Because of my commitment to keeping the production’s stunt budget in check and to cultivating Louisiana talent, I hired Louisiana-local stunt people to perform the stunts on Somnambulist.

The wonderfully talented stunt performers I hired on Somnambulist were Danny “Cosmo” Higginbottom, Jessika Brodosi and Raion Hill. Cosmo, the one with the most stunt experience, is a daredevil who broke a world record for “Highest Dive into Shallowest Water” diving 28 feet  into 12.5 inches of water. Jessika, fairly new to stunts, has been doubling Gabrielle Anwar on Burn Notice in Miami. While Raion, a former LSU football star and professional player for the Buffalo Bills, performed his first stunts on camera doubling Gbenga Akinnagbe who plays Alex, one of the leads. No surprise, Raion made it look easy.

In all future shows that I am fortunate enough to coordinate stunts in Louisiana, I will continue to do all I can to use Louisiana-local stunt performers. There is an abundance of talent here that makes Louisiana “Hollywood South.”

I just recently returned to Los Angeles for the filming of MTV’s Ultimate Parkour Challenge in my new capacity as VP Talent Management & Stunt Liason for the World Freerunning & Parkour Federation (WFPF). That’s a info-overload because I don’t now whether to blog about the show or the WFPF.

Here’s the upshot: Two dear friends sold a show to MTV featuring the hot new urban gymnastics movement called Parkour. They traveled the globe seeking outstanding athletes for the show. In their travels, they developed a passion for the sport and great respect for the athletes. Their natural progression was to form a Parkour league and management firm, the WFPF. Since we have a positive history developing shows and I have a knack for gettin-things-done, they asked me to join their team in the agency.

So – Please watch MTV’s The Ultimate Parkour Challenge on April 26th. You’ll not only see amazing athletics, you’ll meet eight incredible young men who are role models for all of us. For more, go to the World Freerunning & Parkour Federation website, which goes live in conjunction with the show in a couple of weeks: www.wfpf.com

Perhaps my most coming-of-age experience (next to my first trip to Russia) was a trip I took to Egypt with a group of American trampolinists and gymnasts to promote our sports.  The lessons I learned would befit a novel. But, appreciation for the opportunities young Americans have ranked among the most valuable.

I recall a young Egyptian gymnast who recorded her floor-exercise routine music straight from television. It was the music from Nadia Comanici’s 1976 Olympics floor exercise final routine, including commentary, applause and all.  The national Egyptian gymnastics program was in its most infant stage then, with minimal financial resources, modern equipment and knowledge.  Therefore, it was no surprise that the girl’s choreography was sophomoric and her tumbling skills were nill.  However, Islamic Arabic countries discourage women from participating in sports. So, I realized that it took a lot of courage for this girl to practice and perform gymnastics in public, particularly in a revealing leotard and with nominal ability.  I admired her heart and I really appreciated the opportunities that I have been afforded.

There is no video of the Egyptian girl, but there are plenty of Nadia.  Remember this?

Since I bought my trampoline, I am forced to exercise in my backyard.  But, whether I’m inside or out for the stretching phase of my work-outs, I have a constant companion who just can’t leave me alone.  

Here’s what happens:

It’s tough for athletes to switch careers.  But, we all have to do it at some point in our lives.  We can’t be athletes, or tougher, Champions, all our lives.  We have to shift.  It’s tough.

However, Micheal Phelps is so admired, he can do whatever he wants!  And, he has the clear work-ethic to train and learn as fast as he can.  I give him kudos for his performance hosting Saturday Night Live last weekend.

For myself, I’m not such a national figure as Phelps.  It was very tough to get where I am and the fight continues.  I cannot let up.  I have to continue to move forward and reshape, reclaim, renew, recreate and redefine to maintain a modest standard of living.  

But, I can certainly laugh along the way!

The trampoline event ended up much like expected, with a few missteps from top contenders. But, that’s sport.  What surprised me was the results of the Men’s Platform Diving event.  The winner, Mathew Mitcham, who was not Chinese, but Australian … and he was a World Double Mini-tramp Champion (2001 Junior World Champ).  

This is significant in several ways. (more…)

The local newspaper in my home town, The Advertiser, published a couple of wonderful articles about local connection to Olympics in China.  When you get a chance, check them out: Blanchard Relishes Olympics Spotlight and The Godfather of Trampoline in the US.   (more…)

Two Louisiana athletes, Erin Blanchard and Chris Estrada, made the USA’s 2008 Olympic Trampoline Team this week. Considering that only 12 countries qualify to participate in this event, and only one male and one female per qualifying country can earn a spot to compete, this is a huge accomplishment for Lafayette’s shining stars. (more…)

Upon moving to L.A. to become a Hollywood stuntwoman, I brought my athletic skills to the table. My skills gave me a leg up in the film business. I had just competed in the US National Championships and made the US National Trampoline Team to compete in the World Trampoline Championships in Porto, Portugal in 1994.  This video is a sample of my skills back then.

If you have the wonderful opportunity to watch the Trampoline competition in the upcoming Summer Olympics, you’ll be amazed at how it has evolved in such a short period of time.  I don’t know if I could have kept up!  Today’s trampoline athletes are absolutely amazing.  Check them out this August.

Leigh: ULL Years

Recently, a college classmate wrote to me.  He shared a link to a sports discussion forum for my alma mater, ULL – University of Louisiana in Lafayette.  It put a huge grin on my face.

The upshot: it appears that a great way to be remembered is to don a tight leotard and jump high in the rafters on a trampoline during local college basketball game half-time shows in front of thousands of screaming fans with a little beer in their bellies  - especially for such a popular and successful basketball team as USL (now ULL).  

We had so much fun back then.  It’s nice to know that my college mates and community remembers me and my sports activities from those days.