Life in a Leo

This week I got the chance to interview Melisa Torres, the author of the Perfect Balance Gymnastics, a fiction book series. Melisa started gymnastics a little bit later in life and progressed through the sport. As a junior in high school, her coach asked her if she wanted to continue in college and helped her find a school that matched her goals. Melisa continued to flourish in the sport as a collegiate athlete at Utah State University. Melisa builds off her experience in the sport to help develop the characters she uses in her books. To learn more about Melisa and her books, check out her website www.melisatorres.com. Let us know who else you want us to interview and what you think of the show? You can email me at rebecca@leotard.com or message us on Instagram @Rebeccasmomleo. Hope you all have a great weekend, keep working those upgrades, and don't forget to point your toes :) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I discuss the top 5 things I'm most excited about at The American Classic. The American Classic is one of two elite meets that athletes can compete in to qualify for US National Championships. There are a lot of new Hopes gymnasts that will be competing. Some of the kids that competed in Hopes last year have now qualified as Jr. Elites so we will be watching how they do. We are also excited to see some Sr. Elites compete that we haven't seen compete in a while. You can check out The Balance Beam Situation for a great preview (https://balancebeamsituation.com/2018/07/05/american-classic-preview/) and more detail on some of the key athletes to watch for. Here's my top 5. 1. So many new elites - mostly talking about Hopes kids here 2. Tom Forster 3. The podium 4. All the athletes - w/bias towards MG Elite, Paramount Elite and GO 5. The Leotards (of course) Good luck ladies! Have fun, stay focused and don't forget to point your toes :) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

In this solocast (what I've decided to call it when I don't do an interview), I provide what my key takeaways are and some examples of how to interpret the new composition deductions in the new code of points. I don't go into too much detail but provide examples of the extremes on each event. Basically what is expected to receive no deduction and what scenarios would apply the full deductions. I hope this is informative and everyone enjoys learning some of the technical details required and expected for level 10. We also gave a shout out to @gymnast_nateianna1 for her awesome work in the gym and her friend @alyssacolerolls for being a great friend and having a great work ethic! I love it when I hear from you guys and I love all the support you give to your friends too. You guys are a great community!! Hope everyone has a great weekend, if your headed to camp, have fun and let us know how it goes and of course, don't forget to point your toes :) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

Here is part two of my interview with JaNay Honest, Christine Peng Peng Lee and Deanna Hong, the incredible trio that hosted Bruin Banter this season (can you tell, I'm obsessed). This week we go into more detail about their time as Bruins, their most memorable gymnastics moments and what Life in a leo means to them. I loved this interview and can't wait to hear what you think!! Also, if you are visiting San Diego and want to catch Peng in her new gig, visit Sea World and make sure to check out the IllumiNight Show. https://seaworld.com/san-diego/shows/illuminight/ Good luck to all the judges out there who are testing this summer. I hope you are getting in lots of study time and learning all those new composition formulas. Finally, in the words of Peng, JaNay and Deanna, be true to who you are, stay positive and have fun and of course, don’t forget to point your toes. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I got to speak with the trio that put together Bruin Banter this past NCAA gymnastics season, JaNay Honest, Christine Peng Peng Lee, and Deanna Hong. https://youtu.be/wp0_PdKzYVg Just one of the few things these women are known for. We discuss their career in gymnastics prior to UCLA, how they made their way to UCLA and of course their favorite and most memorable leotards. There was so much to discuss, so we only just start to scratch the surface of our conversation. Stay tuned for part 2 next week when we learn more about Bruin Banter, what it's like to have a coach like Miss Val and what Life in a leo means to each of these amazing women. Please let us know what you think? We want to hear from you and learn more about our audience. You can always reach out over email. I'm rebecca@leotard.com or you can find us on Instagram and message us there @Rebeccasmomleo. Keep having fun out there, working hard, and don't forget to point your toes! xo --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

Every week we are in and out of the gym training our butts off. We live in our leotards and sometimes we forget how to best care for them. This week I provide some advice on how to best take care of your leotards, especially the fancy competition ones that cost tons of money. These are the things you need to do to make sure the white stays white, the beads stay in place and the fabric remains soft and comfortable for you and all the athletes that you pass the leos down to after you. If you have any questions or want more information on the products we recommend, you can email me at rebecca@leotard.com. Shout outs this week go to @gymnastabrianna and @gymnast.soof. Keep up the great work ladies! You are doing awesome things out there. Hope everyone has a great weekend, keep training hard, cleaning your leotards and don't forget to point your toes ;) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I got to interview one of my favorite Soul Cycle Instructors, Erin Kirschenbaum (https://www.soul-cycle.com/instructors/231/erin/). Erin grew up as a very focused ballet dancer training with the Boston Ballet. After high school, she decided she was ready to try something different and focus on school. However, Erin couldn't stay away from an athletic lifestyle and felt the need to keep her body moving. One thing led to another and eventually, Erin ended up in NYC as a Soul Cycle instructor. As you will learn in our conversation and on her soul cycle bio, her classes combine athletic intensity with lighthearted fun. She wants her riders to see themselves as fierce warriors when they attack their workout, but also be able to laugh at themselves along the way. A few shout outs this week - @Yuna.the.gymnast, @AnastasiaCardino and @Grace.with.a.freckle.face. We love hearing from you guys. Hope everyone has a great weekend and don't forget to point your toes! xo --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I discuss the three things that judges look for when evaluating artistry on floor. I break down each deduction and provide my best interpretation of the JO Code of Points. The music in the episode is Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing which I reference when I talk about my floor routines. This was the music I had when I competed in college. Please take a look at our blog post on www.leotard.com this week to watch the YouTube videos of the three routines I reference for having wonderful artistry. I also think it's worth watching the profile of Alexei Ratmansky on YouTube, some Misty Copeland videos and Tiler Peck to see how they create such an amazing story with their dance, choreography, expression, and quality of movement. I think this provides some unique perspective to athletes typically focused on only gymnastics. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and good luck to everyone competing or TOPS testing. Keep dancing and don't forget to point your toes! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I interviewed our amazing summer intern, Hannah Kaufman. In addition to being our intern, Hannah is studying dance and sociology at Rutgers University. She got her start in dance doing jazz and hip-hop but quickly found a passion for ballet. As Hannah got older, her style shifted and she discovered something called Gaga. Hannah shares her experiences as a dancer, a Rebecca's Mom intern and what she hopes to achieve after she graduates college. We also would like to send a shout out to Hannah Clark at Azarian gymnastics. She is a level 9 Westerns Floor Champion!! What a huge accomplishment. Hannah, congrats and keep up the amazing work. Hope you've started learning some fun new upgrades for next season. Let us know what you think? Email me, rebecca@leotard.com with any feedback or ideas for future episodes. We can't wait to hear from you. Hope you all have a great weekend and don't forget to point your toes. xo --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week was another solo episode. Next week I will be back with an interview so stay tuned. The topic for this week was inspired by an experience I had when I was volunteering for an organization I feel passionately about. I was asked to work at a phone bank and it was one of the most frustrating experiences I have had. I wasn't even asking for money, but people just didn't want to hear what I had to say. This experience left me feeling rejected and frustrated. I felt like I had failed the organization. I was also inspired by the #gymnasticsfailchallenge. This viral movement has humanized all these gymnasts but also provided us with lots of comedy. I believe everyone is posting moments where they aren't hurt and able to walk away from the fail. Hope you enjoy my thoughts and take something positive away from what I share. We would love to hear from you, so please message me - rebecca@leotard.com. Good luck to everyone competing this weekend! And don't forget to point your toes :) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

Happy Friday! In this episode, I explain how to get a level 9 or 10 routine to start from a 10.0. I felt inspired by Easterns and Westerns taking place this weekend and JO Nationals next weekend. I thought it might be helpful to the audience to better understand the requirements and nuances that go into designing a 10.0 start value routine. There are three main buckets to consider, special requirements, value parts and bonus. I hope my explanation and examples provide a bit of clarity as you cheer on your friends and family. If you have any questions, please email me, rebecca@leotard.com. Good luck to everyone competing! We hope you have a wonderful, safe and fun meet. Don't forget to point your toes https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I spoke with Emily Chan from Singapore, the youngest FIG women's artistic gymnastics judge in the world! Emily runs a YouTube channel and Instagram account called Flip Fly Tumble (@flipflytumble) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1JiHs3Bw0GVfLqLFH7OPw where she creates video edits judging elite gymnastics routines, providing some much needed insight into how they come up with the difficulty and execution scores. Emily also creates floor music edits. In addition to her YouTube Channel, Emily has a website where she uses her graphic art talents to create some signature gymnastics t-shirts. https://www.teepublic.com/stores/flipflytumble It was great chatting with Emily and learning a little bit more about her and her love of gymnastics. Hope you enjoy the episode! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This is a very special episode. It's the first time I interviewed a group of people. In addition, these were three of my teammates at UC Davis. Meghan was two years ahead of me and Flora and Lynn was a year younger. We discuss our growth in the sport throughout our time in college, the camaraderie of our team and how we never fully got closer even after we graduated. We also discuss some of our most memorable moments and leotards. It was so fun talking to these ladies and learning more about how gymnastics has impacted and influenced their lives. I hope you enjoy it! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

This week I wanted to bring you something a little different. I got the chance to interview my friend, Taylor Gordon. Taylor is a professional dancer. She started dancing from the time she could walk, leaving home at the age of 15 to train at the Rock School in Philadelphia. Taylor moved to NYC where she continued to perfect her craft and grow as a performer. Taylor has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall, off-Broadway, on tour, and on television. To learn more about Taylor and watch some clips of her performing, check out her website, www.taylorgordononline.com. Good luck to everyone competing this weekend! Keep training hard and don't forget to point your toes! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support

Ever wonder why your routine scored an 8.1 and your teammate got an 8.8? Maybe it's the execution...I have been a judge for 22 years. I provide some insight into what judges are looking for on all four events. I also provide some anecdotes from my experience as a gymnast. Let us know what you think? We hope to hear from you. If you want to share your Best Things in the Gym, please email me, rebecca@leotard.com or send me a DM on Instagram, @rebeccasmomleo Hope everyone competing this weekend has a great meet. Can't wait to see all the NCAA regional competitions (Go Bruins). Keep training hard, stay positive and don't forget to point your toes. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lifeinaleo/support