My Husband Almost Made the Gymnastics Team...

My husband almost got a slot on the Men's U.S. gymnastics team. Almost. He trained relentlessly. We don't talk about it much--I don't like to brag on this blog, and frankly, he's a little bummed...

When he was in training, there was no stopping him. He trained for hours on the weekends and for several hours after biking home from work during the week. Any time during vacations was spent at the gymnastics academy. There really aren't many middle aged men who have ever come this close to making the team. Really, he's the Dara Torres of Men's Gymnastics. You probably haven't heard of him because we've been so lucky to keep publicity at a minimum. We just didn't want our family life to be even more disrupted than it already was by his grueling training schedule. Look for yourself.

Here, we see my husband working on the pommel horse. It's his favorite apparatus. See? He's smiling. He's always at ease while doing scissor kicks.

Next to the pommel horse, my husband loves the rings. He's like a monkey up there! He may not look like a typical Olympics bound gymnast, but there's a lot of power in those normal sized muscles.

Here, my husband demonstrates perfect form while doing the Iron Cross.

You can see the strain on his face--imagine holding that position. The mind boggles.

My husband missed out on being a member of the team because he's just not strong enough in the Floor Exercise. It's his weakest event, and unfortunately, if the U.S.A. has any hope of beating the powerhouse team of Uzbekistan, they would have to get a more competitive member.

Sorry, babe. Maybe in 2012. We can only hope...and train. Go get 'em Tiger!