Technique Magazine - Winter 2018

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF USA

GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY

REST AND RECOVERY STRATEGIES IN INJURY PREVENTION

POST NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT/ EARLY ADMISSIONS COMMUNICATION WITH COLLEGE COACHES

AUSTIN NACY

2017 TRAMPOLINE & TUMBLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SILVER MEDALIST

SMALL FACILITIES: BIG BENEFITS ...AND MORE! WINTER 2018 — VOL. 38 – #1

EVENTS E V E N T S

S C H E D U L E

FEBRUARY

2018

27–28 Word Cup, Brescia, Italy (TT) 27–29 Pacific Rim Championships (TT/R/W)

1–4 World Team Trials (A) Huntsville, TX 2–4 NLC Series: Chris Waller’s Heart of a Champion (W) Pasadena, CA 2–4 NLC Series: Pikes Peak Cup (W) Colorado Springs, CO 8–11 NLC Series: Salcianu and Brestyan’s Invitational (W) Las Vegas, NV 9–11 NLC Series: Arizona Sunrays Classic Rock Invitational (W) Phoenix, AZ 9–11 NLC Series: Denver Winterfest Classic (W) Denver, CO 9–11 NLC Series: Greensboro Gymnastics Invitational (W) Greensboro, NC 15–17 Winter Cup Challenge (M) Las Vegas, NV 16–18 NLC Series: Magical Classic (W) Orlando, FL 16–18 NLC Series: WOGA Classic (W) Frisco, TX 21–24 Rhythmic National Team Challenge (R) Lake Placid, NY 21–25 Vegas Acro Cup (A) Las Vegas, NV 23–25 Winter Classic (TT) Battlecreek, MI 23–27 National Team Camp (W) Huntsville, TX

MARCH

2 Nastia Liukin Cup (W) 3 AT&T American Cup (M/W) 3 Elite Team Championships (M) 10–11 International Gymnix 17–18 World Cup (M/W) 21–22 World Cup (M/W) 30–31 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships (M)

APRIL

4–8 National Team Camp/Jesolo Selection Camp (W) 10–16 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships (A) 14–15 City of Jesolo Trophy (W)

Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Chicago, IL Montreal, Canada Stuttgart, Germany Birmingham, England Colorado Springs, CO

Huntsville, TX Antwerp, Belgium Jesolo, Italy

MAY

9–13 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships(M) 10–13 Junior Olympic National Championships (W) 15–19 National Team Camp (W) 18–20 Elite Challenge (TT)

Gymnastics • Ninja • Parkour Replace your worn equipment or design a whole new space.

Our experienced design and install team is ready to help you.

Call today for a quote!

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(800)932-3339 TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

Oklahoma City, OK Cincinnati, Ohio Huntsville, TX Colorado Springs, CO

JUNE

11–15 National Team Camp (W)

Huntsville, TX

JULY

3–8 USA Gymnastics Championships (A/R/TT) 7 Hopes Classic (W) 8 American Classic (W) 9–13 National Team Camp (W) 27–28 U.S. Classic/Hopes Championships (W)

Greensboro, NC Huntsville, TX Huntsville, TX Huntsville, TX TBD

AUGUST

4–5 World Cup, Maebashi, Japan 16–19 P&G Gymnastics Championships (M/W)

TBD

SEPTEMBER

7–16 World Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria (R) 14–18 National Team Camp (W) 15 National Gymnastics Day

OCTOBER

6–18 Youth Olympic Games (R) 10–13 World Selection Camp (W) 16–18 Youth Olympic Games (TT/??)

W = Women, R = Rhythmic, TR = Trampoline, M = Men, GFA = Gymnastics for All, TU = Tumbling, AG = Acrobatic Gymnastics, B = Business, TT = Trampoline/Tumbling NOTE: Dates and events are subject to change or cancellation.

START THE NEW YEAR BY UPDATING YOUR GYM

Medellin, Colombia

Huntsville, TX Everywhere

Buenos, Aires, Argentina Huntsville, TX Buenos, Aires

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF USA

GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY

W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 • V O L U M E 3 8 • #1

FEATURES 8 ST. VINCENT SPORTS PERFORMANCE: REST AND RECOVERY STRATEGIES IN INJURY PREVENTION

By Kyrsten Retherford

PUBLISHER

Kerry J. Perry EDITOR

Scott Bregman GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jeannie Shaw

Chair: Paul Parilla Vice-Chair/ Secretary: Jay Binder Treasurer: Bitsy Kelley National Membership — Women: Tom Koll National Membership — Women: Kelli Hill National Membership — Men: Yoichi Tomita National Membership — Men: Mike Burns National Membership — Rhythmic: Natalia Kozitskaya National Membership — Trampoline & Tumbling: Patti Conner National Membership — Acrobatic Gymnastics: Carisa Laughon Advisory Council: Kathy Krebs Advisory Council: Casey Koenig Advisory Council: Rome Milan Athlete Director — Women: Terin Humphrey Athlete Director — Men: David Durante Athlete Director — Rhythmic: Ava Gehringer Athlete Director — Trampoline & Tumbling: Austin White Athlete Director — Acrobatic Gymnastics: Dylan Maurer Public Sector: David Benck Public Sector: Bitsy Kelley Public Sector: Kevin Martinez Public Sector: Cathy Rigby McCoy

TECHNIQUE is now published quarterly by USA Gymnastics, 130 E. Washington St., Suite 700, Indianapolis, IN 46204 (phone: 317-237-5050) or visit online at www.usagym.org Subscription prices: U.S.—$25 per year; Canada/Mexico—$48 per year; all other foreign countries—$60 per year. If available, back issue single copies $4 plus postage/handling. All reasonable care will be taken, but no responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited material; enclose return postage. Copyright 2017 by USA Gymnastics and TECHNIQUE. ­All rights reserved. Printed by Sport Graphics, Indianapolis, IN. Member Services 1-800-345-4719.

Unless expressly identified to the contrary, all articles, statements and views printed herein are attributed solely to the author, and USA Gymnastics expresses no opinion and assumes no responsibility thereof.

ADDING VALUE TO YOUR CLUB WITH A RHYTHMIC XCEL PROGRAM

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.5 THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO TO START THEIR DAY

By Patti Komara

POST NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT/ EARLY ADMISSIONS COMMUNICATION WITH COLLEGE COACHES

By Tom Kovic

USA GYMNASTICS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: In order to ensure uninterrupted delivery of TECHNIQUE magazine, notice of change of address should be made eight weeks in advance. For fastest service, please enclose your present mailing label. Direct all subscription mail to TECHNIQUE Subscriptions, USA Gymnastics, 130 E. Washington St., Suite 700, Indianapolis, IN 46204 .

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8 OF MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

By Anne Josephson

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SMALL FACILITIES: BIG BENEFITS

By JoAnne Castagna

38

EASIER DONE THAN SAID! MARGINAL GAINS

By Steve Cook

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MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE

.THIS IS THE DECADE ALL ABOUT OUR STAFF

By Pamela Evans, Ph.D.

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47 CLASSIFIEDS

COVER: Photos by Mike Driscoll

WINTER 2018 • TECHNIQUE

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FEATURE . . . F A C E B O O K . . .

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C O N T I N U E D

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FEATURE TURE

FEA TURE B Y

K Y R S T E N

R E T H E R F O R D ,

C S C S

REST AND RECOVERY STRATEGIES IN

INJURY PREVENTION I

njury prevention is a huge topic of discussion in the gymnastics community. With the intricacies involved in managing health for a sport that demands so much, it’s easy to become overwhelmed when seeking a solution. How do we really know if what we’re prescribing in the gym is beneficial for our gymnasts? How can we predict when a practice is about to cross the line from productive to overly-taxing? How do we program so that our athletes are actually recovering between reps, routines, and practices enough to adapt and improve over time?

Instead of experiencing ‘paralysis by analysis’ when seeking a solution, I’m going to suggest a simple approach that breaks the process down into 24-hour windows. Even though our gymnasts are only with us for a few hours a day, every hour of the day plays a role in how they perform and adapt to training.

Let’s tackle the process of building healthy athletes with a comprehensive view of the major factors affecting rest and recovery throughout the day:

SLEEP

Sleep is one of the most important factors that plays into rest and recovery. The more we learn about sleep, the more we’re finding out just how essential it actually is. If you want your gymnasts to be powerful, strong, alert, reactive and precise during practices and meets, it’s absolutely necessary for them to be sleeping 8

TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

well on a consistent basis. Having good sleep hygiene will not only positively affect physical and mental functioning, but improve adaptations to training.

Recommendations for athletes may include: getting more than eight hours of sleep per night, sticking to consistent sleep and wake times, minimizing caffeine consumption after lunch, avoiding electronics at least an hour before bed, and sleeping in a cool, dark room.

Because sleep is so impactful on body and mind, consider collecting voluntary data on hours and quality of sleep per night. If a gymnast experiences a bad night of sleep, a super intense practice the following day might be more harmful than helpful. Not only will sleep data help you gauge practice intensities and performance throughout a session, but will also help your gymnasts become more aware of their sleep habits and consequent effects on health.

and for each individual gymnast. Anything that fits within those parameters will allow you to push towards the goal and leave behind anything that is not helping your gymnasts improve. Not only will this shrink the energy deficit created with each practice, but utilize energy spent in a productive manner.

In combination with streamlined practices, create an environment that encourages quality over quantity.

“Practice how you want to compete” is something that was preached to me as a gymnast and something that I preached to my gymnasts as a coach.

Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Naturally, not everything is going to go perfectly. However, with the guidance of your plan and the ultimate objective of creating a healthy and successful athlete, you are able to keep most things consist and adjust as needed to create an optimal environment.

PRACTICE

For the purpose of this article, downtime includes all of the time spent away from the gym. We know that our athletes are at a higher risk for injury at practice if they are not sleeping or recovering enough between practices.

Realizing that there are certain things you can control and certain things you cannot, you can take responsibility for educating your gymnasts on good rest and recovery techniques and making sure that their workload in the gym is balanced

An annual plan is essential when determining the focus of practices throughout the year. The annual plan consists of phases that work together to support your ultimate goal. Each building block affords you the opportunity to adjust training volume, rest intervals, and intensity in a way that promotes adequate recovery and adaptations.

Use your annual plan to help you create a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished within each phase

DOWNTIME

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FEA TURE . . . I N J U R Y

P R E V E N T I O N . . . C O N T I N U E D

enough to allow for that recovery.

The perfect recovery strategy looks different for each person, so it’s important that you communicate with your athletes and provide teaching opportunities.

Recovery options designed to speed the body’s natural recovery process on should be carefully selected and implemented well. While utilizing recovery methods can create an impact, adaptations to training are sometimes greater with rest rather than work. This is where your expertise as a coach and communication with your athletes is important. Prescribing more rest when gymnasts are accumulating fatigue is going to benefit them more than pushing through a practice. Gymnasts’ time spent away from the gym should be adequate enough to allow their energy levels and functioning to return to normal.

NUTRITION & HYDRATION

Everyone knows they should eat well and hydrate appropriately, but how do we know what this looks like? Nutrition is a very complex subject and the answer will be unique to each athlete.

With a sport like gymnastics, nutrition can be especially challenging.

While a healthy body composition is important, gymnasts also need the energy to build and maintain that muscle mass while performing and recovering well. Working with a Registered Sports Dietitian can give you a better understanding of how to eat for success in sport.

It’s important that athletes are fueling properly with a sufficient amount of carbs, proteins, and fats throughout the day. Required energy

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

increases with the intensity and duration of activity, so it’s important that the body has enough readily-available energy to perform and adapt as needed. Nutrition habits and food choices should be synoptic and specific to gymnasts’ preferences and needs. A Registered Sports Dietitian can help your athletes to find individual nutrition and hydration solutions that will assist in improving their performance and recovery.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Conditioning is a staple in most gymnastics programs. Unfortunately, most conditioning programs that take place in the gym are not comprehensive enough to build a strong and resilient gymnast. Why? Gymnasts need strength AND stability.

Because gymnasts inevitably hit periods of growth throughout their career, their bodies experience a ton of instability. Strength and conditioning is not about moving a certain muscle in isolation, but in working movement patterns and perfecting technique. It’s very important that strength is built in the range of motion that is required of gymnasts and progressed slowly and steadily.

If you’re unsure of where to start, a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist who has experience with the sport can help you design a program that benefits your athletes and pushes them to new levels of performance.

When you have a gymnast that is physically prepared for the skills required, your focus in the gym can be on technique and progressing the skills appropriately.

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FEATURE TURE

FEA TURE

ADDING VALUE TO YOUR CLUB WITH A

Rhythmic PROGRAM

L

ooking for a way to increase revenue, clientele, and variety in your gym with limited additional expense? The new Rhythmic Xcel program offers an opportunity to do just that. This article will help you learn the ropes and get the ball rolling on an exciting new program for your club.

A rhythmic gymnastics program is simple to start and sets your club apart from competitors. It is a great way to add diversity to your program offerings.

There are few overhead and start-up costs to begin a rhythmic program. As a fun, performance based sport, it quickly captures and holds the interest of girls of all ages!

All you need to get started is some space, a few hoops, balls, ropes, and ribbons, a curriculum of basic skills, and an instructor. With the many resources available, it is easy for new instructors from an artistic gymnastics or dance background to jump right in teaching Rhythmic Xcel.

The sport offers benefits for girls at every stage of development, every body type, and all ability levels. It is a low risk activity with high neurological benefits. At its core, rhythmic gymnastics is all about developing physical fitness, strength, flexibility, agility, balance, eye-hand-foot-coordination, and confidence through engaging, enjoyable activities for girls. These are qualities that all parents are looking to foster in their children — a great selling point for your program.

Rhythmic Xcel makes rhythmic gymnastics easily accessible for new clubs, coaches, and athletes, bringing the health benefits of rhythmic gymnastics to a wide audience. In most sports, such as soccer, basketball, and even dance, children are given opportunities to ”play the game” and perform soon after beginning the activity. Traditionally

in gymnastics, we ask athletes to train for years with several hours a week in the gym before they take the floor to compete. Rhythmic Xcel gives children a chance to perform and compete soon after starting rhythmic gymnastics, even with minimal practice time each week. It gives children of all abilities, backgrounds, and committment levels an opportunity to gain confidence and enjoy the sport.

The rules for Rhythmic Xcel have been formed with a focus on personal progress rather than competitive placement. Therefore, athletes can start quickly and be challenged and happy in a single level for multiple years. Coaches and athletes have a great amount of flexibility in the routine composition for Rhythmic Xcel, allowing each individual athlete to show her strengths.

Steps for Getting Started

• Find an instructor for the class

instructor could be a dance/artistic gymnastics teacher or former gymnast, who is eager to learn about rhythmic gymnastics. Or it could be an experienced rhythmic gymnastics coach ready to hit the ground running.

• USAGym.org > Rhythmic > Education > Rhythmic Resources

• USAGym.org > Education > Competitive > Rhythmic

• USAGym.org > Stores > USA Gymnastics Technical Materials Store o

o

If your instructor is new to the sport of rhythmic gymnastics, USA Gymnastics offers many educational resources to help them get started. These resources can be found on the USA Gymnastics website in the following locations:

• USAGym.org > Rhythmic > Rhythmic Xcel

rhythmic

gymnastics

coaches are welcome to attend any USA Gymnastics Rhythmic camp as an educational experience, even without athletes in attendance.

• Obtain some basic rhythmic gymnastics apparatus o

Long-time supplier of rhythmic apparatus Ellen Nyemcsik offers any apparatus needed on her website, RhythmicGymnastics.com. She is always eager to give advice and assist new clubs.

• Attract students to participate o

Try offering a short introduction to rhythmic during your

o Your

• Train the instructor

All

existing classes to gather interest. o Give

free trial classes for

rhythmic gymnastics (even for students already enrolled in your club). o

Host an open house for community members to try the sport. Clubs just starting out in rhythmic gymnastics could consider inviting a current or former rhythmic national team member to perform and introduce the sport in your gym.

o Offer

classes as a field trip

possibility for girl scouts, private schools, etc. to raise awareness.

Continued on page 13...

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o

Advertise this new, exciting opportunity on your club’s website and social media platforms.

o Create

an exhibition group with a few girls from your team to advertise the performance aspect of rhythmic gymnastics by showing routines at in-house presentations, local competitions for various disciplines of gymnastics, schools, or community events.

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For more information and resources on starting a Rhythmic Xcel program in your club, visit usagym. org, go to the Rhythmic page and click “Rhythmic Xcel” in the sidebar.

Questions? Contact the National Rhythmic Xcel Committee (RhythmicXcel@gmail.com) or Rhythmic Program Coordinator, Jayme Vincent (jvincent@usagym.org).

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FEATURE

FEA TURE B Y

P A T T I

P A T T I ’ S

K O M A R A ,

A L L - A M E R I C A N

G Y M N A S T I C S

A N D

T U M B L E B E A R

C O N N E C T I O N

WRITE DOWN ONE GOAL FOR THE DAY. You should do

WATER. When you wake

up in the morning and finish brushing your teeth, drink 12 to 16 ounces of water. That will get you on your way to those eight glasses of water we all try to achieve. We all know hydration is important.

MOVEMENT. Right after you finish that water, get moving.

Stretch overhead, your chest, do some squats while you brush your teeth, do some push-ups, yoga stretches, etc. Just move.

The body will wake up and thank you for it.

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

PROTEIN. Be sure and get some protein in your first meal.

It helps with repair, strength, and focus for the day. By starting like this you activate your body’s autoresponders and get you off to a healthy, fit start.

GRATITUDE. The next thing is to reflect on gratitude. Keep a journal and daily write down one thing you truly have to be thankful for. By starting your day feeling humbled and grateful, it puts you in a state of calm and peace. Any mind, body, spirit routine is perfect to start your day.

what so many CEOs and highly successful people do…write down just one thing that you will accomplish that day. You WILL NOT let the sun set until you have laser focused on this one item to do no matter what. So many of us get in the gym and we are pulled in so many directions. Don’t start on anything else until you do the one most important thing to do.

Pick the one thing that will propel your business forward the most.

What is the one thing no one else in your organization can do that will make you more successful that day? If you want every manager and employee to have laser focus on what will benefit them the most, be sure you have exact job lists for this and how to do each job. Make sure they are detailed, clear, and updated regularly.

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SAFE SPORT FEATURE? 20

TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

SAFE SPORT

SAFE SPORT

IMPORTANT NOTICE The following Membership Statement has been adopted by the Board of Directors of USA Gymnastics: Membership in USA Gymnastics is a privilege granted by USA Gymnastics. That

The following former members are permanently ineligible for membership within USA Gymnastics.

Based on an amendment of Article 10.16 to the USA Gymnastics Bylaws, effective January 1, 2012, any individual who is declared ineligible will have the USA Gymnastics’ Bylaw, rule, regulation or policy that was violated and resulted in his/her expulsion listed next to his/her name.

privilege can be withdrawn by USA Gymnastics at any time where a member’s conduct is determined to be inconsistent with the best interest of the sport of gymnastics and of the athletes we are servicing.

Name

State Violation Name

Ray Adams

FL

Julian Amaro Kenneth "Andy" Arnold Charles Theodore Bates James Bell

CA IN

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

State Violation Name

Matthew H. Erichsen Rick Feuerstein James Fogg

CA NE/KS

MN WA

Christopher Ford

VA

William Foster

AL

Joseph Fountain

MD

Neil Frederick Roy Larry Gallagher

MD

IL

Morgan Bennett

TX

Kristopher Berry

SC

Jeffrey Bettman

OR

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Steve Biondo

LA

Code of Ethical Conduct II.F./II.H.

Phillip Bishop Patrick Bogan Douglas Boger Paul Bollinger

MI

Todd Gardiner

MD

Robert Allen (Bob) Garner Sean Gilham

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

CA MD

Joseph Bowers

OH

Shawn Bowlden

IL

Matthew Brinker Vince Brown Bryan Brown Christopher A. Brown Thomas Burdash

OH

Keith Callen Michael Cardamone

WA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Russell "Rusty" Glanton Code of Ethical Conduct II.H, and II.I

SC IL

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

IL/CA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

KY

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

PA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

NM

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

Milos Hroch

CA

Steven L. Infante

CT

Faye Lorraine aka

PA

Code of Ethical Conduct II.D./II.F.

Nolan Knuckles

AZ

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Dana Koppendrayer

FL

Zac Lawson

IL

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Jeffrey LeFevre

MI

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Ronnie Lewis

AR

Jung Min Lim

PA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Johnathan Mackie

CA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Parker Madison

TX

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

William McCabe

GA

Dean McCollum

CO

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Joel Mertes

TX

Code of Ethical Conduct II.H. Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Heather Kristian King

State Violation Name

David Pyles

AZ

Sandro Ramos

OK

David Reiakvam

CA

Jeffrey Richards

FL

Rudy Rodriguez

CA

Jorge Rodriguez

NJ, MA

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

Miguel Rosario

NY

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Brent Trottier

WA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bruce Unger

TX

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Jon Valdez

IL

Dwight Van Dale

WI

Anthony Van Kirk

CA

Joel Velasquez

OR

Jose Vilchis

Il

David Paul Waage

OR

Chris Wagoner

TX

Jeremy Waldridge

OR

Russell Wallace

CT

Brooklyn Walters

IN

Steve Waples

TX

John H. Row

aka John Howard aka gymnasticszone. com Row

DE

Gabriel Salazar

TX

Adam Savignano

NJ

Mark Schiefelbein

TN

Jason Scofield

CA

State Violation

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.2

Timothy Glas Ricardo “Chico” Goddard

NE

Jason Miguel Mesa

CA

NY

Robert Mollock

OR

Nathaniel Goodale

VT

John S. Moore

WV

Robert Shawler

CA

Derek Waskowski

OH

TX

Gregory Muller

ID

Steve Shirley

MO

Donald Watts

KY

IL

William Munsinger

MN

CA

Richard Gustafson

OR

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Larry Nassar

Patrick Wehrung

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Steven Todd Siegel

CO

MI

Johnny Gutierrez

GA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Ronald Smith

Mike West

WA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

William Newcom

TX

TX

Paul Hagan

MI

VA

UT

Jonathan White

CA

Joseph Hannon

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

Blake Steven Starr

IL

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

Brian Nguyen

Paul Summers

OK

Lyf Christian Wildenberg

MN

Mark Swift

FL

Bill Witthar

MO

Ronald Hartsfield

FL

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

Freddie Eugene Tafoya, Jr.

CA

Joel Woodruff

TX

James Woollums

AZ

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Marcelo Guimaraes Vernor Gumila

Joseph Catrambone

NJ

Darin Caviness

OH

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (i)

Charity Christensen

UT

Code of Ethical Conduct II.D.

Edward Trey Coniff Lyndsey Wesley Cox James Craig III

TX

CO

Robert Dean Head

KY

Thad Cypher

MI

Ted Hicks

TN

Vannie Edwards

AR

Michael Hinton

TN

Steven Elliott

TX

Anthony Engelke

Nicholas Hitchcock

MI

PA

Daniel Erb

FL

PA

Robert Hoefer Frank Hohman, Jr.

PA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Code of Ethical Conduct II.H, and II.I

CA

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.2

Bylaw 9.1 (c)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (i)

TN

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

PA

IL

TX

SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, III.A.4, Bylaw 10.14(b)

State Violation Name

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Jeena Nilson

UT

Paul O’Neill

CA

Patrick Okopinski

WI

Marian Penev William M. Permenter Don Peters

NY

Thomas Tellez

NY

FL

Jon Oliver Kenneth Thomas

VA

Daniel Zera

NY

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

CA

Timothy Picquelle

CA

Jay Thomas

LA

Daniel Zmrzel

CA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Cynthia Posmoga

PA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Phillip Thompson

NC

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Vincent Pozzuoli

CT

Bylaw 9.2 (a)

Brian Townsend

LA

Bylaw 9.2 (a) (iii)

Code of Ethical Conduct II.H.

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MONTHLY YLHTNOMMONTHLY

FREE WEBINARS

FREE WEBINARS U S A

G Y M N A S T I C S

P R O F E S S I O N A L

B E N E F I T

A N D / O R

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I N S T R U C T O R , C L U B S .

Are you interested in having your club gymnasts apply for the TOPs or HOPES program? Join us Wednesday, February 7 at 1 p.m. ET for the next USA Gymnastics Webinar, What You Need to Know About TOPs/HOPES for the 2018/2019 Season. Register for the free webinar at USAGym.org/Webinars.

NEXT WEBINAR

Time: 1 p.m. ET Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 Duration: 1 hour Register today at usagym.org/webinars!

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

HONOR QUALITY PROCESS HERITAGE RESEARCH

2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games

2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

2011 Universiade Shenzhen

2010 Guangzhou Asian Games

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K O V I C ,

V I C T O R Y

C O L L E G I A T E

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C O N S U L T I N G

he National Letter of Intent signing period and Early Admissions application deadline have recently passed and with that, college recruiting can easily move to a pause mode if left unchecked. There is a natural sport transition where, currently, fall athletes are wrapping up their seasons, the winter season is just beginning to gain steam and spring prospects are in core-training and pre-season mode.

A good college coach is always actively recruiting. That said, just like our bodies go through natural biorhythms, the recruiting cycle is no different, and depending on the sport and the season, a prospect will serve himself best by taking a hands-on approach in helping coaches evaluate.

What follows are “seasonal suggestions” to consider in providing the coaches with impact information that will raise your level of interest on the radar screen.

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FALL SPORTS

As we approach the holiday, the fall sports season is concluding, and the winter sports season begins to emerge. This transition is naturally a great time for fall athletes to take a break, but it also serves as a great opportunity to communicate helpful information to college coaches.

Take careful time to re-cap the season in “bullet form” first. This will offer a broad view to the competition season in general terms. From here, you can pull impact operatives from your bullet list to create a seamless “blow-by-blow” report and offer the coaches with a 1-paragraph season highlight.

Follow up the written correspondence with either a 90-second highlight video and/or capture your season best full/half game to share to compliment the recap and give the coaches a chance to evaluate you best.

WINTER SPORTS

Winter sport athletes are right in the thick of a new and exciting season.

Between school, athletic training and competitions and whatever limited social life they can muster, their plates are full. What is important to realize here is that these prospects have a load of potential impact information they can provide the college coaches over the next several months.

The high school and college sports seasons naturally align, and everyone is busy. College coaches are laser focused on preparing their teams for a championship run.

The prospect who makes a bold effort with proactive communication will more likely get the attention of the college coaches.

Sub-divide the season into three segments (pre-season, mid-season, and the championship portion of the season) and give the coaches a snapshot to how the team is progressing and your personal improvement. Share statistics, win-loss record and any personal accolades (all-conference player of the week) that will drive your position on the radar screen higher.

SPRING SPORTS

Spring Sport athletes want to make the best of what is ahead of them, especially the 2019 class. There is a lot at stake in the college recruiting process considering the spring season along with summer showcases and camps will be the final opportunity for coaches to evaluate early admission and early NLI signers.

Give the coaches every reason to believe you are a “year-round” athlete and not a “seasonal” athlete.

Ramping up your winter core conditioning and speed and agility training program and sharing your progress is one of many tactics you can employ.

Offering pre-season outlooks and sharing specific performance goals is another strategy that can have “grip” but remember, the college coaches will hold you to your forecasts!

If you have assembled a winter showcase and tournament schedule, share this information with every college coach on your list, even if they do

not plan to attend. Your “dedicated effort” may be a grey area in the grand scheme of recruiting, but it can pay big dividends in the long run.

Take time to sit down with your recruiting team (mom, dad, coach etc.) and look further out to identify general communication targets. There are four natural seasons in any given year and you want to begin to match up specific targets for specific seasons to spread your assignments out.

Regardless of your specific sport endeavor, the college search for athletes is a process that requires foundational strength built on proactive communication. There is no longer any “downtime” with recruiting and prospects need to provide the coaches with seasonal updates that have grip and will get the attention of college coaches.

Tom Kovic is the founder and lead advisor at Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. For further information, visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com.

Copyright ©2017 Victory Collegiate Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

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FEATURE

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J O S E P H S O N

W

hile there may be some clubs that have someone designated to develop and maintain their gym club’s social media, for most clubs it falls on the “to do’s” of already over stretched owners or managers.

So, it is not surprising that most gym clubs simply don’t have enough time to create and manage content across the various social media platforms.

The trick is to create and maintain the club’s social media presence with as little time as possible while remaining relevant to our clients and our brand.

Not an easy task, but here are 8 of my favorite social media tools that help shave time off managing your club’s social media.

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

Melody Loops

(www.melodyloops. com) Background music for commercial use, Melody Loops has hundreds of genres from which to choose.

Shutterstock

(www.shutterstock.com) Lots of great stock photos that can be used royalty free. There are both monthly and per image packages available.

Canva

Meet Edgar

(www.canva.com) A free graphic-design tool website, Canva can make someone with no graphic design experience look like they know what they are doing!

(www.meetedgar.com) Not only does Meet Edgar schedule and publish the posts you want across various social media platforms, it also saves them after they are posted so you can use them again!

Slide.ly

Needls

(www.needls.com) If you advertise on social media, needls helps you create ads for social media then monitors those ads to continually optimize which ads are most effective.

(www.slide.ly) Make video slideshows from photos and video clips with the cloud based service.

Promo

(www.slide.ly/promo) With access to premium video clips and music, Promo allows you to make promotional videos quickly.

Magisto

(www.magisto.com) This video editor and movie maker turns your video clips and photos into movies that are easily sharable on social media.

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FEATURE TURE

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J O A N N E

C A S T A G N A ,

TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

E D . D .

A

group of children are screaming with excitement as they’re being surrounded by bubbles, high energy dance music, and colorful lights from a spinning Disco Ball. It’s a Bubble Dance Party at NYC Elite, a gymnastics school in New York City.

er should be used to lay out the floor plan and equipment needs. “They can come up with some amazing ideas to maximize your individual space and they are always happy to do this for customers for the return of a gymnastics equipment purchase,” said Ferriola.

“It’s a tradition. At the end of class, students move to a small space in the gym to have a party. The kids dance around like cute hooligans. They love it,” said Tina Ferriola, Founder & President, NYC Elite, a family-owned and managed company.

This helped her when she was doing the layout for her facilities that are average to large in size — approximately 15,000 square feet.

She came up with this creative concept because she had a small piece of space in her gym that she didn’t know what to do with. It’s this type of out-of-the-box thinking that has led her to have three successful gyms in the city in what would be considered unconventional or small gym space. She wanted to provide gymnastics for children living in the city, so she made it work.

Ferriola is not alone. According to the 2016 USA Gymnastics Survey of the Member Clubs, many gym owners have moved away from getting large warehouse facilities in industrial areas and are now operating their businesses in facilities closer to the communities they want to serve.

Ferriola said that in order to reach clientele, prospective gym owners may have to purchase or rent unconventional or small spaces for their facilities. With some creative thinking and organizing of the floor plan, equipment and students, they can have a rewarding and profitable business.

USE CREATIVITY IN THE FLOOR PLAN

Ferriola said that once a gym space has been acquired, a gymnastics suppli-

She has the size, but being located in the city has its challenges. “Our space is very restricted. Our facilities are housed in high story commercial and residential buildings that are filled with columns, beams, low ceilings and enclosed spaces,” said Ferriola.

She continued, “This means our space is much more chopped up than the average facility.” For example, in one of her locations,she has to operate on three levels to use her full square footage of space.

This has forced her to think creatively with her space. One example of this is the Bubble Dance Parties. “When we have a chopped up small space within our facility — about 200 square feet — we turn it into a Bubble Dance Party Room for our student’s ages nine months to five years old,” said Ferriola.

Another restriction she faces in the city, is a lack of underground space that prevents her from digging down into the ground to build out foam and resi pits for gymnastics training purposes and equipment. Some buildings don’t have basements and some have subway systems running below them.

Once again, Ferriola put on her creative thinking cap. “In one facility, we created a raised platform to provide a pit. We built an entire raised platform up — like a sub

floor — and then we placed our equipment into the pit.”

In another facility, she had the opposite problem — very low ceilings. High ceilings are needed for equipment, such as the uneven bars.

For this situation, Ferriola was able to dig a gigantic hole in the gym and place the uneven bars and other equipment that needed the ceiling height into the pit.

Ferriola said, “We call it our Bar Pit.” Once the facility is laid out, there are ways the equipment can be organized to further maximize space.

ORGANIZE EQUIPMENT TO MAXIMIZE SPACE

When purchasing equipment, Ferriola said there are certain items that can make the best use of space and money.

To see some of these items, please see the sidebar “Top 10 Equipment for Space & Money Savings.”

Once a gym has its equipment, there are ways it can be stored that will maximize space.

Ferriola does something innovative.

She said, “We line our walls with carpet bonded foam and stick Velcro on the back of the light equipment and mats. This allows us to stick the equipment up on the wall in a tidy manner when we are not using it.”

“Everything that was taking up floor space is now on the wall. It looks nice and it is up and out of the way and it frees up square footage in your space.”

With the floor plan and equipment squared away, it’s time to bring in the students. Ferriola has ways of organizing students to create space for a full student body.

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SCHEDULE TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS Ferriola said that an unconventional or small gym space doesn’t mean a small student body.

NYC Elite serves 4,500 families in New York City, has a robust student body of 1,500 students per location and provides a wide range of classes for preschool, recreational and competitive team groups.

Ferriola said that in order to accommodate these students, she created a scheduling format that allows her to have the same number of students as larger facilities.

“To do this we stagger our class times.

Most gymnastics facilities run classes on the hour or half hour. We start classes at all different times. So kids are coming in and out at different times,” said Ferriola.

She said she puts through a lot of classes so she has very detailed rotation sheets and the coaches must work diligently to follow them.

The class format is also organized to move the students along. “At every minute of a 50 or 55 minute class, a class or a competitive group is scheduled to be on a certain circuit or rotation,” said Ferriola. “The first seven minutes students are on the floor for warm up, and then five minutes for conditioning, and then they rotate to circuit one, and then they rotate to the foam pit, and then a trampoline.”

Ferriola added that an organized small space can create a controllable environment that leads to better class engagement and focus. “When preschoolers are working in a small and colorful space they tend to be much more attentive, focused and engaged in activities,” said Ferriola.

She said that in the opposite situation, when children are working in a larger open floor, they tend to get distracted or overwhelmed and the class disperses.

Thinking creatively about the floor plan, equipment and students results in a profitable gym.

THINK SMALL TO MAKE A PROFIT

Ferriola said to think small to make a profit, especially if you are just starting out. “Start small and grow from that point. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Some of the most revenue generating gymnastics schools operate out of some of the smaller facilities,” said Ferriola.

She said that most people think big and it ends up costing them. “People entering the business make a very common mistake. They always think that bigger is better,” said Ferriola.

She said that many of them get a cheap 20,000 square foot warehouse in the middle of nowhere, instead of paying a little

more per square footage for a smaller space in a better area, much closer to families and higher end clientele.

“You need to be where the clients are and where it is convenient for parents,” said Ferriola. “If this means your gym is 5,000 to 8,000 square feet less than it would have been in the middle of the woods, you are going to make more money in the long run.”

She added that gym owners of smaller facilities will also benefit from additional savings from having lower costs, less property to maintain and by making the most of the space they have.

Ferriola said, “People should maximize the least amount of space to make the biggest profit. They should focus on using every square foot that they’re paying for. Even if it is an odd shaped area that you don’t think there is a purpose for it, there is always a purpose for it. Use all of the space you have. Don’t waste it if you are paying for it!”

Ferriola is doing this. She turns small odd shaped spaces in her gyms into Bubble Dance Party Rooms. It’s an example of thinking creatively to make a facility work in order to reach and please a certain clientele. If the children’s screams of happiness are any indication, it’s working.

To learn more about NYC Elite, please visit www.nycelite.com or email Tina Ferriola at Tina@nycelite.com.

Dr. JoAnne Castagna is Founder of 2 Bourkes PR, a writing and marketing agency. She can be reached joanne@2bourkespr. com. Her work can be viewed at www.2bourkespr.com.

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FEATURE

FEA TURE B Y

S T E V E

C O O K ,

A A I

N A T I O N A L

S A L E S

D I R E C T O R

EASIER DONE THAN SAID! MARGINAL GAINS

I

know what you’re thinking. The title is backwards. The proper saying is “easier said than done,” meaning that most people have great ideas and intentions in conversation but when it comes to implementation, that’s another story. Gym club owners are no different than other entrepreneurs and business people. We all get so wrapped up in the passion of the business and building the business that we have trouble finding the time to figure out a plan for gym equipment maintenance. While in general I usually agree with those that state “if you don’t have a plan, you are planning to fail.” I agree that is, unless you have a good habit or a worthwhile ritual.

So, in this case, what I’m suggesting is that you stop thinking about equipment maintenance or an inspection plan, and just do it! My reasoning for this is based on several articles that I’ve recently read on Sir David Brailsford. If you are not familiar with the name,

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he’s the individual most responsible for turning around the British Cycling Program, and the person who has popularized the expression “marginal gains.”

As a brief background, you should know that the British Cycling Program had gone for its entire span of creation winning only one medal, a bronze. Sir David was a cyclist, but not a champion, he was not a coach, and he wasn’t a trainer. Just after the Athens Olympics in 2004 he was put in charge of managing the British Cycling program and winning medals. Not being sure what to do, and not having the money to hire the best coaches in the world or building the best training facilities, he just started doing “little things.”

His first marginal gain during the Tour de France was standardizing the sleeping arrangements during the race ensuring that lack of rest was not an issue in performance. Next step was diet, nutrition, and fuel.

Others were smaller, chains, rims, headgear, and more. His thought was that enough small or marginal gains would eventually add up to a big improvement. I believe we do this in coaching gymnastics. Marginal gains like toe point, and finger placement are all part of training and a performance. The key is that these little things start to add up and a collection of marginal gains adds up to large improvements.

With the long-term goal of a cleaner, safer, more marketable gym, we can all pick one very small thing that will add to the overall safety of the gym. Maybe it’s always checking the lock on the uneven bar load binder before the children arrive. Or maybe its walking the floor and feeling for splits in the foam or lost hair pins. Whatever it is, just do it. That one little action is easier to do than writing the plan.

Start today and maybe next week you or a co-worker will add a second marginal gain and your maintenance plan has begun. It’s easier to record what you’re doing than writing what you intend to do. And as you continue to accumulate these actions, while setting an example for all staff, you will be adding up the marginal gains and approaching a habit of gym inspections and an overall safer gym.

Gym owners wear many hats in running their business and gym maintenance and safety is just one, and the overall idea of a cleaner safer gym will be a marginal gain in conducting more organized and efficient practices and yes a better business. Yes, marginal gains have a compound effect.

Mmmm… compound effect? Sounds like a good topic for another day.

Make it a fun and safe gym day!

Steve Cook — AAI National Sales Director Steve.Cook@fotlinc.com

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FEATURE TURE

FEA TURE B Y

P A M E L A

E V A N S ,

P H . D .

THIS IS THE DECADE ALL ABOU I

n the 80’s we, as a profession, decided that teaching gymnastics to preschoolers could be a lucrative business (as long as we did not treat them like short 8 year olds). This decade marked the beginning of preschool curriculums and colorful mats.

In the 90’s the focus shifted to gymnastics as a business — a business that could be profitable. We began coordinating staff shirts and organizing budget sheets. The twenty-first century brought a surge in staff development and education. Certifications and conventions flourished. And now in the twenty-teens, the profession is finally all about staff.

What is the single most important component of keeping kids in your gym?

Have a phenomenal staff. It is not the facility with the most mats, or the shiniest awards, or the largest space that draws the most clients — it is the pro-

Train. Advance. Conquer.

gram with the most charismatic coaches. Students come to learn gymnastics, but stay because they love their teachers. So invest in your staff.

• Pay them a living wage, and offer benefits in the form of vacation, sick and holiday pay, pension programs, health and dental insurance.

• Offer a variety of classes and work assignments to reduce burnout.

• Accommodate their schedules to support family, school, and community commitments.

But most importantly, just be nice.

Show your employees how much you

• Provide them with education and development opportunities to increase their passion and understanding of the sport.

appreciate their hard work, compas-

• Delegate responsibilities so that they feel an ownership in the company.

opinions. Listen and try to resolve any

• Promote camaraderie among your employees, with holiday parties, Saturday bagels, or simply allowing opportunities for daily friendly interactions.

they all need to behave professional-

sion, and commitment to the students and to your company. Pass along compliments from the parents. Value their conflicts or concerns. Not everyone on your staff has to be best friends, but ly. A positive working environment is much easier to achieve when everyone loves their job. Do everything you can to help them love their job.

The Mission Starts Here!

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

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Dr. Pamela Evans is the owner of Gold Star Gymnastics, one of the largest clubs in Northern California.

She began gymnastics classes when she was 6, and started teaching gymnastics in high school. Since this time, Pam has coached across the country taking on a different facet of the sport in each gym. Pam now balances owning and managing Gold Star, presenting at Regional and National Congresses, and spending time with her husband and two children.

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REGISTER TODAY FOR YOUR REGIONAL CONGRESS!

REGION 1 San Jose, CA Double Tree by Hilton San Jose August 24–26

REGION 2 Beaverton, OR Omega Gymnastics June 30–July 1

REGION 3 Dallas, TX Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Dallas near the Galleria June 16–17

REGION 4 St. Louis, MO Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark June 15–17

REGION 5 Louisville, KY Galt House September 14–16

REGION 8 Winston-Salem, NC Benton Convention Center June 8–10

To register, visit usagymrc.org.

CHECK THIS OUT! WHAT’S NEW

TAKE THE USA GYMNASTICS TRAMPOLINE & TUMBLING CODE OF POINTS

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TECHNIQUE • WINTER 2018

UPDATE UPDA TE M E M B E R

S E R V I C E S

MEMBER SERVICES UPDATES, NEWS AND REMINDERS! M E M B E R

S E R V I C E S

USA GYMNASTICS SAFE SPORT HOTLINE 1-833-844-SAFE (7233) — TO REPORT ABUSE. USA Gymnastics now has two methods to report suspected or known misconduct or abuse.

Safe Sport Hotline: 833-844-SAFE (7233) Safe Sport Email: safesport@usagym.org Please note: Reporting abuse to USA Gymnastics DOES NOT fulfill your legal obligation to report to law enforcement.

You must also report suspected or known child sexual or physical abuse to local law enforcement (in the city or town where the incident occurred).

Safe Sport link. The course is offered complimentary to all members and will require approximately 90 minutes to complete. Not sure if you have completed? Take a look at your membership card or login to the USA Gymnastics website. Or, if you are club administrator, you can verify by viewing your professional member roster via the club administration link. If there is a date of either 7/31/19 or 7/31/20 in the date in the Safe Sport field the certification is current.

As a reminder, the certification is valid for two years.

To learn more about USA Gymnastics Safe Sport Policy, visit usagym.org/safesport.

SANCTIONED EVENT TOOL KIT Meet directors check out the Event Tool Kit located on your sanction information page online. The tool kit includes resources such as signage, voice recordings, information on how your meet can interact with the myUSAGym app and more!

To view the Sanction Tool Kit, click on the Event Tools button when reviewing your sanction online.

U110 SAFE SPORT CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT The deadline for all professional and instructor members to complete the U110: Safe Sport Certification mandate is quickly approaching. Register and complete the course today by visiting the usagym.org/ memberservices and click on the U110:

MEET RESERVATION Are you using Meet Reservation? All meet directors are encouraged to use the Meet Reservation System to verify the memberships of the participants. The Meet Reservation system allows club administrators to send USA Gymnastics verified memberships directly to the meet director electronically.! If you are a meet director that uses AllGymnastics.com, Meet Maker or myGymMeet.com to collect your meet registration fees, contact them today to learn how their product integrates with the USA Gymnastics Meet Reservation System.

Please note: USA Gymnastics does not endorse any meet registration company or product. The integration services provided to such companies is a tool to ensure participants attending sanctioned events are valid members of USA Gymnastics.

For additional questions, please contact Member Services Department at 800.345.4719 or membership@usagym.org.

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL CONGRESS & TRADE SHOW! USA Gymnastics

National Congress Trade Show

Providence, Rhode Island

usagymcongress.org

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND RHODE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER & OMNI PROVIDENCE HOTEL THURSDAY, AUG. 9 – SATURDAY, AUG. 11

WHAT TO EXPECT •

Congress lectures will take place Thursday, Aug. 9 – Saturday, Aug. 11

•

National Business Forum Wednesday, Aug. 8. Event is complimentary to National Congress attendees. Space is limited.

•

preschool, school age/recreational, sports science, fitness, and more!

•

Designated Hands-On Spotting Lectures

•

National Trade Show Hall

Each day will feature 14 full tracks of education from all six disciplines, and coaching, judging, business, Visit usagymcongress.org for complete registration details. Early bird pricing available through March, 12.

WINTER 2018 • TECHNIQUE

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CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS POSITION AVAILABLE

FOR SALE

FLIPPERS GYMNASTICS in Ramsey, N.J., is seeking PART-TIME INSTRUCTORS for a new gymnastics facility focusing on recreational, non-competitive gymnastics. Must be good with kids and have a strong knowledge of the sport of gymnastics and spotting techniques. Instructors must be or become certified through USA Gymnastics in Safety/Risk Management and Grade School Gymnastics. Classes run weekday afternoons/evenings and Saturday mornings/ afternoons. Will need to work birthday parties on Saturday and/or Sunday. Schedule is flexible. Email resumes to flippersgym@outlook.com.

GK RISK-FREE PROGRAM: NOW offering FREE outbound shipping, plus new styles, fabrics and colors to give your Pro Shop the largest assortment of the best-fitting gymnastics apparel. In addition, GK now offers free scrunchies with each leotard, price-coded merchandise and an online order form to make it even easier to sell GK in your Pro Shop.

There is nothing to lose, you only pay for what you sell. Sign up today! Call Risk-Free Customer Service 1-800-345-4087 for more information.

Email: ProShopPros@gkelite.com

SOKOL DALLAS is looking for PART-TIME COACHES with great attitudes! Are you an energetic, a selfstarted and self-motivated individual seeking a fun and challenging job working with children?

RECREATION COACHES: Pre-School, Boys, Girls level 1–4, and advanced tumbling classes.

• Teach assigned classes. Arrive in a timely manner to complete set-up for class in accordance with lesson plans. • Complete all lesson plans thoroughly and in a timely manner. Lesson plans should clearly state objectives and be creative. • Contribute a great attitude and a proactive work style all the time. • Plan and participate in Gym parties and our annual competition.

Hours are typically 3:00–7:30 PM Monday–Thursday.

Bi-weekly pay Easy-going rec.club, great atmosphere Location: North Dallas 75/635 Compensation: $10–25 per hour depending on experience This is a part-time job. This is a contract job. Must be safety Certified (or willing to attend the class). Must be able to pass a background check.

USA Gymnastics membership. A background in working with children and gymnastics is preferred, along with a great attitude and strong work ethic! If this sounds like the position you’ve been looking for, please forward your contact information and resume to us for immediate consideration. Please email your resume to barbarad@sokoldallas.org and we will schedule an interview, PLEASE DO NOT SHOW UP AT THE GYM.

EDUCATION

GYMCERT COACHES TRAINING PROGRAM: GymCert’s Online Courses & Training manuals for sale, Safety Awareness Posters, FREE article downloads & Online Certification for Recreational & Competitive Gymnastics Instructors Levels 1 through Level 5. Now offering Boys level 1 & Girls Spanish Level 1. GymCert is a MUST for staff training; cuts lesson planning time significantly; use to coordinate class progressions & skill-training methods; quick & easy reference guide including Lesson Planning & Class Evaluation Forms. Includes updated “Skills & Drills” for 2013–2021 Compulsory Routines! The GymCert manuals provide concise instruction, clear illustrations, & several coaching, spotting & safety tips. Group discounts! Order Now: www.gymcert. com or direct by calling 407-444-5669EST.

GYMNASTICS; YOUR BEST MEET EVER! (LATEST BOOK) Gymnastics; Your Best Meet Ever! was written to help Beginning- & Intermediate-level gymnasts focus on making each competition the BEST possible.

Great book as a reference for all gymnasts. Fears are a major cause of poor performance. If the gymnast is able to face each fear or worry & take specific action to minimize its effect on her performance, she will take a giant step toward winning in both gymnastics & life! Preparation is the base that supports the ability to adapt to new & changing competition scenarios! Find the secrets to a successful competition! Author, Rita Brown; two-time Olympic coach — Available @ www.amazon.com.

FOR INFORMATION on how to publish a classified ad in Technique, go to

www.usagym.org/publications

or call Scott Bregman at 317-829-5650.

WINTER 2018 • TECHNIQUE

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