'The Kip' and 'The Catch'

“You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me.” ~ Scott Adams quotes (American Cartoonist, b.1957)

Seems it’s either a long plane ride or in this case a long drive from La Porte, Texas to Carrizo Springs, a short intrastate drive of 340 miles, to somewhat get off the task at hand and think about life, the big picture, and understand the dynamics of what’s going on around me rather than within me; getting outside the whirlwind.

Sarah, my oldest daughter, started learning to be a gymnast between her sixth and seventh birthday. Started off at the YMCA then moved her to a nearby gym that had a good range of competitive level gymnasts and good coaching that would help her excel into a competitive gymnast herself. One of the first basic skills a female gymnast needs to learn for Level 4 competition is a move called the KIP. The kip is an important skill that is used to mount the uneven bars and is the start of the routine. The kip allows the gymnast to swing below the bar to arrive in a front support on the bar. If you have ever watched gymnastics, I am sure you’ve seen this move.

Well, Sarah struggled some at her early age to learn this skill. Once she was able to perform it, she would start competing. I remember swinging by the gym occasionally after work and watching her practice. Tumbling, beam, and the struggles with the kip. Days I didn’t make practice I’d come home and ask Lori, ‘Did Sarah make her kip?’ It was important to her, to all of us. I can’t imagine how many times I asked ‘Did Sarah make her kip?’

Sarah worked hard, a young girl determined, never giving up. In a matter of a few weeks she ‘got her kip’, but it seemed like forever. This started the competitions and the growth of a fine gymnast, but had more impact than she ever thought about. Here is the rest of the story.

While Sarah is going to the gym three days a week, then later six days a week, most everyday her mother is there watching her, not alone, but with her little sister who is four years younger. So when Sarah is six, Rebecca is two, and at the gym as many hours as Sarah. Rebecca wasn’t practicing moves, struggling with a routine, or missing kip after kip, she was watching her sister and other gymnasts work hard to perfect what they did. She watched her sister fall off the balance beam and get right back on it with the determination to finish what she started.

Years, months, weeks, hours……..watching, and maybe not realizing it, but Rebecca was learning by watching her sister how to be coached, how to take direction, how to work hard, and that you get up when you fall down and finish what you start. As Rebecca got older it was her turn, and time for her to find her passion. Dance, piano, golf, softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball, she did them all, and most all successfully, but as high school came around, she had to focus on one sport, and that was softball. Softball is her passion, she works hard at it, has fun with it, and excels at it.

At fifty thousand feet (that’s code for 50 years old), I think I can connect the dots where maybe they can’t.  Rebecca learned a lot from all those hours in the gym watching the trials, tribulations, and success Sarah experience in the gym.  Watching the two of them work very hard to become the best they could be, they have influenced me.  It's a constant exchange.

Quietly and unconsciously observations are made on how we act, react, or don’t act. What we don’t say may be heard louder than what we do say. How we react when we fall, or are challenged, is strongly etched in those around us.

Sometimes we don’t realize it until we are away from it. Thinking back to our parents, brothers, sisters, our coaches, teammates, our business leaders, co-workers, friends and family, we can find those who have influenced us for the good or the bad……..understanding this helps us prioritize our time going forward, thinking about how we influence those around us, and deciding how we want to shape our lives for our future. Pull in the good and let go of the destructive.

Understanding this also helps us understand all the folks we should be thankful to have in our lives and grateful to. I see that with my daughters, my wife, my parents, and many of you. I know you realize those in your life too! P.S. The Kip and the Catch….where is the catch? Don’t think we would have had one without the other…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8UbOPmGRY&list=UUU1LjlgVImmi2Sw-xzHIpsg&index=2&feature=plcp