#1: Monday, August 1, 2016
Today starts the first day of an epic adventure! A pit stop in Miami and then off to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to work my first Olympic Games! Three meets down this summer with Nationals and Trials, this is the fourth and final stop! I am so very excited, humbled, blessed, nervous, anxious, and appreciative- all at one time. I’ll be wearing two “hats” in the next three weeks- journalist/writer/social media for Inside Gymnastics Magazine and Web, and physical therapy/medical, treating many athletes as they need it! My love for the Olympics (and for treating) spreads beyond gymnastics as well, into Volleyball (with being the Chicago Medical Coordinator for the AVP for years), working with many swimmers, triathletes, and more.
Hop on to my website for all things Performing Arts- www.medgym.net. Subscribe to the BLOG if you want to get notifications of posts throughout the Games.
Inside Gymnastics Magazine is simply the best. 14 years with the company as their Medical Editor/Contributor, for the Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dance divisions, I am blessed to be able to share more than just my medical knowledge with the Inside Fans! My wonderful Publisher, Chris Korotky, 
and I will be covering live at all of the gymnastics events in Rio. Our platform has many facets:
- Instagram: Amazing pictures, quotes, and comments, with over 200,000 followers!
- Facebook: posts featuring articles, daily updates from Rio, and links to our website
- The Magazine: pictures, articles, advice, results and more- the Olympic issue is bound to be our best yet. Subscribe now to ensure that you get it!
- Twitter: quick hits, updates, quotes, and links
- Insidegym.com- stories from the Olympic Games, Interview articles and videos, recaps both daily and throughout the week, predictions and chances, news from around the world, and in-depth feature stories.
Our goal is not to provide you with score updates, start lists, and other stat information- this day in age with live scoring and streaming as well as the minimal time difference, that is not our focus. We are, however, providing personal interviews with all of our athletes, coaches, and coordinators, reels of film from fun loving moments, amazing inspirational videos, and feature topic stories that will leave a lasting impression.
With a suitcase full of Graston tools, boxes of dry needles, cocoa butter, Ionto patches, and my torturous hands in tow… I hope to not have to work too much- as we all wish for a healthy run for all of the athletes.
The magnitude of the Olympics and all that it stands for is looming and waiting for millions of fans, thousands of athletes, and countless dreams to come true. If you add up all of the hours at practice, parental time driving to and from workouts, coaching hours, physical therapy time, competitions, repetitions and more… it is almost overwhelming to compile the energy. At the end of the Games, there will be only one all-around champion, one team winner, and a singular star on each event. Although not comforting to hear ever, just getting to Rio is an accomplishment in itself.
I’ve never had the opportunity to combine my PT Masters along with my Communications/Marketing Masters, and my background in being an athlete, coaching and more. This crazy life leading up to this, every minute of teaching, every patient, coach, and mentor has left me with pearls of wisdom and heart along the way to take with me.
As I left this morning, pulling out of the driveway, saying goodbye to my husband and kids, emotions swept me like a tidal wave. I am going to miss them so much, and at the same time feel so blessed and grateful to have a husband that can hold down the fort, and who supports my dream as well as keeping things as normal for the kids as possible. I am gone several times a year for a week at a time, but this one takes the cake. Thank goodness for Skype, WhatsApp, videos, and the internet. It is strange to know that Achieve Sports Medicine holds steady when I am out, as miraculously proven during Dad’s passing. I am amazed and in awe of the wheels that turn, almost automatically, with 17 of the best staff one could ever ask for. The peace that it gives me is immeasurable: to know that quality is upheld, communication continues, and some of the best hands in the business are working down to the bones while I am gone.
Thanks for following my journey! I am truly humbled at the support. For every coach I ever had, thanks for instilling knowledge of the sport in me, and better yet the love for every aspect of the development of an elite level athlete from coaching to choreography to strength training and more. To all of those who I have had the pleasure of listening to and presenting along side at Congress and more, I continue to learn from you all each and every day. To my peers, mentors, and staff in the PT world- you are all a part of my hands and heart in Rio! To all of my patients who have been so loyal, supportive, and patient with this whole process since May, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your texts, emails, and FB messages bring countless smiles to my face. It is truly my pleasure to make your bodies better, thanks for letting me! To my friends…sorry I have been MIA this summer, I promise to return to reality in the fallJ To my family- my husband and my three beautiful kids. I could never do this without your love and support. Thank you for being excited for me, for being interested in what I do, and for encouraging me to have a work-life balance that focuses on my family. To my Mom and Dad- countless drives to and from the gym, phone calls, check ins, bleacher sitting, and dollars as I was growing up- it all started with a flip in the family room and a hyper kid. Daddy, I miss you so very much. You knew I was going to Rio, and for that I am so blessed. I would give it all up in a heartbeat just to hug you one more time. I know you are watching over me, and all of us in Rio, and your grandkids who love you so very much. Your passion, heart, and love are with me always.
Peace, love and thanks.
- Gina