Technique Magazine - November/December 2015

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015– VOL. 35 – #6

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF USA GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY

EATING DISORDERS VS. DISORDERED EATING —WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?___________GYMNASTICS FOR ALL___________THE SERVICE GENE, PART 2, Touch Points that WOW! —Does everything you say and do embody your service brand?

THE USA GYMNASTICS NATIONAL CONGRESS

AND TRADE SHOWRECAP

___________TOP 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER

FOR SUCCESS IN COMPULSORY FLOOR

... AND MORE!

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EVENTSE V E N T S S C H E D U L E

2015NOVEMBER11 – 15 Future Stars Champs. and Coaches Colorado Springs, CO Workshop (M)25 – 28 World Championships (TT) Odense, Denmark

DECEMBER2 – 5 World Age Group Competitions (TT) Odense, Denmark

2016FEBRUARY18 – 20 Winter Cup Challenge (M) Las Vegas, NV

MARCH4 Nastia Liukin Cup (W) Newark, NJ5 AT&T American Cup (M/W) Newark, NJ

APRIL8 – 10 Pacific Rim Championships (M/W/R/TR) Everett, WA14 – 16 NCAA National Championships (M) Columbus, OH

15 – 17 NCAA National Championships (W) Ft. Worth, TX16 – 24 Olympic Test Events (M/W/R/TR) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil28 – May 1 JO East Championships (W) Virginia Beach, VA 28 – May 1 JO West Championships (W) Missoula, MT

MAY6 – 8 JO National Championships (W) Fort Worth, TX

JUNE3–5 P&G Championships (Sr. M) / Hartford, CT Secret U.S. Classic (W)8–13 USA Gymnastics Championships Providence, RI 23–26 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (M) / St. Louis, MO P&G Championships (W/Jr. M)

JULY8–10 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (W) San Jose, CA

AUGUST5–21 Olympic Games (M/W/R/TR) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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.

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PUBLISHER Steve Penny

EDITOR Scott Bregman

GRAPHIC DESIGNERJeannie Shaw

USA GYMNASTICS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair: Peter Vidmar Vice-Chair: Paul Parilla Secretary: Gary Anderson Treasurer: Jim MorrisNational Membership – Women: Tom KollNational Membership – Women: Kelli Hill National Membership – Men: Yoichi Tomita National Membership – Men: Tom MeadowsNational Membership – Rhythmic: Brooke Bushnell-TooheyNational Membership – Trampoline & Tumbling: Peter DoddNational Membership – Acrobatic Gymnastics: Dr. Jay BinderAdvisory Council: Mike BurnsAdvisory Council: Casey KoenigAdvisory Council: Rome Milan Athlete Director – Women: Alicia SacramoneAthlete Director – Men: John RoethlisbergerAthlete Director – Rhythmic: Ava GehringerAthlete Director – Trampoline & Tumbling: Karl HegerAthlete Director – Acrobatic Gymanstics: Michael RodriguesPublic Sector: David BenckPublic Sector: Bitsy KelleyPublic Sector: Jim MorrisPublic Sector: Mary Lou Retton

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, 132 E. Washington St., Suite 700, Indianapolis, IN 46204 .

TECHNIQUE is published bi-monthly by USA Gymnastics, 132 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 2015 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.

DEPARTMENTS 2 EVENT SCHEDULE

4 INSIDE USA GYMNASTICS MESSAGE 29 FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

43 UNIVERSITY LIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

45 MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE

47 CLASSIFIEDS

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF USA GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY

FEATURES 7 ST. VINCENT SPORTS PERFORMANCE— EATING DISORDERS VS. DISORDERED EATING — WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? By Sigornie Pfefferle, MS, RD St. Vincent Sports Performance Fellow 12 GYMNASTICS FOR ALL 20 THE SERVICE GENE, PART 2 TOUCH POINTS THAT WOW! —Does everything you say and do embody your service brand?

24 THE USA GYMNASTICS NATIONAL CONGRESS AND TRADE SHOW

32 TOP 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR SUCCESS IN COMPULSORY FLOOR

38 PARENT EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

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7

12

COVER: Demonstration from the 2015 National Congress.

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earning an Olympic spot for Team USA. Our rhythmic group also qualified to the Games, marking the first time they have qualified for the Olympics. In Glasgow, the U.S. Women turned in incredible performances led by Simone Biles who captured her 3rd straight World all-round title, while the team captured its 4th consecutive team gold medal including the 2012 Olympics. Our men’s team finished 5th, punching their ticket to Rio despite the absence of three of its perennial team members. In November, the USA’s trampoline athletes have their first chance to secure trips to the Games at the World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships in Odense, Denmark.

The end of the year also heralds the beginning of the Junior Olympic season. It’s an exciting time for our athletes and coaches to show off all of their hard work and new skills. I know I am looking forward to some fun at the local meets in Indiana, as well as the Nastia Liukin Cup in

March which is the crowning showcase of our invitational season.

In this issue, we highlight the various award winners across our five competitive disciplines, as well as member services and the 2015 Hall of Fame class. These individuals have gone above in beyond in serving our sport and once again highlight our motto, Success is a Team Effort.

2016 has the potential to become another watershed moment for USA Gymnastics, and we hope everyone will support the journey of our top athletes while they pursue their dreams at the highest level.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season, and here’s to a great 2016!

See you in the gym,

Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President & CEO

It is hard to believe that we are less than 10 months from the beginning of the 2016 Olympic Games. Traditionally,

the Olympic year is a great year for gymnastics, and now is the time for our Member Clubs to begin preparing for the increased interest in gymnastics created by the athletic achievements, and the extensive television, media and social media coverage in the Olympic year.

Whether your focus is recreational or competitive, the energy created in an Olympic year can be harnessed to build the base of gymnastics participation at all levels, and USA Gymnastics Member Services is developing a tool kit to help members exploit the message of the Olympics.

The USA’s top athletes are working hard to get ready for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next year. In September, Laura Zeng made history at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships by finishing eighth place in the all-around and

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FEATUREFEATURES I G O R N I E P F E F F E R L E , M S , R D S T . V I N C E N T S P O R T S P E R F O R M A N C E F E L L O W

Today’s world places a great deal of emphasis on body perception, weight, diet, and exercise. Unfortunately, research shows that nearly

50% of the population faces some type of un-healthy or disordered relationship with food, body image, and exercise. Compare this to the much lower rates of diagnosed clinical eating disorders at about 3% of the general population, and you can see that disordered eating has a much broader impact than an eating disorder (Hoek). In addition, taking part in activities that place a high emphasis on leanness and physique, such as gymnastics, puts individuals at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder and/or disordered eating (Thompson). Bottom line, disordered eating is extremely common and can be just as dangerous and problemat-ic to an individual’s health both in the short and long term, and can ultimately manifest itself into an eating disorder. The ques-tion becomes then, how do you differentiate between an eating disorder and disor-dered eating?

The American Psy-chiatric Association’s classification and di-agnostic tool, the

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Men-tal Disorders — V (DSM-V), lists four distinct types of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Each disor-

der has specific diagnostic criteria that must be met before an individual can

be given that diagnosis. Not meeting the criteria for any of these eating

disorders though does not mean an individual has, and is maintaining, a healthy relationship with food and weight. They could in fact be deal-ing with disordered eating, which still puts them at risk both physi-cally and mentally.

Distinguishing between an eat-ing disorder and disordered eating is often a very gray area due to the overlapping signs and symptoms seen in both scenarios. The dif-ference truly lies in the degree and frequency of those signs and symptoms. For instance, an in-dividual with disordered eating may exhibit some of the same behaviors and/or practices as someone with an eating disor-

der; however, those

EATING DISORDERS DISORDERED EATING W H A T I S T H E D I F F E R E N C E ?

VS.


with disordered eating exhibit/act on those behaviors with less frequen-cy and/or lower level of severity than the individual with an eating disor-der. In essence, disordered eating is any irregular or unhealthy eating be-havior and/or attitude, which can, but does not always, stem from a tempo-rary stressor (athletic events, illness, emotional trauma, etc.). This is not to say that disordered eating should not be taken seriously. While disor-dered eating is usually not as severe as an eating disorder, it can still have adverse consequences to an individ-ual’s health, and has the potential of developing into an eating disorder if left untreated. This is especially true in athletes as mismanaged fueling can result in increased risk of injury

and/or decreased ability to perform or recover.

One disordered eating classifica-tion that has seen a rise in incidence in the athletic community is Orthorex-ia Nervosa (ON). With this particular type of disordered eating, an individu-al becomes fixated on eating “healthy” or consuming the “right” or “clean” foods. ON often begins with the desire to improve performance by enhanc-ing nutrition and eventually develops into a “good vs. bad” food approach to eating. This ultimately results in miss-ing too many foods or food groups and the vital nutrients that they pro-vide. Individuals with ON are generally not motivated by fear of weight gain or body fat/body image, but rather on

how foods affect their bodies. An im-portant distinction between ON and healthy eating is how ON impacts so-cial life. Those with ON often isolate themselves and avoid situations where food options are not in their control. They spend a great deal of time and energy thinking about food, planning meals, and finding “acceptable” foods.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMSBoth eating disorders and disordered eating have telltale “red-flags”; yet these red flags remain constant with an eating disorder and are general-ly more temporary or sporadic with disordered eating. These red flags include:

· Restrictive dieting/skipping meals

DISORDERED EATING EATING DISORDERSANOREXIA NERVOSA BULIMIA NERVOSA BINGE EATING DISORDER

• Atypical eating patterns/habits (inconsistent eating frequency, possible binging, skipping meals/snacks)

• Avoidance of eating in social situations

• Self worth or self esteem issues

• Refusal to eat certain foods/food groups

• Excessive and/or rigid exercise regime

• Inadequate food intake

• Dramatic weight loss

• Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, dieting

• Frequent comments about feeling/being “fat” or overweight

• Anxiety about gaining weight or being “fat:

• Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food

• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen (despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury)

• Withdrawal from usual friends/activities

• Obsession with weight

• Self-esteem based heavily on body image

• Self-esteem overly related to body image

• Frequent episodes of consuming very large amounts of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain (e.g. self-induced vomiting)

• Evidence of purging include frequent trips to the bathroom after meals; presence of laxative/diuretics wrappers/packages; signs/smells of vomiting

• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen

• Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area

• Calluses on back of hands and knuckles

• Discoloration/staining of the teeth

• Withdrawal from usual friends/activities

• Continued exercise despite injury; overuse injuries

• Periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling uncomfortably full

• Abnormal eating behaviors (e.g. no planned mealtimes; skipping meals; only eating small portions at regular meals; sporadic fasting or repetitive dieting)

• Developing food rituals (e.g. eating only a particular food/food group; not allowing foods to touch)

• Evidence includes disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time, excessive amount of empty food wrappers/containers

• Secretive food behaviors (e.g. eating alone/in the car; hiding wrappers; stealing, hiding, or hoarding food)

• Body weight fluctuations from normal to slightly overweight to obese

• Anxiety

• Feeling a need to please others

FEATUREFEATURES I G O R N I E P F E F F E R L E , M S , R D S T . V I N C E N T S P O R T S P E R F O R M A N C E F E L L O W

Below is a table describing some of the signs and symptoms associated with disordered eating and each eating disorder mentioned above: (Adapted from Gottlieb & Anderson)


· Binging

· Purging

· Laxative/diet pill use/abuse

PREVENTION & TREATMENTIt is important to be proactive when it comes to managing both disordered eating and eating disorders. Promot-ing positive body image and healthy relationships with food at home, school, practice, etc., and having that promotion come from multiple people (parents, coaches, teachers, team-mates, etc.) is key to starting off on the right foot with prevention and man-

agement/treatment. Also, being aware of the signs and symptoms and being in tune with athlete’s stress man-agement and fueling strategies will hopefully catch issues early on. Know-ing where to go for help is also crucial.

Registered dietitian nutritionists and psychologists are vital to the de-tection and treatment of disordered eating. Seeking out a registered dieti-tian for nutrition counseling is key as sometimes individuals are unaware their eating patterns are problematic or harmful.

For more information or guidance on finding support, visit The National Eating Disorder Association website (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/) or consult with your physician, dietitian, or psychologist.

REFERENCES:

1. Hoek, H.W., Van Hoeken, D. Review of the prevalence and incidence of eating disor-ders: International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2003; 34(4): 383-396

2. Thompson, R., Sherman, R. Athletes, Athletic Performance, and Eating Disorders: Healthi-er Alternatives. Journal of Social Issues. 1999; 55(2): 317-337

3. Noden, M. Dying to Win: Sports Illustrated. 1994

4. Gottlieb, C. Disordered Eating or Eating Disorder: What’s the Difference? Eating Dis-orders, Compulsions and Addictions Service of the William Alanson White Institute. 2014

5. Anderson, M. What is Disordered Eating? Eat Right. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2015.

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FEATUREFEATUREFEATUREB Y L U A N P E S Z E K

GYMNASTICS FOR ALLGymnastics for All is one of the eight

gymnastics sport disciplines officially recognized by the International Gym-nastics Federation. This diverse sport program has the largest gymnastics membership worldwide and provides opportunities and activities for all ages and levels of abilities. Gymnas-tics for All activities contribute to the development of general sport skills, fitness, health, important movement patterns and daily life skills.

Today, well over 30 million partici-pants of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds are taking part in Gym-nastics for All activities across the world. These figures support the fact

that Gymnastics for All is the sport for all elements of gymnastics and provides something for everyone.

Many clubs across the United States regularly participate in Gymnastics for All by hosting exhibitions, per-forming at local festivals, and end of year shows. Clubs also have the op-portunity to participate in Gymnastics for All with USA Gymnastics through local, national and international events. Each year, USA Gymnastics hosts the Gymnastics for All Nation-al Championships and GymFest. USA Gymnastics also organizes delega-tions to the World Gymnaestrada and World Gym For Life Challenge.

The diverse range of activities and opportunities available within Gym-nastics for All is what sets it apart from other disciplines and sports. Re-gardless of age, the opportunity to actively participate in Gymnastics for All is available. This includes children (5 years & under), adults (18–49 years) and seniors (50+ years). All ability and skill levels can participate.

Gymnastics for All is a dynamic sport with new forms of movement and/or adaptations of current movement forms being seen continu-ally across the world, reflecting unique national cultures and trends.

WHAT IS GYMNASTICS FOR ALL?


GYMNASTICS FOR ALL INCLUDES THREE TRACKS:1) NON-COMPETITIVE 2) COMPETITIVE 3) HUGS (Hope Unites Gymnastics with Special Athletes) which is a program for Special Needs athletes.

1) NON-COMPETITIVEThe following activity is included in non-competitive Gymnastics for All:

• GROUP PERFORMANCE Group Performance is

non-competitive and fun! It

consists of groups of gym-nasts performing to music. Often costumes, themes, props and apparatus are used to enhance the per-formance. Routines are typically three to 15 min-utes in length, depending on the event in which they are being performed. All types of gymnastics can be used to create the choreogra-phy with all ages and ability levels participating. Group Performances can be seen in recitals, performances at festivals, local GymFests, the Gymnastics for All Na-tional Championships and Gymfest and at the World Gymnaestrada.

The West Bend Dance Tumbling Troupe attended all 5 World Gymnaestradas since 1999 including per-formances in Sweden, Portugal, Austria, Swit-zerland and Finland. Jackie Maynard said, “The experience of a WG is like no other in the sporting world. Tens of thousands of athletes from around the world gather to perform their sport. Uninhibited by the ‘almighty race for a medal,’ the athletes genu-inely support, encourage,

share and relate to one an-other in a way that is unseen in a similar competitive are-na. All of my athletes return from a World Gymnnaestra-da as a ‘citizen of the world,’ and I believe that these pos-itive experiences open their eyes, and change them forever.”

“Group Performance re-quires athletes to work together as a team. They must execute skills of tum-bling, acro, dance & cheer while presenting it in pre-cision to music, and in an interesting way that keeps an audience’s attention for up to 15 minutes. That may include lavish costumes, ex-

tensive lighting, utilizing props, and unusual themes or music.”

“The majority of our club athlete/performers remain a part of the Troupe into their early 20s. The ability of coaches and choreogra-phers to modify skills and performance requirements for all body types and ages permit participant longevity in the physically demanding sport of gymnastics.”

GYMNASTICS FOR ALLcontinued ...


2) COMPETITIVE The following four activities are included in competitive Gymnastics for All:

• POWER TEAMGYM Power TeamGym squads of

athletes perform together in two events — Group Floor Exercise and Group Jump (tumbling, vault and mini tramp). Currently, there are 10 difficulty levels. Squads are made up of 6 to 14 gym-nasts and are judged as a team based on difficulty re-quirements and execution. Power TeamGym can be com-peted at local invitationals, at the Gymnastics for All Na-tional Championships and Gymfest and international invitationals.

Mandy Lister of Fliptastic! in Carmichael, Calif., said, “We love and support Power TeamGym because it empha-sizes teamwork. It’s a great program and every club should embrace it — it is un-tapped potential right in your own gym. Clubs can recruit athletes out of their recre-ational program to start new teams.”

“Our program has athletes from age 5 to high school. In our gym, the time commit-ment is only two days a week

for a few hours. Many of our athletes participate in other areas of gymnastics or other sports.”

“My tips for starting a pro-gram —Contact other coaches who already coach Power TeamGym. Attend a meet or watch videos online to see how a meet works. The Pow-er TeamGym community is

very helpful. You can start with a performance team or a single team of eight ath-letes. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions. My ad-vice when starting a team is

to start at a level that athletes can do the skills with great form and execution. Athletes should be competing skills that they can do great, not skills that they are still trying to master. Fliptastic! started a YouTube channel that helps other clubs see routines and give them information on how to get started. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/cwiseweis”

“I love coaching Power TeamGym because you get to pick your own instrumental music each year and create new choreography. The kids love learning new routines and skills each year. Compe-titions are exciting to watch. You don’t miss anything. You get to see each club com-pete their jump routine and floor routine. All the routines are back-to-back so the com-petition runs quickly. As a coach it is re-

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warding to see that TeamGym athletes now have opportuni-ties for college scholarships through NCATA Acrobatic and Tumbling.”

Cheryl Cupples of Showcase Gymnastics in Katy, Texas, says, “Power TeamGym is a great sport for gymnasts who still want the thrill of com-petition without requiring a huge time commitment. It provides a great foundation for beginner gymnasts, as it requires attention to detail and learning routines, and teaches confidence in pre-sentation. Power TeamGym teams can begin at the most basic level and increase to higher levels including boys and HUGS athletes!”

“The program builds ca-maraderie and a unique atmosphere of team spir-it. Many gymnasts stay longer because they are a part of a team, the time commitment is doable even with a busy high school schedule and it is fun!”

• ACROBATICS AND TUMBLING

Team A&T is broken into three divisions; Novice, Junior and Senior. All divisions are designed for the com-petitive athlete to develop the skill set needed to pur-sue advancement into NCATA (National Collegiate Acrobat-ics and Tumbling). Currently, 13 collegiate teams sponsor an Acrobatics and Tumbling team and scholarships are available. Teams compete in a head-to-head format in Acro, Pyramid, Toss, Tumbling and Team Routine categories.

Team A&T can be competed at local invitationals and the Gymnastics for All National Championships and Gymfest.

To learn more go to https://usagym.org/at

• USA GYM FOR LIFE CHALLENGE

Groups participate in the contest with a rou-tine of a maximum of 5 minutes, incorporating any gymnastics element with or without apparatus and ac-companied by music. These performances are evaluated on entertainment value, over-all impression, innovation, originality, variety and tech-nique (quality & skill safety). All groups participating in the contest are awarded either a gold, silver or bronze rank-ing. A Best in Show is named at the USA Gymnastics GfA Championships and GymFest by a vote of the other partici-pating groups.

• RHYTHMIC XPRESS Rhythmic Xpress is an

achievement-based pro-gram for individuals and groups. It provides easy ac-cess to rhythmic gymnas-tics for new students. It is an alternative program for recreationally competi-tive athletes and coaches. Achievement awards are giv-en based on the score. This program is meant to intro-duce a wider audience to Rhythmic Gymnastics. The Rhythmic Xpress program al-lows kids who want to play without high-level competi-tive aspirations the opportu-

nity to do so in an official USA Gymnastics setting. Rhythmic Xpress is similar to the Artistic Xcel program in that it allows an option for athletes to participate in gymnastics while also being active in school and outside activities.

Michele Zapple, Carolina Gymnastics Academy says, “My team has participated in both the Junior Olympic and Festival Rhythmic, now called Rhythmic Xpress, over the past 16 years. Rhythmic Xpress fits my families’ life-style the best. The families in my program have multiple children, who also do compet-itive sports. We live in a beach community with lots of things for children to do. Our prac-tice schedule is a twice a week commitment, which works well for my families. Rhythmic Xpress is very easy to under-stand and implement in any gymnastics school. For new coaches, or coaches with kids who love rhythmic but can’t commit to a heavy practice schedule, Rhythmic Xpress is perfect. It provides easy to understand judging forms and score sheets, and promotes a healthy environment!”

3) HUGS HUGS’, Hope Unites Gymnastics with Special Athletes, goal is to encom-pass all special needs competitive programs, which at this time include, Women’s Artistic, Festival Rhythmic, and Power TeamGym.

• HUGS WOMEN’S ARTISTIC The HUGS women’s artis-

tic program for athletes with

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special needs was unveiled as a pilot program in the 2014–15 competitive season in the women’s Xcel Ruby division at three invitationals. Because of its success, USA Gymnastics is now offering the program for nationwide use and the HUGS program has moved to the Gymnastics for All dis-cipline. If you want to add a women’s artistic HUGS event to your women’s invitational, there is no additional sanction needed, simply check wom-en’s meet and HUGS women for one sanction.

• HUGS RHYTHMIC XPRESS There is also a Rhythmic

Xpress category for athletes with special needs. If you want to hold a Rhythmic Xpress event along with your rhyth-mic or GfA event, there is only one sanction fee required.

• HUGS POWER TEAMGYM The Power TeamGym cate-

gory for athletes with special needs. If you are running a GfA competition, this is the sanction you will need to run a HUGS TeamGym competition.

Cindy Bickman, Coach, Chat-tooga Gymnastics & Cobb

County Special Olympics said, “My team competed in all three of the HUGS pi-lot meets this year. At every competition, I would find my-self looking around, my eyes tearing up, thinking, ‘Look at this! The gymnasts with dis-abilities are out there on the floor with everybody else. Gymnastics has brought us all together.’ ”

GYMNASTICS FOR ALL EVENTSGFA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GYMFESTEach year, USA Gymnastics hosts the Gymnastics for All Championships and GymFest. The event typically occurs over a three-day period and in-cludes an Opening Ceremonies, Group Performances, Power TeamGym Competition, A&T Competition and the Gym for Life Challenge. This event has been held annually since 1993 in various cities throughout the United States. The 2016 event will be held in Sevierville, Tenn., June 23–26.

WORLD GYMNAESTRADAThe World Gymnaestrada, hosted by the FIG, is the world’s largest display of gymnastics and is held every four

years. There is no compe-tition and the main focus is participation. Groups per-form with 10 to 1000s of participants in indoor and outdoor venues. The event is filled with culture from the more than 20,000 par-ticipants from more than 50 countries. The age range of the participants is 2 years old to 90. USA Gymnastics has prepared official del-

egations to World Gymnaestradas in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. In 2019, Gymnaestrada will take place in Dornbirn, Austria.

WORLD GYM FOR LIFE CHALLENGEThe World Gym for Life Challenge is a contest for performance groups of all ages and genders. The Chal-lenge compliments the FIG’s World Gymnaestrada by being held ev-ery four years in between the World Gymnaestradas. The groups partic-ipate in the contest with routine of a maximum of 5 minutes, incorpo-rating any gymnastics element with or without apparatus, and the rou-tine can be accompanied by music. Group Performances are evaluated on entertainment value, overall impres-sion, innovation, originality, variety and technique (quality & skill safety). All groups participating in the Contest are awarded either a gold, silver or bronze ranking. Groups who achieve a gold placing in the Contest participate in the Gym for Life Gala. USA Gymnas-tics has sent participants to both Gym For Life Challenges held to date in Austria and South Africa. The USA will send a delegation to the Gym for Life Challenge in Vestfold, Norway, July 26–30, 2017.

WHY PARTICIPATE IN GYMNASTICS FOR ALL?A Gymnastics for All program is truly something for everyone. A GfA pro-gram can add students to your gym, expand opportunities for your current students, and retain students who are ready to move on from competi-tive gymnastics. All family members can all be involved with GfA, one stop shopping for family activity.

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Service, quite simply, is how people feel when they interact with your business. Their feelings may be

good, bad or indifferent. Do your cus-tomers feel taken care of, respected and appreciated or do they dread do-ing business with you because it’s just too difficult?

One of the best kept secrets about service is that it’s not hard to be great. Think of all the service experienc-es you’ve had in the past day, week or month. From the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the cable company, your favorite restaurant and more. Do any stand out as off-the-charts phenom-enal? Most were perhaps okay, while others were down right bad with a handful of good experiences mixed in.

In a sea of mediocre and bad ser-vice, taking care of people and making them feel great should be pretty easy — right? Why is it then that so many businesses fail? There are a variety of contributors: the wrong people, egregious policies, a lack of commitment and more.

For us, providing great service to passionate parents can be slightly more challenging. What is more im-portant to a parent than their child? Nothing! When they believe you have the best interest of their family and children at the center of your deci-sion making, they feel great and will sing your praises. Give them a rea-son to doubt your intentions and

THE SERVICE

GENEPART 2

TOUCH POINTS THAT WOW! — DOES EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND DO

EMBODY YOUR SERVICE BRAND?SECOND IN A 2-PART SERIES OF ARTICLES FOCUSED ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FRONT DESK OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

a small blunder may be blown out of proportion.

Our first article recapped how great service starts with ensuring the right people are in place — hire nice people who live by the golden rule and love taking care of others. Once the people are right, make certain your opera-tions reflect your service brand. Start by creating an environment where people feel welcome. Enter your busi-ness with fresh eyes as if you’ve never been there before (don’t forget to do this at night when it’s dark). Take in the experience with all of your sens-es. Begin in the parking lot. Is it free of litter? Are the flower beds weed-ed? Does it feel safe? What do you come across when you walk up to the doors — are they clean or full of fin-gerprints and leftover tape? What do you hear? Is music playing — if so, what type? What would you change? How do you think a first-time custom-er will feel?

Once inside, is your front desk team present — literally and figuratively? They are the first people customers see and relate to as the face of your business. Are they approachable, pos-itive and helpful? Do they look up with a warm smile on their face, make eye contact and say hello? If not, why not? This team affects profitability and growth purely by the way they treat customers. Make sure they are right! If they don’t get it, role play or ask how they feel when they aren’t greeted when they walk into a business. How do they want to be treated? You may have to start with a refresher class on the basics and if that’s the case, give the “why” along with the “how to”.

Continuing inside, is your lobby neat and sparkling? Are the mats in your gym clean? Is your space light


and bright? If you’ve hired the right people, you don’t need a daily checklist of ba-sic housekeeping tasks. Your “service gene” folks will nat-urally clean the glass doors when they are dirty, pick-up stray paper towels in the bathroom and wipe down the counters because they care about the customer and their experience. They want their workspace and the customer’s experience to be delightful, not dirty. If they don’t have the service gene, you may want to provide a small checklist of things to do throughout the day; your hope is that eventually these tasks will become second nature, even for those that don’t have it in their DNA.

What about the telephone? How do your people react when the phone rings? Is it a nuisance or interruption to their day or the task at hand? Or do they see it as an oppor-tunity to be helpful, answer a question and make some-one’s day a little easier? How can you tell? Observe their body language — it will tell you everything you need to know. You may also want to create a standard greet-ing everyone adopts — it can be as simple as “Thank you for calling ABC Gym, this is Emily, how may I help you to-day?” Role-play and teach your front line how to have a smile in their voice as well as on their face — even when there are 15 people standing

at the desk demanding their attention. The caller on the phone can’t see the chaos and they shouldn’t feel less important because of it. An-swering the phone during busy times takes practice — you never want your team to practice on customers. Have them role play and practice with each other and remem-ber perfect practice makes perfect!

Service extends beyond how people feel when they walk through your doors or call on the telephone — they want to feel special and taken care of throughout ev-ery step of their journey. Trust and empower your employees to think of the customer first. Teach them to do what’s right for the customer and right for the company by using good judg-ment. Never punish them for their decision making and if their resolution wasn’t in line with your expectation, use it as training opportunity for everyone. Your front desk manager should constantly gather “real life” situations to use as thought proving training sessions in which everyone gets a chance to share ideas.

Great service doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; it can be small and full with hu-man kindness. For example, when someone asks where the washroom is, walk with them instead of pointing and saying “over there”.

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FEATUREFEATUREFEATURE. . . T H E S E R V I C E G E N E , P A R T 2 . . . C O N T I N U E D

In the book Lessons from the Nordstrom Way, Robert Spector, through a series of examples, shows that entrusting and empowering your employees is essential to a culture of great customer service. He examines a variety of businesses that pro-vide great service, one of which is Mike’s Carwash. Mike’s boiled the rules down to the Big One: The Golden Rule. In this book you will learn successful service companies have thrown out their lengthy service manuals. Instead they teach people to trust the theory that everyone knows how they like to be treated and to use that “feeling” as the compass to problem solving.

Commitment to good service must permeate throughout your organiza-tion. Everyone must “walk the walk” and it is equally important to “talk the

talk”. If service is im-portant to you, talk about it and talk about it of-ten. Provide training full of robust, real life exam-ples. Start every meeting with a great service story. It can be an example of a recent service challenge from within your busi-ness (ask if anyone has a great example of how we “made someone’s day”) or an example of how another great service

company provided a WOW!Lastly, find opportunities to praise

employees for great feats of excellent

CUSTOMERS DON’T EXPECT

YOU TO BE PERFECT. THEY DO EXPECT YOU TO FIX THINGS

WHEN THEY GO WRONG.

—DONALD PORTER, V.P., BRITISH AIRWAYS

service. When someone does a great job, send an email for everyone to see. Write a letter home to let their family know how much you appreciate their mom, wife or daughter — describe their act of kindness and thank them for their continued support!

At the end of the day, it’s about a feeling — good, bad or indifferent. It’s up to you and your team to create a contagious culture of great service!

“They may forget what you said, but they will not forget how you made them feel.” —Carl W. Buechner

SOME GREAT BOOKS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE:• The New Gold Standard — 5 Leadership

Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company — Joseph A. Michelli

• Lessons from the Nordstrom Way — Robert Spector

• Broken Windows, Broken Business — Michael Levine

• Setting the Table —Danny Meyer

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In addition to the Nation-al Congress presentations, attendees were invited to at-tend the National Business Forum. The event focused on preparing club owners for the future success of their businesses, includ-ing the 2016 Olympic boom. USA Gymnastics would like to recognize and thank the USA Gymnastics Business Advisors for providing their time and expertise to this most important event.

The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show was one of the most successful to date. The attendees of this year’s event demonstrated the strength of our community and their commitment for gymnastics excellence through education. Held in conjunction with the P&G Gymnastics Championships, the event was a great success that provided attendees over 180 gymnastics presentations from all aspects of the sport

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http://usagymcongress.org


The Hall of Fame Ceremo-ny would not be possible each year without the sup-port and sponsorship of those in the gymnastics community. A special thank you belongs to The Nation-al Gymnastics Foundation, Sport Graphics and A-1 Awards for their contin-ued generosity toward the event. We would also like to thank USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny and 1996 Olympian John Mac-ready, who served as the masters of ceremonies for the event.

The Trade Show hall was great success that featured prod-ucts and services from 200 different exhibitors, as well as raffles, autograph signings and hands-on-lectures.

The 2015 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony also took place in India-napolis. Each year USA Gymnastics is proud to induct the newest members of the Hall of Fame. Nine individuals, representing six different gymnastics disciplines, comprised the 2015 class of inductees for the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. The six athletes and coach were: Kristin Allen of Livermore, Calif., and Michael Rodrigues of Livermore, Calif., acrobatic gymnastics; Mohini Bhardwaj of Los Angeles, CA, women’s gymnastics; Jessica Howard of Jack-sonville, Fla., rhythmic gymnastics; Terin Humphrey of Kansas City, Mo., women’s gymnastics; Jennifer Sans of Burnsville, Minn., trampoline and tumbling; and Mark Williams of Nor-man, Okla., men’s gymnastics coach. Men’s gymnastics judge and adminis-trator Doug Hills of Portland, Ore., and the late David Moskovitz, gymnastics for all and USA Gymnastics adminis-trator, were the final members of the Class of 2015 who received Lifetime Achievement honors.


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ACROJ.O. COACH OF THE YEAR —Michael Rodrigues

ACROROOKIE COACH OF THE YEAR —Allie DeGuire

ACROSTAR SERVICE AWARD — Valere Binet

RHYTHMICCOACH OF THE YEAR — Natasha Klimouk

RHYTHMICATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Laura Zengwith Caroline Hunt,Senior Director of Program

RHYTHMICSPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR —Gabrielle Lowensteinwith Caroline Hunt,Senior Director of Program

T&TBOB BOLLINGER DOUBLE MINI COACH OF THE YEAR — Amber Van NattaPresented by George Drew, Director of Trampoline & Tumbling Program

T&TDEVELOPMENTAL COACH OF THE YEAR — Brad Davis

ACROELITE COACH OF THE YEAR — Vladimir Vladev

ACROATHLETES OF THE YEAR — Ryan Ward and Kiley Boyntonwith Elizabeth Millard, Program Director

T&TJAMES A ROZANAS TUMBLING COACH OF THE YEAR — Chauncy Haydon


RHYTHMICSPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR —Gabrielle Lowensteinwith Caroline Hunt,Senior Director of Program

ACROATHLETES OF THE YEAR — Ryan Ward and Kiley Boyntonwith Elizabeth Millard, Program Director


RECAPRECAPRECAP

T&TATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Charlotte Drury

T&TMILTON B DAVIS & GEORGE NISSEN TRAMPOLINE COACH OF THE YEAR — Robert Null

CLUBS SERVICES Michael Taylor

MEMBER SERVICES Paula Lord

T&TDEVELOPMENTAL GYM OF THE YEAR —Midwest Training and Ice Center

STAR SERVICE AWARD —Deanna Hanford

T&TSPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR — Erin Jauch

T&TSPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR —Austin Nacey

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 • T E C H N I Q U E 29MEMBER SERVICES Paula Lord

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Annette Thomas

WOMEN’S PROGRAMATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Simone Biles SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR — Aly Raisman COACH OF THE YEAR — Aimee Boorman

STAR SERVICE AWARD —Deanna Hanford

MEN’S PROGRAM ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Sam MikulakSPORTSMAN OFTHE YEAR — Donnell Whittenburg COACH OF THE YEAR — Andriy Stepanchenko

MEN’S PROGRAMJUNIOR OLYMPIC COACH OF THE YEAR — Tom Meadows

ELITE GYM OF THE YEAR—World Elite Gymnastics,Ontario, CA

Are you a club looking to enhance your policy development? Join us on Wednesday Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. ET for our next USA Gymnastics Webinar Safesport: Policy Development for Your Gymnastics Club. Get the tools you need to create an effective policy for your programs.

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015Duration: 1 hourTime: 1 p.m. ETRegister today at usagym.org/webinars!

U S A G Y M N A S T I C S B E N E F I T F O R I N S T R U C T O R , P R O F E S S I O N A L A N D / O R M E M B E R C L U B S .

FREE WEBINARSFREE WEBINARSMONTHLYFREE WEBINARSMONT

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BY TOM KOLL, NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHAIR/USA BREVET JUDGE

Welcome, everyone, to the third season of the 2013-2021 compulsory cycle.

My, is time moving quickly! With this being the third set of compulsory routines that I have helped create, I realize it is this time in the cycle when “new and creative” (but, unfortunately, incorrect) versions of the routines begin to evolve. I attribute this “creativity” to a few factors:

1. People who are now teaching the routines are coaches who learned

FEATUREFEATUREFEATUREP H O T O S B Y J O H N C H E N G


10 Staying with your music will help the gymnast

score well.

9There is an “up to

0.40” deduction for the

entire routine for failing

to perform the text

correctly.

8Quality of movement

will make the difference in receiving

a high score. This category is “up to 0.15.”

6Good turn out and proper

footwork should be a

constant focal point.

5Posture errors occurring

on connections/poses can add up to a 0.30

deduction when looking at the entire routine.7

Gymnasts should show excellent presentation; the “up to 0.15” deduction can make the difference between first and fifth place in many cases.

TOP 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR SUCCESS IN COMPULSORY FLOOR


Remember the dance steps that changed levels after the first tumbling run and the curved run that showed a side contraction and release into the leap pass? Well, at least that is how it was taught in 2005. It quickly vanished around the country and was replaced with marching steps and a swing turn into the leap. There were deductions in the faults and penalties for failure to show these movements; however, as more and more gymnasts deleted these movements, it somehow became acceptable and many judges simply forgot to apply the deductions.

Being now the third year of the cycle, the judges should have a strong command of the routines and will

the routines second or possibly third hand from someone else, without ever even opening the book themselves.

2. Even though it’s been stated many times, coaches teaching the routines still simply look at the pictures and the video and never bother reading the text.

3. Coaches teaching the routines have switched gyms and brought to the new gym “their new and

improved versions” of the routines.

4. Even though many sessions are offered at state, regional, and national congresses to reinforce correct technique and exactness of the routines, for whatever reason many coaches choose to not attend.

5. YouTube

In the previous cycle, the choreographers put in movements requiring full body movements of the torso, including level changes and contractions with releases.

2Strong tumbling and

acrobatic skills will help

get a great score.

3Good height and alignment on dance

elements is a must in order to score well. 1

The emphasis for coaches and judges

needs to be working and rewarding the perfection

of the major elements.

4In the Level 4 and 5 routines, there are seven (7) places where the gymnasts are required to contract and/or extend. These poses/dance moves are worth “up to 0.10” each.

TOP 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR SUCCESS IN COMPULSORY FLOOR

be able to see all the choreography requirements as well as the major elements. As mentioned in the “Top Ten List,” there are seven (7) places in the Level 4 and 5 routines where the gymnasts are required to contract and/or extend. These poses/dance moves are worth up to 0.10 each. (Level 3 floor has only two.)

Below is a chart to assist you in coaching and applying the deduction for failure to perform the side contractions. In my experience in teaching these routines in Central and South America, as well as around the United States, I have discovered by relating the concept of the amount of lean/contraction to a “clock,” it helps people understand the movement better. These drawings only apply

to the side contractions. Please remember to read the book for the releases and contractions to show the full body movements created in the routines.

The choreographers of the compulsory exercises hope that gymnasts, judges and coaches alike will find this helpful in keeping the integrity of the choreography for this entire eight-year cycle.

FEATUREFEATUREFEATURE. . . C O M P U L S O R Y F L O O R . . . C O N T I N U E D



WOMEN’S JO COMPULSORY BOOK NEW! 2nd Edition Available to order now. Includes all changes/updates through July 2015. The official text, illustrations and penalties for Levels 1 through 5 compulsory exercises for 2013 through 2021. This is a “must have” for all Junior Olympic Compulsory coaches and judges.

Item Number: 3111

Price: $60.00

WOMEN’S JO COMPULSORY AND OPTIONAL FLIP-BOOK NEW! 4th Edition available to order now — Includes all changes/updates through Sept. 2015. A convenient size flip-book provides quick access to all the Junior Olympic Compulsory and Optional rules. A great resource for coaches and judges. Includes Levels 1 through10 requirements and deductions.

Item Number: 3113

Price: $25.00

WOMEN’S JO CODE OF POINTS NEW! 2nd Edition available to order now. Includes all changes/updates through Sept. 2015. The official “rule book” for 2013–2017 for the Junior Olympic Optional Levels 6 through 10. Includes a listing of all skills, complete with their value plus illustrations of each skill. A ”must have” for all Junior Olympic Optional coaches and judges.

Item Number: 3117

Price: $60.00 XCEL CODE OF POINTS NEW! 3rd Edition — Available to order now. Includes all Xcel changes/updates through September 2015. The Xcel Code of Points is the official rule book for the Xcel Program. This book is a complete guide for coaches and judges. In addition to all of the rules and regulations the Xcel Code of Points includes illustrations of all allowable skills and examples of routines. A “must-have” for anyone involved in the Xcel program.

Item Number: 3105

Price: $40.00

JO AND XCEL TECHNICAL MATERIALS

COMING SOON!!WOMEN’S XCEL FLIP-BOOKA convenient size flip-book provides quick access to all the Xcel Optional rules for all divisions. A great resource for coaches and judges. Includes Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum & Diamond Division requirements and deductions.

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We are dedicated solely to those who love gymnastics. We focus on creating a positive atmosphere

EXPERIENCE THE

Stars in Stick It andChalk It Up

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BEST!

centered around the sport of gymnastics. From cabin life to our world class recreation program, IGC provides not only great gymnastics training but the best overall summer camp experience.

Simone BilesTwo-Time World ChampionSvetlana BOGUINSKAIA3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Brandon WynnWorld Bronze MedalistJUSTIN SPRINGOlympic BronzeMedalist

STEVE LEGENDREWorld SilverMedalistNASTIA LIUKINOlympic All-AroundGold Medalist

JONATHAN HORTONUSA Olympic Team MemberDANIELA SILIVAS6-Time OlympicMedalist

PAUL RUGGERIUSA World Team Member

DONNELL WHITTENBURGWorld BronzeMedalist OKSANA CHUSOVITINA6-Time Olympian SAMANTHA PESZEKUSA Olympic Team Member

JAKE DALTONWorld Bronze MedalistLILIA PODK0PAYEVA2-Time OlympicGold Medalist

World Gold Medalist

HOLLY VIsEHannah whelan2-Time BritishOlympic Competitor

ALEX NADDOURUSA World TeamMemberVITALY MARINITCHUSA WorldsTeam Coach


We are dedicated solely to those who love gymnastics. We focus on creating a positive atmosphere

EXPERIENCE THE

Stars in Stick It andChalk It Up

www.internationalgymnastics.com

BEST!

centered around the sport of gymnastics. From cabin life to our world class recreation program, IGC provides not only great gymnastics training but the best overall summer camp experience.

Simone BilesTwo-Time World ChampionSvetlana BOGUINSKAIA3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Brandon WynnWorld Bronze MedalistJUSTIN SPRINGOlympic BronzeMedalist

STEVE LEGENDREWorld SilverMedalistNASTIA LIUKINOlympic All-AroundGold Medalist

JONATHAN HORTONUSA Olympic Team MemberDANIELA SILIVAS6-Time OlympicMedalist

PAUL RUGGERIUSA World Team Member

DONNELL WHITTENBURGWorld BronzeMedalist OKSANA CHUSOVITINA6-Time Olympian SAMANTHA PESZEKUSA Olympic Team Member

JAKE DALTONWorld Bronze MedalistLILIA PODK0PAYEVA2-Time OlympicGold Medalist

World Gold Medalist

HOLLY VIsEHannah whelan2-Time BritishOlympic Competitor

ALEX NADDOURUSA World TeamMemberVITALY MARINITCHUSA WorldsTeam Coach

http://www.internationalgymnastics.com


Good parent education and commu-nication does not just happen. It requires special skills and busi-

ness practices. Telling your story is of ut-most importance. Getting information to parents is a challenge alone, but getting them to read the information is an addi-tional challenge. Your communication and the image you present create the first impression, often the lasting impression. How you present yourself is the first step in building the relationship with your par-ents. Here are some tools we can use to communicate and educate our parents.

1.TV MONITOR AND VIDEO DIPLAYS IN THE LOBBY AND

VIEWING AREAS. Highlight upcoming events and the ben-efits and value of those events. Use pic-tures expressing the fun and education the events provide.

2. NEWSLETTERS. Hard copy newsletters handed out

to students at their class with informa-tion about the program, upcoming events and educational articles are great ways to communicate and educate parents. Consider a monthly or every other month time frame for distribution. The average email open rate per Constant Contact for Education Services and Sports and Rec-reation companies is 20%. Because of our diligence with our email marketing, Barron Gymnastics is at 39%. That still leaves 61% of our clients not reading our emails. Consequently, it is necessary to

PARENT EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

FEATUREFEATUREFEATUREB Y D I A N E B A R R O N


continue handing out hard copies to the students in class.

3. EMAIL NEWSLETTERS. In addition to the hard copy news-

letters, send out a weekly or two times per month email newsletter. Use the newsletter to promote your program and highlight what improvements and activities with which your staff and company are involved. Educate your-self on what is the best day and time to send out emails and how often. In addi-tion to the open rate discussed in #2, it is important to track the click through rate. A call to action in the body of the email will improve your click through rate. The average click through rate per Constant Contact for Education and Services and Sports and Recre-ation companies is 8%. Barron Gym-nastics is at 10%.

4.EMAIL BUZZESWe save email buzzes for an

event or activity we want to highlight. Since we want them to create a buzz, we limit our use of the email buzz-es to the most important messages. In addition to using engaging content and images, give thought to the sub-ject title. What types of subject ti-tles cause you to open an email? Use those same types of titles. If the par-ents are not opening the email, your time and energy in creating the email is lost.

5. FACEBOOK. In addition to communicating

events and activities, use Facebook to educate the parents. Lead them to oth-er sites like USA Gymnastics. Capital-ize on the experts who write articles and provide interesting content for USA Gymnastics.

6. INSTAGRAM. Be creative with your pictures

and captions.

7. WEBSITE. Offer a user friendly website for

your families to navigate. Keep it up-dated and current.

PARENT EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

8. SIGNAGE. Strategically place signs in your

facility. The signage does not need to include all the necessary information. Keep it simple and professional. Use it as a call to action and direct them to the proper source for more information.

9. STAFF PICTURES AND BIOS.

Include in the staff bios what strengths and qualifications the staff possess that will benefit the parents and stu-dents. Parents do not care if a teacher is willing to sub and help other teach-ers. Parents want to know what qual-ities the teacher and front office staff has that will directly benefit them.


FEATUREFEATUREFEATUREB Y D I A N E B A R R O N

10. LESSON PLANS.Post your lesson plans and

provide an explanation of lesson plan logic.

11. ON LINE REGISTRATION. With online registration, it

is more difficult to have the initial communication with parents that we use to have when registration was in person. Consider a welcome phone call or a welcome face to face greet-ing prior to their first class. The pol-icies, procedures and what to expect can be discussed at this time. A clear understanding up front will help elim-inate potential miscommunication in the future.

Let’s discuss some of the less ob-vious ways we communicate and ed-ucate our parents without the use of words.

1. BODY LANGUAGE. The old saying “Actions speak

louder than words” is so true. We can-not communicate ideas and thoughts without words. However, the way peo-ple interpret those words is greatly influenced by our nonverbal com-munication and body language. Our facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, and posture play a key role in people’s interpretation of the words we speak, strongly influencing how we are viewed. Avoid signals with body language that can destroy the image you want to project.

2. IMAGE. Your image is the loudest way

you initially communicate and educate your parents. The look of your gym tells people who you are and what you do. If you have awards banners and trophies as your focal point, then you are communicating that you are a

competitive program. At Barron Gym-nastics, we have about 100 competitive gymnasts, but that represents only 8% of our total enrollment. In fact, 40% of our enrollment is under the age of 5. So if we want to communicate that we serve the noncompetitive young child, then our gym’s image needs to express that.

3. FACILITY. Look at other gyms in the coun-

try and get ideas from the gyms you respect. Adopting some of their ideas is the highest form of flattery and can help you improve the look of your gym. Another idea is to look at other chil-dren’s businesses. Check out dance schools, swim schools and education-al preschools as an example. Reaching outside of our industry can give you fresh ideas.

Request an advertising/promotion-al company to evaluate your facility. What can you be doing better? How can you strengthen your brand? How can you add a fresh new look? Are your mission, culture and values evident? Their initial walk through consultation will be at no cost. Set a budget that works for your business and consider adding some new promotional prod-ucts that will add some bang for your buck. Of course these sales people are trying to sell you on their services but you can learn a great deal from their walk through. They are there only to evaluate your facility. They are not dis-tracted with signing their child up for your program so they will be zeroing in on what your facility communicates to the public.

4. EQUIPMENT. Keep your equipment updated.

It is the safest way to do business, enhances the look of your facility and


adds value to your curriculum and lesson plans. We add-ed 3 stall bars to one of our walls and it changed the entire look of that area of the gym in addition to adding stations and skills to our lesson plans.

5. CULTURE. The actions and attitude of your staff express your

philosophy and teaching style. Building a culture that is aligned with your mission and values is so import-ant. Creating a curriculum, lesson plans and business practices that your staff follows is vital to your culture and image.

We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to commu-nicate and educate our students, parents and communi-ty. Gymnastics is so much more then cartwheels. We can develop a program that teaches physics, biomechanical principles, kinesthetic sense, spatial awareness, bal-ance, strength, flexibility and social skills. Briefly put, gymnastics builds skills for life. Evaluate your current forms of communication. Develop new business practices that offer communication and education to the parents. Brand your business. Create an image that tells who you are and what you do. Tell your story. Create a story worth sharing.

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To register for a congress/course, visit the USA Gymnastics website at www.USAGymnasticsUniversity.org. Register online or download the registration form.

U101 — SAFETY CERTIFICATION (LIVE)Nov. 8 — Rockland, MADec. 19 — Mountain View, CA

R103 — SCHOOL AGE/RECREATIONAL: HANDS-ON TRAINING (HOTSA)Nov. 8 — Fishers, IN

W300 — JUNIOR OLYMPIC TEAM COACHES’ COURSEMay 27–30 — Huntsville, TX

W400 — NATIONAL COACHES’ COURSEMay 27–30 — Huntsville, TX

LIVE COURSE SCHEDULELIVE COURSE SCHEDULELIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

T200/T201 — TRAMPOLINE & TUMBLING DEVELOPMENT COACHES COURSE: LEVEL 1 AND HANDS-ON TRAININGVisit the course page for more course information and location details.

Nov. 7 — San Jose, CANov. 15 — Joplin, MO (T201 only)

WOMEN’S JUDGING CPE CLINICNov. 1 — Woodbridge, VA — Levels 3 –10 Registration forms at VANAWGJ.com. Send form to [email protected] FAX 757.439.1848

Nov. 8 — Waldoboro, ME For registration information, contact Debra Smith at [email protected]

Dec. 6 — Everett, WAFor information, contact Lee Bjella at [email protected]

Dec. 6 — Clarksville, TN — Xcel & JO Optional Clinic For information, Contact Kerma Headrick at [email protected].

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Please contact Member Services for any questions/concern at 800.345.4719 or via email at [email protected].

http://usagym.org/events

Please contact Member Services for any questions/concern at 800.345.4719 or via email at [email protected].

UPDATE

M E M B E R S E R V I C E S

UPDATE M E M B E R S E R V I C E S

UPDATENEW SANCTION REPORT FORMSMeet Directors may notice that there have been some slight design changes to the sanction report forms. The information on the forms is the same, and it is still a requirement to return pages 2 – 6 of their sanction report form within 72 business hours of the end of the meet. Forms may be returned via mail or email to [email protected].

SAFETY RENEWAL REMINDERIndividuals have the ability to renew the U101: Safety Risk/Management Certification up to a year prior to the expiration date. If your safety expires July 31,2016, you are strongly en-couraged to renew your safety certification soon.

2016 NATIONAL CONGRESS REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!Early Bird pricing available through January 25, 2016.

Discounted 2016 Women’s Olympic Trials Ticket Packages are also available to National Congress registrants.Visit www.usagymcongress.com to register and for complete event details!

USA GYMNASTICS HOLIDAY HOURSUSA Gymnastics National Office will be closed during the following times for the holidays.

THANKSGIVING• Wednesday, Nov. 25 —close at noon• Thursday, Nov 26 & Friday, Nov. 27• Normal office hours resume Monday, Nov. 30.

WINTER HOLIDAY BREAK• Thursday, Dec. 24 — Friday, Jan. 2• Normal office hours resume, Monday, Jan. 4

Should you need immediate assistance during the office closure, please email: [email protected].

http://usagymcongress.com


http://sanjose2016.com


CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDSpetitive gymnastics, five years through level 10, spe-cifically on bars and vault. We are looking to employ a team player that has a positive attitude and good work ethic. Must be able to speak English well. USAG certification and approved background check will be required. We are offering a great salary, signing bonus and medical benefits to qualified applicant. Please submit resume to [email protected].

FOR SALE

GK RISK-FREE PROGRAM: Get with the program! It’s better than ever, with a terrific assortment of NEW styles and fabrics and incomparable sales potential. Plus, it’s easier than ever to order, sell and return your RISK-FREE garments. We offer customized packages for your pro shop, meets and summer camp. You only pay for what you’ve sold and may return the rest; there is absolutely NO RISK! If you haven’t tried us late-ly, it’s time you started earning extra profits with our RISK-FREE merchandise. Call 1-800-345-4087 for more information on how you can get started today! Email: [email protected]

EDUCATION

GYMCERT COACHES TRAINING PROGRAM: GymCert’s Online Courses & Training manuals for sale, Safety Awareness Posters, FREE article downloads & Online Certification for Recreational & Competitive

POSITION AVAILABLE

GIRLS COACH NEEDED–NEW ENGLAND SPORTS ACADEMY, located in Westwood MA, 25 min from Downtown Boston Area is looking for COACHES to work with our competitive teams, developmental teams & Xcel teams. Qualifications include but are not limited to having spotting skills, experience in competitive gymnastics, and have knowledge of com-pulsory and optional gymnastics. • Must have a passion for teaching Gymnastics and inspiring athletes to reach their maximum potential• Must be able to work well with other Team Members• Must be enthusiastic, motivated, have a strong work ethic, and leadership skills• Must be able to provide corrections in a positive mannerCompensation based upon experience and position. Full-time and part-time positions available. Visit our website www.NESAcademy.com and send resume to [email protected].

OPPORTUNITY FOR TEAM GYMNASTICS INSTRUCTORS Twisters Gymnastics just moved to Sunnyvale, CA into a beautiful new 18,000 square foot facility and is looking for a full-time / highly qualified team coach. Levels are Junior Olympic Levels 2 through 5. Must have experience and success coaching these levels.Employment break down is approximately 30% pre-school instruction during the mornings and 70% team coaching in the evenings. Salary is based on experience, but the minimum salary is $40,000 plus benefits.Benefits include dental / vision / medical. After 1 year of full-time employment, you will qualify for Twisters’ 401K Safe Harbor Matching Program. Please email [email protected] or contact me at 408-373-8857 for more information.

THE VITALY SCHERBO SCHOOL OF GYMNASTICS in Las Vegas, NV is looking for an experienced WOMEN’S TEAM COACH. Interested candidates should have at least ten years coaching experience in women’s com-

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 progres-sions &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 dis-counts! Order Now: www.gymcert.com or direct by calling 407-444-5669 EST.

GYMNASTICS; YOUR BEST MEET EVER! (LATEST BOOK)Gymnastics; Your Best Meet Ever! was written to help Beginning & Intermediate level gymnasts fo-cus 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 abil-ity 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.

http://www.usagym.org/publications

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Train & hang out with gymnasts from

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all around the world

40 Gymnastics celebrities, including former Olympians & World Champions, visited IGC in Summer 2015

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Documents

Technique Magazine - November/December 2015