Today started with the pleasant surprise of my son crawling over my face as I awoke to sunlight in bed (my morning off).  If you’re a parent, you know how precious these moments are.  If you’re not a parent, trust me when I tell you that it’s priceless to be with your children in the morning.

When I arrived at the Chamber, we had the pleasure of pulling a great April Fool’s prank on Kim Martinez as part of her birthday gift (courtesy of Team 1000).  We can only hope that Kim liked it since she was the only one cranking out push-ups and burpees when instructed.  Everyone else did jumping jacks no matter what was called

An hour later, I arrived at King Middle School to talk to a class of teenagers about exercise and goals, as well as to share some of my life experiences with them.  It was a profound moment for me.  It’s incredible to communicate through movement because it can bridge the gap between age and culture.

(The wonderful teachers of King Middle School)

My afternoon was filled with excitement too. 2008 Olympic alternate Annie Shiraishi was training alongside Olympic hopeful Michael Eldred.  It’s always fun to watch these two train; they’re perfectionists when it comes to form and technique.  Thomas is doing great work with them.

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The evening rounded off with Ross, Kristin, Craig, Rob and the rest of the Kettlebell Crew showing some serious progress on the KB snatch.  They’ve committed to earning an official WKC ranking at the next meet.  I’m ecstatic about this.

Finally, I just received news that Sarah Baughn is the official winner of the ReBoot Weight Loss Challenge!

Congrats Sarah (second from left) on winning your free month.  We are extremely proud of Sarah and all of the ReBoot participants for their recent accomplishments which include fat loss and strength gains!

Best,

Steven

Clocked at 67 mph competing downhill in the exact course as the Men and Women’s World Cup.

IC star athlete Foreste Peterson placed forth overall at the J2 National Junior Olympic Championships in Aspen, Colorado this past week.  At only 15 years old, she is a master at the Giant Slalom.  Imagine where she’ll be in three years… Go Foreste!

Griffin (snowboarding + turntablism), Dillon (Judo), and Brandon (Judo) test their reaction speed in a game of “dive and catch.”  The young athletes in our Youth Development Program are progressing at a tremendous rate.  By the end of this month, all of our “youth campers” will have learned the basics of running mechanics, core stability, and flexibility maintenance.  As our participants transition throughout the season, they will be tested on strength, power, agility, and balance.  We are very excited to see their progress in the coming months!

Alex Martinez (football and basketball) and Ysabel King (downhill skiing) learn agility and strength mechanics in Youth Camp Level 1.  The skills acquired in this course will transfer directly into their sports.
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Speaking of skills and sports, congratulations to IC athlete and Judo Black Belt Newton Casemiro for taking the Gold in his division and the Bronze in the open division at the 2009 Sensei Memorial Tournament last weekend.  This was a national level event with over a hundred of the nation’s best Judo players competing.