The Stunt Gym!

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and if you have a comment, please be sure to write one.

I am new to owning my own gym. Even though I have coached every aspect of gymnastics for 30 years, I never had my own gym where I was the boss. So I am in a learning curve on running a business. Furthermore, my business is a Christian gymnastics school, so I am trying to understand how to run an honest business according to the Way of Christ.

This morning I had a lesson in business that got me to thinking.   Yesterday my wife had a fender bender so this morning I brought her car to some auto shops for an estimate of repair.  The damage has no interference with the function of the car, nor is it an ugly eyesore.  So my motivation for repair is very low.  But I know it will make my wife happy to have it fixed.

The lesson I learned involved two different auto shops.  In the first shop when I walked in the door the receptionist immediately began asking me for information to set up a customer file on me.  I declined to give her my name and said that I would give her that information if I decided to use their business.  All I wanted was an estimate on repair.

Since I was polite in my conversation she was agreeable and asked me to wait for a salesman to give me the quote.   After a few minutes a sales man took a look at my car.  He gave me a ball park quote of $1200 to $1300, but a specific estimate would require  a list.    So he asked me to come back to his desk.  When I sat down, he immediately wanted my personal data to set up a file on me.   I told him the same thing I told the secretary that I would give it after I made the decision to use their business.  He then said that he could not give me an estimate without creating a file on me first.   I told him, “Then you do not want my business, and I will go elsewhere.”

Next door was another shop.  He came out and gave me a quote of $280 to replace the fender and to paint it.  I told him that I would be back in a few days and that he had a deal.  I shook his hand.  He never asked for my name nor desired information from me.

Driving home I had to ask myself, who is the boss and who is the customer?  With the first shop they viewed me as subservient to them.  They were the boss, but that is not true.   They lost my business, for I am boss.  I am hiring a service.  They are the customer.  The second shop seemed to understand this difference.  The hand shake was good enough.

So as I consider how I wish to run my business, this was a reminder to me that  each customer of mine is actually my employer.  In the photograph above I ask the question, “Who is buying and who is selling?”  The answer is both.     The store is selling goods to buy the customer’s money.  The customer is selling money to buy the goods.   Honest business is when both parties in the transactions believe that they have gotten a good deal.

So I am selling my skills and knowledge in training gymnastics to the families to buy their money.   They are selling their money to buy my skills and knowledge.  We are both customers and salespeople at the same time.

The  first auto shop that I went to did not recognize this truth.  They are functioning according to the world for self gain only.  The second shop did understand it.  He got my business.  He gave a price that is profitable for him, yet was a savings for me.  He trusted me to bring my car in on a handshake.  This is how I want to run my gym.

In August of 2009 I took a step of faith and signed a lease for a small warehouse space to move my business. I had been developing the business under the shelter of other businesses. In signing the lease I made several purchases to run the business.

As a first need of a program, I planned for my first class meet. These pictures are courtesy of the Illicks and Barnes.

There are many simple pyramids for the kids to learn such as this one.

The three children are almost all the same size. The base is holding the weight of two kids, with the weight of the girl on the shoulders having no support under his rear as the boy on the thighs has the shins and feet.

In a recent email correspondence I spoke with another coach who puts on gymnastics shows. She mentioned that the hit of her last show were the little girls in her dance program who had very little dance and lots of costuming. She was nervous that the parents would be upset not to see the dance that they were paying for. Instead that number was the crowd favorite.

I told her that people care about people, not technique. If the personality comes through with great technique, then you have a great success. But the gymnast who has personality over the gymnast who has technique, the audience will prefer the one with personality. Of course the sport is totally focused on technique and the athlete with great technique will win over the one with personality. So for this reason, no coach develops the personality, only the technique.

But this is a myopic point of view characteristic to our immediate gratification society.  The long term goals end at the Olympics, yet everyone knows that the winners of the Olympic games go on to professional careers in other fields fueled by their new found fame.   For example, Carly Patterson has just recorded a singing CD.  And, of course, the USAG promotes all their athletes who make it to the top in their new career directions.  But what has gymnastics done to prepare these performers in their new careers?  No one cares anymore that they did gymnastics.  What showmanship did gymnastics help develop in them? Next to none, in my opinion.

Television understands what audiences want to see.  They never just broadcast the routines.   Besides the fact that the routines are too short to fill air time, people want to know about the athletes.  The majority of a gymnastics broadcast is devoted to video biographies on the top athletes and the banter of the hosts who talk about the people and their struggle in training and competing.

On Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 the TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance?”  broadcast the audition of Allison Becker who is a hearing impaired dancer.  They gave her story before her audition, her dance and the judges reaction to a deaf dancer auditioning.  It was extremely moving, yet her technique was clearly weak.   Because her technique was weak, they sent her to choreography to see if she could take instruction and work with others.  She did, and they sent her to Las Vegas.

Another dancer, Kelsey White,  whose technique was equal to Allison’s was also sent to choreography but did not make it to Las Vegas.  There may have been reasons in her choreography that disqualified her, but I am convinced it was because she did not have the emotional appeal that Allison has.  And that is the difference between theater and gymnastics competition.  The theater knows that star quality is not found in technique.  It is found in the personality and story of the star.  With coaching by the choreographers to improve Allison’s technique, she has the potential of drawing a huge audience as everyone wants to see the underdog win.

The gymnastics industry needs to reassess how they train their athletes. The FIG who makes the rules has been extremely narrow minded in rewarding technique over artistry and personality. The club owners need to look beyond their immediate goals of building a reputation for training high level athletes. We have a moral responsibility to help children blossom into the unique people that God has gifted them to be. I am also convinced that parents will appreciate a program that has a bigger view then just athletic training, and who see clubs as co-laborers in developing their children into creative and expressive personalities.

In my gym, The Stunt Gym, my program is advertised as a “Christian Holistic Training Center”. The parents understand that my training is geared to develop strong and healthy bodies, expressive personalities and sensitivity to their spirits. It is time for the industry to accept that their responsibilities in training athletes goes beyond mere sport.

My school is a Christian Stunt Gymnastics School.  All my customers are Christians, and 99% of them are home school families.

I got this from one of the home school parents deliberating on the change of schedule that her daughter as an intermediate needs to attend 2 hours in September. She said:

We would love for [our children] to continue their gymnastics training, but we have to view it as an elective - we can’t let it dictate our more basic
study schedule.

At first I agreed with her, because I understood what she meant. However, as I meditated upon it further, then later discussed this with her husband, I saw a fundamental error in her thinking.  The education of children is to prepare them to be godly adults equipped to face whatever the Lord may have for them later. The natural thought is in the education of their minds, equipping them to be competitive in the adult world. But this is where I realized the mistake in this narrow view.

Full education of your children is in body, soul and spirit, not the mind (or soul) alone. Physical education is just as important to the education of your children as their minds. Of course, I have a self serving interest in this, so I am making the distinction of physical education and gymnastics. Gymnastics is the elective but physical education is not. Your children can be physically trained in many other sports, too, although I am convinced that gymnastics, swimming and dance are the three best activities for gross motor movement development.

It is a statistical reality that obese children continue with obesity in adulthood. Many health problems of adults today are directly related to obese, out of shape bodies. Heart disease, organ failures, joint problems as well as sleep apnea and even cancer have a direct connection to obesity. Furthermore, it is just as true that children who are athletic in their youth tend to be slim and athletic in adult hood, having more vigor in life, which directly relates to their mental capacities.

Every child has a primary learning language. Some are visual learners, others are auditory learners and some others are kinesthetic learners. The kinesthetics especially need PE activity since they are physically orientated. Kinesthetics that are allowed to engage their bodies in physical challenges study better and learn more then they would if deprived of PE activity. But even though everyone has a primary learning language, we all need to learn through each medium. So when I teach gymnastics I try to show a skill, explain a skill and physically carry them through the skill to ensure the maximum learning experience.

I am convinced that the body and the spirit are directly connected, too. What we usually think of as spiritual discernment is often the intuitive reading of body language in other people we see. It is no wonder that so many “spiritual” people are in the performing arts. Yoga combines physical exercise with meditation, and the pagan Baal worship employed temple prostitutes for “spiritual” experience of their religion. Of course, none of these examples are spiritual connections to God, but they are examples of people sensing their human spirits or demonic spirits physically. Gymnastics training develops this intuitive movement because the skills happen so quickly they can not be performed by thinking about the skills while doing the skills. They are done reflexively.

I believe that my gymnastics training is the best physical education that your money can buy, and I hope all will stay in my program. But if not, home school kids need some kind of PE program for their overall preparation into adulthood.  Training their bodies is not an elective.

It’s about time this issue has been addressed.   There is no logical reason on Earth to have the floor exercise routine performed on the 40 x 40 floor.  As far as I can tell this is a throw back to the old days when gymnastics was performed on the wrestling mats because of the shared gym space in the YMCA’s, Sokols, Turnveriens and school systems where sports education was a multi-sport training facility.

There is no artistic benefit in having the floor be 40 x 40.   Routines should be composed for one side view.  Of course for judging panels, two sets of panels can be placed on two sides to speed up competition time.  But aesthetically, the 40 x 40 is awkward.  Cheerleaders have floors  that are 42 x 54 rectangles which provides a more pleasing performance area and more space for tumbling.

Tumbling, in my opinion, should be removed from the floor exercise routine altogether, except the gym acro combinations that flow better with dance.

And, frankly, schools are closing down because of one main reason: too much overhead.  The high expense of overhead is increased because of the size of the floor area which makes finding warehouse space with the room for a floor hard – and costly – to find.  I have actually seen gyms with support pillars in the floor that athletes have to perform around because they could not get a space large enough for the floor.

So, the FIG needs to consider the cost of the industry and remove those things that are cost prohibitive.  The 40 x 40 is one of them.  It would be much easier to have a 25 x 40 floor fit in most spaces than the 40 x 40.  It has got to go. It is a dinosaur that needs extinction. Good riddance to the 40 x 40.

Last night, Jonathan Platero was cut from the “So You Think You Can Dance” competition.

I began watching these competitions when my wife wanted to watch “American Idol.” I was drawn into the program, not because of the musicians, but because of the judges. I understood their comments for what they were, constructive criticism intended to help each contestant become professional musicians. Especially Simon Cowell whose comments were so accurate.

Since my industry is acrobatic dance, I decided to watch “So You Think You Can Dance”, too. Both programs are produced by Simon Fuller. At first I was put off by the judges. But as I watched the program I could see their constructive criticisms, too. But more than that I was fascinated by the choreographers.

Each week the dancers have to learn routines that are outside their usual range of training. They are given professional routines to learn from the gamut of dance genre’s of Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ball Room, Jazz, Broadway, and others that I am not familiar with. They are given professional costumes and stunning lighting. So learning what the choreographers are doing I find fascinating.

Jonathan Platero

Jonathan Platero is a gymnast who went on to dance, specifically he trained in Salsa (Ball Room). He even performed in Disney’s, “High School Musical,” so he is more than just an athlete. I enjoyed much of his dancing, and found it refreshing that a male gymnast could break out of the athlete mindset.

What killed him in the competition is his nice personality. He had to dance a Gangsta Hip Hop routine and he could not get into the character. What cut him from the show was his reliance upon his tumbling instead of dance. When I watched his solo routine it was obvious that he was going home.

Melissa Sandvig

Unlike Jonathan, Melissa is not a gymnast. Neither is she a Hip Hop dancer or any other. She is a classically trained ballerina. Despite her lack of training in the other dance disciplines, she is able to adapt to those styles. And I am convinced it is because of her ballet training. She is also more mature than Jonathan. He is 20 and she is 29.

So here is my point. Gymnastics training rarely helps gymnasts cross over into theater. There have been some who made their careers in theater, Cathy Rigby, in particular. But sports training does not bring out personalities as does theater. Jonathan leaned on his gymnastics too much and it failed him. The USAG made a big deal out of Shawn Johnson dancing on TV, too. They pushed our votes for her simply because she is a gymnast. But no one should vote on that basis.

Acrobatic Gymnastics is in danger of this same dead end as Artistic Gymnastics. In danger, but not damaged. Acro is already a theatrical medium, even though the FIG is pushing towards more sports mentality. Many acrobats easily move to the professional arena of theater.

Acrobats need the classical ballet training that has been the back bone of Melissa’s performance. Acrobats should seek other dance genre training, too, but they must have the ballet training. It is the backbone of dance, just as tumbling is the back bone of gymnastics.

The acrobatic gymnastics community needs to watch this show and others like it. With “American Idol” they emphasis to the singers that they are to make the songs their own and invest their personalities into their performance. This should be so with acro. In “So You Think You Can Dance” the choreographers talk about the story of each dance and the characters being played in the dance. A few years ago the FIG talked about the element of story in the Artistry category. Judges were confused by the concept. No wonder, for they have the sport mentality and misunderstand the theatrical element of art. This story element needs to be built up in the acro routines.

Of course, only so much can be done with children. But the older athletes who have the maturity should be displaying these elements in their routines. Let us not lose sight of the goal of acro: Cirque du Solei and all the other performing arts companies that are growing up around it. If acro slides into the sport mentality, it will die just as Jonathan was cut from the show.

Yesterday I attended the Region 3 Championships in Acrobatic Gymnastics at the Frisco, Texas facility of the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. Brandi Lewis, the Region 3 Director, and coach for the WOGA Acro Team hosted the meet.

I was stunned and shocked by the level of acrobatics that has developed in Texas. And I was delighted to see the Louisiana clubs rising from the ashes of Hurricane Katrina. According to Rumen Latchkov from Boerne Gymnastics Center, Texas now boasts the most acrobatic gymnastics athletes in any state in the country. I will have to check with USAG to know that for sure, but we have come a long way from the humble beginnings of my one program in Texas back in 1997.

Representing Texas were these clubs:

• BGC: Boerne Gymnastics Center coached by Rumen Latchkov and Radostina Latchkova
• Browns Gymnastics coached by Vladimir Vladev and Michelle Merwarth
• GOSA: Gymnastics of San Antonio coached by Ivan Ivanov
• KAF: Kilgore Acro Flyers coached by Aida Wells
• TAAG: Texas Academy of Acrobatics and Gymnastics coached by Anna Smirnova and Chris Westra
• USAAA: USA Aireal and Athletics coached by Jennifer Banowski
• WOGA: World Olympic Gymnastics Academy coached by Brandi Lewis

Representing Louisiana were these clubs:

• ASG: All Star Gymnastics coached by Kelly Dawson
• CCG: Crescent City Gymnastics coached by Gawain and Julie Dupree
• CSA: Cheer Sport Acro Team coached by Courtney LeJeune
• Flip: Fliptastics coached by Selena and Mike Peco
• GPAT: Gymnastics Plus Acro Team coached by Jurek Pol
• LBA: Leaps and Bounds Acro coached by Kiril Kirov and Shannon Ducote

What had amazed me is that the clubs in Texas were lower level teams when l left off competition back in 2005, yet in 4 short years the state boasts Senior Elites Men’s Pair of Inserra and Osborne from WOGA, (not in attendance) a Junior Elite Women’s Group from BGC, Level 10 Women’s Group of Jones, Banowski & Miller from USAAA, Level 10 Women’s Pair of Traina & Jones from USAAA, and many level 9’s, 8’s and 8I’s.

I have to admit that I felt remorse that I had not been in the competitive scene for the last four years, but my part in life is laying foundations for others to build upon. Neither am I certain that I will resume competition since my own program is taking a different direction, but I am proud to be associated with all these fine coaches and athletes. You all have made Texas Acro a nationally recognized contender!

Texas Legislation

A few weeks ago  (March 26, 2009)  I was notified by email about a bill being passed in the Texas legislature.  The notification came from a Karate instructor who tried to alert a variety of after school athletic programs who would be affected by this bill.   The information he provided was also published on the Texas USA Gymnastics websites, that also provided PDF copies of the bill along with their report.  Even the USAG national office is aware of these bills.

In a nutshell, several bills in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives are being drafted that would subject gymnastics schools, karate schools, cheerleading schools, and a host of other after school athletic team programs to day care regulations, in an attempt to redefine athletic training of 10 hours or more a week as day care facilities.   The email regarding Texas Senate Bill 68  from Texas USA Gymnastics stated:

If you have children who train 10 hours or more a week in your facility – you will be required to be child care licensed by the state of Texas. This licensing will require your facility to meet all the minimum standards set by child care licensing (most gyms will not be able to meet these requirements which will include bathroom sink/toilet ratios in compliance with child care standards, out door playground, Child Care certification of workers and director, sprinkler systems that not only meet building code but also meet child care standards and climbing structures with safety fall zones). Uneven bars would be considered a climbing structure and would not pass child care regulations. This bill passed the Senate Sub Committee unanimously yesterday.

The legislation is spread out in several bills. They are:  Senate Bill 68, House Bills, 601, 773, 188, 1123 and 1393.

Many people have contacted the legislators to protest these bills which is trying to corral  a multitude of industries – sports, religious, arts and academic – that train children under the child care umbrella.    In one letter  (30 Mar 2009)  from Senate Bill 68 author Texas Senator Jane Nelson she states:

Please be assured that I will not pass this bill unless it provides a clear exemption for gymnastics.

The Texas USA Gymnastics is continuing to post updates on the legislation.  In the April 11th update they posted two new drafts of the bills that include a long list of exemptions,  which shows that many people from other child centered industries are expressing concern, too.

Exemptions Are Red Herrings

Frankly, I am not encouraged by these exemptions.  The government always regegs on their exemptions  through technical loopholes.  When Social Security first started it was only for government employees.  When the income tax started it was only for corporate profit.  When driver’s licenses were first issued it was only for chauffeurs  and professional drivers.   When marriage licenses were first issued they were only for inter-racial marriages.  And the list goes on and on.

When the government camel sticks its nose under the tent, rest assured that the rest of the camel will be in the tent after wards.  If this bill were truly to protect children in day care centers, the language would be precise and specific regarding these facilities.   A list of exemptions is a negative assurance.

Furthermore,  it is a part of political history in the USA for agendas with national intentions to begin in a single state to set precedence, or to force federal legislation to address the issue at a later time.  This problem is currently a Texas problem that could cause expensive requirements in after school programs that could make such businesses cost prohibitive.   But other states should be on the alert for similar legislation to be introduced in the near future, too.

We should not let our guard down on this matter. This is trouble for our industries growing in the near future.

Historically, gymnastics has been the hub of community centers.  Of course, what has been called “gymnastics” has changed throughout history.  But going as far back as the Greek Empire, the gymnasium was the academic meeting ground for the philosophers, Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.  They believed in a “sound mind in a sound body” and would debate academic subjects between exercise games.

Modern gymnastics retained its historical roots in the Greek Empire.  Frederick Jahn, called Turnvereinsather of gymnastics” was a German who was dismayed at the weakness of the German citizens during the 19th century.  He drew upon the ancient activities of tumbling,  acrobatics and the pommel horse of the cavalry,  and added the new inventions of his such as the  rings and the high bar.

Jahn set a foundation for the community centers that spread throughout Europe and came to the United States, called the Turnvereins.   Likewise in Sweden a doctor, Per Ling,  who wanted new ways to increase physical therapy adopted and added equipment to gymnastics, such as the parallel bars,  as a way of bringing health and strength to invalids.  His followers took his program and founded the community centers of the Sokols.  In England, George Williams, saw these community centers and decided that Christianity should have the same, so he founded the YMCA which spread around the world, as well.

These organizations spread because gymnastics was the nucleus of physical health, but their founders sought a total health harking back to the time of the Greek Empire.

Modern gymnastics clubs left the community orientation in their pursuit of competitive gymnastics. Before Olga Korbut showed up at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany  gymnastics was still within the community organizations (and NCAA) and there were no clubs to speak of.  After Olga dazzled the world, suddenly millions of little girls wanted to be gymnasts which opened the market for the private club industry.

These competitive clubs had only one goal in mind: train high level athletes to enter the Olympic competition. The reality of running a business with astronomical overhead forced them to expand their horizons by building recreational class programs to glean their future athletes, to run birthday parties, invite field trips into the gym, setting up mobile gymnastics programs, building preschool programs and even subletting their facility for karate, yoga, and other kinds of programs.

In the last Artistic Gymnastics club that I worked for, the owner planned to open up a soccer program within his business.  Likewise other clubs include horse back riding (if they are in the country) or swimming.  Some of these expansions are the result of the many successful gymnastics summer camp businesses that built high level training facilities, brought in famous high level athletes to coach, and added all the amenities of a usual summer camp: dorms for sleeping, rec centers, canteens, canoeing, horseback riding and so many other things depending upon the camp you are talking about.

The modern club industry has been moving towards community centers in a reverse order.  Of necessity they are reaching out to the communities to supplement their Olympic ambitions.  I believe the time has come for the gymnastics industry to take a renewed look at becoming community centers again on purpose, and not because of financial necessity.

The gymnastics industry, for some in the industry not all, has been very selfish in their interest.  I have coached for 30 years and I am an eyewitness to the changes in the industry.  In my opinion, I believe the 1980’s was the most abusive time in the industry.  The focus on training high level athletes was so intense, verbal and physical abuse occurred way too often on the little girls blinded by this dream.  The 1990’s brought some arrest to this behavior, partly because of lawsuits, but also because of a conviction of conscience.  But the focus in the industry still remains the same: Olympic champions.

I am no longer coaching Artistic Gymnastics.  I have my own school that I am building in Stunt Gymnastics.  I do not call it an Acrobatic Gymnastics school, which is the USAG competitive version, but Stunt because I am building a community center around stunts and health.   I may not go back into competition again, since that is not my goal.   I am using the Stunt Gymnastics as a focal point to bring families together.  I am encouraging them in diet and exercise, especially since Americans are far too obese for good health.   And as a Christian, I am  creating a Christ centered community to encourage spiritual and mental health as well.

Please hear my call, all who own gymnastics clubs.   Be intentional in building your business as a community oriented business, not just a athlete training center.  I am not advocating going the route of the Turners, Sokols or the YMCAs which went way beyond gymnastics in becoming Recreation Centers.  Almost every local government has a Rec Center, and their service goes outside the realm of gymnastics.

What I am asking  everyone to consider is to make gymnastics a focal point in training the community to live in good health, to regain the Greek view of a “sound mind in a sound body.”   Fitness, nutrition, and for those of faith, spiritual soundness.   Gymnastics as an industry is anemic and incestuous. It needs to expand its own health as an industry and bring health to the community.

God’s Call on Me to Acrobatics

When I first became a Christian in 1985 I was training as an Elite Mixed Pair in Sports Acrobatics. My coaches, Igor Ashkinazi and Tom Burns (who graciously let me compete with his wife, Jan) led me to Christ when I first began training.  After finishing my competition season in 1986, I walked away from the sport to seek the will of God for my life.

At that time I was still working for the Jewish Community Center on St. Charles in New Orleans.  I came home from work one night and prayed.  What was I to do with my life?  While lying in bed, the Lord spoke to my heart and said to teach His Word. That was fine, but how was I to make my living?  Then I had a mental image with my eyes closed of Jesus in a long white robe running down a tumbling platform performing a round off back handspring back layout.   I thought that was the funniest thing to see.  Then I saw an image of the drawing, “The Laughing Jesus” in my mind and He spoke to my heart, “Keep teaching gymnastics, it is a good sport.”

At the leading of the Lord I moved to Dallas to attend Christ for the Nations.  There I read Watchman’s Nee, “Spiritual Man” and realized that anything that I did that was not led by the Spirit would be a work of the flesh and would not further the Kingdom of God.  Even though I knew that Father had sent me to Bible School, He never told me to be a professional minister.  So, after graduating, I went back to coaching gymnastics.  I had the opportunity to start an acrobatic team and went back to the Nationals with the first Texas team.  That spawned the formation of Texas Acro as a non profit organization to promote acrobatics in Texas.

In 2004 at the last Nationals I attended,  the Lord spoke to me again about reaching the acrobatic community.  I did not understand what that meant.   In 2006 I began my own acrobatic school and did so with the intention of my school being a working ministry, too.  All of my students and their families are believers in Christ, with most of them being home school families.  Then I realized that my school was the acrobatic community that the Lord was speaking about.

The Acrobatic Network and Acro Business Forum

A few weeks ago I set up the Acrobatic Network through the Ning system of social networking.  I did this for two reasons.  One, it is an open network for all of the acrobatic community nationwide. Everyone who joins can do so for free simply by registering.  Clubs can communicate with each other and share information about the sport and industry. Futhermore, all who join can  set up their own club groups which requires registering again, so that each club can keep their groups private to their own clientele.  My own business, the Stunt Gym, has already set up a private group for our own needs.

Prior to setting up this network, I had already set up the Acro Business forum through Texas Acro so club owners can share business and coaching ideas with one another to build our industry.

Economics 101

Now we come to the crossroads of faith and industry.  We live in an unconstitutional economic system.  It is a fiat money system that is controlled by private banking family dynasties.  We have all experienced the ups and downs of bull and bear markets, recession and growth.  These ups and downs are artificially created by these banking dynasties (in the USA, the Federal Reserve system), in the control of interest rates in loaning us our own money, and in the printing of Federal Reserve notes that we call dollars.

Inflation at its root is created by the  amount of dollars that the Treasury Department prints for the Federal Reserve.  The value of money is increased by its scarcity and decreased by its abundance, which is the basic law of supply and demand. Constitutionally, we are supposed to function on a gold standard.  Metal is limited as a resource, hence keeps its value. But we came off the gold standard domestically with FDR and internationally with Nixon. When that occurred we went to a fiat money system that is based upon nothing but how much money is printed.

We mistakenly think that our dollars are US currency, so the amount printed will be limited to the needs of this country. However, in 1944 the Bretton Woods Agreement was made in Connecticut by the international banking communities and the heads of states internationally. They agreed that the Federal Reserve Note would be the international currency used in the sale of oil and petroleum products. So, the amount of Federal Reserve Notes printed is enormous because they are scattered around the world.

The economic collapse that we are facing is not limited to the USA, but will be global because all the world is tied to this system. It is forgotten that the Great Depression of the 1930’s was a global depression because the central banking system was set up all over the world. There are some significant differences between then and now, however. At that time the banks were all on the gold standard. What that means is that people actually brought gold into the banks for deposit, then the banks gave them receipts for the gold (Federal Reserve Notes). Our grand parents’ generation got wind that the banks were handing out more receipts than gold that was actually deposited. So many wanted their gold back, which was the run on the banks that forced the banking holiday declared by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Then using the authority of executive order, which came from martial law declared by Abraham Lincoln,  FDR confiscated everyone’s gold.

Today, we can not have a run on the bank, apart from trying to collect the receipts (dollars) and cash out.   Because there is no gold, they will simply print enough receipts to prevent panic. And there is the good chance that many of these nations will want to dump the dollar for Euros or some other currency which glut our nation with more dollars. The increase of dollars would  increase the cost of everything since the value of the dollar will diminish even further, creating hyper inflation.

The natural response of the government to quell the cry of these outrageous price increases will be to impose price controls. Price controls force manufacturers to sell below cost of manufacturing suffering loss. Their response will be to stop manufacturing, thus causing shortages of goods and scarcities.

Kingdom Economics

The day is soon coming when we may have to make the decision to accept the Mark of the Beast. Without this mark you will not be able to buy or sell. What will we do? We need to establish an alternative economy now.  There already is an underground economy and this is what I wish to encourage my customers and my peers in the industry to consider.

We all have  been duped into functioning completely in the banker’s system which controls the entire economy. We have been conditioned to think inside the box and need to start thinking outside the box. Here is an  example of when I saw how God could take care of me outside the box.  When I first came to Christ, I got fired for praying in the name of Jesus at the Jewish Community Center. I sought God to take care of me by providing me with another job. Instead He prompted a brother who owned several unoccupied duplexes to allow me to stay for free for as long as I wanted. It never occurred to me that God could remove an expense instead of increasing my income. God took me out my my box with that experience.

The Stunt Gym group within the Network has been set up so families within my school may contact one another to help each other out. I am not talking about giving each other freebies, although there is a place for that, but to interconnect in offering services to one another. Services that can either be paid by money, bartering, or swapping services.

We should be leaders in the business world. We should not be employees, but the employers. I want to encourage everyone in my school to think as entrepreneurs. For example, one parent found a whole bag of leotards on ebay for a low price. I want her to sell them to my kids, with me taking a commission, for $10 or $15 dollars each. New leos can easily cost $65 and up. My families all save money, I make money and the mother makes money.

But we have to network together to discover the options available. So I encourage all my families to join the Acrobatic Network, all clubs in Texas, and nationwide.