Hey Everyone,
The Munchkin Princess isn't feeling all that well today so she opted to not go to practice. Which translates into she REALLY isn't feeling well.
But she did manage to work in a Floor/Tumbling clinic this past Saturday and successfully threw her back handspring into a handstand and back tuck. (That is what she was working on with the props in the video)
She landed it without a spot and on the mats instead of on the trampoline. Unfortunately they were practicing on the other side of the gym from where I was so no pictures or video this time. The new gym is set-up where the younger gymnasts practice up front near the observation windows for the parents to have a good view. But what that means for me is that my Munchkin Princess practices further away from where I can get a clear view of her while she trains, but I'm hoping to be able to get some good footage soon. Even if it is just a quick moment of her throwing a new stunt.
Since 2/3 of the family are not feeling well I will keep this post short and call it a night early.
Your word for today is:
CompositionThe structure of a gymnastics routine. Each individual movement or skill is a building block; the arrangement of the moves in the exercise is called the composition of the routine.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Proper Attire
Well Hello,
Okay, just to bring you all up to speed....every team in the gym has their own "Communication Box". This is where the coaches/office/etc leave notes in the folder labeled with your gymnast's name in a box labeled for the team your gymnast is on. Well last week there was a note in everyone's folder reminding parents (and gymnasts) that trunks are required to be worn under leotards at all times. This is required for both practice and competition. The first time (this Fall before leveling up) my daughter mentioned her coach saying she needed some trunks my first question was, "What in the world are trunks?" Apparently they are what I used to call bloomers. You know, the little matching underpants for cheerleaders and dancers? Well unbeknownst to me gymnasts wear these under their leotards as well. It seems as though the ones worn by gymnasts tend to be made with more spandex and less material overall than cheerleader bloomers. I get it, they should wear undergarments and in a time of competition they should all be uniform. But during practice can't I just get her to wear black panties and keep it moving? Dang! I have to pay anywhere from $6 (on clearance) to $18 (in the gym shop) for a single pair of trunks to be worn in practice! No one has made any mention of color restrictions as of yet and online there is an entire rainbow of assorted trunk colors. However, since the gym shop only sells Black and Nude I chose to bulk purchase a stack of black and nude trunks online (on clearance...score!) in hopes that they are at least similar to the ones sold in the gym.
When the Fall comes around and it's time for the team to compete, I will gladly purchase the exact pair of trunks assigned to match her team leotards, but until then.... It's just practice and as long as she is comfortable there shouldn't be a problem.
Our word/phase for today is: Training Camp
Training camp is presented as an intensive training opportunity to focus on a specific skill of a set amount of time. Shorter training sessions are often called clinics.
This coming weekend we will be taking part in a Balance Beam Clinic. It's going to be great fun and quite interesting. Thank you for letting me share my experiences here and hopefully some other new tumble family will feel prepared for their child's journey by my written out findings here. Until next time ya'll, fly high and stick it!
Okay, just to bring you all up to speed....every team in the gym has their own "Communication Box". This is where the coaches/office/etc leave notes in the folder labeled with your gymnast's name in a box labeled for the team your gymnast is on. Well last week there was a note in everyone's folder reminding parents (and gymnasts) that trunks are required to be worn under leotards at all times. This is required for both practice and competition. The first time (this Fall before leveling up) my daughter mentioned her coach saying she needed some trunks my first question was, "What in the world are trunks?" Apparently they are what I used to call bloomers. You know, the little matching underpants for cheerleaders and dancers? Well unbeknownst to me gymnasts wear these under their leotards as well. It seems as though the ones worn by gymnasts tend to be made with more spandex and less material overall than cheerleader bloomers. I get it, they should wear undergarments and in a time of competition they should all be uniform. But during practice can't I just get her to wear black panties and keep it moving? Dang! I have to pay anywhere from $6 (on clearance) to $18 (in the gym shop) for a single pair of trunks to be worn in practice! No one has made any mention of color restrictions as of yet and online there is an entire rainbow of assorted trunk colors. However, since the gym shop only sells Black and Nude I chose to bulk purchase a stack of black and nude trunks online (on clearance...score!) in hopes that they are at least similar to the ones sold in the gym.
When the Fall comes around and it's time for the team to compete, I will gladly purchase the exact pair of trunks assigned to match her team leotards, but until then.... It's just practice and as long as she is comfortable there shouldn't be a problem.
Our word/phase for today is: Training Camp
Training camp is presented as an intensive training opportunity to focus on a specific skill of a set amount of time. Shorter training sessions are often called clinics.
This coming weekend we will be taking part in a Balance Beam Clinic. It's going to be great fun and quite interesting. Thank you for letting me share my experiences here and hopefully some other new tumble family will feel prepared for their child's journey by my written out findings here. Until next time ya'll, fly high and stick it!
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Funny Thing About Instincts...
Is that most of the time instincts are spot on. I'm sure if you read my post last week you remember my concerns about The Munchkin Princess not progressing at a steady enough pace for my liking. By the end of my post I talked myself down and put my trust back into the coach. Well, amazingly enough about 30 minutes after posting, as soon as practice was over, the team's coach approached me and strongly recommended that I send my daughter to the Level 4 team because she realized that the challenge wasn't great enough to keep Anaya's progression going on the right track. Now, don't get me wrong I fully believe that the coach of the Xcel team has the ability to challenge my daughter on her own. That was not the question for me. What was up for question was the level of performance and training of the team as a whole. If she was the only one performing at a certain level I did not expect for her to be given special attention so that she can be adequately trained when there is already a team in place that could do that for her. So what I have learned about the Xcel program is that it is really designed for those children who are working towards the skill level for compulsory competition rather than optional. I would like to say, I do my best to be as realistic about my child's abilities as possible, that includes academics as well as athletics. So when I mention inadequacies in regards to instruction that she is receiving I am only doing so with as objective an eye as a parent can possibly have. Fortunately for us, the professionals whose hands we place our daughter in did not hesitate to help her get to where she needed to be; this only solidifies my satisfaction with the facility that we chose for her to train.
After the recommendation we chose to visit the Level 4 team across town for a trial run. Everything worked out just fine, as we thought it would, and now we are officially part of the Junior Olympic Level 4 competitive team at our gym. I'm still just as excited as I was when she started the Xcel Program. Only now, since she gets to train in the same gym as the Elite team and be inspired even more everyday her excitement level actually matches mine. In the end, I still don't feel that our time in the Xcel Program was wasted because I feel as though it gave me greater perspective into the sport as a parent, maybe I was the one who needed to be eased into the competitive world rather than my daughter. Either way I think we're all ready now and it's a good thing because the train is out of the station.
Today we have two words:
Compulsory and Optional
Compulsory in gymnastics means that a restricted, set standard of skills that must be displayed in order to advance in levels.
Optional in gymnastics means that the gymnast gets to pick and choose which skills they would like to display for judging in their level. There may be difficulty restrictions depended upon what level they are, but they may choose any skills to display within their difficulty restrictions.
Apparently, as a member of the Junior Olympic Program you do not get to choose your skills until your are an advanced gymnast (level 7-10). However, as an Xcel Program participant you start out choosing your until you are able to perform all basic skills.
That's all for today folks, we're on a new team on a new side of town with new rules and new skills. But we're ready to Fly High and Stick It.
After the recommendation we chose to visit the Level 4 team across town for a trial run. Everything worked out just fine, as we thought it would, and now we are officially part of the Junior Olympic Level 4 competitive team at our gym. I'm still just as excited as I was when she started the Xcel Program. Only now, since she gets to train in the same gym as the Elite team and be inspired even more everyday her excitement level actually matches mine. In the end, I still don't feel that our time in the Xcel Program was wasted because I feel as though it gave me greater perspective into the sport as a parent, maybe I was the one who needed to be eased into the competitive world rather than my daughter. Either way I think we're all ready now and it's a good thing because the train is out of the station.
Today we have two words:
Compulsory and Optional
Compulsory in gymnastics means that a restricted, set standard of skills that must be displayed in order to advance in levels.
Optional in gymnastics means that the gymnast gets to pick and choose which skills they would like to display for judging in their level. There may be difficulty restrictions depended upon what level they are, but they may choose any skills to display within their difficulty restrictions.
Apparently, as a member of the Junior Olympic Program you do not get to choose your skills until your are an advanced gymnast (level 7-10). However, as an Xcel Program participant you start out choosing your until you are able to perform all basic skills.
That's all for today folks, we're on a new team on a new side of town with new rules and new skills. But we're ready to Fly High and Stick It.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Over / Under
I'm sitting in the lobby of the gym, watching another training session, and I find myself wondering if I underestimated my daughter's ability to adjust to the life and training of a competitive team? Would it have just been better to toss her in and let her sink or swim? I know that's when I tend to shine best; when I'm thrown to the wolves. But I feared that she may have been overwhelmed with a new gym location, a new coach, a new team, a new training regimen, new expectations in performance, and newly competing. I was afraid with all of that Level 4 may have been her last advancement even though she loves gymnastics so much. But there I go again, probably underestimating her. If I know deep down how much she loves her sport, why would I think that such things would deter her from continuing? Maybe I try to keep her as the reserved little one that she was before gymnastics, but in the gym she is in her element. She is her most true self and has her whole world open, accepting, and performing for all to see with no inhibitions.
I also fear that I may have overestimated the competitive nature of this particular program. I guess my understanding of "easing into competition" and the coach's understanding are two different things. I feel as though things are going in slow motion with the training and skill advancement on this team. But I think I'm just so anxious to see The Munchkin Princess actually compete that I'm forgetting it has only been a month since she joined the team and the coach did in fact say that the first month would consist primarily of strength & conditioning and that they wouldn't really work on skills much until the second month. The whole idea of watching my child win or lose makes my antsy. Even if it were softball or track I would still be super wound up about her showing what she's got as long as she was happy doing so. I think I'm just so proud to see her grow and mature that in my head she's already at the next stage. But this is really spilling over from life altogether for me not just in gymnastics. "Deep breaths Mom, slow down or it will all pass you by"
The word for today is: Tuck
I also fear that I may have overestimated the competitive nature of this particular program. I guess my understanding of "easing into competition" and the coach's understanding are two different things. I feel as though things are going in slow motion with the training and skill advancement on this team. But I think I'm just so anxious to see The Munchkin Princess actually compete that I'm forgetting it has only been a month since she joined the team and the coach did in fact say that the first month would consist primarily of strength & conditioning and that they wouldn't really work on skills much until the second month. The whole idea of watching my child win or lose makes my antsy. Even if it were softball or track I would still be super wound up about her showing what she's got as long as she was happy doing so. I think I'm just so proud to see her grow and mature that in my head she's already at the next stage. But this is really spilling over from life altogether for me not just in gymnastics. "Deep breaths Mom, slow down or it will all pass you by"
The word for today is: Tuck
A position in which the knees and hips are bent and drawn into the chest; the body is folded at the waist.
The Munchkin Princess briefly began working on this skill last week; to be more specific she started working on a handstand into a back tuck. She caught me off guard with the few attempts that she made at this skill that I didn't catch it on video, but I did manage to get her tuck set up training.
Let's hope this time the video plays for everyone. Thanks for joining me, fly high and stick it...but don't rush it ya'll.
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