Week 2 - Settling In

Hi all,

What a great first week! I loved seeing everyone at the parent meeting and the girls had a great first week bonding, getting time on each event, and shaking off some dust. This is going to be a long email so buckle in.

Practice Times this Week:

Monday (7-9 PM)

Tuesday (5-7 PM)

Wednesday (5-7 PM)

Thursday (7-9 PM)

Friday (5-7 PM)

Overview of the week:

Monday: Floor

Tuesday: Beam + Wear Your Competition Leo Day (Danielle to give leos at practice)

Wednesday: Vault

Thursday: Bars + Jumps and Leaps Galore

Friday: Open Gym (Goal Knockout Day)

*The last 20 minutes of every practice will consist of conditioning so prepare for that*

Required Event Overview:

Each time we have a required event, the expectation is that the gymnast attempts that event, even if they do not intend to compete it OR perform strength training and condition during that time. Why? Multiple reasons, with the top two being that the girls can get bored after 60-90 minutes on one event and other events can work different muscle groups. If someone is injured and unable to perform said event, I have my book of conditioning they can choose workouts from.

Safety Threshold Implemented:

For the safety of the gymnasts, I have implemented the 'safety threshold' and 'competition threshold'. In order for a girl to move a skill into a routine, she must complete it in either the pit or with safe matting or spotting 10 times successfully (this can be done across multiple days and not necessarily in the same practice). Once this has occurred, it has moved above the safety threshold but may not be competed until it is done in a routine or on the competition equipment 10 times (also can be done across multiple days). If your gymnast has a skill that falls in this category, they will be informed and we have a method for tracking their progress. This is done to ensure skills are not 'chucked' and that they are only doing something that they and the coaches have confidence in. Skills that fall in this category are skills that could result in serious injury if not performed well (twisting tumbling and dismounts on any event, flipping vaults, release moves on bars, giants, etc).

Housekeeping Items:

The pit is almost complete! Trips have been made to the warehouse on a regular basis to pick up the rest of our mats. We are expecting to have everything this week.

The air track will get inflated once we have completed the pit for them to land on.

The 2nd vault runway we are still working out a pick up time with Waunakee to pick it up but we are also hopeful it will be here this week.

Junk has been getting taken from the gym slowly but surely. I heard the janitors were working this weekend to get more out of the way. I am hopeful this week will mark the week the gym is cleared out and we return to some normalcy.

In lieu of our locker room, Jeremy got us small lockers that we have in the garage area to store smaller items (phone, grips, etc). I know there were some issues with the locks but I found a way to fix that (with my long fingers) AND the school has a master key for us.

The girls discovered the high bar is possibly on upside down making it stiffer than expected! My bad! I will be fixing that Monday after practice.

Us and west finished tearing off the old beam cover on the low beam (it can't hurt anyone anymore). A new beam cover was ordered for the low beam that we will install upon arrival.

Danielle is working to see if she make shakey beam, not shakey.

The west coach fixed the hole in the 2nd vault with some stuffing and tape and it looks great now!

Totes: If the girls still want more storage space, please have them bring in a cubby, tote, plastic bin, etc. I have puffy paint for decorating and can store it in our locked cage. Water Bottles: Jeremy got us awesome gatorade water bottles so we will decorate those this week on Wednesday. Floor Routine Sign Ups: Floor routine deadline will be 11/28, meaning all routines need to be made and girls starting to memorize them by this date. Ensure girls send me their music as soon as possible. I had originally set up a Saturday for floor routines but something came up with family so I will have to adjust timing. I am looking to burn some PTO so I would be happy to meet on Thursday when there is no school to help people with their routines. Since assistants can't get there until evening, practice will still be 7-9 that day. If girls need music, I have collected a TON of music over the years so the girls can pick from my phone. Click here to access sign-up or coordinate with Danielle via text if those times don't work. Jason Deli Sign Up: Don't forget to sign up for Jason Deli boxes. Links & Documents: The website was updated with a new section 'Links & Documents' that can be helpful. Click here. Updated Meet Schedule: I forgot to put the Purgolder invite on our meet list! This one keeps slipping my mind >.< Also - Stevens Point is supposed to say WI Rapids. So, here is an update meet schedule: 12/3/2022 WI Rapids Varsity

12/10/2022 Janesville Craig Varsity

12/15/2022 Middleton JV & Varsity

1/5/2023 West JV & Varsity

1/12/2023 ParkerJV & Varsity

1/14/2022 Purgolder (East High) Varsity

1/19/2023 Craig JV & Varsity

1/26/2023 East JV & Varsity

1/28/2023 Spartan Varsity

2/2/2023 Verona JV & Varsity

2/9/2023 Sun Prairie JV & Varsity

2/11/2023 Whitefish Bay Varsity

2/18/2023 Conference JV & Varsity

2/25/2023 Sectionals VarsitySaturday Pictures: We are tentatively planning to do team and individual pictures on Monday (11/21) or Tuesday (11/22). We are just waiting for confirmation from our photographer for the date. Once I know for sure, I will let everyone know. Reach out with any questions and have a wonderful week. Cheers, -Danielle