The Practice Makes Perfect meet was the first one of the year, officially kicking off the competition season for 2016-2017! Competition season will run until April 2017.
The girls and boys of the ASI teams, ranging from Levels 1-6, have been working all year long at perfecting their skills and learning and memorizing their routines. The team coaches are trained on the compulsory routines so that they can teach them to their students. For the girls, there are memorized routines on Bars, Beam, and Floor, and the Vault is one skill. For the boys, there is a memorized routine on Bars, Floor, Still Rings, High Bar, Pommel Horse, and then Vault is one skill. All year long during the “off-season”, coaches work with their athletes not only on the memorized routines, but on strength and flexibility. It is important that the athletes work on preparing their bodies for competition season and the learning of next year’s skills. The athletes and coaches have put in hours of practice time to make sure that this season goes well!
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For all competition pictures, visit the ASI Facebook Page! (They’re free!)
Cypress hosted the meet this past weekend and the ASI athletes, along with the outside gym athletes, did great!
When reading results, you will notice a “Small Team” and a “Large Team”. A “Small Team consists of 3-6 gymnasts and the top 3 scores on every event are added together to determine their team score. A “Large Team” consists of 7 or more gymnasts and the top 5 scores on every event are added together to determine their team score. These same rules are used in TGGA, TAAF, and USAG. You can find out more competitive team information on the Team ASI Page or on the Team FAQ Page. Competitive team is an exciting step for a gymnast to take, especially when they have been working so hard in recreational classes! Congratulations to those who competed, and good luck to all of the athletes competing the rest of the season!
Sterling is one of our amazing Tiny Tots students at ASI Allen! He started out a year ago in Coach Anna’s Tiny Tots Level 1 class, and is now having so much fun coming to Coach Danielle’s Tint Tots Level 2 class every week! His favorite event is floor, and he loves to practice his forward and backward rolls. He also enjoys his bar time and getting to hang from the bars.
Sterling loves his Tiny Tots class because he gets to play and have fun with the other kids, while learning new and fun gymnastics skills! His mom says gymnastics “has helped a ton with his motor skills. He is a lot less shy now and it is a wonderful outlet for his boundless energy!”
Arlington
The Arlington Student Spotlight this month is Blair. Blair is two years old and in Coach Kiuni’s Tiny Tots 2 class. She has been coming to ASI Arlington for a little over four months now, and she absolutely loves it. She gains so much joy walking through the doors at ASI. Her favorite part of class is playing in the pit blocks. If you ask her why she loves coming to gymnastics, she will tell you “because I just really love it.” She also thinks her coach is awesome because she teaches her a lot of stuff and she does it right there at the gym. She is a pretty active little two year old. In fact, she even enjoys sports outside of gymnastics, including basketball and soccer. Her mom has already noticed a difference in her since she has started attending ASI. She gets so much energy out and she is learning to follow rules and directions. ASI is glad to have the Blair and her family here, and we are so happy that they enjoy being here too!
Cypress
Morgan has been a student at ASI Cypress for six months! She is three years old and is in Kidz Gym Level 1 with Coach Heather. Morgan loves coming to gymnastics because she “loves to exercise and jump on the trampolines. It’s fun to be with other girls my age.” We also asked Morgan’s family why they picked ASI, her dad said, “It is close to home, and after the first class we never looked back. All of the coaches are so friendly and good with the kids. The coaches seem to actually care.” ASI Cypress is so excited to have Morgan and her family in the gym with us!
Firewheel
Our Student Spotlight is seven-year-old gymnast Kadeon! Kadeon is currently enrolled in Boys Gold with Coach Tanner. Kadeon loves Coach Tanner!
“Tanner is awesome because he pushes me to work hard to get better at what I love! I love coming to gymnastics to learn new things and hang out with my favorite Coach – Tanner!”
In addition to enjoying classes with Tanner, Kadeon also enjoys coming to our Parents Night Out and playing basketball. Kadeon’s mom believes that gymnastics is benefiting him in many ways. “In class he learns new things and is excited to share them with us at home! He has amazing balance, an active life-style, and is making tons of new friends!”
Kadeon and his sister have been attending ASI Gymnastics for about two years. “We started at ASI when my daughter (Tavilyn) was in Tiny Tots. We have been coming to the same location ever since and enrolled Kadeon in classes here as well. The coaches have always been amazing and are a joy to be working with!”
Keller
Keller’s Spotlight shines on nine year old gymnast Katie. Katie has been a part of the ASI Keller family for two years now, and in that time has competed as a Level 2 gymnast before transferring to Acro and Advanced Gold Power Tumbling earlier this year. Katie loves Coach Zak’s Power Tumbling Advanced Gold class, and describes her coach as “awesome because he is encouraging, supportive, and pushes me to do better”. In addition to gymnastics, Katie enjoys a very active childhood that includes football, soccer, and swimming. She loves coming to gymnastics because she “learns new things every day”. Her favorite event as a tumbler is trampoline, of course! Katie’s parents love the benefits of gymnastics, including the fact that she is “always progressing in her skills and is encouraged to do better. She is gaining confidence and a good self esteem. She has a great sense of accomplishment and ability to succeed from being in gymnastics. Katie’s parents heard about ASI from a friend and have stayed with ASI because they “love the coaches and the staff. They make you feel like a part of the ASI family”. We love watching Katie grow as a gymnast and celebrate all of her accomplishments. We cannot wait to see how far she goes!
Mesquite
Nine-year-old Isaiah at ASI Mesquite is one of our Boys Team Level 4 kids. Isaiah has been at ASI since he was in Tiny Tots. Over the years, he has progressed through every level we offer all the way up to our highest level of Boys Team. We are not the least bit surprised as Isaiah comes to every practice ready to listen, eager to learn, and determined to do the best he can. An attitude like that is something we look for in every student.
His Coach, Jacob, says, “Isaiah is one of my hardest working students, and a true joy to coach. I can not wait to see how far he goes in the sport of Gymnastics.”
Isaiah loves coming to gymnastics where he can practice for his meets, meet new friends, and work on his favorite event: the Parallel Bars. He also thinks Coach Jacob is pretty awesome too. “He is nice and funny. He teaches us fun and new things also,” says Isaiah. Outside of gymnastics, he also enjoys playing soccer, baseball, and basketball.
Isaiah’s mom says gymnastics is benefiting her child in many ways. “It helps keep him physically active and builds strength and muscle. It also provides an avenue for meeting other children and making new friends.” We also asked her why ASI. She said, “It is convenient. We love the staff, and all the coaches are great. They are kind and are always encouraging the children.” The staff in Mesquite loves having the Isaiah and his family in the gym. All three of their kids are so sweet, and have grown to be a huge part of our ASI family.
Plano West
Adam has been a joy to have in our Gymmie Kids program for the past five months. The moment he walks in the door at Plano West’s doors, it is nothing but giggles, smiles, and a contagious laugh from him! Coach Matt loves coaching Adam because of his warm welcoming spirit.
Adam’s favorite gymnastics event is going on the trampoline. A few of his amazing skills are memorizing license plates, cars, and streets. He loves attending gymnastics because “it is fun and I get to jump around”. He also thinks “Coach Matt is the best!” Adam’s parents say it is making Adam stronger while having fun. “We love that he has found a sport that he is really excited about!” They believe the Gymmie Kids program at ASI is fantastic. “We are so lucky to have a place that loves our kids and strives for the very best. And they make it fun!”
This was also Adam’s first year showcasing his gymnastics skills in our Annual Gymmie Kids Meet at ASI Gymnastics. He was excited about the experience and showing everyone what he has learned. In addition to gymnastics, Adam is also involved in yoga, swimming, running club, and karate. He definitely enjoys staying active!
Rockwall
Violet is a member of our Girls Gymnastics recreational program at ASI Rockwall. She is in Coach Sierra’s Silver level class on Saturday mornings. Violet has been so fun to watch grow here at ASI. Violet and her older sister Lily have been attending ASI for going on a year now. They have also registered for many of our skills camps over the summer. We asked Violet about her other interests and what she enjoys doing besides gymnastics; Violet attends CrossFit kids, she loves to swim and she plays soccer.
She says “Coach Sierra is awesome because she is nice, funny and makes all of gymnastics fun.”
She also added “I love gymnastics because it is fun, it teaches me new things and makes me strong.”
When we asked Violet’s parents how she is benefiting from gymnastics, they said, “Gymnastics is making Violet stronger, more coordinated, and more confident. Gymnastics gives her something to look forward to each and every week.” ASI has been the right fit for our family because the coaches make the kids enjoy the work and we are able to see such amazing progress. The ASI program and coaches not only help teach better gymnastics skills but they also give the kiddos confidence in their abilities and encourage them to work toward mastering the next skill.”
ASI Rockwall is extremely fortunate to have an amazing athlete like Violet in our gym, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her here at ASI.
The Woodlands
Hope is four years old, and has been attending ASI Gymnastics The Woodlands for eight wonderful months! She loves coming to gymnastics with Coach Ryan because “we get to learn new skills and he makes me laugh!” Hope is enrolled in a Girls Silver and a Power Tumbling Silver class. Her favorite event is the bars and beam! When asked why they chose ASI, Hope’s family said, “the coaching staff has been phenomenal! The atmosphere is fun and challenging. Most importantly Hope looks forward to coming back to class every week. We have seen Hope learn so many new skills in the short time that she has been with ASI, and we are excited to see what’s next!” When Hope is not at ASI, she loves playing soccer and going swimming! The Woodlands is lucky to have Hope and her family in the gym.
Coach Sascha has been coaching as ASI Allen for about five months now! She specializes in coaching Power Tumbling and loves all of her Silver and Gold tumbling classes. She went to Allen High School and now attends Collin College. To stay fit, Coach Sascha practices regularly with her cheerleading team, and also tumbles and stunts in her free time.
When asked about her background with children, she said, “As a coach of the Scott Johnson middle school cheerleaders for the past three years prior to my job at ASI, I have been very comfortable with an environment that combines my knowledge as an athlete and my ability to teach children.”
Her personal athletic background includes being a worlds level cheerleader for Cheer Athletics for almost six years. This year she is excited to be on Coalition6, a small international coed level 6 cheerleading team. She says, “this sport is now my passion and I strive to use everything I learn from it to become a better coach, athlete, and person.”
She describes her coaching style as purposeful, effective, and logical. She admires ASI for how structured it is…”from classes to camp, there is a certain way to go about each product, meaning there are built in precautions making it feel like a process that has been through many trials and errors to find what is just right.” We are so happy to have Coach Sascha here at Allen and her experience as an athlete to teach these kids some awesome tumbling skills!
Arlington
Alia has worked at ASI Arlington for almost six months, and she is becoming one of the parent’s favorite. She coaches Tiny Tots, Kidz Gym, and Girls Gymnastics. Her parents love that she is patient, understanding, and always incorporates versatility to her classes.
Alia was a nanny for a couple of years and babysat. She also worked at the church summer camp for a couple of years. She played volleyball for ten years, for both school and club teams, all the way through her senior year. She received volleyball offers, but didn’t take them because she wasn’t in love with the sport anymore.
“I love that when you are given a class, the students in the class become like family. My kids always tell me that they loving coming to my class.” This was her confirmation that she loved her job. Kids learn that you can still have fun while learning, becoming flexible, and developing social skills.
Alia loves coaching at ASI!
Cypress
Abigail is a hands on, patient, and enthusiastic coach at ASI Cypress. She coaches Girls Gymnastics and Kidz Gym. She says that gymnastics is great because “it is the only sport that works all of your muscles that easily translates into any other sport. Anybody at any age or level can get something out of gymnastics and it is also a lot of fun!”
Abigail has been with ASI for one year and coaches because she loves being able to share her knowledge of gymnastics while inspiring children to push harder and work to their full capability. She also loves the atmosphere of ASI. She says that it is incrediblw and refreshing!
Firewheel
Gabbie has been with ASI Firewheel for three months now. She currently coaches Girls Silver and Girls Gold. Growing up, Gabbie participated in gymnastics. “I competed Level 7 before I took a break. I did varsity gymnastics at my high school for one year before I moved from Washington to Texas three years ago.”
Gabbie believes gymnastics is a great way for kids to stay active, while also helping build coordination and confidence. “Gymnastics is a fun sport, and it’s a great outlet for kids to be themselves and have a great time.”
What Gabbie loves most about coaching at ASI is being able to work with the children. “I love working with the kids. They always have funny stories to tell me or riddles and jokes. They always keep me laughing. The girls are so excited to do gymnastics and I love helping them improve while having a good time with them.”
Currently Gabbie attends Sachse High School. She stays active by going on runs with her dog. Coach Gabbie is always positive and helpful. We are excited to have her on our team!
Keller
Coach Wally has coached at ASI for nine years, and has a total of 12 years coaching experience! His background includes working with children for many years by either babysitting, putting on a magic show, and being a clown in the circus or in a coaching capacity. Coach Wally is a natural and has coached other youth sports, but keeps returning to gymnastics. Wally loves gymnastics for kids because “it is a fun way to keep fit!” The students here in Keller love Wally because he is always happy and silly. The parents love Coach Wally because he is extremely creative at finding ways to teach their children while running a very well-organized class. Wally coaches Tiny Tots, Kidz Gym, Acro and Girls Gymnastics in Keller. He is also one of our most in demand Birthday Party coaches and always makes Camp, PNO, and Open Gym extra fun!
Coach Wally’s personal athletic background includes time spent as a professional wrestler! His favorite event to coach is trampoline. Wally’s coaching style is fun and detailed. He finds ways to correct and inspire his gymnasts in a fun way that makes them excited to learn and progress. Coach Wally loves coaching at ASI because he loves being able to coach every athlete at their level. We think Coach Wally is pretty special here in Keller and we love having him here every day!
Mesquite
Coach Katie at ASI Mesquite is one of our senior coaches, and also the Gym Manager. She has been coaching with ASI for five years now, and loves every second of it! She is certified in a wide variety of our classes from Tiny Tots all the way to Girls Team. Her favorite events to coach would have to be bars and floor. She would sum up her coaching style in three short words as, “Positive, Direct, Safe”.
One reason Katie loves working at ASI is getting to work with kids. “I have always had a love for kids! I started by babysitting when I was in high school. I always knew I wanted to work with kids in a bigger way but never knew how, until I found ASI.”
As a child, Katie even attended ASI and was on our Girls Team. Her positive experience back then is what lead her to apply.” I always loved the environment at ASI, and knew coaching is something I wanted to pursue. As soon as I walked in the door to apply (because we didn’t have an application online back then) and I knew this was where I was meant to be. It has always felt like home to me!” As the Gym Manager in Mesquite, Katie holds such an important role to the staff. She is an amazing leader who truly cares for every one of her employees.
Outside of doing gymnastics as a child, Katie was very involved in other sports. She played soccer from the age of five years until after she graduated High School, was a Cheerleader in middle school and High school, and did tap/ballet as a child.
Plano West
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Coach Lee! Plano West’s very own personal trainer has been part of the superhero group for six months. Lee coaches Tiny Tots Level 1, Kidz Gym Level 1, Boys Gymnastics- Bronze and Silver, and Boys Team. In the time before he was part of the superhero group of ASI, he was still involved in fitness and the healthy development of children. He coached at Stretch n Grow and at the YMCA.
Throughout his life, he has been involved in many physical activities. He played soccer, basketball, football, and flag football. One of the great things that makes Coach Lee a great coach is the impact he makes on his students. He is positive, encouraging, firm, and energetic. As you can tell, Lee loves sports and physical activity all around. His favorite events year round are the Super Bowl, Basketball Championship, NSA, and of course the Olympics. When he is not exercising, or playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, biking or playing any other spot, he enjoys having a relaxing time reading a good book. One of his favorite books is How Successful People Think, by John C. Maxwell.
Coach Lee believes gymnastics is great because “it teaches you control, discipline. It gives you an awesome full body workout, and it’s a great therapy for the mind.” He coaches at ASI because he believes in the mission to touch each child and “progress them at their own level and to make sure the child has a fun and safe environment to work in.” His teaching style is motivational, fun, and engaging.
Rockwall
Megan has been coaching at ASI Rockwall for a little over five months now and we are so excited that she is part of our team. She currently coaches our Girls Recreational classes – both Bronze and Gold Level.
Coach Megan actually attended ASI herself for a few years when she was little. She then continued her love for gymnastics in middle school where she was placed on the advanced gymnastics team for two years. She is now in High School at Rockwall Heath where she is on the Varsity Gymnastics team.
Megan has had a lot of experience through the years with being around kids. She has been babysitting since age 11 and she still continues to do so. She is a volunteer at Lake Point Church in the children’s ministry, and also volunteers at Lake Rockwall Estates tutoring kiddos. She also attends mission trips to help with special needs kids anytime she has the chance.
We asked Megan what brought her to ASI and why does she love it… “I love to be able to get to know the kids and impact their life in a positive way. At ASI you get to form a personal relationship with them and help them succeed not only in gymnastics, but in life.”
She sums up coaching at ASI with these five words: “fun, safe, interactive, fulfilling, and family-friendly.” With Megan’s attendance at ASI in her early years, she says she knew once she got older that she wanted to be a part of the experience of coaching here.
Megan says gymnastics is great for kids because it is a fun way to get physical activity in while having fun and staying safe. When we asked Megan to describe her coaching style in three words, those words were “entertaining, passionate, and hands-on”. She also added that her absolute favorite event to coach would have to be beam.
We are very lucky to have such an amazing “team player” not only as a coach at ASI, but as part of the ASI family.
The Woodlands
Kayla is an energetic, confident, and unique coach that loves gymnastics because it can challenge each kid at their own level. She coaches a ton of classes including Girls Gymnastics, Power Tumbling, Kidz Gym, Open Gym, and Parents’ Night Out. ASI The Woodlands has been so blessed with Coach Kayla for a year now. They love her energy and the smile she always has on her face. We asked her what her favorite thing about ASI is she said, “The ability to always be a kid.” We look forward to many more year with Coach Kayla!
As the season of thankfulness approaches, it’s nice to take a minute to step back and appreciate all that we are thankful for in life. Here at ASI, we are thankful for the sport of gymnastics! As much as gymnastics is about fun, there are valuable lessons to be learned, and qualities that we can be thankful for.
Reasons we are thankful for gymnastics:
Friendships:The friendships created in the sport of gymnastics are beautiful thing. Your child goes to gymnastics every week, and after every class the ride home includes stories of what happened in class and who they met. You slowly realize that they start mentioning a name or two from class. After a few weeks, they know all of their classmate’s names. Then, your child gets to see that other child every week and it is someone they can call a friend, making your child happy and excited to always come back. It’s wonderful when our students create friendships with each other; it brings the gym together, and the children love coming back to learn each week!
Life lessons: The sport of gymnastics teaches life lessons such as patience, self-esteem, confidence, bravery, sharing, and caring! Your kids learn different valuable lessons from not only their coaches, but their peers as well.
Our coaches: Our coaches put in hours of work and education to making sure our young athletes can be as successful as possible! If it wasn’t for them, gymnastics wouldn’t be the same!
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For more pictures of the many smiles at ASI Gymnastics, visit the ASI Facebook Page!
We asked a few of our coaches how they felt about their students, and this is why they said they are thankful:
“I’m so thankful for all of my kids because they make me smile, they show me that it’s okay to be silly in public, and that laughter is the best medicine. But more than anything they drive me to be the best version of myself. All the kids I’ve had the pleasure of coaching throughout the years have shaped me into the coach I am today and I’m so thankful.” -Krista, ASI The Woodlands
“I am so thankful for coaching the kids that I do because they always put a smile on my face, and I love to see the students I coach each week improve.” -Sean, ASI Plano West
“I can definitely say that I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from every single kid that walks into the gym, whether I am learning more about who they are and what they’re interested in, or if it’s learning how to better connect with them and what I can do better as a coach to help them strive.” -Darian, ASI Firewheel
“I’m thankful for coaching my kids because they bring a different level of happiness, and to see them run into the gym with a huge smile on their faces, greeting me with a big hug lets me know that I have some type of impact on them which pushes me to be a better coach.” -DeeDee, ASI Arlington
“I am extremely thankful to get to be just a small part in these kids lives. They make me a better person inside and out so it’s my job to make sure they leave ASI sweaty, sore, and with a smiling face.” -Carly, ASI Mesquite
“I’m thankful for my kids because they brighten up my day! I love helping them learn new skills and seeing their faces light up with excitement! It’s the best!” -Anna, ASI Allen
Our coaches are SO thankful to coach each and every one of their students, and ASI Gymnastics is thankful to not only have all of these amazing coaches, but for the amazing students that walk through the doors.
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for YOU!
The Gymmie Kid Pumpkin Invitational took place this past weekend at ASI Plano West and the event proved to be one of the happiest days of the year for ASI Gymnastics! There wasn’t a single spectator without a smile on their face throughout the entire competition. There were a total of about 30 athletes competing, and countless volunteers and coaches to help out.
For those who do not know, the Gymmie Kid program at ASI Gymnastics is tailored to all exceptional children and their particular needs. The goal of this program is directed towards gaining strength, improving gross motor skills, and increasing confidence while learning gymnastics skills at the same time. Some Gymmie Kids participate in classes with others with a “shadow” coach as their assistant, and others work privately with a specific coach. Each Gymmie Kid works on events that are suited to their physical abilities, and their coaches work specifically with them to allow them to gain the strength and gross motor skills previously mentioned.
At the Pumpkin Invitational, each athlete had six events to choose from to compete on, and once chosen, their coach helped them come up with routines for each of those events. Athletes had about six weeks to prepare for the meet, and they classes consisted of nothing but practicing these routines. They worked so hard in the weeks prior, and showed up ready to perform and show off their stuff!
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For the rest of the pictures from the Pumpkin Invitational, visit the ASI Facebook Page!
Mary Kate is the Gymmie Kids Coordinator and the time and effort put into the program is immeasurable. She works hard to train new coaches on Gymmie Kids, and has many students herself. ASI wants to give a huge thank you to Mary Kate for continuing this program and creating these semi-annual competitions. There is no doubt that every athlete enjoys this meet, and they look forward to it every year! All of the hard work is worth it when they show up to the meet and are able to show everyone what they have been working on.
Undoubtedly, the ASI Gymmie Kids Meet is the best day of the year! See you at the spring competition!
