Author: Rick Mc

40 athletes aged 12 to 30 from Germany travelling the world. Very cool.

They bill themselves The World’s most succesful Gym-Wheel Team.

We can’t argue.

Details on the official home page.

More great photos by Rexton on Flickr.

Daniel Macdonald PhD, one of the builders of Canadian Gymnastics, published a statistical report comparing 83 clubs with annual operating budgets from $10,000 to $1 million dollars.

The majority are not-for-profit organizations, run by volunteer Boards of Directors.

Dan’s report includes an overview chart of membership fee rates. As well, a chart detailing potential club subsidies.

Surprisingly, clubs use a wide variety of voting structures; many allowing Head Coaches and / or Chief Administrators to vote at general meetings.

The most interesting statistics for me were the comparative cost of payroll as a percentage of total expenditures. Though only 12 or 13 clubs were compared, the rate varied from 21% – 88%. (In the old, old days I budgeted 33% of total budget for salaries and wages. In 2006 that number, I suspect, is minimum 50% for larger clubs.)

How clubs communicate with members

Some clubs offer programmes other than the ususal gymnastic disciplines including adult fitness, cross training, conditioning and dry land training, circus Arts, Gymnaestrada, Gym & Jive, cheerleading and Tae Kwon Do.

I found it interesting to compare our club against these norms. But if you are looking for brilliant, innovative new ideas — look to the USA. I feel that change is slow coming in Canada as progress is naturally stifled by the not-for-profit system.

Daniel Macdonald’s NATIONAL GYMNASTICS CLUB SURVEY, SECTION II, ANALYSIS OF CLUB OPERATIONS report PDF is posted on the Gymnastics Alberta website. Thanks for putting it together, Dan!

If you do not have a dunk tank at your gym, a whip cream pie will do. Every once in a while the gymnasts should have a chance to get even.

Click PLAY on the video clips below:

FUNtastics Gymnastics, Idaho

Just uploaded over 80 pictures of camp to Flickr. Hope to add more later.

Many are low resolution as they are taken from digital videotape. (But that’s a good way to capture the best instant during an action sequence.

I cannot coach without small sponges.

The sponge is the best coach.

Normally I ask nicely that gymnasts keep their feet together. If they cannot, I hand them a sponge to hold either between the feet or knees. If the next attempt is successful, they no longer are required to use the sponge.

Christchurch School of Gymnastics

I have coached kids who have never been asked to use a form foam. And kids who need the sponge almost every attempt.

more photos from Woodward West Gymnastics Camp

Rick McCharles

My one and only bunjie jump was memorable. I was the recently arrived new Head Coach of the Christchurch School of Gymnastics in New Zealand. A bus load of my new competitive team looked on.

Back layout 1/1 twist. (It was easier taking off backward than forward — I did not need to look down.)
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I walked into the gym during Adult Recreation class and saw one of the men doing a layout Tsukahara into the pit on vault!

I ran over to find out what visiting gymnast had dropped by.

It was Jamie Lange, one of Canada’s National Team members — in trampoline, tumbling and double mini-tramp.

This was only the second day he had ever tried vault in his life.

I am always giving examples of gymnasts who go on to excel in other sports. Here is a tumbler so talented he could learn to vault in 2 days.

When I was a trampolinist we did not train anywhere near as hard as gymnasts. But in 2006 Jamie’s coach Brett McAulay at Calgary Gymnastics Centre tells me his conditioning and training is just as demanding. CGC is the top trampoline & tumbling club in the country.

Jeremy Mosier, Altadore Gymnastics, tipped me off to a highly touted conditioning device.

It is called vertimax, being used by many top athletes to improve leg power.

The top 6 women’s gymnastics teams in the NCAA have one, it is claimed. Looks great to me — though I rarely use bunjie cord for strength / power training.

It reminded us of a much simpler, far less expensive, apparatus I first saw being used by Dave Holmes. The gymnast wears a spotting belt which is tied down to the ground by bunjie cord. The gymnast then jumps against the resistance. Stronger athletes stand on a beat board — or two — to increase resistance.

Peter Soul from Integrity Gymnastics in Ohio makes many training aids including a shoulder stretching device. (We could not come up with a catchy name for it.)

Click PLAY on the video below or watch the clip on YouTube.com

It worked best, I thought, when training handstands and pirouettes. But kids tried it on bars and tumbling, as well.

Rick McCharles

Photo is super coach Peter Soul, Integrity Gymnastics, Ohio. His excellent fitness helped him recover from chemotherapy over the past year.

At Funtastics Gymnastics camp in Idaho I noted my coaching contemporaries are aging.

At 48-years-old, I’ve never been a better coach. My mind is strong but the body starting to fail.

At camp I had never been so disabled: broken hand, sore back and laryngitis. Most of the other “older” coaches were hobbled in one way or another.

One has pain in his shoulder even putting on a t-shirt. Another was limping from a running injury. Many of us were avoiding spotting if we could.

A friend retired from coaching last year after 31-years. Another is scheduling a double hip replacement.

Thank God for 21-year-old Rachael Tart (Funtastics) who already spots Yurchenko and Tkachev!

Older coaches need spend more time providing opportunities for new coaches. Our days are numbered.