March 2015 - Gymnastics Mississauga
Transcription
March 2015 - Gymnastics Mississauga
GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA NEW SLETTER / M A R C H 2015 Provincial Qualifiers Women’s Artistic Gymnastics 1st & 2nd Ontario Cup Acrobatic Gymnastics On the Cover 3rd Ontario Cup Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Road to GOLD Pre-Competitive ODP Meet Talent Wins Games Teamwork Wins Championships XHOSA BAKER, SYANDENE BAKER AND ASHLEE CHAN TRAINING EVENTS MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Welcome to the March 2015 issue of the Gymnastics Mississauga Newsletter. Our newsletter is a great way to keep you informed of all that is currently happening and will be coming up in the next few months. The winter session is almost over! Our Recreational Spring and Summer registrations are open, and registrations are filling up fast! For those interested in registering for our camps and other events, or for those who still need to register for our Recreational programs, all registration details and costs are listed on our website under “Classes & Camps” at www.gymmississauga.org OPEN HOUSE March 24, 5pm-7pm. No registration required! To be certain about our recreational program, come by and have your child experience some fun gymnastics first hand! The open house is only open for boys and girls ages 3-14 yrs old. Attire requirement is shorts and a t-shirt. No experience necessary. Come and have fun! WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS (WORLD GYMNASTICS CHALLENGE) March 27 - 29, 2015 ODP Ages 5-9 and OCP Level 1-9 & National, hosted by Gymnastics Mississauga. RECREATIONAL SPRING SESSION March 30 - June 30, 2015 MASCOT CONTEST Submissions are due by Saturday, April 18 Help us design our first ever club mascot, who will represent Gymnastics Mississauga at all our events, promotions and competitions! For rules and further information, please refer to our website. MASTER CLINIC WITH HEAD COACH CHRIS FOO April 29 Gymnastics in other countries: Using a Global Model in Gymnastics Training and Athlete Development at Gymnastics Mississauga. RECREATIONAL SUMMER CLASS June 29 - August 31, 2015 Prices go up on June 1st! RECREATIONAL SUMMER CAMP June 29 - September 4, 2015 Prices go up on June 1st! The REC program is looking forward to a FUN-FILLED SPRING! MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA OUR COACHES HEAD COACH Biography Chris Foo, COMP Head Coach Chris has been the MAG Head Coach at Gymnastics Mississauga for approx. 18 years and is currently the Head Coach for both the Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics competitive programs. Chris is a level 4 NCCP coach that has been coaching for over 30 years with a wealth of knowledge and experience in both Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics. In the most recent past, Mr. Foo has been awarded the Men’s International Coach of the year, while coaching athletes to championship games at the Junior and two Senior Pan American Championships, two Pacific Rim Championships, the 2010 World Games Championships (Rotterdam), The Commonwealth Games, and The Chinese National Championships. In 2012, Chris was the coach of a London Olympic Games test event team member, followed by taking an athlete to the 27th Summer Universiade Games in Kazan, Russia in 2013. Mr. Foo’s attention to the development of the athlete from beginner level 1 Provincial to Senior High Performance is evident in a snapshot of successes in the 2006 season producing six Provincial and three National Champions. His philosophy integrates and supports all facets of the developing athlete in and out of the gym. Our Head Coach Chris Foo received a GO recognition award for long time commitment and outstanding service to Gymnastics Ontario on October 2014. Souren Torosyants, ACRO Head Coach Souren has been the head coach of Mississauga's Acrobatic Program since its inception. Acrobatic has a long history and is well loved in Europe. It is comparatively new in Canada. With his wealth of international experience, Souren was an instrumental figure in bringing Acrobatic Gymnastics to Ontario. A graduate of Moscow Circus College and Moscow Russia Academy of Performing Arts (Gitis), Souren has performed and coached in 40+ countries, and Canada for over 30 years. He has taken his athletes twice to the World Championships in Florida and Paris as well as the national and provincial championships. Under his leadership, our Acrobatic program has grown tripled in size. Souren Torosyants is a NCCP level 3 Women's Artistic Gymnastics Coach and a NCCP level 3 trampoline coach. Souren is known in the gymnastics circle for his uncanny ability to offer high level training while making it fun for all involved. MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA OUR COACHES men’s artistic gymnastics Biography Miguel Costante, MAG Supervisor Miguel is a level 4 high performance coach who has coached in Argentina as well as across Canada. He has taken many of his athletes from a young age all the way to the national level. He is passionate in instilling perfection as the goal for his gymnasts. We welcome Miguel to Gym Mississauga to our Men's Program coaching team. Daniel Hernandez Daniel strives to develop confident and well technically prepared athletes, his strong passion for the sport motivates him to constantly learning new coaching techniques to produce better results in athletes. Recently he has taken the judges training to complement his coaching approach, he is also currently working towards getting his MAG Level 3 Full Certification. Coaching Certification: MAG Level 2, Level 2 Trampoline, Level 3 Trampoline Technical, Partial MAG Level 3, CPR “C”, MAG Judge in process, B.Sc. Actuarial Science Nei Oliveira Technical Management by I ETFG / SEBRAE; Graduated in Physical Education at the University of Viçosa, Brazil, and I was assistant professor of artistic gymnastics graduated; I worked as a choreographer, artistic gymnastics and Aerobics; I was a coach of Artistic Gymnastics and Trampoline of Olympic Minas Gerais state Project Coach of University of Viçosa, Brazil; I am a regional judge of Aerobics,Men’s and Woman’s artistic gymnastics and trampoline; I worked with recreational and competitive gymnastics. My Highlights as a Coach was 2nd place on Floor and 3rd in all around in Regional Games of Minas Gerais State. MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA women’s artistic gymnastics Biography Chris Laszlo, WAG Supervisor Chris has completed his Level 4 NCCP training and is a graduate of Seneca College's Advanced Coaching Techniques Program. He was recently granted status as a Chartered Professional Coach by the Coaching Association of Canada. He has coached many Provincial and Eastern Canadian champions and was the Team Coach of the 1st place Ontario National Opens at the 2014 Canadian Championships. Chris has developed a strong technical knowledge base through working as a judge, and through coaching high performance athletes in both women's and men's artistic programs throughout Canada, Australia, and the United States. Chris has been involved in gymnastics as a coach and competitor for more than 30 years. Natalia Nowakowski Natalia has been involved with competitive sports her whole life, competing at the provincial level for gymnastics, soccer, and diving. She started her work with children as a soccer referee and continues with her passion as a gymnastics coach. She's been coaching for 7 years, 6 of which have been spent here at Gymnastics Mississauga. Natalia is a fully certified Level 1 Trampoline coach and Level 3 WAG coach, whose medical knowledge has aided in understanding the kinetics of the human body, and helped improve upon the technicality of her coaching. Tammie Gray Tammie has been coaching competitive gymnastics for over 26 years. She has been a dedicated coach and Head Coach, and has received her 25 year Gold Diamond Pin Award from Gymnastics Ontario. She is a Level 3 Certified National level coach and is a graduate of the Seneca College Physical Education Elite Gymnastics Program. Tammie has coached athletes on the third place team, as well as vault finalists in the International Maccabiah Games in Israel. Over the past 26 years, Tammie has had many athletes receive NCCA scholarships. She has also choreographed and coached many medalists on beam and floor at National Championships in Canada and the United States, 30 Provincial Champions, and over 40 medalists on floor at Provincial Championships. Tammie has received many speciality awards on bars, beam and floor at National and Provincial Championships, and is a sought after choreographer working at clubs across North America. Tammie is a dedicated coach with a solid commitment to development of gymnastic and life skills of athletes in order to help them reach their full potential. She hopes to shape her athletes into confident, respectful, poised, and successful gymnasts in a nurturing, motivating environment. Jasmine Patterson Originally from Brampton Ontario, she received a full scholarship in Springfield Massachusetts and competed in Track and Field. While competing at the collegiate level she received her 4 year bachelor degree. She is currently enrolled in the Faculty of Education Consecutive Program at York University and will graduate in May of 2015. She is a former gymnast of Gymnastics Mississauga and has been involved in competitive gymnastics for over 15 years, both as a competitive provincial athlete, and as a pre-competitive and invitational coach. She is a level 2 NCCP coach in women's artistic gymnastics. MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA women’s artistic gymnastics Gary Isaacs Gary currently coaches for the Women’s Artistic Program. He is a graduate of Advance Technique in Gymnastics from Seneca College where he received the student recognition award. His coaching philosophy is "Hard work pays off! The only thing that is stopping you from achieving your goals is you!" Gary is a certified coach for the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics at Level 4, Women’s Artistic Gymnastics at Level 3, and Trampoline at Level 2. Gary used to work at the Oakville Gymnastics Club for a year. He used to coach as an Assistant Head Coach for the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics in Gym Mississauga from 2003 to 2014. He coached for the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics at Provincial and Elite levels in Canada and Australia, and the Jr. Pan American Games in Houston, Texas. He was an instructor with Power Cheer Toronto. We are thrilled to have Gary back to the gym! Candace Riecken Candace is level 2 NCCP certified WAG coach and is currently completing her level 3. She is also a level 2 Trampoline coach. In 2009 she graduated from Seneca College with a competitive coaching diploma. She also recently graduated from York University with a Bachelor degree in Psychology and has returned to complete her honors degree in Kinesiology. Candace is a former gymnast and has a diverse teaching background. She strongly believes in building a workplace environment of mentorship and teamwork. She hopes to help build on the provincial and pre-competitive programs at Gymnastics Mississauga by applying her knowledge and extensive experience. She is also excited to learn from many of the other coaches that are part of the WAG and MAG team! Tatiana Anjos Tatiana is a Level 3 Women's Artistic Gymnastics Coach as well as a Level 2 Certified Trampoline Coach, Dance Choreographer, Personal Trainer, Reflexologist & a proud mother.She has coached everything from Mom & Tot classes to international levels of Woman’s Artistic Gymnastics for the past 20 years. Her favourite events to coach are ALL the events! Her goals include continuing to coach all 4 events for as long as possible (while improving and learning on each event), and ultimately to represent a team from Canada or Brazil (her birth place) at some Olympic Cycles. During her years at Gymnastics Mississauga, she has seen a lot of history and growth, as she sees some of her own athletes now taking on coaching roles themselves. Some gymnasts she highly respects are: Simone Biles (U.S.A.), Diane Dos Santos (Brazil), Dominique Daws, Nastia Liukin (U.S.A), and Peng Peng-Lee (Canada). Tatiana currently coaches Teams H & I, composed of development pre-competitive gymnasts aged 5-10 years old. Her teams are very creative and act as a family unit. What she loves about gymnastics is that it not only teaches her to keep her body balanced, strong, flexible and purely creative, but it also reflects onto her overall life by nourishing her mind, body and soul each day. Justine Russell-Rowe Justine was a Provincial gymnast at gymnastics Mississauga for six years and most recently was Eastern Canadian Champion 2014. She has been in gymnastics for over 10 years, but retired from competing June 2014 to focus on her educational goals. Justine is in the Peel Regional Arts Program for Dance and hopes to use this knowledge as a choreographer in gymnastics. She started coaching 2 years ago and looks forward to passing on her enthusiasm for gymnastics to the athletes she coaches. Justine is a certified Women's Level 2 and Tramp Level 1 coach. She is also an ODP Assessor and Women's Artistic Judge. MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA OUR COACHES ACROBATICS Biography Anastasiya Torosyants Anastasiya grew up in a gymnastics family and has devoted 13 years to the sport. A former competitive gymnast with international experience, she knows the hard work and dedication required for elite athletes but also understands the passion and care needed to nurture young gymnasts. As a fully certified NCCP level 2 Artistic and Trampoline coach, she has repeatedly guided many of our Mississauga gymnasts to the podium at provincial competitions. With her Business Administration major background, she also plays a major role in the smooth running of our Competitive Acrobatic program. Xhosa Baker Xhosa is an active national level gymnast who has won top prices in Canadian Championships. As a level two coaches, she trains our interclub team and also assist with the provincial athletes. One of her recent career highlight was teaching at the Provincial Acrobatic training camp. She enjoys helping children in improving and reaching their full potentials. Outside of gym, she likes to spend time with family and do rock climbing. Irena Nechaevski (Acrobatic gymnastics coach) Prior to getting her Master degree in Coaching and Choreography from university in Russia, Irena was a national rhythmic gymnastics champion who also received training at the National School of the Bolshoi Ballet. In the past twelve years she has been coaching and working with many of Canada's top gymnasts. Artistic gymnastics Olympians Ellie Black, Kristina Vaculik, Jessica Savona and Peng-Peng Li all had international success with her choreography. Her breath of experience makes her a sought-after clinician at coaches' conference. Irena is currently our Acrobatic coach and choreographer, and has taken Gym Mississauga's Women's Trio and Men's Pair to the top of the podium at Canadian Championships. RECREATIONAL Noah Sunga Coaching Level: Level 1 Tramp, Level 2 Artistic Gymnastics. Biography: I've been coaching at Gymnastics Mississauga for 5 years, and I've worked with pretty much every group you can think of. From parent and tot to tumbling and even competitive, I've learned a lot from the athletes and my fellow coaches. My greatest achievement as a coach has been helping every athlete achieve a personal goal by the end of the term. Favourite Event: My favourite event to coach is Floor because it is where athletes get to show their creativity and the skills you learn on Floor can be transferred to every other event. It's where you learn your first skill in gymnastics and there is no limit to the amount you can learn. RECREATIONAL MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Biography Jayme Pryer Coaching Level: women's artistic 2, trampoline 1. I've been coaching for 8 years! Some of my proudest moments were when I completed my Artistic Women's Level 2 coaching course. Teaching one of my athletes everything from a cartwheel to a round off backhand spring back tuck within a 4 term span is also something I am very proud of! I love getting the chance to help out with coaching competitive athletes! Favourite event: Floor! I love all the power and energy that comes with tumbling! Inez de Braga Coaching Level: Level 1 Trampoline, Level 2 Women's Artistic. Biography: Inez has been coaching at the recreational level for 5 years. It was two years ago that she took on as a competitive coach as well. Some of her proudest achievements and experiences were becoming a supervisor and getting to coach at the competitive level. Inez was a gymnast and the dedication she possessed as an athlete, she hoped to instill in her athletes as their coach. Favourite Event: As a gymnast my favourite event was always vault and floor; the reason being that I was a very powerful individual and these events allowed me to demonstrate that to its full potential. However, as a coach my favourite event would be beam. As an athlete I always struggled with beam, so when I am able to help athletes achieve their skills on beam it makes me feel very accomplished and satisfied. Jonathan Asada Coaching Level: NCCP Level 3 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics coach, as well as an NCCP Level 1 Trampoline coach. Jonathan has coached Cheerleading and Women’s gymnastics at the competitive level, as well as Men’s Gymnastics, Trampoline, and Tumbling. When not in the gym, Jonathan is pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in Philosophy and Anthropology. Beyond school and coaching, Jonathan enjoys reading, snowboarding, and anything technology related. Favourite Event: His favourite apparatus in the gym is the Trampoline, for its versatility and ability to provide repetition of a skill without wear on the body. Vanessa Tesolin Like most coaches, I started out as a CIT and once old enough, I took my level 1 and started coaching my own Recreational classes. It was only a year coaching Recreational when I was encouraged to take my level 2 coaching certification in order to coach higher level gymnastics. My final goal was to become an NCCP level 3 Women's Artistic coach, which I also achieved not long after. I also ran the Recreational program, as well as, held the Head Coach position in Thunder Bay during this time. I took my athletes from Pre-competitive to Provincial level 8 which was quite an accomplishment being from Thunder Bay, where at the time only had one gymnastics club. Sarah Winterfield I have been working at Gymnastics Mississauga for the more than 5 years. I graduated from the Gymnastics Coaching program at Seneca College in the mid 1990's. I came away from that program as a level 3 gymnastics coach and having my level 2 trampoline. I have been coaching gymnastics at all levels from kindergym to provincial level althletes for 20+ years. As well as coaching I have also been a recreation coordinator, helped develop gymnastics programs and teach up coming coaches. OUR STAFF MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Biography Anita Kovacevic began her role as Executive Director in October 2014. She holds several degrees from the University of Toronto, including a specialist in Gifted Education. After nearly 20 years of teaching high school and at the University of Toronto, she ventured into small business in the areas of hospitality and sports management. She is delighted to be part of the Gymnastics Mississauga team and hopes to assist in continuing the legacy of excellence at the club which will celebrate 50 years since its founding, in 2019. Janet Brun-Reyes. Originally from Colombia Janet was a manager for 13 years at a travel agency and has been part of Gymnastics Mississauga over 14 years, first as a competitive parent and the past 9 years as the Recreational Coordinator of Gymnastics Mississauga with over 25 years in customer service. Louise has been involved with Gymnastics Mississauga since 1996 when her daughter Katie started attending Kindergym classes. When Katie switched to the competitive program, Louise became a volunteer and did everything from mopping mats on Friday evenings to creating the programs for competitions. She was the Secretary on the Board for a couple of years and left that job when she became the Bookkeeper/Administrator in 2002. In addition to bookkeeping/accounting, Louise has had many administrative responsibilities in the office, including preparing the Handbook and registration forms for competitive registration. Hope Jessup-Ramsay has been with the club for almost 3 years as Recreational Programs Coordinator. She started off coaching Summer Camp and daycare programs with the gym in 2012. Hope grew up a competitive dancer, performing in all disciplines. She continued her dance career throughout University at the University of Guelph where she also completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After University Hope took to teaching competitive and recreational dance at various studios through out the GTA. Looking for a more full time line of work, Hope decided to join the administrative team at the gym and it has been the perfect fit for her. Her enthusiasm and leadership has been great for the recreational programs and it's coaches. One of Hope's favourite things about her job is working with the lovely ladies in the office. OUR STAFF MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Biography Kim Foo initially discovered her interest in gymnastics when she trained in school under the British Gymnastics system. After being accepted into the United Kingdom Tae Kwon-Do association, Kim had the opportunity to train and compete with some of the finest black belts. After completing Business Studies in the Royal County of Berkshire, Kim was able to apply her skills when working for The Police Charter in tactical communications. Kim also has a love for the Arts and has studied at the London School of Music and performed in many venues through out London, England, where she was also a finalist in the X Factor, UK. Kim continues to serve Gymnastics Mississauga, supporting the office staff in assisting our young gymnasts to excel in our variety of wonderful programs. Serena Kaur is an enigmatic new-graduate who is more than excited to be a part of the Gymnastics Mississauga team. Having done an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto with a major in Ethics and a double minor in French and Biology, diversity and new environments are something Serena enjoys immensely. Although she is new to the world of gymnastics, Serena has been member to both basketball and volleyball teams in the past, and is a soccer fanatic. She is also an avid lover of music, as she plays guitar, piano, and is a trained singer, and she is passionate about all things philosophical. She hopes to bring fresh insight and innovative ideas from the perspective of someone who admires the art of gymnastics, and with her administrative expertise, wishes to help optimize productivity. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm is sure to be infectious all around! Fandah started off at Gymnastics Mississauga since January 2015. She is determined to make a difference with fresh and modern illustrations for the gym. She obtained grounding in the analysis and practice of visual and digital communication from Sheridan College, The University of Toronto and Pixar masterclass. Throughout the range of design skills, including sound and video production, graphic design in branding and publication is her specialty. Her goal is to magnify the gym’s prestigious level, following her creative marketing projects with the attentively organized programs by the staff. She is pleased to work with the lovely women in the office, and admires the beauty of both acrobatic and artistic gymnastics. She was involved in competitive track and field, and enjoys acroyoga and boxing. Other tasks Fandah does in the office is part-time recreational registration. EVENTS MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA PanAm Games Open House The kids helped Suzie out at Casa Loma for the PanAm Games open house. Lots of visitors attended the event! - Sandra Elizabeth Musgrave makes it to the Mississauga News! “Local gymnast records a perfect 10” By Iain Colpitts “MISSISSAUGA – Elizabeth Musgrave couldn’t believe it. Neither could her coach, parents or anyone else in an Oshawa gym last month. The Gymnastics Mississauga member had just finished what she thought was an excellent beam routine at an Ontario Cup qualifier, but when her score came up as a perfect 10, she started scrambling to determine whether or not it was true...” Click on the link for full article: The Mississauga News COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Women’s Artistic Gymnastics - Provincial Rachel on Beam scores 9.550 CONGRATULATIONS Gymnastics Mississauga WAG! Our incredible athletes have come home with 159 medals from their Provincial Qualifiers. What an achievement! - Coach Tammie. Coach Tammie supports her team at the Muskoka Qualifier in Bracebridge COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Pre-Competitive ODP Meet, Richmond Hill - Second Qualifications, Jan 31 & Feb 2 The girls have been working so hard and were ecstatic to be able to display their accomplishments at their first competition of the year. It was many of the girls' first competition and although nerves were present, they rose to the occasion and performed amazingly! Coaches Jasmine, Justine, Tatiana and Natalia are continuing to improve with the girls and prepare for our upcoming home meet at GM! The girls from Team I and Team J also received an award for the team who displayed the most SPIRIT! Way to go girls, keep up the hard work and dedication! - Coach Jasmine and Coach Tatiana. COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA First & Second Acro Ontario Cup Our athletes have successfully competed at our 1st and 2nd Acro Ontario Cup of the season. Winning lots of gold, silver and bronze! Great job Gymnastics Mississauga Acro athletes! Here are all 1st place winners for the 2015 Acrobatic Gymnastics 1st Ontario Cup. Check out the next page for all the scores and places our athletes achieved from the 2nd Ontario Cup. WP: Women's Pair WG: Women's Group MXP: Mixed Pair Level 5: Joanna Lee & Amelia Woronowski-Lee WP Alina Sokolov & Sasha Sokolov MXP Aleksandra Ritchie & Vikram Singh MXP Julia Wojstowicz, Ella Sztuska & Olivia Lorens WG Level 6: Laura Cernea, Olivia Ritchie & Emilia Ceconi WG Level 7: Victoria Luciani & Alexa Luciani WP Abeed Chowdhury & Taiya Bono MXP Jenna Stratigeas, Elzabeth Benakopoulos & Amy Pan WG National: Mikeala Pingol & Karyzza WP - 11-16 Looking forward to our 2nd Ontario Cup Competition on February 21st and 22nd. Good luck to all our athletes! - Coach Anastasiya. COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Second Acro Ontario Cup Scores Our Acrobatic athletes did a great job! Congratulations to everyone who competed and we can't wait for the next meet happening on March 28-29, 2015! Level 5 Individual: Alyssa Ivantchenko - Demo Nicole Trzcinski - 3rd Sofia Marziali - 5th Laila Marziali - 5th Women’s Pair: Karoline Kopec & Olivia Kopec - Demo Avery Walker & Payton Walker - Demo Tristen Tigree & Raiya Miller - Demo Joanna Lee & Amelia Woronowski-Lee - 1st Alison Barnes & Samantha Rossi - 2nd Elizabeth Khomenok & Kira Kovacevic - 4th Women’s Group: Nicole Keilek, Anabelle Ceconi & Cosima Ceconi - 1st Julia Wojtowicz, Ella Sztuska & Alexandra Ivantchenko - 2nd Mixed Pair: Kuanish Gunday & Anna Kuzmenko - 1st Vikram Singh Chahal & Aleksandra Ritchie - 2nd Level 6 Women’s Pair: Katelynn Baksa-Wiltshire & Annabeth Lampitt - 2nd Women’s Group: Kayla Michalakos, Natalia Kot & Abigail Klassen - 1st Laura Cernea, Olivia Ritchie & Emilia Ceconi - 2nd Sarah Downie, Beth Downie & Isabelle Klassen - 3rd Level 7 Women’s Pair: Victoria Luciani & Alexa Luciani - 1st Women’s Group: Jenna Strtigeas, Elizabeth Benakopoulos & Amy Pan - 1st Diona Sulemani, Emma Shapland & Anna Ivantchenko - 2nd Iryna Dubchak, Anna Pioun & Sasha Pioun - 6th Mixed Pair: Abeed Chodhury & Taiya Bono - 1st National: Mikaela Pingol & Karyzza Guillermo - 1st Nikki Krigos & Mila DiSalle - 3rd competition MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Women’s Artistic Gymnastics - Provincial Qualifiers The month of February brought upon the completion of the three provincial qualifiers. Congratulations to all of the athletes who participated throughout the year, and good luck to those that have qualified to represent the club at the provincial championships this April in Windsor. Here are some of the individual highlights from recent weeks. A Team A: Alyssa landed landed her first full twisting double back tuck on bars (this very difficult dismount is used by many athletes in international competition). In addition, both Lilia and Kristienne made great improvements on their clear hip to handstands on bars, and Lara competed toe circle to handstand for the first time. C Team C: Cassie continued to make progress on her low bar giants, and both Rachel and Kaila flipped tucked Yurchenkos on the hard vault into the foam pit. B D Team B: Natalia competed at her first qualifier as a provincial level 6 athlete, Samara added a handstand flyaway to her regularly increasing skill set on bars, Ashley made several steps forwards on her flyaway on bars, Emily D added a straddle cast on the high bar in her routine, Jessi returned to her powerful handspring vaults, and Kiora began doing her free hip to handstand and handstand flyaway. Team D: Kamryn continued building strength and is getting very close to casting to handstand, Isabel made big improvements on her landings on her piked tsuk on vault, and Melody greatly improved her form on her giants and her lightning on bars. Again, congratulations athletes to a job well done! - Coach Chris Laszlo. If you don’t leap You’ll never know what it’s like to ISABEL PAZ SOARS OVER BEAM AT THE PROVINCIAL QUALIFIER fly cOMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Muskoka Qualifier in Bracebridge Our Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics athletes had the opportunity to compete at the Muskoka Qualifier in Bracebridge on February 6-8. Congratulations to all who competed! As always, we are extremely proud of all our athletes for their hard work and dedication to the sport. Thank you to our Competitive Coaches, as well as a special thanks to all the parents for their continued dedication. Your consistency and devotion through even the most treacherous of weather conditions is truly admirable! Second Qualifier Session (Friday Night) - Senior Friday Night Junior competitions MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Men’s Artistic Gymnastics - Novice After the 1st Qualifier, the coaches and a talk with our boys. COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Muskoka Qualifier - Level 5 and Whole Group Anthony Nadar, 2nd Place National Open COMPETITION MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Muskoka Qualifier Highlights from the MAG Second Qualifier in Muskoka Daniel Sieto got silver in Vault Stephen Pascual performed well on Rings and obtained gold, and silver on Vault Chidube, Stephen and Arisano are preparing to improve performance still for the third Qualifier coming up on March. - Coach Daniel Stephen, Rings Men’s Artistic Gymnastics 3rd Ontario Cup - Junior competition MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Men’s Artistic Gymnastics 3rd Ontario Cup - Senior The Men’s Artistic Gymnastics 3rd Ontario Cup was hosted at Gymnastics Mississauga on March 6-8. Congratulations to the MAG athletes who competed! Your efforts are overwhelming! We thank our coaches, especially parents who continue to support the athletes’ dedication to the sport! Here are the list of athletes who competed: Junior Armaan Walli Tolga Dolunay Jacob Bonnay Level 2 Level 4 Casey Rogan Erion Sulemani Thomas Pantano Open Thamilenian Balakumar Ricky Palermo Reily Bowen Kieran Mehta Level 5 Novice William Mackinnon Anthony Nadar Darian Modasi Gaikza Pina Minh Ngo Elel Baker Quinton Dawkins Elite 4 Matthew DacBang Arisano Mazzone Peitro Bertola Braeden Spiteri Chidube Ekwommadu Jackson Ramsay Level 1 Level 3 Senior Luca Frost Tony Partito Jackson Rozario Stephan Pascual Maxim Loginov Daniel Sieto Gabriel Palermo competition MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Men’s Artistic Gymnastics 3rd Ontario Cup (Saturday) road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Men’s Artistic Gymnastics 3rd Ontario Cup (Saturday) GYM GALLERY Team F MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA GYM GALLERY MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Team Spirit Award These are some of the Team I athletes (Coached by Coach Tatiana Anjos) and some of the Team J athletes (Coached by Coach Jasmine Patterson) that achieved a TEAM SPIRIT AWARD! The Team Spirit award was presented at our first O.D.P Competition of the 2014-2015 competitive season in February. This picture represents a very special message of TEAM SPIRIT. In life we must strive to always keep our souls upbeat and alive in all that we do. Cheering each other on, respecting and nurturing each other even sometimes when the storm hits, support one another because the light like the sun will always shine again. We are stronger in numbers! Working together and sharing together like one BIG FAMILY in the gym and in the world; encouraging one another to do OUR PERSONAL BEST EACH DAY! IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE!!! Having this award presented to our GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA CLUB is very special to all of us. THANK YOU EVERYONE! May you all continue to share your lively free spirits with the world throughout your gymnastics journey and your entire life journey always. - Coach Tatiana. PAN AM MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA TCDSB Raises Pan Am Spirit! The Toronto Catholic District School Board hosted an action-packed, multicultural, multimedia event aimed at raising the Pan Am and Parapan Am spirit for students on February 25th at The Hangar in Downsview Park. Over 500 students and educators from the TCDSB, Dufferin/Peel Catholic DSB and Halton CDSB participated in “Pan Am Celebration Day”. Students and teachers engaged in Pan Am/Parapan Am sport demonstrations to get a taste of what is to come this summer when the province plays host to the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. Pan Am/Parapan Am Kids (PPAKids) provided the program resources. They are delivering a program to all school boards, in partnership with the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015), The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Education. Our Gymnastics Mississauga ACRO gymnasts held a demonstration at this event. Click on the link for full article: TCDSB Pan Am events MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Sports and Camps Show at Erin Mills Town Centre Our Executive Director Anita Kovacevic and volunteers participated in The Sports and Camps Show on February 21, 2015 at the Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga. Gymnasts showcased their skills with guidance from Coach Chris Foo. The Sports and Camps Show was organized through the Mississauga Sports Council; located on the main floor of the Hershey Sportsplex, and run the Sports Hall of Fame. Pachi from Pan Am/Parapan Am Games dropped by! road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Master Clinic with Miguel Costante Parent Review! “Good morning Anita and Chris, I just wanted to send a quick message to thank you for allowing us to attend Miguel's Clinic yesterday. He was definitely able to touch some areas that we all struggle with as the parents of athletes. I'm glad that we belong to an environment where the vision is personal success! Thanks again, Benthe Camilleri (Erika's Mom)” We were all happy to see a packed room! Visit www.slideshare.net/GymMississauga to view Miguel’s presentation. conference Mississauga Sports Summit On Saturday, February 28, the Mississauga Sports Council held its annual Mississauga Sports Summit at the Toronto West Hotel in Mississauga. The summit featured a wide array of conference panels on important sports topics including injury prevention and grant opportunities. It also featured both past mayor Hazel McCallion and current mayor of Mississauga Bonnie Crombie, along with Olympic rower Curt Harnett. It was a fantastic, well-organized event attended by several of our coaches, board members and Executive Director. Hazel McCallion Bonnie Crombie Curt Harnett road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Cross-Training May Prompt More Injuries From the Penn State News Cross-training, in which gymnasts run or play better as a result of playing another one,” notes William T. Bates, M.S., R.P.T., former head trainer with the New another sport, could be counterproductive or even England Patriots. “There are coaches without a sports dangerous for the athlete. science background who choose inappropriate cross The July issue of the Penn State Sports Medicine training methods and often put their athlete at risk of Newsletter notes that cross training has its advantages. injury. I’m not saying a baseball player shouldn’t run to It breaks the monotony of only one physical discipline, improve aerobics fitness, but that player would be better sometimes serves as physical rehabilitation for the off working on upper body strength training and injured athlete and allows athletes an alternative actually swining the bat to get stronger or quicker.” activity for staying fit when they are not able to train in Professional football team probably do the best their primary sport. However, there is reason to job of designing sports-specific exercises, Bates told the question the value and even the safety of cross training. newsletter. Linemen work on quick burst strength and Edward G. McFarland, M.D., an orthopedic power training, while receivers are doing 20-30 second surgeon at John Hopkins University, and Mike Wasik, sprints. Coaches in other sports should follow football’s A.T.C., a trainer at the University of Florida, studied the model in planning training programs. frequency of training and cross training injuries “An athlete in one sport is not going to sustained by 68 women collegiate swimmers over a get better as a result of playing another seven-year period. one,” notes William T. Bates, M.S., R.P.T. They discovered that 45 percent of th injuries were due to swimming and 44 percent to cross training, Daniel Monthley, MS., A.T.S., assistant athletic the rest of the injuries resulting from everyday activities. trainer at Penn State, says, “We see a good number of injuries that are not related to primary sports. The most The McFarland-Wasik study was the first to show that cross training injuries suggested that athletes who train common occur among football players who sprain their ankles or twist their knees playing pickup or intrmural in activities other than their primary sports are more basketball. susceptible to injuries than those who do not. “At Penn State, we have to look at recreational “Serious athletes think that cross training will give them an extra edge over competitors,” McFarland sports as a form of off-season conditioning because told the newsletter. “They go out and try to run further athletes are going to find something to play,” Monthley or faster than others as part of a training program, but says. “On the other hand, coaches and trainers talk with their athletes about their end up getting injured. Those injuries frequently prevent elite athletes from performing in their primary responsibilities to avoid injuries. sports.” Some coaches The weekend or recreational athlere can also have problems with cross training because their bones, are becommuscles, tendons and ligaments are not used to the type ing strict on this issue. of stress put on the body by a second or third form of They can’t exercise. afford to McFarland advises the recreation athlete, lose an “Whatever you think you can do in the first day of a athlete new sport, cut it in half. Too much stress, too fast, because of results in injuries. Exercisers need to be very careful about new activities. or sports that they have not played unnecessary injury, for a long time.” regarding less of “An athlete in one sport is not going to get how it happened.” road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Placing Children In Ability Appropriate Groups By Jeff Lulla One of the most important decisions a gymnastics professional can make when enrolling a student in a class is deciding which class will provide the best learning environment for the child. Far too often this decision is left up to the parent, based on what will be the most convenient day and time for them. While convenience is an understandable criteria for class selection, placement in the wrong class may cause the child to lose interest and drop out of class, sacrificing what could have been a long and succeddsul gymnastics experience. Young children placed into groups where the other participants are stronger and more advanced will almost surely experience a sense of inadequacy or failure in not being able to succeed or keep up. Because young children are unaware that they may be less experienced than another child, their self-esteem is crucial in the development of a healthy individual. Children who are enrolled in classes where others are weaker and less experienced will often become bored and lose insterest. Teachers will be burdened to create separate challenges for these students and, in essence, have to direct two different levels in one class. This is frustrating and exhausting for the teacher. Eventually, the situation could possibly result in somehow dropping out or the class being split. Placing the students in peer classes is an important process that requires the gymnastics professional to acquire information on the student’s abilities prior to the enrollment. There are two ways to get this information: 1. Subjectively - The teacher works with the student, usually in a trial class. Based on the teacher’s feelings and experience with the child in this trial lesson, the teacher will recommend the trial class or another class. 2. Objectively - The teacher gathers specific data on the student that will be measured against the same data on the other students in the program to find a good class match. Usually the date will include measurements of strength, flexibility, balance, previously learned skills, etc. From my experience, a combination of these two methods works best. Beginning with an appointment for an objective aptitude evaluation and ending with a recommendation for an ability appropriate class to try prior to enrollment. This procedure helps to ensure that the trial lesson is in a class that best matches the abilities of the child, AND gives the instructor the opportunity to see how the child works with the rest of the existing class. While many gymnastics programs provide opportunities for trial lessons, without first determining the child’s abilities, you may be setting the child up for a negative trial experience (their first impression of your program and often of gymnastics). Taking the time to perform an evaluation for children prior to enrollment takes time, but the results can create far greater success and a more positive first impression for the parents and students. Of course, educating the parents to value the careful placement of their child over and above the most convenient class is an important part of the enrollment process. For this reason I suggest that a schedule of classes not be provided to parents, but instead the business literature focus on the benefits of the program and encourages the parents to call for the evaluation appointment. Once the prospective parent and child experience the facility and the evaluation, they can be advised on the importance of proper peer grouping. In essence, this is adding value to their gymnastics investment. Reach road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA Diet & Nutrition of Elite & Professional Gymnasts Jan 24, 2011 | By Sarah Robertson Professioanl athletes need to monitor their diet carefully to ensure they have the right fuel in their body to meet the demands of intense training. Elite gymnasts have the added pressure of maintaining a lean body while developing power, strength and endurance. British Gymnastics states in its coach education guide that “a gymnast needs a controlled diet that maintains an optimum body weight for safety and aesthetic purpose.” It is therefor important that coaches, parents and gymnasts work together to ensure that elite gymnasts eat the correct food to fuel their body for training. THE BASICS Many gymnasts are young athletes who also need to ensure they have the right intake of nutrients to grow and develop, on top of ensuring they have enough fuel to train. The regularity and duration of training sessions can effect the way an elite gymnast eats. Eating smalll, frequent meals that are low in fat but high in energy is the general pattern that an elite gymnast’s diet follows. Focus, endurance and coordination can be affected if the right diet is not maintained. Gymnasts also need to eat the right foods after traiing as well to enable the body to recover from the strain it is put under. BALANCING THE DIET The overall amount of calories a gymnast eats is dependent on her personal training schedule, the intensity of training and her body type. Elite coaches take great care in ensuring each elite gymnast’s diet is carefully maintained. Ideally, around 60 to 65 percent of the diet should come from carbohydrates, such as whole grain, pasta, rice and fruit. To aid muscle growth and repair, 12 to 15 percent of the diet should consist of meat, eggs and fish to provide adequate amounts of protein. A gymnast usually follows a low-fat diet, with only 25 percent of calories coming from fatty foods, such as unsaturated fats found in olive oil, nuts and fatty fish, rather than sweets, chocolate or fast food. FLUIDS Maintaining the correct levels of hydration is essential in ensuring elite gymnasts perfom all their best. As gymnasts only require short bursts of energy to perform, loss of fluid through sweat is not a large problem during training. However, it is important that gymnasts take regular drinks throughout training and competitions to ensure sufficient hydration. Elite gymnasts should avoid drinking nutrient-free carbohydrate fluids such as soda, instead optinf for water or glucose-based drinks. EATING DISORDERS IN ELITE GYMNASTS Due to the physical demands of the sport and the importance placed on having a lean body, gymnasts are prone to developnig eating disorders. The American College of Sports Medicine recognizes the link between young female athletes, disordered earting and health problems in its research and development of the “Female Athlete Triad” syndrome. Early intervention of eating disorders and education of athletes, parents, coaches, trainers, judges and administrators should be a priority, according to research by the ACSM. Coaches and parents should look for signs of malnutrition in elite gymnasts and be aware of any changes in their eating habits and training. road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA The Importance of Mental Health Gymnastics is a very rigorous sport, both on the body and on the mind as well. To be a well-rounded and successful gymnast it is important to take note of your mental health both inside and outside of the gym as well. As a coach here at Gymnastics Mississauga, I ensure that my athletes are working hard and having fun as well. A sport like gymnastics is 70% mental and 30% physical; as long as our gymnasts minds are healthy, strong and willing to be open to trying new things, they will surpass more of their expectations than they have ever imagined! - Coach Jasmine. road to gold MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA One Parent’s Point of View By John Pirrie Gymnastics is one medium through which children can experience ‘life skills’. As parents and adults we are exposed to emotions which we deal with on a daily basis - ‘happiness’, ‘anger’, ‘sadness’, ‘frustration’, ‘joy’. Each of us responds to the causes of these emotions in different ways, and for the most part, endeavour not to allow our judgement to be affected by our emotions. Naturally, we are pleased to expose our children to joy and happiness, and are affected when they experience the ‘darker’ side of life’s emotions. We can respond by removing them from the object of their sadness, (running away) or we can try to educate them to the realities of life, in a way that they may be able to relate to, through experiences they have already had and ‘overcome’. It may seem rather harsh to have our children face up to reality, and undoubtedly views will differ. At home, children do not always ‘get what they want’, nor at school. Yet for some strange reason are we sometimes guilty of changing our outlook when it comes to gymnastics? It would be unnatural for us not to ‘care’. At school children study, (in gymnastics this is probably called ‘training’), they have examinations (‘competitions’), they succeed ot fail! But who determines success and what is a failure? At school, if a teacher states that our child should get a ‘C’, while other children may score higher or lower, then achieving a ‘C’ or above would be seen as a success. But they probably did not come first, that honour can only be achieved by one individual in any examination!!! Although we might be disappointed, the teacher knows your child’s ability, and while all children are wokring a similar ‘curriculum’, ‘success’ through the eyes of the teacher (coach?) is measured by achievement and not by a score. If as a parent, I told my child that a ‘C’ (a score, or position?) was failure, when their teacher has said this is success, then it will inevitably create a conflict for my child, and not unnaturally the child will almost certainly take the parents’ view, with the likelihood of this undermining the authority of the teacher and a loss of confidence in that teacher in other aspects. Invariably the child loses, and they feel a failure. As parents we see their unhappiness and have to deal with it!!! But who put pressure on the child, the teacher, or the parent??? In the end, we might either change schools, with a view to improving our child’s morale, or blame the school for making our child unhappy. Perhaps measuring our child’s success or failure in gymnastics is best left in the hands of those who know your child’s capabilities, and has already determined the defintion of success. Fun Fact I n the old days, Rope Climb was a gymnastics event in the Olympic Games. Each competitor had to climb a 25-foot rope from a standing position in nine seconds or less. At the 1932 Olympics, Americans Raymond Bass, W.G. Galbraith and Thomas Connelly swept the medals with times of 6.7, 6.8 and 7.0 seconds! MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Parents and Gymnastics Mississauga participants; February was a busy month with several key promotional events and a large sport summit put together by the Mississauga Sports Council attended by both the previous and current mayor of Mississauga. It was a delight to see so many different representatives of various sports from across the city. At the beginning of March, we also had the pleasure of hosting our Men's Artistic Gymnastics meet, which went very smoothly and saw many of our gymnasts perform extremely well. My sincere thanks to all our dedicated parent volunteers. Please make sure to attend our Women's Artistic Gymnastics meet at the last weekend of March. It will be a very large event with a speculated attendance of 650 gymnasts from all across the province. Please come and support our hard working gymnasts, and please support the many vendors that will be set up at our meet. Finally, our secure door lock system has been put in place. Please be assured that we at the gym are committed to the wellbeing of your children above all else, and to this end, we have upgraded our facility to match the same standards as other Mississauga sports facilities. You will see other upgrades put in place before the Pan Am summer games throughout the Hershey complex and we look forward to unveiling them as the months go by. Sincerely, Anita Kovacevic Executive Director Gymnastics Mississauga email: anita@gymmississauga.org phone: 905-270-6161 ext 204 www.gymmississauga.org MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA MARCH 2015 - GYMNASTICS MISSISSAUGA CONTACT Gymnastics Mississauga 5600 Rose Cherry Place Mississauga, ON L4Z 4B6 (905) 270-6161 Visit us on the web at www.gymmississauga.org @gymmississauga @gymnastics_mississauga