All members of the 1 st CLASS TEAM will be participating and competing in the USA GYMNASTICS program. Their main office is located in Indianapolis , Indiana , and is responsible for the administration of all Women's, Men's and Rhythmic Gymnastics as well as Trampoline and Tumbling in this country. It is their responsibility to oversee the competitive structure, along with its rules and regulations for the athletes that represent our country in international competitions. Included in this responsibility, is the developmental and age group programs that direct our gymnasts from the beginning stages.
There are 11 levels to the USA GYMNASTICS Women's Program. Levels 1-3 are non-competitive levels that center around teaching the basic core skills for each of the 4 Olympic events. They consist of doing individual skills and small routines while showing proficiency on 4 main points of each skill. When the gymnast successfully completes each skill and routine required on an event they may move on to the next level.
Compulsory or Optional Exercises
The athletes compete in either compulsory or optional exercises or both. Compulsory exercises (also called "routines"), are developed for each nation by the national governing body (USA Gymnastics in the United States ). The compulsory routines are developed with varying levels of difficulty so the athletes use the compulsories to develop their skills progressively. Optional routines are choreographed (i.e. put together) by the gymnast and the coach. Optional routines are usually unique to each particular gymnast while compulsories are performed by all gymnasts in much the same manner. Scoring for compulsories and Optionals is similar except that the gymnast must follow a prescribed sequence of skills in compulsories.
Levels of Competition
Level 4 to Level 10 and Elite The girls start with competing at level 4 and go up to level 10. Levels 4, 5, and 6 are compulsory levels. Levels 8, 9, and 10 are optional levels. Level 7 is an optional level with certain compulsory skills required on each event. The Elite Level will be detailed and discussed at a later time once a gymnast approaches this level of competition.
The first competitive level is Level four . It consists entirely of compulsory routines. Compulsory routines are a pre-choreographed series of skills that each competitor must perform. Once again, they are made up of core skills needed for each event, built on the skills from a previous level. The philosophy of these routines is for the athletes to practice toward perfection of these basics. The minimum age for this level is 6 and there is no maximum age. The athletes are arranged in age groups at competitions. At Level 4 awards are given in ranges rather than places.
Level 5 and Level 6 are also a compulsory only level of competition. Each level builds on the skills of the previous level and likewise is judged with higher expectations. The USA GYMNASTICS structure is based on a progressive "step by step" building of physical, emotional and psychological skills. Proficiency of all aspects of the gymnast at each level is expected and required to insure a safe smooth movement through the levels. The minimum age for this level of competition is 7.
Level 7 is a stepping stone level. It bridges the gap between the all-compulsory levels of 5 and 6 and the all optional level of 8. The gymnasts have required skills that can be put together in an optional routine.
The first level of all optional competition begins with Level 8 . Optional competition consists of each gymnast performing her own routines for each event. The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) produces the optional rules every 4 years in conjunction with the Olympics. This book dictates what each routine must contain, (composition), the value of what is done, (difficulty), and how to evaluate how well it is done, (execution). There are three optional only levels 8,9,10. The minimum age for level 8 is 8 years old, while for levels 9 and 10, it is 9 years of age. The compulsory levels skill requirements and expectations from one level to the next increases.
Level 9 is the second level of optional competition. Its difficulty requirements and expectations are accordingly more difficult than at level 8.
Level 10 is considered a Pre-Elite Level and for the truly dedicated and motivated gymnast.
Elite is the 11 th level of competition. Like level 10 it is for the truly dedicated athletes. The Elite level is broken up into 2 categories. National and International . Children and JR. National Elites compete in skill testing and optional routines. JR. International and SR International compete optional only. It is from the INTERNATIONAL rank that our Olympic and World Championship teams are chosen.
What to Expect at a Competition
Traditional Gymnastics Competition: This is what you have seen on TV. The gymnasts march out and are evaluated on vault, bars, beam, and floor by four or eight judges. The reality is not nearly as glamorous as you see on television. Be prepared, at the beginning levels the gyms are crammed with kids, the competition seems to last forever, and only the lucky few get meaningful rewards.
WARM UP The competition will begin with a "warm up." Although it is called a "warm up" these periods closely resemble a workout. During the pre-competition "warm up" the gymnasts will begin stretching and other activities and then move to the apparatus for pre-competition skill and routine rehearsal. The gymnasts will usually rotate from event to event during the warm up with strictly applied time limits for each athlete or team so that everyone gets the same amount of time to practice.
MARCH IN Following the warm up the athletes will assemble at some designated place. They will then march in. Each athlete or team will generally march to music onto the floor area to be introduced. The judges are also introduced. This is a long standing gymnastics tradition. Then the National Anthem will be played.
30 SECOND TOUCH Following the "march in", the gymnasts will disperse to their first competition event. They always stop by the judging tables at each event to acknowledge the judges and to say Hello. Gymnasts will begin yet another "warm up." This second warm up period is called the "30 second touch." This is true even though the gymnasts receive 50 seconds on the uneven bars and can perform two vaults no matter how long it takes. This "touch" time is so coveted that guards are assigned to monitor this time with a stop watch.
At some meets, gymnasts warm up on all events and then compete on all events, and other meets the order is warm up compete, warm up compete. The hosting facility decides the order.
TIME TO COMPETE After all the marching, touching, and rehearsing, it is now time to compete.
V, UB, BB, & FX Gymnastics competitions for girls involve performances on four apparatuses called "events": vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.
VAULTING Vaulting consists of a run of about 70' - 80' followed by a jump to a small wooden and springing device called a "spring board" (what else?), and a diving flight to an apparatus which looks like a "Tongue" (table) held up on metal posts (called a "horse"). The gymnast lands on his or her hands on the horse, usually somewhere around a handstand, and push off, performs some movement, and then lands on his/her feet. Vaulting requires extreme quickness, a fast run, a hard push from the horse, some cool flips and stuff in the air, and a landing that is "stuck".
UNEVEN BARS The uneven parallel bars ("bars") consist of two wood-coated, fiberglass rails held up by steel posts at different heights. Depending on the level of competition, routines consist of skills performed in a series. The gymnasts show large swing skills, kips, casts, handstands, a release and re-catch of the bars, some sort of somersaulting or twisting skill, and a dismount to the floor.
BALANCE BEAM The balance beam ("beam") is an apparatus made of steel and padding that is 16 feet long, 4 inches wide, and approximately 4 feet high. The gymnast will show a variety of skills from dance and tumbling and combine them into a routine which lasts from 70 - 90 seconds. Doing all that stuff on a surface 4 inches wide!!!
FLOOR EXERCISE Floor exercise ("floor") is performed on an area approx. 40' X 40'. There is a platform under the pad and carpet called a spring floor. The spring floor can be comprised of either springs or foam blocks. There are approx. 1,600 blocks or springs under the floor. The girls perform to music. Each level of compulsory gymnasts perform to the same music, optionals choose their own music. The routine should cover most of the area of the carpet, must include tumbling, and include lots of dance elements.
Competitions can be broken down into 6 categories. Local meets or Invitationals are conducted for any age division or level except elite. In Sectional meets, gymnasts try to reach a qualifying score to compete at the State Championship . At level 8 and above a gymnast may qualify to Regional Championships. Level 9's can qualify to Nationals. Level 9's 10's and Elites may qualify from Regional to National Championships .
Selection of Competitions
Actual competition can begin as early as September for the compulsory levels and run through May. The coaching staff selects meets that we feel will most benefit the team. Meets are chosen based on availability and location.
Mobility
Mobility is the movement of the gymnasts from one level to the next. USA GYMNASTICS and The TEAM program both have established rules of mobility. Each gymnast will be placed relative to their fulfillment of the criteria that USA GYMNASTICS and Gymnastics have established. USA GYMNASTICS mobility is based solely on scores achieved in USA GYMNASTICS sanctioned competitions.
The specific mission of Gymnastics is to develop happy, healthy, and confident children. One way in which we can help meet this demanding goal is to place gymnasts at the level where they can be happy, safe, and confident. What this means is that every gymnast must be able to perform the skills and routines required at a given level comfortably. The skills should not be at the edge of or beyond her ability level. We can never ask or expect our athletes to perform skills or routines in a competition which they cannot perform consistently in practice. Therefore, we plan to compete all of our gymnasts at about 75-80% of their current skill level. We will, however, work out at 100% of their ability.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that gymnastics is very a technical, perfection-oriented sport. Advancement in the sport depends solely on how well the basics are mastered. Similar to a pyramid, the larger a base of support (basics), the higher the pyramid will stand (ultimate goal level).
The scores established by USA GYMNASTICS create a VERY BASIC proficiency level to attain before moving. IN NO WAY DOES IT AUTOMATICALLY MOVE THE GYMNAST TO THE NEXT LEVEL. The Team has established national standards for level placement. These standards are based on what the best clubs in the country are doing. We believe that it is very important for a child to feel successful at gymnastics. One way we accomplish this is by having the gymnasts compete at a level that they are comfortable at and can achieve success in a meet situation. This allows them to perfect the necessary basic elements that will help them in the future.
REMEMBER: Being at a higher level does not make you a better gymnast....executing skills more precisely makes you a better gymnast.
The following criteria helps us decide the placement of each gymnast:
Physical Preparedness: an assessment is made of strength, flexibility, endurance, agility, quickness and suppleness
Emotional, Psychological Readiness: these attributes are observable in a subjective way, as opposed to an objective manner. They readily indicate the child's ability to overcome reasonable fears, to make quick yet sound judgments, and their self motivation and dedication to achieving their goals
Present Skill Level: by asking them to have acquired the skills needed in the next level routines before being considered to move up. By looking at this, we can project your skill and routine readiness for the coming competitive season
Commitment to the TEAM program
A positive attitude towards competition and the work ethic to give 100% effort AT ALL TIMES
By combining all the above factors plus our day to day experiences with your child, we can pretty well determine at what level they will be the most successful. We have always believed that to be successful at competitions one must train at 100% and be able to compete at 80%. It is important to remember that we must train at the level we want to be, not necessarily the level we are at.
Training Content
In order to understand and appreciate what goes into the development of a competitive gymnast, one must understand exactly what it is that we are trying to achieve during training. There are three fundamental areas of development which need to be addressed during the training:
1) Strength/Conditioning 2) flexibility 3) skills Strength Development - As with all sports one objective to the training is to make the difficult look easy. This is much easier to accomplish if the athlete has the strength required to master the skills. In most cases the stronger the better. This is certainly true of gymnastics. It is also true that strength training can also play a role in the reduction of injuries.
Strength development at the beginning or compulsory levels centers on building a base on which to build as the gymnast advances. General callisthenic exercises achieve this goal very well. Sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, running, and so on are used to achieve this goal. While it may appear that the gymnasts simply repeat these basic exercises over and over again through the course of the year, in fact there are subtle and at times not so subtle variations in the performance of these exercises. Technique may be changed or improved, the number or repetitions change, resistance is altered, the range of motion is increased, and the athlete is continually challenged to complete her assignment.
Flexibility Development - is also critical to the long term success of the gymnast. Superior flexibility adds to the aesthetic appeal of the performance, allows the athlete to master skills more easily, and plays a role in reducing the frequency and seriousness of injuries.
Every training session will begin with a warm-up. This warm- up serves to raise the core body temperature so that the body is ready for action (hence the name "warm-up") and the warm-up contains some light stretching drills to reduce the likelihood of injury. The warm-up is not intended to be a time to improve flexibility. Once the muscles are warm and tired then they can be stretched and flexibility can be improved. This generally occurs at the end of practice.
Skill Development - Skill development falls into two distinct but related categories: basics and new skills. Basics or core skills are like the ABC's of gymnastics. The gymnast uses these ABC's to compose their gymnastics sequences and routines. If any of these basic building blocks are missing or defective the entire performance is weakened. These core skills, the building blocks of the sport, must be continually refined in order to permit the gymnast and her coaches to continually improve their performances. The better the core skills are, the better the performance. That is why we continually review and drill the basics.
If an athlete has been injured they should still come in to workout if approved by their physician. Activities can be tailored around the injury.
Rules and Policies for Competition
All gymnasts must have a USAG membership in order to compete. The gym will distribute the forms required once a gymnast is accepted to the team. Memberships are renewed annually.
Arrive at the competition venue 15 minutes before the open warm up is scheduled to begin.
Find your coach as soon as you arrive.
Remain in the area designed for the gymnasts as either competitors or observers throughout the course of the competition. Obey all warm up regulations and procedures.
Present yourself in proper attire, competition leotard, and warm-ups. The 1 st Class Gymnastics jacket and bag should be worn and taken to all competitions.
The gymnast should be well groomed. The gymnast's hair should be pulled up away from the face and arranged in a bun if requested by the head coach. Jewelry should not be worn and the use of make up, glitter spray should be limited.
Accept your place in the line-up and the scores you receive with dignity and without comment or criticism. There is no place for crying and uncontrolled emotions during Gymnastic meets. You cannot control the scores you get nor can you control the performances of any other gymnast. You can only control what you do. If you do well and receive a disappointing score, ask your coach about it when the meet is over. If you make mistakes and are disappointed in your performance, do not make matters worse by giving in to your emotions and ruining your chances for good performances on upcoming events. Remember too that you are part of a team. The team needs you to be in control and ready to perform.
The gymnasts should not keep track of their scores or placement during the competition, unless approved by the attending coach. Parents and coaches should keep track of those things. You will have plenty of time to review them later. Your concentration should center on your performance and on the performance of your team.
Be prepared to assist the coach with the boards, mats, music, bar settings and so on during the meet.
Be courteous, respectful, and polite to all meet officials, hosts and hostesses, competitors, and coaches. The only time you should approach a meet official is to thank them for hosting or judging the meet.
Remain seated at all times when not performing. Keep all belongings in your competition bag which is to be placed under your chair.
Bring an extra copy of your floor music and your back-up pair of grips to all competitions.
Stay with the team until the competition is over and the coach has released you. Once a gymnast has entered the competition area there should be no contact between the gymnast and her parents unless there is an emergency.
Awards
Gymnasts should always stay for awards dressed in their warm-ups. On occasion, some meets may end very late on school nights, so we understand that children need to return home as soon as possible. Because school is their 1 st priority, please feel free to leave when necessary.
All meets have a formal system for presenting awards and each meet may differ in the number of places awarded and the type of awards, medals, trophies, plaques, etc. As a participating athlete you should accept any 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 other athletes as well. Remember that you are not just representing yourself. You are acting as a representative of 1 st Class Gymnastics as well.
