Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Perfecting the basics is one of the highest priorities for me as a coach. I spend 70% of my pre-teams' work-outs on conditioning & flexibility, which is closely monitored like a hawk. The rest of the time is on basics, footwork, arm positions, etc. It's hard at times to keep them motivated but they are a fun group and we come up with ways to work on our skills and stay focused.

One way we work footwork on beam is by doing zig-zag walks in 5th position. More than half of these girls walked into the gym with that silly pigeon toe and these are helping establish a good turnout. We zig-zag forwards and backwards. Another way of mixing it up is by adding a relevĂ© to change the levels and we add tendu to 4th position, lunge, etc. I'll let one of them pick out a sequence of 3 or 4 and we'll work on that for a pass or two then give another teammate a chance to come up with a sequence. 

On our last practice for the year, they came up with something even better...

As a coach I'm holding back as much as I can to stick to these basics, get it right and not to rush skills. These little ones make it easy for me because they enjoy doing it as long as I make it seem like we are doing different things every day. We have lots of work to do in 2012, but we're ready to go and I'm hoping I'll keep coming up with more fun and effective ways to teach them how to use their bodies like a gymnast. 


Open Gym, not just for the kids!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

It's a great time for me to play with the kids, experiment with props and stations. I find most of the greatest ideas from my kids or just seeing something from a different view. Open Gym at our gym can get quite messy, balls, noodles, mats and equipment everywhere! In this case, I saw a Theraband hanging on the balance beam and there goes the light-bulb switch.


At first I thought of using an incline, but then I thought of the tire tracks that the wheels could roll on. This also makes them keep super tight! Wish we had more spring boards and more Therabands so I could make them roll under all 3 of our high beams.

I also use Open Gym to test out new ideas. In this next drill, I wanted to add a little more for my tactile learners. Most of the time, I'll just have the kids make fists and call it a day. But I find that they'll usually just open their hands & lose that sense of keeping tight the whole time. I made pairs of different textures for them to fit in their hands.


The girls really likes doing the sponges, I'm thinking there's more to the average dish sponge than we thought.

Making Conditioning Fun!

Monday, November 21, 2011

More than half of the Pre-teams practice is strength and conditioning based gymnastics, yet we have so much fun. Earlier in the term, I made bingo cards for each of the girls. One for each event; vault, bars, beam, floor. I asked them to take it home and color them however they liked and bring them back. Then I laminated them and keep them for the girls. As I do my lesson plans, I make sure there is at least 1 or 2 sticker opportunities for our events for the day. They are totally motivated & for me its fun to see them working so hard to get conditioning with good form. I'm pretty tough on these little ones when it comes to good form for a couple weeks it seemed like we couldn't get it right!


Week 12 seemed to be the magic number when we started to get BINGO! 
I'm happy to see the girls getting so strong and excited about body shapes, conditioning and flexibility. It's easy for all of us to track our progress in a fun way. They are even starting to cheer each other on and show great sportsmanship by congratulating each other for good efforts. They are learning so much more than just gymnastics skills here in the gym and it is such a joy to be apart of it! 

Vault Progress

Here's a look at Margi's progress...

Building Confidence

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

With the new season comes new skills which often seems super scary at first. My goal as a coach is to follow skill progressions correctly to ease this fear, while promoting confidence in learning the skill. Each breakdown of skills is a chance for a gymnast to succeed.

Take our Level 4 vault, for example, which is a front handspring flat back off the vault table. This is a major step for the girls as it is the first time they will be going over the vault table in the Australian Gymnastics system. How are we as coaches to tell them to run as fast as you can towards this huge metal and leather thing and expect them not to be scared?! It's like telling them to run as fast as they can towards a truck without slowing down. One way I've been successful in breaking though the fear AND reinforce proper form is with this following lead--up drill. 

In the two videos, Margi and Asia have never gone over on the vault table before. When I recorded, they had about 5 tries each before. We are doing this drill off a mini-tramp to start off and gain confidence while keeping it easy on our ankles. They thought it was really cool!


Asia and Margi both had problems finding the correct body position (hollow) in the pre-flight and were always piked. This barrel makes it impossible for them to make the handstand with a pike. It also gives that little heel-drive at the end automatically. Most coaches say, "drive your heels" but this would promote an arched back which is opposite of what we want to happen. The heel drive should be just at the very last portion of the pre-flight. Don't even get me started on when I hear, "block" from a coach. It makes no sense to the kids, and really when the vault is done properly like they are, it automatically happens.

 One week later, we tried doing the vault as we will be competing. It was a happy day for all of us. Their confidence brought on by the barrel drill made it an easy transition AND they were done with good form. I think I was more excited than they were. After all, they have been going over the vault with the barrel for a week already so it wasn't such a big deal. :P

I was actually inspired for this lead-up drill from messing around in Open Gym with a cute little aspiring gymnast named Ruby. She had been at our Open Gym for almost 3 hrs at this point and is kind of tired. Her first 30 were with great form!

I hope Ruby decides to join our gym. :)

Former Gymnast turns Ironwoman!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Some of the most amazing people have this great sport of gymnastics to thank. Recently, former Olympic gold medal gymnast Amy Chow was in the news showcasing her likely run for a return to the Olympics this time in the sport of diving. Not only was she an awesome pole vaulter in college but she is also a doctor of pediatrics and a licensed surgeon!

Yesterday, Sept. 11, 2011 one of my dearest and oldest friends Tracey finished her first Ironman Race in Madison, WI in 13 hours, 53 minutes and 46 seconds! 


Tracey and I met in, yep, you guessed it, pre-school 
gymnastics. Her love and dedication to the sport 
stayed with her all the way to her Sr. year in high school. Tracey then went on to study at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and is now an Air Traffic Controller. She is one superwoman, in her blog she documents balancing long hours of work and even longer training hours for such an event. I believe her involvement in gymnastics plays a major role in the successes of my dear friend and I know there is many more successes to be achieved. For a gymnast, there's always more to learn, more to conquer and more to do!


For parents with kids involved in gymnastics or thinking about what sport to enroll them in, consider this story. Even if they don't stay with this sport all the way to the Olympics as Amy Chow did, this sport is a great foundation for anything in life they want to do. Whether it be swimming, biking, running or all three like Tracey!

Summer is here!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Congratulations to our First Place Level 4 Team at the GIM Sports Friendship Meet!
Renee, Milanna, Emily, Tiffany & Hannah 
I'm very proud of each and every one of you. You showed much confidence and ended the year beautifully. 

As most of the team is out of the country for the summer visiting family & friends back home in the states. The SACAC Gym is closed but I've still got gymnastics on my mind volunteering time with the Singapore Gymnastics Open which was held last weekend at Bishan Sports Hall. Myself, as well as, Coach Alexsis judged for the WAG Singapore levels and Stages Competitions while Coach Alex judged for the MAG International Competition. While some of the competitors were participating for only for passing grades the others were putting their best routines for show in the small yet tough competition. For those of you who didn't know SACAC did have one competitor in the competition, Daniel Moritz competing in MAG Level 2. I feel this competition was a stepping stone for us as an organization to be involved with more Singapore Gymnastics events and the gymnastics community in Singapore. I encourage all of you to head over to the Singapore Gymnastics Website and take a look at what they've got going on! 

Looking forward to next year, I'm very optimistic with our new Head Coach's ideas and experience to lead us in the right direction. We also added the extension of the spring floor and some excited Junior Coaches will be helping with the recreational programs. We will also be offering Open Gym on Friday evenings from 5:15-8:15 which is a great time to work on a skill that you really want to get or to just hang out with friends and show off what you can do!

I wish everyone a great summer and hope we stay moving whether it be by attending a gymnastics camp, taking dance or like me, doing some yoga! The baby will be here in 6 weeks andafter watching the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition and feeling her now, I have a strong inclination she'll be great at doing those awesome 185 degree kicks.



Trophies for all; What are we rewarding?

Monday, March 21, 2011

As a former gymnast and now a coach, I find myself reflecting back to many of my days of hard work in the gym to empathize with my gymnasts. Yes, I do know the pain of the rip. I know that fear in the back of your head every time you mount the balance beam and I do know that disappointment when things just don’t go your way in that big competition. I’m always evaluating my actions as a coach and trying to better myself as a role model. Recently, I’ve taken into consideration an ethical question brought on by competition awards.  

In completion of our first competition all of our gymnasts were given medals regardless of their place. Of course, it was fun for each child to stand up and get recognition for their routines but I feel these rewards came at a high price. Not only was this very costly for our organization but also a step back in the mental development of a competitive gymnast as well as misguiding young impressionable minds. Here’s why.

1.       Diminishing achievement value. In the reward of each child for each routine, we are simply dampening the child’s interest, their pleasure and also interfering with how good they actually do. In this instance, X received 3rd place for a performance with 2 falls. In the following competition, X has no falls but does not place.  Reassuring X had a great routine and improved greatly in the 2nd competition is a harder job and brings up skepticism for X and quite possibly X’s parents.

2.       Manipulating children. Children are always looking for approval whether it comes from their teachers, parents or their peers. But we as adults have the responsibility to not exploit this dependence for our own convenience. I feel that maybe medals for all was an evasion for the adults involved. Are we only going to avoid disappointment? In that case, why should we expect anything from anyone? As the adults we have to give our children the skills to develop great character, not avoid life lessons that grow from such disappointments in fear of a teary face.

3.       Tumbling interest.  For many of the young minds getting a 1st place means they do not need to work on that particular event, skill or level. Most coaches will agree that gold doesn’t mean they were the best they are capable of doing or the best they will ever do. The gold medal proves they were the best in that event, age group, level and at that competition. Training after a gold medal performance is very often very lazy and the gymnast losses interest in training those routines and or skills with their false sense. In addition, any encouragement that is sent their way is disregarded. Is this what we want to do, stop encouragement and only give praise?

4.       Looking for approval. Yes as a coach, we give corrections always looking for perfection but I do not wish to push children to do something they do not want to do for themselves. I was fortunate enough to have a family and coach that supported my gymnastics and growth rather than pushing me to win as a requisite for approval. I’m always excited when I hear “I did it!” over “How did I do?” when a gymnast finishes performing. It shows great confidence and it’s a sign that she is genuinely involved in this sport for herself, not looking for approval.

When we come to award planning, we need to consider the emotional consequences and not cop-out where we need to step up showing unconditional love and support. We need to keep in mind our long-term goals for our children and watch the effects of what we say and do.

I really like to have our “fu n awards” after the competition where our girls pick the recipients. They are playful yet give recognition to those who demonstrate their merit. I.e. Best Hair Award, Awesome Attitude, Most Improved, Best Save on Balance Beam Award, Best Fall Award, etc. An outside motivator helps them become more excited about what they are doing in their own right, not to get approval or a pat on the back by me.

One week!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Our trip to Manila is one week away and we only have 1 or 2 practices left to perfect our routines and get a game plan for our competition. There is much happening this week without Thursday or Friday practice...our Senior Girls Team will be performing during the County Fair on Saturday afternoon at 2:45, finishing touches on our Manila packets are to be done and I've been thinking of ways to help keep us entertained during our travels.


I realize while I'll most likely be sleeping (fingers crossed) during my midnight flight, the rest of the team and parents will be full of excitement and anticipation. I encourage all students to get their homework done during the 3 and a half hour flight so we can enjoy this trip to the fullest! I've made some fun puzzles for team members and parents to do to pass those down times waiting for flights or competition. Let's do some gymnastics with our minds too! 


SACAC Gymstars Parents' Crossword
Beam Maze
Trophy Maze
Quote Search
Gymnastics Crossword
Goodwill Word Search
(links are to Scribd website and safe to download)

Competition Hair

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

How did she get through the metal detector with all those clips?! 


With less than a month until we land in Manila, lets take this time to check out some hair styles that would reflect our routines....AWESOME!


Some things to remember when picking the right hairstyle:
1. Many of us have a backward roll or extension roll in our routines. A centered ponytail might hit at the very same spot and be rather annoying. Opt for a low-laying ponytail, side or two sides. Is your hairstyle going to distract you from performance?
2. Is it going to stay put? We have enough to worry about during the competition!
3. How long is it going to take? Some of the hairstyles I've used take a couple hours to do. Make sure you have enough time to have your hair done BEFORE you leave the hotel for the competition.


I encourage you to pick one that suits you! Ideas are everywhere, here are some http://gymnasticshair.blogspot.com/
http://sportsgirlsplay.com/hairstyles-for-gymnastics-and-cheerleading/

SACAC Gymnastics Video

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Winter Fest video is ready for your viewing!

We had a blast editing this. Check out Daniel's dance moves at 2:30...I haven't laughed so hard in a long time! ENJOY!

Michelle Kwan to speak at SAS!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

How cool is this? I encourage everyone to attend this rare opportunity to hear life experiences from someone who has been to the top. Much better than listening to my stories of back when I was a gymnast ;)

From the SACAC website:

Event date:
Thursday, 13 Jan 2011

SACAC Invites it's members and guests to join us at SAS for this unique opportunity.

Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in US history, will visit SAS when we return from winter break. SACAC Members and their guests are invited to join us on Thursday, January 13 from 3:30-4:15pm in the Drama Theatre and hear Michelle speak about her experiences with athletic competition, and the challenges and opportunities that athletics played in her life and her understanding of the world.

For more details please go to:
http://www.sas.edu.sg/whatshappening/2010/pdf/michelle_kwan.pdf

Hello 2011, We are here and so is this blog!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

How many times did you practice writing 2011 so you don't get it wrong when the time comes to write today's date? I've attempted over 10 times but still find myself still writing 2008! 


As everyone enjoys their last week of break before practices pick up again, I am busy editing and putting the finishing touches on the video from the 2nd Annual 2010 Winter Classic Competition.  In addition to the video, our SACAC Gymstars Sponsorship packages will be available very soon. On that note, a big thank you to our Winter Classic Sponsors: Terima kasih, merci, obrigado, č°˘č°˘!
If anyone has any pics from Winter Classic they would like to share for the blog, please send my way.

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