Frequently Asked Questions
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Q-Why is gymnastics a good sport for my child to be involved in? A-Studies
show that children learn cognitive skills more effectively in an environment
that includes the body as well as the mind. Gymnastics & early
childhood movement education is directly attributed to developing neurological
pathways in students & promoting readiness. Gymnastics improves
self-esteem, while also improving overall physical fitness. In a
study of school-aged youth, researchers found that the risk of substance
abuse by adolescents is decreased by physical training programs that incorporate
life skills. Gymnastics increases bone density, and helps to reduce
osteoporosis. Also, gymnastics helps children meet new friends!
Q-What is so great about gymnastics as opposed to other sports? A-The sport of gymnastics is one of the few sports that improves all three areas of physical fitness: strength, flexibility & endurance. Q-My child is heavy....Is gymnastics a good activity to help her lose weight? A-Gymnasts
and tumblers can sustain up to 16 times the body's own weight on impacts
and landings. Therefore, it is not recommended that any child be
enrolled in gymnastics classes, until a proper, healthy weight is already
established. Injuries suffered as a result of obesity, can cause
life-long complications. The skeletal system can suffer severe permanent
damage on these impacts from a heavy child. Meet with your child's
doctor to begin a safe diet before signing up, and make sure the Dr. gives
a thumbs up on a proper weight to achieve for doing gymnastics.
Q-I have heard that is is bad to coach my child while attending her gymnastics classes or practices, why? A-Parents
coaching from the sidelines is discouraged. Many of the most talented
gymnasts have dropped out while there was still a great amount of potential
left in them for the sport, because their parents were found to be pushing
them too hard. The most successful & well-adjusted athletes are
those with parents who were always patient, supportive, encouraging &
motivating. When you pick up your child, try saying positive things
like "Good job today"....or "I am proud of you, you have been working hard!"
Instead of "Why didn't you make your kip today?" Or instead of "I
saw you on the beam today and you looked sloppy." If they look sloppy,
they are going to hear it enough from the coach. When you go to a
dentist, you pay a dentist to work on your teeth. When you pay a
beautician to fix your hair, you let them have at it. If you pay
a coach to teach your child, don't interfere with their job! You
wouldn't tell your dentist or beautician how to do theirs! Let your
child relax and have fun outside the gym. Don't pressure them to
be perfect! It will likely backfire! The most successful gymnasts
are ones who left their problems from home at the gym door, and who were
able to leave gymnastics in the gym.
Q-How can my daughter get her backhandspring before cheerleading tryouts? A-Anyone
can learn a back handspring in 6 months of continual, regular attendance.
Some of the most uncoordinated children with no prior gymnastics experience,
have learned how to perform an excellent backhandspring and even a roundoff-backhandpsring
in the course of a year. Do not try to learn a backhandspring
2 months before tryouts. You will find yourself potentially at risk
for an injury to not allow yourself more time to learn such a difficult
skill, as well as disappointed if you are unable to pull it off.
Stay loyal to the gym year round, and you will simply be amazed at your
abilities!
Q-How long does it take for a child to get from the beginner level to the Competitive Team. How do I know if my child has what it takes? Will she ever get there? A-As
a rule of thumb, I have never seen anyone who I didn't think could eventually
make the team. I have learned to "never say never." I have
seen children with no immediate response to the sport, who struggled to
do even the most simple skills in the gym, with basically no strength or
flexibility, who have gone on to become champions, leading our gymnastics
team in ability. The goal of a beginner student is to learn what
we call a "bridge kickover." The goal of an intermediate level student
is to learn what we call a "back walkover," and hopefully also a "back
handspring" at least on the wedge or marshmallow mat. The goal of
our Pre-Team students is to have at least a "roundoff backhandspring" on
their own on the floor. There are other skills we like to see, however,
the above mentioned skills are the key ones they need to advance.
Ability to listen, pay attention and work hard are key requirements also.
While it may appear your child is struggling, and has no potential, please
be patient, and if your child loves the sport and would like to make it
to the team, I have learned that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Patience is
the key on the part of the parents. If you would like to see video
footage of some of our team girls when they were in beginners, we will
be happy to show you, and you will be able to relax and not worry!
Everybody has to start somewhere! Also, students sometimes tend to
stay longer in beginners. It is when they start figuring things out
in the gym, they will begin to advance to the next level more quickly each
time. Students usually stay in beginners for up to a year.
They are only in at the intermediate level for an average of 6 months,
and then on Pre-team. After approximately 6 months on pre-team, they
are finally to team level. By the time a girl has become a really
advanced team gymnasts, she has spent about 1,000 hours in the gym.
Until your chlid has been in the gym for a thousand hours, make no comparisons
of your child and the competitive gymnast.
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Interview with Donna Hughes Head Coach at RGA How long have you been coaching? I have been coaching since 1989. I started coaching for the YMCA. All we had was a few panel mats, and a balance beam, and a set of bars. We had to get the equipment out of a closet every day before practice, and then put it away. The children of this county are so lucky to have the top notch training facility we now have, not enjoyed by previous generations. Making champions will be much easier now. Why do you love coaching? I love coaching gymnastics because when someone learns that first double full, double back, or even their first back handspring, it is so rewarding. What are your goals as a coach? My goals are to see each and every student reach his or
her highest potential, as a gymnast, cheerleader, or functioning person
in the world. I want them to respond to adults with 100% respect
at all times. I am all about discipline and self-improvement in all
areas. I have no tolerance for weakness, refusals, or disrespect.
Are you a tough coach? I am a very tough coach. I try to utilize every minute, and I don’t like for people to talk in my classes, or waste time. I will embarrass people who break the rules. I can be very soft spoken, and delightfully supportive, or very loud and harsh if rules are not followed. Safety is number one at RGA. I don’t like excuses to get out of hard work. Anyone can be successful with consistency. What is the point of gymnastics? Why gymnastics? Gymnastics is one of the few sports that improves all
three areas of physical fitness: Strength, Flexibility & Endurance
Fitness is the highest benefit.
What is the biggest obstacle you face as a coach? I would say the biggest obstacle I face, is parental
interference, and technological advances. I have had so many
talented athletes, who could have gone much further, if their parents had
just been 100% supportive. Parents can be less patient than the student
many times. After 20 years, I know when a student is mentally and
physically ready for the next skill. I know that exact moment in time.
I watch them like a hawk every class, and when they can make back handsprings
on the soft mat all the time, not just on certain days, that is when I
discover it is time to go to floor and try it. I watch every student,
not just students in my group. I am always 100% aware of what everybody
is doing.
Students who go to different gyms will receive mixed messages.
I do not recommend attending two different gyms for training at all.
Every gym achieves success in their own way. We have a
What are your biggest successes as a coach? My biggest successes as a coach, is that I have trained
several State & National Champions in gymnastics and cheerleading,
who have gone on to become college gymnasts or cheerleaders. Many
of which arrived at this pinnacle of success on equipment that was not
adequate, in a training facility that was too small. Now that we
have this big great gym, I believe anything is possible, and we will see
many more State & National Champs, and college scholarships!
What do you recommend to people about where to start? If your child is between the ages of 6 & 11, enroll
your child in the general gymnastics classes. If your child wants
to do cheerleading, as I said earlier, the best cheerleaders were gymnasts
1st, and could do bars, beam, vault & tumbling. Bars helps upper
body strength, beam helps balance, and vaulting and tumbling improve strength.
What do you recommend for preschool age students? Very few students will stay in gymnastics from preschool to age 18. Therefore, parents should be prepared that a preschooler will probably get bored easily, and do gymnastics on and off until about age 6 or 7. It takes a very special child, with a very special gift to want to stay in gymnastics non-stop their whole lives. If your child is above age 6, we recommend year-round enrollment to see progress. However for the younger preschool age students and even kindergartners, it is not uncommon for them to take every other month. Meredith Hartsell is a very rare child that could climb the rope to the top at age 3. She has been in our gym year round since age 3, and she is now 10. Not every child will stay in it like that. Is gymnastics for boys? Gymnastics is for boys & for girls. Some of our best tumblers here are guys, and they say it helped them in football, basketball, martial arts, and other sports that require agility. Are all RGA Coaches Qualified? All RGA Coaches follow the same safety guidelines, and the same recipe for success. I am the 1st one they answer to if the plan is deviated from even slightly. We have had an impeccable safety record, and many successes at RGA with this program. |