Rhythmic Team
Handbook
2008
RED RIVER VALLEY
GYMNASTICS
Welcome to the Rhythmic
Competitive Team Program
We would like to congratulate everyone for choosing
gymnastics for your child. Gymnastics is the greatest overall body conditioning
activity that you can have your child involved in. A study was done testing the
components of physical fitness of a number of college athletes involved in
various sports. When the totals were added up, gymnasts proved to be the most
physically fit. Some of the physical attributes that your child will develop
are: strength, flexibility, kinesthetic awareness, muscular control, muscular
endurance, coordination, timing, explosive power, agility, running speed,
balance and grace. Some of the mental attributes that we hope to develop are
positive self-image, self-motivation, tenacity, patience, and willingness to
sacrifice for personal development, goal setting, courage and enjoyment.
Gymnastics is a unique sport in which every child’s
potential is different but the common factor is that every child can gain life
skills that will long outlast their gymnastics experience.
Philosophy of our Program
To provide the mental and physical discipline needed for
competition within a framework of positive reinforcement and encouragement. We
also hope that our program will deliver more than physical and competitive
development. We hope that your child will learn self esteem, self motivation,
self discipline, dedication, determination, work ethic, time management, team
work, team spirit, leadership, sportsmanship, respect for danger, respect for
others, grace and poise. When our athletes are “retired” from our team we hope
they have established a base of life skills that will assist them through all
of their adult life. Team Competition is very important to us at Red River
Valley Gymnastics. Although gymnastics is generally viewed as an individual
sport, we try to cultivate the importance of Team and working as a Team. Every
athlete on our team cannot be an individual winner but if we win “the Team”;
every athlete on the team can feel a part of the winning team. We feel this is
very important for our athletes.
Invitations to our Team
· Athletes from another team program that are moving to the area. In this case, the athlete will be invited to train with us for a week during which time we will evaluate their level and they will be able to evaluate our program as well.
·
Athletes are selected from our Preschool, Progressive,
and Developmental programs.
Training Hours and Commitment for the 2007-2008 Season
|
Level |
# hr/wk |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
Level 4 |
4.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 5 |
9.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level 6 |
9.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Rhythmic Open Gym - TBA
A Brief Description of
the Levels in the USAG
The
USAG is the largest gymnastic organization in the
Elite:
This is the
top level in gymnastics. Gymnasts
compete at national
meets and represent the
Level 10:
Gymnasts compete optional routines that are created by their
coaches. This is the highest level in
the USAG age group program. Gymnast must be 9 years old to compete.
Competitions:
Local, State, Regional, and National
Level 9:
Gymnasts compete optional routines that are created by their
coaches. Gymnast must be 8 years old to
compete.
Competitions:
Local, State, Regional, and National
Level 8:
Gymnasts compete optional routines that are created by their
coaches. Gymnast must be 8 years old to
compete.
Competitions:
Local, State, Regional
Level 7:
Gymnast
compete a compulsory/optional routine. Routines are created by their coaches
but must include certain compulsory elements.
Gymnast must be 7 years old to compete.
Competitions:
Local, State
Level 6:
Gymnast
compete a compulsory routine. Routines
are all the same and are determined by the USAG JO program. Gymnast must be 7 years old to compete.
Competitions:
Local, State
Level 5:
Gymnast
compete a compulsory routine. Routines
are all the same and are determined by the USAG JO program. Gymnast must be 7 years old to compete.
Competitions:
Local, State
Level 4:
Gymnast
compete a compulsory routine. Routines
are all the same and are determined by the USAG JO program. Gymnast must be 6 years old to compete. This is the 1st level that
gymnasts can compete but are not required to. Competitions: Local, State
Attendance and Make-up
Policy
·
Each
gymnast should try to make all scheduled practices.
· Gymnasts must attend at least 1 of the last 2 practices prior to a meet in order to be evaluated on readiness to compete.
·
If an athlete has missed more than 50% of
practices or is not able to successfully train her routines in the gym at least
2 weeks prior to a competition date, the coaching staff may decide to do one of
the following:
o
Scratch the athlete from the competition
o
Allow the athlete to compete on only the event
routines that she has been able to complete in the gym
At a Competition:
o If
an athlete has difficulty in timed warm up and cannot make her skills, it will
be up to the coach’s discretion to either scratch her from that event or take
skills out of her routine.
· Gymnasts are not allowed to make-up a missed practice by attending another practice time. Only practices missed because of a gym function will be rescheduled. A free open gym pass can be used for a missed class.
·
Make-ups
are not offered due to the following National Holidays: New Year’s Eve, New
Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor
Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Mobility
within the USAG Levels
Mobility scores are required in order to advance from level to level. Athletes may not skip levels. Red River Valley Gymnastics is dedicated to developing happy, healthy, confident and successful children. One way to meet this goal is to place the gymnasts at the level where they can be happy, safe and confident. This means that the athletes must be able to perform the skills & routines (on all 4 events) required at a given level comfortably. The skills should not be on the edge or beyond her ability. We can never ask or expect our athletes to perform skills or routines in a competition, which they cannot perform consistently in practice. Since skill level generally determines the level of competition, this will be the deciding factor when deciding the level that each athlete will compete each year. All Around scores from the prior year, although an important tool to determine level, is not the most important or deciding factor for our gym.
ABC’s of Gymnastics
Red River Valley Gymnastics believes that it is very important to insist that our athletes master the basic skills at each level with proper form and technique. Our experience has taught us that taking the time with the basics (ABC’s) provides the best learning tool for more advanced skills. Athletes who move through the levels too quickly without ever taking the time to master skills will find that each level gets harder and the athlete finds herself falling further and further behind the higher she moves up. This frustrates the athlete and causes depression, low self-esteem, and usually leads to the athlete leaving the sport. Our #1 goal is to keep our athletes in the gym, and to be happy and successful. We realize that there are some gyms that move their athletes up 2 or 3 levels in one season; however, we do not believe that obtaining a “C” average is an acceptable goal. Please understand that all the coaches at Red River Valley Gymnastics would like every single athlete to be able to master all the skills and move up as quickly as possible however, we do not wish to sacrifice your child’s safety, or self esteem to have more “advanced” athletes in our program.
Safety – Gymnastics, as with most sports, has potential for injury. We are aware of this and we will make every effort to maintain a safe environment for our athletes. We believe in proper and meticulous progressions as lead ups for more advanced skills. We believe in providing the proper equipment and training devices designed to make learning as safe as possible.
Competition Rules for
Athletes
· Athletes are expected to go to all meets unless otherwise noted.
·
Arrive to the competition at the scheduled
stretch time as assigned by the coach.
·
Hair should be neatly pulled back in a bun on
the crown of the head. Coaches will instruct the athletes as to the best way to
wear their hair.
·
Athletes will wear the appropriate leotard at
all competitions. No finger polish or jewelry other than post earrings is
allowed on the competitive floor. Sports bras may not show including matching
ones.
· When an athlete arrives at the competition, she should report to the coaches right away.
·
Athletes will always cheer for their teammates
and be courteous to gymnasts from other teams.
·
Athletes will always show respect for the judges
and other coaches at the competition
·
Athletes should always have an 2 extra copies of
their music
·
Athletes should stay for awards and always wear
either their leotard or warm up. Athletes may not wear jeans or other street clothes
on the award stand. (This is a USAG rule)
Gymnast Expectations at
·
Respect
o Help
keep the facility clean
o Help
clean up mats when your group is finished with them
o Keep
the locker room neat by keeping all of your belongings in your locker
o Be
mindful of all of the other gymnasts practicing here and watch out for little
kids in the gym
·
Respect
Coaches
o Trust
that they have your best interests in mind
o Follow
directions
o Speak
and listen respectfully
o Be
honest in relaying information to coaches and parents
·
Respect
Teammates
o Only
kind words to other gymnasts
o No
gossip or talking about others
o Help
other gymnasts when they’re down
o Be
respectful of other gymnasts’ lockers and personal belongings
·
Communicate
to coaches all of the following:
o Fear
o Pain
o Injuries
o Frustrations
o Schedule
changes (coming late, leaving early, missing practices, etc.)
·
Ask
coach’s permission before leaving the practice for:
o Drinks
o Bathroom
o Using
the phone
o Any
other reason
·
Take care
of injuries
o Know
the difference between an ache or pain and an injury – if not sure, communicate
pain to coach
o Communicate
injuries to coaches, work through aches and pains
o Do
injury workouts or conditioning to stay in shape through injuries
o Stay
with your team as much as possible on the events they are on
o Ice
injuries at home and at gymnastics
o Avoid
things that hurt your injury outside of gymnastics
·
Positive
Attitude
o Have
fun working hard
o Be
motivating to your teammates
o Remember
that negative attitudes spread, stay positive
·
Work
Ethic
o Use
time wisely to avoid wasted time for you or your teammates
o Stay
busy (ask coaches for additional work if you need it)
o Be
self-motivated: don’t wait for the
coaches to push you
o Always do your best
Disciplinary Actions – Unkind, unsafe, or improper behavior including breaking gym rules
will be handled as follows:
1st
time: warning
2nd time: Gymnast will be sent home. Will
discuss a punishment with parents if behavior continues.
3rd time: punishment enforced
Injured Athletes – are expected to participate in practice to the extent possible. It is often possible to work around injuries and to turn a difficult time into something positive by increased work on flexibility, strength, specific events, or specific skills.
Injury Credits- A meeting with the Head
Coach must be set up to discuss the situation.
The Head Coach, Parents and possibly the doctor involved will discuss
the extent of the injury and come up with allowable activities. As a general rule: If training hours are changed/reduced,
you will pay for the hours based on the Team rate schedule. – You will pay for
the time you come to the gym.
Rules and
Expectations for Parents
The parents are as much a part of our team as the athletes
and the coaches! We encourage all our parents to attend every competition and
to be involved in our program. But as parents you should be aware that as a
member of our team you are representing Red River Valley Gymnastics too! With
that in mind, a few guidelines for our parents during competitions & in the
gym are an order:
·
Cheer loud and often for all of the members of
our team and for any good performance that you see.
·
Promote Red River Valley Gymnastics in every way
that you feel is appropriate: T-shirts, banners and cheers – but never ever
speak in a negative way about another club, coach, gymnast or judge. We realize
that from time to time, you will hear other parents speak poorly about our team
but just keep in mind that the misinformation that they have is often coming
from frustration. Ignore it and never stoop down to that level! If you cannot
say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
·
Under no circumstance is a parent ever to
approach a judge before, during or after the competition to comment on,
complain about or even ask about a score.
·
Under USAG rules, only USAG professional
members, judges and persons assigned to assist with the competition are allowed
on the competitive floor. Parents should never come on to the competitive floor
unless requested to by one of our coaches. (in the case of serious injury or
major problem)
·
Please do not contact or talk to your gymnast
once they are on the competitive floor. We want them to focus all their energy
on the competition with as few distractions as possible. After the meet is
over, they will come to see you.
·
In case of injury during the competition, please
wait for your coach to give some indication that you should come onto the
competition floor. In most cases the injury will be relatively minor and the
coach and /or trainers will take care of it. Your daughter will continue her
competition and she will need to maintain her focus. In cases of more serious
injury, one of the coaches will come and get you.
· Please think about what you say to your child before and after the competition. Your child only wants your love and praise for her performance (no matter how it went) and how we say things makes a big difference –
Inappropriate
Comments More
Appropriate Comments
“You beat Sally” “You scored your highest yet!”
“I’ll give you $20 if you win today” “Do
your best and have fun”
“That judge always
scores you low” “Work hard and next time you’ll score
better”
“Why did you drop the ribbon?” “You did a great ball routine”
· Do not coach your child – When a parent starts to coach their child, they actually interfere with the very performance they are trying to improve. Please let the coaches do their job in the gym and on the competition floor. In addition to causing confusion for the child as to who they should listen to, it also interferes with the development of the coach/athlete bond which is critical to any long term success in the sport. Finally, do you think that the coaches do not notice that her legs are bent?! Of course, they notice and will at the appropriate time make the child aware of their error.
Danger signs for
Parents to be aware of –
· Do you praise or punish your child for what you observe during observation time?
· Do you find that your sense of worth and happiness depends on the success of your child?
· Do you constantly compare your child or her progress to others on the team or in competition?
· Do you verbally criticize the coaches, the gym and the program while sitting in the wait room or at competitions?
· Do you video tape every competition and require your child to review it at home with you- going over errors in slow motion, pointing out areas where you think the child could improve?
If you recognize any of these descriptions in yourself,
you probably need to reevaluate your actions, your role and your attitudes. Your
child is an individual. Your child will progress at her own pace based on her
own special talents and abilities. Please do not compare your child to others
in the gym. Our athletes although receiving the same coaching on every event will
progress at different paces. Fear, work ethic, attitude as well as talent will
all play a role in your child’s progression. Allow your child to progress at
her own pace and realize that the most important thing is that your child is
happy and safe.
Obviously, in gymnastics, the gymnast has enough
challenges to overcome, including maintaining concentration and confidence
while minimizing nervousness and fear. As parents, you can play a major part in
your gymnast’s success. Having your “radar” tuned into their needs and behavior
is the best way to ensure that they will live up to their potential!
Communication….
Please call the coaches for any coaching question, the front desk for any billing question, and the gym director for any general gym question. If we cannot help you, we will explain why and will work to find another way to answer your question. Complaining to other parents will not solve the problem, nor can we solve the problem if we do not know about it. If you have enough respect for us to allow us to spend so much time with your child and to play a large role in your child’s life, please respect us enough to know that we have your child’s best interest at heart. We will not tolerate idle gossiping about other gymnasts or the coaches in our waiting room. It should be realized that we are a private organization and although we value all our athletes and their families, we believe that if you are so unhappy with the gym & or coaches that you may be better off at another gym.
Communication in the gym can be a challenge – We
work hard to send home notices, meet information to you in a timely manner.
However, they often end up in the bottom of the gym bags. Please check your child’s
bag from time to time and get in the habit of asking if they received any notices
that day when you pick them up or when they arrive home.
Special problems – If your child is having problems in school with low grades or there is a special activity that she needs to attend and will be missing practices. NO problem but please let the staff know what is going on and why your child will be missing practices. On the other hand, missing practice may affect the progress of your child and everyone needs to accept this possibility.
Conferences with Coaches – Unless there is a major problem, we will not set up conferences with our coaches unless the coach requests one. In most cases, we can handle any problem by telephone or by communication between our front desk and the coaches. If there is a serious problem that needs private discussion, of course, we will set up a meeting in this case. Appointments with James and/or JJ can be made at the front desk and will be scheduled during their office hours. In most cases coach conferences will not be possible without an appointment. Two coaches will be present at all meetings.
Discipline: In most cases, discipline problems are minor and will be handled quickly and easily in the gym during the workout. In the event, which the situation continues either with a child or a parent, we will set up a conference to discuss the problems that we are having. In some cases, if this does not help, we will not take the athlete to any more competitions until we have solved the problem. If all else fails, we will ask the athlete and her family to leave our team. Although this is a last resort, it is sometimes necessary.
FEES – Tuition, Meet,
Coaching, Travel and Other
Team tuition is a commitment for a full year – The decision to join the Red River Valley Gymnastics team is a big one and reflects a commitment to the team for the entire year. Team members do not move on and off the team based on illness, injury, conflicts, or vacations. There are no discounts for missed workouts. Team members are allowed to take two weeks off during the membership year (September 1st – August 31) in addition to the two down weeks scheduled by the Team Directors.
- The
annual membership fee will be charged with your September tuition. The membership fee will include the
following charges ---
- Vacation
Credits: All Girls, Boys, Rhythmic,
Junior Acro and Senior Acro
team members will have 2 weeks credit (based on the number of days
attending each week) placed on your account. You may use these days in any way you
wish, one at a time or all at once.
Simply complete the Vacation Credit form at the front desk. Also, please be advised that the
vacation credits have already been deducted from your fees, so there will
not be any further deductions when you use them.
How
are your fees calculated? Very simply,
everyone attending practice is on an hourly rate based on the number of hours
they attend each week. This weekly rate
is then multiplied by 52 (52 weeks per year) and then 4 weeks are deducted from
the Annual fee. The adjusted annual fee
is divided by 12 to give you your monthly fee.
Simple right?
Example: Level 5 Girls Team Athlete
# hours per week =
10.5hrs/week
Rate per hour = $3.41 Rate per week = $35.81
Annual Rate (weekly rate x 52
weeks) = $1861.86
Deduct 4 Weeks ($143.24) =
$1718.64
Monthly Rate: $143.22
RRVGC
Leave Policy
- If circumstances apply that a gymnast must be absent for a month
during off season, a meeting with the head coach must be made to discuss
options and determine eligibility to join the team again.
- If a gymnast decides to drop from team, a meeting needs to be set up
with the head coach to discuss options.
Parents are responsible for tuition until a meeting takes place.
- If a former gymnast decides to join again, a meeting with the head
coach needs to be set up to discuss options.
- If a gymnast is absent for 4 weeks or more without paying, they will
be dropped from team. Tuition is
still expected to be paid, all efforts will be
made to make contact with the family regarding payments. After 60 days past due, the account will
be sent to collections.
To re-enroll onto
team, the policy is:
- A meeting with the head coach needs to be set up to discuss
options.
- Gymnast is put on probation for 2 months and will pay by the gym’s
open rate.
Meet
Entry Fees: Athletes will be responsible to pay entry fees to Red River
Valley Gymnastics by deadline dates for any meet that they are planning on
attending. Red River Valley Gymnastics will send in entry fees for all athletes
who have paid the fee to the appropriate meet host. Athletes who have not paid
the fee will not be entered in the competition. Entry fees received after the
deadline date will be assessed a $25.00 late fee (provided it is not too late
to enter the athlete in the competition.) Only
athletes that are current on their Booster and Gym fees will be registered for
the meets.
REFUNDS of Meet Entry Fees: Each competition will have their own deadline and rules for refunds. There are no guarantees that if you scratch from a competition that you will receive a refund. In most cases, if you scratch at least 60 days prior to the event, you should receive a refund. If you cancel 2 weeks or less prior to the date of the meet, you will NOT receive a refund. If your child cannot attend a competition, you need to contact the office immediately and we will notify the meet host. IF & WHEN we receive the refund, we will credit your account. Please do not subtract the entry fee from your tuition on your own.
Coaches
Fees for Meets: Parents are
responsible for coaching fees for all meets regardless of attendance.
Athletes
Travel Fees: All athletes and their families will be responsible for their
own travel expenses to competitions. For all in state meets, each family will
be responsible to make their own hotel and travel arrangements. The gym will
provide host hotel information and times of competitions as soon as it is
available.
Private Lessons: These are optional lessons. The gym does not require private lessons. All private lessons must be set up through our secretary. Coaches’ fees will be specified and payment is due at the time of the lesson. Lessons will only be scheduled during a normal operating hours and when the coaches do not have workout or classes. Private lessons will only be scheduled for athletes who are current on their tuition.
RED RIVER VALLEY GYMNASTICS
RHYTHMIC
GYMNAST
NAME: ___________________________________
ADDRESS: ___________________________________
PHONE: ___________________________________
SCHOOL
and GRADE: ___________________________________
GYMNAST’S
E-MAIL: ___________________________________
PARENTS
FATHER: ___________________________________
WORK
PHONE: ___________________________________
CELL
PHONE: ___________________________________
MOTHER: ___________________________________
WORK
PHONE: ___________________________________
CELL
PHONE: ___________________________________
E-MAIL
ADDRESS: ___________________________________
I, as a parent of
a Red River Valley Gymnastics gymnast, have gone through and agree to abide by
the rules and expectations of parents set forth in the Team Handbook.
Name___________________________________ Date________________