Jump-A-Rama Fun Team

08/27/2022

Hey team. Mark your calendars. Our first fun meet is schedule for The weekend of November 19th. I am so excited to stand tall and to watch our team do what they love to do. More details to follow.

04/28/2022

Hey Parents!

Our next Routine Saturday is coming up on May 7th from 11-1pm. I would feed them before, just nothing super heavy, then have them bring a snack and water. Again, this is $20 per gymnast, let me know if you're sending your kiddo so I can make sure I am prepared for them and managing our time wisely.

Also, has your gymnast been doing any of the at home work I posted earlier this month? I know a couple have and both I and their parent's have seen a huge difference in their progression already. So if they can, dedicating even 10 minutes a night or day to those exercises/stretches go a long way. Many teams require 3 days in the gym with 2-3 hour practices. We don't have that kind of time in the gym right now. So at home gymnastics work can be SO beneficial.

We are planning an end of school picnic with the team girls in June. Watch for a post about that. It will likely be in mid June and would be a great out of the gym opportunity for our girls to continue to build their friendships with each other.

The girls are looking great and improving each day. I am really happy with their progress and so excited for the Fall Meet Season!

Let me know if you have any thoughts/questions.

Thanks!

Shannon

03/28/2022

Hey Parents,

Here is some optional (but highly recommended) homework for the girls.

Working straddle press against the wall. Notice how she has her upper back against the wall as she goes up and comes down. Also her hand placement from the wall and going onto toe then slowly pressing into straddle from a tall pike position. That's what we're looking for. Do 15 a day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYLoG_kH-xI

Handstands against the wall. This is a great little tutorial with some strength exercises for working on holding handstands longer. The longer the girls can hold a handstand, the more their skills and overall gymnastics abilities will improve. I want them to work up to a 1 minute handstand hold, while working to bring their feet away from the wall little by little to hold it themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZT4hWVFErs&t=33s

Leg flexibility work. Obviously, we are working towards better splits (good leg, bad leg, and middle). We are also working on taller "needles" which will increase our heel drive in round-offs, aerials, front handsprings and walkovers, etc. This tutorial is amazing for stretching and it takes them through a little stretching routine. I am mostly wanting to work the stretches she does from 10 minutes on. But they are welcome to do the whole thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt_-vhofqJE&t=151s

Thanks everyone! Hope you have a fun spring break! We'll see you next week!

Shan

03/23/2022

Hey Everyone,

Routine Practice is this Saturday from 10-12. We will be working floor and beam routines. So far, this is who has told me they will be there:

Aubrey
Quincy
Emmalynn

Will anyone else be coming? Managing the time we have is much easier if I know who will be there. Thanks!

03/05/2022

Hey Everyone!

Next Routine Saturday is March 26th from 10-12! Remember this is optional for most, but a great way for the girls to get their routines learned and to start cleaning them up so they are super prepared for Fall Meet season :) Please let me know if you are planning to send your gymnasts so I can prepare for each individual gymnast.

Also, just wanted to thank you all for working with me and Angela through this. I have been a team coach and judge for many years. But I have never run my own team program from the ground up before. So while I learn, I am going to make mistakes. I truly appreciate the feedback I get and thank all of you for working with us. We will work kinks out and the program will get better and better. :) Please know, we love your girls and appreciate you as parents and friends and an important part of our program. If you ever have questions or concerns, please come to us.

A couple things that were brought to my attention and need to be discussed:

When the gymnasts are working out, they really need to focus and not be messing around or playing. Encourage them to take each station seriously and to work hard at each skill/drill they happen to be working on. It's fun to have fun! Heaven knows, I love to have fun and sometimes I think the girls forget that they are a team now and we are working to get skills and improve. It's hard to do that if we aren't actually working. I can't keep an eye on each gymnast at every station always. I can't even fully watch as they stand in line. Help them understand and have integrity (doing what's right even when no one is watching) towards themselves and our cute little team. Work hard and more importantly, encourage each other to do so as well.

Gymnasts cheer for each other when they are waiting in line, watching their routines, and working their skills and drills. Those who watch the coaching going on with the gymnasts, improve quicker and end up understanding gymnastics mechanics better. I try not to have big lines, but sometimes it happens. When it does and they are waiting in line; watching, listening and encouraging each other is so important. This little team will thrive and get closer to accomplishing skills and closer to each other as we work hard and encourage each other. :)

It's looking like we will probably focus on the Fall Meet season. This makes me happy lol. We will have time to get the skills we need and have super clean and sharp looking routines by then. The confidence will be much higher and therefore, it will be more fun. Thanks for everyone's input about that!

The routines are going to be so fun! Most of the gymnasts have learned about the first 1/3rd of their routine. Definitely not perfectly, not even close, but enough to help them see the style and feel of the routine and to start getting excited about the upcoming months of skill progression and performing. It's so dang fun watching them perform what they have worked so hard on!

If anyone has any questions or suggestions, please email or call or text me. We'll see you all on Monday!

Shannon

801-941-6554 Call or text
[email protected]

02/21/2022

Talking Points, Feedback Needed.

When to start going to meets. With gymnastics teams, there is a fall meet season and a spring meet season. I looked up when the fun meets are and these are the fun meet options left for this Spring season.

April 1 Battle Creek MI Fee $75 per gymnast
April 2 Ann Arbor MI Fee $60 per gymnast
April 24th Saginaw MI Fee TBA

There were more meets all through Jan, Feb, and March, but we are just starting this team, so obviously we couldn't attend. So those meets I listed will be the last meets of the Spring season. If you all are gung ho about making it to a Spring meet, I think we can make it happen... But honestly, it will be throwing a lot together in a very little amount of time. But we could do it. If it were up to me, I would take more time to learn our routines and skills, do an exhibition meet just for our team in the summer, then attend meets through the fall. We would have lots more options for meets and the girls would be very ready to perform at the fun meet. Eventually, I am hoping to form an actual XCEL team, which is sanctioned and they actually compete and podium, but that's down the road a bit. Please comment and let us know how you feel about this and we can talk it out :)

ROUTINE PRACTICE this Saturday the 26th from 11-1. This is mandatory for those who are coming once a week and optional for those who are coming 2x a week. It is $20 for the 2 hour practice and is paid through cash or venmo. Until we get the new floor mats we ordered (which were supposed to be here at the end of January but the materials got stuck on a shipping container, then were delayed in production blah blah me annoyed blah) I am going to move everything over and lay more mats on floor during our practices to make more room for our routine work.

As far as music goes, there are tons of options on Youtube! Look up gymnastics floor music. The routines are supposed to be around 90 seconds long. Gymfloormusix does some awesome ones! I will leave the link below for you to check it out and have the girls find something they like. Please have some ideas picked out by Saturday if you are coming to routine practice or Monday for class.

Please let me know if you are sending your gymnast to Saturday's routine practice so I can plan accordingly.

Last, Michigan University Womens Gymastics has their last meet of the regular season on March 12th at 4pm. I was going to take Robyn (my daughter) and thought it would be fun to invite any of the team girls to come. The tickets are 8-10 dollars and aren't amazing seats, but it is so fun. They are ranked 1st in the nation and are SO. GOOD. So let me know if you are interested in tickets and I can buy them all together. You can pay me cash or venmo me.

Okay, I know that was a lot! Thanks for being awesome parents :)

Shannon

My channel is full of gymnastic floor music I make myself :)Any wishes for a floor music? Tell me!If you want, subscribe ;)

02/17/2022

Hey Parents,

I have some videos for the girls to watch. These are some actual USAG routines for their level. I want them to be familiar with the elements that are involved just to get them thinking about what they want to put into their routine and what they look like. These are more advanced, but it will give them an idea of what we are going to be working towards but with their own flair and skill choice. This will also give them some good visualization of how these skills can and eventually (hopefully ;) should look.

USAG OFFICIAL LEVEL 3 UNEVEN BARS ROUTINE ...

02/14/2022

Hey Parents!

Welcome to the Fun Team Page. We will do all our communication and open discussion here, regarding the Fun Team.