Work Ethic: Gymnastics

Well, it has been some time since I blogged about gymnastics. Finishing up a business degree and the usual family business has kept me running in circles. Proudly, I watched my son graduate from high school go Bruins! And begin a summer job full-time clearing land on a farm. I was so happy his first “real” work experience would be one that pounds hard the value of a dollar.  He is earning minimum wage pay for building green houses, tearing out landscaping, and putting up fences on 180 acres. He is a hard worker.

I credit his work ethic back to his early training years in the gym. Rips, repetition and relentless correction for each skill learned sequentially. Long hours practicing followed by “helping” Dad--his “coach” put mats and gym equipment away, or talk with parents about their child’s progress. This early exposure to work ethic has helped not only him, but his sibling’s as well.  His younger sister just earned a scholarship to an area competitive cheer team. This directly related to her skill in gymnastics and tenacity.

Over the years in this business I have often spoke about the benefits of gymnastics. I have said it is an investment in your child, one that will repay you with some sort of return. Quite a few of you have kept in touch long after your children leave the sport. You write and tell me about your children, and the contributions gymnastics made to their character and success in other areas. “My child manages his time so well; he has managed straight A’s throughout high school and college. This is largely due to his years on the gymnastics team when time management was so critical.” Another parent writes: “My daughter was on your team for seven years. She went on to cheer-leading, and has obtained a full ride for college tuition. This was due to her tumbling skill—thank you!” 

So,what does gymnastics have that makes it so special?

•           Gymnastic skills/tricks require repetition to learn even at the most basic level; every skill is earned.

•         The skills take time to master—gymnasts have to be patient. In an era of: “I want it now” this is priceless.

•         The entire sport is dedicated to controlling your body’s movement. It does what you want it to do.

•       Gymnasts have to learn how to manage fear, and move beyond it.

•           Personal discipline is inherent to staying safe—this discipline carries over into other activities.

•        Listening and trusting skill is developed with coaches and team mates.

Happy tumbling! Keep sending me stories of your successes with this wonderful sport!

Improvement as a way of life!

It has been an interesting and fun last few weeks.

The gymnasts are all improving with each passing week getting closer to state when we hope they will peak. Both individuals and teams have been accruing award after award each competition. Constant improvement seems to be the mantra both here in the gym world, and also in my other life as an “Improvement Adviser.” 

Improvement is something we all strive for. Whether we are self improving-- like a good friend of mine who is leaving to take a promotion, going back to school (me), working on our homes, marriages, kids etc.-- we seem to always be in a fluid state. 

The boot camp we started last week was proof of the interest in self improvement. We had a good turnout for the first class. We also had a lot of fun “self improving” using gymnastics equipment to work out. The gymnastics setting offers unique and unequaled fitness potential. The conditioning available through the use of specialized equipment affords a total body workout in about half the time traditional methods offer. Seemingly “simple” tasks such as jumping up onto a bar into a front support position become challenging when jumping from a squishy surface, jumping really high, or keeping your arms straight. Gymnastics conditioning uses multiple muscle groups all at the same time. You may think you are working your arms, only to find your abdominal muscles and legs very sore the next day.

The boot camp will certainly jump start your fitness efforts. What better place to get a workout… the kids can come along and do open gym! You get ripped and your kids get fit!

We offer personalized instruction for all fitness levels. There is no need to already be in shape to join the class; however, if you are in great shape- we have a few challenges for you. Rope climbs? Hand-stand push-ups anyone? 

Coach Don will challenge you to push yourself to try something new. Don and I are training for our second “Warrior Dash” race this September, and we are always looking for fellow dashers to train with.

Hope to see you Sunday at 6:00 PM for Adult Boot Camp/Open Gym

For more information see: Top Flyte Gymnastics and Fitness on Facebook

For interested “Warriors” see: www.WarriorDash.com

Team Spirit

Today was a typical busy weekend day. 

 The morning spent watching my daughter (well, waiting to watch my daughter) compete at the Oregon State Cheer-leading competition. The drive down to the Memorial Coliseum, and the $21.00 admission price for me, and two of her brothers well spent. In the afternoon I found myself at my youngest child’s basketball game. Sports are most definitely a large part of our lives. The common thread for these events today was “team spirit.” 

At the cheer-leading finals I was captivated by the crowd getting behind their team, and chanting and saying the words along with the uber cute girls in over sized bows down on the arena floor. Each team, no matter how well they performed (or not) had an equally supportive fan base cheering them along. It was a contagious environment.

Later, at Sam Barlow High School during the sixth grade boys’ basketball game, I noticed the same thing. The team spirit spilled over into the crowd with many parents wearing their teams' colors, and even some with shirts and sweatshirts stating: “I am a Bruins Dad.”

We never seem to out grow this need to belong to a team, and demonstrate our commitment, pride and belonging. As adults we have our favorite teams, whether it is our hometown, our college Alma mater, or our child's school. The team environment with its cooperative and inclusive atmosphere makes us feel good. Cheering, and rooting for "our” team also just feels great.

The question is: how we can as managers, business owners, and coaches, inspire this sense of team within our workers? How do we keep a “team” of staff-- motivated, challenged and charged to do the same with the kids they coach?  How can we build and capitalize on a contagious inclusive atmosphere, and sense of pride for our “teams” within our business?

Some ideas:

·         Daily huddles- much like a sports team-- having a 5-10 minute huddle before work starts to “charge” the team and focus on daily goals. Staff huddle, gymnast huddle.

·         Mascots- yes, bring one into the gym to unite everyone. Besides, they are fun! Let your staff and customers help pick what the mascot will be that will represent your business.

·         Team colors-every gym has them. Use them more, and in as many ways possible. Promotional pieces (such as advertising) to paint colors, t-shirts to car stickers. Need ideas? Look inside the nearest high school.

·         Spirit days (like in school) where all staff/kids wear the same colors.
Have ideas? Send them to me…

Go team!!

Welcome to Competitive Gymnastics!

It is gymnastics season for our gym. We are a Winter/Spring club. An exciting time of new leotards, warm-ups, and new gymnasts talking about what the first meet will be like. Our first meet happens to be our own meet, not at home however, at a swim resort a state away. The Great Wolf Lodge is home to a 100,000 square foot water park, and the entire resort is kid centric, family friendly galore. The memories the kids leave with after staying for the night, competing, and hanging out are priceless. Soon however, the Lodge meet will be behind us, and the excitement often turns into a mission for a lot of parents. This blog is dedicated to the new parents of this amazing sport we call competitive gymnastics. This is your first lesson.

·         The first year is a learning year.

·         Your child does not understand deductions, or the complexity of scoring that is inherent to this sport. The coaches will not be discussing scores with the gymnasts during or after the meet. Neither should you.  The focus for first year gymnasts should be improvement. Hopefully, by the end of season, you will see dramatic improvement in the scores. Help your child maintain their love of the sport by focusing on small improvements and goals.

·         Let’s talk about scoring. The gymnasts will perform the same routines, to exactly the same music (on floor), each and every meet until they move up to the next level. The routines are judged by the book-- meaning each movement, each element or skill is worth a certain amount of points totaling 10.00. All gymnasts start out with a 10.00 and Judges take a deduction each time a gymnast under executes, misses, or adds an element or skill. The final score will reflect these deductions.

·         Etiquette for gymnastics spectators. While not quite “tennis polite” it is definitely not a soccer game. Parents and fans should clap, however loud screams, or whistling is a no-no. Imagine standing on a four inch wide beam getting ready to do a handstand and have a whistle rock through the gym. This is a safety concern folks. Loud noises can startle a gymnast and lead to falls. Parents are also not allowed on the competition floor for any reason. Talking to your gymnast while they are out on the floor, gesturing for them to come over (so you can fix a ponytail gone awry) again, not allowed. These are safety measures (imagine the distractions and potential concerns) designed to keep your child safe. Your coach is a USA gymnastics professional member, and carries a card with a specific code of conduct (behavioral expectations) for meets. They are also very knowledgeable in fixing ponytails gone wrong.

·         There is no flash photography allowed at a meet. Again, this is a safety measure. The flash can temporarily blind and disorient a gymnast. This poses a big problem when upside down mid air.

·          Performance: Your child will likely receive feedback in the moment or shortly thereafter from their coaches on how they performed. They should not hear a play by play from you on how they messed up. Your job is to praise and be proud of their accomplishments.

·         Your child is going to generally improve every month. The caveat to this statement is this: this sport is a building sport. Each practice builds on the previous one. Attendance for visible improvement is extremely connected. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a parent whose child missed practice all the time complain about lack of progress. Yes, effort plus time equal skill. If your child is also doing soccer/band/French great! Please adjust your expectations accordingly.

·         I have to address the music. I mentioned earlier your child will compete the same routine each meet for the duration of her level. Along with this information comes this warning~ you will hear the floor music about 90 times each meet. This little jingle will haunt you (not in a good way). You may even dream about it. I’m sorry.

Welcome to season, let’s have a great year!

Risk in Youth Sports

I was watching my 12 year old gymnast size son get pummeled repeatedly this morning at his basketball game. It made me wonder how many kids get injured in this sport. Turns out quite a few, as it made the number one spot on Loyola's:  "Top Ten Sports for Injuries in Kids." Now, my son prefers it this way, rough and tumble, slammed and sliding across the gym floor; bring it on. I realized it's not the sport, but the contact that causes injuries, and Chase-- although tossed a few times like a rag-doll-- knows how to fall to minimize injury.

Gymnastics was not even in the top ten. This did not surprise me. As a long time coach in the sport of gymnastics I can only count a handful of "bad enough" injuries to send kids to the hospital. Why does gymnastics get such a bad rap when in fact at the recreational level it is pretty tame? The answer lies with the few injuries from accelerated height, rotation and speed, that were severe enough to make the headlines. Our gym has never sustained an injury like this, in fact most gyms will never see an injury of this nature. Still, parents should inquire about the credentials of the instructors teaching any classes with flipping.

There are two classes that require extra close attention. Parkour and Trampoline.

Parkour, or free running involves using the physical environment as your springboard. Partakers vault, flip, and climb/jump over, under and off of anything and everything (cars, stairs, buildings etc.). Gyms are now offering classes in this "sport." For this class, and for trampoline, a USA Gymnastics Safety Certified instructor is a must. Both these classes are appealing to non-gymnasts who have little air awareness and even less upper body strength. A certified coach will know how to safely progress students in a systematic manner. The coach should also have excellent spotting skills. Potential red flags to watch out for:

• Students that are all doing the same thing instead of a progression, (or staged level) of the same skill. 

• Students that look out of control in the air
  
• Landings in positions that look or are contorted (landing sideways, falling off the mats). Most landings should strive for feet first.
  
• Teen or Junior coaches teaching these more advanced classes

Think twice about that home trampoline for Christmas. Trampolines are not toys. Most are used improperly in the home setting. Some homeowner policies require extra coverage for trampolines. A few parents have shared with me that they were canceled after submitting a claim due to a trampoline injury. One parent was successfully sued by a neighbor, when the neighbors child broke her arm on their trampoline ($30,000.00). Best to leave the safe jumping to the experts.

The great benefit kids receive from participating in a sport outweigh the small amount of risk. Parents can minimize their child's risk by becoming informed and educated about the activity their child chooses.

All of Top Flyte's senior staff are USA Gymnastics Safety Certified.

Thankful Times

Hi everyone,

I've been falling down on the job lately, victim to this crazy time of year we call the holidays. I was hoping to carve out some time to write about what this time of year reminds me of personally.

November and December bring family, friends and warm thoughts of good times we had during the year. It's a reflective time for a lot of us.This time of year reminds me how very lucky I have been to have such a wonderful business. A business that has afforded me the luxury of raising my kids at my side, or running around the gym, (so sorry Linda, [business partner])! A business that has taught, and still teaches me so much about life, relationships, loyalty, integrity, partnership, and leadership. 

It's not just gymnastics, and I know I have written before about the kind of legacy our business wants to leave with children; it's the relationships we have forged between coaches, gymnasts, and parents over the last 25 years. The parents we have been so privileged to serve, and know through the years that are now our friends. The staff that have become like our family.The former gymnasts who grow up and become staff. One of these staff members even met his wife in the gym, both were coaches (that was some summer!).

I am so thankful for the opportunities having a gymnastics school gives me to grow as a person, parent, teacher, business person, and student of life. While I have much to be thankful for, the most important thing to me right now, where I am in my life is relationships. So cheers to those past, present, and future relationships through Top Flyte. May the friendships you and your child make through this sport this coming year be as enriching as mine have been and continue to be!

Word from the Top: Gymnastics: An investment, who knew?

Word from the Top: Gymnastics: An investment, who knew?