1. Make sure gymnast attends all regularly scheduled workouts, meets, and special functions. If your child must miss a workout for any reason please leave us a note or call the office.
2. Communication is important practice in our gym. Parents should communicate with the Owner or the Head Coach regarding problems, instead of complaining to other parents. The key to solving problems is to be aware of the situation and working together to resolve issues. Together we can encourage team moral and promote unity to achieve a common goal.
3. Check the bulletin board & team lockers regularly to stay current with team activities.
4. Membership in the Booster Club is recommended, not required. Attend the scheduled Booster Club meetings. Notice will be posted in the gym and sent home with the gymnasts. Please check gymnast lockers for all team information. The Booster Clubs main goal is to help pay the gymnasts’ entry fees for our Meets during competition season.
5. Insure that your child gets enough sleep, proper nutrition, gets to and from the gym on time and has proper clothing and equipment.
6. Provide unconditional love, encouragement and support to your young athlete. Please do not compare your child with other athletes. Each athlete is different with differing strengths and weaknesses. It is unfair to you and your child to compare her to another athlete. Rather, try to look for the progress your child is making in gymnastics and help to celebrate it!
7. Please do not coach your child. Your comments detract from what the coach is doing by giving the gymnast another thing to think about, and it interferes with the development of the coach/athlete relationship which is critical for long-term success.
8. Please stay in the waiting area and out of the gym while waiting for your child. There is no observation day for Team practices. Meets serve as observation day.
9. Please let a coach know before practice if you think your child might have a problem due to illness, medication or injury.
Although this section has focused on gym policies, the coaching staff believes that the order of importance always needs to be family, education, and then gymnastics. If you choose to be a member of our program, we make the assumption you have allowed appropriate time for family functions and that your child’s study habits and schoolwork is of exemplary quality.
We do not advocate the use of this statement as an excuse for coming late to workouts, missing practices, etc. As with all things in life, it is your responsibility to fulfill your commitments. If you are unable to make the commitment this program requires, we can place you in another program that fits your needs better.
Dalene Lease & Shannon Loy
Owner Head Coach
Team Guidelines
The decision to join the C.F. Gymnastics Team program is a big one and reflects a commitment to the team for an entire year. Team members do not move on and off the team based on illness, injury, conflicts or the like. You are either on the team or not. Following are guidelines which all team members are expected to follow.
1. Each gymnast is required to attend all regularly scheduled workouts. Be on time to all workouts. That means on the floor ready to workout when your workout begins, not talking in the bathroom or hanging around out front. If for some reason you will be late or absent you are required to call the office and notify the coaches so that they may adjust the workout accordingly.
2. Proper workout attire is a must. A properly fitting leotard is the only acceptable workout attire. No shorts, two-piece workout attire or shirts are allowed. Hair should be appropriately tied up tightly away from face so as not to interfere in any way during the workout. No jewelry, other than stud earrings, may be worn during the workout because it causes safety problems for both the gymnast and coach. For the courtesy of the coaches and other athletes, proper and appropriate hygiene is appreciated.
3. Work hard and try your best. This is all that we will ever ask of you and this is always what you should demand of yourself. Do not compare yourself with other gymnasts. You are all different and will advance at different rates. Only concern yourself with things YOU can control which are YOUR ATTITUDE, YOUR EFFORT… YOUR GYMNASTICS!
No food, drink (except water bottles), or candy is permitted on the workout floor.
Gymnasts may not leave the workout or competition area without the expressed permission of the coaching staff.
6. Alert your coach when your body is telling you to slow down or stop. If you are sick, on medication, or are injured we need to know, and you need to listen to your body. Pain is the body’s way of telling you to stop. In addition, alert your coach if you have engaged in any strenuous activity prior to the start of practice.
7. Treat your coaches and teammates with respect. Be kind to those gymnasts younger than you are, and do not hold yourself out as better than other gymnasts. THERE IS NO PLACE IN THE GYM FOR RUDE OR BELITTLING COMMENTS, DISPLAYS OF ANGER OR DISGUST, OR TALKING BACK TO COACHES OR OTHER ADULTS.
8. Be honest. Cheating is the ugliest form of disrespect. It shows disrespect to your coaches, your parents, and, most importantly, to yourself. If you cannot or will not complete an assignment be honest about it.
9. Maintain a positive attitude when facing fears and frustrations. Gymnastics is the most demanding and difficult of all sports. All athletes suffer setbacks, frustration, fear, and defeat. Expect these things, learn from them, face them and overcome them. Set high goals and achieve them step by step.
10. NO TEAM MEMBER IS ALLOWED TO USE ALCOHOL OR DRUGS OR TO SMOKE! We spend many hours together trying to be the best we can be. All of that work is a complete waste of time if an athlete uses drugs or alcohol.
11. In the case of an injury: All gymnasts must attend practice for conditioning & come to each Meet or
scheduled team event. (Gym Show or Booster Club event) *See Dalene for injury class fee rate.
Water Bottle
Each competitive level (4-10) gymnast may bring a non-breakable plastic water bottle with a cap to practice and keep it with them every day. The water bottle should be labeled with the athlete’s name. Please bring only water as sports drinks tend to make a sticky mess in the gym.
Team Commitment
The decision to join the C.F. Gymnastics Team program is a big one and reflects a commitment to the team for an entire year. This means you must finish out the Competition Practice Season: July to the last meet which could be in May or June. If parents want to send a message that quitting isn’t okay, you need to make sure your gymnast finishes the season they have started & complete their obligation as a member of a TEAM. If the gymnast still wants to quit make sure your child tells her team & coach this decision face-to-face. This will help for everyone to understand the reasons for leaving & no hard feelings felt. This way if she wishes to return, she will feel welcome & not uneasy.
Meet Etiquette for Gymnasts
¨ Athletes should arrive at the competition site 10-15 minutes before open stretch is scheduled to begin. Athletes should be in uniform & well groomed and report to their coach at the beginning of scheduled open stretch time.
¨ Athletes must remain in the designated competition area throughout the course of warm-ups and competition and obey all warm-up regulations and procedures.
¨ Each athlete should accept her place in the line-up and the scores she receives with dignity and without criticism. There is no place for crying and uncontrolled emotions during a gymnastic meet. Athletes cannot control the scores they get nor can they control the performances of any other gymnast. Athletes can only control their own performance.
* NOTE TO ATHLETES: If you don’t do your best and receive a disappointing score, ask your coach about it when the meet is over. If you make mistakes and are disappointed in your performances do not make matters worse by becoming emotional and jeopardizing your chances for good performances on upcoming events. Remember to that you are part of a team. The team needs you to be in control and ready to perform. They do not need you bringing the spirit of the entire team down by wailing and whimpering.
¨ The gymnasts should not keep track of their event scores, all-around scores or placement during the competition. Parents and coaches will keep track of those things. Athletes’ concentration should center on their performance. There will be plenty of time to review scores later.
¨ Gymnasts should be prepared to assist the coach with boards, mats, bar settings etc. during the meet.
¨ Be courteous, respectful and polite to all meet officials, hosts, competitors and coaches. The only time you should approach a meet official is to thank them for hosting or judging a meet.
¨ Gymnasts should have a competition bag and keep all of their belongings in the bag during the meet.
¨ Athletes should stay with the team until competition is over and the coach releases them. Once a gymnast has entered the competition area there should be no contact between the gymnast and her parents unless there is an emergency.
¨ Athletes should stay for awards dressed in the Canal Fulton Gym warm-up suit. Most meets have a formal system for presenting awards. As a participating athlete you have an obligation to stay for all the awards and to accept any award presented to you with courtesy and gratitude. It is customary to accept awards with a firm handshake and a warm smile. Congratulate and shake hands with the other athletes as well. Remember that you are not just representing yourself; you are acting as a representative of Canal Fulton Gymnastics as well.
¨ If you are staying to watch another teammate compete, or you have arrived early for warm ups, stay seated in the bleachers do not to wander out onto the competition floor.
Meet Etiquette for Parents
1. Team Spirit is a big help.... Wear the team colors, or better yet one of our club T-shirts.
2. Please show proper respect to all Officials and Coaches at every competition. They are all there for one reason, to support your child’s interest in gymnastics. Under no circumstance should you attempt to contact any official on the competition floor during or after the meet (judges, score keepers, etc.) If you have any questions regarding the meet or your child’s scores you must contact your coach. Even the coach is not allowed to approach the judges regarding routines or scores during the meet, but must submit an inquiry through the Meet Director. Points could be deducted not only from your gymnast but the team score as well for failure to follow these rules.
4. Please show proper respect to all competitors. You NEVER KNOW who is sitting near you (I.E. parents of the gymnast you just made a remark about).
5. Once a gymnast has walked into the competition area for warm-up, they ARE NOT ALLOWED to talk or have contact with their parents until the competition is over. This has less to do with control than it does with FOCUS. Any distraction could disturb the focus necessary to have a successful routine. The coach’s job at the meet is to monitor the gymnast’s condition and teach her to respond appropriately. If the gymnast is too excited, the coach calms her down. If the gymnast is too complacent, the coach pumps her up and motivates her to do her best. The emotional dynamic is fluid in a competition. An excellent vault score may cause a gymnast to be over-confident. A terrible bar routine may actually provide an educational moment. At these times the gymnast needs to focus on her coach’s advice, not distractions from off the competitive floor.
As coaches, we know that you mean well with your comments, but they may not be appropriate for the long-term training of your gymnast. If you have any questions about what happens at a meet, talk to the coach after you have returned to your gym and you have first had time to reflect.
6. In any competition, parents, friends, and relatives of the gymnast ARE NOT ALLOWED onto the competitive floor. YOU MUST remain in the spectator’s area. This also includes other relatives and friends. Your child could be immediately scratched from the meet if a parent is in the competitor's area.
7. In case of injury during warm-up or competition, YOU MUST stay in the spectator area until your coach flags you onto the floor. The team can get a deduction or even disqualified if a parent is in the competitor's area.
8. DO NOT coach your child. Coaches should coach, everyone else should encourage. Injury may result from changing the gymnast’s focus away from the coach’s technique. Even the most helpful comment from you could have disastrous consequences.
9. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY is permitted during a meet. The sudden flash of light could cause a gymnast to be injured. Check out your camera in advance. Many cameras come with an automatic flash that will go off if it detects low light levels. If you cannot manually disable this device, please do not take pictures during the competition.
10. On the day of competition your child should eat a well-balanced meal about three hours prior to the actual competition. This energy will carry them through the entire competition. If necessary, a gymnast may carry water and pieces of fruit in their gym bag to curb hunger pangs.
11. All gymnasts are expected to stay until the end of the awards ceremony whether they are receiving an award or not. They need to cheer all award recipients - especially their teammates.
Expectations
Problems occur when a parent expects too much from an athlete who is new to the competitive arena. (New is defined as having only competed for two or three years.) It takes a number of years of quality competition for a gymnast to develop the poise and grace to continuously take top honors in a gymnastics competition.
Some parents seem to have developed their own system of evaluating the scores their children earn during a gymnastics competition. When their child earns a 9.00 or better in the meet, the parents tend to walk around with the look and attitude "YES, my kid is hot!” If their child receives an 8.00, the parents are still happy and feel their child is a very good competitor.
However, if a child gets a mark around a 7.00, the parents start to wonder what needs to be fixed in the routine, or why the coach doesn't pay more attention to their child. As the scores get lower than 7.00, the gymnast's parents hide in the bleachers and hope that no one they know will see them.
Obviously this is an over-simplification of what happens, and not all parents react in this manner. The key is to recognize when your child is working up to her potential. If she completes all her skills for the first time, without a fall, that is a winning routine regardless of what score she receives. Comments from you should be congratulatory and positive. No mention should be made at that time of what she can do better, that would lessen the effect of this "victory" for her. The week after the meet your daughter’s coach will go over those elements that need work and congratulate her on the elements she competed correctly.
Any score she receives during a competition is no reflection on you as parent. There is no reason for you to feel embarrassed if your child is having a bad meet. Everyone has good days and bad days, and it is how she learns to react to them that show her development as a competitor.
Remember always that a score given to your child in a gymnastics competition is an evaluation of one single performance, not an evaluation of the child.
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