A6
Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado April 15, 2010
HL
Health in a Handbasket
Flipped Over and cartwheels, we each threw them together with a song to make a routine. My wing man, my dad, found the perfect song for my routine: “I want to be a Cowboy” by Boys Don’t Cry. Wing Dad showed me just the right hen I was a little boy, my part during the song, right after a parents got me involved in jumping front roll, when I would pop everything. My mom was a up and point to my little girlfriend sitregular Yellow Cab driver, shuttling ting in the crowd at the moment the me between karate, T-ball, Pee Wee song lyrics got to “and you can be my wrestling, piano lessons, 4H events, cowgirl.” “meetings” with authority figures ... Not even a week later, I was sharthe list goes on. ing my first kiss with said girl, a peck One time the taxi stopped at gym- right on the cheek while we were nastics lessons. That’s right ladies, in- hiding underneath my friend’s tramsert manly Mr. Furley-esque sniff fol- poline. We married shortly after, lowed by upward tug on belt of though we had to have it annulled at pants, gymnastics. I have decided this summer’s end because I forgot she is the reason I don’t have much body existed when she wasn’t in my class hair today. You will never hear some- anymore. Out of sight out of mind I one say that gymnastics puts hair on guess. your chest. You’ve seen those guys in Anyway, after two years of gymthe Olympics. Muscular, sure, but not nastics, that makes me eight, I learned a hair on them. to do a back flip. I was excited to do Well, it’s partly because I had a sis- this because my hero at the time, ter who took gymnastics and I pretty Gerald Willhite, played for the Denmuch followed her around and did ver Broncos and did a back flip after whatever she did. The other part is every touchdown that he scored. that there was this girl in the class As the years passed, I was more inwho I was smitten over. We were in terested in other sports, and I lost all kindergarten together, so, as you of my gymnastics skills. Which leads might imagine, it was a pretty serious me to now: It’s time to relearn the relationship. We spent most of our back flip. time looking at bugs and pondering I’m not going alone on this, one of Care Bears. If that isn’t love, I don’t my friends, Samm Kress, offered to know what is. help teach me to flip backwards withSo in gymnastics, we all learned out breaking my head. Kress coaches special little moves, then after a cou- cheerleading, and flipped when she was in college ple weeks of perfecting front rolls
After 20 years of staying flat-footed, I’m relearning the back flip
W
This photo is doing nothing for my reputation as a gang banger. But, on the bright side, it looks like I have my costume ready for “Dancing with the Stars.” as a cheerleader for Colorado State University. So I’m in good hands. Kress gave me some exercises to begin preparing my torso for the exertion needed to propel your legs over your head. She’s going to teach me form first, then we’re going to practice in the ball pit at a Denver recreation center. Though I’ve never seen one, I’m assuming the ball pit is like the one at Chuck E. Cheese, and after I complete the flip, me, Samm, and the mechanical mice will spend the evening just talking about old times and telling war stories. If all goes well, next month you’ll see photos of me flipping backwards. If not, it’s been a fun ride Health Line readers. Tell my mom I said goodbye.
Health in a Handbasket is a monthly feature in which I try a health-related adventure and write about it. If you have an idea for a new adventure, write to me at jcody@reporter-herald.com.
Wing Dad showed me just the right part during the song, right after a jumping front roll, when I would pop up and point to my little girlfriend sitting in the crowd at the moment the song lyrics got to “and you can be my cowgirl.” Health in a Handbasket