- even though we may have developed the capacity for excellence, if competition exists, we may not be "The Best."

Wait, did you just say what I thought you said? Did you just say, "But...I'm the best scorer! How can I be beaten?" Ask Kobe.

Let's recall how Maverick and Ice Man became The Best (or, at  least "their best"). Maverick and Ice Man were excellent pilots when they arrived at school, but they weren't The Best -- Hell, Jester got Mav below the Hard Deck three minutes into the first hop!

Immeasurable or Never Measured
 

To be the best, Maverick and Ice Man had to tap into and develop their non-cognitive skills. Things like the effective and efficient use of interpersonal skills, ethics/morals, as well as elan, perseverance, self-discipline and consistency, etc. all come into play here.

Non-cognitive skills are tough to measure (and tough to teach), because they are sort of like hugs (note to Fio: No, sporting a "Free Hugs" sign won't make you The Best). Hugs are great, and they make people feel good, but admit it, some people seem to be better huggers -- they are either more in touch with you, or more in touch with themselves, or both, or "something."

It really comes down  to this: If you want to be The Best, you have to have some "human-ness." It turned out that Mav and Ice were better when they realized they needed each other. When they acknowledged their individual limitations and how relying someone else actually provided an opportunity to enhance their abilities, they became The Best.

Where I See The Best

We see people become The Best - or let's say "their" best - in lots of settings, but most frequently and most measurably, I get to see it at my CrossFit classes. In the six months I've been coaching, I've seen individuals achieve individual success, I've seen groups of individuals become a class, and I've seen classmates become friends.

As classmates (and friends), I've seen people who have finished their workout not only cheer for their classmates, but also jump back in and do the workout (again!) with those classmates to give their (less advanced) classmates some extra motivation to finish. When those who are behind see a classmate get back into the workout (despite being dead tired) just to help them, the people who were lagging get inspired -- and they often finish several minutes faster than if they were working alone.

This push/pull community helps both the advanced and beginning student. First, the advanced student gets to do more work (further developing their true score I talked about last time) and second, the beginning student layers their foundations, sees first-hand application of those foundations, and gets some touchy-feely inspiration to be better. The bottom line is that just like Mav and Ice Man, some "human-ness" made both better.

So, is it the teachers, the students or the school?

Yes -- all of them, and then some!

People often talk about "the community" of CrossFit, and we definitely have it at CrossFit Cedar Park. We have exceptional coaches and we regularly send athletes to the CrossFit Games, but in my opinion, we do more for the "everyday athlete" who enjoys the competition that the sport invites, as well as the opportunity to really achieve their goals while being part of something bigger than themselves. The sense of connection through community is non-cognitive, and its power leads to massive gains and success. In short, our "community" is what makes individuals Their Best.

Viper knew what being The Best meant the first day of Top Gun School -- but it took Mav and Ice Man the entire movie (and a lot of heartache) to learn it...

Goose: [as Maverick is looking around the room] What are you doing?
Maverick: Just wondering who's the best.

Viper: In case some of you are wondering who the best is, they're up here on this plaque on the wall. The best driver and his RIO from each class has his name on it, and they have the option to come back here to be Top Gun instructors.[turns to Maverick]

Viper: You think your name's gonna be on that plaque?

Maverick: Yes, sir.

Viper: That's pretty arrogant, considering the company you're in.

Maverick: [pauses] Yes, sir.

Viper: [smiles] I like that in a pilot. Just remember, when it's over out there, we're all on the same team.

If you are selecting a school (or a CrossFit) be diligent about your selection process. Be sure the curriculum offers you the opportunity to establish and properly develop a solid foundation. Be sure that as your skills and awareness advance, you will be afforded the opportunity to push yourself and continue to advance towards your goals (whether they be to get into a good college or jump tires that are stacked 52" high).

But most importantly, talk to the person who will be your teacher (or coach!) before you start school and make sure you understand each other's goals, styles, etc. See if you can sit in on some classes and visit with other students. See what their community is about! See if you are someone who holds values similar to the people you'll be sharing time and knowledge (or sweat!) with. If you have a match, go for it.

Don't be a number.

Be "The Best."

P.S. - I'm developing an idea called "The Hero Course" with Fio and Dave that I feel captures the message of today's blog. It will run from Memorial Day weekend through July 4th weekend. Stay tuned for what I'm certain will be an amazing CrossFit experience (both from a community and individual standpoint) for everyone who participates... Lots of work, LOTS of reward.

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Okay, again, I was a little thick. But, if nothing else, remember there are two "O's" in "Goose..."

Peace, health and happiness, y'all.
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The author of this blog is a proud parent, devoted, happily married husband, early morning CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Cedar Park, recently certified to teach 4th-8th grade and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He also loves to cook (especially Cajun food), work in his garden, watch LSU and the Saints play football, and he has a law degree. If your school could use an excellent teacher with some real world experience and amazing credentials, please let him know!