John Macready and John Roethlisberger's Flip Fest

John and John became best friends through their training and travels with gymnastics. They have combined their passion for the sport and their desire to give back to younger gymnasts by joining forces for Flip Fest.

The Games Continue

JROE | 08/15/2008

Well, lets hear it for the US. Both the men and women have been doing so good. They each got team medals and now Nastia and Shawn go one, two in the all-around. It was such an exciting competition. The only thing that was a bummer was that they both couldn't get the gold. They were both very deserving.

I have been having a great time outside of the meet as well. I still haven't slept much and have been pretty busy, but have also had the chance to see Beijing a little and see some other events. I went to Fencing for the first time, which was actually pretty cool. They have this runway up on a podium in the middle of an arena. Two guys come in and all the lights go out except the spotlights on the runway and they go at it. It's kind of like they're Gladiators.

I also had the chance to go to Beach Volleyball and Track and Field in the last couple days. Both were pretty cool. The venues are awesome. I saw the US win a silver medal in the shot put and some the qualifying heats for the 100 meter dash. Its going to be a really good final. The Jamaican dude, Bolt, is really fast.

I have also had the chance to do some more stuff for Oxygen and some for NBCOlympics.com. It has been really fun, especially because I just get to be kind of a dork, which comes naturally to me. I have included some pictures from the filming.

I am hoping to go and watch Phelps go for his 8th gold medal on Sunday. Trampoline starts tomorrow and the US has a one athlete in both the men's and women's competition for the first time. Well thats all for now. I'll keep the updates coming. I hope week 11 went great. Sorry I wasn't there to close out the summer with you all.

Let the Games Begin

JROE | 08/12/2008

This is my office while I'm here in Beijing. Bet you wish you had this many TVs

Hey Flip Fest campers and coaches. Everything is going great over hear in Beijing. The competition is under way and both the United States Teams made it to the team finals. The guys did awesome and only had one missed routine. The girls had a little rougher time but they still finished in second place and have a good chance at gold in team finals.

I have had some long nights and very little sleep but it has been fun too. I have had to stay up all night the last two nights while they did the voiceovers for the men’s and women’s competitions. I really don’t have much to do I just have to watch the meet just in case I have something to add. I usually don’t. But it’s still neat to see it all come together and every once in a while I have some input which is cool.

The opening ceremonies were exciting. I didn’t get to go, but I hung out at the Birds Nest right before they started and got some pics with the people that were in the show. Then I watched it on TV with some of the other NBC employees. I went to bed early, but was woken up by the final fireworks of the ceremony, which were literally rattling my hotel window.

Today I went to my first event other than gymnastics. Chris Korotky, from Inside Gymnastics Magazine, and Todd Thornton, former National Team Member, and I all went to swimming and saw Michael Phelps set a new Olympic record in the 200 meter Butterfly. It was pretty cool. Maybe the best part though was when some of the members of the men’s basketball team showed up to watch. Chris Paul, Carmello Anthony, Teshaun Prince were all there. When we were leaving we ran down and got a picture with Lebron James.

All the Olympic venues are pretty sweet. I haven’t really had a chance to get around to see the city much, I’ve mostly been hanging out in the Olympic Green where most of the events are taking place. The weather has been pretty cloudy and the smog is pretty bad. Its like we are living in a dome. I’m hoping it clears up soon and we can see some blue skies. My first appearance on the Oxygen Network will be before the men’s and women’s team finals. Don’t get too excited, it’s only for like one minute. It was fun though. I will also be on MSNBC before the men’s meet talking about the competition. If you guys want to read my updates on the competition, go to NBCOlympics.com and click on gymnastics and then blogs and you can read my take on the meet.

I miss you all at camp and hope everyone is having a great summer. I will have more updates and pictures to come soon.

Week 10

Lacy | 08/08/2008

Week 10 is the bomb!!! We have had great weather, awesome workouts, and just a really strong week. This was our biggest boys week all summer and it was nice to see such a large turnout for the guys. The girls still held their own though, and powered through the camp dance. Check out these great pics!

Week 9 Is In The House!

JMAC | 07/28/2008

What a great group of campers and coaches. Everything is going great in and out of the gym. The kids are having such a blast. Tonight was the Hawaiian dance and everyone rocked it out. We are gearing up for the big haunted hike tomorrow. More to come later!

Week 8!!

JMAC | 07/23/2008

Week 8 is flying by. The Hawaiian dance was a huge success and the haunted hike was all out terrifying fun! Today is a half-day in the gym and the rest of the day is fun in the sun tubing on the lake or swinging from the trees at the ropes course. 80 degrees and sunny here in Crossville, it doesn’t get any better than this!

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John Macready

Camp Director

1996 Olympian
Host of all USA Gymnastics Events
www.JohnMacready.com

John has participated in the sport of gymnastics his entire life. He was a competitive gymnast and a member of the United States Senior National Team from 1993-2000. He was a member of the 1995 and 1997 World Championship Teams as well as the 1996 Olympic Team. He retired from competitive gymnastics in 2000 but has continued to remain closely involved in the sport. Since 1996, John has traveled the country doing appearances at corporations and various gymnastics clubs. Many of these visits involve motivational speaking, coaching, teaching other coaches and coordinating appearances by other high profile athletes and coaches.

John has participated in summer camps in various capacities since 1996 when he first attended a camp as a guest coach. In 2001, John took over a small camp operated out of a club called Premier Gymnastics in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the time, the camp had an attendance of approximately 50 campers annually and was a one-week camp. Since John has taken it over and renamed it Flip Fest, it has grown to just over 1,500 campers and covers 10 weeks in June through August. As co-owner of the camp, John is involved in every aspect of camp operations. These include advertising, hiring of coaches and celebrity guests, camper registration, housing, food service, scheduling, entertainment and transportation.

Since 2001, John has worked with USA Gymnastics to enhance their major gymnastic events. These include the American Cup, Visa Championships, the 2003 World Championships and Olympic Trials. His primary role is an emcee for these events. He handles competition promotions, interviews and crowd entertainment. Not only has this opportunity kept John very visible within the sport, but also it has allowed him to remain involved with many of the high profile and prominent members of the gymnastics community and USA Gymnastics.

Most recently John participated in the 2004 TJ Maxx Tour of Gymnastics Champions both as a member of the cast and as a creative director. In 2004, this tour traveled the country to 42 cities and performed in front of over a quarter of a million people. John has become very well known in the gymnastics community for his performances, and this has earned him a high level of recognition and popularity among young gymnasts around the country.