Olympics – Looking to God

Katniss Everdeen

Posted on November 27, 2013November 29, 2013 by Jack Flacco

Among the hopeless faces rises a hero of unlikely countenance. A natural hunter. A survivalist. She sports a razor-sharp aim, a handy skill to kill a pheasant from a hundred feet. And she gives of herself to fight in the blood-soaked Hunger Games. Meet Katniss Everdeen, this week’s Women Who Wow Wednesday‘s champion.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games

They come from the twelve Districts of Panem. Sacrifices to a totalitarian nation bent on keeping its ideals intact. The uprisings years ago created The Hunger Games, a warped kind of Olympic circus where contestants, tributes rather, fight to the death for the enviable bragging rights as winner.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is District 12’s female Tribute.

From a humble family, Katniss lives a gray life where the girls wear plain dresses, and food comes to the table as a scarce commodity. But she’s done well for the family, providing meat in times of hunger and joy in times of sorrow. Her mother, and her sister, Primrose, are the ones who provide her the strength she needs to survive anything that comes her way.

When she becomes a representative for her district, she knows what it means. She understands that of the twenty-four tributes, only one will survive the maelstrom of violence perpetrated by the other tributes to each other.

She does have hope, though. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) accompanies her to the games as the male tribute chosen for her district. Together they have the sometimes-inebriated Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), who acts as their counsel dispensing the most valuable advice he could give:

“You need to get people to like you.”

The colors of the Hunger Games’ tribute parade betray the nation’s corrupt soul. Katniss’ fiery entrance with Peeta may have inspired Panem to great heights, but from deep within the celebrations may lie a dormant state waiting to unleash it’s fury on those who have captured their freedom.

Katniss may be the answer to the dystopian nightmare. Her keen ability to survive coupled with her endearing way with the people could prove as a formidable force for the authorities to quench. Her love for others caps off a perfect amalgam of qualities sought after in every leader on the cusp of greatness.

If Katniss has taught us anything, it’s that no matter how bad things get, things always get better.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

What do you think of Katniss Everdeen?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Haley Graham

Posted on July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 by Jack Flacco

Who? Yeah, that’s what I was hoping you’d ask. Haley Graham, super-pumped female gymnast who blows away the competition with genius tricks and phenomenal backbone. Keeping it real, she and her crew take no prisoners. Today, she’s burning treads on Women Who Wow Wednesday.

You say you haven’t seen Stick It? There’s no excuse. Get it. The girls in the film are those who zombies would fear. They wouldn’t even need shotguns. All they’d need is a pair of leos to bust some bones. With gymnastics described more as a car race, you’ll love the lingo:

Burt Vickerman: You’re popping your clutch, losing traction.
Haley Graham: I’m not popping [censored]
Burt Vickerman: Are you sure?
Haley Graham: I’m so sure I’m practically deodorant.

Haley Graham (played by Canadian actress Missy Peregrym) gets caught busting up a new model home with her bike. The judge gives her a choice: boot camp or VGA. No way is she goin’ to VGA. Boot camp. The judge begs to differ. VGA it is.

VGA—The Vickerman Gymnastics Academy—notorious for turning little girls into elite gymnasts at the cost of injuries. What did Haley get herself into? There are over 2000 navy seals in the U.S. There are only 200 elite gymnasts. The price? Six-hour days training tricks that could kill you.

Haley’s philosophy is simple: “If you’re gonna eat mat, you eat mat hard.” And why not? If you’re going to do something, you do it to win. No half-hearted attempts. No one remembers second best. But Vickerman (Jeff Bridges), coach extraordinaire, doesn’t want Haley eatin’ mat. He asks, “Are you gonna learn to control your tricks or do we need to have an ambulance on call?” As if Haley would respond to a rational argument, “Call ‘em up.”

And what does she think of her training with Vickerman?

Gymnastics tells you no. All day long. It mocks you over and over again. Telling you you’re an idiot. That you’re crazy. If you like running full-speed towards a stationary object, vault’s for you. If you like pealing pieces of skin the size of quarters off your hands, bars is for you. If you like falling, then gymnastics is the sport for you! You get to fall on your face. Your ass. Your back. Your knees. And your pride! It’s a good thing I didn’t like falling… I LOVED IT!

Her fire for perseverance and thunder for winning infects the entire team with wild results. Pretty soon, the other girls are popping their clutch.

Yet Haley’s not all about Haley. When one of her teammates gets trashed by the judges ‘cause her bra strap is showing, Haley’s defiance proves incendiary with the other gymnasts. Screaming full speed toward the vault, she stops short of busting her trick, pops on the apparatus, exposes her bra straps, and purposely scratches on her attempt.

Burt Vickerman: Wait. Next time you should stick your tongue out too.
Haley Graham: I would, but my coach likes it when I control my tricks.

Haley’s move gives the gold to her teammate since all the other gymnasts scratched on all their vault attempts as well.

That’s what Haley’s all about, not to prove she’s the best, but sticking it so the team would be the true winner in the end.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale October 22.

Have you ever sacrificed something you wanted for the good of someone or something else?

Freedom Friday

Gymnastics

Posted on January 18, 2013January 18, 2013 by Jack Flacco

I love the sport of gymnastics. It’s one of the most difficult sports to master. And as such, since this is my Freedom Friday post, I thought I’d write about my favorite sport.

Growing up, I had such an intense crush on 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci. For those who don’t know her, as a Romanian gymnast she won three gold medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, and two golds in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

Let me tell you something about those wins in Montreal.

She had just finished her routine on the uneven bars and the crowd waited for her score. The judges didn’t know how to rate her performance, so the board lit up with the number 1.00. Back then, the judges could score a routine between 0.00 and 10.00. The crowd’s natural reaction was shock. A flawless performance and she only gets a 1.00? That is, until a great outburst of applause rushed through the venue. The judges did not score her a 1.00 but a perfect 10.00!

Omega SA, the official scoreboard manufacturer for the Games, had only supplied scoreboards capable of displaying 9.99 and nothing more because they’d understood no one could achieve a perfect score.

Nadia went on to score six additional perfect tens at those Games. I remember seeing her perform and she captured my heart. How could such a diminutive girl twirl so much, jump so far and fly so high?

I followed her career throughout the late Seventies, early Eighties. Between 1975-1981, she went on to win twenty-one gold, seven silver and two bronze medals in two Olympic Games, two World Championships, three European Championships, and the 1981 Summer University Games.

What an incredible feat for a girl at such a young age!

Once she retired, I found my love for the sport had not diminished. I followed all the up-and-coming gymnasts—this time as a true fan of the sport. I tuned into all the meets, got to know which countries had the strongest gymnasts and followed them. I familiarized myself with all the terms: Hand guard, apparatus, deduction, high bar, mat, junior, senior, element group requirements, chalk, balance, all-around, elite, clubs, somersault, roll, straddle, vault, kip, pike, layout, front tuck, dismount, cartwheel, etc. All of it.

I’ll never forget watching Mary Lou Retton score her perfect tens in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. That night, my parents had gone out leaving me home alone to watch TV. All I could do was sit at the edge of my seat. Retton had to beat Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo, who led the all-around by fifteen-hundredths of a point. With two events to go, she hit the mat. She twirled, somersaulted, smiled and danced her way into the hearts of Americans. The judges were sure: A perfect ten. Next, came the vault. She nailed it, grabbing another perfect ten. Retton won against her rival by 0.05 points.

Another incredible feat for a girl at such a young age!

Mary Lou Retton, 1984 Olympic All-Around Champion

As the years pass, gymnasts come and go. I make it a point to watch the Olympics every time. Although my first love may have faded some for the sport, I’ve kept the tradition alive. Not an Olympics has passed that I do not know who the gymnasts are. And every four years there’s a surprise. A twisted ankle. A daunting fall. And every four years there’s a gymnast who overcomes every obstacle to become a new hero to the ordinary folk.

I love gymnastics. It’s my favorite sport.

Have you seen gymnasts rise to the occasion and win a gold at the Olympics? Are there heroes in gymnastics you admire for their sheer willpower of never giving in to defeat?

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