Welcome to Week 2 - Routine Prep & Skill Building
- madisonmemorialgym
- Nov 18, 2024
- 6 min read
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Week 2 of the gymnastics season!
Week 1 Recap:
We had a great first week of practice! Outside of practice, our team lunch and photo session went great! It was fun seeing the girls spend time together and have fun!
At practice, we had multiple goals that were knocked out in our first week! I spent a ton of time coaching on vault and floor - so those are the events I remember best! For anyone who knocked out a goal but I miss in this email, let me know so I can send it in my next email!
Sofia G. did her yurchenko - tuck into the pit!
Sofia D. attempted her yurchenko - 1/2 twist on the competition vault!
Niylah, Kylie, and Becca all started Friday practice with vault drills and ended practice by doing a front handspring over the competition vault!
Emma did her flyaway on the high bar!
Niylah did a backhandspring (no spot) on floor!
Congratulations to everyone for completing week 1 and for working so hard!
It was great to see everyone at the parent meeting as well. I did attach a link to the parent letter in case you wanted to view it. It's also available on the team website. If you haven't sent me the $30 payment to cover the photography and poster session, please do so. I will pester people who still haven't paid later this week.
Week 2 Practice Schedule:
Monday: 5:00 - 7:00 PM (West doesn't have practice afterwards so if anyone wants additional gym time, they are welcome to stay longer on Monday).
Tuesday: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Wednesday: 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Thursday: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Friday: 4:30 - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 12:00 - 2:00 PM (Optional)
Optional Saturday Practice (10/23)
The optional Saturday practice is a chance to get some additional time in the gym working on routines or skill upgrades. Any time spent at the optional practice will add time to the time off each gymnast has. There is no pressure to be at practice on Saturday and I totally understand if a gymnast can't make it.
What to Expect in Week 2
Week 2 will continue to have a great deal of strength training, endurance building, and conditioning. We will continue to work on building routines while also doing skill building all throughout the week. We will kick the week off with goal setting on Monday to help narrow in on skills each girl wants to focus on. On Tuesday, sisters will be announced and we will do some team building with our sisters.
Mock Meet Preparation (Week 3):
We will have our first mock meet on Monday (11/25) and Tuesday (11/26). On each day, we will do two events and have everyone who has a routine compete. We will discuss the specifics of how competitions work during week 2 and during the mock meet. Our mock meet has three goals:
1) Determine who will be competing at our first varsity invite in WI Rapids.
2) Ensure everyone's routines are appropriately built so far.
3) Preliminarily get a line up together for our first dual meet against Middleton (we will have another mock meet closer to that dual meet).
Our varsity spots are fluid and as we start competing and getting scores, the varsity line up may change based on the average scores and / or start values of a routine. So even if someone doesn't make the lineup for WI rapids, that doesn't mean they don't have the option to in the future.
For dual meets, there are 15 spots to compete per event - with 5 spots on JVB, 5 spots on JVA, and 5 spots on Varsity. All spots are fluid and a gymnast can compete across multiple teams. For example, someone could be JVA on bars, varsity on beam and vault, and JVB on floor.
Regardless of where someone falls in the lineup, every team member is incredibly important and valuable and our whole team is there to support everyone equally. We take great pride in our team caring for everyone.
Reminder for Gym Etiquette IMPORTANT
We did great our first week - I want this to stay front of mind for everyone as season progresses.
Gymnasts need to be on time to practice. Gymnasts need to be in a leotard or in work out gear, with their hair up in either a ponytail or bun. We will get plenty warm at the start of practice and to avoid injuries, no baggy clothes should be worn while practicing. Gymnasts need to always bring their grips and braces into the gym along with a water bottle. Please also bring a pair of gym shoes / sneakers to keep in your locker at all times.
If you plan on needing something taped, please plan to arrive at the gym early so I can tape you up. Please bring any items needed for your tape job as the items we have for the team are for one off or emergency uses.
Locker Room Information
Each morning, Tim will be available in his office from 8:00 - 8:05 AM to open the locker room to allow gymnasts to put items in the locker room. After 8:05, the locker room will be locked again. If you need to access the locker room, you must do so between 8:00 - 8:05 AM. Tim has meetings shortly after this so he can't extend that time. If you don't see Tim at the locker room, grab him from the athletic office.
Before practice, gymnasts are not to enter the locker room until a gymnastics coach or Tim has let them in. No other coach or teacher should open the locker room for them.
The locker room will not be opened throughout practice. It will be opened at the start, closed during practice, and opened again once practice is complete. Phones must be left in the locker room.
Where to go before practice
On Monday - Thursday there is an after-school study center from 3:45 - 5:15 PM in room 1217. At 5:00 PM, athletes can head to the cafeteria, grab dinner (provided by the school), and continue to study or hang out in the cafeteria / atrium until I arrive.
On Fridays I will be at school around 3:45 / 4:00. The girls can wait in the fieldhouse entrance outside of the gymnastics gym for me to arrive on these days. We will reassess once 2025 starts.
Team Website
For up to date information, schedules, and important links, visit our team website:
Spaghetti Dinner Sign Up:
We have 3 spaghetti dinner spots still available to sign up for. If you are able to host or want to pair up with a parent to host, please sign up. If you want to reach out to other parents, I have attached the team contact list below.
A reminder that spaghetti dinners are dinners that are hosted by a family on the Monday of the week we have a dual meet. Dinner does not have to consist of just spaghetti (it's just what we call it). After practice ends on Monday, kiddos will head over for dinner, likely arriving around 7:20 PM. If you would like to host, the link is below:
Team Item Donation
If you are donating any items to the team, please feel free to send them along with your gymnast on the first day of practice. Item donations for the team can be found here:
Snack Donation Sign Up
To ensure the girls have healthy snacks to fuel them for practice, I have a signup sheet where parents can sign up to donate snacks to cover a week of practice. The link is below:
Team Contact List
Below is a link to a list of all our coaches, gymnasts, managers, and parents. Please review your information and update the sheet, as necessary.
Jason's Deli Sign-Up Link
I touched on this at the parent meeting but you can order your athlete a Jason's Deli dinner box for days we have competitions. The link to sign up is below. You have 24 hours before the meet to place an order:
Tardies & Unexcused Absences
Tardies & unexcused absences now start impacting the future ability to compete. Please ensure that athletes are to class on time and that any unexcused absences are being taken care of in a timely manner.
- - - -
Please reach out if you have any questions. Cheers to another successful week!
-Danielle
Comments