Wildcard Gymnastics Team News

Before we get to the Cancun trip information, here is the link to the dropbox which contains all the videos for the compulsory routines: Compulsory videos

As promised, here is some beginning information on our team’s trip to the Cancun Classic:

Levels: All boys’ and girls’ team levels are invited. The meet fees are factored in for Level 7-9 girls and the boys swap this meet out for the Swiss Cup the following weekend (with the addition of $30). This is not a USA Gymnastics sanctioned event, but will use USAG rules. Qualifying scores are not directly eligible, but the meet organizer has indicated that several gymnasts have used this meet for qualification/move-up purposes.

Dates: The dates of the competition are listed as January 16-20, 2014. At this point, it would appear that we would either leave late on Wednesday, January 15 (if possible, pending on flight arrangements) or early on January 16. It looks like from their schedule that January 16 is a training day for the collegiate competitors and the Level 9-up gymnasts. Ideally, we would return on Tuesday, January 21, but might return on Monday, January 20 if we can leave late enough and the competition schedule allows. It looks as if from previous years, the competition typically takes place on Saturday and Sunday. There is an NCAA Division I meet on Saturday night as part of the schedule. With the meet being over Martin Luther King Jr. day, many schools will have at least that day off so missed school will be minimized. Milwaukee Public Schools and Wauwatosa School District has Jan. 20 off. Elm Brook does not however. We will have study time for all gymnasts while on the trip in order to complete homework assignments.

Travel Arrangements: Wildcard Gymnastics will be making one set of travel arrangements for gymnasts and families heading to to the competition. If you wish to deviate from this arrangement, you will be on your own. Most likely, we will be flying from Chicago. No matter where we fly from, you will be on your own to get to the airport and we will not wait for anyone who is late or doesn’t have the proper documentation. YOU MUST HAVE A PASSPORT TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO. If you don’t have a passport, you will need to get one. It takes 4-6 weeks to receive a passport at a cost of around $100 per person. At this point the cost to fly to Cancun is $433 per person as a group out of Chicago. We hope to have this cost down right around $400 per person. We will continue shopping for a flight deal. Again, the plan is to leave if possible late on Wednesday if possible and return late on Tuesday. At the very minimum, we will have three full days in Cancun. At this point, we plan on staying at one of two properties, the Hyatt Regency or more likely, the Royal Mayan. Both are beachfront properties, minutes by foot from the meet’s site, the Iberostar Resort. Both are significantly cheaper than the Iberostar. Again, we will continue shopping, but the cost per room night at this point is $125. A family of four can expect to pay around $2200 for flights and hotels. On previous trips, to save costs, one gymnast has traveled with one parent and has roomed with a second gymnast and parent to reduce costs.

WHILE IN CANCUN: Unlike most trips where we have scripted every detail, this one will have parents and gymnast more on their own. Travel while in Cancun will be on your own. The hotel and beach area will provide plenty to do. Those wishing to get away and explore the area (such as go visit Mayan ruins) will be on your own. There will not be a group excursion, much unlike our trips to Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands. Meals will be on your own as well. We MAY offer group meal opportunities, but we can’t guarantee it at this point.

RESERVING YOUR SPOT: If you wish to travel with Wildcard Gymnastics, you must provide a $50 deposit per person traveling with the names, birthdates and proof of passport or passport application by Sept. 20 to Wildcard Gymnastics. Meet fees of $120 per competing gymnast are due to Wildcard Gymnastics by Oct. 15 (Level 7-9 girls do not need to pay this fee, boys need only to pay $30). Meet fees are due by Nov. 1. MEET FEES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE AFTER NOV. 1 (per the meet’s organizers). Final payment at this point is due will be due by Dec. 1 (but this may change pending on when the final payment is due to the airline).

For those gymnasts and families not traveling with the Wildcard Group and traveling on their own, we simply need the $120 meet fee by Oct. 15.

Gymnasts may travel on their own in the care of another family. Feel free to talk to other families on the team if your child wants to go and parents are unable to attend.

FUNDRAISING: For those of you who do plan on going, the fall fund-raiser will help offset your costs. For as much profit as a gymnast raises, it will lower the amount owed. For those not going, there will be prizes for those who raise the most funds.

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING: We will have an organizational meeting late in November or early in December once we have final attendance numbers.

Click the following link for a printable version of this schedule: fall-practice schedule

Click the following link for the conditioning circuit, which begins most of our practices. Gymnasts can be doing this circuit at home for extra strength and flexibility training: conditioning-circuit-page-1

Fall & Winter Team Practice Schedule

Mondays
4:30-7:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 3-4
4:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ HOPES
5-8 p.m., Boys’ Level 4-7
5:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 5-8 *

* Girls’ Level 5 may come on Monday nights for an up-training practice. 
This is not to substitute for the regularly scheduled Level 5 (T/Th/F) practices.

Tuesday
4:30-6:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 2
4:30-6:30 p.m., Girls’ TOPs All Levels
4:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ HOPES
5:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 5-8, Girls’ Xcel Gold
6:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Fast Track

Wednesdays
4:30-7:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 3-4
5-8 p.m., Boys’ Level 4-7
6:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Xcel Silver

Thursday
4:30-6:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 2
4:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ HOPES
4:30-8 p.m., Boys’ Level 4-7
5:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 5-8, Xcel Gold
6:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Fast Track

Friday
4:30-7:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 2 (Oct. 4, Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Nov. 15, Dec. 13 only) 
4:30-8:30 p.m., Girls’ Level 3-8, Girls’ HOPES
8:30-10 p.m., Open Gym

Saturday
9 a.m.-noon, Girls’ Level 2 (on non-meet weekends)
9 a.m.-noon, Boys’ Levels 4-7
9 a.m.-11 a.m., Girls’ TOPs Level 1 (formerly new TOPs)
10 a.m.-noon, Boys’ Level 3
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Girls’ HOPES
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Girls’ TOPs Level 2 (formerly old TOPs)
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Girls’ Xcel Silver
7-9 p.m., Open Gym

This is a reminder that the team photo is Friday, August 16 at 5 p.m. at Wildcard Gymnastics. Your gymnast should be in the long sleeve competition leotard for girls (or in the purple exhibition leotard if you do not own the long-sleeve leotard). Boys should be dressed in their competition singlet (with the top of the W to the right). The team photo is for any gymnast who is competing and for the gymnasts who are planning on competing in the winter (Gold Bugs II on Tuesday). The team photo should be done by 5 p.m.

The preseason competition will begin with warmups at 5:30 p.m. and we should be competing by 6:30 p.m. There will be a modest admission ($2 adults, $1 children) and concessions will be available. Actual judges will be in for the event.

There will be regular morning practice on Friday, as well as open gym.

With some children already heading back to school, the summer schedule is winding down. The final daytime practices will be on Friday, Aug. 23. The fall practice schedule begins on Monday, Aug. 26 with Friday practices returning to their 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. time slot on Friday, Aug. 31.

There will be no evening open gym on Friday, Aug. 31. Night time open gym resumes on Friday, Sept. 6  from 8:30-10 p.m. Saturday night open gym returns on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 7-9 p.m.

Parents,

TOSA’S NIGHT OUT: Tomorrow (August 6) is Tosa’s Night Out at Hart Park. This is an event that we enjoy doing and the community enjoys as well. This will be similar to West Allis Night Out in that we will have an obstacle course for the community and perform shows.

Please be at Hart Park by 5 p.m. for shows at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Our show set up will the be same one that we had last year, east of the football stadium. This is one of the better celebrations of National Night Out and there is a lot going on for families to do in between and after our shows. Girls team members should be wearing the purple exhibition letoards (4th of July leos for Jr. Gold Bugs). Boys should wear competition singlets and shorts.

There will be no practice for any team boys, team girls or gold bugs tomorrow evening as a result of Tosa’s Night Out. We will e-mail out a TOPs time for those who are in TOPs once we confirm a time. For more information on Tosa’s Night Out, click here.

SUMMER SPECTACULAR: Our annual in-house show, the Summer Spectacular, is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 at 6 p.m. Please plan on this being a two-and-a-half-hour show, as opposed to the two hour show of previous years. Your gymnast should be at the gym, in a purple exhibition leotard for girls (4th of July leos for Jr. Gold Bugs) and competition singlets, shorts and pants for boys.

We do use this show as a fund raiser. We do charge admission, albeit a very small admission. We charge $2 for adults and $1 for children. We will also have concessions available at the summer spectacular.

Unlike our regular shows, gymnasts will be on the spring floor and will have the opportunity to show off on other events other than floor. Every gymnast will perform several times, often times in a group, showing off both group show routines and their competitive routines. This is easily our best show of the year.

TEAM PHOTO & PRESEASON MEET: The team photo and preseason meet will be held on Friday, August 16. Due to conflicts with the judges, we had to move up the date by a week. We realize that several of you will be out of town, but this is the only date in which we will have the majority of the team present and the only date we could get judges for the girls’ compulsory gymnasts competing in the fall.

We will do level photos later in the year (closer to the end of the year), so those of you who are unable to attend the team photo will have the opportunity to participate in the level photos.

Meet information for the preseason meet is available by clicking here.

MEET FEES: This is a reminder that the second installment of girls’ compulsory level meet fees, the first installment of optional level meet fees and the first installment of boys’ meet fees will be processed on August 15.

CANCUN TRIP: We hope to have more information on Cancun by the middle of the month. Please expect to provide a deposit in order to secure your spot so we may begin planning for the meet.

TUITION INCREASE: When we moved to the 127th Street facility two years ago, we indicated there would be a tuition increase, which have yet to implement. Unfortunately, as costs rise, we must increase our tuition. Beginning in September, team tuition will be an additional $15 per month, our first increase in team tuition in three years. Tuition will be the following starting in September:

Fast Track (when running): $135
Girls Level 2: $145
Girls Level 3: $155
Girls Level 4: $155
Girls Level 6-10: $165

Boys Level 4: $140
Boys Level 5: $145
Boys Level 6-10: $155

This still reflects costs between $3-4 per hour of instruction and is the best team tuition rate in the state. Compare the image below, which comes from a gym in northern Illinois. There fees are between $80-$220 more per month than ours. We’ve seen costs to these from gyms in the area.

Our philosophy is that we want everyone to be a part of our team and we do our best to accommodate. Fees are a direct part of this structure. We hope that you realize our commitment to this philosophy doesn’t change despite the modest price increase.

CONGRATULATIONS: Our team had a fantastic outing at AAU Junior Olympics in Detroit last week. In all, we won seven all-around titles and 24 event titles and everyone did very well. The following is a list of our first-place finishers:

Old Level 3: Emily Grining (all-around, vault, bars, floor)
Old Level 3: Ella Johnston-Fodor (beam)
New Level 3: Emily Grining (vault, bars)
New Level 3: Ella Johnston-Fodor (vault)
New Level 3: Aaliyah Krause (all-around, beam, floor)
New Level 4: Bradyn Fowler (all-around, vault, bars, beam, floor)
Old Level 5: Izzie LaSpisa (all-around, vault, beam)
Old Level 5: Jordan Morrissey (all-around, vault, bars, floor)
New Level 5: Izzie LaSpisa (all-around, vault, bars, beam, floor)
Level 8: Crystal Straszewski (all-around)
Level 8: Ashley Watkins (vault, bars)

Double congratulations go to Izzie LaSpisa, who won Old Level 5 and turned around and won New Level 5 in the next session, becoming our second gymnast to perform such a feat. We tend to do very well in these summer meets. Keep next year’s AAU Nationals (Orlando, Date TBD) and AAU Junior Olympics (Des Moines, Iowa, July 25-Aug. 6) in mind.