HANDBOOK 2020-2021
ATHLETE/PARENT/COACH TRIAD This refers to the relationship between an athlete’s advocates and the athlete. If the roles of the advocates are clearly outlined that will ensure the greatest degree of success.
ATHLETES has to be our central focus because without the athlete there’s no discussion.
- Come to workouts with a positive attitude ready to work with teammates and coaches.
- Show respect to coaches, team mates.
- Take themselves seriously demonstrating a healthy fear and respect for the sport, the equipment, their fellow athletes and their coaches.
- Fuel up before working out – eating a meal or heavy snack of protein, fruit or vegetable, and starch from whole foods.
- Set personal goals and focus each workout on taking small steps toward bigger goals.
PARENTS are essential to the success of the program! As the athlete’s primary advocate, your goals, encouragement and life coaching are the key to the athlete following through with a consistent mindset outside the gym. We only have them for a limited time in the gym. The mindset of intentional living must be carried through the rest of their daily routine.
- VIDEO GAMES: We ask that during your time with us you refrain from video games because they inhibit frontal lobe activity required for complex thought. So this type of activity will undo what we are trying to accomplish.
- Fuel: We ask that you assist your athlete by providing choices for whole foods consistent with the eating plan we promote.
- Communication: Negativism, rumor, innuendo, gossip, etc tend to occur when there is a vacuum created by a lack of information – this is detrimental to the successful operation of any gymnastic facility. If you need or want to know any information please see the coaching staff (except during workout). Any of the above could be cause for dismissal from the program.
- It is never appropriate to communicate either verbally or nonverbally with your athlete when they are on the gym floor. Such communication is a distraction not only to your athlete but to the instructor and the other athletes.
- OBSERVATION ROOM: This room is available for waiting and discrete observation. Please be mindful of the fact that girls on the beam and instructors in the beam area are easily distracted by gaping stares and sign language through our observation window. Please also be aware that the walls in that room talk!
- COMMITMENT: This is a 10 month training program. At the end of the year each athlete will receive a progress report showing the exercises that have been mastered. Ongoing physical conditioning is vital to the mastery of the series of progressions leading to the accomplishment of bigger skills. In other words, the process has no off season. Equally valuable are the relationships formed and the community built within small groups of athletes. So, quitting before the end of the year hurts the individual and may well impact the group.
COACHES will provide individualized training modifying continuously according to the progress of the athlete. Our program is unique as we use several neuro exercises promoted by a functional neurologist and designed to balance the brain, create new pathways and strengthen those pathways. This type of training yields increased athleticism as well as academic performance.
Coaches perform a delicate balancing act everyday. Our ability to walk this fine line comes from years of experience, education, planning, successes and learning from our mistakes. Some days, an emphasis will be placed on technical corrections while others will be focused on strength and speed, form and execution taking a lesser role. Overall, the training plan will be a complete picture. However, taken as a snapshot it will be incomplete and out of context of our grand plan.
- We will begin each workout with prayer and reciting a memory verse.
- We will design a program of exercises to increase strength, flexibility, coordination necessary to acquire new gymnastics skills. An observation of isolated workouts is a snapshot of what our coaches do. Taken out of context
- We will provide progress reports regularly to indicate the level of skills the athlete has mastered.
- We will uphold a simple policy of respect among our athletes. Athletes showing a lack of respect will be removed from the floor and may not return that day.
- We will encourage and applaud all efforts and all of the small steps taken to accomplish big goals.
WORKOUTS
- ATTENDANCE: Some athletes need to workout one day a week and others 3 days a week in order to progress in gymnastics. We cannot guarantee make up classes for absences for either illness, travel or inclement weather. However we will do our best to provide a make up class.
- ATTIRE: Proper workout attire is a must at all times. Properly fitting leotard or tight fitting athletic tank with booty shorts is the only acceptable workout attire.
- HAIR: Hair should be appropriately tied so as not to interfere in any way during practice. No jewelry of any kind may be worn during the workout except stud earrings.
- NO food, drinks or candy may be out on the floor. Athletes may drink water only, anywhere in the academy.
- FUEL: Athletes need to fuel up with whole food sources of protein, vegetable/fruit, fat and starch before every practice. Athletes should never go more than 4 hours without eating a meal or a snack.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
- Gymnasts may not leave the workout or competition floor without the expressed permission of the coaching staff. No gymnast may be on equipment without the express direction of the coach in charge.
- Coaching technique and discipline are not subject to compromise with parents or gymnasts. The coaching staff has the final say in all competitive program matters, as they are ultimately responsible in the eyes of the law for each athletes well being.
- All athletes must demonstrate proficiency in all skills appropriate to their level to be allowed to enter any competition. In addition, the athlete must have checked off every skill on their progress sheet per level to move to the next level.
- Athletes are paired and/or grouped as the coaches see fit based sometimes on age and other times on common drills and technical training. This will change according to the needs of the athletes. The philosophy behind this is one of efficiency. The goal of the training should always be to progress at the greatest rate possible. Example: An athlete struggling with a particular skill may be grouped with athletes that are different in age and/or level in order to accomplish mastering that skill faster. Gymnastics is a sport made up of skills which build on each other. It is impossible to progress if a building block is missing!
- Each gymnast is required to attend and be on time for all regularly scheduled practices. That means on the floor ready to go when practice begins and not talking or hanging around out front.
- Interaction between gymnast and parent (visually or verbally) during workouts or competitions is not appropriate. A distracted gymnast is a prime candidate for injury. Contact the front desk or the coach first if you need to communicate with a gymnast on the workout floor or competitive site.
- All gymnasts are expected to maintain the best physical condition possible. Conditioning and flexibility are key essentials to prevent injury. If you are going to miss part of practice, do everything in your power to not let it be this part of practice. (Conditioning and flexibility are the most important parts.)
- All injuries, no matter how small, must be promptly reported to the coach. Injured athletes are required to attend practice. They will be assigned a modified workout, keeping within doctor’s restrictions.
- Coaching technique and discipline are not subject to compromise with parents or gymnasts. The coaching staff has the final say in all competitive program matters, as they are ultimately responsible in the eyes of the law for each child’s well being.
Extreme Agility Team: Pre gymnastics workouts to acquire strength, flexibility, and coordination to begin gymnastics training.
TIME: The first 10-15 minutes is critical to our athletes getting focused and ready to work hard. We understand very well the difficulties that can arise as we are trying to get out the door on time. We begin with a praise song and we need to have all of our athletes arrive before we have finished singing. It’s difficult for instructors and the other athletes in a group to adjust to an athlete arriving in the middle of rotations. The athlete is compromised by missing the important brain stim exercises in the first 15 minutes. The remainder of the workout is spent strengthening the pathways created in that first 15 minutes.
Level 1- Private lesson
Level 2- Assistant within a larger rotation.
LEVEL 3- full sized group working on Bronze and Silver level skills.
COMPETITION
The purpose of competition is to test the program. Competition should never become the program itself. We compete only a few times in the fall and a few times in the winter. Too much focus on competition hinders progress and exhausts our young athletes physically and mentally leading to burn-out.
XCEL: We compete in a USA league called AAU in the XCEL division. AAU represents a group of small gyms in our region including Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. XCEL is a program offering competition in an inclusive range of possibilities: beginning skills to the most advanced skills seen in JO Level 10. This program is more affordable with less time commitment emphasizing excellence over difficulty.
XCEL DIVISIONS
Bronze: Between Levels 2 and 3
Silver: Between Levels 3 and 4
Gold: Between Levels 4 and 5
Platinum: Between Levels 5 and 6
Diamond: Post Level 6
TEAM TUITION
TEAM is a bargain! If you figure the cost per hour of training then you will see that the hourly rate for team is significantly less than the rate paid per class. We have 2 teams going into our 2019-2020 competitive year.
SILVER BELLES come 2 days per week for 2 hours and pay $205.00 per month. These talented girls are in first and second grade.
GOLD/PLATINUM girls come 3 days per week for 2 hours and pay $235.00 per month. These girls are experienced competitors between the 3rd-6th grades and will compete at both silver and gold levels this year. In other words, this is a group formed by age representing They pay $235.00 . These girls will also learn leadership skills and demonstrate the ability to self regulate in the gym. They are wonderful role models and we are blessed to have such a dynamic group this year!
TUITION is year- round . Your family is making a financial commitment for a year program beginning August 8th and ending May 23rd. _________
INJURIES Injured athletes are expected to be at practices and will be given modified workouts. They can learn a lot by watching and giving feedback to other athletes in training. You are still required to pay tuition if your athlete is injured. __________
PRACTICE ADDITIONS AND CANCELLATIONS. We follow the Shelby County schools for weather closings and there are no guaranteed make-ups for these closings. We may add practices during holidays and during competition season.
We require all our customers to set up auto payment via our iClassPro class software system, please use e-Check if at all possible.
Please login into our iClassPro Parent Portal using the link below and click ‘Manage Payment Options’ (located directly under ‘Payments’ on left menu panel) to update your auto payment method:
login email: [email protected]
password: amymayfield123
To change your password navigate to Family -> Change Password (located directly under ‘Summer Classes’ on the left menu panel) .
OR
You may leave a voided check in the drop box and we will set up your auto payment for you.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS concerning fees and payment structure, please email Chris at Candi@[email protected] or leave a text message at 205-603-7689 along with your name and your child’s name. Candi does not handle the financial part of His Kids Academy at all nor does she check this email.
Christopher Campbell
His Kids Academy
(205.970.7861 (work) (205.603-7689 (cell)
*We do not advocate dropping in the middle of the year except for extenuating circumstances. In those circumstances we require a 30 day notice to drop. Please remember that the monthly fees for the total number of workouts are divided evenly among the 10 months. Some months are shorter and some months are longer.