Showing posts with label COUSAG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COUSAG. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Back at Gymnastika!
After that horrendous knee injury, and over 4 months out of the gym and on crutches, Emily's back with her friends over at Gymnastika! I had her at Highland Hills and hoped she would want to stay there a little longer because it's not such a far drive, but the moment the doc released her, she begged to go back to Gay Lindsay's. She loves her coach. Even though the ortho doc hates girls in gymnastics, Emily has other ideas as to what she wants to do with herself. Emily's been working beam and bars and working hard on conditioning. It won't be long before she's back in competition form.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Secret US Classic 2012 - 5th grade continuation
Today's the day for the US Secret Classic. Polina Shchennikova of TIGAR competed today as a Junior. She placed 2nd on bars with a 14.4, and finished 9th overall. Not bad, Polina! Here's her Uneven Bars Routine (courtesy of USA Gymnastics):
Simone Biles scored a 16.05 on the vault (Wow) and won the All Around with a score of 58.15. Here's that FABULOUS vault (courtesy of USA Gymnastics):
Polina's little sister Alyona placed 1st on bars during the HOPES Compulsory Session at the Secret Classic.
This evening the Senior Elite girls competed for a shot to the VISA Classic. It was also Nastia Liukin's debut back to the sport and it was a great comeback (courtesy of Universal Sports)
Meanwhile, Emily graduated from Elementary School on Thursday and here's the video (courtesy Aunt Jean McCawley):
Emily spent the night at her best friend Megan's house so that she could kick back and relax. It's been alot of work in the gym lately and she really needs this break. We're off of the gym schedule for the entire week. I don't think I'll know what to do with myself. I just might get my car cleaned out and my house clean for once!
While at Gymnastika yesterday, more future x-TIGARS are coming to see what Gay has to offer. I don't know exactly what's happening over there, but obviously it was a bad business move on TIGAR's part.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday morning practice in May
Today the girls are practicing their dance routines for the upcoming banquet this next week. We have a new coach at the gym. Her name is Kelly and she was Emily's dance coach at TIGAR.
When Emily was at TIGAR she hated attending Kelly's class at night after practice. I think it was because there were over 25 girls in the class and it was at 7:45 at night. Now Emily couldn't be happier to learn from Kelly. This morning Emily's benefitting from actually being able to listen to Kelly without distractions. I wish she had been able to do that in the past.
With the smaller class sizes at Gymnastika Emily has really been able to improve on her skills and learn new ones.
Today I have heard that yet another girl from Emily's old gym is defecting to another local gym. You can't win friends and influence people when your paying clients figure out that your Gym was developed for one child and one purpose only. It's no secret that purpose does not include growing the actual business. If that Jungle Cat continues to run at a loss I doubt seriously that the cumulative investments will continue to keep that business afloat. Good luck with that. Tigars don't change their stripes and when they start to eat the villagers, eventually they're euthanized.
Have a great Mother's Day all!
When Emily was at TIGAR she hated attending Kelly's class at night after practice. I think it was because there were over 25 girls in the class and it was at 7:45 at night. Now Emily couldn't be happier to learn from Kelly. This morning Emily's benefitting from actually being able to listen to Kelly without distractions. I wish she had been able to do that in the past.
With the smaller class sizes at Gymnastika Emily has really been able to improve on her skills and learn new ones.
Today I have heard that yet another girl from Emily's old gym is defecting to another local gym. You can't win friends and influence people when your paying clients figure out that your Gym was developed for one child and one purpose only. It's no secret that purpose does not include growing the actual business. If that Jungle Cat continues to run at a loss I doubt seriously that the cumulative investments will continue to keep that business afloat. Good luck with that. Tigars don't change their stripes and when they start to eat the villagers, eventually they're euthanized.
Have a great Mother's Day all!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Happy Mother's Day to YOU, the Gym Rat's Mom
Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends that I've met over the years at different Gymnastics Clubs!
Thank you USA Gymnastics and Proctor and Gamble for the following video:
I also believe my daughter Emily will do great things after her days of competition are behind her.
Right now Emily is training 26 hours a week at Gymnastika, in Arvada, CO, she loves every moment and is truly dedicated to her sport. I ask her daily if she's still up for this schedule, and the answer is always the same "I love to compete, Mom! I want to be Elite!" So, as long as she makes the effort, I will be there to support her, but I often remind her there's a life outside the gym, that her schoolwork and friendships outside of the gym are just as important.
Today I finally had a little time to watch my daughter's practice. I had not watched a practice since January as my company's busy season kept me running ragged. When I got there, a half an hour before practice was over, my daughter and her group (Level 6's and 7's) were on the floor practicing tumbling passes. It was Emily's turn as I watched her complete her back handspring, back layout I was shocked at how much height she was able to get in her back layout on a spring floor, not on a trampoline. She took my breath away. It's moments like that one that keep us, the parents inspired to continue to support our children in this sport. Emily, labeled a problem child with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD, now channels her frustrations in tumbling passes, switch leaps and twists. How she amazes and inspires me...
It takes an enormous amount of commitment - both time and resources - to support your gymnast in her goal of mastering this sport with no guarantee that she will make it to collegiate level, much less Elite status, but as parents we are there for our children because we love them and want the best for them. We'll all be there to support our children no matter what in whatever they choose as their passion.
On a side note:
As we approach a new competition season, since I've been asked by several of my friends about Booster Club rules and regs, here is a great link to all things legal regarding Booster Clubs, what the Gym can, and can not force the parent to do. My best advice to you is to educate yourself and ask for documentation of proof that there is actually a legal organization that is bound by your State's Fundraising laws. Any legal organization's documentation should be on file with your Secretary of State's office as well.
Word to the wise: Booster Club Board of Directors are liable for any errors and omissions of legality and should be protected by Directors and Officers insurance policy to protect them against any "errors or omissions" in Booster Club acts and/or policies. A Board Member can be sued personally for any mistakes made by the Club.
Please click here and educate yourself prior to committing your precious resources:
and please check out The truth about Individual Fundraising Accounts
I also believe my daughter Emily will do great things after her days of competition are behind her.
Right now Emily is training 26 hours a week at Gymnastika, in Arvada, CO, she loves every moment and is truly dedicated to her sport. I ask her daily if she's still up for this schedule, and the answer is always the same "I love to compete, Mom! I want to be Elite!" So, as long as she makes the effort, I will be there to support her, but I often remind her there's a life outside the gym, that her schoolwork and friendships outside of the gym are just as important.
Today I finally had a little time to watch my daughter's practice. I had not watched a practice since January as my company's busy season kept me running ragged. When I got there, a half an hour before practice was over, my daughter and her group (Level 6's and 7's) were on the floor practicing tumbling passes. It was Emily's turn as I watched her complete her back handspring, back layout I was shocked at how much height she was able to get in her back layout on a spring floor, not on a trampoline. She took my breath away. It's moments like that one that keep us, the parents inspired to continue to support our children in this sport. Emily, labeled a problem child with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD, now channels her frustrations in tumbling passes, switch leaps and twists. How she amazes and inspires me...
It takes an enormous amount of commitment - both time and resources - to support your gymnast in her goal of mastering this sport with no guarantee that she will make it to collegiate level, much less Elite status, but as parents we are there for our children because we love them and want the best for them. We'll all be there to support our children no matter what in whatever they choose as their passion.
On a side note:
As we approach a new competition season, since I've been asked by several of my friends about Booster Club rules and regs, here is a great link to all things legal regarding Booster Clubs, what the Gym can, and can not force the parent to do. My best advice to you is to educate yourself and ask for documentation of proof that there is actually a legal organization that is bound by your State's Fundraising laws. Any legal organization's documentation should be on file with your Secretary of State's office as well.
Word to the wise: Booster Club Board of Directors are liable for any errors and omissions of legality and should be protected by Directors and Officers insurance policy to protect them against any "errors or omissions" in Booster Club acts and/or policies. A Board Member can be sued personally for any mistakes made by the Club.
Please click here and educate yourself prior to committing your precious resources:
and please check out The truth about Individual Fundraising Accounts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday morning workouts and dance, is she up to it?
Last night was the Christmas dinner for the Gymnastika students. It was so very nice, with great food, good company and great entertainment. The Gymnastika girls performed Christmas dance routines and they all did such a wonderful job! Emily seems to be fitting in rather well. The atmosphere seems much more relaxed, something that I in particular needed.
Our prayers go out to the DeYoung family.
When we were at a large gymnastics facility with more families/team members it seems that there's always someone talking smack about someone else and the rumor mill runs rampant. There's always someone vying for top placement of their child. (The kid needs to do the work, girls. It ain't your ride.) My kid wants to do this and it really helps keep her in check, that's the only reason why I pay for it, not to try to gain some upper-societal standing. I could care less about things of that nature. I can spot a manipulator at 25 paces, and those that wish to throw the fecal matter at the fan, soon realize that I possess a bigger fan and can cover a wider area with far less effort, so please don't ever threaten me, you'll just never know what side of the table I might be on when next we meet. My most favorite movie quote of all time comes from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/quotes?qt=qt0443462 "Face it girls, I am older and have more insurance."
This morning, Emily balked at getting up and going. She wanted to stay home and sleep. I think it's the transition to early morning practices. So, I made her get up and go anyway. In the car, on the way to the gym we stopped at McD's for breakfast. As soon as she got a an Egg McMuffin into her, Emily started to look forward to getting in the gym. By the time we got there she was jumping out of the car to run into class. I sat there for a short while drinking my steaming hot McD coffee to watch Emily's first dance class. She's with the "big girls" now, and is picking up the choreography very quickly. I sat back and watched for about 1/2 an hour, now it's time for me to get crackin' on finishing up Christmas, so I'd better get a move on.
2:00 pm
Well, must have been a good day. By the time we got home, Emily was fast asleep in the back seat. This just might work out rather well! She's TIRED. This kid's NEVER TIRED. Maybe I can finally get her internal clock set to a more normalized time.
Today Emily was with the Level 7's and worked with both Alexei and Gay. She worked on her front-hand-spring front-tuck, one handed back walkover, standing-front-handspring-stepout and her dance routine. So far it's been a good day...
Our prayers go out to the DeYoung family.
When we were at a large gymnastics facility with more families/team members it seems that there's always someone talking smack about someone else and the rumor mill runs rampant. There's always someone vying for top placement of their child. (The kid needs to do the work, girls. It ain't your ride.) My kid wants to do this and it really helps keep her in check, that's the only reason why I pay for it, not to try to gain some upper-societal standing. I could care less about things of that nature. I can spot a manipulator at 25 paces, and those that wish to throw the fecal matter at the fan, soon realize that I possess a bigger fan and can cover a wider area with far less effort, so please don't ever threaten me, you'll just never know what side of the table I might be on when next we meet. My most favorite movie quote of all time comes from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/quotes?qt=qt0443462 "Face it girls, I am older and have more insurance."
This morning, Emily balked at getting up and going. She wanted to stay home and sleep. I think it's the transition to early morning practices. So, I made her get up and go anyway. In the car, on the way to the gym we stopped at McD's for breakfast. As soon as she got a an Egg McMuffin into her, Emily started to look forward to getting in the gym. By the time we got there she was jumping out of the car to run into class. I sat there for a short while drinking my steaming hot McD coffee to watch Emily's first dance class. She's with the "big girls" now, and is picking up the choreography very quickly. I sat back and watched for about 1/2 an hour, now it's time for me to get crackin' on finishing up Christmas, so I'd better get a move on.
2:00 pm
Well, must have been a good day. By the time we got home, Emily was fast asleep in the back seat. This just might work out rather well! She's TIRED. This kid's NEVER TIRED. Maybe I can finally get her internal clock set to a more normalized time.
Today Emily was with the Level 7's and worked with both Alexei and Gay. She worked on her front-hand-spring front-tuck, one handed back walkover, standing-front-handspring-stepout and her dance routine. So far it's been a good day...
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Level 5 Saturday Morning, Great Job Megan!
For some time I have watched little Megan Jackson struggle through every skill, desperately trying to keep up. She's got the perfect gymnast body, but has had so many challenges to overcome in her short life. She and I are in the same club, this is what I told her when she told me her Mom had died and I knew how she felt. She only knows me as "Emily's Mother". Which is funny, I remember calling Jimmy Daly's mother "Jimmy Daly's Mother", kind of sing songy, like Megan does now to me. But it's usually when she's getting off the bus from school into the gym... "Emily's Mother... can you braid my hair?" :-) I am going to miss that... Laura, you're doing the braiding now and she looks beautiful!
Meet after meet, my heart would go out to Megan, her disappointments on not earning enough points to make it to State, not getting a "real" medal, just a "participation" medal... To see her cry into Dad's shoulder because she just couldn't reach her goal, and then I'd look at my kid who wins everything in sight, and cries when she doesn't get a "real" medal in all events... and want to stomp her guts for being so insensitive... well today was a Mastercard Moment for all.
Not only did Megan get a "real" medal in every event, she podiumed with a 2nd place win on Beam and placed 6th All Around in the Junior A Division! The look on her face was in fact "priceless"! The look on Dad's face was a Kodak moment, but for me, the best was when she ran up to jump into the arms of her "new" mom, Laura.
This was good for Emily too. She was so proud of her friend Megan. She also finally realized how much the medals really mean when you work so hard and they're just out of your grasp...
Today was a good day. Megan's hard work finally paid off. She got her chance to shine. She's such a beautiful little thing and I thank God that I have been privileged to bear witness to her success today.
Emily goes tomorrow. I pray she keeps her cool.
Meet after meet, my heart would go out to Megan, her disappointments on not earning enough points to make it to State, not getting a "real" medal, just a "participation" medal... To see her cry into Dad's shoulder because she just couldn't reach her goal, and then I'd look at my kid who wins everything in sight, and cries when she doesn't get a "real" medal in all events... and want to stomp her guts for being so insensitive... well today was a Mastercard Moment for all.
Not only did Megan get a "real" medal in every event, she podiumed with a 2nd place win on Beam and placed 6th All Around in the Junior A Division! The look on her face was in fact "priceless"! The look on Dad's face was a Kodak moment, but for me, the best was when she ran up to jump into the arms of her "new" mom, Laura.
This was good for Emily too. She was so proud of her friend Megan. She also finally realized how much the medals really mean when you work so hard and they're just out of your grasp...
Today was a good day. Megan's hard work finally paid off. She got her chance to shine. She's such a beautiful little thing and I thank God that I have been privileged to bear witness to her success today.
Emily goes tomorrow. I pray she keeps her cool.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Eleven Days to COUSAG Level 5 State Championships
Eleven days to the Level 5 Colorado State Gymnastics Championships..
I don't know how COUSAG determines what gym is granted hosting the State Championships but I have to say taking the largest teams and cramming them into the smallest gym wasn't the smartest idea in the world. Also placing a disclaimer on the information provided to deter people from coming to watch also isn't a good idea considering the expense involved in getting a kid to a State Championship - my extended family would love to see the result of all that hard work, but I've informed them that seating would be an issue.
TIGAR may not have the best view of the floor routines, but by God, they have enough room to handle spectators! As the Vice President of the TIGAR Booster Club, I can assure you that we would have been able to make the spectators feel welcome and comfortable. I truly hope that our gym decides to bid on a State Meet next year.
Today Emily is in the school spelling bee. She really hasn't had a lot of time to practice on her spelling words because she's been practicing for the State Meet - I hope she does well. She didn't practice last year either, but she made it past the 4th or 5th round! Hey, she made it - I'll be there at 1:30 to support her.
Emily seems to be improving her core strength, even though she's sore. She just might get her kip back by State. She actually got it back during her privates with Svetlana. Svetlana's a miracle worker and knows my whining child well. I pray Emily has improved her bar and vault scores. She's way too hard on herself and wants to win everything in sight, but hey, she's going to have to condition more to reach her goals. There's only one way to get good at gymnastics, and that's based on conditioning your body beyond just regular exercize. I asked her again this morning if she wanted to continue in competitive gymnastics after this State Meet. She told me she's going to the Olympics. Whether she gets there or not, I have no choice but to support her in this dream. Who knows? Out of all three of my girls, Emily's got the tenacity of a bulldog.
I just now found out the schedue for the State Level 5 meet,
TIGAR Gymnasts Who Will Compete in this Session:
· Audrey Brandt
· Violet Erling
· Dasha Romanov
· Jaylynn Haertel
· Kailee Jorgensen
· Kalise Newson
· Joslynn Pulido
· Emily Boyet
· Tess Ackerman
We've got a really big group here for the final session. We don't know what age levels they'll be in, but I believe that it will be broken down into 4 age categories.
The Level 6 girls go to State this weekend - good luck Megan Groel and the rest of the Level 6 TIGARS! Good luck to Lauren, Carly and Ilona at the TOPS camp this weekend and it's a shame that you all can't be at State this year - so make your mark at Karoly's while you're there. You're all winners!
I don't know how COUSAG determines what gym is granted hosting the State Championships but I have to say taking the largest teams and cramming them into the smallest gym wasn't the smartest idea in the world. Also placing a disclaimer on the information provided to deter people from coming to watch also isn't a good idea considering the expense involved in getting a kid to a State Championship - my extended family would love to see the result of all that hard work, but I've informed them that seating would be an issue.
TIGAR may not have the best view of the floor routines, but by God, they have enough room to handle spectators! As the Vice President of the TIGAR Booster Club, I can assure you that we would have been able to make the spectators feel welcome and comfortable. I truly hope that our gym decides to bid on a State Meet next year.
Today Emily is in the school spelling bee. She really hasn't had a lot of time to practice on her spelling words because she's been practicing for the State Meet - I hope she does well. She didn't practice last year either, but she made it past the 4th or 5th round! Hey, she made it - I'll be there at 1:30 to support her.
Emily seems to be improving her core strength, even though she's sore. She just might get her kip back by State. She actually got it back during her privates with Svetlana. Svetlana's a miracle worker and knows my whining child well. I pray Emily has improved her bar and vault scores. She's way too hard on herself and wants to win everything in sight, but hey, she's going to have to condition more to reach her goals. There's only one way to get good at gymnastics, and that's based on conditioning your body beyond just regular exercize. I asked her again this morning if she wanted to continue in competitive gymnastics after this State Meet. She told me she's going to the Olympics. Whether she gets there or not, I have no choice but to support her in this dream. Who knows? Out of all three of my girls, Emily's got the tenacity of a bulldog.
I just now found out the schedue for the State Level 5 meet,
TIGAR Gymnasts Who Will Compete in this Session:
· Audrey Brandt
· Violet Erling
· Dasha Romanov
· Jaylynn Haertel
· Kailee Jorgensen
· Kalise Newson
· Joslynn Pulido
· Emily Boyet
· Tess Ackerman
We've got a really big group here for the final session. We don't know what age levels they'll be in, but I believe that it will be broken down into 4 age categories.
The Level 6 girls go to State this weekend - good luck Megan Groel and the rest of the Level 6 TIGARS! Good luck to Lauren, Carly and Ilona at the TOPS camp this weekend and it's a shame that you all can't be at State this year - so make your mark at Karoly's while you're there. You're all winners!
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