GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING - Gedderts` Twistars USA Gymnastics

TWISTARS USA PRESENTS
GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING
TW
GYM ISTAR
S US
Hom N A S T
A
e of
I
C
S
W
C
CLU
Hom hampi orld an
on
B
dO
eo
APRIL 2014
Jord
fW
lym
y
o
p
Coa rld and n Wieb ic
ch,
John Olymp er
i
c
Ged
dert Head
How does a relatively small club
(based on enrollment, gym size)
from a smallish town (based on
population) end up with the most
Level 10 National Qualifiers in the
entire country? How is it that they
have done this no less than 4 times
over the years? The answer: Gene
pool.
!
Yep without a doubt the
Lansing area needs to become part
of a study on advanced heredity
traits. There can be no other
explanation for 12 National
Qualifiers at the highest Junior
Olympic Level, (As a matter of
illustration the next closest club in
our 5 state region had 6.), and 2
more qualifiers at Level 9. I guess
it is time for some muscle biopsies
on our booster club members. A
serious research study could reveal
the secret and perhaps make us
famous world wide. Is it genetics?
is it in the water? is it in the soil?
OR is it the steroids that Dr Nassar
prescribes? (OK just kidding...
nobody call the FDA, USADA or
CPS).
!
Actually I think it has much
more to do with determination and
work ethic than anything else.
NUMBER ONE
Congratulations to our
Regional AA Champions
Rachel Cutler, Kamerin
Moore, and Chloe
Bellmore at L10 and
Brittani Lehman L9.
Congrats also to
qualifiers Kai Rivers, Jori
Jackard, Delanie
Harkness, Anna Dayton,
Carly Preson, Amanda
Arnold, Lucy Jones, Grace
Williams, Bailey Gardner
L10, and Brittany Lewis L9.
Incredible!
LEVEL 9 and 10s ROCK
TWISTARSUSA.NET
THE GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING- BOOSTER NEWS!
VIEWING REMINDER
Ok Dad’s, the Mom’s are now on
the warpath. It seems that the rule
regarding viewing team training
sessions from the upstairs cheap seats
is applying only to the female
persuasion. For the record, the rule
applies to Dads also. To review: All
viewing for team parents (Silver Stars
and up) is to be done from upstairs at
the Summit. This helps free up seats
downstairs for the recreational parents
to view events and rotations held
under the loft. This also helps serve to
cut down on distractions. Your
cooperation is greatly appreciated.
CLEANING CREW HELP
We will have an opening available
soon on our cleaning crew. If you are
interested please contact John.
Cleaning entails keeping the facility
presentable which includes dust
mopping, vacuuming, trash removal
etc. It is an opportunity to cut into
your tuition costs and besides having
low pay, and lousy hours it is a great
job.
BIG THANKS
We fully realize that hosting 2 major
events each year as our main
fundraising sources is quite
inconvenient for most families. We
appreciate the fact that most see the
benefit (whether that be the financial
gain or the advantage of being the
home team). We also appreciate the
effort it takes to host a successful
event. Our Regional Championships
event was a great success because of
the teamwork and effort put forth by
our boosters club. Thanks to Wade
Cutler, Michelle Hill and all the
committee chairs for their
extraordinary effort in organizing and
implementing the plan. Thanks to the
membership for being such a great
work force. Twistars Booster is
second to none!
CONFERENCE TIME
Yes it is that time of year again.
Each year around this time we like to
touch base with the parents of our
team members. Conferences are
arranged to discuss progress, future
goals and plans and to hear any
concerns associated with your childs
development. Parents can sign up for
conferences starting May 12th. Look
for the sign up sheets on the booster
club bulletin boards. Conferences are
usually scheduled prior to or after
training times so as to minimize the
effect on training.
Kathryn- Group A
John- Groups BBrett- Groups D-E-H
Erin- Groups F-GBlaize- Groups I-J-K
Kristin- Groups L-M-N
Tom- Boys Groups
TWISTARS USA GYMNASTICS CLUB
PAGE
2
REGIONAL AA CHAMPION
RACHEL CUTLER
THOUGHT OF
THE DAY:
In times of adversity
you don’t have an
obstacle you have a
choice. Sink, pout,
quit or find a way to
overtake, go around
or smash through
your perceived
barrier.
REGIONAL AA CHAMPION
BRITTANI LEHMAN
THE GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING- HIGHLIGHTS!
PAGE
3
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
1- NEVER GIVE UP
Starting your regional meet with a fall on
the first event can be very unsettling. For some
it can be devastating and cripple the chances
for moving on to nationals. For others it only
triggers the competitive spirit to fight for
every available tenth of a point on the
remaining events. This can happen to the new
and or the experienced. 2 of our most
experienced and accomplished athletes fell
into this trap as did one of our babies. Grace
Williams, Bailey Gardner and Delanie
Harkness are normally rock stars on beam.
Not this time! They did however rock the next
3 events to secure their spot to nationals. It
goes to show. NEVER GIVE UP!
in an upset defeat. Our 5s did more than live
up to the billing. They rocked it with no less
that 5 AA State Champions (Amanda Croff,
Maddie Bellmore, Abby Bradley, Savannah
Fisk, and Alexis Nikoloff) and a Team Title to
show for it. Great job 5s!
4- CHEYENNE IS BACK
After suffering a freak accident which
shattered her knee cap, super star Cheyenne
Jones is back on the right track. The road
back has been a long one, especially for
someone who simply loves to compete. But
hats off to Cheyenne! She endured and will
now be a force once again. Welcome back
Cheyenne!
2- BOOMING VAULTS
Our Level 7s were in a heated battle at the
State Championships. We needed every
member to perform out of their socks in
order to pull off a victory. From a coaches
perspective the added pressure of possibly
losing a 3rd optional state meet in the same
year was quite real. BUT it was a great team
effort (featuring 3 State AA Champions, Elyse
Snyder, Teresa Cichosz and Sydney Belcher)
capped by a couple of monstrous vaults by
Hailey and Hannah Pike that sealed the
championship for Twistars. Great job Level 7s
(Emma Rokita, Hailey and Hannah Pike,
Elyse Snyder, Teresa Cichosz, Sydney Belcher,
Karly Kim as well as teammates Reagan
Lehman and Josie Pemble)
3- TAKE NO PRISIONERS
Our Level 5s have been undefeated all
season. This of course means two things.
Either live up to the expectations or go down
5- REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
Region 5 is undoubtedly one of the
toughest regions in the USA. To win an AA
here is a career highlight accomplishment.
Congratulations to Level 9 Brittani Lehman,
and Level 10s Kamerin Moore, Chloe
Bellmore and Rachel Cutler who all dazzled
the competition at our regional
championships. Be as proud of yourselves as
we are of you. Great job!
THOUGHT OF
THE DAY:
Many small people
in many small places
do many small
deeds that change
the face of this very
small world.
6- ROPE WARRIORS
The final bragging rights have yet to be
determined in our Rope Warriors challenge.
The final girl in the competition was Carly
Preston but the field was truly dominated by
the boys team. The final should be exciting as
Jake Moore (2014 National Qualifier) tries to
defeat Coach Tom.
REGIONAL AA CHAMPION
CHLOE BELLMORE
HOME OF LEVEL 4-5-6-8-9-10 STATE OF MICHIGAN TEAM CHAMPIONS IN 2012
THE GYMANSTICALLY SPEAKING- ATHLETE PROFILE! PAGE
4
National Team Training Camp
KAMERIN MOORE
Few athletes have impacted the program
here at Twistars with such positive
contributions. Very few athletes have had
such a profound impact on me personally.
Graduating senior Kamerin Moore is truly
special.
international medals for the USA she has
endured more than anyone could think
possible not only in the gym but through
personal tragedy as well. Yet she still glows
with passion for the sport and people she
loves. She is the epitome of what a
teammate, team member, big sister and
daughter should be.
Kamerin
Kamerin:
One of the most
talented and
accomplished
athletes in Twistars/
Michigan
Gymnastics History
KNOWING KAMI
From the time she walked through our
doors as a 6 year old bundle of talent she has
been destined for our wall of fame. Kami is
a great communicator, easy to talk to and
sharp as a tack. Never short on opinions she
was never shy to speak her mind. Sometimes
this would get her eye ball deep in trouble
but in more situations than not this tool
served her well. I will never have to worry
about Kami fending for herself, her beliefs or
others for that matter. She is a champion of
character.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
Persevering through adversity takes on
an entirely new meaning when we consider
Kami’s path in gymnastics. A former USA
elite national team member who earned 9
OFF TO NEBRASKA
Though her struggles were considerable
they still fail in comparison to her even
greater accomplishments. Kami has earned
3 Region 5 All Star Team Trips (Japan,
Brazil, Panama) , she has been named state
and regional athlete of the year. She is a 2
time USA National Team member and
Level 10 National Vault Champion. Her
resume speaks for itself.
This coming fall, Kami will join the
Nebraska Cornhuskers where I am sure she
will continue to make her presence known.
From a purely personal standpoint (he writes
as his eyes well up with tears), Nebraska’s
gain will leave a gaping big hole in my heart.
HOME OF STATE, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, WORLD AND OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS
GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING- EDITORIAL !
PAGE
5
WISH, JAW OR BACK BONE
I was looking through some old
newsletters the other day trying to
find inspiration or nuggets of gold
to pass on to our athletes and
parents. I found this article that I
wrote back in 2008 and thought that
it would serve to send a great
message as our teams come down
the home stretch of the 2014
competitive season.
I heard this on the radio but
thought I would give it my own
twist. The radio piece by Dave Williams and the “Pastor’s Minute”
mentioned the 3 bones of success as
being the WISH BONE, the JAW
BONE and the BACK BONE.
The Wish Bone is the dream.
Yes everything does start with a
dream and certainly we should
never underestimate the power of
DREAMING. The problem is
however, that far too many people
simply forget to wake up.
Dreaming is a good thing. It gives
us something to shoot for (like a
state or national title, a new skill, a
national team birth). Yes
“dreaming” is fine provided we are
willing to take the steps necessary
to make the dream become a
reality.
The Jaw Bone gives credit to talk
the talk before walking the walk.
This means you have to be able to
say it before you can do it. Again
yes this is important but
once again, some people stay in the
talking phase forever. Verbalizing
your intentions creates a form of
accountability and in many cases
inspires action. Action is the key
component here as we all know
nothing of substance ever
materializes by simply taking about
it.
The Back bone. Now that is
where I would put my emphasis.
You can dream it, you can talk
about it... but nothing of substance
ever materializes without putting a
little effort to it (whoops I said that
SUCCESS IS NOT AUTOMATIC
already). The Back bone represents
effort, perseverance and
determination. How strong is your
BACK BONE?
At the beginning of each season I
ask our upper level athletes a
simple question. “If WE could
guarantee you ultimate success by
the end of the year, would you do
everything we asked you to do?
Would you do it every day? As I
look around each year I see the
affirmative nods from every athlete.
Well that is the back bone. Doing
what is requested of you and more
to ensure that you realize your full
potential and ultimately the goals
that you have set.
With a couple of weeks left in the
season. How much back bone are
you putting into the training
process? Are you willing to do what
is necessary?
GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING- STAFF NEWS!
PAGE
6
WHO IS THAT COACH
HEY WHO IS THAT?
strongest Junior Olympic programs in
the USA). She remained there for
Good subs are hard to find
several years where she eventually
in our sport. Most quality coaches worked her way up to be part of their
either have a full time coaching
excellent Level 9 and 10 Optional staff.
job OR have moved on to other
In other words Heather can handle any
endeavors. Luckily we have landed level and any event. She is currently
a couple gems recently.
attending U or Michigan Flint where
she is studying to be a Physical
HEATHER BREASBOIS Therapist. We are delighted that she
missed coaching so much that she is
Some of you might have willing to drive from Flint to help us
wondered who that new coach is out on weekends.
that is here regularly on the
weekends. In many cases the new
STEPHANIE SHIPLEY
coach or sub is of lesser
experience that our regular staff.
The other new face in the crowd is
Not so in this case. In fact if we a defector from the cross town gym.
could convince Heather Breasbois We actually started noticing some
to forgo her final stretch of improvements in the quality of
college, we would gladly invite her gymnastics (over there) and Stephanie
to join us full time.
H e at h e r p re - d at e s m o s t
anyone on our current team. I
think senior Kamerin Moore was
6 or 7 years old when Heather was
a full time Twistars Staff member.
Around 2002 Heather opted for
warmer weather and took a full
time coaching position for the
Tampa Bay Turners (one of the
was the reason. She stepped down
from her role at Red Cedar to focus
more attention on her children (one
being a newborn). After being away
from the sport for a few months she
got the urge to coach again and
Tw i s t a r s i s t h e b e n e fi c i a r y.
Stephanie has been assisting with
the compulsory levels on Tuesday
and Thursday and hopes to expand
her hours in the near future.
KEN BRADLEY
Why is that parent on the floor?
Well that parent is Ken Bradley who
has accepted a role that filled a void
on our staff. Ken has a physical
education degree and helps coach
football at Okemos High School. He
has a good backg round in
implementing conditioning
programs so we thought we would
put his knowledge to good use.
Ken’s daughter Abbie is a level 5
State Champion so he has some
inside knowledge about the sport of
gymnastics also. This combination
makes for a great addition to our
staff.
GYMNASTICALLY SPEAKING - BOYS REPORT!
PAGE
7
STATE MEET SUCCESS
The Twistars Boys looked great at the State meet this year! We qualified 86% of our eligible boys to Regionals with a total of 18, our biggest group ever! In the results, we took 2nd place team in Level 8 and 3rd place team in Level 5 and Level 9! We also had 2 All Around Champions (Cooper Kim and Josh Harmon) and 14 event Stles! The level 5s were the first compeSSon of the weekend. They had a great meet, hiUng almost every rouSne. Cooper led the way with another huge meet that earned him the top spot on the award stand for Floor, Vault, P-­‐Bars, High Bar, and All Around! Kellen had a great meet too, taking the Vault Stle and 3rd All Around. Sawyer HalbriZer Sed for first on Vault as well, making our level 5s the best vaulters in the State! With Riley, Chris, and Jason providing vital scores, this young group took 3rd place team!
Our Level 6 and 7 boys were next to compete. Once again, everyone came ready to go when it counted and put in their best performances of the year. Judah was not to be denied Regionals again as he took 3rd on floor, 2nd on horse, and 4th All Around. Mason placed 4th on rings and P-­‐bars and also qualified to Regionals. Unfortunately, the judging was tougher than we’ve had most of the year and despite doing the best gymnasScs I feel they did this year, Wesley and Gubi came a liZle short of qualifying. Josh Harmon once again showed why he leads the Level 7s and his focus earned him the state Stle on Floor, P-­‐bars, and All Around! Ryan looked good too, placing 3rd on Floor and 2nd on Horse. Luke Huisken had a rough high bar set, but was good everywhere else, especially on P-­‐bars where he finished 2nd. This session was also the first Technical Sequence compeSSon of the year for Dylan, Noah, and Jake Moore. They showed dramaSc improvement from pracSce (which maybe frustrated their coaches) and represented Twistars as the leader in the state in reaching the elite level.
The next morning, the Level 4s had their last meet of the year. Ian Hinkle got his highest all around score of the year and placed very well on vault and rings. Liam Eyster didn’t quite have his best day, but he sSll pulled out 2nd place on Floor and 3rd on Pommel Horse and Vault! Alex had the highest score of the group and had a sweet P-­‐
bar rouSne that earned him 4th on the event. With a 3 man team, it’s hard to place as a team, but this group did show a lot of improvement this year.
The opSonal boys finished off the weekend. The level 8s conSnued to compete fairly consistently. It wasn’t there best meet, but these 4 boys have a lot of potenSal. Dylan and Jake Proper Sed for 1st on Floor and Noah added some crucial scores to help these guys take 2nd place team. Ethan is healing an elbow injury, but he’s going to push through it and compete at Regionals. The level 9s pulled out 3rd place team with just three boys. Jake finally returned to all around compeSSon and earned state Stles on floor and his specialty pommel horse. Too much Sme off, unfortunately caused him to lose his state all around streak, but it will definitely add fuel to the fire to get him back where he should be. Alex had a few hiccups this meet, but sSll showed he will be ready come regionals. Josh Moore finally got some hits in at a meet, but he’ll have to clean up his gymnasScs to place where he wants. Kevin and Doug had a bit of a rough day. Kevin was sSll able to pull out state Stles on horse and rings, but the two need a liZle more confidence and aggressiveness to pull everything together.
Overall, a very successful weekend for us. Some of the boys have finished compeSng for the year and are excited to learn some new skills, while the rest are training hard for Regionals. The level 5,6, and 7s will be compeSng for some recogniSon within our strong region and the opSonal boys are working to place high enough to qualify themselves to NaSonals in Long Beach, CA! It might have been a rough day at states for the 8,9, and 10 boys, but that might be the wake up call they need to make that final push and really zero in on their gymnasScs in order to be ready to go at regionals.
Let’s finish the season strong boys!