Wildcard Gymnastics Team News

New Year’s Overnight — Families, at this point, we do not have enough to run the New Year’s Overnight. We are about eight kids shy. We have extended the deadline to today. Please let us know by end of practice tonight if your child will be at the overnight. If you think you have registered, please re-confirm to be on the safe side so we have you counted. We want this to run.

Hang 10.0 Meet — Any gymnast wishing to participate in the Hang 10.0 meet in Kenosha in late Feb., please register by tonight as well. It is a USAG sanctioned meet (not an AAU meet).

Break Practices — We have added compulsory level workouts to the holiday schedule on Dec. 30 and Jan 2. Please see below for the most updated schedule.

Tuesday, Dec. 23 — Practice scheduled as usual, Boys added 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 24 — Girls’ Levels 6-8, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 25 — No practices, Merry Christmas

Friday, Dec. 26 — No practices

Saturday, Dec. 27 — All Boys and Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m. (Boys Level 8, 3:30 p.m.)

Sunday, Dec. 28 — No practices

Monday, Dec. 29 — All Boys 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Boys Level 8, noon)

Tuesday, Dec. 30 — Girls’ Fast Track, Gold Bugs II, all compulsory Levels 10 a.m.-noon; Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m.; Xcel 3-5 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 31 — No practices

Thursday, Jan. 1 — No practices, Happy New Year

Friday, Jan. 2 — Girls’ Fast Track, Gold Bugs II, all compulsory Levels 10 a.m.-noon; All Boys and Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m. (Boys Level 8, 3:30 p.m.); Xcel 3-5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 3 — No practices

Sunday, Jan. 4 — Boys Meet at Altius

Monday, Jan. 5 — Practices resume

Holiday Party — Thank you all for attending the holiday party last night. We had a blast.

Aloha Gymfest Updated Schedule — Click here for an updated schedule for Aloha Gymfest.

Success Wall — We had three gymnasts make the success wall at the Buffalo Grove Hawaiian Pineapple meet. Those gymnasts are:

Level 6
Sofia B. — 9.200 on vault
Lilly J. — 9.025 on floor
Jordan M. — 9.125 on bars

M&M Challenge
Jan. 10-11, 2015
Waukesha North High School
2222 Michigan Ave., Waukesha| MAP | 19.4 mi., 21 min.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10

BOYS’ LEVEL 4 – Max, West, Charlie, Jack, Dylan
Arrive – 7:15 a.m.
Stretch – 7:30 a.m.
Meet Begins — 9:05 a.m.
Awards — 10:30 a.m.

GIRLS’ LEVEL 6 – Sofia, Hattie, Ava C., Bradyn, Delaney, Lilly Ja., Izzie, Elie, Miley, Jordan M., Camille, Eden
Arrive – 11 a.m.
Stretch – 11:15 a.m.
Meet Begins — 11:45 a.m.
Awards — 2:45 p.m.

BOYS’ LEVEL 8 – Reed
Arrive – 5:30 p.m.
Stretch – 5:45 p.m.
Meet Begins — 7:15 p.m.
Awards — 9 p.m.

GIRLS’ LEVEL 8 – Rose, Ava G., Bella, Glenna, Anastasia, Crystal, Ashley
Arrive – 5:45 p.m.
Stretch – 6 p.m.
Meet Begins — 6:30 p.m.
Awards — 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, JAN. 11

GIRLS’ TUMBLING LEVEL 6 – Bradyn
BOYS’ TUMBLING LEVEL 6 – West
Arrive – 12:50 p.m.
Stretch – 1:10 p.m.
Meet Begins — 1:40 p.m.
Awards — 2 p.m.

BOYS’ TRAMPOLINE LEVEL 5 – West
GIRLS’ TRAMPOLINE LEVEL 5 – Bradyn
Arrive – 2 p.m.
Stretch – 2:15 p.m.
Meet Begins — 2:25 p.m.
Awards — 3:05 p.m.

BOYS’ DOUBLE MINI LEVEL 4 – West
GIRLS’ DOUBLE MINI LEVEL 5 – Bradyn
Arrive – 4:15 p.m.
Stretch – 4:20 p.m.
Meet Begins — 4:50 p.m.
Awards — 5:10 p.m.

BOYS’ COMPETING TEAMS – Air Force, Lakeshore Springers, Madtown Twisters, M&M, Midwest Twisters, Oshkosh, Peak, Salto, Scamps, Summit, Swiss Turners.

GIRLS’ COMPETING TEAMS – Gymsport, Infinite, LGA, Madtown Twisters, M&M, Scamps, Starz, Tenacity.

TUMBLING & TRAMPOLINE COMPETING TEAMS – Gymfinity, GymSport, North Shore, M&M, Scamps

Altius Pink Meet
Jan. 23-24, 2015
Altius Gymnastics
9670 S. Franklin Dr., Franklin | MAP | 18.8 mi., 26 min.

FRIDAY, JAN. 23

GIRLS’ XCEL GOLD – Christen, Kelsey, Alivia, Anna, Aliyah R., Katherine, Jenna, Stephanie
Arrive – 2:45 p.m.
Stretch – 3 p.m.
Meet Begins — 4:15 p.m. (approx.)
Awards — 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 24

GIRLS’ XCEL SILVER – Daisy, McKayla, Amari, Marcela
Arrive – 7:45 a.m.
Stretch – 8 a.m.
Meet Begins — 9:30 a.m. (approx.)
Awards — 10:30 a.m.

COMPETING TEAMS – Altius, Air Force, Bay Area, Gymfinity, LaFleur’s, Madtown, Midwest, Russell, Tri County.

Level 2 State — Again this week, we will start with our success wall additions before delving deep into any necessary information you may need to know for the week. It was once again a State Championship meet weekend for Wildcard Gymnastics, this time with the Level 2s competing against the rest of the clubs in Wisconsin. We couldn’t be any happier with their performance. All 13 gymnasts made the Success Wall!!!!

For a Level 2 gymnast to make the success wall at state, she needed to score a 9.5 or higher on vault, a 9.0 or higher on the other events. She could also receive a silver or gold all-around medal, which means she was in the top half of all-around scores, the equivalent of receiving an all-around medal at Level 3-5 State.

The success wall additions are:
Emily C. — 9.150 on bars, All Around Gold Medalist
Neave D. — 9.000 on floor
Olivia G. — 9.150 on bars, All Around Gold Medalist
Caelyr G. — 9.100 on floor, All Around Gold Medalist
Kendra H. — All Around Silver Medalist
Jennifer H. — 9.125 on bars, All Around Silver Medalist
Lilly Jo. — All Around Silver Medalist
Emma M. — 9.000 on floor, All Around Silver Medalist
Claire M. — All Around Silver Medalist
Korynne M. — 9.000 on floor, All Around Silver Medalist
Maggie M. – 9.100 on beam, 9.150 on floor, All Around Silver Medalist
Sadie P. — All-Around Silver Medalist
Brooklyn S. — 9.000 on bars, 9.200 on beam, All Around Gold Medalist

Boys’ First Meet of the Season — The Level 4 boys started their season this weekend as well. In a word, they were AWESOME!!! With just five boys on the team, they took fourth place out of 12 as a team and were within a realistic striking distance of being the first-place team. Individually, West F. and Dylan K. recorded the two highest all-around scores of the 75 gymnasts in the meet, recording the only two scores higher than a 60.000. They were the highest scoring gymnast on rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar. Again, we couldn’t be more proud of how the boys have started.

To make the Success Wall for the boys, a gymnasts must place first or have a 9.500 or higher on an event.

The following gymnasts made the success wall:
Max B. – 10.100 on parallel bars, 10.000 on horizontal bar
West F. — 9.900 on floor, 9.600 on pommel horse, 10.000 on rings (1st), 11.100 on horizontal bar (1st and the only 11.0 or higher of the meet), 10.600 on parallel bars (1st and the highest score of the meet on the event), 1st All Around (with the highest score of all gymnasts at the meet)
Dylan K. — 10.000 on pommel horse (1st), 10.700 on rings (1st and the highest score recorded at the meet), 9.700 on vault (1st), 9.900 on parallel bars, 10.700 on horizontal bar, 1st All Around (with the second highest score of all gymnasts at the meet)

Additionally, the floor judge came over and said that West had the best floor routine he saw at the meet and would have given him a higher score were it not for a GIANT wobble on the first skill, thus losing 0.5 points.

Great job by Candace getting them ready for the season. They looked great and they’ll improve even more!

Summer Camp at the Karolyi’s Camp — There has been some interest from some parents in regard to the Karolyi’s Summer Camp in Huntsville, Texas, at the National Training Center. We are willing to help organize attendance at this camp, which is one of the cheapest gymnastics camps you will find (however transportation costs will increase the total cost of the camp. The $515 does not include getting to Huntsville). It does fill up quickly, so we would need to get deposits in early. The cost of the camp is $515, but you can reserve your spot with a $150 non-refundable deposit with the balance due at least two weeks prior to camp.

We are looking at the July 6-11 session to organize Wildcard as a group. If we have 10 gymnasts attend, we can have one of our coaches attend for free.

We will place the deposits Jan. 5. This camp would make a great Christmas gift.

For more information on the camp, please click here.

Updated Holiday Practice Times — The following is the updated holiday schedule. There is no practice unless noted here:

Monday, Dec. 22 — Holiday Party, 4:30-6:30 p.m., No practices after
Tuesday, Dec. 23 — Practice scheduled as usual, Boys added 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 24 — Girls’ Levels 6-8, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 25 — No practices, Merry Christmas
Friday, Dec. 26 — No practices
Saturday, Dec. 27 — All Boys and Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m. (Boys Level 8, 3:30 p.m.)
Sunday, Dec. 28 — No practices
Monday, Dec. 29 — All Boys 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Boys Level 8, noon)
Tuesday, Dec. 30 — Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m.; Xcel 3-5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 — No practices
Thursday, Jan. 1 — No practices, Happy New Year
Friday, Jan. 2 — All Boys and Girls’ Levels 6-8, noon-3 p.m. (Boys Level 8, 3:30 p.m.); Xcel 3-5 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 — No practices
Sunday, Jan. 4 — Boys Meet at Altius
Monday, Jan. 5 — Practices resume

*Please note that the after Christmas practices for girls’ Level 6-8 were previously listed as 1-3 p.m. instead of noon-3 p.m.

Also, please click the link for the holiday workout.  This is the same one as used at Thanksgiving.  If you will be out of town or missing scheduled practices, please be sure to add this in.  (Parents, you can do it with your gymnasts.)

Girls’ Level Changes — With the end of the compulsory season this weekend, gymnasts will begin training the next level skills more regularly. We are going to do our best to minimize any practice shifting as best as possible. There may be a few gymnasts switching nights and times but we will discuss this with the families prior to the switch. Some gymnasts will be adding some hours to their practice schedules.

Gymnasts will be officially practicing at the new levels beginning in January. You will also be charged the appropriate tuition level starting in January. We will have a separate e-mail with all the new level information sometime before Christmas.  Gymnasts will have the opportunity to try the new level at meets in the off-season, if they feel ready.

However, gymnasts will still need to try out in the summer to compete the next level in the 2015 USAG season next fall, regardless of what level was competed during the off-season.

Holiday Party Reminder — Our team holiday party is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the gym. All boys, Xcel, Gold Bugs II, Fast Track and Girls’ Levels 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 gymnasts are invited. The Level 8 girls will be in charge of the entertainment for the party.

Gymnasts are to bring a gift valued at $20 or less to trade in a secret santa gift exchange. Gymnasts in all levels except Gold Bugs II, Fast Track & Level 2 will exchange names. Gold Bugs II, Fast Track & Level 2 should bring a gift to exchange amongst the group. Gymnasts who are picking names should already have picked a name for the gift exchange.

Off-Season Meet Fee Deadline — The first deadline for the off-season meets is this week. The meet fee of $80 for the Scamps Hang 10.0 Invitational is due Dec. 20. This will be a USAG meet, not AAU, so it can be used for Level mobility purposes and thus explains the higher cost.

New Year’s Overnight — The New Year’s Eve Overnight is $40 for pre-registered team gymnasts. Drop off is 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 with pick-up at 7 a.m. the next year (well, Jan. 1, 2015, to be precise). Click here for more information on this sleepover.

We typically have a good turnout for the New Year’s Eve Overnight. We will cancel that event if we don’t have at least 15 registered by Dec. 20 (we currently have two). If your child is planning to attend, please have them signed up prior to the Dec. 20 date so we can ensure that it will run.

Mon, Dec 22nd: All team party 4:30-6:30, no practice afterward

Tues, Dec 23rd: All team practice 4:30-7:30 (in order to avoid a whole week without practice right before meet season starts)

Sat, Dec 27th: All team practice 12-3 (Reed until 3:30)

Mon, Dec 29th: All team practice 9-1130 (Reed until 12)

Fri, Jan 2nd: All team practice 12-3 (Reed until 3:30)

Sun, Jan 4th: Meet at Altius Gymnastics

Mon, Jan 5th: Normal practices resume

Sorry for the multiple posts this week, but there is a lot going on.

Holiday Party — Our team holiday party is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the gym. All boys, Xcel, Gold Bugs II, Fast Track and Girls’ Levels 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 gymnasts are invited. The Level 8 girls will be in charge of the entertainment for the party.

Gymnasts are to bring a gift valued at $20 or less to trade in a secret santa gift exchange. Gymnasts in all levels except Gold Bugs II, Fast Track & Level 2 will exchange names. Gold Bugs II, Fast Track & Level 2 should bring a gift to exchange amongst the group.

If your gymnast is unable to attend the party please drop off your gift for your gymnast at the gym prior to the party.  Dress in fun holiday attire.

Pizza and drinks will be provided. All other gymnasts should bring some sort of snack or dessert to share.

There will be no practice following the party.

Off-Season Girls’ Compulsory Meets — In the off-season, girls’ team members in Levels 2-4 are given the opportunity to compete in meets to continue the competitive experience. Most gymnasts will be given the opportunity to compete at the next level, if they feel ready and have the majority of the skills. (There will be some gymnasts who may want to compete their current level during the off-season as they train the next level too). The following is the off-season meet schedule, meet fee and due dates:

Feb. 7-8 — Wildcard Cruise Classic (AAU, Mequon) — $55 — due Jan. 5
Feb. 21-22 — Hang 10.0 Inv. (USAG, Kenosha) — $80 — due Dec. 19
Mar. 21-22 — Gymtastics Inv. (AAU, Watertown) — $50 — due Feb. 1 *
Apr. 11 — Carousel Inv. (AAU, Plover) — $50 — due Feb. 1
June 10-14 — AAU Nationals (AAU, Las Vegas) — $90 — due Apr. 20 *
Aug. 5-7 — AAU Junior Olympics (AAU, Virginia Beach) — $90 — due June 15 *
* subject to an earlier deadline once we get meet invitation

Any current Level 2 gymnasts doing the Hang 10.0 meet in Kenosha will also have to pay an additional $35 for a USAG membership for Level 3.

Gymnasts will still need to try out in the summer to compete the next level in the 2015 USAG season next fall.

Next Set of Meet Fees — Gold Bugs II and Fast Track will have their second installment of three of meet fees will be due December 15 (with the final installment due January 15). That amount is $65.

Also, all boys and Level 6 & 8 girls have their final set of meet fees due on Dec. 15. The last installment for Girls Levels 6-8 is $190 and for boys is $160 for Level 4 and $200 for Level 8.

Level 3-5 State Championships — Congratulations to all of our competitors and qualifiers for the 2014 Wisconsin Levels 3-5 State Gymnastics Championships. It was a great meet and as expected, Wildcard gymnasts did very well. We won more individual medals (53) and had more all-around medalists (10) than we have ever had in Level 3 and 4. All the hard work has definitely paid off.

We usually finish the weekly blog post with our success wall additions, but since it was state, we will start with them. To qualify for the success wall at state, a gymnast must medal on an event (or get a 9.0 or 9.5 on Level 3 vault). First we’d like to congratulate Aniyah B. as the Level 3 state vault champion and Aaliyah K. as the Level 4 state uneven bars champion. Every Level 4 gymnast earned a medal on at least one of the events. The following are additions to the success wall:

Level 3
Aniyah B. — 1st vault, 4th bars, 4th beam, 4th floor, 4th all-around
Essence B. — 5th bars, 5th floor, 5th all-around
Angela B. — 7th bars, 8th beam, 8th all-around
Vanesa K. — 8th vault
Ayanna L. — 7th vault, 7th beam
Nora L. — 5th vault, 4th beam
Mariyah L. — 5th vault, 6th bars, 6th beam, 6th all-around
Emma L. — 5th bars, 4th beam, 5th floor, 4th all-around
Sarah S. — 2nd vault, 7th bars, 7th floor
Taylor T. — 4th vault, 2nd beam, 4th floor, 4th all-around

Level 4
Madeline C. — 7th bars, 4th beam, 5th all-around
Emily G. — 7th beam, 7th floor
Nadia J. — 3rd vault, 6th floor, 6th all-around
Ella J. — 4th vault, 5th bars, 7th all-around
Aaliyah — 1st bars, 6th beam, 7th floor, 3rd all-around
Ryann W. — 5th bars
Kerigan S. — 7th vault, 7th floor
Norah T. — 5th vault
Maeggan X. — 7th beam
Kamryn W. — 5th vault

Level 2 State Week Information — Not much will change for the Level 2s this week during their state meet. Practice on Tuesday and Thursday will remain the same. Thursday at 6:30 p.m. will be the team dinner at the gym with pick-up by 7:15 p.m. If you haven’t paid your $10 for the team dinner, please do so soon.  (Please note: Level 3/2s will practice with the Level 2s on Tuesday and Thursday. Those in 3/2 will move in with the Level 3 group on Tuesday after the Level 2 practice. )

Also, Level 2s, if you haven’t done your blog homework, please do that prior to Thursday. The Level 2s will practice on Saturday as usual. There will be no Level 3 practice on Saturday so we may focus on the Level 2s.  Also, please no Fast Track gymnasts on Saturday so we may focus on the competing Level 2s. There will be TOPs and Optional Purple this Saturday.

There will be no mini-TOPs this week as we focus on the state meet on Sunday. All gymnasts competing Level 2 will train with the Level 2s, including the Level 3/2s.

Optional Purple/Silver Groups for the Next Two Weeks — Optionals, we are not changing the groups through the Christmas break. What we are offering is for all Level 6-8 gymnasts to come 4:30-8:30 on regular practice days through the Hawaiian Pineapple meet in two weeks to get extra work. We will assign groups at practice. For practice on Saturday, Dec. 13, the current optional purple group may attend. For practice on Saturday, Dec. 20, all optional gymnasts may attend in advance of the meet on Dec. 21.

Good Luck to the Boys’ Team — The Wildcard Level 4 boys have their first meet this Saturday, Dec. 13 in Racine. If you see Charlie, Jack, Dylan, Max or West in the gym this week, wish them good luck prior to their first meet.

Team Tumbling & Trampoline — We are going to offer, staring next session, a Tumbling and Trampoline class for the team gymnasts. (All Levels are welcome!) There are three opportunities to compete locally (Scamps meet in late February, State meet in April and Regionals in May). There might be an opportunity to compete twice nationally (once at USAG nationals and once at AAU Junior Olympics).

T&T competitions usually cost $50 for the first event and $10 for each of the remaining two events. A tumbling competition consists of two tumbling passes on a rod floor. A trampoline competition consists of a 10-skill routine on trampoline. A double mini competition consists of a two skills on an inclined trampoline. Gymnasts do not have to compete to be in the class. The cost of the class for team members for the eight-week session will be $75.

Competitions come in compulsory levels through Level 7 and begin very simplistically, so anyone can be a part of this team. There is also no age requirement to compete unlike in gymnastics.  This is open to boys and girls!  This will give the gymnasts a chance to learn some more tumbling.

Fund-raising Items — Cookies will be in Tuesday night and available on Wednesday for pick up. We still haven’t heard when fudge will be delivered. Missing pasta and coffee should be in early this week.

Holiday Sale — In the pro-shop, there are new bling logo t-shirts in purple and black in both long and short sleeve in S, M, L, XL and XXL. The short sleeves are $20 and the long sleeve shirts are $25.

Also, we are discounting the remaining stock of Sylvia P leotards that we had for last year’s state meets. Those are now roughly 20 percent off (rounded to the nearest dollar). Get those in time for Christmas. We hope to restock the Sylvia P shelves after Christmas with their “summer” line, which should go on discount after Christmas.

2015 Aloha Gymfest
Jan 16-19, 2015
Charles B. Wang Gymnasium, LeJardin Academy
917 Kalanianaole Hwy., Kailua, Hawaii | MAP | 16.9 mi., 21 min. (from Honolulu International Airport)

FRIDAY, JAN. 16

GIRLS’ LEVEL 6-UP PRACTICES
Stretch – 11 a.m.
Practice Begins — 11:30 a.m.
Practice Ends — 1:30 p.m.

Please note, the coaches are scheduled to land at 11 a.m. and will be to the meet site around noon. We will text you when we are on our way. They have indicated they will let us have some extra time if we need it.

GIRLS’ LEVEL 3 – Aniyah, Rhianna, Essence
Arrive – 2:15 p.m.
Stretch – 2:30 p.m.
Meet Begins — 2:55 p.m.
Awards — 5 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 17

GIRLS’ LEVEL 9-10 SESSION – Gymnasts from around the world
Arrive – 5:15 p.m.
Stretch – 5:30 p.m.
Meet Begins — 6 p.m.
Awards — 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, JAN. 18

GIRLS’ LEVEL 6 – Aaliyah, Bradyn, Elie
Arrive – 10:45 a.m.
Stretch – 11 a.m.
Meet Begins — 11:30 a.m.
Awards — 2 p.m.

MONDAY, JAN. 19

MEET PICNIC – All Wildcard Gymnasts
Arrive – 11 a.m.
Ends – 3 p.m.
Location – Kalama Beach Club, 280 N. Kalaheo Ave., Kailua (MAP), 19.7 mi., 25 min.
Details — Our complimentary beach picnic will be held at Kalama Beach Club on Monday, January 19, 2015. Make plans for you, your team and families to join us for food and fun. Come enjoy the ocean and make new friends with those gymnasts and families from other teams. We will provide lifeguards for your safety. The picnic will be from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. An annual picnic activity is our group picture with all our participating gymnasts and coaches. With the use of our Aloha Gymfest sign, many teams take their own pictures as well. Directions are attached.

Competing Teams – California Gymnastics Academy (California), Flicka, (Vancouver, Canada), Gymnastics Unlimited (Washington), Inland Empire (Idaho), Island Tumblers (Hawaii), Island Twisters (Hawaii), K-Bay (Hawaii), Kokokahi (Hawaii), Kona Aerials (Hawaii), Lone Mountain (Montana), Metro (Oregon), NASA (Washington), Pantheon (Hawaii), Peninsula (California), Rainbow (Washington), Redwood (Calif.), Tobiuo (Japan), Typhoon Twisters (Okinawa, Japan), Victory (Calif.), Yamanashi (Kofu, Japan), AcroBrats (Calif.), TRY (Kanagawa, Japan).