February Competitive Newsletter

The competitive season is now underway and all of the girls have been hard at work, preparing for all of their events. The first competition was a very positive experience for all and the coaches are looking forward to a very successful competition season ahead. Keep up the great work girls!!!!

TEAM PHOTOS

Date: February 22, 2014 Time: 7pm
Location: Splitz Gymnastics

Team Photo Day has been scheduled for Saturday February 22, 2014 at 7 pm. Please drop off your child at Splitz in their competitive bodysuit and tracksuit, with their hair neatly done, by 7 pm that evening.

Proline will be providing us with our pictures this year, feel free to check out their website to see what kind of items you can
purchase http://www.pro- linephotography.ca/index.html

If you have any questions about Photo Day, please feel free to contact Michelle Michaud at michaud1@shaw.ca .

KAMLOOPS HOTEL

Splitz has blocked off 38 rooms at the Coast Hotel in Kamloops, for the dates of Thursday, March 13th –Sunday, March 16th, 2014.

We recommend that all families book their hotel from March 13th-16th. Once the final schedule has been determined, any dates not required may be cancelled.

The deadline to secure rooms at the Coast Hotel is February 11th, 2014.
All parents are responsible for booking their own hotel room and should plan to arrive one day prior to their daughter’s scheduled competition date.

The Coast Hotel must receive your booking request before Tuesday, February 11th, 2014, as after this date, all blocked off rooms will become available to the public, and the Coast Hotel can no longer guarantee your family a room.

Address: 1250 Rogers Way, Kamloops, BC V1S 1N5
Phone: 1-(250)-828-6660


UPCOMING EVENTS

Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational

We are excited to be participating in the Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational to be held at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday February 15th-Sunday February 16th. Good luck to all of our provincial athletes and all level 2 athletes trying out for Provincial Championships.
The final schedule can be found on the communication board upstairs.

Surrey Classic

Date: February 28th– March 2nd, 2014 Location: Guildford Rec Centre Invited: All Provincial Athletes Final Schedule: TBD

Wild West Fest/ Provincial Championships

Date: March 14th-March 16th, 2014 Location: Kamloops, Tournament Capital Centre
Invited: Provincial & Gymstart Athletes Final Schedule: TBD

Twisters Invitational

Date: April 3rd -6th, 2014
Location: Abbotsford Exhibition Park Invited: Provincial & Gymstart Athletes Final Schedule: TBD

Delta Cash ‘n’ Carry Invitational

Date: May 9th-11th, 2014 Location: Ladner Leisure Centre Invited: Provincial Athletes Final Schedule: TBD


SNACK IDEAS
Please pack your daughter a light snack and water bottle for every competition.
It is important to pack a snack that is easy to eat on the go. Some popular snack ideas include:
 Fruit /vegetables (cut into pieces)
 Granola bars (nut free)  Cheese sticks
 Fish crackers
 Yogurt tubes
 Dried fruit
 Chocolate milk

COMPETITION CHECKLIST
 Healthy dinner the night before  Visualize routines
 Plenty of sleep
 Healthy breakfast
 Arrive 20 minutes early Don’t forget to pack:
 Grips/ Tiger paws
 Healthy snack/ water bottle  Copy of floor music
 Slippers or flip flops
 Athletic tape
 Extra hair elastics/clips
 Good luck charm
 Positive attitude 


AVIVA WINTERFEST RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS

Congratulations to all of our competitive team members who participated in the Aviva Winterfest competition. All of the girls all did very well and the coaches are so proud of them! CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS!!!! 

Splitz Highlights:

Gymstart 1
Jessica Jones-Silver
Hannah Mahon-Silver 
Izayah Ouano-Dotson-Gold 
Rowan Cyr- Silver
Lucia Scott-Gold
Sarah Galovich-Gold

Gymstart 2
Keira Spence- Gold 
Sarah Durante- Gold
 Michelle Karanka- Gold 
Lauryn Thrale- Gold
Chloe Machnau- Gold 
Eve Exner- Gold 
Makenna Guidish- Gold
Mikayla Gilfillen- Gold

P1 Argo
Hailey Parsons- 5th beam, 8th vault, 7th AA
Alex Kennedy- 2nd vault, 3rd bars, 3rd floor, 3rd AA

P1 Tyro
Téah Best-1st vault, 1st bars, 2nd floor, 1st AA 
Sierra McMurdo- 2nd bars, 1st beam, 2nd AA

P1 Novice
Emily Mackay-1st vault, 1st bars, 1st beam, 1st floor, 1st AA

P2 Argo
Paige Bush-3rd vault, 1st beam (12.65), 3rd AA

P2 Tyro
Selina Reid- 6th vault, 5th bars, 9th AA 
Lexie Borthwick- 6th bars, 2nd floor, 4th AA 
Coutrny Snell- 8th vault, 6th floor, 8th AA

P2 Novice
Lela Popoff-4th vault, 2nd bars, 2nd beam, 1st AA 
Taya Velikanje-1st beam, 6th floor, 4th AA
Sarah Dias-3rd vault, 5th beam, 8th AA

P2 Open
Brittany Fiolleau- 1st vault, 2nd bars, 1st beam, 1st floor, 1st AA


Christmas Tree Chip

CHRISTMAS TREE CHIP

SUNDAY JAN 5TH, 2014

11 TO 4PM

AT THE HOLIDAY INN

17530 64TH Ave

ACROSS FROM SPLITZ

Christmas Party

Don't forget to RSPV about the Christmas Party happening on December 23. Follow the link for details and to RSVP if you haven't already.


 http://www.evite.com/event/0146CVD7IYNARQDOIEPDJF6B5S2TUM

December Coaches Newsletter

December 2013

We would like to congratulate our November Athlete of the Month:

Emily Mackay

Coach’s note: Emily shows fantastic attention to detail and focus through each and every training session. Her execution of all of her skills has improved so much; we anticipate a very successful season for Emily. Her determination is inspiring and we are so proud of the progress she has been making. Keep up the excellent work!

Reminders and Updates:

1. David Kenwright Update: 
After several successful meetings with David over the past few months, as well as two sessions with our September and October Athlete’s of the Month, we are very excited to announce that David Kenwright will be joining us for a special group training day. This will take place on Monday December 23rd from 1:30-­‐3:30 for groups 1 & 2 and from 3:30-­‐5:30 for groups 3,4 & 5. David kindly requests that this be a "no parents" training session, to ensure maximum focus and quality of training. We ask that you please drop off your child for training and arrive no earlier than five minutes to pick them up at the end of practice. Thank you for your understanding. We are looking forward to a great day with David.

2. Christmas Training:
The Christmas training schedule has been emailed to all families and is also posted on the Communication Board. Please email the coaching staff if your child will be missing any training over the holidays.

3. Bell Ringer Challenge:
Through the month of November, we challenged our competitive athletes to achieve as many new skills as they could. We had 13 “bell ringers” throughout the month. Congratulations to Rowan, Mikayla, Sara Durante, Sarah Dias, Michelle, Taya, Sierra, Mackenzie, Hannah V, Lexie, Deandra and Paige on their fantastic accomplishments in November! We will be doing our prize draw on December 2nd, stay tuned for our bell ringer challenge winner!

4. Parent Viewing:
We are proud to have many supportive parents as part of our Splitz team, but would like to remind parents that occasional viewing is the best way to see progress and allow all athletes to get the most of their training sessions. With younger athletes, it is understandable that parents may need to stay throughout training for their sense of security. We would like to request that all Provincial level parents limit their viewing to the first or last 30 minutes of training, or the last training session of the month. We have observed that while it is fantastic that our athletes have such supportive parents, consistent viewing can serve as a distraction to athletes if parents become too involved in day-­‐to-­‐day training sessions.

5. Additional Training Sessions: 
When scheduling a private training session, please be sure that you email Renée and Tracy at clubteamz@splitzgymnastics.com to book a time and arrange payment through the Splitz office prior to your athlete’s session. If your session has not been confirmed with Splitz staff we will not be able to provide that training session.

6. Wednesday Morning Training:
The first month of Wednesday morning training has been completed, and what an excellent month it was! Our early morning participants have adjusted very well to their training time and are making excellent progress on their floor skills. Keep up the great work ladies!
*Reminder: if at any time your athlete would like to participate in these additional training sessions, please discuss with Renée and Tracy before completing the registration on the Parent Portal.

7. Splitz Competitive Team Christmas Party: 
The Competitive Team Christmas party will be Monday, December 23rd from 7-­‐10pm at Splitz. If you are able to come, please drop off your daughter at the gym with...

1. $5.00 to cover pizza and drink ( gluten free option will be available)

2. Snack if you wish -­ fruit/ veggies/treat ( no nut products please)

3. Wrapped Christmas ornament under $10.00 for gift exchange

4. Non-­ perishable food item(s) for Surrey food bank donation

If you would like to drop off money for pizza early, you may do so at the office in an envelope with your child's name on it.
The coaching staff is going to organize activities and games and supervise our girls all evening.
Hope you can make it!

Training Updates & Upcoming Events:

-North Shore Invitational: December 14th
Our level 4 and 5 Provincial will be competing in
this event, which will begin at 9:30am. We hope to see many of our team members come out to support our senior athletes!

-­WinterFest Registration Due: December 7th for all GymStart as well as select Provincial level 1 & 2.

-­Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational Registration Due: December 21st for all Provincial team members.

"Keep your dream in front of you. Never let it go regardless of how farfetched it might seem."

 - Hal Higdon

2013/2014 Competition Calendar

At a glance

December 14-15

North Shore Invitational

North Vancouver

P3-5 only

December 21-22

Zone 3 BC Games Trials

Surrey

P3-5 only

January 24-26

Winterfest- Aviva

Coquitlam

P1-2 and Gymstart

February 14-16

Christy Fraser Invitational

Langley

All Provincial

February 20-23

BC Winter Games

Mission

P3-5 only

February 28-March 2

Surrey Classic

Surrey

All Provincial

March 14-16

BC Provincial Championship/ Wild West Fest

Kamloops

All

April 3-6

Twisters Invitational

Abbotsford

All Provincial

April 24- 27

Western Championships

Saskatoon

P5 only

May 9-11

Delta Invitational

Ladner

All Provincial

January

Splitz in house Competition, Gym Start Skill

Cloverdale

All

November 2013, Coaches Newsletter

We would like to congratulate our October Athlete of the Month:

Deandra McNaught

Coach’s note: 
Deandra has put an exceptional amount of effort in to achieving her goals and conquering her fears this past month, and her hard work is really proving useful as she is progressing with each training day. As a multi-sport athlete Deandra has shown a lot of dedication to balancing the demands of her many athletic schedules and is determined to be the best she can be in every aspect of her life. We are so proud of you Deandra, you are a great example of what can be achieved with hard work and determination. Keep it up! 

 Reminders and Updates:

1. Team Wear Update: Bodysuits have been ordered and are in the process of being manufactured. All families will be receiving an email once the bodysuits have arrived with payment details and deadlines. The approximate pricing for the bodysuits is as follows:
Provincial Bodysuit $136
GymStart Bodysuit $60

Track Suits: All gymnasts who needed a new track suit have been sized, and you will be receiving notification on cost and payment deadline once the tracksuits have been received by Splitz.  

2. Competitive Communication Board: Please be sure to check the communication board located upstairs at Splitz for important training updates and competition schedules. Any healthy recipes to share? Send them to clubteamz@splitzgymnastics.com and we may be posting your recipe for everyone to try. Nutrition is an essential piece of every athlete’s training!

3. Christmas Training: As Splitz will be closed for regular classes from December 22-28th we will be having some alternate training times over this week for the Christmas holidays. Please stay tuned for the holiday training schedule! 

4. Competition Calendar: Our competitive team will be attending the following competitions this year:
North Shore Invitational: December 14-15
Splitz In-House Competition: January 18-19
Winterfest: January 25-26
Christy Fraser Invitational: February 14-16
Surrey Invitational: February 28-March 2
Provincial Championships: March 14-16 Kamloops
Wild West Fest: March 14-16 Kamloops
Twisters Invitational: April 3-6
Delta Invitational: May 9-11
Some of these competitions will not be offering all levels, so please check the Blog or Communication Board to view the full schedule which is broken down by level. 

5. Bell Ringer Challenge:  Through the month of November, the athletes will be challenged to achieve as many new skills as they can. When a child achieves a new skill at Splitz, they ring the bell and are able to show their new skill to everyone in the gym. We will keep track of the number of “bell ringers” to share with everyone in next month’s newsletter and each time an athlete rings the bell, they will be entered into a draw for a prize! Watch the communication board to track the number of bell ringers in November!

6. Coping with Fear: Fear is a very real part of gymnastics training, and every athlete is likely to face it at one time or another. The coaching staff is very invested in helping our athletes work through their fears and achieve all of their goals. If your child is experiencing fear and voices their concerns to you at home, please encourage them to talk with their coaches about their fears to formulate a plan to help them to move past it and reach their potential. If your child is experiencing fear, and you are unsure how to help them work through it, check out http://familyfitness.about.com/od/kidssports/a/Help-Your-Child-Cope-With-Sports-Anxiety.htm for some great tips. 

7. Additional Training: Additional private training sessions may be available to athletes on a case by case basis. If your gymnast feels that she is struggling in a particular aspect of her training, please bring your concerns to Tracy and Renée and private training may be arranged if all are in agreement that it would be beneficial. Private training sessions will be $35/ hour and will be arranged with Tracy and Renée with payment through the Parent Portal or through the office during office hours. 
Training Updates & Upcoming Events: 

Rememberance Day: There will be no training on Monday, November 11th as Splitz will be closed for Remembrance Day.
Our first competition is approaching quickly,  “Good Luck” to Mackenzie, Deandra, Jordanne and Hannah as they complete their pre-season preparations and head into the competition season!  T-minus 44 days!

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
~ Dale Carnegie

Fall 2013 Newsletter

Welcome back to the pre-season everyone! 

The girls have all been progressing beautifully this month and we would like to welcome all of our new members to the team. If you see an unfamiliar face at practices we would like to encourage everyone to say hello and introduce themselves.

We would like to congratulate our September Athlete of the Month:

Courtney Snell

Coach’s note: 

Courtney has an extremely positive attitude through every training session and always puts 110% into what is asked of her. She is becoming a great role model for the younger team members at just 9 years of age. Courtney had a very successful summer with many new skills and has continued that momentum through the month of September.  Courtney’s determination is something to be admired. Keep up the fantastic work Courtney!

November Reminders:

1. As cold and flu season has arrived, please be sure to encourage your children to wash their hands, continue to eat well and get lots of rest. A proper diet full of vitamins and nutritious food helps to build a strong immune system, keeping those nasty germs away!

2. The rainy season is upon us and as such, coaches will be checking that all athletes are leaving with proper clothing for the change in weather, so please make sure that your child has a warm sweater or jacket as well as long pants when leaving the gym after their training session.

3. David Kenwright: After David’s observation of the additional training session in August, Tracy and Renée have met with David several times and received a lot of great feedback on the Splitz competitive program. David was very impressed with our team spirit and positive training atmosphere, which is very unique to Splitz. He has supplied the coaching staff with many excellent new drills and suggestions on how to make the Splitz competitive team as successful as possible. Plans for additional trainings sessions with David in the coming months are being devised, so stay tuned!

4. Event Themes: This season we have devised themes for each event, giving a new focus and direction to each event practice. The themes are as follows;
Vault- Explosive Power
Bars- Strength and Control 
Beam- Poise and Confidence
Floor- Dynamic movement
What does each of the themes mean to your athlete? These themes set the athletes up for the use of important key words, little reminders of what each event is about and where their focus should lie.

5. Program questions: Gymnastics is a very complex sport, and as such, many parents will often have questions. If you have any questions regarding your child’s progress or training plan, please do not hesitate to ask Renée or Tracy before, or after practice. If by chance we are not able to answer your question right away, please send an email to clubteamz@splitzgymnastics.com and we will respond as soon as possible! Clear lines of communication are the best path to success for all team members. 

6. Policy Changes: It has been brought to the attention of the coaching staff that some of our athletes have been looking to other gymnastics clubs for specialized event training in addition to their regular practices at Splitz. This sort of training is not permitted and can be detrimental to your athlete’s progress. Not all facilities have the same approach to teaching gymnastic skills and coaches outside of Splitz will be unfamiliar with our training program and certain techniques and approaches unique to the Splitz competitive program, putting your athlete at risk of injury.
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s training or progress it is imperative that you discuss these concerns directly with the Competitive Directors (Tracy and Renée). After discussing any concerns with Tracy and Renée, alternative training plans may be arranged on a case by case basis.

7. Goal Setting: Helping your girls achieve their goals is our aim, and we have completed goal setting exercises with groups 1-4. Please remind your athlete to review their goals regularly and speak to their coaches regarding these goals if there are any questions.

8. Gym Homework: Flexibility and stretching is an integral part of all gymnastics training. Each athlete should be stretching outside of practice at least 5 nights per week. 10 minutes invested in flexibility per night will be extremely beneficial in the long run 
for even the most advanced gymnast.

9. Team Wear: New team bodysuits are in the process of being ordered. We are very excited to be ordering our suits from GymGear this year! GymGear is a Canadian bodysuit manufacturer based out of Alberta. You may9. be familiar with their creative bodysuit designs such as the “super hero” suits or “Angry Bird” suits from competitions. 

Provincial team members will be required to wear a long sleeved bodysuit as in past years, and pre-competitive (GymStart) team members will be ordering tank suits in the same style. 

Track suits are also in the process of being ordered from Ivivva again this season. If your gymnast has a tracksuit from last year, please have her try it on to be sure that it still fits. 

If your child will need a new tracksuit, or you are looking to buy or sell a used tracksuit please email Renée and Tracy by October 16th at clubteamz@splitzgymnastics.com. If a used tracksuit is not available in your child’s size, a new one will be ordered in her size. Also, if we are unable to find a buyer for your used track suit, it will be returned to you.

Provincial Suit

Precompetitive Suit

Training Updates & Upcoming Events: 

Thanksgiving: There will be no training on Monday, October 14th as Splitz will be closed for Thanksgiving. The competitive coaching team at Splitz is very grateful for our fabulous gymnasts and their families. What is your athlete thankful for?    

"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character." T. Alan Armstrong