Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Justus Finds the Ground – Head First
A couple of weeks ago at the gym, Justus had a grip malfunction while doing Giants on the rings.
Quick terminology lesson:
- “Grips” are leather straps that cover and protect the palms of the gymnast when on rings and high bar. On each grip is a wooden dowel to aid in the gripping the bar or rings.
- “Giants” are large looping swings that take gymnast repeatedly through 360 degrees of motion while hanging on by his fingers.
While Justus was practicing a series of Giants, the dowel on his left grip slipped and the inertia of his swing pulled his hand off the ring. Almost immediately, with all the swinging force acting on his remaining right hand, his right hand also peeled off and he went airborne. It all happened so quickly. There was no time to re-grip or respond with survivor instinct. He was now a projectile flying upside down, and had no idea what to do. He simply closed his eyes and waited to hit the ground.
Later, Coach Sean would tell him it’s happened to him five times in his career, and the only way to prepare is to go into a tight tuck position and wait until impact.
Eventually Justus landed… on the back of his neck and head. His body crumpled with such force, his chin violently struck his sternum and he blacked out. Everyone who saw it happen reported to us later, “It was really scary.” We, unfortunately (or fortunately), were not there. I imagine the whole gym of students and coaches, and the observation room full of parents gasped, and sat in silence waiting for a sign that he was okay – like an injured football player on the field.
Justus has fallen several times before. When fighting gravity in gymnastics, falling is the most natural part of it all. But never has any of his falls been so bad a coach has called – until that evening, only minutes following the accident. We received phone calls from concerned friends too. Other parents seemed equally concerned how Lisa and I were holding up – I think some of them were replaying it in their own minds as if it were their own son.
To add to our parental consternation, Justus hadn’t been feeling 100% and had a lot of homework that day. Momma’s intuition urged her to go pick him up early rather than having him take the usual carpool, but she didn’t. And that was my fault. I managed to convince her the trip was unwarranted: She would spend an hour of her time in the truck to save him an hour of his time at home, an economy that at the moment seemed foolish to me.
Justus came home very sore and understandably emotional. We ended the day doling out lots of hugs, prayers of thanksgiving and Advil.
On the days following, Justus was poked and prodded by his sports medicine doctors, x-rayed, and given several painful deep-tissue messages. Other than a deep bruise on his sternum and diagnosis of a possible slight concussion, he recovered quickly, only loosing a week at the gym. The doctors believe the muscle development of his back, neck and shoulders possibly protected him from more serious injury. Still, he was unable to perform on Rings, Vault, Pommel and Parallel Bars due to the soreness in his chest. With the first meet of the season coming up, we knew he would go, but we didn’t know how many events he would compete, if any.
Last weekend, I drove Justus up for his first Level 9 competition: The Valeri Liukin Invitational at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Frisco, home to Olympians Valeri Liukin, his daughter Nastia, and others – Carly Patterson, Rebecca Bross, to name a few. Justus was cleared to compete on Floor, High Bar and Pommels. The highlight of his day was immediately following his Pommel performance. The judge called Justus up to the judge’s table and told Justus to tell Coach Sean that he looks just like Sean did when he was competing. Apparently, the judge had been around long enough to have judged Sean when he was a teen.
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Kayaking with Justus
Early Saturday morning, Justus and I got away for a kayaking trip down the Colorado River in Columbus. The trip started near the Business 71 bridge at Howell’s Canoe Livery and ended at Beason’s Park. The six-mile trip took about three hours – we stopped a couple of times to swim and have snacks along the way. We enjoyed the fish, birds, and cattle along the route. Even the underwater plants were beautiful, waving in the river current like colonies of flags. Some sections were so quiet and peaceful we could only hear the occasional breeze in our ears – no rumbling of cars or humming of air conditioners.
Below are a few pictures. I’m not sure why the water looks so green in the pictures… reminds me of Guar gum (e.g., Slime). The water was actually visible down about five feet – enough to see gar and catfish swimming nearby. Mr. Howell said, “you shoulda brought your poles, the bass are really biting.”
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A Short Trip to McKinney
The first and last time Lisa and I were in McKinney (north of Dallas) was in the spring for Justus’ State Gymnastics Championships. We were joined by Mom and Dad Hyde and Lisa’s parents and spent an afternoon together enjoying the town square shops and restaurants. Our time together was too short, and we left with the feeling there was so much more to enjoy we hadn’t yet discovered.
Justus, as I mentioned in a previous post, was awarded a week-long gymnastics camp at OU for his 6th place finish at Regionals. On our way to pick him up in Oklahoma City, Lisa and I sneaked in a couple of days in McKinney. Wednesday evening we celebrated our belated 19th wedding anniversary at the best steak house on the square. As we walked out of the Chophouse we found a horse-drawn carriage waiting near the front door, complete with Christmas lights and two large white horses. Lisa said, “Look at that beautiful carriage!” I told her, “Honey, that ride is for us.” (I made the secret reservation.) We completed our bottle of wine on our ride through the historic district at sunset.
On Thursday, we toured the Chestnut Square Historic Village. I took a lot of pictures (see below), and then we closed out our day with Lisa getting a pedicure while I enjoyed a few beers at the local English pub.
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Flashback – December 2007
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Order of the Rising Sun
Justus attended Camp Peniel a couple of weeks ago near Marble Falls, Texas. This was his fourth summer to attend the Christian camp. The name “Peniel” means “face of God” and comes from a curious passage in Genesis 32. It is the same name given by Jacob for the place he wrestled with God.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
— Genesis 32:30 (NIV)
This place certainly challenges and recharges our kids. Justus was busy from sun-up to sundown with swimming, games, fishing, photography and Tehas. Tehas is a young men’s development program, similar to Boy Scouts, except with emphasis on Colossians 3:12-14 and Ephesians 5:1, teaching young men to grow in Christ-likeness: faithful, humble, honest, selfless, caring, having integrity, inward strength and sacrificial. The Tehas program includes four progressive ranks: Pathfinder, Brave, Warrior and Chief. Each rank is based on the completion of quests in Bible memory, reading and study, outdoor skills, service, nature study, sports, crafts and leadership.
Each year Justus has received several Coup (pronounced “coo”) which are awards for accomplishing quests (similar to patches in Boy Scouts). One type of Coup that can only be granted by the collective agreement of all the Chiefs is a recommendation to the Order of the Rising Sun. According to the Tehas handbook, a camper is granted this recommendation by demonstrating “exceptional teachability, leadership, a servant attitude and a heart for God.” Upon receiving the third recommendation, the camper receives a Tehas (indian) name and is granted acceptance in the Order of the Rising Sun through a special ceremony at dawn.
Well, I’m proud to say Justus was granted his first recommendation to the Order of the Rising Sun this summer! This is a rare deal (only two were given all last summer). Below are pictures of the pow-wow where the Coup were announced. Justus received many glowing compliments from his cabin leaders, friends and chiefs. I was well-pleased.
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Great Aunt Maxine Celebrates 100 Years
This past weekend we had the privilege to celebrate my great Aunt Maxine’s 100th birthday. What a joy. SHE is a joy! My beloved Bama (Nancy Sisson) was one of four Price sisters. Of the four, Maxine was the eldest and is the only one still living this side of Heaven. Despite the need for a walker, she still rides her stationary bike twice a day. She still has the same twinkle in her eye. She’s still walking with the Lord, and she’s still praying her family and friends through life. I’ve decided Maxine is my new hero. 🙂
When I think about the weekend, several memories stand out:
- There were 5 generations present in that one room.
- When Maxine first saw me, she thought I was my mom. Truly, the cycle of life marches on.
- When Maxine’s daughter Ann was introducing people around the room, she told Maxine she didn’t have to stand. With spunk in her voice, Maxine replied, “No. I can stand.” And up she went.
- Maxine proudly wore the birthday candle headband most of the party. Very silly…and fun! Watching her is like watching my Bama again, and my heart soars at the thought of seeing her and Papa in heaven some day.
- I love the heritage of God-fearing, God-loving people that I call my own.
- As we continued to enjoy the weekend and to celebrate Amy’s birthday, my heart was filled with gratitude.
Truly, we are blessed.
PS – Included in the snapshots from David’s phone are some of Rebecca enjoying horsy-rides outside a local restaurant we patroned that evening.
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Rebecca Performs in Disney’s Camp Rock
Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Rebecca participated in the TUTS production of Disney’s Camp Rock – The Musical. She auditioned and appeared in the ensemble cast at Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre. From Rebecca’s perspective this was her most challenging musical production, requiring over 140 rehearsal hours in just five weeks. “I loved doing such a big professional show, and I thought the choreography and music was really fun.” One of the truly demanding aspects of this particular show was her seven costume changes.
As a surprise, Rebecca’s Aunt Paula, Thomas, Travis, Taylor and Grandma (Hyde) drove in from Austin to see the final show. Mimi attended as well. We wrapped up the festivities with lunch at Sam’s Deli Diner. Below are some pictures of the Friday show we attended. Enjoy!
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Rebecca Performs in Year In Review
Last Tuesday, Rebecca performed at the Hobby Center’s Zilka Hall for Humphreys’ Year In Review. Lisa, Justus and I, along with Rebecca’s BFF Anna and younger sister Kat, all went to see our girl take part in a marathon show – almost 3 hours in length. As parents, we’ve been conditioned to see our kids perform in what works out to be about six total minutes of a three hour event. In fact, I’m convinced that we parents are members of FOOME, the Fraternal Order Of Mental Endurance, just to see our kids shine, even for just a few moments.
And one another parental observation: Whether recitals, musicals or gymnastic meets, I’m cognizant of my own selfishness and desire to see my kids perform more. But, I guess I have no other choice but to share the “plate of cookies” with 200 other parents.
Now back to the topic at hand. Rebecca was as elegant as I’ve ever seen her. I forget how tiny and petite she is when I see her on stage along side the other kids. She seems taller and more mature. Really, they all do when there is no sense of scale like an adult standing next to them. It’s simply brain warping until they come up to you afterwards and give you a hug. Then you remember how small they still are.
We enjoyed all the performances – the contemporary dances, ballet, tap, singing and acting. Several times Rebecca was front and center, either dancing or singing a solo – enough to get a few good shots on video. Not to worry, the video is not three hours in length. I limited it to a summary of Rebecca’s class performances. First is the opener that includes every student in the school, next is Rebecca’s dance class (performing to “Irna”), then her singing class (“I Speak Six Languages”), and finally her monster-size tap class (“I’m Yours/Somewhere Over the Rainbow”).
Enjoy.
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An Afternoon at Kemah Boardwalk
Last Monday we played hookie.
No school and no work. Instead, Grandma and Grandpa (Hyde) invited us to spend an afternoon with them at the Kemah Boardwalk on their way to a week in Galveston. The Kemah Boardwalk comes complete with an amusement park, restaurants, live music and plenty of shops. Since it was a Monday, we practically had the place to ourselves. With no lines, we only had to wait for the operators to follow us between rides – that was weird.
Mom and Dad were awesomely generous, paying for every ride and treating us to a delicious lunch at the Flying Dutchman. We even shared a few deserts that were pounded down as though we were still starving – just how is that possible?
Video and pictures below.
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A Huckleberry Finn Moment
Justus would have to select a small group of friends this time. You see, this outing was to include a canoe trip down the Colorado River, and while Lisa and I would have liked nothing more than to invite every child Justus wanted to include, not only would we have looked ridiculously like a rated G version of the amphibious invasion on Normandy, at $40 per boat I would have had to take out a small loan against my 401k (… okay, not really). Realistically, having a smaller platoon would help me keep a good eye on every boat in the water. I also had a feeling that much of my attention would be given to Rebecca and her friend Anna, who would undoubtedly desire the adventure to be “over already” about halfway through the six mile loop.
Aside from his lifelong friend Samuel, most of Justus’ most meaningful relationships are at his gym – boys he sees at least eighteen hours a week. So, just how do you invite a few twelve year olds from the group without hurting the feelings of every other child who didn’t get the nod? Believe me, it isn’t easy. And although I think we succeeded, it was not without the burden of secrecy – that is, moms teaching their kids how to keep a zipped lip. These are good life-skills I guess. I know a lot of grown-ups that haven’t learned to keep their inside thoughts their inside thoughts. All this tip-toein’ around was exonerated, of course, by it’s own implicit redemption – prevention of hurt feelings from the other moms and their children. Ugh.
Included in the adventure was a campfire dinner of “Silver Turtles.” These mini goulash delights are made from fire roasted hamburger, potatoes, onions, carrots and choice seasonings rapped in an aluminum foil pocket. It was all a grand plan, really… until the burn-ban smothered our campfire idea and high headwinds sank plans for the adventurous canoe trip. Even up until the day before, we wondered if we should just call the whole thing off.
Despite the setbacks, Justus emphatically encouraged us to charge ahead with the outing. And so the next day, we were off. Instead of canoeing, the boys went swimming in the river. Instead of a campfire dinner of Silver Turtles, we cooked brats and hot dogs for lunch over a charcoal grill in one of our picnic areas.
Due to the lack of rain this spring the pecan trees were still very drowsy: The trees had little more than week-long blossoms on them. The shade was minimal and all the boys got a little cooked. That evening back at the house, all I could think was, “those moms are going to be so mad.”
As I said before, Rebecca and Anna joined us, but they made their own plans: a glamorous photo shoot on the sand bar, complete with a 10 gallon bag of clothes. It was a little too sweltering for that to be much fun, so they retreated to the over-sized hammock and cooling breezes. I’m not sure they know how to “go country” for a day. They ended up hanging out the whole day barefooted, sporting bathing suits and matching pearl earrings. Still, although it was enjoyable poking fun, I was more happy they were with us. We may just have to outlaw cell phones next time…
Right after lunch, the boys struggled a little with what to do. (These city boys live their lives on tight schedules, buzzing around from one activity to another.) I suggested they wander around and be adventurous. Soon enough, they got the hang of it. They climbed trees, went swimming in the river, played in the sand and kicked the ball around. I told them it was okay to wander on other people’s property. There are very few fences and we’d been told by the neighbors they don’t mind if the kids play around. Like us, most of our neighbors aren’t living out there yet anyway.
Then they had a Huckleberry Finn moment.
The boys found an old handmade go-cart made of wood and rope in the neighbor’s open-air shed. It didn’t have an engine. It was designed for gravity to do the job, and the barn where it was stored was on a hill. You know where this is going, don’t you? The boys decided they had found their adventure. By the time I made my way over to see exactly what they were riding down the hill, they had placed the cart back under the shed and were just “hanging out.” Can’t you see them whistling a random tune and kicking the dirt? I told them that while I did say that it was okay to go on an adventure, it was altogether another thing to use other people’s stuff without my permission. They all understood and I turned to go. A couple of steps later I turned around and said, “And if you break anything, you need to be forthright with me. I’d hate to have our neighbors find out first.” And with that, I turned around again and headed back to camp. I no more than got a few yards, and Samuel stated sheepishly, “Uh, Mr. Hyde, the rope on the cart broke… but it was just hanging on by a couple of threads.” Looks like Justus and I will be having a talk with our neighbors real soon.
Here’s a few pictures from the trip.
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On Sunday morning, Star Center Gymnastics hosted the Region 3 Mens Gymnastics Championship (representing Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas) at the Palmer Events Center in Austin. Justus had his own cheering section – over twenty family members and friends came to root him on!
Justus competed hard, and ended the season tieing his season high All-Around (88.4) from State Championships. At Regionals he tied for 1st on Rings, 3rd on Parallel Bars and 4th on High Bar, and was awarded 6th in the All-Around. By being in the top twelve in Level 7 (all ages combined), Justus automatically becomes a member of the Level 7 Junior Regional Development Team. The Development Team will have the unique opportunity to work out at a week-long summer camp on Oklahoma University’s campus in Norman. He will live in a campus dorm, eat dorm food (eh…), work out with top-flight athletes in the OU facilities, and receive special coaching and attention.
Side note: This year, OU mens gymnastics program is ranked #1 in the nation and boasts of the newest state-of-the-art athletic workout/training facility in the NCAA. OU is also the closest Division 1 university offering men’s gymnastics scholarships. Might my son become a Sooner and follow in Jonathan Horton’s footsteps? Only time will tell (wink).
Tired and hungry after his Regionals performance he said, “I’m freaking out with happiness, but I can’t even talk right now.” He celebrated by scarfing his first chicken fried steak at Threadgills.
Regionals was Justus’ last compulsory competition where all athletes train and compete the same routines. He will now be moving on to an “optionals” style competition as he begins training for Level 9. Why not Level 8? It’s a long story, but suffice it to say it’s a natural progression of things.
Below are photos and a video of his Regionals performance.
