Nov. 9, 2006

By Jonathan Maggart, Assistant Sports Information Director

Imagine two young brothers playing the game, "Anything you can do, I can better." In the gym, in class, the site did not matter -- two young boys trying to one-up his counterpart in anything.

However, this is a game that did not fade over time. Instead, the contest between the two continued through the years, fueling each other to reach new heights that they may not have been able to do alone.

That kind of sibling rivalry has been the case with Navy gymnastics senior Sean Blackman and his older brother Josh, a 2005 U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former gymnastics team captain.

"I started with gymnastics and Josh soon followed thinking he could be better than me," recalled Blackman. "From that point on, it became kind of a competition between us. Fifteen years later, we were both still doing it, and still loving it."

As a junior last season, Blackman earned Third-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition for his performance in both the gym and the classroom, where he ranked as high as fourth in the country on the still rings while earning a 4.0 grade point average in the spring.

"Sean, being an Academic All-American, shows that we are serious about developing the entire midshipman," stated Navy head coach Sho Fukushima. "The environment that we create in the gym is that of the scholar-athlete. Gymnasts like Sean are the result of such an environment."

The product of Fayetteville, Ga., got his start at the Gym South School of Gymnastics at the age of seven, a gym where he would stay for the next 11 years before arriving in Annapolis. However, two years into the sport, Gym South closed down, forcing a difficult decision for parents Hal and Sheila Blackman in regards to their sons' futures in gymnastics.

"My parents saw that both of us were doing it, as well as 500 other kids in the area, while the closest gym was two hours away. So instead of making the four-hour round-trip every day, they took a big risk in buying the gym and maintaining it until I was a junior in high school when they sold it to my coach. They weren't gymnasts, but they were always involved with the gym.

"I was lucky to be at one gym for my entire career. I had three coaches over that time. Gym South really focused on not only building a gymnast, but also the whole person. The coaches were a huge part of my life. They helped both of us grow up."

Thanks to the opportunity his parents provided him, Blackman was able to continue competing in gymnastics, from which he was able to move up the ranks to the Junior Olympic national circuit. Under the guidance of coaches Stefan Benedict and Kyle Sheritt during his senior year in high school, he advanced to all-around finals of the Junior Olympic national championship, finishing second in the country on the still rings.

"We trained hard and I happened to be really good on the rings after the program they gave me," stated Blackman. "They took me all the way through the Junior Olympic program, got to compete with some Olympians at some international meets. That was definitely the culmination of my efforts, winding up second at the national finals."

Towards the end of his successful career at Gym South, Blackman started the college search and inquired about the Academy through Josh, who arrived in Annapolis two years before Sean.

"Once my brother ended up coming here, he pretty much let me know what this place is about and what you have to do in order to do well," Blackman stated. "Ultimately, it came down to two things. First, there are very schools that have strong academic programs and offer gymnastics. The Naval Academy is a great option for both. Secondly, I would like to be an astronaut down the road, and this is the place to go to for that as well."

Arriving on the Yard for plebe summer of 2003, Blackman was faced with transition to a military and highly-structured lifestyle. However, Sean was again able to turn to Josh for guidance in adapting to life as a midshipman.

"I was worried about not making it as soon as I got here, but I hit the ground running," Blackman said. "Between that and my brother teaching me how to succeed, I learned how to use every second out of a day. The best way I could describe it is deadly efficient."

Blackman had a running start once classes started in the fall of 2003, as he posted back-to-back 4.0 grade point averages over his first-two semesters. The aerospace engineering major enters his senior year ranked 45th in his class with a 3.89 cumulative grade point average and has been recognized on the Superintendent's List in each of his six semesters. He also has been named to the College Gymnastics Association Academic All-America list during all three years with the gymnastics team.

Complementing his efforts in the classroom, Blackman immediately stepped up and produced on the still rings. As a freshman, he scored a 9.65 on the rings and won the event three times before a late-season injury kept him out of postseason action. Meanwhile, Josh went on to compete at the NCAA Qualifying Meet in three events and earned USAG All-America gymnast honors.

Blackman came back his sophomore campaign and mirrored the results he had produced during his rookie season. With his brother serving as the team captain, Sean won the still rings seven times and advanced to the NCAA Qualifying Meet, where he posted a season-best score of 9.625. He also earned a medal at the ECAC Championship and won the still rings at the USAG Collegiate Championship to earn All-America distinction.

Last season, he maintained his excellence on the rings by earning a medal at the ECAC Championship, advancing to the NCAA Qualifying Meet and garnering USAG All-America gymnast honors for the second-straight year. At the ECAC Championship, he placed second on the still rings after performing one of the toughest routines in the world.

"I would say my most difficult routine was the one I performed at the conference championship," Blackman stated. "It's kind of a skill that I developed in high school; it's not officially in the IFG (International Federation of Gymnastics) code. From a hanging position, you pull straight to a maltese, which is parallel to the floor, pretty much an iron cross. Going from a dead hang right to it, it has been given the hardest difficulty starting value, a 10.0. Not too many guys go for it. It's difficult, but it's fun."

As a team last year, the Mids enjoyed a 13-6 record, defeated Army in the Star Meet, placed second at the ECAC Championship, their highest finish since 1997, sent eight gymnasts to the NCAA Qualifying Meet and earned 10 USAG All-America honors. With the 2007 campaign steadily approaching, Blackman is eager to reach higher and serve a role his older brother fulfilled two years ago, team captain.

"We have four distinct goals we talk about all year," Blackman stated. "First and foremost, beat Army. Second, winning the All-Academy Championship, something we have yet to do. Third, if we can beat Army, we should stand a good chance of winning the ECAC Championship. We finished second last year, but we aren't satisfied with that. Our fourth goal is to make the NCAA's as a team. All four of those goals are things that we haven't done consistently in the past, but all are well within our reach if we can come together as a team."

In addition to this leadership position, Sean has spent this fall training and continues to work his way into a possible spot on the floor exercise and vault, both events in which Josh competed while donning the Navy blue and gold.

"We hope that Sean can lead by his actions by maintaining gymnastics, academic and military excellence amongst the team," stated Fukushima. "He is pushing very hard and making strides on the floor exercise and vault to try and break into the 2007 lineup."

"This year's team is very competitive on both the floor exercise and vault," Blackman said. "Our guys are really doing well in both of those events and its good to be competing with your teammates for those spots. We're doing what a team should be doing -- pushing each other to get to the next level. I'm trying to rise to their level and they are giving me a good run for my money."

Even with his prior success on the rings, Blackman continues to expect more out of himself at the national level.

"I'd like to move beyond the NCAA Qualifying Meet and advance to the NCAA finals," said Blackman. "It would be nice to finish out with a bang, similar to that of which I did in high school."

As he evaluates his performance in the gym in comparison to his brother, there is one thing he knows for certain.

"I am much better than him on rings and it kills him," Blackman boasts. "At this point, he's got every other event on me, hands down. But I have the rings and it's good to prove him wrong."

He is superior on the still rings, not only in comparison to his brother, but also to nearly all gymnasts in the country. Not bad for a little sibling rivalry.