Wildcard Gymnastics Team News

Individual/Level Photos — We will be taking individual and level photos a bit early this year. Without a meet the weekend after the week of Nov. 3-7, we will be taking pictures of individuals and each team during practice time instead of our usual week of Thanksgiving. We will make these photos available for $15 and will include three posed photos, your child’s head shot, and your child’s level photo in a digital download. You can choose to do with those what you want. We will try to offer a place where you can see a proof of the photos.

Please have your child’s competition leotard (or singlet and black shorts for boys if the shorts and pants aren’t in by next week) with them on the day they are scheduled to be photographed. Hair and/or makeup should be done prior to the scheduled time. There will be no retakes and your child will not be in the level photograph if they are not here during their scheduled time. The schedule is as follows:

Monday, Nov. 3 — All Boys 5-6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 4 — Girls’ Level 3, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 5 — Competing Gold Bugs II, 4:30-5:30 p.m.; Girls’ Level 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Xcel, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 6 — Girls’ Level 2, 4:30-5:30 p.m.; Fast Track, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Girls’ Level 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; Girls’ Level 8, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Level 5/6 Tryout — We will have a tryout for current Girls’ Level 4  gymnasts wishing to qualify out of Level 5 and move directly to Level 6 on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Any Level 4 gymnast who has qualified for state (which is also the move up score for the level) may take part in the tryout. If your child is wishing to tryout, please let us know as soon as possible so we may begin prepping them for the tryout. Skills on the tryout include: front tuck and roundoff back handspring/back tuck on floor; back walkover or back handspring on beam; a clear hip and a flyaway on bars. We will not be testing vault as it is the same vault for Levels 4, 5 and 6.  Gymnasts who are interested in this tryout can use “up training time” during the weekly practice to work on the Level 5 skills.  Many of these skills have already been introduced during their practices.

While we are giving everyone the opportunity to try out, it will be necessary that the gymnast demonstrates proficiency at Level 5 (and that she will be competent at Level 6).  It is totally okay to not be ready at this point.Many of these skills will be trained over the summer so that they will be proficient at Level 5 next season. Should gymnasts pass the tryout, we will try to enter them as Level 5s into the Buffalo Grove Hawaiian Pineapple Invitational in Schaumburg on Dec. 19-21. Should the gymnast achieve the necessary 31.000 qualification score at that meet, she will move to the Level 6 group and compete two meets and state (assuming the state-qualification score of 31.000 is met). The meets the gymnasts will compete as Level 6s are:

Wildcard Cruise Classic, Mequon, Wis., Feb. 7-8
Lucky Invitational, Waukegan, Ill., Mar. 14-15
State Championships, Franklin, Wis., Mar. 28-29

Please note, there are additional meet fees required should your gymnast move up.

Last season, all five Level 4s that did the Hawaiian Pineapple meet got their move up score and every Level 6 earned a state-qualification score in their first meet.

Those gymnasts who aren’t proficient in the majority of the skills at the tryout may still be invited to do Level 5 in the off-season AAU meets.

Holiday Sleepovers — We are having two Holiday sleepovers, one on Thanksgiving for all of those wishing to drop the kids and shop for a great deal, and another on New Year’s Eve.

The Thanksgiving night Drop & Shop overnight is Thursday, Nov. 27, starting at 8 p.m. with pickup at 10 a.m. The pre-registration cost for team kids is $35. Click here for more details.

The New Year’s Eve Overnight is $40 for pre-registered team kids. 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.

Fund-raising — Pasta and coffee/fudge/cookies fund-raising is coming to a close. Please have all your fund-raising items turned in by Nov. 15 so we may have it all back in by Thanksgiving.

Monday Staff Meeting — There is a staff meeting on Monday, Nov. 3 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Practice will finish at 7:30 p.m. for all levels. All optional-level gymnasts should come at 4:30 p.m. to get the full practice.

The new Purple and Silver optional groups will start on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Those groups will be determined by all-around score at Saturday’s meet. The top 4 Level 8s will go to Purple with the lowest 3 going to Silver. The top 6 Level 6s will to go Purple with the 6 lower scoring Level 6s going to Silver. We will notify everyone by e-mail Saturday night after the meet. Those gymnasts not competing (Ava C., Olga) will be in Silver.

Confidence / Focus Cards

This week’s homework is to create confidence cards. Confidence cards are collections of ideas, quotes, questions, cue words, and positive self-talk that an athlete can use during a competition to help with focus and self-confidence. Before each event or randomly during a competition, the gymnast can pull out the cards and focus on what each card says. These can be event specific or apply to any event.

 “Confident people think and act confidently!” We have talked a lot about looking confident during routines and how adding sharp wrist flicks, chin lifts, stretch positions, etc. can help give the appearance of being very confident. But we also want the gymnast to feel truly sure of him/herself. That’s where mental training and this week’s confidence cards come in.

The brain is an amazing thing. If thoughts are repeated, over time your brain will be convinced of those thoughts. So repeating positive statements over and over will help the gymnast to become more focused and confident. Reading the confidence cards will trigger this confidence more quickly.

This week, we will be talking about what cue words or questions can help each gymnast be more confident. Encourage your gymnast to write down key words or phrases that help them feel assured. Gymnasts can also look up some gymnastics quotations or success quotes that help with motivation or self-confidence. The key words or quotations can then be put on index cards or made on the computer (use a business card template).

Have your gymnast decorate an envelope to store the cards in and be sure that they get packed into their gym bag this week! We hope to see them using the confidence cards at the meet.

Click here for some Sample Confidence Cards.  Feel free to use these or change them to fit your gymnast’s needs.

Camouflage Classic
Nov. 15-16, 2014
LaFleur’s Gymnastics
189 Kleinmann Dr., Germantown | MAP | 13.8 mi., 16 min.

SATURDAY, NOV. 15

GIRLS’ LEVEL 4 – Emily G., Aaliyah, Ryann, Ella, Maeggan, Nadia, Chasity
Arrive – 12:45 p.m.
Stretch – 1 p.m.
Meet Begins — 2:20 p.m.
Awards — 3:50 p.m.

GIRLS’ LEVEL 4 – Madeline, Kerigan, Kamryn, Becky Dee, Norah T.
Arrive – 4:15 p.m.
Stretch – 4:30 p.m.
Meet Begins — 5:50 p.m.
Awards — 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 16

GIRLS’ LEVEL 3 – Angela, Kaylie, Vanesa, Ayanna, Rhianna, Taylor
Arrive – 12:15 p.m.
Stretch – 12:30 p.m.
Meet Begins — 1:40 p.m.
Awards — 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS’ LEVEL 3 – Essence, Mariyah, Emma L., Jordan S., Sarah, Nora L., Aniyah
Arrive – 3:45 p.m.
Stretch – 4 p.m.
Meet Begins — 5:10 p.m.
Awards — 6:45 p.m.

COMPETING TEAMS – Altius, Infinite, LaFleur’s, M&M, Midwest Twisters, Salto, Ultimate Fusion.

Focus: The Difference Between Focus in Practice vs. in Competition This week is a big week at Wildcard! Hosting a home competition is fun, a lot of work and often results in some extra pressure on the gymnasts. This week we will be working on how to deal with this added pressure and turn it into success! During practice, gymnasts are constantly learning about positions and shapes. They are making corrections to perfect their routines. However, come competition day, gymnasts need to be in execution mode. They need to trust that their bodies know what to do and simply concentrate on hitting skills the way they do everyday in practice.

1. Your assignment this week: At practices, pay attention to how the routines/skills feel when you are doing them. Use your senses when perfecting each skill. After doing the skill, while waiting for your next turn, concentrate on recreating that same feeling on each turn. This will help your body remember how to execute (hit) the skill how you want.

2. Your Focus Homework: (Taken from “Becoming a True Champion” by Kirk Mango.) This exercise will help you understand how to relax and center your attention on what you are doing. This will help you to have amazing focus at competitions!

(click on the images to view larger)

3. Print, decorate and sign the Code of a Champion Contract (click the link to print). If that doesn’t work, try pasting the following url in your browser:  http://becomingatruechampion.com/AChampion.htm
4. Hang it in a place where you will see it everyday (on your mirror, locker, bedroom door, etc.)

It’s Meet Week — We’re so excited that it’s home meet week. This is, from what we’ve heard, one of the largest meets in the state this season, so we’re really excited to put on a good show. With your help, we can make this a great competition. Unfortunately, with meet week there are changes to the gym schedule which will be reflected in this blog post.

Spirit Week — With home meets come spirit week. Sorry for the late notice on this so we hope Monday won’t be much of an issue for all. Boys and Xcel, please make sure you participate. Here are the theme days for the week:

Monday — Color Wars. Each group wears a different color. Fast Track/Gold Bugs, wear black. 2s wear orange, 3s are in purple, 4s in blue, 6s in green and 8s in pink. Coaches wear tie-dye.  This can be a leotard or shirts, leggings, etc.

Tuesday — Cowgirl Country Day (dress in your best boots and Cowboy hat, give it that Wild Wild West flair.)

Wednesday — Masquerade Day (wear a costume or mask)

Thursday — Crazy Day (Crazy hair and socks, etc.)

Friday — Wildcard exhibition (Short-sleeve) leotard

Change in Practices — With the gym unavailable for practice on Saturday, everyone will practice on Friday. Friday will be a shortened practice for each level as there will only be 2 sets of equipment to use (we will leave both bars in the back and move the AAI set to the front after practice with the optionals help. The following is the practice schedule for the week:

Monday — No change
Tuesday — No change
Wednesday – Xcel begins at 5:30 and ends at regular time
Thursday — No change
Friday — Levels 2, 3, 3/4 and all Xcel from 4-6 p.m.; Level 4, 5, 6, 8 from 6-8:10 p.m. (all levels feel free to arrive 15 minutes early to stretch … practice will move fast).

Ice Chests/Coolers — With a big meet, we are in need of ice chests/coolers for concessions. Please let us know if you have any we can borrow.

Sign Ups — We still need some slots to fill for working the competition. The following are spots still needed to fill:

Saturday 7:30 a.m. — Ribbon Writers (4), Beam Timer (1), Music Player (1), Awards Presenters
Saturday 9:45 a.m. — Beam Timer (1)
Saturday 12:15 — EVERYTHING. Literally, we have just one volunteer for this session.
Saturday 3 p.m. — Admissions (2), Score Inputter (1), Ribbon Writers (4), Beam Timer (1)
Saturday 5:40 p.m. — Admissions (1), Concessions (1), Score Inputters (4), Awards Presenters

Sunday 7:30 a.m. — EVERYTHING. Literally, we have just one volunteer for this session as well.
Sunday 10:15 a.m. — ALL FILLED!
Sunday 1:10 p.m. — ALL FILLED!
Sunday 3:40 p.m. — Score Inputters (3), Award Presenters

Level 4-up gymnasts (and older Level 3s) please make sure you volunteer as well. We’re less concerned about award presenters as we are about score inputters and beam timers.

From what we can tell, the following families haven’t volunteered:
Level 2: Donovan, Mulvey, Podoll, Scheid
Level 3: Brown
Level 4: Davis, Xiong
Level 6: Laspisa, Literski
Level 8: Dundun, Gordon, Raebel
Xcel: Bridegroom, DiCarlo, Keys, Mulligan, Reed-Hammon, Roecklein

Boys are excused from volunteering because of the state clinic on Saturday and their competition on Sunday. HOWEVER, it would be certainly OK if boys parents were able to volunteer.

Captains — You will get your information by e-mail on Monday.

Parking — Parking will be EXTREMELY tight over the weekend, especially if construction is still on going (the corners were laid this weekend so we’re hopeful more street parking will be available.

There is a lot a block east on 126th an Auer that has about 100 spots in it. The building has no tenants and the owner isn’t around. We have been told by a former tenant that parking shouldn’t be an issue for the weekend. You may try parking there and if there are issues, you can move your car. Also, if you don’t mind the walk, there are plenty of spots in the back of the Culver’s lot.

Meet Fees — Xcel, girls’ optionals and boys, the second installment of meet fees is due Oct. 15.

We apologize for multiple posts in one day. We left something off the last post:

Warm-Ups: Girls’ on Level 2-10 (including Fast Track and Gold Bugs II that are competing in the winter) that don’t have the warm-up jacket may purchase them if they choose. The cost is $70 for the warm-up with a name embroidered. The company only has less than a handful of youth medium, plenty of youth large and adult large jackets left. Please let us know by Tuesday morning if you wish to purchase one of these. We hope we can get them turned around in time for the Wild Wild West Classic.

Pants are an additional $30 and are available in many sizes. However, we recommend just wearing any black yoga style pants.

Please note that we will be re-ordering warm-ups next summer.

Xcel Girls’ Warm-Ups: We are ordering a different warm-up jacket for Xcel girls team members. We expect the cost of those to be $20 (with no embroidered names). These are different than last year’s jacket and we hope to have those in time for the Wild Wild West meet. We will let you know the exact cost in the next couple of days.

Boys’ Warm-Ups: We will not be doing boys’ warm-ups. They will get a sweatshirt. The cost will likely be $20, but we haven’t finalized where we are ordering from yet. Again, we will let you know in the next couple of days.

Sheboygan YMCA Pre-Season Meet
Oct. 19, 2014
Sheboygan YMCA
812 Broughton Dr, Sheboygan | MAP | 62.3 mi., 1 hour, 15 min.

SUNDAY, OCT. 19

BOYS’ LEVEL 4s – Max, West, Dylan, Charlie, Jack
Arrive – 8:45 a.m.
Stretch – 9 a.m.
Meet Begins — 10:20 a.m.
Awards — noon

COMPETING TEAMS – CWC, Sheboygan YMCA

NOTE – This serves as the boys’ “mock meet”.