October Dates of Note

Before I post the October schedule I will let you know that the Acrobatic Gymnastics program at the Oakville Gymnastics Club will have the following Thanksgiving and Halloween schedules.

Thanksgiving Sunday, October 13th there will be NO Training for any of the Acro groups.  Everyone in the Acro program has that Sunday off.

  

Monday, October 14th the Provincial Group and the Interclub Girls Acro Group also have the Monday off.  

Elite A and B will also have Monday, October 14th off.   This has been changed since the earlier post.   

Halloween night there will be No Training for the Acrobatic Gymnastics program as everyone turns into little monsters that night.

Large Group photo Sunday Sept 29th

Here is a note regarding the big competitive program photo that is taken with all disciplines.  It was sent out as an email but some new families may not be on the email list yet.

To all OGC families

Each year we take a group shot of all of our athletes to display at the
club. The date for this year's group shot is Sunday September 29 (330-5).
All member athletes are included in this photo. 

We will be organizing the athletes as they arrive at 315-330 so that we are
ready to begin the photo itself at 4 when the rec children are finished. 

Please have your little/or big children dressed in their latest competitive
suits if they have them or their favourite gym suit if they are
developmental or don't have. 

We will begin the shot promptly so if you can please arrive downstairs on
time it would be greatly appreciated we want all our athletes in the photo.
We may be done earlier than 5, so please return by 430 if you do not intend
to stay. 

The gym doors will be locked at 5, so everyone must be picked up by then at
the latest. 


In addition to the large group shot, Sept 26 -30 there will also be
inidividual shots taken of the athletes that require them (during their
training slots as much as possible). I will send the schedule of the groups
on each day in the next few days. Not eveyone will require a photo, only
those needing update for website(prov/nat). Dev and interclub will have
their group shots taken as well. 

Thanks
Carrie 

OGC Acro Information Sheet

FYI for new parents/families in the 

acrobatic gymnastics program.

To see document in larger format save as a picture then view in your picture file.

Acro Event Schedule 2013/2014

Here is the Event Schedule for Acrobatic Gymnastics for 2013/2014.  There are numerous events that are not yet confirmed.  We will post updates and confirmations on the blog as they become available.  Sorry we can't give you more definitive dates at this point.

To see this schedule in larger format save as a picture and view in your picture file.

Nutritional Information

Here is a link to the previous post about nutrition from the Tumbling Program blog.

Please find some time to give this information a read.  You need to be providing your high performance machine some high performance fuel.


http://ogctumblingprogram.blogspot.ca/2010/01/i-am-finally-getting-chance-to-post.html

Parent Meeting September 2013 Info Post

Communication from the September 2013 Acrobatic Gymnastics Program Parent Meeting at the Oakville Gymnastics Club

Congratulations to all the Acrobatic Gymnasts who were offered spots in the Oakville Gymnastics Club Acrobatic Gymnastics Program for the 2013/2014 season. We do appreciate your dedication, commitment and loyalty towards the acro program.

Biographies:
Don Holmes – Head Coach/Director of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Program – Coach Interclub Boys Acro Group
Jane Kirwan – Overseeing Coach of Elite A & B Acro Groups
David Scott – Assistant Coach Elite A & B, Coach Provincial Acro Group
Siarhei Sharapayeu – Assistant Coach Elite A & B, Coach Interclub Girls Acro Group
Staff Biographies to be posted on the OGC website.

The One Year Contract Policy:  As you know the Acrobatic Gymnastics program offers your child a space in the program for one year and at the end of each season we do ask all of our athletes to “ReTryout”.  By implementing the ‘Re-Tryout’ and ‘Tryout’ protocols we are not trying to be mean or unsupportive of those athletes that we have been working with and developing over the previous year (or years). Our program is a competitive program with a limited number of spaces. We are simply trying to ensure that those athletes who are the most deserving of a spot on the team are receiving those spots. If at some point we do ask your child to leave the program this may be thought of as a good thing allowing the athlete the opportunity to explore other sports where he/she may be more suited physically, mentally or socially. Also at that time we may invite them to try an alternative gymnastics discipline or program in the gym as we do believe that gymnastics is for all and we wish to keep everyone in the gym in some capacity.  Remember that Competitive Programs at the OGC are a privilege and an opportunity not a right.  We need to keep in mind Competitive Wants vs Recreational Needs.

Summer Attendance: During the summer session we expect 50% attendance as a minimum. We would prefer that your child attends 100% of their scheduled classes but we understand summer schedules are far more diverse and we would hope that kids take the time to enjoy summer camps, weeks at the cottage and time with family. Please send an e-mail to your athlete’s coach with the dates that your child will not be at gymnastics. Low attendance in some groups on specific weeks may allow us to accommodate other athletes who have summer training conflicts and permit them to make the minimum number of training hours.

Fall/Winter/Spring Attendance: During the school year we expect 80% attendance as a minimum. Obviously the less your athlete trains the less they will progress and the less they will be prepared for competition. It is in your best interest to have your athlete at the gym as much as possible.

Note:  Attendance in Acrobatic Gymnastics is very important as when one of a pair or group is not at the gym the entire group cannot work on the specific skills that make acro what it is.  Please make sure that your athlete and family are accountable to the other group members.  Share phone numbers and emails so that you can communicate before a practice whether or not you are sick or going to be absent for some reason.  Also look to plan family vacations at the same time or after major competitions so that time is not lost prior to a competition or training camp.

Pair / Group Parent Meetings: In the summer, fall and winter we plan to have Parent Meetings for the pairs / groups so that the families can meet, share contact information and give the coaches an opportunity to discuss the long term plan for the pair group.  Notice of these meetings will be sent to you via email.

Violation of Attendance Minimums and Removal from the Program: We cannot hold spots for athletes who do not attend the program. If you have schedule conflicts that will prevent your athlete from reaching the minimum attendance requirement but wish to remain as part of the acrobatic gymnastics program please e-mail the Acrobatic Gymnastics Program Director outlining your situation.

OGC Code of Conduct:  We have created a specific code of conduct for our athletes while part of the team, mostly for traveling with us while not with a parent.  As we travel to competitions you will see this document and if you have any concerns with it at that time we can address them then.

Schedules: Summer Schedules and Fall/Winter/Spring schedules have been distributed. We understand the logistical difficulties that families encounter by receiving these schedules in June as summer camp registration and vacations need to be booked several months in advance. Please note that we create our schedule with careful consideration. We realize that there will be conflicts and we have outlined how we are attempting to provide concessions for these conflicts.  Also note that due to the ever evolving space usage of the gym we may find it necessary to change a scheduled class temporarily or permanently depending on the situation.  We cannot foresee these situations but we will try to provide you with as much notice as possible prior to changes.

Increased Hours and Extra Training:  This year we have increased the training hours for all groups: Interclub Boys Group is new and only 4hours, Interclub Girls remains a 6 hours, Provincial to 8 and Elite B is 12 and Elite A is 16.  As the level of skill and competition progress the program will continue to increase the number of hours trained over the course of a week.  Expect an increase in the 2014/2015 season.  Day time training is now part of the Elite A and B groups fall schedule.  This will be the first year for this.  It is necessary for us to train one day time so that we can get floor time for routine work and belt work. Space is at a premium in our gym so this is a must for our highest level athletes.  We put the day time training on Tuesday afternoons so that athletes can receive homework for the day before they leave and catch up early in the week so they do not fall behind in their studies.

Extra Tumbling Classes:  The Interclub Acro classes are strongly encouraged to pick up a Recreational Trampoline & Tumbling class once a week over the fall/winter/spring.  The recreational Trampoline & Tumbling classes can be registered for through the main office. The Provincial Group group will have one extra tumbling and individual elements class for those who did not cross over from tumbling or artistic.  The athletes who are to be part of this extra tumbling class will be invited.  Elite A & B athletes did do this last year some of them but we are not offering the extra to them this year as we feel they should be able to get all necessary training in during the allotted time.

Extra Tops and Base Classes:  An Extra two hour class for tops will be offered to the Interclub Girls Group and Provincial group as the tops require some very specific flexibility and handstand skills we are asking that they get on the pegs for this extra class.  As well all tops should purchase their own handstand pegs to practice on at home every day.  An extra bases class is also on the schedule for those bases in the Interclub Girl group and Provincial Group.  This class will focus on the special skills that a base requires for supporting, throwing and catching their tops.

Peak Performance: Dance and Performing Extra work:  The Elite A & B groups will have an additional bit of training included in their fall training schedule where they will work on dance basics, learning choreography, and polishing the essentials of how to deliver a peak performance for competitions.

Choreography and Routine Creation:  We are requesting that routines for the Provincial and Elite group be created during a daytime training session as the gym is very full in the evenings when we are training.  As the coaches dictate for each group you may be asked to sign up for one or two, 2 hour daytime sessions to learn a routine (this could be more for Elite routines as they are more complete).  The cost will be $50 per hour (divided across the athletes in the pair or group).  i.e.  If your pair/group only needs two hours to learn the routine the cost will be $100 for the routine.  If they require the additional 2 hour session the cost will be $200.  Once the routine is created the coaches will be provided with a video of the routine and will continue to polish and refine the routine during the regular training sessions.  Routines may be recycled from year to year.  Additional choreographers may be used other than the coaches.  These expenses will only be for athletes performing Levels 6 and higher.  Levels 4 and 5 will be choreographed during the classes and kept very simple as there is no score for artistry.  The Interclub Boy and Interclub Girl groups will not be required to come in for extra choreography sessions to create a routine.  They may be invited in to work on a routine closer to a competition if the routine is in desperate need of work though.  Clean, tidy, and simple routines will score better but choreography will be introduced.

Acrobatic Gymnastics Program Weeks Off during the Summer: Note that these change each year as we need to address the competition schedule that is also ever changing.  We will try to let you know well in advance so that you can plan vacations/camps/etc.  We plan to have the last week of August and one other week over the course of the summer in 2014.  We will post which weeks those are in April or May 2014.

Active Rest: During the rest periods we expect athletes to remain active. We give the acrobatic gymnasts a checklist of activities to do during their off time in order to keep them fit.

Nutrition: We will post some nutrition information on the blog at some point to assist you with meal planning for effective trainings and competitions so keep you eye on the blog.

Viewing Area Closure: During the summer months and on some holidays the viewing area may be closed in the evening.  On these days there will be no parent viewing. Your child will be let in at the sliding glass doors at the front of the club and be ushered out at the end of their session. When the viewing area is closed no one is permitted in the gym lobby for safety and liability reasons. Our apologies for the inconvenience that this might cause.  If there is an emergency and you need to contact us inside the gym we ask that you bang on the back door of the gym to try and get our attention. 

Individual Parent Meetings: We offer individual parent meetings as we or you feel they are necessary. If you have individual questions that pertain to your specific situation we ask that you not address these in a public forum but leave it to an e-mail or individual meeting.

Chain of Command:  Speak to your child’s coach(es) directly for anything you may have questions about.  Then you may speak to Don.  If he is not able to help you then you can speak to Wayne Hussey the COO.  If you have a question about an event/competition DO NOT contact Gymnastics Ontario directly.  DO NOT contact the host club of an event directly.  If you have a question address it through the coach(es) and we will ask GO or the event host for you as your question is likely one that other’s have.

Sponsorship: Athletes are able to search for sponsors to offset the costs of training and competitions. The OGC has created a sponsorship package for all competitive athletes. Please enquire if you are interested in sponsorship.

Fundraisers: Currently the Acro Program is planning to run a Family Fun Night fundraiser in January.  The date is to be determined.   We may run another fundraiser at some point during the season. 

Event and Competition Schedule:  To be posted on the blog in the early fall.

Competitive Structure Provincial and National – See attachment, previous post

The Competitions – see attachment

Travel:  It is possible that we will travel outside of Ontario for competitions as acro is still growing and we may need to travel to find competitions to attend.  These events are not on our regular schedule of Gymnastics Ontario Qualification events so you will have to cover the cost for coaches to attend these events as well as pay for registrations.  Your registration fees for the GO qualification competitions are included in your OGC fees.  The cost for coach’s expenses will be divided up and shared across the athletes that attend.  Money from fundraisers may fully or partially offset the coach’s costs.

Training Wear:  For acro we prefer that athletes wear a leotard and shorts.  Athletes with long hair are expected to keep it in a high bun so that it is out of the way while performing skills.  Boys shorts should be above the knee as you may be doing elements where another athlete need to stand on your thighs.  Please not wear long board shorts.  Gymnastics shoes are optional.

Competitive Wear: 
We have a warm up leotard/shorts or singlet/shorts combo for the Provincial and Elite Group that they need to have when we go to competitions.  This Warm Up clothing if for the stretching and warming up portion of a competition.  Usually the suit you will wear for competition is more elaborate and we don’t want to cause damage to the competition suits by doing too much activity in them.  More information to be circulated in the fall.  You will receive information shortly about the warm up leos soon.  If you are in the Interclub groups you are expected to purchase the warm up leos as it may be your competition suit for the year depending on the pair or group you will be competing with.  An additional competition suit may be required.

Competition suits:  Each pair or group will have a matching leotard or singlet/sorts/pants for each competitive routine they perform.  We will generally keep the same suit for the season.  Athletes going to larger competitions or higher levels may have three competitive outfits.  Plan for this cost as competitive suits usually cost between $100 and $600 dollars per athletes.

Tracksuits and OGC apparel:  We have the royal OGC Acrobatic Gymnastics program t-shirt that will be for sale on the rack across from the office.  There are OGC Tracksuits that will be available through the main office.  We will also have OGC fitted women’s tracksuit in a Lululemon style available to purchase in the fall.  Stay tuned for more information on these items.  What do you need? The t-shirt (parents and family members are welcome to buy the royal acro t-shirt as well).  If you are on the Elite or Provincial Team women should have either the general OGC tracksuit or the fitted tracksuit.  Boys we prefer that you have the general OGC tracksuit for competitions.  Interclub athletes all tracksuit and OGC apparel is optional for you.  I suggest getting the royal blue t-shirt if you plan to attend a training camp or competition this year.

Other OGC Apparel:  We will have a navy or white hooded sweat shirt avail and navy or white OGC sweatpants available to purchase in the fall.  These additional items are optional and make great Christmas presents.

Therapy Clinic:  The Glen Abby Massage Therapy and Sports Injury Therapy Clinic located inside of the OGC is open to all.  It is not restricted to the athletes of the OGC.  All Oakville Community members are welcome to use the OGC clinic.   

Sport Psych:  We have a new therapist working in the clinic who deals with Sport Psychology.  Her name is Sarah Dybka and was herself a power tumbler coached by Don and Niki.  She is available for one on one sessions and will be starting regular additional work with the OGC National tumbling group in order to give them the competitive psychological edge in the 2013/2014 season.

Car Pooling:  If you are looking for Car Pooling options please create a simple classified advertisement and email it to Don.  Please include your Name, closest intersection or school for pick up location, your phone number or email address.  Don will then distribute this advertisement to the athletes in your child’s group or if you wish, to the greater competitive gymnastics community within the OGC.  

Any Financial questions please direct to Agnes Jankura in the main office.

Check your e-mails regularly for OGC info.

READ THE BLOG REGULARLY: It is VERY IMPORTANT that YOU keep up-to-date on the blog. It is the online bulletin board for our program. Everything is archived there so you can go back and pull any information that you might need. http://ogcacrobaticgymnastics.blogspot.com/


Questions?

Any questions can be directed to:
Don Holmes  dholmes_tumbling@homail.com
Jane Kirwan janemkir1@gmail.com
David Scott aenb@live.co.uk
Serg Sharapayeu acrobatic2010@gmail.com

Parent Meeting Provincial Group

Please note that the Parent Meeting for the 

Provincial Acro Group (David's group) 

will take place on 

Tuesday, September 17th from 6:30 to 7:30pm 

in the OGC Board Room.

At least one parent from each family should attend.

Parent Meeting Interclub Girls Group

Please note that the Parent Meeting for the 

Interclub Girls Acrobatic Gymnastics group (Serg's group)

 will take place on 

Monday, September 16th from 6:00 to 7:00pm 

in the OGC Board Room.

At least one parent from each family should attend.  Athletes may attend but do not need to.

Parent Meeting Elite A & B Groups

Please note that the Parent Meeting for the 

Elite A and B Acrobatic Gymnastics groups 

will take place on 

Sunday, September 15th 

from 8:00 to 9:00pm in the up-stairs lobby of the OGC.

At least one parent from each family should attend.

This could be you.

Parent Meeting Interclub Boys Acro

Please note that the Acrobatic Gymnastics 

Interclub Boys Group (Don's Group)

will have their Parent Meeting on Thursday, September 12th from 7:00 to 8:00pm in the OGC Board Room.

At least one Parent from each family should attend.  Athletes are welcome to attend but do not need to be there.

Handstand Photo Contest Kelsey

Kelsey strikes a handstand on what looks to have been a sandcastle. A great summer photo.

Handstand Photo Contest Jack

Here is Jack's standing on his hands photo.  Jack had elbow surgery in May and was not allowed to do handstands so he improvised.  Very nice Jack.  

Handstand Photo contest Aakriti

Here is Aakriti's handstand photo submission.  My apologies for taking a long time to post this one.  I forgot that I had it.  Sorry Aakriti.

Handstand Photo Contest Sydney

Here are Sydney's handstand photos.  

These are funny!

September Schedule COMPLETE

Here is the September Acrobatic Gymnastics training schedule complete with Parent Meetings.

Please note that we have had to make some changes to the Sunday training times due to the Gym Loading Equipment Sharing schedule.  

The Interclub Boys group (Don's Group) will now train 6:00 to 8:00pm on Sunday instead of 12:45 to 2:45pm.

The Provincial Group (David's group) will now train 5:00 to 7:00pm instead of 2:00 to 4:00pm. 

The gym is just way to full in the early afternoon on Sundays.  Your athletes would not have gotten to work on the floor or run routines.  We realize these later times cut into Sunday night dinners or family time but there really is no other option.  Our apologies for the late notice.  Please let us know if there are any major conflicts.

Parent Meetings are schedule for each group.  Please note the dates and times for your athlete's Parent Meeting.

As well, the Oakville Gymnastics Club will host it's Annual General Meeting on Sunday, September 29th from 8:00 to 9:00pm.  Families will receive two volunteers hours to their credit if they attend.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the Parent Meetings and the OGC AGM.

Welcome Back!

I have added the link again to the Group Specific Training Times.  I have added the changes that are shown on the updated September schedule.


http://ogcacrobaticgymnastics.blogspot.ca/2013/08/september-schedule-2013.html

Acro Starts Today

The Oakville Gymnastics Club's Acrobatic Gymnastics program starts today Wednesday, September 4th.  

My apologies to all of those families who came to the gym yesterday.  Do keep your eyes on the blog.

As well I posted the training schedule for each individual Acrobatic Gymnastics Group here on the blog in August.  I have added the link here for you to go back to that post to see when your athlete trains.  

http://ogcacrobaticgymnastics.blogspot.ca/2013/08/september-schedule-2013.html

A September schedule will be posted here very soon.  We have our acro staff meeting today to confirm the dates and times of the Parent Meetings.

Thank you for your patience.

September Start

Welcome back to the Fall Session of Acrobatic Gymnastics at the Oakville Gymnastics Club.

Tuesdays, September 3rd is a day of preparation and planning for the staff.  We have also decided to give you one day back to school with no training.  

Regular fall schedule will begin on 
Wednesday, September 4th.

I will get a complete September training schedule posted here on the blog very soon.  I am just confirming the Parent Meeting dates and times with the staff during our meetings.

Please refer to the August post for training times for the fall for each Acro Group.

See you Wednesday.  Enjoy your first day back to school!

Handstand Photo Contest Ally

Here are some fun pool handstands from Ally.  They are all her unless she is actually part of a set of triplets. ?

Handstand Photo Contest Charlotte

Here are some neat photos from Charlotte.  

Handstand Photo Contest Tessa H

Here are Tessa's handstand photo submissions.  Cool stuff.

Male pandas perform handstands too!  Weird. Toronto Zoo.

Here is Tessa in Honey Harbour, Georgian Bay. Nice double stag.

Tessa striking a pose in Bell Park on Ramsey Lake in Sudbury.

And another shot from Bell park.

Here is Tessa on the dock at her friend's cottage in Huntsville.

Handstand photo contest Jessica

Here is a cool handstand pic from Jessica.  Nice split.

Handstand Contest Daniela

Here are some great handstand photos from Daniela.  Wow!  Great pics!

Daniela looks so small!

Excellent action shot!  

Handstand Contest Natalie

 Here are a couple of handstand pics from Natalie while she was at the Awenda Provincial Park in Georgian Bay.