Move Busted
Freezin' the Breeze
Olympians,
It's been a while since our last update, so here comes a big one!
Coming up: Tuba City Games!
This October we will inaugurate Our Games in Tuba City with an in person athletics event in Tuba: the 100m dash! Join us at 6pm on October 16th at the Tuba City High School Track (access via the gate at the corner of Edgewater Dr and Hilltop St. If attendance allows, we will also run the 4x100m relay!
Coming up: Cross-country Skiing III: 50k (55km) Classical Mass Start
Just Finished: Breaking: Individual
N ew to the Olympic Games this year was Breaking, AKA Breakdancing. Since January, Our Olympics took up the challenge and held a tournament for athletes across the country. Beginning with eight bboys and bgirls, the bracket stage saw the three judges picking favorites in head-to-head battles where competitors sent in videos following the routines prescribed by lead judge Hannah Dunn. We'll turn it over to her to hear how the medal rounds went, but first here's the breakdown of our competitors:
Coming at you from the PNW, it's Gui AKA Greg Nigon! Over New England way we have 802 AKA Kel Richards. Way out on the sunny shores of LA County, we have Magster AKA Maggie Bennett. From the City of Brotherly Love, it's Luke Wizard AKA Luke Yarnall. Rim Country's own Mufasa AKA Stasa Arnold graced the tournament. And Tuba City's own Ohio AKA Jordan Zitzman, Breeze AKA Gustave Sexauer, and K Train AKA Katrina Sexauer showed up as the home team. Our judges included choreographer Hannah Dunn, joined by her husband Evan Dunn from the Great Plains of Texas and from the bustling streets of Brooklyn, Annie Estes.
"Yo yo yo,let's break it down for y'all! The throwdown was *mad tight* - each breaker hittin' 30-second battles, going head-to-head like straight-up legends. First up, Breeze and Luke Wizard - these cats *rolled in* on a dolly like they owned the joint, *entrance game strong*! The beats were straight fire, mad cultural vibes. Breeze takes home the gold flexin' with that *clean footwork* and next-level *weight transfer*, edging out Luke Wizard just by a hair. Luke Wizard's silver is no joke though - that stall at the end? Didn't think there was a way out of that one. *Creativity game on lock*.
Now K Train-girl came in with *mad grooves*, and when she busted out those *rockin' finger steps* and classic 🦘 kangaroo hops, it was like watching poetry in motion. But yo, Mufasa came through with those *quick feet* and that *beat choice*? Bronze secured, and she took the cake, no doubt!
Big ups to all the competitors - you all brought the heat these 9 months. What a ride!"
-D.J. Hannah Dunn
Take a look at the videos of each round here, if you want to catch up on the action.
Winner Interview with "Breeze" AKA Gustave Sexauer
OO: Would you rather learn to spin on your head or break dance in a mud pit?
Breeze: A head spin would be so dope. In another world, my trail name is Mr. Clean, so no mud for me!
OO: If you had to invent a sandwich that has never been made before, what would it be?
Breeze: The all cheese sandwich. Are you familiar with bread cheese? Juustoleipä? Well those are the buns, or outside of the sandwich. Inside, you have a layer of squeaky fresh dill and garlic white cheddar curds topped with grated parmesan and then covered with two slices of Emmentaler Swiss.
OO: What classic movie dance sequence would be improved by subbing in some breaking?
Breeze: When the Lollypop Guild arrives to greet Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
OO: If you could invent a breaking move inspired by a bird, what would you call it?
Breeze: Probably a butt wiggle called the sandpiper.
OO: What did you eat the day of winning the gold?
Breeze: Well it was a long day, as I padded it with six extra hours thanks to a time change, so this will be a longer answer than you'd think. I had a chocolate-filled croissant and suisse de raisins at a French bakery in Brussels, then had two chicken-based meals on the plane (they were out of any other options), chocolate truffles, peanuts that I had stashed away, a pretzel from Wawa, a Belgian waffle, and another truffle. After the battle, we went out to eat for hand-pulled noodle soup in Chinatown, then had a medley of mango flavored desserts.
OO: If you could battle one person - dead, alive, fictional, or nonfictional - who would it be and why!?
Breeze: I'd challenge Lydia Deetz. I wouldn't even protest if she was possessed during the battle to pull off some inconceivable moves. Luke and I levitated, but she could for real levitate. It would be an both an exciting and fun battle, plus she's hot!
OO: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Breeze: Extreme flexibility. Low range of motion is one of my biggest weaknesses, and this would turn the tables on that. It could certainly be helpful in a breaking battle, but also many other Olympic events and in injury prevention in general.
OO: What was your prior experience with breaking?
Breeze: I have a big confession: the lead judge, Hannah Dunn, is one of the only people who has given me accolades for my dance skills, back in high school. I'm sure my gold was helped by the fact she was on the officient end of this tournament. And everything I knew about dancing in high school came from this video. Other than that, this was really my first time breaking, I've never even tried to master the worm! I am grateful to have learned some of the fundamentals through this competition to get a window into what this sport is all about.
Just Finished: Cycling VI: Road Race II
W ould you bike 160 miles in a day? The male Olympic road racers do that, and in Paris they actually biked 169 miles. Mileage has slowly increased over the years since they started with 54 miles in 1896. Our Olympics, too, had a shorter race back in 2011, over 11.5 miles, which was won by Dan Nigon. Being a bit under the Olympic distance though, a repeat was in order, and the RAIN (Ride Across Indiana) was a useful way to join in a race for roughly the right amount of miles. Over 500 people signed up for the race, but Katrina and Gustave Sexauer were the only two athletes from Our Olympics. To answer your FAQs, let's turn this over to an interview:
Interview with Katrina Sexauer
OO: What's your experience cycling?
KS: When I was little I learned to ride a bike in my neighborhood in the classic way where your dad says he will hold on then doesn't. Then I forgot how. My good friend, Shaina, leant me a bike in college when my car's check engine light came on so I could go to the store. I was bad, but didn't crash. I got obsesso and then have tried to always commute by bike ever since. After that, I impressed my professor by showing up when she gave an open invite to bike up Mt. Lemmon. I didn't make it all the way, but it was fun. Then I biked across the country. That is that.
OO: Why did you want to do the RAIN ride?
KS: When I was biking across the country I heard about all of these silly rides across different states. First I did RAGBRAI across Iowa in 2015, then I heard about RAIN. I thought I must do it, but Indiana isn't near where I have ever lived, so it took 10 years to actually make it happen.
OO: Did it go as expected?
KS: It went much better than expected because I finished in the time limit without training.
OO: Would you do it again?
KS: I would do a similar ride again, but I don't need to do RAIN again. I'd also bike across Indiana again, but I'd take two days for that.
OO: Do you have any training recommendations or advice for people who want to go big?
KS: If you can do 20% of it, you can finish if you believe in your brain that you can.
Honorable Mention with Ben "Beans" Schmidt
S chmidt is a longtime friend of Our Olympics and has competed in seven events, earning golds in Art III: Music and Softball I: Teams of 4. However, Our Olympic has never hosted a true wrestling event, which was Schmidt's sport of choice in high school. Let's hear about what it's like to be a wrestler at that level.
Interview with Beans Schmidt
OO:What level of wrestling did you do?
BS: I wrestled for Luther HS in Wisconsin high school wrestling.
OO: What were the weight classes, and did you do any crazy tricks to drop a class on the day of a tournament?
BS: Most classes were in five pound increments and didn't have names other than the numbers. I was in the 130-135lbs class usually, and I'd eat plain popcorn the night before, then wear sweatshirts or other heavy clothes and spit a lot on the day of to drop weight.
OO: How did you train? Did you just work on your own techniques, or did you size-up competitors by watching their matches?
BS: We just worked on our techniques at Luther, and the only video we watched was from our own matches to review how we did.
OO: Were your tournaments mixed gender?
BS: Yes, Luther didn't allow girls to join the team, but other teams at tournaments had girls. It shouldn't be emasculating to wrestle or lose to a girl. I'm proud to say I didn't forfeit a match just because it was against a girl, and I'm not ashamed that I lost it either.
OO: Did you feel wrestling was a safe sport?
BS: I'd say it's more safe than basketball. We had rules against using harmful moves like the Full Nelson. I did know someone who hurt their back in a match. I had a bloody nose once, which was fairly common. You could get cauliflower ear if you wrestle a lot. In general it's not more dangerous than most other sports.
OO: What was the tournament format, and how did you usually fare?
BS: Tournaments were round robins and or brackets. I actually lost most of the time as I was pretty shy in the ring and lacked confidence.
OO: Did you have a signature move?
BS: I liked the Grammy, where you are underneath someone, but then flip them over and get yourself back on top.
OO: Favorite wrestling movie?
BS: Foxcatcher with Steve Carell. It's creepy, tragic, and well done.
Happy fall, and see you at the next event!
-Gustave
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