Squad News Archive 2010
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2010 Squad News Archive Tumbling Levels and International Competition Report 20/05/2010 Sunday 16th May 2010 was a very successful day for our tumbling Team. 11 Girls travelled to Ryde RSL for the Levels International Tumbling competition. The first round of the day started with Level 2, a huge division with over 30 competitors. Millie Seeto and Lucy Thompson were experiencing their first ever tumbling competition, they had a fantastic time and although a little nervous, tumbled very well just stepping off the line a few times. Lucy placed a creditable 6th scoring 25.9 and Millie unfortunately had a stumble on landing therefore finished 16th with a score of 24.3. Olivia who competed the previous week did a beautiful clean tumble with little error scoring 26.3 allowing her to finish in 4th place, a fantastic result. In Level 3 we had April O’Neill, Emma Taylor, Anna Supierz, Mackenzie Nelle and Holly Ovenden. Mackenzie stepped up first and performed a super first pass scoring 27.3. Next to go was Emma, a little nervous as it was also her first tumbling competition managed to keep focused and did a clean tumble scoring 25.7. Anna stepped onto the tumble track and full of power and speed kept her cool finishing with 26.9. Holly, who placed 2nd the previous weekend at the KSTP tumbling championships was feeling the pressure, she remained calm and performed a graceful first pass scoring her 26.4. Last up for the first tumbling pass was April, very shaky and nervous and not used to the difference in floor she performed well but made a minor error of missing her first move. It was time for the 2nd tumbling pass and back onto the tumble track stepped Mackenzie, she did her first 4 skills brilliantly but after a slightly uncomfortable second roundoff pulled out her backflip. Luckily for Mackenzie after such a beautiful first pass she still ended with a total score of 52.8 placing her 3rd overall. Emma was next to complete her second tumble and she did so with lovely style scoring 26.2. Anna also completed her second tumble with style but unfortunately due to the tumble being a repeat of the first wasn’t counted. Holly was a total crowd pleaser performing a beautiful and elegant roundoff, four back flips, she finished scoring 27.8, the highest score of the Level 3 tumbling giving her the overall title. April had her head held high and was ready to show everyone her skills. She did so finishing the tumble with a score of 26.00. The Level 4 warm up was put in action and the girls were ready for competition. Up first stepped Lisa, she performed an incredible first pass with the highest difficulty value of the day scoring a massive 29.8. Next to the spotlight was Megan, for her first tumbling Competition she was confident and it showed, she did a lovely tumble scoring 27.1. Alexa had expectations to reach after placing 2nd the previous week in competition and she stepped up to the mark performing a smooth tumble finishing with a full twisting layout. Flying through the competition it was time for the second tumble for the Level 4 girls. Lisa had such style which the judges rewarded her for giving her 9.1’s for execution, she finished the tumble with a high twisting somersault and almost perfect landing scoring 28.8. Megan had a clean run through finishing with 27.00 on her second tumble and Alexa controlled her pass nicely to finish with 27.9 giving her Bronze overall. A big WELL DONE to all the girls who competed, it was a great day and the girls are ready and raring for the next competition!
Results:
Level 2: Level 3: Level 4: 4th Olivia Massi 26.3 1st Holly Ovenden 54.2 1st Lisa Bushnell 58.6 6th Lucy Tompson 25.9 3rd Mackenzie Nelle 52.8 3rd Alexa Collins 55.3 16th Millie Seeto 24.3 6th Emma Taylor 51.9 5th Megan Lutze 54.1 10th Anna Supierz 26.9 12th April Oniell 26.00
Sam Palmer, Tumbling Program Manager
MG Report 18/5/10 With just little over 4 weeks to go before the start of the competition season for the level 1 - 5 boys, all the men's squads are hard at work to make sure they are up to the high standard that will be required to challenge for competitive results this year. The biggest overall aspect of the program is currently the level 2 boys. They have gone from training 4 hours per week, to 8 hours now, and have coped with it brilliantly. They have made tremendous improvement and a big thank you needs to go out to all the MG coaches. The competition season kicks off on June 14th at the first grand prix series event being held at the State Sports Centre, at Sydney Olympic Park. The schedule will come out closer to the date so please stay tuned. Yusuf Topari Head Coach
WG 7-10 State Trial #3 Report 18/5/10 This was the final state trial for the girls at this level so they were all hoping to pull out all the stops and go for their best score to hope they can get into state champs and Nationals. In the first round Newbie and Kata were up against a lot of tough competition. On vault both girls managed clean vaults with good landings to score 12.8 putting her in 2nd place and Kata with 12.50 putting her in 5th place. On bars both girls had quite shaky warm-ups with a few mistakes which made them start to feel the pressure. Both girls got through their routines but with a few mistakes which was quite detrimental to their scores. Newbie scored 10.85 and Kata close again with 10.45. Onto Beam, Kata performed a clean routine with a few minor wobbles to score 11.1 but with Newbie falling on her back salto this gave her a score of 10.550. On floor Newbie performed a clean routine to score 11.6 to put her 7th but a few mistakes from Kata put her down to 10.850. Overall the girls were happy with their performance with Newbie placing 8th overall and Kata in 11th. Both girls qualified for State Championships which is a great achievement. In the Second Round which again was a late one for the older girls. Plenty of nerves were flowing but with Gabby there to steady the nerves and provide much needed support the girls were able to focus. On vault all girls performed good stable vaults. In level 8 Riley won vault with a score of 13.550 with Sophie Wong in 4th with 12.750. In level 9 Amy was able to pull off another great handspring front to put her top again with 13.2. On the bars most girls managed to pull it together to perform excellent routines. Riley scored 11.8 which put her in 2nd and Amy scoring 12.3 at level 9 to also put her in 2nd place. On beam there were a few wobbles and mistakes but Riley was able to hold herself together to score a very good 11.050 to put her in 4th and Sophie McNay in level 11 placing 3rd with 10.350. On the floor Amy stole the show with a beautiful clean routine which scored 13.250 which put her 1st position. Riley scored 12.4 putting her in 3rd just in front of Mary who scored 12.050 in 4th position. Overall Riley had a great competition finishing up in 2nd place overall with Sophie Wong in 6th and Mary in 7th. In level 9 Amy Smit just lost out on 1st place but managed a great 2nd place with Sophie McNay in 5th. The national teams are going to be announced at state championships on 12/13th June. I’m sure here at NBG we will have a few girls who will go through to represent the State at Perth. Well done to all the girls they have put an enormous amount of time and effort into these events and we hope they can keep it up for the next 2 big events. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager WG Elite State Trial #1 Report 17/5/10 First up was the level 2&3’s who started on vault. All girls did great vaults with good landings. Maddie placed 6th with a score of 14.7. Next up was bars with Lucy up first she performed a clean routine scoring 13.2 which placed her 4th. Next up was the level 2’s where Isabelle hit the mark placing 3rd with a score of 14.4. On beam all the girls did a great job, with the exepetion of a few wobbles all girls stuck with Isabelle placing 3rd with 14.250, Maddie placing 5th with 13.950 and Lucy placing 6th in IDP 3 with 13.7. The final apparatus of the round was floor which is the girls favorite apparatus. Annalyse had a minor slip up but the others went through clean with Maddy placing 4th with 13.367 and Isabelle placing 5th with 12.8. Overall Maddie Placed 5th Isabelle close behind in 7th and Annalyse in 11th. Lucy placed 8th in IDP 3. A great day was had by all and 3 girls qualified for state champs in June. Well done to all the girls In the second round it was the turn of the level 1’s for most of these girls it was their first ever competition and with a group of 37 girls to compete against it was a tough round. With beam up first there were a few nerves in the air but all girls did a great job with no major faults or falls the girls were happy with their performance next up was floor where there were a few wobbles and nerves but all of the girls completed their routines and enjoyed performing. Vault was next where Maddie Binding placed 5th overall with a score of 15.150. With quite a long wait to compete on their final apparatus which was bars the girls behaved well and sat patiently. All the girls made it through their routine which is one of their most difficult apparatus. Overall Maddie Binding placed 17th, Miki Pope placed 28th and Hanako Greuter placed 32nd. 2 of the 3 qualified for State champs and for a first competition it was a great day with all the girls loving the experience and has spurred them on to do more. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager
Competitive Tumbling Report 10/05/2010 The Tumbling program started in Week 1 of Term 2 and we have got off to a great start. As we step into week 4 the fun programs are slowly filling and the squads are building up. We have several classes throughout the week starting from 45min fun classes up to 2 hours of competitive Tumbling. For those of you who aren’t aware the program is run by Sam Palmer. Northern Beaches made their first appearance at competition for Tumbling on Saturday 8th May and what a fantastic day it was. The tumblers adapted extremely well to the floor and enjoyed themselves immensely. We came out from the day with a great experience and brilliant results. Mackenzie Nelle shone through taking Gold in Level 3. Holly Ovenden placed 2nd and Olivia Copeland 3rd in 3A. Olivia also competed in U11 and gained 2nd place and Alexa Collins had an excellent first pass helping her to achieve 2nd overall. A big well done to Imogen Simonik and Olivia Massy who also competed. The competition was held at KSTP Tumbling Club in Windsor. Prior to competing at KSTP, six of our Tumblers headed out to the club on Sunday 2nd May for a two and a half hour training session. They had a brilliant day, KSTP is equipped with a full competition length tumbling floor, air floors, trampolines and bungees. Lisa and John Bushnell, Alexa Collins, Megan Lutze, Anna Supierz and Holly Ovenden all had the chance to experience working on the equipment, breaking down techniques in the rigs and using a FIG approved tumbling floor. Similar to the one we are raising money for. It was a fantastic chance for them to prepare for competition and take advantage of the facilities. We are hoping to make the Sunday trip to Windsor a regular occurrence. We are now looking forwards to Sunday 16th May where the Tumblers will head to Ryde for the Levels, Age and International competition. We will have around 10 competitors from Northern Beaches entering this event and we wish them the best of luck. Also up and coming is National Clubs, we are currently taking expressions of interest. Remember to get behind the Fundraising for our brand new competition floor. We currently have a monthly bonus ball running. There are numbers 1-200 available to buy for $5.00 each. At the end of each month once all numbers are sold we will drawer a Bonus Ball. The person with the winning number will win $200.00 cash!! All proceeds will go towards the floor. Our last Fundraising event was the Tumble from Manly to Palm Beach, thank you to all who got behind the event and showed their support. It was a great day and we have so far raised just over $4000!! We are still missing some money from gymnasts who took part. If you have not brought in your sponsorship money please do so. We are aiming for $18’000 for the floor including shipping and GST. Sam Palmer, Tumbling Program Manager WG State trial #2 7-10 National Competition Report
Round 2 of the state trials for level 7-10 National girls. With levels 7 in the first round starting on beam, off to a slightly less shaky start with Newbie staying on and scoring 12.050 placing 6th overall and Kata scoring 11.250. On floor the girls went well performing high and dynamic tumbles getting the crowd behind them. Kata scored 11.650 placing 9th and Newbie 11.50 placing 13th. On vault Newbie performed a corker of a vault scoring 12.95 placing 1st with Kata also staying clean and scoring 12.5 (5th). On Bars Kata did a good routine with no major mistakes scoring while Newbie made a few mistakes scoring 10.0. Overall both girls were happy with their performances with Kata scoring 47.150 in 6th place and Newbie scoring 46.50 in 9th place.
With the next round commencing at 5:30pm it was a late competition but the girls still came in ready for action and full of energy. With Sophie Wong, Mary McGowen and Riley Cross battling it out for a place in the nationals team it was a very exciting competition. On floor mostly clean routines from all the girls. Riley pulled out all the stops to win 1st place with a score of 12.9 close behind was Sophie Wong placing 3rd with a score of 12.450 and Mary placing 5th with 11.750. Next to vault where Sophie scored top with a 12.8 placing 2nd overall. Riley scored 12.050 and Mary on 11.20. Bars was very clean with the girls getting through with no big deductions, Riley just beat Sophie to first place with 11.650 with Sophie scoring 11.550 in 2nd place. Finally onto the balance beam where there were a few mistakes with wobbles and falls giving all girls slightly lower scores than they deserved with Sophie scoring 9.90 (4th) Riley 9.20(5th) and Mary 8.9 (6th). Overall Sophie placing 3rd with a score of 46.7 Riley in 4th with 45.8 and Mary in 6th with 43.4 In the level 8 competition Amy Smit and Sophie McNay took place. On floor Amy scored 12.250 placing 5th and Sophie getting 11.6 (7th) On vault Amy blew everyone away with a fantastic handspring front scoring 13.550 gaining her 1st place. Sophie also did a clean vault scoring 12.95 putting her in 3rd place. Bars was performed with no major mistakes Amy scoring 11.50 putting her in 2nd place and Sophie very close behind in 3rd with 11.350. Onto beam which is not the girls favorite apparatus, again with a few mistakes Sophie scoring 10.6 and Amy 9.7. Overall Amy placed 3rd with a score of 47.050 and Sophie close behind in 4th with 46.5.
In the level 10 competition Gabby was on top form. Determined to go into all events and give them her best shot. With floor up first Gabby is always a crowd pleaser and did a beautiful and elegant display. Sarah has always been a competent floor worker and powered through her routine with ease. Both of them scoring 13.1 gaining them equal first place. What a great way to start the competition. Onto vault, both girls did clean vaults with good landings Sarah’s handspring front with a slightly higher difficulty score just beat Gabby with 13.350 vs 13.050 still a very close call. With the competition in full flow the girls head over the bars, with Gabby pulling out all the stops having a routine packed with difficulty had the highest start value of the lot scoring a great 12.65 with Sarah coming close behind with slight less difficulty but a clean performance scoring 12.1. Finally over to the balance beam always a difficult apparatus to finish on but with these girls nothing is too difficult. With a few wobbles both girls executed good routines with Sarah scoring 11.00 and gabby extremely close behind with 10.9. Overall both girls had a great competition with Gabby just beating Sarah to the 1st place all around title scoring 49.70 and Sarah very close behind in 2nd Place with 49.550
MG Report 10 May 2010 This past weekend saw the senior men’s competitive squad head to the New Castle region for the first of two NSW state team trials. The two trials will decide the NSW squad that will be sent to the Australian National Championships in Canberra in July. The day started off with the Level 8 open to Senior International Elite session. We had Brandon Forrest in the level 8 Open divisions, Mitchell Skippen in level 9, under 16, Aaron Bruce and Luke Milross in the Level 9 open and Matthew Angel in the Level 10 under 18/Junior International division. The boys have been preparing for this first round trial with the philosophy as using it as a testing event, as it acts as a good warm-up on the plan to peaking at the National Championships. They held true to this, and also managed to produce some solid routines and a positive mindset leading into the second round. Brandon Forrest made a 3rd place finish with his first year in Level 8 open. Mitchell Skippen finished 3rd against some strong competition from the NSW high performance centre, whilst Aaron Bruce and Luke Milross finished 1st and 2nd in Level 9. Matthew Angel had his work cut out for him competing in the FIG program for the first time, and with very limited training due to his university schedule. He however still put in a solid performance, and finished in 2nd place. The day was concluded with Jae Nagel and Joel O’Neill competing in the level 6 under 12 division. They put in hot performances and sold their contention for the state title with finishing 1st and 3rd. It was awesome to see the boy’s hard work paying off, whilst they were still able to have an enjoyable and relaxed competition. It will be back into the gym Monday fixing up all the minor errors, and looking forwards to two weeks time. Thanks to Jason and Josh for making the trip up to judge and to the Milross, Bruce, Forrest, O’Neill and Nagel families for coming and showing such a great support for the boys. Yusuf Topari - Head Coach MG Report 4/5/10 This past weekend saw the Senior MG squad travel to Melbourne to have a final training camp before the NSW state trials this weekend, and to watch the Pacific Rim Championships. The boys travelled down to Melbourne on Thursday and settled in fast to their Hotel which was located in the CBD of Melbourne. We then went on to watch the Senior and Junior men’s all-around and team competition. There they got to see the leading juniors that will be making a run for the 2012 Olympics. After a good sleep in the boys got a chance to experience what Melbourne has to offer. They went bike riding around the Yarra River, Shopping in the CBD and went on “the edge” a glass elevator that gets ejected out of a building 285m up. They also had a great experience to be away from their comfort zone which is NBG. With the boys having to compete away from the centre quite a lot this year, it is vital experience for these boys to learn the ability to adapt to new environments very quickly and without doubt to ensure their best preparation for competitions. The boys were invited to train at Wesley College, an exclusive school in St Kilda. The boys had a ball being the centre of attention from the athletes from Wesley and trained like they had prepared here at NBG. With all the training, sightseeing and watching the competition the boys got to experience a true competition away from home, and bodes well for the boys when it comes time to be able to compete at National championships and overseas. They also all came home buzzing with motivation to strive towards the gymnastics that they were able to witness over the weekend which saw some real standout performances that the boys keep reliving with each other. This weekend see’s the first of two state trials for the senior MG squad. The boys that will be representing Northern Beaches Gymnastics are Joel O’Neill and Jae Nagel in the level 6 elite division, Brandon Forrest in the Level 8 Open division, Mitchell Skippen in the Level 9 elite division, Aaron Bruce and Luke Milross in the Level 9 Open division and Matthew Angel in the Level 10 Junior international Division. These two trials are important because unlike in previous years both state trials decide the make up of the team being sent to the National Championships at the AIS in Canberra in July of this year. The boys have prepared well, but there main focus in to try to hit their performances this early in the competition season. They will be training towards peaking over the State championships and National Championships period. The schedule for this weekend is as follows: Location: Hunter Sports Centre Time: Session one: Level 8open – Senior International Elite- 8.00am Warm up Session two: Level 6 u12 – 7 Open – 1.00pm warm-up Coach: Yusuf Topari Judges: Josh Holmes and Jason Semeniuk Yusuf Topari - MG Program Coordinator
WG report 4/5/10 Now we are in full swing of competition season. Level 3 girls did a friendly event over at North Ryde RSL on Sunday 2nd May. The 3 girls all did really well with Olivia Massi coming 6th overall Millie Seeto coming 8th and Chloe Wilson very close behind in 9th overall. The results will be published on the website and notice board very soon when they have come through. The girls all looked very well prepared and stood out from the crowd. Lots of positive comments were made towards their coach Sammy Wood who has worked her socks off getting these girls looking excellent. Well done to all the girls.
This weekend we have state trial #2 for national 7-10 girls. We hope they will go into this second qualifying event with even more confidence and hope they perform well if not better than there last trial. The event will be held at Penrith YMCA on Saturday 8th May with level 7’s starting the show at 1:30pm with the 8,9 and 10’s starting at 5:30pm. It would be great if as many of you as possible could go along and support our girls. They all have a great chance of going to Nationals this year in Perth and would really appreciate lots of support. Good luck girls!!!!
We also have the boys first state trial and a tumbling competition this weekend so stay tuned for the results of this next week. On Saturday 15th May we have the first elite state trial at Westfield’s Gymnastics club. In this event we have 7 girls all hoping to do well. These girls have been working their routines for weeks now and are looking forward to competing in their first event of the year. All these girls hope to qualify for state which will be in June.
All the competitions for this year are now up on our website and the squads involved in each event are included. Please check the dates and make sure they are put into your diary so the girls don’t miss out. I am trying to get as many competitions as I can for all girls so may add a few more in when they come up so please keep an eye on the calendar for changes and alterations. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager
WG report 21/4/10 Now we have started term2 of 2010 I would like to inform you of a few things. Over the holidays workshops were a great success getting a large number of kids and new themes and ideas to keep them entertained and having fun. Also over the holidays we have had a few small events in the gym. Teal 2 girls had a mock competition where they all got dressed up in their full uniform and were judged on all apparatus and performed really well. They all scored over a total of 52 which qualifies them for state championships so well done to all the girls involved with that!! Also we had a friendly boys competition where Manly Warringah boys and Southern Canbera boys came across for 2 training sessions on the Friday and a competition on Saturday. All the boys did extremely well for their first competition and for some of the little boys this was their very first event. They all had a great time. Well done to all those boys involved. Sunday saw the WG 7-10 state trial #1. Josh Holmes went along with 12 girls representing the club. After a bit of a shaky start on beam for all competitors the girls then went on to blitz all their routines with only minor faults and scored really high. The highlights of the day were Riley Cross placing 2nd overall at level 8 junior winning bars. Newbie Redding winning vault for level 7 junior. Amy Smit won bars and floor and placing 2nd overall at level 9 senior. Sarah Iwanoczko won level 10 senior placing 1st on vault bars and floor with Gabby Carlson coming a close second beating her to first place on beam. All scores for this competition can be found on the notice board at online at the following page http://www.gymnsw.org.au/?ID=16035 The second 7-10 trial will be held on 8th May at Penrith YMCA. Hopefully the girls will be able to reproduce this high level of competition and go for gold ready for state and Nationals. We also have the Elite state trials coming up very soon on Saturday 15th May. We also have 2 competitions coming up for our level 3 National stream girls with an Invitational at North Ryde on 2nd May and another Invitational at Sydney Academy on 23rd May. Please make a note of these dates and if any of you are able to come along to support the girls that would be great. Encouragement from familiar faces is always a great motivational tool for all the girls. We also have a new additition to the team. Lilian Burns has come across from a gymnastics club in North Sydney. She has her level 1 qualification and is going to be helping us with the FitNastics programs and the white squad. Please make her feel welcome and make settling in as easy as possible. She is very keen to learn and will be asset to the staff here at Northern Beaches. Also this term sees the start of our tumbling program. Sam Palmer is highly motivated to make this program successful and if anyone wishes to book into this please do so asap as places are filling up rapidly. We wish Sam the best of luck with her new program and hope it is as successful as all the other programs here. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager
MG Report 19/4/10 What an awesome holiday period with so many kid’s coming through the centre to participate in the Holiday work shop programs, seeing the growth in the men’s squads and capping of the holiday period with a very fun and successful Friendly Invitational which had Manly Warringah Gymnastics and Southern Canberra Gymnastics programs visiting the club to participate.
Yusuf Topari MG Program Manager WG Report 29/3/10 Well that pretty much concludes term 1 of 2010. It has been a pretty good term. FitNastics numbers have grown emmencly and the program is working really well. Holiday workshop bookings are looking good and filling up fast so please make sure you book as soon as possible. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended the presentation day. This was a great afternoon and saw lots of girls get rewards and prizes for their constant attendance and effort in gymnastics. Well done to all the squad members you all had a great year and hope this year will be even better. As we draw towards competition season I would like to talk a little about motivation. I do know all girls do struggle from time to time with motivation and I know how demanding the sport can be and how much time it takes up. I did it for 14yrs of my life!! In this way I can relate to the girls and go over a few of the things in regards to this. Research has shown that young people highly value the intrinsic rewards gained from participating in sport. Rewards such as learning a new skill or being involved in a sport with friends mean more to a gymnast than the extrinsic rewards of medals and trophies. Ways to motivate
Most of these aspects are included in training and each coach does try to vary training to avoid repetition. As we go into the competition season all squads are trying to set goals and targets for the girls and at some point over the next few weeks these will be talked over during training. We all know all the girls want to do their best and gain their personal best in competition and hopefully will find this rewarding to motivate them to continue their training through the year. Parents can also help with these motivational tools at home by making it part of their daily routine and to get them proud of what they can do and spur them on to further their ability and effort in the weeks to come. Alison Mercer - WG Program Manager MG Report 29th March 2010 So it is almost the last week of term, and the holiday workshops are about to kick off, can everyone please check the website for holiday training times. If you are unable to make it to any training sessions can you please forward me an email just outlining the dates that your son will be absent. I have had the last couple of weeks to look over the junior development program, I have been testing some boys, looking at how training is going overall, and looking at the preparation for the upcoming competition season. I have outlined to all MG Coaches the weak points I am seeing, addressing where we can strengthen the program. There will be a few changes coming up to the face, and content in Junior development squad, so I am excited and wait in anticipation to see how this goes. Alternatively I have been doing testing of Mighty Wreckers, to keep an eye on the potential boys suitable to come through for next round of entries. I am excited by a few boys that are already showing a strong sense of being able to handle certain skills I did not expect, which is very pleasing to see. In just over two weeks we will host a friendly competition with Manly Warringah Gymnastics and Southern Canberra gymnastics. This is aimed at participation within a competitive environment to prepare all involved for the upcoming competition season. As putting routines together are only just in the works, the boys are not to be expected to be in their top form, and I would not hope so being this early on in the competition season. All MG Levels boys 1 – 6 should have their competition entry forms via email so please return these. Also if you do not have the correct competitive attire could you please see reception or email me at yusuf@nbg.com.au. The competition on the 17th is scheduled to run from 9.30am -1.00pm (latest finish). This will follow a training camp on the Friday that the senior NBG boys will be participating in. I look forward to seeing all the junior development parents at the meeting on Tuesday, and seeing everyone at the Gym. Yusuf Topari MG Program Manager Wg Report 24th March 2010 Now we are entering the final few weeks of term 1 I would like to advise people that all holiday training has been finalized and can be found on the website. Please Note that Pittwater Sports Centre will be closed on Friday 2nd Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of April for Easter so there will be no training. Training commences on Monday 5th April. Holiday workshop bookings are in full flow and picking up fast. We have a huge variety of activities available and is a great day for all kids to enjoy. If you are interested in attending please book asap to guarantee a place. Competition Entry forms are due back very soon. All those competing in the level 7-10 state trial on 18th April can find their groupings and timetable on the event calendar on the gym NSW website. All information will be given out over the next few days. As these girls are the first to compete this year we wish them all the best of luck. The girls are looking strong and confident and we all hope they will do well. The deadline for entries for the elite state trial is Friday 2nd April. Please make sure these are in or the girls will not be entered for the event. There is also Bronze squad training this Sunday for the elite girls involved from 10-4pm at Castle Hill RSL. This is a great opportunity for the girls to train with similar gymnasts from all over the state and be coached by specialist coaches. This squad meets 4 times a year and teaches the girls a lot of vital techniques and skills needed for their progression. Have a great day girls!!! Also a quick reminder that it is the tumbling fundraiser this Saturday. Details have been sent out via email about the times each squad is needed and we look forward to you coming and enjoying the whole goings on. There will be a BBQ and prizes to win. We hope you have all raised a lot of money for sponsorship as the money will be going to a state of the art tumble strip that every squad will benefit on. Sam Palmer would like to thank you for all your hard work already contributed and we all look forward to seeing you on Saturday. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager
MG Report 16th March 2010 Peter Vidmar Invitational It only felt like last week that we were planning the MG Peter Vidmar Invitational tour, and all of a sudden it was time to depart. With the Qantas group lead by Gary Angel and the V Australia group lead by Karolyn Polat, the groups depart Sydney for LAX. For some it was a comfortable ride and for others namely poor Richard Traina, was a long 14 hours to Los Angeles. It was a cold introduction to LA, the groups reunited at the Radisson Culver City, a great hotel that was sponsoring the invitational. The day consisted of relaxing and chilling out to get to know the surroundings. The next day and half consisted of training at Broadway Gymnastics centre, with our kind hosts Mary and Mike. They accommodated us tremendously and took the entire group out for a lunch that was very warmly accepted, in Santa Monica. Thursday saw the group have a morning session at the gym, where Aaron Bruce tweaked his shoulder, an injury that was old but got flared up by the amount of numbers he was having to do per apparatus. Was an unfortunate blow to our campaign, but we all put it to the back of our minds for now as it was time to go to the land of dreams and fun, Disneyland. The boys were just immensely excited as were their coach. The general results you got was the Space mountain was the “Coolest” ride ever, and it’s a “small world” ride was possibly the longest ride in history, with the most ridiculously catchy song playing for what seemed like 20 minutes. The boys had an amazing time and all were worn out and ready for bed time.Friday consisted of a light training session and then a bit of shopping in Anaheim where some people that will remain nameless (possibly coaching staff) manage to buy 5 pairs of shoes!! Competition day arrived, and Brandon was first up. Brandon had some glimpses of brilliance with some stunning performances, but also had some rough apparatus. With very limited training on floor and vault due to a chronically injured knee, was reduced to 12th place. He finished with bronze on pommel and 6th of P Bars. The Mexican team and the Vitaly Scherbo teams were the standouts of the competition for this session. Was time for the senior boys with Aaron Bruce and Matthew Angel competing on 3 and 4 events each. Both had solid performances, with some mistakes, but considering the timing of the season they were hitting exactly how I had expected them too. In the end Matthew won pommel, High Bar and was 4th on Floor and 7th on Vault. Injured Aaron gave an amazing show of will power to overcome pain to finish second on pommel, first on floor and 4th on Vault. Day two of competition came first with the level 4’s. In the USA the level fours were categorized into 5 placements depending on their results, with the highest position being in the superior division. All three boys were standouts for the competition, with judges, coaches and fellow gymnasts commenting on their finish and preparation. All boys finished with the superior category, the only gymnasts in the entire competition to do so. Some stand outs were Alec Traina’s floor receiving a 15.8 out of a possible 16.0 and Thomas and Jacob on vault receiving almost the same score. Alec then went on to compete in the Level 5 division along side Joel O’Neill. Joel having the performance that was just simply outstanding almost scoring perfect scores on floor and rings, and finishing 1st overall and a bucket load of medals on individual apparatus. Alec Was sitting in second position through out until a stumble on floor and high bar costs him, and placed him in 6th. Alec ended up finishing with 2nd on Pommel, rings and vault and was 4th on P Bar. Outstanding considering we learnt these routines as we went. Looking at the overall picture of the competition, the Vitaly Scherbo and Azarian clubs are outstanding, producing members for future USA teams undoubtedly. The following day consisted of Venice beach and Santa Monica pier with a farewell to Yusuf and Matthew, who started their long journey to Doha Qatar. The boys ended their tour with back to back days to Universal studio;s and Knox berry farm where they had the times of their lives. A special thank you to Karolyn and Gary who did an amazing job at chaperoning and could not have run as smoothly as it did with out you both. Yusuf Topari WG Report 1st March 2010 Well the time has finally arrived for a team of boys along with Yusuf and Mark to leave for the USA today. The boys are going to be taking part in the Peter Vidmar Invitational competition in LA. This is a great competition for the boys to get involved with it sees teams from all over the world coming together to compete in a friendly event. The boys have all been working really hard to get their routines ready and they are all looking very confident. We wish them all the best of luck and hopefully get the name of NBG known worldwide. We will also be able to return the favour when later in the year we host the Gymnastics Clubs of Australia where hopefully teams of gymnasts from all over the world will be looking to attend this event and build up the profile of this great competition. As we move into week six of term 1 we are in full swing of the competition preparation. The older girls are starting to piece their routines together learning their choreography for floor routines and pushing themselves through each skill so they are fully prepared and confident to go into competition. The IDP girls have a few extra weeks to prepare but they also are looking good. With all their routines learnt and skills getting closer every day, they have all put a spectacular amount of effort into their training and are really on par to do well this year. I hope they keep up the good work so they will go into competition prepared and perform to the best of their ability. They have all worked so hard for this. Keep it up girls!! Also this week we are finalising the Easter holiday training schedule. As competition season is approaching most squads will train both weeks in the holidays to ensure they don’t fall behind with their progress, their allocated holiday time will be made up after the season is over and during other holidays. Please keep your eyes on the website and the notice board in the gym as this will be posted very soon. Pittwater Sports Centre will be closed over the Easter weekend from Friday 2nd April until Sunday 4th April. The centre will reopen and squad training will commence on Monday 5th April. Just to make you aware most of you have noticed a familiar face back in the gym. Sam Palmer is back from her travels and settling back into work at NBG. Another POM to add to the list of full time staff!!! She is helping me out with all programs at the minute and is looking to set up tumbling classes for the rest of the year. The first phase of this will commence in term 2 and she is offering classes from beginner’s right through to advanced and squad tumbling. With her back ground of an international medalist in the discipline of tumbling she has a vast amount of knowledge and experience in this area. There is opportunity to compete in this area as well as artistic gymnastics which is the 4 apparatus for women which the girls already train for. If anyone would be interesting in taking part in an extra session of tumbling on top of their current hours please contact her on sam@nbg.com.au. She will advise you on the best class and which days they run. Sam is also putting on a fund raiser to raise money for a new purpose build carbon rod tumble track which is essential for high level tumblers to train on. This provides a 25m length of high density fully sprung international specification piece of equipment. This is a great tool for all gymnasts to train on and will allow them to progress faster and with more confidence. The fundraiser will be held on Saturday 27th March and involves each member of NBG to tumble a section of the distance between Manly and Palm Beach. The total distance being 28.4km. This will take the form of laps up and down the floor, long tramp and tumble strip. Each child will do a variety of tumbles from basic forward rolls to multiple sequences of tumbles, it will be a great event with displays, prizes and raffles to get the whole family involved with. We hope you will help us out with this and gain as much sponsor money as you can to go towards this great but vital piece of equipment. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager WG Report 23rd Feb 2010 We are now another week closer to the competition season, there are only around 6 weeks to go for most of the girls. As you know we also have the presentation day on Sunday 21st March from 3 pm. This will be held at the Pittwater RSL. There will be award ceremonies as well as an optional dinner and drinks after to socialize with all the other members and staff from the Gymnastics club. We look forward to seeing you all there. There are plenty of awards to go around and every child will get something. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention to parents about sports nutrition. I get a lot of questions off parents regarding diet and food which is best prior and after training sessions. Good Nutrition can play a big part in a gymnast’s effort to train and compete their best. There are 3 things to consider in a gymnasts diet: 1) Adequate intakes of fluids energy and nutrients 2) Proper recovery and 3) Individual tailoring of diets must be stressed as everyone has different requirements Gymnasts undergoing rigorous training require an adequate intake of carbohydrates for energy, protein to support the repair and growth of muscles and minerals and nutrients such as calcium and iron for overall health. Carbohydrates should be nutritious rather than fatty. They are crucial for providing energy for an active life. A good example of this is multigrain bread, whole wheat pasta/rice and potatoes. Protein is used for growth and repair of muscle. At least 1.4g per kg of body weight is recommended. A good example of this is fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds and beans Nutrients and minerals are very good for strong bones and good energy levels. Red meats, green vegetables and dairy products are the best sources although supplements can also help in some circumstances. Prior to a training session the best option is to have a high energy slow release food such as a banana, selection of nuts or a cereal bar these are great to give them energy throughout a 3 hour session. After a training session it is best to reward them with a small treat as well as a healthy balanced meal containing a portion of meat, carbohydrates and vegetables/fruit. Adequate fluid intake is vital to gymnastics and as a rule 1.5litres of water should be drank to replace every litre of sweat that is lost. Gatorade and powerade are also good rehydration drinks. For an average 10 yr old the recommended fluid intake in a full training session is between 500-1000ml this should be drunk in small does at regular intervals. Around 500ml should also be drunk after the training session to ensure adequate rehydration. This also depends on the weather, on an extremely hot day these figures can be increased. As each gymnast has different requirements, metabolism and training commitments, generalisations are all that can be made in summary such as this. Each gymnast should work out what is best for them individually with their family. The bottom line is Gymnasts should just eat normal healthy foods and ensure they drink sufficient quantities of fluids. Alison Mercer WG Program Manager MG Report 23rd Feb 2010 The past weekend I was fortunate enough to travel down to Canberra with senior gymnast Matthew Angel to attend the 2010 junior national squad development camp. It was an intensive three day training camp focusing predominantly on
The weekend was a very educational and productive resource for all involved; however head National coach Vladimir Vadkin was very forthcoming about the state of international stream within Australia. There were several key points in which he stressed towards the coaches to-do to ensure the correct development for future international standard elites. Some keys area’s which he was most stringent on were the importance of basics, and how this has become somewhat overlooked within the preparation for competitive routines. I think the biggest mistake that parents and gymnasts alike make are they want results right now, this year, and this competition. However just because an athlete’s win’s a state championships or even a national title for any particular level does not guarantee they are going to be future champions, or have had the necessary preparation to follow a distinctive, difficult and sometimes daughnting elite path. Unfortunately the mentality has become one of immediate results; however the correct fundamental training and necessary skill attainment required at early ages vary, however should be given high priority and absolute focus from all involved. I think when the time comes that as a collective community we refocus upon these characteristics such as simple presentation, the toe point the chin up, the simple but vital skills that make up a program, we will see resurgence within the elite ranks. After listening to Vladimir speaks it was reassuring and enlightening on the importance of these, and is something we will be tightening up within our program at Northern Beaches Gymnastics. We were also able to speak with Phil Cusins about injury prevention with gymnastics. His resources for new techniques of combating shoulder and lower back injuries specifically were extremely helpful, and I will be making an attempt to see this resource available to all our MG coaches. We are now down to a week until the Peter Vidmar Invitational tour departs for Los Angeles. The boys are as ready as they can be, considering the time of year we are in for our competitive program. I go over with a slightly different goal compared to what many would assume. My number one priority is not a title won or medal’s bought home, but the essential experience that will be learnt by the boy’s going over. To compete in a foreign country against competitors they have never seen nor know about and handle learning new routines, are going to be highly resourceful as we move in the direction of high level gymnastics. This will bring a sense of confidence and show them in their own minds how they will attain new found goals after seeing how other international programs run. They have their final mock competition this Saturday from 11am till 2pm and please show your support for the boys and wish them luck. There have been some squad changes and breaks allocated as you should all know by now. We are penciling in a definitive friendly competition with a few other clubs for the 14th of March. This will be for level 1-5 specifically. Many of the boys will not be routine ready for this competition, but what this competition will do is give the opportunity to try new skills out in front of judges and attending teams. More information will be sent out shortly in regards to this, so please stay posted. Upon my absence whilst overseas all queries and questions are to be sent through to acting mens program manager, Jason Semeuink at Jason@nbg.com.au. Yusuf Topari MG Report 10th Feb 2010 It is three weeks and counting before the boy's depart for Los Angeles. These next few weeks are going to be filled with routine number's, over coming consistency issues and establishing a program for when we get back and get straight back into Australian routines. From the 1st to the 13th of March there are going to be some minor changes and some use of squads annual leave to help relieve the pressure left from the loss of a great proportion of our MG coaching staff. Please note the following changes that will take effect: MG Teal/White
I ask all parents to please be patient and understanding with these changes and also the coaches covering the programs whilst we are oversea's, namely Jason Semeuinek, who will be taking over as acting Men's Program Manager for the duration of the tour. Jason can be reached on Jason@nbg.com.au Next Weekend is the Australian National Squad training camp at the AIS in Canberra. This camp is to follow those athletes that have been identified in the elite path that could potentially act as key players in the Senior International squad in the future. Matthew Angel will be making his way down to the training camp for the under 17. Brandon Forrest was sent an invitation to join the camp, but has chosen to sit the camp out to focus on recovering from a minor back injury and getting fully prepared for the Peter Vidmar Invitational. At the end of April I will be taking the senior Teal Squad to the Pacific Rim Competition in melbourne. This is an exciting opportunity for the boys to see the highest ranked countries in the world of gymanstics including China, japan, USA, Australia and Mexico. WG Report 8th Feb 2010 Now we are fully in the swing of term 1 we are all starting to prepare for the competition season ahead. The first 2 groups to compete are the 7-10 national stream girls and the elite girls. Competition for the 7-10 national stream starts on 18th April. Competition for the elite girls starts on 24th April. The build up for the competition period is of great importance to all the gymnasts. Skills need to be refined and competent on all apparatus as well as part and full routines being put together on all apparatus. Remember all gymnasts compete on 4 apparatus so 4 routines need to be finalized and practiced. Gymnastics is a very technical sport and one of the only sports that penalises you for adding higher difficulty into routines. The judging criteria for all skills are very complex and there are a number of deductions for even slight discrepancies in each skill that is put in a routine. There are also deductions for aesthetics and composition. If a routine does not contain the required difficulty value as well as the composition elements the gymnasts will be marked down. The gymnasts are not just able to pick all the skills they can perform well, they have to have a mix of acro elements, jumps, turns and leaps as well as mounts and dismounts. Some of these skills are not always in their comfort zone so they have to brave new and daring techniques to execute new more complex skills.
The build up for the competition season is a highly technical process and requires a lot of planning from coaches. The program for gymnasts has to contain the following 4 periods, build, overload, comp prep and relax, an explanation of each is as follows:
This process repeats for up to 8 weeks prior to competition and during the competition season. All of the girls are starting to build up their routines and pushing themselves as they all want success. They spend all year training for these events so want to perform their best. Let’s wish all the girls the best of luck over the next few months and hope there will be some great results for the club at the end of it. MG Report 31st Jan 2010 Welcome back to term one of 2010. After a very relaxing holiday period all the boys are back to their normal routines, most returning back to school by weeks end. We have a few training changes to the training timetable so please check the website timetable to ensure that you have the correct schedule for your son’s training. Works shops over the Christmas period and New Year has gone through the roof. Such a successful workshop period for newly appointed fitnastic manager Denise Diflo, so congratulations Denise for a very well run, innovative and enjoyable workshop structure. Good-bye General Gymnastics and welcome to fitnastics. This newly created program focuses on bringing together the benefits of a fitness component and structuring it around a gymnastics philosophy. If you have a child keen to try the new fitnastics programs please see reception to book in for an assessment. Looking to the MG Squads we have a very busy few months ahead. Matthew Angel heads to the AIS on February the 18th for the Australian National squad training camp. It is a 4 day training camp bringing together some of the best junior talent from around the country to one location. It is an exciting trip for Matthew and he is looking forward to the challenge. In just four weeks the boys head over to the Peter Vidmar Invitational in Los Angeles, CA. The boys will have their final mock competition on the 27th of February and will be a chance to get out a few teething problems before heading over. The boys are on track for their preparation, but in terms of peaking we are really focusing on Australian National Championships. When the tour is on there may be some minor squad changes but will be kept to a minimum as to not hinder any program. Upon the return from Los Angeles it us a short rest then a small contingent of boys are going down to watch the Pacific Rim Competition, which will be an international world class event with competitors from China, Japan USA, Canada and New Zealand. Then it is back into competition mode for the first of a series of State trials. So as you can see this is a very busy time frame for the boys, so our number one priority is to keep the boys as injury free as possible. We have been stepping up or injury prevention aids in training and has added some new recovery methods for post training effects. I hope this will help with our overall performance and also the longevity of the competition season this year. Congratulations to the following boys for being selected to the 2010 State Development squad, based on their results from 2009.
Athletes that also qualified but have moved on from NBG, but still deserve a mention for their hard work are:
Well done boys and congratulation on your awesome results. 12th January 2010 MG Report After a great holiday break and time off to rest some wary bodies, the men’s squads have got back into the full swing of training. At the end of last year we had one of our longest standing coaches leave NBG and move down to the South Coast with his family. Lu Ming has been a fixture at NBG for over 14 years, and has seen many of the once youngsters that would be in Gai’s Kindy gym, grow up to be National and Australian representatives. It was a huge loss for NBG with the departure of Lui, but one that has been made smoothly with the help of all the coaches. We wish Lu Ming well for his new adventure with his ever growing family, and look forward to seeing him at competitions. The senior boys have not had a lot of down time in their holidays, with their focus already turning to competition. In just over 6 weeks, we will be taking a group of 8 athletes over to Los Angeles, California to compete in the annual Peter Vidmar Invitational. The 10 day trip will be concluded with some exciting attractions including Disneyland and universal studio’s and an opportunity to train along side some of America’s best talent. I am both excited and nervous to see how the boys cope with the international competition. Most essentially the boys will be gaining invaluable international experience, which at a young age is extremely important and very promising for their futures. Upon the return from America there is not much down time with the expectation of competitions rapidly approaching, focus will be lifted towards State Trials, and State competition. I have been hugely impressed by the boys on their return from holidays with their training losing very little from their break and their obvious goal of attaining success for 2010. In February Matthew Angel will be travelling down to the AIS in Canberra for the Australian national squad training. With the identified athletes from around Australia’s all located in one location it is going to be an exciting training camp to part-take in and also to see how the programs from other states are going. With ideas flowing for how we can better our communication with parents, I have started a facebook group that all gymnasts and parents can become a member of to get updates and information directly to their facebook accounts. This is a great resource, and as I would say most families having at least one member of their families on facebook, a very easy way to stay in the loop of what is going on in the program. You can find this page by following the ling below and clicking on “become a fan”. It is that easy. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Northern-Beaches-Gymnastics-Mens-Team/236352270237?ref=ts Welcome home to Aaron Bruce that has just completed a 3 month exchange program to the USA. The program and centre has missed you!
12th January 2010 WG Report Welcome Back. I hope you all had a great Christmas and a happy new year. Now we are officially in 2010 its time to make you aware of the goings on. School holidays finish on 24th Jan and term 1 commences on Monday 25th January. As most of you are aware we lost a very special person just before Christmas Lui Ming. He has gone to pursue his career at another gymnastics club further south. He will be enormously missed by all and we would like to thank him for all his time and effort he has put into Northern Beaches Gymnastics over the past 13years. We wish him and his family all the best and will hopefully see him again soon. On a more positive note I would like to congratulate 4 girls out of Teal 2 who were very lucky to gain a space in this year’s bronze squad. These girls are Courtney Hall, Maddy Spitzer, Annalyse Graham and Isabelle Cameron. Bronze squad is selected at the end of each year and is made up of the top gymnasts at each level in NSW who go towards a junior development squad. These girls come together 4 times a year to train with the other top gymnasts in their level from clubs all over NSW and get coaching expertise from the top coaches in Australia. It is a great opportunity for the girls and who all worked extremely hard to gain a place in this squad. The first training session will take place on Sunday 31st January at Westfield’s Gymnastics centre. Well done to all these girls and keep up the hard work!!!! 2010 is going to be an action packed and great year. There are a lot of events coming up for everyone to get involved with. The new competition calendar will be out very soon and there is plenty of opportunity for all gymnasts to compete this year in events all across the state. There will be an occasion for the girls to watch an international event down in Melbourne which will see young gymnasts coming from all over the world to compete in the Pacific Rim Championships, there will be state trials and state championships and also invitational competitions involving clubs from all over NSW who want to bring gymnasts together to have fun and enjoyable competitions. We hope all the girls at NBG will get involved with all the activities and competitions that will be going on this year. Over the next few weeks the main focus in training will be building up everyone’s strength and flexibility that may have been lost over the rest period and then straight into skills and routines so they are all ready for their competition season. Competition for all levels is well spread out over the year this year so everyone will be preparing routines in time for April and consistently practice these over the course of the year. We hope all girls will be keen to work hard and build up their skill base so we go into the competition season fully prepared and ready to perform at our best. |