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:
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?
