Technique Magazine - November/December 1996

AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF USA GYMNASTICS

November /De(ember 1996 Vol. 16, #10

Inside o-USA-

1997 Winter Cup Challenge Coaches As Independen t Contractors: A Tax Payer Victory FIG Code Of Points And USA Gymnastics rO. Compulsory Materials Preschool Gymnastics: Make It Educationat Not Recreational Power Ranger Theme Tumblebea r Report Card Women's Artistic Gymnastics Judges' Sources Of Stress Psychological Strategies Used By Competitive Gymnasts To Overcome The Fear Of Injury

rrmA

GYMNASTICS

USA GYMNASTICS

Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy showing their Level

Women's Event Finals

8 Workout.

Features all competitors. including: Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR). S. Miller,A. Chow. D. Dawes and D. Moceanu (USA). G. Gogen. L. Milosovici. A. Marinescu and S. Amanar (ROM). D. Kochetkova. S. Chorkina and R. Galiyeva (RUS). Mo Huilan (CHN).

S. Boguinskaia and other athletes. I tape: all events

#2473. .... ... ... $24.95 Level 6 - Arizona Sun rays Gymnastics This video shows the Level 6 Workout from Arizona Sun rays Gymnastics.

#245&...... . . . . .$1 &.95

#2952.... . . ... . .$19.95

Adanla 1996

Rhythmic Group Preliminaries

Technical Videos For Coaches, Judges and Athletes Experience the eXCiting events of Atlanta all over again! Filmed from a technical viewpoint. these tapes are a must-study for serious gymnastics followers.

"A Day In The Gym" Viileo Series Series Description:

Women's Team Optionals

"A Day In The Gym" is for use as an educational tool for USAG professional members. Each video in the series shows a candid. unrehearsed view of a typical workout featuring training footage from clubs across the nation. Each video focuses on a dif-

Features all teams from Atlanta as well as individual athletes competing for other countries. Including the gold medal winning USA. RUS. ROM. CHN. BLR. UKR. FRA. GRE.AUS. HUN.JPN. ESP. 6 tape set: all events

#2950 . ........ . .$49.95 Women's All-Around

Level 8 - Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy Be a "fly on the wall" at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy! This second video of the series is from

Hem #

Size

Description

Features all competing athletes. Including the gold medal winning Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR). S. Miller. D. Dawes and D. Moceanu (USA). G. Gogen. L. Milosovici and S. Amanar (ROM). D. Kochetkova. S. Chorkina and R. Galiyeva (RUS). Mo Huilan (CHN).

S. Boguinskaia and Y. Piskun (BLR) and athletes competing from other countries. 4 tape set: all events

Features all teams from Atlanta. Including: USA. ESP. BUL. BLR. FRA. CHN. RUS. GER and ITA. I tape: all events

#2953 .... . . .....$19.95 Rhythmic Individual Preliminaries Features all competing athletes. Including: Jessica Davis (USA). E. Serebryanskaya. E. Vitrichenko (UKR). I. Batyrchina and A. Zaripova (RUS). D. Popova and M. Petrova (BUL). L. Loukanenko and T. Ogryzko (BLR). as well as athletes from ESP. FRA. CAN. GRE. ROM. GER. ITA. CHN.JPN. POL. CZE. HUN. AUT. GEO. BEL. FIN and LTU. 4 tape set: all events

#2954 ... .$29.95

#2951 .. . ...... ..$29.95

Quantity

Price

Total

To order ony of Ihese books, or olher educational materials and videos presented in this issue, please complete this order lorm.

USA Gymnastics Locker room Order Form Name __________________________________________________

Add ress ______________________________________________

City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __

Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

State

Charge:

SUBTOTAL SHIPPING & HANDLING: OROfRIIII AND UNOfR ADD 14. SII 01·110 ADD II.

IIO.OI·IIDO ADD 16. OVfR IIOO.OJ ADD 19

INDIANA RESIDENTS ADD S% SALES TAX TI096

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE

Card #

o

MasterCard

0 VISA

0 Discover

Phone _______________ :J AmEx

Exp. Date: _____

----- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -J..

Signature: _________________________________________________ Send orders and make checks payable to: USA Gymnastics, locker room Dept., PO Box 5562, Indianapolis, IN 46255-5562 • 1-800-4-USA-GYM

,

November/December 1996 Volume 16, #10 Publisher Editor Designer

Kathy Scanlan Steve Whitlock Cindy L. Reed

Men's Program

Director

Additions And Improvements To USA Gymnastics Online

Kathy Kelly

Book Review

Nora Campbell

Nancy (/ark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Second Edition Sportparent

Rhythmic Program Director

Telecommunications

Ron Galimore

Women 's Program

Director

Contents

USA GYMNASTICS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Sandy Knapp; President: Kalhy Scanlon; President Emeritus: Mike Donohue; Amateur Athletic Union: Mike Sionner; American Sokol Organization: Jerry Milan; USA Trampoline & Tumbling: Wayne Downing; American Turners: Belly Heppner;

Jewi.h Community Centers: lori Kolz; College Gymnastics Associalion-M: Roy Johnson; National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women: Gail Davis; National Association for Girls and Women in Sport: Marilyn Slrawbridge; National Association of Women's Gymnastics Judges:Yvonne

Hodge; National Collegiate Athletic Association: Chri5 Voelz, 10m Dunn; National Federation of State High School Associations: Susan True; National Gymnastics Judges Association: John Scheer; National High School Gymnastics Coaches Assodation: John 8rinkworlh; Special Olympics, Inc.: Kale FoberHickie; U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Coaches Association: Suzie DiTullio; U.S. Association of Independent Gym Club" lance (rowley; U.S. Elite Coaches Association for Men's Gymnastics: Mark \'ftlliams;U.S. Elite Coaches Association for Women's Gymnastics: Gory Anderson, Roe Kreutzer; U.S. Men's Gymnastics Coaches Association: More Yancey; U.S. Sports Acrobatics Federation: Bonnie Davidson; U.S. Competitive Sports Aerobics Federation: Howard Shworlz;Young Men's Christian Assoda'on of the USA: Ri(k Dodson; USA Gymnastics National ;t1embership Directors: Men's: Jim Hoh, Ray Guro; Women's:

linda (hencinlki, David Holcomb; Rhythmic: Alia Svirlky, lomara 0"'0; Athlete'. Advisory Committee: lonya Service Choplin, chair; Chri5 Woller, vice choir; Kri51en KenoyerWoadland, 5ee; Wendy Hilliard, Von",o Vander Pluym, Peler Vidmar, Canrod VoarIDnger, Kim Zm"kal; USOC Athlete Representotive: Michelle DUllerre· Forrell.

4 5 5

Winter Cup Challenge 1997 Winter (up (hallenge (ompetitive Entry Form 1997 Winter (up (hallenge

8

Administration (oaches As Independent (ontroctors: ATax Payer Victory

FIG Code of Points FIG (ode of Points And USA Gymnastics U.O. (ompulsory Materials

10

Workshops 12

USA GymnastiCS 1997 Women's Jr. Olympic (ompulsory Workshops and WT( New (ode Symposiums

Kinder Accreditation for Teachers Levell KAT Workshops (urrent Schedule KAT Registration Form

13 13

Men's Gymnastics Men's Gymnastics (ommunity

14

Preschool Gymnastics 17 19

Preschool Gymnastics: Make It Educational, Not Recreational Power Ranger Theme Tumblebear Report (ard (ongratulations Levell KAT Preschool Teachers

20 28

USA GYMNASTICS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair: Sandy Knapp; Special Advi", to the Chairman of the Board: Roe Kreulzer; PrOlident: KOlhy Sconlan; Secretary: Mike Milidonis; Vice Choir Women: Joon Moore Gnol; Vice Choir Men:

Women's Judging Women's Artistic Gymnastics Judges' Sources of Stress

21

lim Daggell; Vice Chair Rhythmic: Candace Feinberg; FIG Executive Committee: Joy Ashmore; FIG Women's Technicol Com-

mittee: Jockie Fie; FIG Rhythmic Technical Committee: Andrea Schmid·Shopiro; FIG Men', Technical Committee: Gearge aeekllead; At large Members: Jim Harlu ng, SUIDn True; Athlete Directors: lonya Service Chaplin, Wendy Hilliard, Peler Vidmar; USOC Athlete Representative: Michelle DUllerre·Farrell; President Emeritus: Mike Danahue.

Unl", expressly idenlified 10 Ihe conlrary, all orlid", 5101e· menl5 and viO\'~ prinled herein are ollribuled solely to Ihe oUlhor and USA GymnOlli" eXpr"le5 no opinion and ollum" no r"ponlibilily thereof.

General Gymnastics 25

Psychological Strategies Used 8y (ompetitive Gymnasts To Overcome The Fear Of Injury

Announcements (/assified Ad Men 's National Team (oach Position (orrectian George L. Shiebler Award

27 27 35 35

Tumbling CHAIIGE OF ADDRESS AND SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: In order 10 en5ure uninlerrupled delivery of IECHNIQUE magazine, nolice of (honge of oddr'" 5hould be mode 5ix to eighl weeki in odvance. For fOlI,,15ervire, pleole end Ole your prelenl moiling label. Direcl all subscriplion moil 10 TECHNIQUE Subscriplion5, 1036 It Copilol Ave., Suile E235, Indionopolis, IN 46204. rECHIIIQUf(ISSN 0748·59999) i5 publi5hed 10 lim" per yeor

by USA GymnOlli", Pon Americon PIOlO, Suile 300, 201 S. CopilolAvenue, Indionopoli5, IN 46225 (phone: 317 ·237 ·50501.

Third d055 pOlloge poid 01lndionopoli5, lit Subscriplion price\: II.S.-525 per yeor; Conodo/ Mexico-548 per yeor; all olher ,ign counlri,,-56D per yeor.1I ovailoble, bock iS5Ue 5ingle ~i" 54 plu5 pOlloge/hondling. All reosonoble core will be loken, bUI no responlibilily con be OIsumed for unsoli(iled moleriol; endole relurn p0510ge. Copyright 1996 by USA GymnOlli" ond TfCHIIIQUf. All righl5 "",ved. Prinled by Sporl Graphi", Indio no polis, IN.

30

The Flyspring

Uneven Bars 32

Trick Photography And Understanding Turning Principles On AsymmetriC Bars

Athlete Wellness 34

USA GymnastiCS Athlete WeI/ness Program Update

I

Telecommunications

ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTSTO d USA GYMNASTICS f ONLINE

http : // www . usa~gymnastics . org / usag /

Rachele Harless, Webmaster

A

11 of the following information can be found through the USA Gymnas tics Online (USAGO) homepage (http : // www . u s a~gymnast i cs . org) . The website is updated on a d aily basis; the following is only a small sampling of the more recent highlights:

Brand new! ./ Athlete Wellness Program section ./ Featu re article about the USA delegation to the Top Gym Junior Tournament in Belgium ./ 1997 Winter Cup pages (Events sec tion) ./ My Own Gymnastics Online section (see below) ./ "Springboard" section - a Links catalog, w ith pointers to other key gymnastics or coaching resources on the Internet, USA Gymnastics Member organizations, and selected other gymnastics websites ./ Table of Contents - good for an overview of the site contents ./ Site Search - a full tex t search on our 800 pages (and counting!) ./ Online purchase of USA Gymnastics Online Classifieds credit card information is now encrypted via a secured form, so that you have the choice of paying with credit card, ch eck, or money order . The ra tes range from $5 for two weeks to $20 for 12 weeks. Lead time is two weeks or less .

Updated ./ The athlete section now includes biographies for every n ew national team member, and many updated biographies w hich include recent res ults. ./ The John Hancock Tour of World Gymnastics Champions section has the latest schedule (including the new 1997 dates) . ./ The Online Lockerroom store has new merchandise available (t-shirts, posters, and men's compulsory manual and video) .

My Own Gymnastics Online

of the "My Own Gymnastics Online" (MOGO) program is simply to h elp more American gymnastics get on the web. MOGO currently offers the following: ./ Template kit - Free" cookie cutter" gymnastics website, designed with the gymnastics club, state, or region in mind.

Instructions for necessary and recommended customizations is included! One template kit is already available; we expect a second w ill be available by the end of the year. Pages and graphics in template kits are developed and donated by USA Gym.nastics Online volunteers . ./ "Getting on the World Wide Web" guide, printed in Technique earlier this year (issue #8) ./ Links to exis ting USA Gymnastics websites w hich can serve as examples for your website ./ Resource List - links to key Internet web sites for free software, shareware, or educational sources ./ Web Hosting services document - lis ts various options for selecting a company to host yo ur gymnastics organizations' web pages, if you don't already have one

About the liMy Own Gymnastics Online" template kits As mentioned, the MOGO template kits are available free of ch arge . Anyone is allowed to download and use the kit! Support and assistance for setup and customization of the kits, however, is limited to: USA Gynu1astics States and Regions, USA Gymnastics Member Clubs, and USA Gymnastics Member Organizations.

Any questions abou t My Own Gymnastics Online can be directed to: mogo@usa~gymnastics . org

Are you already on the web?

If you are a USA Gymnastics State, Region, Member Club, Member Organization, or National Team GYI1U1ast, please submit yo ur website address to USA Gymnastics Online so that we can link to you! Member Clubs, please include your member numb in the email. Submit your website address by visiting:

http : // www . usa ~ gymnas tics . org / 1 inks / req\'-

We have dedicated an area on USA Gymnastics Online to Provide resources for the novice gymnastics webmaster. The goal Tovember/ December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Book Review

NANCY CLARK'S SPORTS NUTRITION GUIDEBOOK, SECOND EDITION

SPORTPARENT

Eating to Fuel Your Active Lifestyle

SportParent is an excellent resource for parents w ho h ave children involved in sport. It shows parents how to play an ac tive role in their child's partici p ation in sport. The book shows parents h ow they can become active partners with coaches to provide a beneficial, enjoyable, and safe sport experiences.

American Sport Education Program (ASEP)

Nancy Clark, MS, RD This guidebook is an excellent resource for athletes and individuals who lead an active lifestyle and are looking for ways to enhance their performance and improve their quality of life. This guidebook is packed with a varie ty of helpful tables, vignettes, recipes, and much more .

There are 50 fact-filled tables that explain how to

The book is filled with checklists, self-quizzes, and questionand-answer sections. Parents will learn w hy kids play sports, and common reasons they drop out, how kids can benefit from playing sports,

eat the best foods before, during, and after exercise;

ways to help kids develop a healthy sport perspective,

enhance performance during training and competition;

how to help your child set performance goals,

eat well in spite of limited time, a limited budget, and limited cooking skills;

the importance of being a good role model, and

sn ack healthfully;

ways to communicate with your child before and after competition.

keep adequately hyd rated during exercise; and

SportParent also prov ides information on the qualities of a good you th sport coach, warning signs of poor coaching, areas in which to evaluate your child's coach, when and how to approach a coach about a problem, and ways to help your child's coach.

take supplements wisely New information is provided on weight control and eating disorders. How to reduce body fat while enjoying foods and maintaining energy to exercise also addressed. Plus, tips for ,ecognizing and overcoming eating disorders.

This book provides the information for parents to enhance their education as a parent of a child in a sport.

Price: $15.95 Pages: 464 Publ ication: September, 1996 Human Kinetics: 1-800-747-4457

Price: $8.95 Pages: 96 Publication: August, 1995 Human Kinetics: 1-800-747-4457

til ~~~N~~~~~~ Ii ~'!:e'!:l!!/!:!'t!!1/:n~~~~e!l!,.ward System TM

• Provides a SAFE and. Progressive Teaching System • Sets ACHIEVABLE Goals .-O-U-R-LI-C-'E-N,-S-'E-'E-S-I-N-C-L-U-D-'E...- - - - ,

• Motivates Parents and Students Windward Gym. - Terri lelinske-Kelbe • Keeps Records of when Skills are Passed Kidznastics - Ellen Liebman • Valuable for Measuring Teacher Efficiency Salem Gymnastics - Elizabeth Morphis

JeN lulla is iI member 01the USAG Preschool Commlnee and co-author of the new Kinder Accreditation lor Teachers (KAT) program. He is also a National Safety Certifier for USA Gymnastics. an indust!)' consultant, and is a seminar presenter for the Amateur Athletic Foundation, the US Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs. and USA Gymnastics. He owns two successful IJyms in Soulhern California.

HOW IT WORKS...

Upon enrollment every student receives a Poster TO TAKE HOME. The whole family can monitor the student's progress and share in the excitement as stars are awarded for skills learned .

Includes training videos , curriculum cards, award certificates and more.

Kidnastics 2000 - Geralyn Cantwell Gym America - Claudia Kretschmer A+ Dance Makers - John Panchuk Cabarrus County Gym. Deborah Abernathy Baxley Gymnastics - Barbara Cl/rrellt(1' Ucemed ttl Ol'e/'

90 (;}'MS

All material may be ordered as needed by calling a toll free 800 phone number!!

For free Video, 1lljon1latioll a1ld Samples, call (800) 800-3162 November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Winter Cup Challenge

1997 WINTER CUP CHALLENGE COMPETITIVE ENTRY FORM

(Please print or type)

Battle Creek, MI - February 14-1 S, 1997 Athlete Information: Athlete Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Mailing Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Date of Birth ~~_

USAG Athlete #:_ _ __

State: _ _ Zip:_ _ __

Phone: (

Parent' 5 Information: Parent's Name:_________________ City:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

State:_ _ Zip:_ _ __

Home Phone: ( Business Phone: ( Gymnasti(s Affiliation (dub/ team name / unattached) Program Name: ________________ Coach's Name:________________ Club Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Name(s) of Coa(hes Attending this Competition:

Pro-number

Phone: ( Phone: ( State:_ _ Zip: _ _ __

Safety Certified

Expires Yes or No Yes or No Yes or No

Competitor's Biographi(allnformation: If you are not a current USA Gymnastics National Team member, list the International, Regional, State or Conference litles you hold, year won, and other achievements in gymnastics.

WAIVER/RELEASE, READINESS, ELIGIBILITY NOTE - Please read the follOWing information carefully before signing: In consideration for the permission to participate in this competition, I agree to be bound by each of the following paragraphs:

1.

Waiver and Release

Iagree that USA Gymnastics and the sponsor of this event, along with the employees, agents, afficers and directors of both organizations (hereinafter referred to as "USAG" and "Sponsor") shall not be liable for any injuries, damages, or losses sustained by me which are in anyway related to my participation in this competition and which may be attributable to the negligence of USAG or the Sponsor. I am fully aware of the risks, including the potential for personal injuries, damagesand losses, associated with participation in a gymnasticscompetition; and Iassume all risksand accept full responsibility for any injuries, damages, losses which Imayincur in connection with my decision to exercise my permission to participate in this competition. Iagree for myself, my estate, my executor, my heirs, and my assigns (0) not to file any suit or initiate any claim procedure against USAG or Sponsor in connection with any injuries, damages, or losses arising directly or indirectly out of my participation in this competition and (b) to fully and forever release and discharge USAG and Sponsor from any and all claims, demands, damages, rights of action, or causes of action in any way connected with this competition.

2.

Readiness to Compete

10m both physicolly and psychologically preparedto participate in thiscompetition. Ihave been instructed by my coaches in the proper method to perform each of the exercises Iwill attempt in this competition; Ihave practiced those exercises; and I have performed those exercises in the past without suffering injury.

3.

Elgibility

Ihave read the Eligibility Code of USA Gymnastics and, to the best of my knowledge, Iam on amateur gymnast as defined by that code. During this competition Iwill not knowingly violate any provision of the Eligibility Code.

To the extent I remain eligible to compete in High School and college gymnastics, I represent that I have cleared my participation in this competition with the appropriate high school or collegiate athletic association.

Signature of Athlete,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ Date: _ _ _ _ __

If the athlete is under the age of 21: As the legal parent and/ or guardian for _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _~, I do hereby verily that I fully understand and accept each of the above three (3) conditions for permitting my child to participate in this event.

Signature of Parent / Guardian: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ __ _ Date: _ _ _ _ __

N OTE: Entries for the 1997 W inter Cup Cha llenge must be recieved at USA Gymnastics, by the Men's Program Director, 110 It. Jan uary 17, 1997.

Nove mber/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

\~

call

LI. 1"""

Winter Cup Challenge

i...__ _ _ _ _ __

1997 WINTER CUP CHALLENGE I

o

A8

Date: Location:

February 14-15, 1997 Kellogg Arena Battle Creek, Michigan Meet Director: Al Scharns Branch Gymnastics 393 N. H elmer Rd .

Battle Creek, MI 49015 616-963-4770 / 616-963-2225 Host Hotel: McCamly Place Plaza One McCamly Square Battle Creek, MI 49017-3549 616-963-4800 / 616-968-8840 fax Hotel Rate: Gymnasts and Coaches $55 per night Additional Rooms $75 per night Closest Airport: Kalamazoo, Michigan 30 Minute drive from Battle Creek

Tentative Competition Schedule Session I:

Preliminary Competition - Friday, February 14, 1997

Session II:

All-Around Finals - Saturday, February 15, 1997 / 7:00 pm

Note: This competition is for ELITE gymnasts only! This is not an age group competition and entries should be by athletes whose goal is to qualifijing to the Senior Elite Division at the 1997 Coca-Cola U.S Champion ships.

Supennalch GvmnaSllcs Ribbon add 20C 1J8.

Real Marble Base

Dept. GA106

SEE OUR FULL LINE OF GYMNASTIC AWARDS

November/December 1996

TECHNIQUE

Administration

COACHES AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS: A TAX PAYER VICTORY

tt

"

.A 9

Donald Morris, c.P.A. 672 E. Irv ing Park Road, Suite 101 Roselle, IL 60172 708-351-8883

A

ny business does not look forward to an Internal Revenue Service audit. When the audit focuses, not on illegal activities, but on the common and ordinary operations of the business, it makes it even more frustrating for the small business owner.

A little over a year ago, Aerial Gymnastics Club of Lombard Illinois (Donald McPherson, owner) was selected for audit by the IRS. McPherson's gym was selected, as many were during the past year, based on an IRS "Market Segment Specializa tion Program" (MSSP). The basis for this selection was a computer match of the industry code required to be listed on the business' tax return. In this case the code was 8557, which encompasses "physical fitness facilities," but comes under the general category of Services: Personal, Professional, and Business - Amusement and Recreational Services. There is no specific industry code covering only gymnastics training facilities.

After failing to find any substantive income tax issues (unwarranted deductions, unreported income, etc.) the revenue agent decided to question the independent contractor status of the coaches at the gym. Aerial Gym Club had consistently treated all its coaches as independent contractors for 17 years, since its inception in 1977. The earning of the coaches had faithfull y been reported to the IRS on from 1099 each January. Each year I discussed with Mr. McPherson the potential for IRS disagreement with the classification of the coaches as independent contractors. Each year we would discuss the extent to which the coaches were independent of McPherson's control in the performance of their functions as coaches. Each year he would convince me that they were in fact independent contractors.

At the completion of the IRS audit, the agent concluded that all the coaches were employees of the gym and not independent contractors. The agent proposed a tax assessment for three years of back withholding and Social Security taxes . The IRS determination was based on a 20 item test (available on IRS form SS-8).

The 20 questions delineated in the IRS test are based on prior court decisions and the IRS Manual (Exhibit 46401). Of the 20 questions, not all are weighted equally; for this reason, the pecific number of questions answered correctly is not as significant as which ques tions they are. The focus of most of the questions is on control: how much control does the gym exercise over the coaching?

Our central argument was that the gym exercises very little control, since the coaches are members of USA Gymnastics and their coaching is controlled by USA Gymnastics, the FIG, and the International Olympic Committees. These organizations, not the owner of the gym control how, when, and why coaches do what they do. The standards, methods, and criteria developed and fostered by these organizations forms the central theme of what gymnastics coaches impart to their students. Because there is an agreed-upon set of standards for judging gymnastics performance, the gym owner simply provides the setting, not the control.

Our backup position was reliance on Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 which provides in part that "for purposes of employment taxes ... [if] a taxpayer did not treat an individual as an employee for any period then the individual will be deemed not to be an employee for that period, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating the individual as an employee."

We obviously felt we had a reasonable basis for treating the coaches as independent contractors.

After the audit, we expressed our disagreement with the auditor's findings by filing a protest with the Appeals Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The function of the Appeals Division is to determine the likelihood that the IRS or the taxpayer would win should the case be taken to court. After a wait of almost nine months, we received a call from the Appeals Officer indicating that the IRS was conceding the case and that no further action was to be taken by them. The strength of our arguments demonstrated that the coaches were, in fact, independent contractors.

This taxpayer victory is not only good news for Aerial Gymnastics Club, but for the gymnastics community in general and other gyms - in particular those employing independent contractors as coaches. Also helped by this case are judges who hold themselves out as independent contractors, since the same argum.ents would hold for them.

Mr. McPherson and I would be happy to supply interested club owners with acopy of the audit protest, or discuss the matter with any affected parties, if this would be of benefit to yo u in supporting your position that yo ur coaches (or judges) are independent contractors.

November/ December 1996 TECHNIQUE

FI G Code of Points

FIG CODE OF POINTS AND USA GYMNASTICS J.O. COMPULSORY MATERIALS I

"

A

Now that Atlanta is behind us and Sydney is on the horizon , it is time to roll out new compulsory exercises and Codes of Points. Below is information related to M/W /R Codes and Women's Compulsories . Note that the Men's JO. Materials are currently available and RSG JO. materials will be used in the upcoming quadrennium with only minor changes.

ITEMS:

10

Women 's FIG Code of Points Men 's FIG Code of Points RSG FIG Code of Points

WHAT ARE THEY? These are the official international competitive rule books . They include the values of all elements with illustrations, bonus Foints, special requirements, combinations, and penalties . In addition, they provide the foundation on which JO. optiona routines for the 97-98 through 2000-2001 seasons will be based.

WHEN ARE THEY EFFECTIVE? January 1997 through December 2000 WHO SHOULD HAVE ONE? Anyone who is coaching or judging optional routines should have a copy of this definitive rule book for their particular discipline.

WHEN WILL THEY BE AVAILABLE? We anticipate the new Codes will be available for shipping in February 1997.

HOW DO I ORDER ONE? Look in the January 1997 issue of Technique to be mailed in early January for the order form and instructions.

ITEMS:

Women's J.O. Compulsory and related materials

WHAT ARE THEY? Jo. Compulsory Manual J 0. Compulsory Video Jo. Compulsory Music (Cassette or CD) Jo. Technical Handbook The JO. compulsory materials define and illustrate the routines used in USA Gymnastics' JO. competitive program and provides the basis for the sound development of young athletes from entry level to the advanced competitive levels . The J 0.

Technical Handbook is based on the FIG Code of Points and provides the guidelines for optional competition in the JO. program as well as general information about judging .

WHEN ARE THEY EFFECTIVE? For the 1997-1998 through the 2000-2001 (competitive season).

WHO SHOULD HAVE ONE? If you are coaching or judging in women ' s gymnastics in the U. S. , you should have these definitive materials .

WHEN WILL THEY BE AVAILABLE? Attendees of the JO. Compulsory Workshops will be able to purchase materials (limited quantities) at the workshops at discounted rates . Materials ordered by those NOT attending the workshops will be mailed approximately two weeks after the workshops (mid-June) .

HOW DO I ORDER? Look for order forms and instructions in future issues of Technique magazine and U Gymnastics Online *to reserve your copies of the basic "tools of our trade." * http : // www . usa-gymnastics . org November/ December 1996

TECHN IQUE

T~ey sell so fast

your ~ead will spin.

I Alpha Factor.

~~

~~ Aerials.

Workshops OFFICE USE ONLY Date Rcvd . _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Amt. pd. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Check # _ _ __ _ _ _ __

GYMNASTICS I

"

i~ 12

Postmark

USA GYMNASTICS 1997 WOMEN'S JR. OLYMPIC COMPULSORY WORKSHOPS AND WTC NEW CODE SYMPOSIUMS Sites :

# 1 University of Nevada Reno, NV

#2 Rhode Island College Providence, RI

o

o

May 28 - June 2, 1997

June 4-9, 1997

please check one: Dates:

0

If preferred site is NOT avai lable, please (check one):

register me for the other site

o send me a refund

Participant Information : First Name _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Last Name _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ USAG Pro/Instructor # _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp. Date _ _ __ _ _ Daytime phone _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ City/State/ZiP,--- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - .O please register me for :

0

Compulsory Workshop ONLY

o o

WTC New Code Symposium ONLY Compulsory Workshop & WTC Symposium

Compulsory music - available at workshops

For the WTC Symposium, please indicate your major interest:

10

Elite or

0

Jr. Olympic

II 0

Coach or

0

Judge

I

on

0

CD ($10 *) or

0

Cassette ($5 *) or

0

Both

(Please check your preference) Compulsory Workshop

WTC Symposium

Both

$275

$175

$325

USAG Professional Member Discount

<$50>

<$50>

<$50>

Early Re istration Discount (postmar ed by February 28, 1997)

<$25>

<$25>

<$25>

Reg istration Fee (Includes manua l)

1

Total Amount Remitted Make checks payable to: USA GYMNASTICS If paying by credit card:

0

VISA

Card #:

0

MasterCard

0

Discover

0

AMEX

Exp . Date:_ _ _ _ __ _ Signature: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Mail Registration Form to: USA Gymnastics JO Workshops 201 S. Capitol Ave., Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46225

NOTES : 1. $50 Cancellation Fee up until May 1, 1997 2. NO REFUNDS after May 1, 1997 (Substitution of participants is allowed) 3. NSF check charge of $20.00 4. Direct any questions to USA Gymnastics office (317- 237-5050

REGISTRATION PER SITE IS LIMITED - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS * Workshop Attendee Rate only November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

I

Kinder Accreditation for Teachers

LEVEL I KAT WORKSHOP REGISTRATION January

Elmwood Fitness Center

New Orleans, La.

4-5

Workbook is sent prior to workshop .

Grandparenting 4 class observations is available. Must have at least 5 years preschool gymnastics teaching experience-send resume with registration.

For more information, contact Jennifer Gallahue Lee at 317-2375050, extension 237.

Accreditation is valid for three years.

KAT REGISTRATION fORM Minimum age for KAT is 16 years Nalne _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Soc. Sec. # ______________________________________________________________ Birthdate _________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ::i ty ______________________________________________ State _________________________ Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ Telephone (Day) _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (Night) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Course Loca tion _______________________________________________________________ Date _______________________ Organization Represented _____________________________________ Job Ti tIe _______________________________________ LocaINewspaper ___________________________________________ Fax ___________________________________________ Current USA Gymnastics Member #,____________________ (required for discount) * Any USA Gymnastics individual membership: General, Instructor, Professional, or Team

Prerequisites: ____ Rookie Coaches Guide Test/ or PDP Level I ____ Four hours observation/ or Grandparent (via resume) Registration:

_ _ $140 member (General, Instructor, Team, or Professional) - - $160 non-member

Form of Payment:

Check

Mastercard

Visa

___ Am. Express

ame on Card ____________________________________________

N umber

Discover

--------------------

Expiration Date ________________________________ Signa ture ___________________________________________________ Please make checks payable to LlSA Gymnastics KA T Workshop.

'Vlail Registration Form and Payment to : USA Gymnastics KAT Pan American Plaza 201 South Capitol Ave. Suite 300 Indiana polis, IN 46225 J

ovember/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

9

"

A

13

Men's Gymnastics

I

"

i~ 14

To: Men's Gymnastics Community From: Age Group Competition Committee Ray Gura - Chairman Date: November 26, 1996 Re: Update and clarifications: 1997-2000 Age Group Competition Program This is the second update which contains clarifications and rule modifications for the 1997 - 2000 Age Group Competition Program.

These changes and clarifications constitute all of the changes and modifications to the Age Group Program including the changes/ clarifications in update number one, dated June 16. This document w ill be in effect immediately. The majority of these changes are the result of reaction to FIG Code of Point rulings and modifications which have come out since the Age Group Program document was finalized in March 1996. The committee would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding with respect to these rule ch an ges and modifications.

Changes: 1. Age determining date: In an effort to make the age determining rules a clear as possible, please amend page 8, A, number 3 to read: Gynmasts under the age of six will not be p ermitted to participate in the Age Group Competition Program under any circumstance. The athlete must turn six years of age before he may begin competition.

2. Repetition: The Junior Age Group Competition Program will recognize the FIG definition of repetition as it appears in Article 16 of the FIG Code of Points and will apply repetition rules regarding bonus points to all Developmental D's and also to C value skills at the Class III and IV levels. In addition, all Developmental D's should be treated as FIG C value skills with respect to awarding combination bonus. (i..e., the still rings straddle Maltese and 30° inverted cross. No te: The Developmental D press handstand is not eligible for combination bonus) .

3. Swings which pass through or end in handstand positions: The 1997 FIG Code of Points and the 1997-2000 Age Group Program are at odds in the way they treat the handstand position. The FIG Code of Points defines swing elements which pass through or end in a handstand with 0° to 15° of d eviation as 0.0 deduction, the Junior Program currently recognizes the elements with 0° to 5° of deviation as 0.0 deduction (Section II, 1, F). The Junior program will recognize and use the FIG rule. Handstand hold positions are still subject to the FIG deduction for deviation from vertical.

4. Spotting: The junior program w ill use the rule as written in Section II, E, 3 on page 13 of the Age Group Program Manual w ith following modifications. umber 1 - 0 change umber 2 - delete umber 3 - change to: If the spotter assists in the execution of the skill, deduct .4 for the spot and any execution errors. The

judge has the discretion to not recognize the skill if, in his opinion, the gymnast could not have completed the skill on his own.

Number 4 - No change 5. Compulsories - Intermediate swings: All intermediate swings in compulsory competition will be deducted as per FIG (1/2 swing -0.2, entire swing -0.4). Intermediate swings are not added parts. To make the correction in the Age Group Competition Program Manual change: a. Page 14, A, number 2: Delete the words or swing. b. Page 14, A, add number 7: Intermediate swing (as per FIG).

6. Special Bonus for Class III & IV: The junior program will recognize that the first C value skill in Class III and IV modified optional routines w ill receive +0 .1 bonus. To make the correction in your Age Group Competition Program manual, change Section II, number III, D, 1, on page 16, to read: C = +.1 (eliminate the word additional).

7. Class III & IV commensurate dismount: If a Class III or IV gymnast does a Developmental D and executes an A dismount the commensurate dismount deduction will not apply.

8. Class III Required Skill number 2 on Parallel Bars: Minimum B value, stutz or backtoss to support (page 20 & 83): Change to read: Minimum B value forward stutz, back toss or Diamadov.

9. B value skills: The junior program w ill recognize B values for the following FIG skills as defined below. There is no A value for these skills.

PB - stutzkehr - executed 45° to 74° above horizontal = B value, 75° to 90° = C value PB - backtoss - executed 45° to 74° above horizontal = B value, 75° to 90° = C value PB - peachbasket - executed 45° to 74° above h orizontal = B value, 75° to 90° = C value HB - stoop circle rearward (stoop in, jam out)- executed 45° to 74° above horizontal = B value, 75° to 90° = C value The skills listed above, when executed below 75°, must be valued as B skills and cannot be considered as C value skills with deductions. In addition, the FIG 15° degree rule will begin for B value skills at 45° which results in the following: 31 ° to 44° = -.1, 16° to 30° = - .2, Horizontal to 15° = -.4. Below horizontal results in non-recognition, .4 deduction and no B credit.

10.Pommel Horse, Class V, VI and VII: Concerning the special performance criteria in Class V, VI and VII pommel horse - on all leg cuts, stride support swings, false scissors and scissors the top leg should be at horizontal.

1l.Pommel Horse: The junior program w ill allow a gymnast to receive D Magyar credit even if the Magyar is broken up by flops on one pommel. The gymnast would receive both the Magyar and the flop credit.

12. Pommel Horse: The junior program w ill not recognize the FIG flop repetition rule. A gynmast may do as many different flopping skills as he wants for credit. No other repetition rules apply to flopping sequences with the exception of the same flop sequence executed three times in a row.

13.Pommel Horse: The junior program will recognize A value circles and flair circles (not B or C value) as being different skills with the same value for the code of points. This will particularly help with avoiding repetition infractions at the Class IV Modified Optional level.

November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

L-~_~

_ __

Men's Gymnastics

14. Still Rings: The junior program will recognize the Stretched Honma as a Developmental D. Hip flexion (pike) beyond 15째 will not be recognized as a Developmental D. 15. Vaulting: Take note of the new vault numbers w hich are valued at 8.3 in the junior program and the new categories of vaults for Class III & IV (Section II, III, F, 2 on page 16) - these changed in last edition of the 1997 FIG Code of Points.

Forward handspring w ith 1/ 1 twist - 2310 Yamashita with 1/ 1 twist - 2311 Cartwheel with 5/4 tw ist - 3309 Class III and IV vaults must come from the FIG Categories II or III. 16. Vaulting - Technical Vault: The teclmical vault has a starting value of 9.8. A maximum of 0.2 bonus points may be awarded to the Teclmical Vault for a total of 10.0 points. Please make the appropriate change on page 72, number I, A. 17. Mounting the parallel bars using panel mats: Amend page 10, B, number 1 to read: Panel mats may be used to mount any apparatus. At the parallel bars, a gymnast may not mount from stacked mats w hich would place that gymnast's shoulders above the bottom of the rails w hile in a standing position. In addition, a board or a mat m ay be used to mount the parallel bars but not both.

IS.FIG Super E value skills: Super E value skills w ill receive 0.4 bonus in the junior program.

Clarifications: 1. Floor Exercise Class VI: A stalder roll substituted for the forward straddle roll in Class VI, FX, part 6 & 7, does not constitute virtuosity. If the stalder roll is substituted the fo rward straddle roll has been left out and the judge w ill be forced to deduct one point. Virtuosity on the press can only be earned throu gh superior press technique.

2. Floor Exercise Class IV: Must the Required Skill number 1 be a layout back somersault or would a twisting layout back somersault fulfill the requirem ent? Yes, only a layout back somersault w ill fulfill the requirement.

3. Pommel Horse Class IV: Must all three parts of the horse be used ? Yes. Even though the required skills in the Class IV modified optional pommel horse do not require that all three parts of the horse be used, the FIG general presentation requirements do require that all three p ar ts of the horse be used . Th e deduction for not using all three parts of the horse, per FIG, is 0.2.

4. Parallel Bars: For Class I, II, III and IV no more than one B or C value reverse straddle cut may count for difficulty beyond A parts. This also means that the second B or C value reverse straddle cut would not be recognized for bonus or as fulfilling special requirements .

5. Short RoutinejPartial Replacement: Even thou gh the junior program follows the FIG rule w hich states that lower value skills CaImot even partially replace higher value skills - those skills still count as parts. Example: A Class III gynmast performs a rou tine with 5 B parts and 2 A parts - he would lose 0.4 from difficulty fo r no C value skill, but wo uld not have any deduction for having a short routine since the B skill is recognized w hich would give him seven parts.

Official update 11/ 26/96 per Dennis McIniyre/LlSA G.

N ovember/ December 1996 TECHNIQUE

tt

"

A

15

r--------------------------------------------------------------, TO ORDER ANY USA GYMNASTICS MERCHANDISE PRESENTED IN THIS ISSUE, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS ORDER fORM. USA. GYMNA.STICS ORDER FORM NAME

PHONE

U~BS

__________ __ ___ __ _____ _ ____ ___ ___ ___ ___ _ _____ _ _ __ ___ _ ________ _

CITY

STATE

CHARGE:

::J MC

!J VISA

::J AMEX

ITEM #

lt!!r ~ U AI,PB4" GYMNASTICS

SIGNATURE DESCRIPTION

"DOMESTIC SHIPPING & HANDLING

ADO 55 ADO 56 SEND ORDERS AND MAKECHECKS ADD 57 PAYABLE TO: -S60:0r:sa0-~ USA GYMNASTICS ----sso:or5100 ~ LOCKER ROOM 51 00.01-5150 ~ PO BOX S562, I INDIANAPOLIS, IN 462SS"SS62 I 1-800-4-USA-GYM

EXP. DATE _________________ _ _

::J DISCOVER

CARD #

ZIP

515 AlID UIIDER - S m r S40 5 40.01路560

~~1~~io5~~~ :~~ ;:~ -

INTERNATIONAL- PlEAIEilll fOREXAO IHI PPIlIG RATE

SIZE

QUANTIITY

PRICE

TOTAL

I -_ _ _ _ _ _ _..::SU::B~TO:..:TA:.::L:...._+_---SHIPPING & HANDLING'

ALL MERCHANDISE PRINTED WITH THE OFFICIAL USA GYMNASTICS EMBLEM!

DISCOUNT ON Y ITEMS ONLY

"MEMBER DISCOUNT DOES NOT APPLY I TO SALE ITEMS :

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE

I

LESS 10% MEMBE APPAREL &

MEMBERSHIP NUMBER

: I

L ~ I ______________________________________________________________ Tl 096 I

CAll

1-800-4-USA-GYM

Preschool Gymnastics

PRESCHOOL GYMNASTICS: MAKE IT EDUCATIONAL, NOT RECREATIONAL Patti Komara

.,tt

A

17

1530 Joliet St. Dyer, IN 463 11 219-865-2274

Y

our lessons should be the most exp ensive in town. If they aren't, you' re short-changing yourself and your staff. If you don' t have the money to p ay your staff top wages, purchase the latest equipment, and buy products to improve your curriculum, your program will become s tagnant. In order to charge competitive rates and stay in business, you h ave to d eliver the goods. When preparing to write their monthly check to the gym club, each parent wonders, " Is this worth it?" Every lesson, you must make those p arents say, "WOW!" With your exceptional staff, facility, and curriculum, yo u can do this. The easiest way, however, to make parents appreciate your program is to sh ow them that you are more educational than recreational.

Parents are w illing to pay more for education than recreation. They' ll pay more for their child to learn than to play. Now, how do you demonstrate the educational value of your program? First of all, you must educate the p arents on the benefits of the program. This starts w ith their firs t contact with you - usually a phone call. Prepare yo ur office s taff to know exactly what you want them to say. Prepare out a "cheat-sh eet" containing all the v ital information. Place it n ear the phone, so w hoever answers the phone can give intelligent, informative answers. A t m y gym, we have an the" over the phone registration form. " This is a checklist to ensure that the office p erson relays all necessary inform ation. When the customer first brings their child into the gym, take time to give them a tour of the facility -use this visit to explain w hat the class will be like and the main objectives of this type of class.

From their first contact with your gym, use vocabulary that reminds them of an educational setting such as: tui tion rather than class fees; institute, acad emy or sch ool ra ther than club; teacher not instructor; semester instead of session, report card s instead of evalua tions; student not child; and adminis trator not director. Use words such as school secretary, cu rriculu111, lesson plans, school policies, or teach er's open house rather than open gym.

Gear your advertising to su ggest a school, not gymn astics club, setting. At the bottom of m y print advertisements, I use "your educational gymnastic experts since 1969."

I recommend you r preschool program has its own name such as Tumblebear Gym, Tiny Tumblers, Tiny Tot Fitness, or Kangaroo Kids. Create a name that best d escribes w hat you ' ll be doing in class. Make sure the curriculum reflects the selec ted name.

"Tumblebear Gym Program" is the n am e our preschool program and my gym n ame is "Patti's All-American Gymnastics." The special n ame gives the program its identity. Our m asco ts are Tina and Teddy Tumblebear. Instead of me (Patti) w riting notes to the parents about upcoming events etc., and signin g m y name-I sign it, "Love, Teddy." Th e word Tumblebear indicates that tumbling w ill be involved and bears conotes young ch ildren. I didn' t name it Tumblebear Gymnastics Program, because I knew I would be doing other activities in class than just gymnastics. For instance we use a p arachute occasionally . We do hand / eye coordination drills as well as have music and use props such as ropes, hoops, sticks, scarves, and balls. If you're going to do creative movement, then call it " American Academ y' s Creative Movement Program."

But, if your customer comes in expecting s traight bars, beam, floor, and vault and you have them do a lummi stick routine and throw bean bags into laundry baskets, they' ll be disappointed. You have to give the customer w h at they expect. If yo ur office manager educates them during the initial phone inquiry as to w h at their child w ill be doing in class, they won't be disappointed.

It is important to d evelop a mission statement and / or a philosophy. Post this on the lobby wall and in the gym-then, live by it. Be sure all employees are aware of, and agree with, your Mission.

If you allow parents to watch the classes, talk to them during or after the class about w h at you and the teachers are doing and why . When teaching a parenti tot class, yo u h ave a prime opportunity to explain the program within the class period. Use phrases such as, "child directed," " teachable moment," and " success oriented" to enh ance cred ibility. Explain to the parents that learning some basic

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Preschool Gymnastics

~

o

A18

movements at a yo ung age h elps the children learn regular gymnastics skills more easily later on-for example, learning an imal walks will later assist their child to learn a cartwheel. This is accomplished by having the child unders tand the difference between a bent knee and a straight leg in a camel walk and a bear walk. Explain that going sideways down a balance beam improves the child's laterality - one of the functions of reading readiness.

Getting into kindergarten and passing the pre-kindergarten testing is a big d eal to these p arents. Get a copy test(s) used in your school district to determine children's readiness for kindergarten.

We selected four of the twelve areas from the test used in m y school system (which is standard for the state ofIndiana). These areas are:

three years and h as demon strated sufficient sh oulder flexibility and arm s trength, etc. Most gymnastics skills appear to be somew hat age-related, not age determined . Age-appropriate means just that- activities that are appropriate for a particular age. For example, a Barney song for warm-up would be appropria te for a parent and tot class for two-year-olds, but it would die in a class of five-year-olds.

gross motor skills rote counting identifica tion of body parts follows verbal directions If parents believe that participation in your program better prepares they are h elping their preschool child to better prepare them for school, they won' t quit your program. And, if they really believe in yo ur program they will spread the word to their friends.

In your lesson plans you can introduce a word of the week, or color of the week, or letter or number of the week. Incorporate items like this in your teaching even if it isn't structured on your lesson plan. Put on your lesson plan a section entitled, "Educational Aspects". When preparing yo ur lesson plan, take a few moments to jot down those important reasons and relay them to the parents.

With all the education the children are getting (and don't realize it), they need to have fun, too. One of the easy ways we create super excitement is w ith themes. I h ave included an example of a Power Rangers' lesson plan. No tice the educational opportunities involved in this lesson . The major educational asp ect is color identification. Other great examples of educational lesson plan themes include: dinosaur week, outer space week, Hawaiian week (we talk about all the islands and customs), fire safety week, traffic safety week, and physical fitness week.

I suggest that you repeat the lesson plan two weeks on a row, esp ecially the theme weeks. There is so much to do and children need repe tition. The only people who get bored with repeating the lesson plans are those teachers w h o teach 20 classes a week . Which means they get to do the limbo 40 times during Hawaiian Week!

Utilize all of the preschool s taff to assis t w ith lesson planningthis creates ownership and makes them understand the reason behind the lesson. They will be better able to effectively relate (and sell) the plan to the parents.

When preparing literature about your preschool program, use those familiar buzz-phrases of the 90' s such as" developmentally appropriate skills" and" age appropriate ac tivities." Developmentally appropriate skills are those that a child could be read y for according to their physical or mental capacity rather than by age they are. For example, a hot-shot fi ve-year-old could be read y for back h andspring drills because she/ h e h as been in the program for

The integrated components of a successful lesson plan are: a well-rounded, solid curriculum, movement concepts and motor skills, affective development (social skills), fitness, dance and rhythms, educational aspects, games and music, and safety. Each of these components make up an effective lesson plan. To make a successful program you have to add a clean, bright gym, and an enthusiastic, caring staff. With these three keys, yo u can be a success!

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Preschool Gymnastics

POWER RANGER THEME Sub-themes

3. Possum hang pull-ups, climb through yellow hoop.

Color identification; dinosaur; important lessons about justice, p eace, gender equality, and racial h armony!

4. Shimmy across dinosaur pit from yellow spot to yellow spot (different kinds of shimmy ... right, left, forward, and backward).

Warm-up

5. Pullover from yellow trapezoid on Jr. Swing bar.

Stop and Go! Children respond to a Stop/Go sign while the teacher calls off motor skills and animal walks.

Floor Zack, black - Tumbling on the black rectangles made from felt.

Billy, blue - The circuit is: Climb up the blue trapezoid to doublemini, land in blue hoops using an y dismount (tuck, pike, straddle, 1/2 turn), climb through the blue tunnel, diver roll over dinosaurs from one blue incline to another, blue feet doin g hopscotch (one foot to two feet), vault drills over blue traps out of and into blue hoops, go around blue barrels, fo llow blue arrows to blue vault board into blue hoop.

Tumble-Track Jason, red - Red hoops to jump into and out of, red tunnel to go through. Cartwheels over red and w hile topes, red " bologna" dots as foot markers . Jumps d own the tumble-track. .. tuck, pike, straight, 1/2 turn. Dive rolls over end of tumble-track onto an incline.

6. Dinosaur walks across parallel bars to avoid dinosaurs ... (crab walk forward, backwards, sideways, right and left; the same for bear walks).

7. Flanking over sin gle rail onto yellow spots and back through Trini's tunnel.

Beam Kimberly, pink - Pterad ctyl 1. Five cones w ith flowers in them. Pick-up the flo wers and do a full turn and place the flo wer back in the cone (other skills: a scale, straight jump, squat turn, jump w ith switch fee t). Walk up inclines stacked p anel mat onto the next beam.

2. The word KIMBERLY in pink letters and spelled out on the beam . Stop over the letters and call out the letters as yo u go .

3. Leap over the pink balloons.

End of (1055 Power Ranger stamps and stickers

Bars

Power Ranger coloring pages

Trini, yellow - Sabertooth Tiger 1. Kick yellow balloons with leg-ups to increase abdominal strength.

NOTE: This lesson plan will be done four weeks in 11 row. It's Power Ranger Month!

2. Climb mountain, forward roll dismount off of high bar with yellow bean bag between feet, land on yellow spot.

START HERE

Blu~ 9 14"hi skill h l ยง ] cushion

e

o

Vault board

~ Dinosaurs C L)'d;,e~____

~L-=.....:.:::=I==nc=lin==e_-l]~ Footsteps

Double mini

Power Ranger Course

ovember/December 1996 TECHNIQ UE

0

B/{JeB. Qrrels

up

S

p

s rap

.,tt

A

19

Preschool Gymnastics

TUMBLEBEAR REPORT CARD Name: ------------------------------------------------------ Level: ------------------------ Date: ---------------Dear Parents: This report card is a m ean s of informing yo u of your child's progress in our program. Each of our levels have a different set of skills that our students are working one. Below is a list of skills that h ave been introduced to your child this quarter and an evaluation of how they are doing. If you h ave any questions con cerning this report card, please talk to your child's teacher.

I

Marking Code:

"

X excellent, has achieved the skill

./ is working on this skill - has no concept of the skill

A

20

Tumbling

Bars

Straddle roll (long tuck, straddle, pike) Free roll Cartwheel Hand on wrist cartwheel Handstand Backward roll Round-off

Beam

Trampoline

Hangs

Forward walk (high beam )

Tuck jump

Swings (same as above) Front support cast Forward roll dismount Sole circle swing (straddle jump dismount) Tuck/straddle shoot jump dismount Back hip pullover (wi spot) (wide beam)

Backward walk L-kicks Step stag Straddle mount

Pike jump Straddle jump Combo: tuck, pike, straddle 112 turn; full turn

Squat mount; tuck

Seat drop

Round-off dismount

Seat drop 1/2 turn

Comments:

Patti Komara's Tumblebear Gym Program a Instructional Videotapes 1996 Releases Item #123_ Item #128.

Item #1 33.

Item 136.

Item #137 .

Item #138.

Item #139.

Item #140.

Owning Your Own Gymnastic School _______ __ . _______ ___ ____ ___ .. . _ . __ . _ . _ ........ _ ..

$39.95

a must for new and present owners Teaching Back Handsprings .... .. . . . . __ ............. _ ... . . _ _ .. . .. ........ _ ... _ . . _ .. $39.95 the one skill every student wants to learn - learn drills, steps to teaching it, and spott ing hints.

Preschool Lesson Plan Development For Owners a nd Preschool Directors . _ ..... ... .. .. . __ . _ .. $39.95 a comprehensive view of designing lesson plans Activities & Skills For The Tumble-Trak .................. . .. . .. .. . .. _ _ __ _ . _ . _ . . . . . . . .. $39_95 this tape and manual gives you hundreds of ideas Teaching Aerial Cartwheels _ ... .. . .. ... _ .. . . _ .. __ .. _ . _ . _ . . _ . _ .. . . . . . _ .. _ . . .â&#x20AC;˘.. .. . .. $39.95 a fun skill for school age kids and Patti performs one!

Teaching Bars to School Age Students ........... . . . . .... . .. ......... ..... . ........... $39.95 Patti goes through families of skills with spotting ideas and drills to teach Teaching Beam to School Age Students . ..... . .................... . .. ... .â&#x20AC;˘.... .... . ... $39.95 learn the easiest and fun ways to teach beam Teaching Tumbling to School Age Students ........................ . .......... . ... .. .. " $39.95 a very comprehensive, thorough teaching of skills from cartwheels to fulls Call (2 19) 865-2274 to orde r VISA/MC - Same day s hipping

Patti Komara, national clinician since 198 1

N ovembe r / D ecember 1996

TECHNI Q UE

Women's Judging

WOMEN'S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS JUDGES' SOURCES OF STRESS Joan L. Duda, Mary Ann Brown Borysowicz, and Kate St. Germaine Purdue Universih) Department ofHKLS Lambert 113 West Lafayette, IN 47907

S

tress h as been found to be a predictor of poor performance and dropout not only among athletes and coaches, but for officials as well. In general, however, the sport stress literature has focused on athletes with very few studies examining the antecedents and conseq uences of anxiety in the case of sport officials. Moreover, our current knowledge about the anxiety associated with sport officiating is based predominately on information provided by male officials involved with team sports.

stress, each judge was given an opportunity to share their own source of stress by responding to the following open-ended question: "Are there any other sources of stress in your job as a gymn astics official?" Three independent raters organized and reduced the responses provided by the judges into general themes or categories.

Gymnastics, in contrast to most team sports, is a non-contact, closed-skilled sport w ith seemingly high cognitive demands. It is a sport w here no interaction between athlete and judge is permitted and judges, in comparison to umpires and referees, are responsible for rating performance as well as enforcing the rules of the cOIl1.petition.

Perceived Sources of Stress

The purpose of this article is to report the results from a largescale exploratory project conducted on the determinants of anxiety responses amon g women's gymnastics judges. In obtaining information on this issue both quantitative ratings and open-ended responses were examined.

Results The 39 sources of stress were subjected to a factor analysis which resulted in eight factors. those eight dimensions as well as representative items which supported each factor are listed in Table 1.

The mean level of stress (and s tandard deviation) was determined for each factor. As shown in Figure 1, meeting the increasing standards associated with maintaining one's judging rating and the impact of the demands of the job on the individual's life in general were perceived to be the most salient sources of stress.

Personally Experienced Sources of Stress

Subiects There are 647 women's gymnastics officials, from Regions lVIII, partiCipated in this study. The mean age of the officials ~w as 38.6 Âą 9.3 years while the average hours spent per month in judging-related activities to be 44.6 Âą 39.8 hours. All levels of judging were represented with 13 percent classified as brevet, 11 percent as elite, 33 percent as Level 10, 11 percent as Level 9, 11 percent as Level 8, 15 percent as Level 7, and 6 percent as Level S.

When we classified the additional personally experienced determinants of stress among this sample of judges, eight themes emerged, namely Meet Disorganization, Conflicts/Disagreements, Judging Standards/Regulations, Judging Assignments, Fears Associated w ith Judging, Travel, Physical Ailments, and Miscellaneous. Each of the themes was defined and the exemplary quotes were selected to support each theme. The resultant categories, definitions, percentages of responses classified in each category and exemplary quotes are shown in Table 2.

Procedure

Discussion

The gYllU1.astics officials were administered via mail a multisection questionnaire which was completed and returned to the USA Gymnastics office in Indianapolis. The 39 potential sources of stress, and were generated from a review of the stress literature on athletes, coaches, previous studies of officials in sport, and telephone interviews w ith current certified brevet and elite level 'Nomen's gymnastics judges. The responses to the items were -:;cored on a four point scale with a = Does Not Contribute to 3 = Strongly contributes. Subjects respond based on the following question: " How much do the following contribute to the s tress you perceive while judging a gymnastics meet?"

Following the ratings for each of the 39 potential sources of

In general, the findings suggest that women' s gymnastics judges found aspects of their meet experiences to be low to moderately stressful. All. examination of the variability in responses indicate, however, that several of the identified stressors were potent for a number of the sampled judges. Further, the present results reveal that women's gymnastics judges have little difficulty in indicating what causes them to be anxious at meets. Providing evidence for the validity of the findings, there was consistency in the results when judges' sources of stress were examined via quantitative ratings or a qualitative method. When contrasting responses to the quantitative items versus the open-ended questions, the factors "Abuse from coaches" and "Confrontation with Spectators/ Ath-

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Women's Judging

letes" d id n ot appear to be p erson al sources of stress for the judges .

Th e few judges w ho reported pro blems with specta tors and coaches indicated that the incid ents occurred primarily at the college level.

I

"

A

22

The anxiety literature indicates that stress can be costly in terms of task execution. For exam ple, p as t studies have sh own that stress negatively impac ts people's cap acity to attend to task-relevant stimu li and q uickly and correctly integra te the information processed. Such chan ges in a judge's attentional cap abilities would be detrimental to the accu racy of her ro utine scores.

Research h as also sh ow that an xiety is negatively related to how much individuals enj oy an ac tivity. N ot surprisingly, it has also been fo und that chronic stress is the major contributor to burnout.

Consequently, we wo uld exp ect to see a high dropout rate amon g officials w ho regularly feel an xious at gymnas tics meets.

Finally, exp erien cing high levels of anxiety on some regular basis lead s to a number of serio us health consequences (e.g., impairment of the immune system) . It should n ot be n ecessary that an y judge increase her likelihood of illness as a result of her judging resp onsibilities.

The findings of this project tell us that, although the mean level is not esp ecially high, competition-related stress occurs among w omen's gymnas tics judges. This is a cru cial step to formulating specific strategies for countering the contributors to s tress amon g judges.

TABLE 1 FACTORS

REPRESENTATIVE ITEMS

Meet increasing standards

Keeping up with skill advancements in the sport.

Keeping up with rule changes in the sport.

Career demands

Conflict between officiating and family/social demands.

Tim pressures associated with meet schedules.

Abuse from coaches

Verbal abuse and/or negative confrontations with coaches.

Personality clashes with coaches.

Concerns about judging performance

Being ab le to accurately see gymnasts performance errors .

Fear of insufficiently scoring a routine .

Relationships with other judges

Competition and jealousy between judges.

Personality clashes with other judges .

External factors at meets

Lack of reinforcement for good officiating .

Post-meet security problems .

Conflict with USA Gymnastics StaH

Personality with USA Gymnastics staff members .

Verbal abuse and/or negative confrontations with USA Gymnastics staff members.

Confrontations with spectators and athletes

Verbal abuse and/or negative confrontations with spectators. verbal aabuse and negative confrontations with gymnasts.

100'ember/ Decem ber 1996

TECHNI Q UE

1'-

Women's Judging

TABLE 2 CATEGORIES/DEFINITIONS/PERCENT OF RESPONSES

EXEMPLARY QUOTES

Difficulties Transpiring Within a Meet

Clubs not prepared to host an efficiently run meet, waiting over one hour for printouts to check scores, scores entered wrong, runners too young/ immature, no real seating for parents/ judges.

Meet disorganization (not starting on time, too many gymnasts in session, etc.)

Coaches who are not ready.

Problems that occur within a meet which include being rushed, scheduling difficulties, lack of judges, and difficulties with individuals attending the meet to include parents, coaches, and spectators.

(23.4%)

Conflicts/Disagreements Between Judges Problems that occur while judging meets in terms of the interaction between judges.

(19.8%)

Judging Standards/ Regula tions Problems with rules that are enforced and costs related to testing, certification, and uniforms.

(15.5%)

General Difficulties Experienced As A Judge General conflicts/ problems that arise as a judge which include last minute meet time changes, long hours, the selection process, and judging unexpected events.

(14.4%)

Political behavior of referees and other judges.

Put down by other judges.

Other high level Brevet judges laying stress on those of us at the lower level.

Disagreeing with more experienced judges.

The recertification for Levell 0 judges (who have been judging for more than 10 years) is much too complicated (written only). It's very frustrating to have to keep re-testing. We need to learn the new rules and practice them not memorize rules which are forgotten after testing. Should be able to use notes while testing. Testing and judging are not the same.

Meeting active status requirements.

Late meet information and/ or changes from meet (i.e., change in start time and number of sessions).

Judging multi-session compulsory meets.

Fear of rejecting an assignment for an important meet.

Fears Associated With Judging

Lack of experience.

Judges who fear they possess a lack of experience, low confidence, and are not prepared for the meets.

Having been an official fo r a short amount of time.

(l0.5%)

Fear of begin way off on a score.

Travel

Attempts to force people to car pool.

Travel arrangements including meals, car pooling, and roommates.

Per diem or serving meals.

(7.1%)

Incompatible roommateswhen traveling (i.e., talkers and TV. watchers) can make it hard for me to get enough sleep.

Fear of missing something.

Driving with people who break the rules of the road.

Physical Ailments

Personal fatigue/ jet lag.

Physical problems that occur or interfere with judging due to illness or fatigue.

Overtired ness.

(3.7%)

Hunger, due to long meets with infrequent breaks or nor breaks between sessions.

Miscellaneous

Gymnasts trying skills they are not prepared for.

(5.6%)

Near misses.

Being male in a primarily female organization. ovember/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

tt

"

.A 23

GKConsi~

Our consignment program has already helped hundreds of pro shops across the country become successful and profitable. Why not choose the GK consignment program for your pro shop and start earning extra profits with ...

entPro~--

With each consignment package, you will receive a new assortment of prints and solids from our variety collection, shown on pages 20 thru 22 of the GK catalog.

Your packages are specifically tailored to your gym 's needs, such as quantity, sizes and styles .

In addition to receiving consignment merchandise at wholesale prices , you 'll be able to purchase all GK products including team apparel at our low wholesale prices too.

No Investment No Risk Our consignment program offers packages for:

Pro Shops 路Meets路 Summer Camps

Since you only pay for what you 've sold and you may return the rest of the package there is ...

No Investment No Risk

For more information on how you can get started on our consignment program , just call our customer service depaItment at 1.800.345.4087.

123 0 Spru ce Street

Readin g, Pennsy lvania 19602 1. 800.345.4087

GeftElal Gyiiiitastics

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES USED BY COMPETITIVE GYMNASTS TO OVERCOME THE FEAR OF INJURY T. Michelle Magyar, Melissa A. Chase, Ph.D. Purdue Universihj

T

he competitive sport of women's gymnastics can be mentally and physically demanding on an athlete. The difficulty of the skills being performed and the high intensity of training for higher level athletes d enotes the risk being taken by the gymnast and the rise of injuries in the sport (Caine, Lindner, Mandelbaum, and Sands, 1996; Kerr and Minden, 1988). This perception of risk and incidence of injury understandably can lead to a gymnast's fear of being injured while competing and/ or learning a new skill. Fear of injury can produce detrimental influences on a gymnast's performance and self-confidence in gymnastics. Sport psychology research has also found that fear of injury is a common source of worry and a possible reason for leaving competition among young gymnasts (Duda, 1995; Duda and Gano-Overway, 19986; Klint and Weiss, 1986; Weiss, Weise, and Klint, 1989).

The fear of injury exists when a gymnast lacks confidence in h er ability to perform successfully in a threatening or taxing situation.

In order to perform at high competitive levels, one must learn to exercise control over fearful situations. We believe gymnasts need to adopt self-enhancing perspectives rather than self-defeating ones in order to overcome the fear of injury. This process can be enhanced by adopting psychological strategies such as thought stopping, imagery/relaxation, and positive self-talk. When using these approaches, that athlete learns to focus on relevant information, such as, feeling relaxed and giving her best, rather than worrying about the pOSSibility of being injured. No t only do these strategies improve concentration, but they may permit the athlete to gain control over her fears and increase her self-confidence towards performing difficult skills. These strategies have been shown to he effective in performance enhancement programs (Orlick, 1986) and can be developed in young children and adolescents (Weiss, 1991) . The purpose of this article is to present various types of psychological strategies used by age group program gymnasts, in a competitive gymnastics club, to overcome their fear of being injured.

Method The participants interviewed for this article were eleven female competitive gymnasts, ages eight to seventeen years (mean age 12.3 years) from a single gymnastics club. This particular group of gymnasts trained 4 to 6 days per week and competed at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Program Levels 5 through 10. All of

the gymnasts had participated in a performance enhancement educational program with exposure to psychological skills training for one to four years .

Each gymnast was independently interviewed by one of the authors. The interview consisted of questions designed to assess the strategies used by the gymnast to overcome her fear of injury .

Their responses or quotes were coded into common categories to determine the different types of strategies typically used (Scanlan, Stein, and Ravizza, 1989). Once the common strategi es were derived, a frequency of the strategies were calculated.

Results The results revealed that the gymnasts used a variety of psychological strategies to overcome their fears of being injured. All of the gymnasts reported they felt comfortable using some form of mental strategy to gain control over fearful situations the two most popular strategies used were "Just Go For It" and "Superstitions."

The strategy "Just Go For It" is a thought stopping technique used by the gymnasts to prevent rumination over negative thoughts of being injured. Thought-stopping is when the athlete makes a conscious effort to block out negative thoughts such as ''I'm sacred" or "I can't do this." Once the athlete has learned to block out negative thoughts, she can replace them with thoughts such as "just do it" and put her body into autopilot to attempt the skill.

Contrasting from the mental strategy of thought stopping, "Superstitions" are based more on the concept of luck. When a gymnast has a superstition, she is relying on certain objects such as a leotard or hair ribbon/ scrunchy to bring her positive results in her performance. Superstitions are not a reliable strategy because the athlete is not in direct control of the outcome, however they do put the athlete in a positive mind set to perform. Superstitions when used as more of a routine, for example eating pancakes every morning, can help the athlete stay focused and relaxed.

The third most popular strategy used by these gymnasts reveals the Significance of the coach in helping the gymnast overcome the fear of injury. The athletes look to their coach es and trust in their coach's decision that they are capable of performing new or difficult skills. Without this support, the gymnast m ay begin to question her ability and continue to be fearful of injury and hesitate on certain skills.

The four remaining strategies are self-regu latory techniques

November/December 1996

TECHNIQUE

I

o

A

25

General Gymnastics ~--------------------

i

("

A

that the gyrrmasts practice and use on a regular basis. "Imagery" allows the gyrrmast to visualize past and/ or future experiences in her mind to prepare herself for how to handle fearful situations. This strategy improves the athletes self-confidence by making her more familiar with the skill. "Positive self-talk" is a sh'ategy used by gymnasts to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Rather than just blocking out fearful thoughts, the gyrrmast can prevent them from occurring by constantly using positive thoughts that she finds personally meaningful, (such as "I can do this"). "Selective focus and illusion" is a technique the gyrrmast uses to convince herself that either someone is there to sport her or that she has already performed

the skill successfully. By using this form of illusion, the gyllmast is creating an environment that is favorable to a successful outcome.

Finally, "progressive muscle relaxation" is an effective self-regulatory strategy that teaches the athlete to control her physiological arousal during fearful situations. A relaxed state is best accomplished by using proper breathing teclmiques (such as taking deep breaths), which help to release muscle tension in the body. The athlete uses relaxation to control her physical responses in fearful situations and regain her composure and self-confidence. The strategies are presented in Table 1 with the percentage of responses for each strategy, followed by an example of a supporting quote.

26

TABLE 1 PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES USED TO OVERCOME FEAR Thought-Stopping "Just Go For It" (19%) "I would just go for it, just throw it. " "So get it in your head that you can do this skill a11d just block everything else out of your head and just go for it."

"Take itone thing at a time. Don' tthink aboutit. Block itout like a zOIl1bie."

Trust, Advice, and Support from Coaches (17%)

Superstitions (19%) "I have my lucky underwear, my lucky socks, my lucky hair ties, m y lucky hair clips. I eat Fren ch toast every morning."

"A lucky leo. Because every time I wear it, I'm lucky and I can do something."

Imagery (13.5 %) "I think imagery can help because you ge t more familiar w ith the skill

"I've learned to trust the coach personally."

"Coaches always say, 'I wouldn't have you do it if you couldn't do it.' They believe in you. "

if you're good at it."

"Imagery helps me a lot. I do it all the time. I do it outside the gym and in the gym. " "I use imagery. Like if I'm at a meet or if I am doing a skill I've never done before, I can just imagine myself doing it. "

Self-Talk, Positive Thoughts (13.5 %) "Thinking it and saying it to yourself, that I can do it, the coaches think

I can.

"I try to calm myself dow n and say, Whoa wait a second, you've done this before."

Selective Focus and Attention (10%) "I pretend like the coach is standing there spotting me."

"I pretend like I was on my third one. Like I'd already done three, I just think I've already done it."

"I like say something in my head and it makes me do it. "

Relaxation (8 % ) "I've learned the relaxation thing."

"The relaxation stuff helps a lot too."

"The relaxation thing helps a little too. If I'm relaxed there's a better chance I won't get hurt."

ovember/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

General Gymnastics

Discussion Based on these findings, it seems that if a gymnast wants to ovcrCOlne the fear of being injured, it would be beneficial if she learned how to use psychological skills. Psychological skills training is an educational program designed to develop cognitive strategies in combination with physical skill development to enhance gymnastics performance and one's overall experience in the sport (Weiss, 1991). Three basic strategies that are a foundation of a solid psychological skills program are relaxation, imagery, and positive self-talk.

The finding from this study also revealed that coaches play an integral role in helping the gymnasts overcome their fears of being injured. The girls in this gym club trusted their coaches a great deal, especially when attempting a new sill or one with high difficulty. The coaches support goes beyond the physical presence of spotting the gymnasts to help them advance physically in the level of difficulty of a skill. They also help the gymnasts mentally, and assist them in overcoming mental barriers such as fear of injury . Therefore, coaches need to be accurate in their feedback and judgment of the gymnasts abilities to progress to the higher levels.

Based on these responses, it is apparent the gymnasts in this study exposed to such training used the subsequent skills to combat their fears of being injured. In order to decrease the fear of injury, both the athlete and coach must work together to incorporate psychological skills training into everyday training regimens.

The significance of the coaches role also needs to be emphasized during practice and competition to help the gymnast overcome adversity.

FOR SALE ClasSManager Software .

Mac Or Windows : For Wmdows 95 . and on-line hel Jraphlcal interface w'tl and Macmtosh. vital famil inf p, ~T a DOS program ~ 1 mouse Control Placements . ormatIOn, class registrat " ystem records all , mstructo d lOn, sched 1 ments, birthda _ . rata and schedul u es, team as s assign_ prints invoice//~l t~es, etc. Maintains all payments and n lecelpts, and a Com Ul l~n aCCOunts, procesSor for se~~~~ses taken. Can inclu:~e~ebhl~to.ry of all ship campaign Cmg out Customized lett Ul t-m Word Boston Post R s. al.l for pricing: Atla . ers for member_ (Voice) or 508~4~~_~3u5Ite 3, SUdbury, MA ~~;7:.s5s00ciates, 410 1 (fax) . ' 8-443-0560

;\c1

REFERENCES Caine, D.J., Caine, c.J., and Linder, K.J. (1996). Epidemiology of Sport Injuries . Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .

Duda, J. L. (1995). Level of competitive trait anxiety and sources of stress among members of the 1993 TOP Team. Technique, 16,10-13.

Duda, J.L. and Gano-Overway, L. (1996). Anxiety in elite young gymnasts. Part II - Sources of stress. Technique, 16, 4-5.

Kerr, G., and Minden, H. (1988) . Psychological factors related to the occurrence of athletic injuries. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10, 167-173.

Klint, K.A., and Weiss, M.R. (1986). Dropping in and dropping out: Participation motives of current and former youth gymnasts. Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 11,106-114.

Orlick, T. (1986). Psyching for Sport: Mental Training for Athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics .

biographies ot r 'f g resurne s/ 1 GyrnnasticS is so lClll~ _Men'sNationalCoac1,.as USA d' plyng 101 , Se!1lor coaches inter~st; 9~ ~iooo USA Gyrnna:tics M:~ld send outlined 111 t e o rarn Manual. Appl1~ants sararn Direc't 300 National Tearn Pr gR Galirnore, Men s Pro o . 1 A e SUI e , 路 n to on their inforrnat10 . 201 South CapIto v., eed A G rnnas tlCs , _ 25 1997. If you n contact Ron tor, US 1'1 IN 46236 by Januar y ' . .

Indianapo IS, -d'n the pOSItron . d'e inforrnation regal 1 g 231 This position IS pen rnOl 7) 237-5050 ext. .

Galirnore at (31 C nittee approval. .Ing M en' s Proararn ornr 0

Scanlan, T.K., Stein, G.L., and Ravizza, K. (1989) . An in-depth study of former elite figure skaters: II. Sources of enjoyment. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 65-83.

Weiss, M.R., Weise, D.M., and Klint, K.A. (1989). Head over heals with success: The relationship between self-efficacy and performance in competitive youth gymnastics. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 444-451.

Weiss, M.R. (1991). Psychological skill development in children and adolescents. The Sport Psychologist, 5, 335-354.

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Preschool

I

"

A. 28

LuAnnNix

1trkansas Laura Beam Sara Todd

California Mary Byers Ashieris Linda Dembrow Kristine Lowry DeTurk Paige ESh'ada Debbie Fricker ~ Steve Greeley Susan Gross Michelle Klirnesh *Jeff Lulla PattySylvis Timothy Werner el y Woods

Deirdre Niziolek Kelly Noonan Heidi Soper-<Lawless Nancy White

Minnesota

RHode Island

Sandi Charbonneau Linda Thorberg

Brentla Glover Sandi Marth

Indiana

Mississippi

South Carolina

Tijuana Boyanton

Cynthia Hawkins

Nevada

Texas

Gia Colburn Joanna Fritz Al Lansdon Mary Lee Mansfield Pam"Philli p( Karen Spencer

Marilyn Bitsis Nina Corley Julie Earl Marsha Fitzjarrell Beth Gardner Diane Havens Barbara Hughes Jennifer Shea Hunt James Jeffers Dottie Lee Holly Nay KirnOwens Kimber! Pavlicek Carol Robuck Annette Thomas Jana Vonfeldt

Jan Fadell *Loree Galimore Linda Hanson Kathleen Kelemen *Patti Komara Tamara Laird Karen Schroeder

IDWa Lisa Fandrich John Harris Suzanne Lux Lisa Miskowiec Erin Netteland Ben Nichols Candy Winters on Winters

Jane DeAngelis Kate Faber-Hickie

Kentucky

New York

Tracy Lynn Cromer Julie Wright

New Hampshire Pamela Berube Sandra Block

New ersey

Connecticut

Louisiana

Nancy Ford Margaret Hanssler Mary Jane Hesford Darcy Riehl Patricia Venter

Connie Overton

Estelle Alfonso Kathleen Bush Jennifer Gilbert Satu Lahti Alfonso Weinlein

Maryland

Ohio

Patricia Delaney Allison Hyland

Evan Sayres

Nicki Geigert Richard Samuels

Florida

Massachusetts

Oklahoma

Wisconsin

*Barbara Davis Lorrie Gregory Kathy Johnson Judy K:ulmle Patti Lubaski

Lisa Foisy Liz Gonzalez Melisa Kroodsma Jen Scannell Radejka Smith Corena Spiron Peggy Traunmller

Sarah Brawley Carol Corbett Paige Phillips Michael Thoendel

Debbie Grainger Louise Parenteau *Sharon Scherr

Sue Ladson Betsy Sprague

Georgia Melanie Walker

Illinois Cindy Morano

Michigan Cindy Raleigh Margaret Stevens

Oregon Tanuny Peterson

Pennsylvania oriJackson Elaine Jewart Jill Morris

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Vermont Mary Clifton Shelley O'Brien

Washington

Lisa Shuck Linda Pettit

COMING SOON... .. ~ Day in tbe GYDl" Elite Le~el­ Cindnnati GYDlnastic:s ~c:adeDlY

1995 Pan J\rnerimn GarDe§ Straight from Mar Del Plata, Argentina: Men's Preliminaries and finals. See the U.S. men's team triumph! Camcorder footage token from the stands. #2247 . .. ... $19.95

1996 U.S. OIYDlpic: Trials ,",oDlen and rl.yd.Dlic: ~ideos merchandise

RHYTHMIC WOMEN'S 1\tlanla 1996 T eclmical Video-W omen's Team Oplionals Features all teams from Atlanta as well as individual athletes competing for other countries_ Including the gold medal winning USA, RUS, ROM, CHN, BlR, UKR, FRA, GRE, AUS, HUN, JPN, ESP. 6 tape sel: all events #2950 ..... . $49.95 1\llanla 1996 T eclmical Video-Women's 1\11A.round Features all competing athletes. Including the gald medal winning Lilia Podkapayeva (UKR), S. Miller, D. Dawes and D. Moceanu (USA), G. Gagen, l. Milosovici and S. Amanar (ROM), D. Kochetkova, S. Chorkina and R. Galiyeva (RUS), Mo Huilan (CHN), S. Boguinskaia and Y. Piskun (BlR) and athletes competing from other countries.

4 tape sel: all events #2951. .. .. . $29.95 1\llanla 1996 T eclmical Video-Women's EYenl Finals Features all competitors, including: Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR), S. Miller, A. Chow, D. Dowes and D. Moceanu (USA), G. Gogen, l.

Milosovici, A. Marinescu and S. Amanar (ROM), D. Kochetkova, S. Chorkina and R. Galiyeva (RUS), Mo Huilan (CHN), S. Boguinskaia and other athletes.

1 tape: all events #2952 . ..... $19.95 1996 McDonald's J\rnerican

Cup Women's Competilion Fort Worth, TX. Preliminary and Finals competitions. Features all competitors. Including: Kerri Strug, Krisly Powell & Andree Pickens (USA), Svetlana Boginskaia (BlR), Oksana Chusovitinia (UZB), Sang Lan (CHN), Svetlana Zelepukina (UKR), Yvonne Tousek (CAN), Alexandra Dobrescu (ROM), Joanna Juarez (ESP), Julia Korostilova (RUS).

2 Tape set (2:40) #2471. ... . . $24.95

lukyanenko, Tatiana Ogryzko, Evguenia Pavlina, and the BlR Group Team.

BONUS! Training footage of Belarus Gymnasts and USA Group Team.

(2:00) #2396 ...... $19.95

J\tlanla 1996 T ecimical Video-Rhytltmic Group Preliminaries Features all teams from Atlanta. Including: USA, ESp, BUl, BlR, FRA, CHN, RUS, GER and ITA. 1Tape: all events #2953 . .. .. . $19.95 1\llanla 1996 T eclmical Video-RIt."lltmic Indiyidual Preliminaries Features all competing athletes. Including: Jessica Davis (USA), E. Serebryanskaya, E. Vitrichenko (UKR), I. Balyrchina and A. Zaripova (RUS), D. Popova and M. Petrova (BUl), l.loukanenko and T. Ogryzko (BlR), as well as athletes from ESp, FRA, CAN, GRE, ROM, GER, ITA, CHN, JPN, POL, CIE, HUN, AUT, GEO, BEl, FIN and LTU. 4 tape sel: all events #2954. ... .. $29.95 1996 Rhytltmic Cltallenge

Senior Competition Downers Grove, Il. Day one and day two competitions. Features all competitors: Jessica Davis, lauri Illy, Natalie lacuesta, Liriel Higa, TIna Tharp, Kristin lee, Kelsi Kemper, Melissa McElroy &Alicio Albe.

2 topes (2:40) #2375 . .. . .. $24.95 1996 RltytLrnic Cltallenge

Junior Competition Downers Grove, Il. Day ane and day two competitions. Features all competitors: Kassy Scharringhausen, Kate Jeffress, Tara McCargo, Johanna Shoemaker, Ellie Takahashi, Diona Quirin, Amy Ng, Emily Vorela.

(2:00) #2395 .. ....$19.95

MEN'S 1995 J\rnerimn Cup

Seattle, Wash. Prelims & Finals. #2246 . . . .. $19.95 1995 Winler Cup Cltallenge Three SlP format tapes featuring EVERY rautine, compulsories and optionals, all divisions! Features all competitors including: John Roethlisberger, (hainey Umphrey, Chris Waller, Jair lynch, Trent Dimas, Josh Stein, Brian Yee and many more!

Camcorder footage taken from the stands. # 2245 ..... $19.95

COACHING "1\ Da." In The G."m" Video Series Series DescriptiDn:

"A Day In The Gym" is for use as an educational tool for USAG professional members. Each video in the series shows a candid, unrehearsed view of a typical workout featuring training footage from clubs across the notion. Each video focuses on a different level of training.

Le~el 8 - Cin<:innali GYDlnasti<:s ~c:adeIDY Be a "fly on the wall" at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy! This second video of the series is from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy showing their level 8 Workout.

2 tope set #2473 ... .$24.95 Le~el 6 - ~rizona Sunrays Gyuuwastic:s This video shows the level 6 Workout from Arizona Sunrays Gymnastics. #2456 . .. .$16.95

CALL 1-800-4-USA-GYM

r-------------------------------------------------,

I

To order any USA Gymnastics merchandise presented in this issue, please complete this order form.

:

us~ GYMN"-STICS ORDER FORM

1

1 II...E__ ___ __ __ ______ _____ _ _ ___ ____ _ _ _ _

'''0 _____ __ ____ __________ _

1 : ADOREII ___ _ _ ____ __ _ _ _ _ ____ _ ___ _ _______________ _ ________________ _ : ( ,N

_____ ______ __ ________ _ _______________ STAlE _____ ZIP __________ _

1 I ( tua GVMNASJ[{S MElmRSKlr #

1

0

: (HARGE: I I URD #

0

--- - - - - - - ---- - --- -- ---- - - -- - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - VISA

O DII(DVE'

O Almm EmEII

-------------- -- ----------

1 1 ITEM # I

1.lAI1EiURD

SIGHAlURE

b, DAlE

--------------------------QUANTITY

DESCRIPTION

PRI<E

TOTAL

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1

1996 US1\ &. Belarus Rh."lltmic ExItiLition Downers Grove, Il. Features all athletes: USA: Jessica Davis, lauri Illy, Natalie lacuesta, Liriel Higa, Kassy Schorringhausen, Kate Jeffress, Tara McCargo, USA Group Team, and the Elite Sports Complex Rhythmic Children Athletes.

BlR: World Championships medalist, Larissa

SUBTOTAL SEND ORDERS AND MAKE CHECKS 'AYABLE TO:

DOMfSTIC SHIPPING & HANDLING: t~SlillDt~U)J I\ 11)~i·S!Q~ !.l SQQI·S60 l~l Sl

S6i!ll·5t)IJ:IIOO!.l

USA GYMNASTICS LQCKERROOM PO BOX 5S62, INOIANAPOIlS, IN 46255-5562 1-800-4-USA-GYM

tt SA

)

GYMNASTICS

~lQI-I'(lj'OOJ,))~I I ' ~Cl,II)lOOl,))lll Slio:!l·Sr.~:1 t.: )111 IJI'fJS!OOll!Olll 1IItli1tlT1iW-001-:1 wo!tID'.-sU!:i

IN RfSI DfNTSADO S% SALESTAX LfSS I O% MfMBfRSHIP DISCOU NT 1,.. : W!~:&:;ptI\COClj6C1'[<oofOI M!tJl!)~1IIJJi!ru ~CWr.il"1I!Ii

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE MfMBERSHIP #

I

L ____________________________________ ____________ _ 1

Tumbling ~--------------------

THE FLYSPRING

Now have them do a handstand against the wall, chest to the wall. Look at the shape of the gymnast (they should wear a leotard and shorts or leotard and tights). Look at the tightness of the gluteals and the extension through the shoulders.

Meg Warren Association of British Gymnastics Coaches 66 Hinkley Road Burbage, Leicestershire LElO 2AQ

i

"

A. 30

I

f done well, the flyspring is a great front accelerator; Podkopayeva of the Ukraine competed a double front with 1/2 turn from a flyspring-an amazing skill. Your gynmast may not be good enough for this, but with some work, the fly spring can be a great asset and help in forward tumbling.

It must be noted that the diagonal of a floor exercise mat is approximately 17 meters from corner to corner. If the gymnast is to do two or more somersaults in one acrobatic series, then skills used prior to the somersault must make the gymnast go faster. He or she calmot rely on just a fast run, there is no room with a multiple somersault series.

Gynmasts need to be able to hold the hollow and "dish" shaped positions. Can they also rock in these positions? The coach can also apply a little pressure to the arms and thighs to test the body tension and put it under pressure.

Prerequisites Good shoulder extension in the handstand is vital.

If under pressure the gymnast's back hollows, then this is an indication of weak abdominals. In this case, the gymnast will need to work on sit-ups; these must be don properly. A reduced dish position is also helpful. Here the legs bend and arms are drawn in while sitting in a dish shape. The back can then easily come back into contact with the floor - then slowly extend outwards to full dish.

The shoulder muscles must be strong to create a 180 degree angle through the shoulder.

Make sure that your gymnast understands to hold the arms up by the ears. Sitting will get them to extend their arms up as far as possible. This could be done with the back to the wall and a mark placed on the wall for relaxed position and then extended position. \I

~j

V

i l

The gymnast must have the ability to rebound across the floor on their toes with their arms by their ears. The conditioning for this is related to the conditioning in handstand and the condition of the abdominals. Work should be done with all gymnasts at a young age on rebound work as well as jumping and landing.

This exercise can be made more difficult by the gynmast holding a small weighted bar. Determine the weight of the bar according to the gymnast's body condition. If they can['t do the rebound jumps without the back hollowing and keeping their arms by the ears then don't bother with a weight, they still h ave plenty of work to do. There needs to be a straight line through the shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles.

The handspring on the floo r is a prerequisite. The gymnast also needs to be able to spring from the hands .

November/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Tumbling

The prac tice can also be done using a bench in order that the gymnas t can run along the bench .

With an underarm action the gymnast should kick to near handstand and immediately spring from the hands. When this has been mastered, the gymnast should also do this to jump up a step.

\~ \~I\

\

~f

II

./-/!~ ~'--

rJY' ~

,

1\

/~

Watch that the gymnast does not manage to jump up the step by bending the arms or taking the arms wide. This is a common fault .

Drills 1. Using the trampoline, bounce from feet to hands, then back again. Keeping the arms by the ears and maintaining a good dish shape.

., r~

A-

Reinforce shapes The gymnast must hold the body tight.

o

r--:~~A\;~~~ " \,

\

No tice in all the figures, the shape of the finish. The gymnast is well arched with the feet behind the body. This means that the gymnast is in an ideal shape for the front somersault to follow. The pre-stretch of the abdominals means that there is a faster snap into the front somersault and that the gymnast is off balance and still traveling forward.

When the gymnast goes into the somersault, the hips move backward just before take off to create eccentric thrust and therefore set-up forward rotation.

2. Try the complete skill on the trampoline. Start from two

bounces with the arms by the ears. If the gymnast is conditioned well enough, they should not need support at this stage. You may, however, want to do practice. No.3 before N o.2.

3. From the platform; drop onto the springboard keeping the arms by the ears . all the body tightness should be maintained. A crash mat with a firm surface is needed . Support the first efforts .

Work on the trampoline bouncing through the dish shape and the hollow shape . As the coach, yo u m ay have to bounce the bed for the gymnast.

Strengthen these shapes through over-arch and dish on two spring boards end to end. From dish snap up to a hollow shape, at least 10 times . From the hollow snap to dish shape.

Planning the Program When you decide the time is right to teach the flyspring, yo u don' t suddenly go through the body conditioning skills as shown .

These exercises along with others form the basis of gymnastics skill. The gymnas t should already be able to rebound from the hands and from the feet as a matter of normal training. The body tension should be worked all the time and the basic dish and arch shapes are fundamental to many gymnastics skills.

Reprinted by permission from the Association of British Gymnas tics Coaches Newsleller, 5th Issue 1996.

Tovember/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

II

Uneven Bars

TRICK PHOTOGRAPHY AND UNDERSTANDING d TuRNING PRINCIPLES ON ~ ASYMMETRIC BARS John Pirrie

Association of British Gymnastics Coaches 66 Hinkley Road Burbage, Leicestershire LElO 2AQ

1. Stand on tiptoes (plynth slightly in front of bar). Remove toes and release bar (normally with hand which would be placed second in a cartwheel).

Apparatus required one video camera and operator one single bar (high bar) one person (not necessarily a gymnas t)

2. Videotape the event w ith camera upside-down (in slow m otion, if possible).

one little bit of thought and time

3. Play back and watch how good you could be.

one tape measu re

Skill B

Skill A Forward giant 1/2turn to back giant (the handstand phase) Method - Release bar with one hand, the 1/ 2turn occurs wi thou t trying.

II

/

I

Forward giant swing with full turn (Healey, the handstand phase) Method 1. Hang body in undergrasp .

2. Release bar w ith same hand as Skill A (body w ill turn naturally).

3. Regrasp in undergrasp or eagle.

4. Play back and watch how good you are now. (To videotape, use the same method and apparatus starting from the same position.)

Skill ( Back giant swing with 1/2 turn (blind change).

t5

Now tu rn this page upside-down and see that figure above is in hang. So hang body in undergrasp, release on hand, body will turn naturally. Regrasp in overgrasp.

1/2 tum

(9

If

/2

Look at picture upside-down, create the same experiment as you did in Skill A. On this occasion the assistance of gravity w ill not au tom atically turn the body . You must initiate the turn releasing, preferably with the same hand as before and regressing in undergrasp. Turn directed forwards . ovember/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

1997-9000 Age Group

Co...pelilion PrograIn

Skill D 1. Back gia nt w ith full turn.

2. Back gian t w ith ' / , turn and

1/, tu rn.

Repeat Sk ill C experiment and having regras ped in undergrasp, release other hand and regras p in overgrasp for giant full or release same h and and regrasp in over grasp for 1/, turn 1/, turn.

1997-9000 Men's A.ge Group

Co...pelition Pro graIn, Class Co... puisory Routines

V-VII

Skill E Back giant w ith 1/ 2turn to eagle hangar mixed eagle (undergrasp and eagle). H ang in overgrasp and turn backwards regrasping in eagle ar undergrasp.

Skill F Back giant w ith 540 degree turn to eagle hang.

Re peat Skill C and continue w ith m ethod for Skill B or repeat Skill D and follow w ith Skill E.

Skill G ot yet in Code . Back giant with 720 degree turn in hand stand phase to eagle or mixed eagle (full turn on the way up and full turn on the way down). Complete giant not quite .

Repeat D completing turn on the upward swing prior to handstand. After second hand re-catches in overgrasp, ch ange first hand to undergrasp and repeat Skill B.

Summary Tha t's the easy bit, as gravity provides in these experiments the shoulder ex ten sion necessary to p erform the skills for real. As coaches we are now able to familiarize the gymnast with all turns, all we have to do no w is prepare them physiologically to create the same extension against gravity .

#&0...... ...... . .. .. $7.95 1997-~000 Men's Junior Nalio at Tea ...

Progra... , '10-1'1 Co... p ......sory Routines and Phase #1 Junior Conditioning

Progra... Video

So we have proved tha t.all changes are easy (because we can do them with the aid of a video cam era) . So w hat's the problem?

It' s not the hand changes. So it must be gravity . If we can' t change gravity, then we' ll h ave to change (condition our gymnast.

Is yo ur gymnast as extended in h andstand as she/he could be?

Final Experiment

CIn· _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1"11

toe

wrist

,t toe

U ~J

II... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ P'OIiI _ _ _ _ __ Aool1\\ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

~

measure this di stance in rela xed han g A

~

measure this distance in extended tension

Cws GV/.\UASTICS M!MB!RSKIPj!

ZIP _ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

:::JDII(o',,,

CHAm: OI,\'I11,C"o OVIIA

DAMI""" ("'111

( Am!! _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ SIGIIATURE _

DESCRIPTION

IUM #

B

Exp. Dm _ _ __

_ _ __ __

aUANTlTY

PRICE

wrist

Measure this distance in relaxed hand Measure this dis tan ce in ex tend ed tension.

A =B WE'VE CRACKED IT! - GRAVITY DEFEATED. SUBTOTAL

SEND ORDIRS AND MAKI CHICKS PAYASII 10: USA GYMNASTICS lOCKER ROOM PO BOX 5562, INDIANAPOliS, IN 46255-5562 1-800-4-USA-GYM

ltlDA GYMNASTICS

DOMESTIC SHIPPING & HANDLING: (i:~iliIIJ.\~~~: :i C,ji ;Ii~l~; lj)t ::j ~I): : (;,:I S!-: 11s.!('OO J ~)}! g.:(.j il(ll~) ljl!= \1OO ~1 !I~w 11"15!1

\l)J~l!m~:I:;I' : C~:!i1[~ ' C;I! l'Illi\\irA1l -(U;i:11LiS·»\:i!-:!

IN RESIDENTS AOD SOlo SAl[S TAX L£lSI D% MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT Ii: ,:~ ! :tI~·J c'\[(':~\i S:1.1 (,:o!) r:1r,I/'~.l'i! (,; t'm:~!II) ~J(:'~l;'Ii

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABlE MEMBERSHIP ,

_

TOTAL

Athlete Wellness

USA GYMNASTICS ATHLETE WELLNESS PROGRAM UPDATE ~ ,r', A

34

Nancy Thies Marshall Manager, Athlete WeI/ness Program

I

n November, 1995, the Board of Directors of USA Gymnas tics unanimously accepted the recommendat;ons of the Task Force on USA Gymnastics Response to the Female A thlete Triad. With that ac tion, the Board made a commitment to implement those recommendations by funding the USA Gymnastics Athlete Wellness Program. In creating this program, the governin g body is taking a lead role in developing safeguards to balance some of the s tresses elite athletes face.

Following is a brief summary of the first projects addressed and progress to date.

Athlete Wellness Coaches Course The pilot Athlete Wellness Program Coaches Course was conducted prior to the alU1Ual USA Gymnastics Congress and Olympic Trials in Boston, June 27, 1996. The curriculum for this course was developed by Dr. Joan Duda (artistic national team sport psych ologist), Dr. Gloria Balague (rhy thmic national team sport psychologist), and Dr. Dan Benardot (national team nu tritionist).

Topics covered included "Nutrition and Gymnastics Success," " Healthy Gymnastics Environments," " Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries," "Understanding Eating Disorders and the Athlete," "An Athlete's Perspective" and "What is the Female Athlete Triad?"

USA Gymnastics

Athlete Wellness Program

Over 75 Men's, Women's and Rhythmic National Board members, Regional and State Chairmen, and National Safety Certifiers participated in the course and subsequent evaluation process.

Their feedback is critical to the development of the course w hich w ill eventually be offered to the general menlbership through national and regional congresses and regional symposiums.

ogy session. Three-hundred athletes tested in Rochester and a significant number of parents were present to watch.

Additionally, portion s of the course were offered to coaches at the ational TOP tes ting in Rochester, Y (Oc tober 4-6) and at the ational TOP training camp in Tulsa, OK (December 5-8,1996). A modified ve rsion w ill be presented a t the two National Compulsory Workshops (May / June 1997) and a second full course w ill be conducted at the lational Congress in Denver (August 1997).

A National AdviSory Board comprised of at least one representative from the fields of nutrition, sp ort psychology, counseling, medicine, athletic training and exercise physiology is being formed to help develop a Nation al Health Care Referral etwork. Board members m et for the first time in Boston and are currently d efining the process for soliciting and selecting professionals desiring to be included in the Referral Network. The Referral etwork will be comprised of national, regional, state and local experts willing to partner with local gymnastics programs to provide expert health care services for athletes.

Parent Education Also in Boston the first ever session for parents was conduc ted entitled, "What My Parents Did Right: Tips for Parents Raising Competitive Athletes." This was open to parents in Bos ton for the Olympic Trials, participants in ational Congress and those in the Bos ton comm unity interested in this topic. Former Olympians shared their thoughts, fo llowed by Claudia Miller, mo ther of World Ch ampion Shannon Miller. The session finished off with a question and answer session w ith h ealth care professionals. Efforts are now focused on compiling a packe t of information to be given to 1997 National Team parents.

A t the Rochester National TOP testing event, parents and athletes were required to attend the N utrition and Sport Psycho 1-

National Health Care Advisory Board and Professional Referral Network

The first list of Referral Network m embers w ill be published in Technique and US A Gyrnnastics magazine in spring of 1997.

From this referral netwo rk, the National Team Medical Staff will be selected. Additionally, a speakers bureau ",.rill be fa nned to be available for local, s tate, regional and national clinics and congresses.

The ational Health Care Advisory board has also taken on the responsibility to act as the Sport Science Committee in soliciting and conducting need ed research in the area of athlete wellness.

Five proposals were submitted to the USOC Grant Comm ittee.

ovember/December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Athlete Wellness

Athletes, Parents, Coaches and Judges Bill of Rights and Responsibilities A committee comprised of representati ves from the athletes, coaches, parents, medical and counseling community has been working to better define the rights and responsibilities of those involved in the sport. The first phase addressed was the athlete's righ ts and respon sibilities. After reviewing and revising alread y published documents on this subjec t, the cOlnmittee is now in the process of soliciting advice from outsid e sources, experts in ch ild psychology and m arketing to determine the best way to comm unicate the revised d ocument.

Athlete Mentoring Program Partnering w ith the USA Gymnastics Athlete's Advisory Council (AAC) fonner national team members are being pa ired w ith athletes w ho w ill be retiring after the Olympic Trials and/ or Olympic Games. The goal is to es tablish a mentoring relationship that will help the retiring a thlete make the transition out of competition. As this program d evelops the goals is to p air currently competing athletes who desire to have a "big sister" with a larger number of qualified n ational team members .

The Mllnnger of the Athlete Well ness Prograll1 is Nllncy Thies Mnrshn ll. Nnncy is n 1972 Olympilln, fonlle r Vice-Chnir for Wall/ en for USA GYll1nnstics (1992-1996), nnd wns the Clmir of the Tnsk Force on USA GYlllnnstics Response to the Fell1nle Athlete Trind.

~

. the r . .

Richard M . AI'o nson IS Shie bJer Award by tl E eClplent of this year's Georae L TJ .

1e as tern Coll A 1J . b' . 1e awa rd IS presented a ll ege t 1 etJc Conference ICS official w h o has del1 nnua y to an eas tern coll ege a tl1Jet ' f' .

10ns tra ted tl t avoca tlOnal ac ti vities that 51 . bl 1e ype 0 dedIcation to his many yea rs h e was assoc路11~ d er gave leadership to overthe eas tern coll ege athl e tics. la e w Ith the adminis tra tion of Aron son's career in .

AAU competfJ:I-:::~cst~ taken him from comJU ge m the 1994 01 m' . c 11 to bemg an assistant veteran official of the lcl~~ AI,ons on IS the founder and plOnshlps; is active as th e l ' en s Open Gymnastics Cham Gymnas tics, and is the E IaISOn to. USA and the NCAA Gymnastics Associa tion H xec utl.ve DIrector of the Co ll e a e n as tics Hall of Fame in i98~ wa~lI1ducted into the USA GYI~颅 Fame in 1991 . an the Eas tern Judges' Hall of

p~mgJn

.

(Vol 16 #8 p. 20) incorThe Sep tember issue of Tecl11;~~u~.s. Air 'Fo;'ce Academ y The U.s. Air Force rectly listed the DIVISIon fOl . t Wen' 5 collegiate gymnas tlcs team.

A~;~emy is a Midwest, Division I team.

REPLACE YOUR CARPET OR MATS AT 0% FINANCING* Start your season with carpetfrom Tiffin! *for 6 months

November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

Email : tiffi n @tiffinmats.com http ://www. tiffinmats. com

"

A

35

Men's Gymnastics

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG ATHLETES I .,

Mas Watanabe

Men's Technical Coordinator

A36

Concept In order to develop all the skills required in the new FIG Code of Points, great physical strength is essential. Increased physical stren gth facilitates skill learning at all levels for gymnasts at any age. We can not, however, expect youn g gymnasts to develop an enormous amount of physical strength at this early age. In early stages of development, they must first establish certain physical qualities (abilities). The most important area of development is to have a great range of motion in all the joints. Good flexibility ensures safe and accelerated learning for young gymnasts. There are other important physical qualities which must be developed along with flexibility - which include: 1. Demonstrating good body awareness - e.g., awareness of the body parts such as arms, head, legs, etc.

2. Keeping the body tight in various positions - e.g., tightening

legs anns, entire body, etc.

3. Keeping the body in the required shape or transition from

one shape to others, without loosing control - e.g., body in pike, or from pike into deeper pike, hollow to arch, etc.

4. Holding correct body position in basic moves - e.g ., straight handstand on various apparatus, correct hollow and arch position in various basic moves, etc.

Once these physical qualities have developed, learning will take place rapidly. In most cases, however, development of these physical qualities must be accomplished along vvith working on the basic skills. It is not unusual to see this area of physical development continue until late in the gymnast's career. It is inevitable that these areas of development become increasingly difficult as age increases. Furthermore, skill development suffers w h en gynmasts lack any of these fun damental areas of development. Therefore, these areas should be emphasized in the early stage of the athletes' development.

When gymnasts begin to learn advanced moves requiring a specific type of body strength, this is the time skill specific physical preparation is desired.

For example, when a gymnast attempts to learn a back toss on parallel bars for the first time, the coach should check the physical readiness of the gynmast as a first step.

1. Is he capable of swinging from handstand to handstand with

a great amount of speed?

2. Is he strong enough in his shoulders to support himself

through the bottom of the swing wi thou t buckling his arms?

3. Does he have good bod y tightness when he thrusts his chest

in the air and comes down in a handstand position?

4. Does he have the body awareness to flip backward and stop rotating the body in a handstand position?

These are some of the essential questions the coach must ask

before the gymnast attempts the back toss for the first time. Some of this process is aided by a coach spotting closely in order to assis t gymnast in skill execution. However, itwillfacilitate the gymnast's learning of the skill if the he can physically prepare himself.

Examples of exercises and drills Drills 1. Swing h andstand to handstand with a certain amou nt of speed.

2. Hop up through the bottom of the swing.

3. Back handsprings to handstand w ith hand-spot or on a trampoline; seat drop to flip backward to handstand with spot.

4. Series of handstand hops on a trampoline (very tight body).

Exercises 1. Body tightening in hollow and arch positions.

2. Shoulder shrug up and down in front and rear support positions.

3. Straight and tight handstand against the wall.

There are many other related exercises or drills which you can use to facilitate the learning of this skill. If a gymnast has solid basic physical development along with the skill specific preparation, many skills can be taught in a short amount of time.

Physical Development Exercises Flexibility The first and most important area of development is to increase the range of motion in all the joints. This flexibility must be developed before gymnasts start gaining physical s trength and muscle ITlass.

1. Shoulders - Range of motion in all directions 2. Hips A. Forward and backward bend

B. Side split and s tride split in both directions 3. Legs

A . Knee extension

B. Toe points 4. Upper body A. Good ra n ge of I110tion in hollow position

B. Good range of motion in chest arch

November/ December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Men's Gymnastics

Development of body awareness Gymnas ts need to develop awareness of their bod y parts and must be a ble to control each bod y position. When a coach as ks a gy mnas t to raise his arms s traigh t over h is head, this must be executed correc tl y. Raising his h and in an oblique position is n ot correct and could be the d ifference between w h ether or not the gymnas t is able to execute the skill successfully. The movement of head, as well as upper bod y, is much more complex and difficult to control. To teach body awareness, the athlete should w ork on the basic p resentation exercise that h ave been recently d eveloped for the Jr. National Team. Coaches can d evelop silnilar drills to teach body awareness.

Awareness of body parts Arms Head Legs Entire upper body Knee exten sion Toe point

skills, they should also wo rk on the plan che p osition w ith the assistance of a sp otter.

Push/pull and stiff-stiff press These three categories of stren gth are fund amental for learning skills and can be d evelop ed from many different exercises .

Some examples: Push - Handstand push ups, dip swing on parallel bars . Pull - Climbing rope, pull u p on rings, chin ups . Stiff-s tiff press on floor, p arallettes, and rings There are large degrees of difference in stren gth level even among these basic strength exercises. Therefore, many of these exercises must be continuously developed throughout the entire career.

Physical preparation for specific skills As mentioned earlier, it w ill facilitate the skill acquisition if skill specific s trength is d evelop ed first. While the skill specific strength is develop ed, it is a good idea to check the weakness of fundamen tal stren gth areas and try to strengthen those areas at the same time .

Shaping of the body The body can form m any different shapes w hich we regularly use in gymnastics . All the skills learned in gymnas tics are essen tially done by going from one bod y shap e to another.

Basic body shapes (positions) Straight Tuck Pike Hollow Arch There are many variations of the above basic body positions.

Each bod y position can be executed in an exaggerated and/ or a sligh t variation fro m the normal position. Some times, a coach may as k a gymnast to arch only in the chest and keep rest of his body tight and straight. An other time, a gymnas t may need to go through an arch p osition to a h ollow position in m id air. H ere, the level of communication between gymnas t and coach becom es ve ry critical. The gymnas t must understand exactly w h at the coac h is asking him to d o w ith his body . Th erefore, the orientation of the body position and the gymnast bein g able to control his bod y in the necessary shape is ex tremely important.

Basic strength development Body tightening This is one of the m ost fundamental types of stren gth, but it is essential for the gymnas t must d evelo p early on. When a gymnas t tightens an y part of his body, h e w ill h ave much better control in manipulating tha t particular bod y p ar t. A gym nas t' s ability to learn as well as his ability to exec ute skills correctl y w ill be greatly enhanced once h e develops goo d body tightness.

Static positions There are two important basic p ositions all yo ung gymnas ts need to master. On e is the h andstan d and other is the " L" positio n.

Teaching correc t hand stand p osition is partic ularl y importan t because this posi tion is used in many diffe ren t events. . H an ds tand on floor, p arall ettes, and rings " L" position on parallettes and ri ngs When gymnas ts are begimling to develop more advanced

Conclusion Regardless of a gymnas t' s age, strength de velopment is one of the most important areas to consider. However, the range of mo tion of all the joints is important to d evelop firs t, or simultaneously, w ith som e of the basic stren gth. Once great range of mo tion is d evelo ped , it is mos t important to maintain the same level of flexibility. Then, a gymnas t can d evelop all the s tren gth he wa nts. He w ill learn fas ter as h e gets stronger. There is one important aspect tha t a coach should remember-physical d evelopment sh ould be done in the correct order or sequence .

Th e sequence that the coach sh ould keep in mind is: 1. Flexibility 2. Body awareness 3. Bod y tightness 4. Good h andstand 5. Push / pull and s tiff-stiff 6. Other various areas

N umbers 1 through 4 can be d eveloped simultaneously, but res t of the strength sh ould preferably be developed later. Refinement and d evelopm ent of the firs t 4 areas must be continued even after gymnas ts h ave develop ed a great amount of stren gth.

When a coach wo rks w ith youn g gymnas ts on stren gth, atten tion must be p aid to the correct body p osition during the exercise .

Spotting is very effective, particularly w hen a gymnas t goes thro ugh exercises that require a great am ount of stren gth. Each strength exercise should be tau ght as teaching a skill on the event. Even if a gymnas t is not strong en ou gh to execute the exercise by himself, he sho u ld d o the exercise w ith a very tight body and hold the correct bod y p osition w ith the coach sp otting . In this way, gymnas ts w ill be able to d evelop correct s trength and prop er body position.

Additional materials Conditioning Program - Body Positioning Exercises: Level I. Technique, June, 1996.

Watch fo r Level II Stren g th Program in a future issue of Techniqu e m agazin e.

November/December 1996 TE CHNIQUE

~

o

AII

Men's Gymnastics

LECTURE: PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG ATHLETES i

"

A38

Flexibility Th e goal is a full range of m o tion in every joint. Th is I1,us t be d eveloped first because it gets harder an d ha rder as they get older and stronger. This is d ifficu lt for the athle tes - It hurts! You n eed to establish a trust rela tionship wi th yo ur a thlete and they w ill then wo rk on th is. You h ave to give and take a bit. Range of m otion is something th at mus t be establish ed early on .

Good Body Awareness

Mas Watanabe November-96 Notes by Steve vVhit/ock - These notes were taken during the lecture at the November 16, 1996 Men 's Coaches Workshop at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Co lo. and do not represent a verbatim transcript of the lecture.

My presenta tion is designed primarily for coaches.

I watched the "Future Sta rs" compe tition yes terday and was very pleased, h owever, I have alread y n otice several critical areas w h ere we need to improve: How the gymnas ts present themselves

This also gets hard er w ith age. Do your athle tes really have a total awa ren ess of bod y positions? We work w ith the gymnasts on body posi tion exercises a t the national cam ps .. . you wo uld be amazed at the lack of awaren ess of their body parts! This is a basic thing tha t the gym nast should be aware of. Man y gymnas t h ave d ifficult w ith this - especially in gymnas tics w he re the bod y position s are changing so quickly in mos t fas t complex gymnastics skills.

You sh ould do these fu ndamental body m ovem ents s-l-o-w -l-y.

This assists the learning of more complex skills.

You s tart w ith awaren ess of bod y p a rts.

Their general s trength and flexibility

We need to put a little m ore effort into th is area. Even if your a thle tes alread y have good gymnastics skills, you can go back and refine these kinds of basics. You know h ow to d o this - n ow jus t d o it!

The gym nas ts d em on stra te good form and ex tension

Body Tightness

Wha t kind of bod y position s they h ave Wha t kind of body control tha t they have

Th ese are the essen tials fo r gymnas tics. Th ese a re the separators.

Our program s encourage skill learning an d competitions. We tend to rush through the very imp ortant p a rt of d evelopment. If the tricks come too early, this w ill actually prohibit development la ter on. Readiness ph ysically, m entally, e tc.

It is im portant tha t you d on ' t compe te too early. If yo u d o the w rong thing w hile they are young, yo u are limiting their potential.

I realize tha t it is often diffic ult to keep a slow stead y pace - there a re m an y pressu res .

I suggest tha t you foc us on the development of the phYSical qualities first. You need to m aintain a long-ran ge picture of d evelopm ent. It is critical to think about this wi th yo ur yo ung a thletes .

Som e exam p les: Look a t the individual quali ties of the a thle tes and develop them before yo u s tart teaching the h ard skills. We know this ! and I know you ARE wo rking on it... but h ow much and when is what is important.

When I was watching yes terd ay, I saw a lot of good athle tes w ith physical p o tential w ho m ade som e mistakes . (Th is isn' t always bad ... yo u learn from yo ur mistakes).

Wh a t was d isappointing, however, was the lac k of d evelopment in som e of these importa n t physical quality areas . You must emphasize the refined areas of the gymnast, or you are m ay be lim iting the gymnas t' s future.

It is not so much tha t you K OW w h a t is needed, but, d o yo u ac tually implem ent it bac k in the gym ? I realize tha t this is difficult.

"Som ething tha t' s important-is im portant! " Work on prioritizing what it is tha t yo u want to acco mplish .

Ano the r p ro blem, of course, is the m a turity level. I realize that this is often very d ifficult for coaches to deal with . You often have to wait fo r the a ppropriate time to introduce skills or training p rocedures (such as in stren gth development). In the meantime, there are other things that you can d o.

Tightness - we use th is word so m any ti m es during training.

Why is this tightness importan t? If the bod y pa rts are tight, the gymnas ts can m anipu la te their movem ents more easily. Som etimes yo u m ay be asking th e gymn asts to do some very difficu lt an d complex thi ngs regarding tightness. Som etimes only a few of the bod y parts to be tight a t a particular time.

When yo u ask them to tighten, they a thletes need to kn ow the precise m uscles and the precise timing . This becom es more difficult w hen th e gymn as t is m ovin g or doing m ore complex skills.

Body Shaping Som e times you ask your gym n as t to m ain tain a certain bod y position . Of course the basics are tuck, pike, straight, etc. But bod y shap ing is an ex trem ely complex thing . Even some thing as fund am ental as moving in to a tuck can involve complex bod y sh aping .

Th ere are different ways of m oving in to a tuck. Som e are m ore efficient than o the rs! In order fo r gymnas ts bodies to r ota te in an efficient way, it also requ ires a ro ta tion of the hips.

Yo u n eed to unders tand these concepts and begin to teach them fr om the beginn ing.

I h ave been in gymnastics many years. The basics have rem ained th e sam e, but the techniqu e has ch an ged Significantly . The skills have developed so much mo re, but the m echan ics and the basics seem to really remain essentially the same.

Once you develop this awa reness, the learning curve w ill be higher.

Strength Development Particularly in light of th e new Code, s tren gth developm ent is essential. Of course, you mus t pay attention to the timin g of this fo r the yo ung a th lete. Some a thle tes have m ore gen etic stren g th po tential than others.

For these young a thle tes, you must do things in th e right order.

Body tightness is an important kin d of streng th you can d evelop wi th young a thle tes. In sta tic strength, th e ha nds tand is perhaps

November/ December 1996 TECH NI Q lfE

Men's Gymnastics

one of the m ost important. Just about every skill goes th rough the handstand. This is essential!

There are a few other important positions that yo u can use with yo ung athletes: L-position; L to V to Manna is another important area. Beyond this is a planche position (another essential body position) . These are fund amental static strength areas.

Then yo u go into other im.portant strengths such as "push" and " pull. " These are also fundamental, but it is inlportant to develop the" s tiff-stiff" type press. Yo ung gymnasts sh ould develop this because it w ill assist them in the learning of many essential skills very q uickl y.

In m y hand-out, I have lis ted some basic skills in the" push/ pull" category.

When you start working w ith the gymnas ts on more strenuous s trength d evelopment, it is important that the athletes be in the correct position. It is important that the coach hand-spot these positions so that the athlete is in the correct position, the correct body strength, etc. Of course, this is difficult to do w h en you are working w ith many kids in a group at the same time.

You should treat teaching strength exercise as you treat teaching a very complex skill. Don't let them perform these poorly .

Q Is it better to have a separa te time for stren gth ?

When you are working with young gymnasts, it is not necessary to have a separate period for this . Th e can work in between turns. For yo ung gymnasts you can develop many s tations and little exercises that will be very h elpful to them.

. 路d s USOC Coach of the Year Martha Karolyi receIves ~er a;;~1 u~ in Tampa, Fla. Presenting for GymnastIcs at an awar ds b. q f the USOC's Coachmg ' Ray Essick ' chanman 0 the b awar d IS Education Committee.

GYMNASTICS Steve Ry backi receives his award as~u~--->"--,,-,---..:.I for gymnas tics at an awards b . SOC Coach of the Year the award is Ray Essick h anquet m Tampa, Fla. Presenting Education Committee. ,c aIrman of the USOC's Coaching November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

Printed Ironl #1997-Tl ADULT (X~ l, MI YOUTH (~ M, SI REGULAR PRICE $17

USA Wo...en's Tee Printed front #1997-12 ADULT (Xl, l, MI YOUTH (~ M, SI REGULAR PRICE $17

Geqeral G,....nastiu Tee or Crew Printed Iront ADULT (Xl, l, MI YOUTH (l, M, SI REGULAR PRICE #1997-T5 T-SHIRT: $17 #1997-CS CREW: $32

Women's

r---------------------- -- -------~------,

To order any USAGymnastics merchandise presented in this issue, please complete this order form.

US,,"

Gl' M N~STICS ORDER FORM

II AI,1f _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

I

I

Roc" Tee

Printed Iront #1997-T3 ADULT (Xl, l, MI YOUTH (l, M, SI REGULAR PRICE $17

P'OIiE _ _ _ _ _ __

AOORESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

z,, _____

C'N _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SIA" ( LUB G Yl.mA.5U{s /.\ [J.\a!~SHIP::

C'''GE:

0 MAIIE.CARO 0

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

C!D'SCOVE.

VISA

Cm,; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ITEM Ii

DES(RIPTION

D AilE""'" EmEII Exp. DAlE _ _ _ __ SIGIIAlU.E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

aUANTlTY

PRICE

TOTAL

Men's Roc" Tee Printed front #1997-T4

I

ADULT (Xl, l, M)

: ~--~~----------------+_--_+--~r_~

YOUTH (l, M, SI REGULAR PRICE $17

I

: L-__-L__________~==~==~==~==~ I I I I I I I I

I I I I

I I I

SUBTOTAL

SINDORDIRS AND IoIAKI CHICKS PAYABll 10: USA GYMNASTICS lOCKERROOM PO BOX 5562, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46255-5562 1-800-4-USA-GYM

DDA GYMNASTICS

DOMESTIC SHIPPING & HANDLIN G, (l::Ii ~ ' i Il) X"i t\) I~

~li:'

;.t: 1.:: 5: St)~ i-Sj,: ( .j SJ i :~OH X'X,J.)j!T!

!tnlt:~c;!,)l;:,,:,l::jOCI)J:;

51»al:!:'J : )Oi" ! ~m;~(,1J.!>lll!

OOliKl!lO'ill..(l!! i:i

:I.J(i>~~~I;IJi:i

IN RESIDENTS ADO 5% SAlES TAX LESS 10% MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT j,:! w.:v.i:/}-.,' :8('.If ~ CI~I ~:Oi\i '.i7!XIY 1'1I.E! tl~ \¥lIy r!Vi

TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE

J

: r:'.

MEMBERSNIP! I I~ _____________________ ____ _____________ J I

Callt-800-4-USA-GYM

Men's Minutes

MEN'S PROGRAM COMMITTEE CONFERENCE CALL October 1, 1996.

Conferel7ce mil meetil1g mlled to order at 12:05PM EDT by Chairmal7 Marc Yancey.

I.

Roll Call

Members present on call: Marc Yancey Chair, MPC Vice-chair fo r Men Tim Daggett Dusty Ritter Jr. Coaches Representative Bill Roetzheim FIG Representative Fred Turoff Sr. Coaches Representative Mark Wi lliams Sr. Coaches Representative Peter Vidmar Athlete Representative Ron Galimore Men's Program Director (voice, no vo te) Dennis McIntyre Men's Program Manager (voice, no vo te) Mas Watanabe Men's Technical Coordinator (voice, no vote)

II.

Approval of minutes

Minutes of June 6 and June 28 meetings were discussed.

Motion to approve minutes of June 6 and June 28.

Motion - B. Roetzheim Second - M. Williams APPROVED - 7-0

III.

Upcoming international meets

A. Pacific Alliance Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ovember 14-21 (4 athletes, 1 coach, 2 judges).

As required by MPC, athletes were canvassed in rank order to learn availability, w ith a provision that the a thletes had to attend the October 2-6 senior team training camp at the USOTC. Accepting this assignment are Steve McCain, Garry Denk, Aaron Cotter, and Kenny Sykes. Selection of the coach was discussed next. Since this is a tea m meet, rank order was not the only consideration as is done with non-tea m meets.

Motion that Fred Turoff will be assigned to coach this team.

Motion - B. Roetzheim Second - D. Ritter

Further di scussion followed regarding departure from rank order as had often been used for other trips. Mention of the September 6-7 plalming session in Austin where it was expressed that some meets could be assigned to give experience and exposure without regard to rank order.

It is always best to send the most prepared staff for team purposes.

PASSED - 6-0-1 .

B. South Africa Cup in Capetown and Johalmesburg, October 14-28.

Assigned were Mark Booth and his personal coach, Taka Miyagawa.

C. Tri-meet scheduled for March 21-22, 1997 in the U.s.

In vited to compete are China and Russia. The plan is to ha ve a junior meet in the morning and the senior meet in the even ing. So far, China has accepted but not Russia. Efforts are ongoing to encourage Russia to join.

J. Israel Peace Cup in December. Although this meet appears on the overall schedule, no invitation has been received.

E. PAGU Jr. Championships in Guatemala on December 3-9.

Athletes and coaches will be selected for this meet as well as the March tri-meet at the October Jr. Camp.

IV.

Future domestic schedule

The conflict between the Goodwill Games and the 1998 Coca-Cola Championships in and the conflict between the Pan American Games and the 1999 Coca-Cola Championships in 1999 were discussed. Due to con tracts that have been signed the 1998 Coca-Cola US Championships can't be moved .

However, recent disc ussions w ith the Goodwill Games organization indicates the meet may not involve team competition, may start wi th all-arou nd and finish with event finals . Possibly three events per day for a-a. May be followed w ith a mixed pairs. Prize money mi ght be involved. The 1999 si tua tion is different. The meet ca n be moved as of now. But we haven't ye t heard from China regarding the plalmed dates of the World Championships they'll host in Beijing. It is difficult to plan a championships and trials without this information. One suggestion is to selec t the team in June at the Coca-Cola Championships and then send the same team to the Pan Am Games and the World Championships. This could provide good preparation and will be considered.

V.

Bids to host 1997 Winter Cup

Two bids were received, from Universi ty of Iowa and Branch Gymnastics in Battle Creek, MI. Others were promised but not received (for which this meeting was delayed). The bids were described. Iowa has a history of running significant competitions and will host the 1997 NCAA Championships. Ritter spoke of his discussions with Cindy Scharns of the organizing committee in Battle Creek. Thatevent has a corresponding-but-not-conflicting girls' meet. Branch Gymnastics has secured corporate sponsors, which should be helpful. Hotel costs a t both si tes were reasonable. The hotel at Battle Creek adjoins the arena, eliminating auto rental costs, plus the organizing committee states it will arrange airport pickup for participants at the Kalamazoo airport.

Motion to accept the bid of Branch Gymnastics.

Motion - D. Ritter Second - P. Vidmar PASSED - 7-0

VI.

Athlete and Institutional Grant Committee

Grant applica tions were received from seven individuals and 10 institutions. [Secretary's To te: An application sent in by Bill Roth was never received.] The committee looked at long term impact the recipients were expected to have on the coming quadrennium. Conside ra tion was weighed more toward programs than individuals due to the expected long-term effect. Athlete grants were awarded to Sterling Richards ($5,000) and Steve McCain ($6,000). Institution grants were awarded to Cascade Elite ($8,000), Top Flight ($8,000), U. of Cal. Berkeley ($7,000), USOTC ($7,000), Gold Cup ($3,000), Temple U. ($3,000) and UCLA ($3,000).

Motion to accept the committee report and recommendations Motion - P. Vidmar Second - F. Turoff PASSED - 7-0

VII.

Post-Olympic Tour update

All Olympians were invited to take part in the tour sponsored and sanctioned by USA Gymnastics. Jefferson Pilot negotia ted directly with gymnasts and coaches. Jair Lynch and KetTi Strug declined to participate and will take part in another tour put together by Paul Ziert & Assoc. It is not known w hich Olympic coaches will appear if any. Yefim Furman is the coach contracted for the tour by Jefferson Pilot. Former com peti tor Gregg Curtis is also on tour. Josh Stein w ill join the tour sometime this month. Blaine Wilson wi ll perform at a few stops but is not accepting money as he is retaining his NCAA eligibility. Publicity and audience reaction so far to the show has been wonderful. The ABC-TV show covering the tour in prime-time was good. It was sta ted that the participation of gymnasts in a non-sanctioned tour can jeopardize their eligibility to participate in future sanctioned USA Gymnastics events. This brought a reaction of ca ution from several co mmittee members as interfering w ith an athlete's right to earn a livelihood ou tside of USA Gymnastics is a touchy subjec t. In another area, the men's Olympic team was brought together for a photo session aimed at producing another poster with a saying reflecting the amount of work needed to succeed.

November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

Men's Minutes

VIII. Board of Directors update P. Vidmar reported on coming elections and items for the BOD to consider.

IX.

~

o

A

42

Senior coaches meeting

As a follo w-up to the planning session held in Austin Sept 6-7, a second meeting with senior coaches is planned for Saturday, November 2. Site w ill be the USOTC. The purpose will be to come to agreement on a national plan for the quadrennium.

[Po Vidmar departed]

X.

Coaches support for latter 1996

F. Turoff brought up the fact that the funding plan that was approved supplies no support for coaches or athletes fro m the Olympics through the Winter Cup. When the plan was approved it was assumed incorrectly that coaches would be used on the tour and that a ll would benefit. Since this is not the case, wha t can be done to sec ure som e support money for those coaches of the top nine gymnasts a t the trials? And are any of these top nine gYllmasts, who are not on the tour but a ble to accept money, continuing to trai n? (The only gy mnast in this category is Jay Thornton). Full financial su pport for coaches for the half-year from the trials to the Winter Cu p would total $34,000 according to the guidelines of the nex t funding policy. ot rewarding our coaches for the work they d id in producing these top gymnasts was an oversigh t and should be corrected. Ron Galimore responded that some bud get items were overspent at the Olympics and tha t he would have to see how his budget balance finished this year before he might be able to act on this. Meanwhile, money that was promised to a thle tes and coaches for the period fro m the Coca Cola Cham pionships to the Olympic Trials has been requisitioned and wi ll be sent out shortly.

XI.

and fi ve teams representing 16 Nineteen female athletes t "lity to advance their states and 14 sports h ave the OPt PtOI r u~"'ill be receiving form se of the aran S 1ey sport careers b ecau dO T . ' aspiring athletes with S Travel an rammg the Ocean pray .. . 'ds w ho have the potential to successful competltlve 'fl e~Ol ce levels and rankings . achieve even hIgher pel onnan Gymnastics grant recipients include: .

Rh thmic Gymnas tICS, $1,000 Kassy Scharringhausen, y (Duluth, Georgia) . $1 000 (Gaithersbur g, Alicia Albe, Rhy thmic Gymnas tICS, , Maryland)

. like . . t d to be working w Ith a company "We are vely exCl e icated to advancing sports opportuOcean Spray who IS ded " id Wendy Hilliard, president nities for girls and women, sa. of the Women's Sports FoundatlOn.

Next Meeting

The next scheduled face-to-fac e meeting wi ll be at the Winter Cup in February, 1997.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:34 PM

Submitted by Fred Turoff, Secretary, USA Gymnastics Men's Program Comll7ittee.

Approved: Kathy Scan lan, USA Gymnastics President Ron Galilllore, Men's Program Director

.

The USA Gymnastics national ff F .'d 0 Ices WIll close for the holidays at 1:00 p m . . on 11 ay December 20 1'996 open for normal business 0 J ' , and ren anuary 2,1996.

Do You Need Athlete N umbers and Gymnastics?

Can't Contact USA

RHYTHMIC DATES The Rhythmic Challenge ,;"ill be conducted Febl ual Y 7 8 in Downers Grove, IL. . h' DATE CHANGE: The Rhythmic National ChampIOns IpS w ill be conducted May 2-4 in Houston, TX.

During the holiday season the US . will be closed for several d a s' If I A Gymnastics offices number, vou can use tl y . b) ou need to fl11d an athlete J c 1e mem ership .

Gymnastics Online web 51'te. que1 y on the USA Visi tthe USA G . . ymnas tlcshomepaaeat hctp 路 / / gymnastlcs . org / memb h ' 0 .

- ' WWW . u s aers -lp / search /

1

ovember/December 1996

TECHNIQUE

General Gymnastics Minutes

GGAP

It was agreed that this document should be completed as soon as possible.

The nex t GGAP confere nce ca ll w ill focu s on the completion of USA Gy mnastics World Gy mnaes trada Participation Gu idelines.

CONFERENCE CALL October 16, 1996

I.

Roll Call:

The ca ll was convened at 1:00 p.m. EDT Members Present: David Mos kovitz Leader Dean Ca pelotti Deborah Gavron Lori Laznovsky Steve Whitlock USA Gymnastics Liaison The call focused on the agenda dis tributed by Moskovitz.

II.

1996 National Gym Fest Update

Capelotti and Whitlock reviewed the current registra ti ons.

21 groups, 547 participants, plus 20 from Slovenia.

Capelotti expressed concern regarding a group from PA, they had initial room reservations, but have not completed the USA Gymnastics registration process. Gavron w ill work w ith Capelotti to contac t the club directly.

Discussion follo wed regarding the proced ures for groups to pick up their Magic Music Days tickets. Capelotti stated that there a re two op tions: pick up on-site; $10 fee for express mail in advance. He will provide that informa tion to participating clubs in the next informational mailing.

Whitlock has begun to receive final payments. At this point, the event budge t appears to be holding at projected numbers.

Disc ussion follow ed regarding the final Daily Schedule. Whitlock w ill begin putting the schedule together. Capelotti w ill put together a staff list w ith assignments.

III.

National Choreography

V.

Report on Walt Disney World Site Survey

The group discussed the potential of the event based on the information from Whitlock's report.

Special co nsiderati on w ill be necessa ry to d eal successfull y with the interes t ex pressed fro m interna tional groups.

A preliminary schedule was discussed. This w ill include the FIG/GG course.

Whitlock ex pressed the FIG/ GG / TC's interest in the event and instructo r course.

VI.

GGAP responsibilities at 1996 GymFest

This will be detailed in Capelotti's staff list.

VII.

GGAP business for 1997

Discussion followed rega rding the 2nd World Gynm aestrada Information Meeting.

Whitlock sta ted that plans are under way to move the mee ting date to coincide w ith the Swedish GG Festival. It was agreed tha t a presence mus t be es tablished from the GGAP for a va rie ty of political reason s, but also to promote the 1997 Continental GymFes t.

It was agreed that primary consid era tion be given to the completion of the Participation Regulations. It was understood tha t this would be the basis for the development of USAG/ GG Rules and Policies.

It w as agreed that USAG Membership be consid ered for participation. This issue will require substantial coopera tion with USA Gymnastics s taff and input from GymFest participants.

Discussion followed regarding the need to follow our goals as outlined in the USA Gymnas tics Stra tegic Plan and proposed 1997 Bud ge t.

The nex t meeting of the GGAP w ill be a conference call on Tuesday, ovember 12, 1996 at 12:00 noon EST. The purpose of this meeting is to follow-up on the development of Participation Gu idelines.

Respectfully su bmitted, Dilvid Moskovitz October 24, 1996

Disc ussion began with the read ing of Paula Lord's report dated Oc tobe r 14,1996.

Whitlock reported on a mee ting w ith Lord. Significant progress has been made. Preliminary training vid eo tapes w ill be distributed at the end of the month.

It was agreed that Lord w ill need assistance at the event in order to have producti ve training session. Whitlock w ill adjust the schedule to assure that adequate time is ava ilable for N ational Choreography training.

Discussion follo wed regarding assis tants tha t would be available during the training sessions. It was agreed that Capelotti's choreographer, Gavron, Laznovsky, and Moskovitz would be ava ilable to assist w ith the variou s parts of training.

Whitlock shared the concept of the routine and the need for specific props.

It was agreed that, a t this stage of the rou tine development, and given budget restrictions, the props should remain simple. Capelotti w ill w ork locally to provide the necessa ry items.

Moskovitz began a discussion regarding the vacant space on the panel (resignation of Ron Morgan). The ques tion posed was in reference to inviting Lord to become a permanent GGAP member. All agreed that it wo uld be more productive to maintain the statu s quo w ith Lord as a consultant, Na tional Choreogra pher.

IV.

Report on World Gymnaestrada Information Meeting

Whitlock had distributed substantia l informa tion prior to the mee ting.

Discussion follo wed regarding the work necessary in 1997 for preliminary registra tion (with the FIG) . Whitlock was able to provide detailed contact lists fo r tra vel, housing, and scheduling.

Consideration was given to a pre-event trip for the entire delega tion. It w as agreed that this type of pla nning is necessary for successful participation.

The panel briefl y reviewed Whitlock's document on Participation Guidelines.

November/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

.,tt

i~

43

Announcements

RETTON ADDING TO FAMilY H ouston, Texas Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton is lookin g for another "Perfect 10" in the famil y department. Retton, 28, is pregnant and expectin g h er second child in May. Retton and husband Sham10n Kelley, 31, already have an eighteen-month-old d au ghter, Shayla Rae . "We're on our way to havin g the big family we've always wanted. " Retton ca ptiva ted the nation by winning the All-Around Gold Medal in Gymnastics a t the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles . Today, as a television p ersonality, motivational speaker, corpora te spokesperson, and national chairp erson for the Children's Miracle Network, she continues to touch the h earts and lives of millions .

Honors and accolades continue to be h eaped upon the athlete who w ill always be know as "America's Sweeth eart. " In recent years a national sports survey found Retton to be the most popular athlete in America; the US. oIym pic Commi ttee es tab lished the am1Ual Mary Lou Re tton Award for a thletic ach ievem ent; and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton presented Mary Lou with the Flo Hyman Award in recognition of her spirit, dignity, and commitment to excellence.

Still actively involved in Olympic-related ac tivities, Retton wrote a daily column for USA Today and served as an on-air reporter for Gannett Broadcasting's NBC affilia tes at the '96 Olympics in Atlanta. Sh e also co-hosted the weekly television series Road to Olympic Gold.

Although daughter Shayla is already doing gymnastics rolls on the living room carpet, Retton says sh e's not planning to groom h er children for Olympic stardom.

"You never know though," says Retton, "you may see them in the 2012 Olympic Games."

Re tton and Kelley, an investment broker with Morgan Keegan & Company, were married in 1990 and live in Houston, Texas.

November/ December 1996 TECHNIQUE

Coaches Education

LEVEL

IrtUA GYMNASTICS <:5> «lQ

EI:J --

, "NA~

II EXPERIENCE VERIFICATION

Name _____________________________

References {olher Ihon your currenl employer I

S5# _ 8irthdate

/ _

One

Age _ _ __

/-

Address _____________________________

Name _____________________________

City ___________ State

Position _____________________________

Phone (day) _ _ _ __

Zip _ _ __ (night) _ _ _ __

~

D Yes

Safety Certification: 0 No

Relationship _________________________

expodate _ _

COACHES EDUCATION

PDP Amedication: 0 Levell Completion date _ _ __

Address _____________________________

»0 <0 ••• • • bu.: .., '"

Job Description

Phone

C

•••

I~

•

E

Position _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ Relationship _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

I coach and/or teach the following: {(h"k oil ihol opply)

o o

Mom&Tot Cheerleading

Women: Men:

o o o o

Preschool Tumbling

o

Levels 1-4 Levels 8-10

o

0 Class5-7

Rhythmic 0 Levels 1-4 o Levels8-10

o

Developmental

Levels5-7 0 Elite

o

Class 1-4

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Phone

Three

Elite

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

0 Levels5-7 0 Elite

Position _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 0 No 0 Yes

{(h"k oilihol opply)

Relationship _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

If yes, list number per year. o Local

o

J2j

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Do you actively coach at competitions?

#tu

~

Two

<1-

3:0 ••• ::z: ::z: .........

2.o

(please prinl or Iype)

o Upon completion of this form send to: USA Gymnastics 201 S. Capitol Ave. Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46225 Alln:PDP

-

Regional

0 State _ __ _ _ 0 National _ _ __

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ Phone

Additional information (certifications, courses completed, etc.)

Employer's Verification

(please prinl or Iype)

________ , acknowledge that this information istrue and accurate for the period which the above listed coach has been employed _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ Signature ___ _ _ _ _ _ __ November/ December 1996

TECHN IQUE

date _ __

Coaches Education

GRANDPARENTING ApPLICATION

I'.~ ::;~,-s- - - GYMNASTICS <S> ~

EEJ -

1:tJA~

COACHES EDUCATION

Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ __

City _ _ _ __

State _ _ __

Phone (day) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

(night) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Birthdate / / Safety Certification: PDP level" Accreditation: ASEP Sport Science Course: Please select:

Age _ _ __

o o o

No No No O Mens

D D 0 0

Yes Yes Yes Womens

USAG Professional No. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

0 Rhythmic

Educational Background Inst

Grad Yr.

School/College/University

Degree

Major Area

HS

."

Univ.

Grad.

Coaching!Administration Experience From

." r-

'" < '" r-

ss# _____

To

Employer

Position Description

# of Athletes/Boys or Girls

Other

Team Coaching Year

Upon (ompletion of this form send to: USA Gymnasti(5 201 S. Capitol Ave. Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46225 Attn: PDP

-

Level

Additional Information (certifications, courses completed, additional experience, etc) (please print or type)

Tovember/December 1996

TECHN IQUE

Calendar (Dates & Events Subject to Change or Cancellation)

Date

Days Discipline

Location

Contact

Phone

JANUARY 1997 2 4 M FIG Continental Judges' Course 8 5 W FIG Continental Judges' Course 15 5 W USA Gymnastics Brevet Judges' Course 24 3 W Golden Spike Invitational 1997 (Omega Gymnastics) 25 1 MWR Reese's International Gymnastics Cup

Albuquerque, NM Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN Coquitlam, BC CAN Anaheim, CA

Ron Galimore Kathy Kelly Kathy Kelly Rob Allan Jeff Olsen

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 604-944-0666 317-237-5050

FEBRUARY 1997 7 2 R USA Gymnastics Rhythmic Challenge 14 2 M USA Gymnastics Winter Cup Challenge 14 3 USOC Executive Committee and Board of Directors Meeting 14 3 W Revco Buckeye Classic 27 3 MW McDonald's American Cup

Downers Grove, IL Battle Creek, MI Philadelphia, PA Columbus, OH Ft. Worth, TX

Nora Campbell Ron Galimore

317-237-5050 317-237-5050

Jim Ginzer Jeff Olsen

MARCH 1997 2 1 MWR 6 1 R 14 3 W 21 2 MW 22 2 W

International 3 x 3 Gymnastics Championships International Rhythmic Exhibition庐 American Classic International Team Championships (Jr./Sr.) Level 10 State Meets

Ft. Worth, TX Chicago, IL TBD Cincinnati, OH Various Sites

Jeff Olsen Nora Campbell Kathy Kelly Jeff Olsen Connie Maloney

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050

APRIL 4 4 5 5 5 10 11 12 12 17 17 26

Western Open American Challenge - National Elite NCAA Western Regionals NCAA Eastern Regionals NCAA Regionals USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships Eastern Open Level 10 Regional Championships USA Gymnastics Nat'llnvitational Tournament NCAA Notional Championships NCAA National Championships J.O. Championships

TBA Sacramento, CA Albuquerque, NM West Point, NY Various Sites Seattle, WA TBD Various Sites Iowa City, IA Iowa City, IA Gainesville, FL Walnut Creek, CA

Nora Campbell Kathy Kelly NCAA NCAA NCAA Kathy Kelly Nora Campbell Connie Maloney Kathy Kelly NCAA NCAA Nora Campbell

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 913-339-1906 913-339-1906 913- 339-1906 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 913-339-1906 913-339-1906 317-237-5050

MAY 1997 1 4 W 2 3 R 16 3 M 28 6 W 30 MWR 31 2 MWR

J.O. Championships U.S. Rhythmic Notional Championships J.~ . Championships J.~ . National Compulsory Workshops and NewCode Clinic USA Gymnastics Executive Committee Meeting USA Gymnastics Board of Directors Meeting

Orlando, FL Houston, TX Orlando, FL Reno, NV Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis, IN

Connie Moloney Nora Campbell Dennis Mcintyre Connie Moloney Julie Bejin Julie Bejin

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050

JUNE 1997 3 4 R 4 6 W 14 2 W 19 4 W 2B 2 W

Four Continents Championships J.D. Notional Compulsory Workshops and New Code Clinic Elite Regionals Region 3 Symposium U.S. Challenge - National Elite

Sydney, AUS PrOVidence, RI Various Sites Houston, TX Cincinnati, OH

Nora Campbell Connie Maloney Kathy Kelly Carol Hillenburg Kathy Kelly

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 713-395-2215 317- 237-5050

JULY 1997 9 5 W 12 M 12 2 W 19 2 R 24 4 W TBD MWR

Elite Judges Course U.S. Championships Qualification Meets Regional Elite (International Only) International Junior Team Meet U.S. Classic \ Notional Gymnastics Festival Sr. Pan American Championships

Tempe, AZ' Various Sites Various Sites TBA TBD Medellin, COL

Kathy Kelly Ron Galimore Gary Warren Nora Campbell Kathy Kelly Gary Alexander

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050

Colo. Spgs., CO Denver, CO Denver, CO Orlando, FL Lausanne, SUI

Nora Campbell Jeff Olsen Steve Whitlock Steve Whitlock

317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050 317-237-5050

1997 2 R 2 W M M W 3 MW 2 R 2 W 1 W 3 M 3 W 2 R

Event

AUGUST 1997 9 5 R Continental Judges Course 13 4 MW Coco路 Colo National Championships 14 4 MWR USA Gymnastics Notional Congress 24 4 MWR USA Gymnastics Notional \ Continental Gym Fest 1 9 MW Artistic World Championships Tovember/ December 1996

TECHNIQUE

jimgGOCUBS@woridnet.att.net 317-237-5050

tt

"

i~

47

Non-profit Organization U.s. Postage PA ID

Perm it No. 7867 Indianapolis, IN

SAFETY CERTIFICATION COURSES Minimum age for Safety Certification is 18 years

21

DECEMBER

22

(Fort Worth oreal TX; 7:00-10:30 p.m.

In conjunction to level 6 & 7 State Meet Course Oir: Kay Brown 903-785-2130 (am & late pm) or 903-784-0205 Stow, MA; 3:30-7:30 p.m.

The Gym Nest, 181 Great Rood Rt. 117 Course Oir: Steve OiYullio 508-897-8184 7 or 8 Omaha, NE; Sot. a.m. or Sun. p.m.

Omega School of Gymnastics Course Oir: Mike Stanner 402-339-2924 or 339-0721 11 Wrangell, Alaska; 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Stikine Middle School local contact: Joe Rizzo 907-874-3393 ext 264 Course Oir: Beth landvatter 907-789-7440 13 Beaumont, TX; Time based on level 5 State Meet Beaumont Gymnastics Academy; 7821 Gladys; 409-860-4001 Course Oir: Russ Word 281 - 355-7500

22

Rancho Bernardo, CA; 4:00-8:00 p.m.

Gyminny Kids Inc. Course Oir: Quin Shannon 619-296-84 11 Mt laurel, NJ; 9:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Jersey Jets Gymnastics; 2A Roland Ave local contact: Eileen Houghton 609-278-2822 Course Oir: Phil Fronk louisville, KY; 4:00-9:00 p.m Holiday Inn; Hurstbourne; 1325 Hurstbourne lane.

Course Oir: Steve Schoenbaechler 502-458-8094

12

12

12

18

JANUARY 1997

11

Harahan, LA; 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Elmwood Fitness; 1200 S. Clearview #1200 local contact: Joy Thomas 504-733-4496 Course Oir: Caesar Garcia 504- 924-1705 Fullerton, CA; TBA California State University Fullerton In conjunction with So. Col Mini·Congress locol Contact: Tina Preston Course Oir: Quin Shannon 619-296-8411

19

Fullerton, CA; TBA California State University Fullerton In conjunction with So. Col Mini·Congress local Contact: Tina Preston Course Oir: Quin Shannon 619-296-8411 Both, ME; 9:00 a.m.-1 :00 p.m.

Both YMCA Course Oir: Gerold Bellemare 207- 443-3134 or 207-395-4306 Barre, VT; 9:00-1:00 p.m.

Northstars Gymnastics loco I Contact: Trisha 802-244-4966 Course Oir: Tony Retrosi 603-433-0404 Greenville, SC; TBA Greenville Gym Training Center Course Oir: Robert White 864-268-3790 Cranbury, NJ; 9:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Cranbury Gymnastics Academy; 4 Ceder Brook Dr. North Suite #8 Course Oir: Cathy Finkel 201-586-1808 between 5·6 p.m.

Jon/ Feb Sumter, SC; TBA; Sumter YMCA Course Oir: Kim Domagalski 803-773-1404

,----------

FEBRUARY 1997

22

28

Oenver, CO; 1:00-5:30 p.m.

Oenver University Course Oir: Betsy Sprague 303-750-3356 North Olmstead, OH; 1:00-5:00 p.m.

N. Olmstead Gymn; 24213 Moria lone local Contact: Jon Ozurinda 216-777-6195 Course Oir: Bobbi Fahrnbach 614-777-5057; 614-457-1279 Myrtle Beach, SC; 6:00-10:00 p.m.

N. Myrtle Beach Gymn & More; 523 Highway 17 North local contact: louie or Tammy 803-249- 5867 Course Oir: Billy Bob Taylor 304-344-3279

MARCH 1997 Maryland area; 6:00-10:00 p.m.

The Nationals Capital Cup Meet local contact: Gary Anderson 301-344-3279

Name: Mr. / Mrs./ Ms. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

All materials (includin g the Safety Handbook) for 3rd Cycle courses are provided at the course and are part of the course fee.

COST: Pro·Member with Current Safety Certification wishing to re·certify .. ....... no charge

Soc. Sec. #: _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __

Certificationisgood for four years.

Pro·Member with expired or new Safety Certification ...... S50.00

Participation Registration Form Minimum age for Safety Cer tification is 18 yea rs

Birthdate:_ _ __ __ _

Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City: _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _State: _ _ _ __ Zip _ __ _ _ Telephone: (H) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (W) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

To achieve Safety Certification, the participant must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the course.

Orga ni za tion Represented: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Professional or instructor N umber: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Current Safety Expiration date: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Form of Payment: 0 Check 0 Visa 0 Maste rcard 0 AmExp 0 Discover lame on Card: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Please make checks payable in full to USA Gymnastics Safety Certification.

Mail Registration Form and Payment to: USA GYllU1astics Safety, Pan American Plaza, Suite 300,201 S. Capitol, Indianapolis, IN 46225 or FAX to 317-237-5069

S50.00

.... 5100.00

To register please fax (317-237-5069) or mail your Participant Registration Form to USA Gymnastics.

rrtBa GYMNASTICS

N umber: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

T1096

Date: Signature: ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ LExpiration ______________________________

.n.

'You must hove your USA Gymnostics number on the registlOtion form in order to quolify for the discount.

NO APPLIED FOR numbers will be occepted.

You moy not register for 0 course to recerhfy ony eorlier thon 8 months prior to your expirotion dote.

No on·sit. registrotion. rou must pre·register no later than 10 days prior to the course.

Co urse Directo r: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ Course Loca ti on: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date: _ _ _ __

Instructor Member ....

Nan·Memberor Generol Member ..

~