Technique Magazine – November/December 2007 by USA Gymnastics

EVENTS 2007

MAY

NOVEMBER 7-9 7-11 7-11 9-13 10-11 19-25 25-Dec 7 27-Dec. 2

International Age-Group Competition, (TT), Future Stars National Championships (M) National Coaches Workshop (M) National Team Training Camp (AG) Great Britain Selection Event (AG) Jr. Pan American Championships (MAY) Olympic Test Event Future Stars Camp (R)

Quebec City, CAN Colorado Springs, CO Colorado Springs, CO Houston, TX Houston, TX Guatemala Beijing, CHN Lake Placid, NY

British Open Tournament (AG) TOPs ACamp (W) TOPs BCamp (W) JumpStart National Testing (TT) Group Champianships (R) Toyota Cup (M)

Stoke-on-Trent, ENG Houston, TX Houston, TX TBD Wyeth ville, VA Japan

DECEMBER 1-2 1-5 5-9 ]-8 8 8-9

6-11 8-11 16-18 22-24 23 23-24 23-26

JO Natianal Champianships (M) Level 9 East & West Champianships (W) JO Nationol Championships (W) Visa Championships (M,R,T) u.S. Classic (W) World Cup Series of the Leman (AG) Festival Rhythmic Nationals & Gymfest (GG)

Battlecreek, MI Dayton, OH & SI. Louis, MO Kissimmee, FL Houston, TX Houston, TX Publier -Amphion, FRA Crossville, TN

Visa Champianships (W) TeamGym Natianals Natianal GymFest (GG) USA Gymnastics Natianal Congress U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics

Boston, MA Las Vegas, NV Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia, PA

National Championships (AG)

Des Moines, IA

Olympic Games

Beijing, CHN

JUNE 5-7 13-15 19-21 19-22

JULY 25-31

AUGUST 8-24

2008 JANUARY 5-6 6 18-21 25-27

Region 5 Athlete Clinic & Acro Basics Course (AG) TeomGym Clinic (GG) Super Clinic (AG) JumpStort Notionol Testing (TT)

Centerville, OH Chino, CA O'Fallon, MO TBD

Winter Cup Challenge (M) Rhythmic Invitational (R) Rhythmic Challenge (R)

Las Vegas, NV Colorado Springs, CO Colorado Springs, CO

Tyson American Cup Maio International Acro Cup (AG) Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships (M, W,R, T) Level 9/ 10 State Championships (W),

New York, NY TBD San Jose, CA Various sites

W= Women R= Rhythmic GG = Group Gymnastics M= Men AG =Acrobatic B= Business Gymnastics NOTE: Dates and events subject to change or cancellation.

TR =Trampoline TU = Tumbling TT =Trampoline! Tumbling

FEBRUARY 7-9 14-16 17

MARCH 1 6-9 28-30 29-30

USA GYMNASTICS MEMBER CLUB INVITATIONAL LISTING • •• Looking for a great invitational to attend? Go to:

APRIL 17-19 18-20 or 25-27 22-23 23

http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/events/invitationals_php NCAA Championships (M) Level 9/ 10 Regional Championships (W) Flanders International Acra Cup National Qualifier ta Visa Champs. (M)

TECHNIQUE· NOVEMBER /O ECEMBER 2007

San Jose, CA Various sites Puurs, Belgium TBD

for a full list of USA Gymnastics Member Club invitationals.

PUBLISHER

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

2007 •

VOLUME

27 •

#10

Steve Penny EDITOR

Luan Peszek GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Zemetria Barnes-Perry USA GYMNASTICS EXECUTIVE COMMlnEE CHAIR: Ron Froehlich; PRESIDENT: Steve Penny; VICE CHAIR WOMEN: Tom KolI; VICE CHAIR MEN: YoichiTomito; VICE CHAIR RHYTHMIC: Andrea Schmid, VICE CHAIR TRAMPOLINE: Paul Porillo; VICE CHAIR ACRO-GYMNASTlCS: Tanya Case; SECRETARY: Gory Andmon; TREASURER: Bob Wood; FIG REPS: Bob ColorOlli IExewtive Commitlee), Ron Froehlich IAuditor!. Tanya COle IAnobotic Gymno~ics Techni(Ol Commitlee) and John Roethlilberger IAthlete Rep-l- AT lARGE MEMBERS: Steve Butcher, David Hol(Omb; ATHLm DIRECTORS: Kim Zmelkol-Burdetle, John Roethlilberger, Coroline Hunt, Karl Heger; USOC ATHlffE DIRECTOR: Lorissa Fontaine. USA GYMNASTICS BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR: Ron Froehlich; PRESIDENT: Steve Penny; PRESIDENT EMERITUS: Sondy Knopp, Mike Oonohue; TREASURER: Bob Wood; SECRETARY: Gory Anderson; VICE CHAIR WOMEN: Tom KolI; VICE CHAIR MEN: Yoichi Tom"o; VICE CHAIR RHYTHMIC: Andrea Schmid, VICE CHAIR TRAMPOLINE: Paul Porillo; VICE CHAIR ACRO-GYMNASTICS: Tonyo COle; PUBLIC SECTOR: Bill Hybl, Bob Wood; AMATEUR ATHLET1C UNION: Ron Ferr~; AMERICAN SOKOL ORGANIZATION: Jerry Milan; AMERICAN TURNERS: Betty Heppner; COLLEGE GYMNASTICS ASSOCIATION-MEN: Froncil Allen; NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE COACHES-WOMEN: Mark Cook; NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORT: Marilyn Strawbridge; NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN'S GYMNASTlCS JUDGES: Carole Ide; NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLET1C ASSOCIATION-MEN: YOlhi Hoyoloki; NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS: Becky Oakes; NATIONAL GYMNASTICS JUDGES ASSOCIATION-MEN: Butch Zunich; NATIOIIAL HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASTlCS COACHES ASSOCIATION: Margie Canfield; U.I. ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT GYMNASTICS CLUBS: Paul Ziert; U.S. EUTE COACHES ASSOCIATION-MEN: Thom Glielmi; U.S_ Elm COACHES ASSOCIATIONWOMEN: Steve Rybocki Tony Gehman; U.S. MEN'S GYMNASTICS COACHES ASSOCIATION: Tim Klempnouer; U.S. RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS COACHES ASSOCIATION: Suzie OiTullio; YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF THE USA: COley Koenig; NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATlONWOMEN: Meg Stephenson; NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORS MEN: Mike Burns, Abie Grollfeld; RHYTHMIC: Ivonko Kirov, Michelle Lorlon; WOMEN: Kelli Hill, Tom For~er; TRAMPOLINE: Shoun Kempton, Dr. George Drew; ACRO-GYMNASTICS: linda Porter, Joy Binder; ATHLETES COUNCil Mohini BhordwoL Kim Zmeskol-Burdetle, Lorillo Fontaine, Karl Heger, Jelli(O Howard, Coraline Hunt, Jamie Morshik, Steve McCoin, Shannon Miller, Michael Rodrigues, Joy Thornton, USOC Athlete Rep.; Lor~\O Fontaine, Exewtive Boord Member John Roethlilberger. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS, Lori Katz; SPECIAL OLYMPICS, Kate Fober-Hickie; U.S. COMPETITIVE AEROBICS FEDERATION, Howard Schwartz

FEATURES 6 Conceive, Believe, Achieve! The What, Why, and How of Goal Setting 10 2007 Tyson Fitness Challenge and National Gymnastics Day

DEPARTMENTS

2 Event Schedule 4 USA Gymnastics Message 12 Athlete Focus 14 Business Tips 18 Member Services 21 Education 46 Classifieds 48 Safety Certification Schedule

UPDATE 24 Men's Program 31 Acro Program 42 Women's Program

parent ••

child activities _ live rsasons 10 parllOPiI:e

•• • ••

_ •

CHANGE OF AODRESS AND SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: In order to ensure uninterrupted delivery of TECHNIQUE magazine, notice of change of oddresl Ihould be mode eight weeks in advance. For fo~est lervice, please endOle your present moiling label. Direct oillubmiption moil to TECHNIQUE Submiptions, USA GymnOltics, 201 S. Capitol Ave., Ste. 300, Indionopolil, IN 46225. TECHNIQUE ~ publ~ed monthly except bimonthly in Sept/ Oct and Nov/ Dec by USA GymnOlfics, Pan American PlOlO, Suite 300, 20 I South Capitol Avenue, Indionopot., IN 46225 (phone: 317-237-5050) or ~ online @ www.usa-9.fIIIIICIsIKs.OIg Sub,cription prices: U.I.-S25 per year; Conodo/ Mexko-S48 per year; all other foreign (Ountries-S60 per yeor. If aVailable, bock ~Iue lingle (Opies S4 plul pOlloge!hondling. All realOnoble (Ore will be token, but no relponlibility (On be ollumed for unloliciled material; endose return pOltoge. Copyright 2006 by USA Gymnastics and TECHNIQUE All rights reserved. Printed by Sport Graphics, Indionopolil, IN. Member Services 1-800-345-4719

Unless expressly irlenlifierl ,. Ihe ,.nlrary, all arlie/es, slalemenls anrl.iews prinlerl herein are al/ribulerl s./ely I. Ihe aulh.r anrl USA Gymnaslics expresses n. apini.n anrl assumes n. respansibiNly Ihereaf.

www.usa-gymnastics.org COVER: REBECCA BROSS PHOTOGRAPHER

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007 • TECHNIQUE

••• USA GYMNASTICS MESSAGE

! There is no question that professionals within thi s sport play a special role in the development of young people. In many ways, gymnastics fosters an environment of growth; and the coaches, club owners, judges, and other instructors who take part in that process must do so with care and sensitivity. For gymnastics to continue to grow and thrive, we must focus on providing a safe, clean, and fun environment for young people. Pa rents must have the highest degree of confidence that their children are not only receiving good care and proper instruction, but also are safe from negative and improper conduct. These basic tenets are paramount to maintaining a positive image in the community and a good reputation, both in local communities and as an activity nationwide. Confidence builds as the word spreads that gymnastics clubs are a good place for children . Being a professional member of USA Gymnastics should be the gold standard in our industry, an indicator that the person or organization has committed the time, inte rest and hard work into being the best they can be. This membership should be a distinction that parents look for and depend upon to know that they are placing their children into well-trained and professional hands. What that standard requires has changed over the years to include most recently safety certification and ongoing education. We are now raising the bar to include mandatory background screening. USA Gymnastics USA Gymnastics will begin requiring mandatory background checks Background for all professional members within the next month . The USA Gymnastics Board of Di rectors and staff already have co mpleted background checks as a pilot program with our partner, the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI). Through NCSI, all professional members will have the endorsement of completing a successful background check for previous criminal behavior Don't delay... which may be inappropriate for contact with children. Ba ckground checks Get your background are becoming commonplace with many youth organizations and institutions check today! USA and is endorsed by the U.S. Olympic Committee. GYMNASTICS Within the near future, you will receive more information about the background check process, which will be a seamless aspect of initiating or renewing your professional membership . USA Gymnastics is also working with NCSI to develop a cost-effective protocol for clubs to provide background checks on all of their employees, which should be available soon. Many of you go the extra mile every day for the kids that walk into your gyms. You attend educational seminars to improve your knowledge, read materials that will make you a better coach, judge or club owner, and take your professional membership very seriously. We look forward to continuing to work together to foster a positive environment for young people. Doing so will benefit everyone involved in gymnastics.

Check

Have a Happy Holiday!

2 07 USA G~ll'nastics

.,0 IO"Y SC EDU LE

Thanksgiving Office will close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21 and will reopen for business on Monday, Nov. 26.

Steve Penny President

Christmas/New Year's Day Office will close at the end of business on Friday, Dec . 21 and will reopen for business the morning of Wednesday, Jan . 2 .

TECHHIQUE· IIOVEM8ER / OECEM8ER 2007

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Brian C. Hite, M.s. is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and works as both a stuntman and a Headgames Peak Performance Consultant in the Los Angeles area. For more information visit www.headgames.ws.

Alison Arnold, Ph.D. is a Peak Performance Consultant to USA Gymnastics. For more information on her workbooks and seminars see www.headgames.ws

ithout having some idea of where you want to go, it is very difficult to get there. Goal setting has been shown to be an excellent tool for focusing attention and energy in a desired direction by defining and clarifying the steps necessary to achieve a desired outcome. This article will first describe some of the benefits of goal setting, then identify factors to consider when choosing a goal, and finally, outline a specific process demonstrated to maximize the benefits of goal setting in academic, business, and sport settings. Potential benefits of goal setting include increased levels of effort, intensity, persistence, motivation, and performance and decreased levels of performance anxiety (Burton, Holiday, & Naylor, 2001). By instilling a sense of purpose, feelings of intensity, and a sense of autonomy (i.e. control over one's environment), the goal setting process can enhance athletes' levels of motivation and reduce performance anxiety (Gagne, Ryan, & Bargmann, 2003). Also, by focusing attention and energy in a desired direction; lowering levels of performance anxiety; promoting the development of problem solving strategies; and increasing levels of effort, intensity, persistence, and motivation, goals can substantially improve athletes' levels of performance (Weinberg & Butt, 2005).

Goal Characteristics In order to choose goals that will be most effective, coaches and athletes must consider several goal characteristics that can affect the efficacy of the goal setting process.

Goal Type

First, a type of goal must be chosen. Three types of goals are process goals, performance goals, and outcome goals. Process goals focus on personal improvement with regard to a skill or routine. These goals typically target technical (e.g. bent elbows), psychological (e.g. maintaining focus), and emotional (e.g. managing fear) factors throughout a performance. Whereas process goals focus on the aspects of a skill or routine related to good performance, performance goals focus on the end result of the skill or routine and may be used to measure improvement in relation to oneself. For example, better event or all-around scores than have previously been achieved would be a type of performance goal. Finally, outcome goals focus on the overall result of the performance in relation to other athletes. Winning a medal and qualifying for an event are examples of outcome goals. While each ofthese goal types has been shown to be beneficial (Steinburg, et aI., 2000), research has generally demonstrated process goals to be the most effective (Weinberg & Butt, 2005). One reason for this is the greater control, an important factor in both confidence and motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Gagne, et aI., 2003), afforded the athlete by process goals. That is, the athlete has control over the aspects of his/her performance likely to

result in high scores and/or a medal (e.g. stuck landings, pointed toes); however, he/she has no control over the deductions judges choose to enforce, the scores judges choose to award, or the performances of the other athletes in the meet. Therefore, though each type of goal can be beneficial and has its place, recommending process goals more often than performance or outcome goals is likely to produce more of the potential benefits listed above.

Goal Specificity Second, athletes and coaches should consider the specificity of the goals chosen. In order to determine whether or not a goal has been reached it must be specific and measurable. Goals such as, "I want to do better on floor" are great, but how is the athlete going to know whether or not he/she actually accomplished the goal? Instead, goals such as, "I want to stick my double-back three out of three times" and "I want to hit four-for-four at this meet" define exactly what the athlete wants to accomplish and allows him/her to know for sure whether or not the goal was achieved.

Goal Difficulty Third, the level of difficulty of the goal must be considered. Though research has not resulted in a clear understanding of the impact of goal difficulty on performance as of yet, it does seem to be clear that confidence levels playa key role in whether or not difficult goals will be effective (Burton, et aI., 2001; Weinberg & Butt, 2005). That is, athletes with high levels of confidence tend to attribute success to internal factors such as ability and effort, while athletes with low levels of confidence tend to attribute success to external factors such as luck. As a result, difficult goals often motivate confident athletes regardless of whether or not the goal is achieved. For example, if a confident athlete achieves a difficult goal, he/she is obviously satisfied and motivated to set even higher goals; if the athlete fails to achieve the goal, he/she generally attributes this to internal, controllable factors and is motivated to work that much harder to achieve the goal in the future. Athletes with low self-confidence, however, often do not believe that they can achieve the goal in the first place and may engage in self-handicapping behaviors (Ryska, 2002). Moreover, if they do manage to achieve the goal, they may attribute their success to luck and not experience the same motivational boost experienced by confident athletes. In any case, research in the area of sport and exercise tends to support the use of moderately difficult to difficult goals as long as individual differences (e.g. confidence) are taken into consideration (Weinberg & Butt, 2005).

Goal Phrasing Fourth, how a goal is phrased is important. Goals should be positively worded and define what the athlete is trying to ~ NOVEM8ER / DECEM8ER 2007 â&#x20AC;˘ TECHNIQUE

achieve rather than what he/she is trying to avoid. For example, "I will not fall on my series" is a negatively worded goal, while "I will stick my series three out of three times" is a positively worded goal. Both phrases target the same skill and outcome; however, the first focuses attention on avoiding failure and the second on achieving success.

Goal Proximity Finally, whether the goal will be long or short term must be determined. Benefits of short-term goals include more frequent feedback and greater flexibility (Getz & Rainey, 2001); while benefits of long-term goals include a detailed path to where the athlete would ultimately like to be and reduced possibility of excessive goal re-evaluation (Weinberg & Butt, 2005). According to Bandura (1996), however, a long-term goal combined with short-term goals designed to help achieve the long-term goal is likely to be more effective than long or short-term goals alone.

Goal Setting Process Step 1: Set a Goal Thefirst step in the goal setting process is to choose an appropriate goal. This step should begin with a thorough assessment of the athlete's strengths and weaknesses and take into consideration whether the goal is for practice or competition.

Step 2: Commit to the Goal The next step is to develop goal commitment.This can be done by including the athlete in the goal setting process (e.g. allowing the athlete to choose his/ her goals); emphasizing benefits associated with goal achievement (e.g. feelings of accomplishment;compete at a higher level); and bolstering social support (e.g. make goals public; encourage team support) (Weinberg & Butt, 2005).

Step 3: Identify Obstacles Once a goal has been chosen and the athlete has committed to the goal, potential obstacles that may hinder goal achievement should be identified. Some typical obstacles include internal obstacles such as a lack of confidence and inadequate physical and/ or psychological skills and external obstacles such as insufficient training time/equipment, work/family/personal

.....

responsibilities, and lack of social support (Burton, et aI., 2001).

Step 4: Create a Plan Then, after potential obstacles have been identified, a plan for goal achievement must be created. This plan should consist of measures the athlete can take to reach his/her goal that address the obstacles identified in Step 3 (e.g. more upper body conditioning; more time spent on flexibility). Step 5: Get Feedback Feedback has been demonstrated to be an important component of successful goal setting (Burton, et aI., 2001). That is, in order to maximize the effectiveness of goals, athletes should be provided meaningful, positive, non-controlling (Le. autonomy-supportive) feedback on their progress toward their chosen goals (Chen, 2001).

Step 6:Evaluate Goal Attainment The next step is to determine whether or not the athlete has achieved his/her goal. If the athlete created a specific goal, this step is very easy; however, if a vague, subjective goal was chosen (e.g. improve my vault), this step will be more difficult.

Step 7: Reinforce Goal Achievement Finally, if after evaluating the athlete's performance it was determined that the athlete achieved his/her goal, Celebrate! Praise the athlete for his/ her persistence, effort, and improvement. Let him/her know that you are proud of and excited about his/her accomplishment. Also, depending on the athlete and the situation, material rewards may be appropriate; however, these should be used sparingly and with caution. Rather than enhancing motivation, research has consistently shown that material incentives can actually decrease effort, persistence, and motivation by limiting behaviors to those specifically requ ired for task completion, send ing the message that the task is not of value in and of itself, and by focusing energy on reward attainment rather than goal achievement (Mageau & Vallerand, 2003). When the characteristics of goals are considered and the steps ofthe goal-setting process are followed, goals can enhance effort, persistence, intensity, motivation, and ultimately, performance. 1\

References Bandura, A. (1996). Failures in self路regulation: Energy depletion or selective disengagement? Psychological Inquiry, 7(1), 20路24. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/ PM.qst?a=o&d=77025245 Burton, D., Naylor, S., & Holliday, B. (2001). Goal setting in sport: Investigating the goal effectiveness paradox. In R Singer, H. Hausenblas, & Janelle (Eds.). Handbook of Sport Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 497-528). New York, NY: Wiley & Sons. Chen, D. D. (2001). Trends in augmented feedback research and tips for the practitioner. JOPERD-The Journa l of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 72(1), 32. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002383980 Deci, E.L., & Ryan, RM. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-det ermination in human behavior. New York: Plenum. Getz, G. E., & Rainey, D. W. (2001). Flexible short-term goals and basketball shooting performance. Journal of Sport Behavior, 24(1),31. Retrieved May 24, 2007, from Questia database: httpJ/www.questia.com/ PM.qst?a=0&d=5002388270 Mageau, G. A., & Va llerand, RJ. (2003). The coach-athlete relationsh ip : A motivational modeUournal of Sport Sciences, 21 (11 ). Steinberg, G. M., Singer, R N., & Murphey, M. (2000). The benefits to sport achievement when a multiple goal orientation is emphasized. Journal of Sport Behavior, 23(4), p. 407. Retrieved October 7, 2005, from the Capella University Library, ProQuest database. Weinberg, R, & Butt.J. (2005). Goal setting in sport and exercise domains: The theory and practice of effective goal setting. In D. Hackfort,J. Duda, & R Lidor (Eds.). Handbook of Research in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology: International Perspectives (pp. 129-146). Morgantown, WV: West Virginia Universi ty.

TECHHIQUE路 NOVEMBE R/ DECEMBER 2007

Introducing Motionwear's New Competition Team Collection 2007/2008

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FITNESS CHALLENGE

2007 Tyson Fitness Challenge

k you to all of the clubs that participated in the 2007 son Fitness Challenge and celebrated National Gymnastics ay on Aug. 4. USA Gymnastics partnered with Children's Miracle Network in 2001 and announced in February its goal to raise a total of $1 million by the end of 2008. USA Gymnastics appreciates every donation, large or small, because one hundred percent of the money raised helps children in need.

Congress finished third overall in the amount earned for CMN but was not eligible for a prize since they are not a club. Congrats to Region 6 Kathy Ostberg, Women's National Administrative Chair, Jen Scannell, Region 6 Chair, Kathy Feldmann, Vice President -Member Services and auctioneer for raising more than $8,000 which went directly to Boston Children's Hospital.

CLUB WINNERS

INDIVIDUAL WINNERS

Gymnastics World in Broadview Heights, Ohio, raised $25,505, the most of any club this year, for its local Children's Miracle Network hospital, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. For its efforts, Gymnastics World and its owners, Ron and Joan Ganim, will receive the grand prize of an AAI vault table, valued at $3,332.This is the third time this club has been the top fund raiser! In second place was John Macready and John Roethlisberger's Flip Fest, a summer gymnastics camp in Crossville, Tenn ., that raised $10,000. Flip Fest will receive an AAI vault board, valued at $730. Placing third by raising $7,342.75 was Gedderts'rwistars USA in Dimondale, Mich. The club and its owners, John and Kathryn Geddert, will receive an AAI folding mat, valued at $214. The top-three clubs also will receive Tyson coupons and a one-year USA Gymnastics club membership. The Region 6 Auction held in conjunction with Regional

Andrew Wise from Sonshine Academy in Conway, Ark., raised the most money by an individual for the second straight year. He raised $3,707 this year, $1,000 more than the $2,578 he collected in 2006. Andrew's money will benefit his local Children's Miracle Network hospital, Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark. Wise will be featured on a USA Gymnastics promotional poster in 2008. The second-place finisher is Michelle Moock of Gymnastics World of Broadview Heights, Ohio. Her $3,403 will help Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Lauren Briskey from the Flip Zone in Plainfield, Ind., was third and raised $1,550 for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind. The top-three individuals who raise the most money for Children's Miracle Network will receive a trip for two to the 2008 Tyson American Cup in ' New York City, competition tickets, pre-event VIP hospitality passes and a one-night stay in the USA Gymnastics host hotel. X

TECHNIQUE' NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007

and National Gymnastics Day

Second p lace winners: John Macready and John Roethlisberger, Flip Fest Camp.

First place winners: Joan and Ron Ganim, Gymnastics World, Inc.

Third place winners: Kathryn and John Geddert, Gedderts' Twistars.

Clubs Total Donation Amounts (Iub Name

State

Gymnastics World, Inc. FlipFest Camp Region6 Auction Gedderts'Twistars Sonshine Academy Texas Dreams Gymnastics Jump.StartGymnastics California SportsCenter TNTGymnastics Trick's Gymnastics Legacy Gymnastics .... Grand Blanc Gymnastics Cincinnati Gymnastics Eagles GYmnastic? and Dance~entre The Flip Zon~ EagleGymnastics Academy ~i mHigh Academy Mpact Martial Arts &~ymnastics Champion Gymnastics Rockville Gymnastics Rec &Dance Windsor Gymnastics Discover Gymnastics DynamiteAcademyof Gymnastics AspireKidsSportsCeQler Lake Murray Gymnastics . Perfect Balance World of Gymnastics Lee County Gymnastics Team Gymnastics Plus Greater Jacksonville Gymnastics Booster Club All American The Masters FundamentalsGymnastics Butler Gymnastics Club Gymnastics ETC North Raleigh Gymnastics West Valley Gymnastics School Wichita Gymnastics Al l That Athletics 1st Class Gymnastics North Florida Gymnastics

OH $25,470.10 TN $10,000.00 MA $8,245.00 MI .. $6,750.62 AR .. $6,150.00 TX $4,590.00

FL CA .... KY ..MI OH MO IN TX RI · TN TX NY VA TX

ream total

,---

CT AZ SC NJ GA NC WA FL FL TN NM PA NC CA KS MI MD FL

$4,309.50 .. $4,101 .00 $3,67437 $3,652.81 $3,584.50 $3,40500 $3,200.00 $2,64983 $2,645.00 $2,49260 $2,287.55 $2,286.51 $2.248.00 $2,238.00 · $2,13580 $2,05000 $2,040.00 $2,000.00 $1,825.00 $1,810.00 $1,741.00 $1,675.00 $1,627.63 $1,561.67 $1,561.63 $1,550.00 $1 ,542.50 $1,528.50 $1,526.50 $1,36100 $1,20745 $1,200.00 $1,19725 $1,12700 $1,125.00

Club Name

State

DeVeau's School of Gymnastics IN Juergen's Gymnastics Academy TX Gym South GA Ohio.Gymnastics Institute OH YMCA &....... JCC of....... Greater Toledo OH .... Nastics NY Infinity Gymnastics Club TX USA Gymnastics Guiness Record Event MN Eagle'sWings Athletics TX planet Gymnastics CA AthensClarkeGymnastics Academy GA Giant Gymnastics NJ Gymnastics Beat CA TX Houston~ymnasti~s Academy ...... MillsGymnastics(entral Booster Club MI Kauai Gymnastics Academy HI DanceMoves &Gymnastics IN Sasso'sDance&Gymnastics NV Monmouth ~ymnasticsAcademy NJ EmpireGymnastics Academy TX The Little Gym of Port Orange FL Phantom Gymnastics NH Fun and Fit Gymnastics CA Gym Magic NM Bardstown GYmnastics KY Parkettes National GymnasticsTraining Center PA Central Coast Gymnastics Sports Center CA Planet Gymnastics MA Prairie Fire Gymnastics& Athletic Center IA Inspire Athletics, Inc. IN USA Gymnastics Friends and Employees IN Cand ZGymnastics and Cheer Academy, Inc. PA Hill Country Gymnastics TX North Florida Gymnastics &Cheerleading FL Wendy's Gymnastics & Fitness for Children OH Boerne Gymnastics Center TX HartlandGymnastics MI The Peak UT Connections Gymnastics School NJ Santa Cruz Gymnastics School CA Universal Gymnastics, Inc. OH _----

Team total

Club Name

State

Team total

$1,125.00 $1,07640 $1,04435 $1,032.55 $1,000.00 $939.00 $937.00 $<J32.o6 $928.55 $894.20 $859.00 $858.95 $850.00 $790.00 $775.00 $720.00 $680.50 $665.00 $618.00 $603.25 $572.00 $530.00 $530.00 $525.50 $507.00 $500.00 $500.00 $473.00 $450.00 $420.90 $420.00 $405.25 $354.00 $33138 $305.00 $302.25 $299.88 $275.00 $260.00 $250.00 $216.90

Bounce National Gymnastics Day Iowa Gym Nest Gymnastic\ Worldof the Palm Beaches Head Over Heels Gymnastics Leading Edge Gymnastics Academy North Acrovision Sports Center Buckeye Gymnastics Gymnastics Sports Center SummitAcademy of Gymnastics Gymnastics Unlimited Gymnastics Nevada Gymtime Rhythm & Blues River CityGYmnastics and Cheerleading Mid Illinois Gymnastics and Dance, Inc. Sterling Gymnastics Academy Kristie Phillips Athletic Center Tumble Bee Pride GYmnastics AltiusGymnastics Flip NGymnastics

MI IA FL AL WA OR OH

$200.00 $190.00 $184.00 $180.00 $170.00 $170.00 $165.00 $160.00 $150.00 $150.00 $118.00 $10000 $95.00 $75.00 $70.00 $60.00 $50.00 $25.00 $25.00 $20.00

Totals

$165,487.13

IN NY NV NY ... TX IL MA NC NY CA WI FL

2008 National

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REBECCA BROSS REBECCA BROSS IS 14 YEARS OLD and the junior women's national

champion. She not only took first all-around at the 2007 Visa Championships in the junior division but she also took first on vault, bars and floor and was second on beam . Bross has done very well internationally, too. She finished second all-around at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, helped her team win the gold medal and also won the individual event gold medal on floor exercise. Bross was a member of the 2006 Junior Pan American Championships and Pacific Alliance Teams that won the gold medal. More recently, Bross took first in the all-around and swept all four events at the 2007 Jr. Japan Competition in Yokohama, Japan. Bross trains at WOGA in Plano, Texas, and is coached by Valeri Liukin and Natalya Marakova. Originally from Michigan , Bross started gymnastics at age 6. Her favorite thing about gymnastics is learning new skills. Bross is home schooled and in the eighth grade. Her goals including ma king an Olympic Team and getting a college scholarship. X PHOTO: NElSE HANSEN

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BUSINESS TIPS

Tuition Increases = Student Dropout Recently, I received the following email. Until recently I had no good response for this or similar situations. Now I do and I want to share my response with you. Jeff Dear Mr. Metzger, My children have attended various classes at Kids First for the last five years. I'm a true fan of your facility and have referred countless people to your programs, many of whom have joined, but others who have declined for the very reason I am about to outline. My youngest daughter, Suzie, is in the Tumble Bees program and loves her classes and her amazing teacher. Due to our summer schedule, we opted not to enroll her during the summer but have been eagerly waiting on the first session of 2007-08. Mr. Metzger, our anticipation was dampened by reality when we received Kids First's class schedule. I completely understand you're run ni ng a busi ness, and a very successful, well respected one at that. However, I'm a stay-at-home mom of three incredible children and the ever increasing cost of your classes is becoming prohibitive for us. I would also venture to guess we are not the

only Kids First family who has found themselves in this same predicament and, therefore, have had to withdraw. Out of financial necessity, we have had to switch my older two children to more affordable sports programs. I'm hoping this will not have to be the case for my Suzie. Kids First is unquestionably a top notch facility but I urge you to try to provide more affordable classes or, at the very least, to stop the ongoing tuition increases. This is especially true for the preschool classes, which most parents just have their kids in for fun. From a more practical, business standpoint, lower prices could also stimulate higher growth and, in the long run, greater revenue and a win-win situation for all. Thank you for your consideration of this important issue and kudos to you and the entire Kids First family for the wonderful job you do with the children. It truly is appreciated. Sincerely, K

~-~ Ilf)f)'I' ~Small Business

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Hi K,

First, please understand I am hugely empathetic with your plight. Second, I appreciate your taking time to write-your effort allows Kids First to possibly help your family. This year's pricing decisions were a struggle for our entire crew (we operate our business in a collaborative manner and all Department Leaders are involved in such important decisions). We began discussion on this subject in January and finalized decisions after the May Bureau of ~ continue on p.16

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~ continued from p.14 Labor statistics were released in June, which put the annualized [PI data at more than 7%, a number similar to the escalation of our business expenses. Allow me to share some internal information with you. Primary fixed expenses: Our 2-acre building has 27-foot ceilings and is 50x the volume of an average house. You can guess our utility

being "fixed," to lo wer prices would require withholding raises for our employees. At first blush, that may sound like a fine idea but doing so would ultimately lead to a decline in the quality of our employees, the very thing that makes us what we are. Company profit, a modest 8.5%: One way we possibly could reduce prices would be to forgo company profit, which is a

".t ·IS sometimes · · sal·d , a b uSlness owners , first responsibility is to stay in business and • believe that to be true., ,

this letter-we very likely can help your fam ily. Basing it on a model established by universities, Kids First has recently established a Scholarsh ip Program for deserving fam ilies. Please note there is an application process and all applications are reviewed by a board comprised of company officers and accounting. Based on the decisions of this board, a partial or full scholarship may be awarded. If you are interested, please stop by the customer service desk to pick up a scholarship application or respond to me and I will be happy to forward one to you. Once again, thank you for your time, effort and kind words about our company. Sincerely, Jeff Metzger

costs. Just like for your home, real estate taxes have been escalating at an uncomfortable pace and now exceed $80k/yr. Our facility lease payments are fortunately slightly below market but still exceed $525,OOO/yr. with a COLA (cost of living) escalator. The biggest dilemma we face in pricing decisions: Payroll is the company's largest expense category and it accounts for 47tt of every revenue dollar. With the above expenses

consistent, modest 8.5%. Th at too may sound like a fine idea to the client but ultimately a decline in profit would lead to a decline in our ability to keep our facility fresh or grow, which is the kiss of death for a business. It is sometimes said a business owners' first responsibility is to stay in business, and I believe that to be true. Perhaps Kids First can help your family. Now, to the most important point of

(Dear reader: if you would li ke to receive a pdf of our Scholarship Application via email, please send your request to gymclub@aol.com. Make it a great fall!) X

Ceff Metzger USA Gymnastics Business Development Partner President, Small Business Boot Camp President, Kids First Sports Center

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Did you know as a Member Club you have the right to use the Member Club logo on your club website, club commercials and/or any printed marketing Did you know that materials for your gym club? Did you know that you receive a free online Member Clubs receive a rree one-page web employment classified ad for the entire year? Did you know that Member Clubs receive an site linked to the USA Gymnastics website? annual marketing kit with National Gymnastics In addition, only Day posters, Tyson Fitness Challenge program member clubs are kit, posters and a DVD to show in your lobby. included in the The DVD includes gymnastics commercials that club search. So, you can customize for your gym and use on if someone is your local TV station. Did you know that the Member Clubs have looking for a club in their area, only Member Clubs will be a password protected site with useful business tips, business articles, polls, statistics, clip shown in the club search directory.

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art and an online marketing guide? Also, did you know that when you send in a sanction for an invitational, it will be listed on the USA Gymnastics web site and in Technique? In addition to the benefits listed above, USA Gymnastics continue to provide its Member Clubs with daily/weekly communication by broadcast emails on the latest news at USA Gymnastics. To sign up online, visit the link below to print the application or simply sign up online. ,3.::

http://www. usa-gymnastics.org/ membership/ club.html If we can be of any assistance, please call

Member Services Department at 1-800-345-4719, Club Services Coordinator, Stephanie Parrish at 317-829-5648 or Director Club Services Loree Galimore at 317-829-5654. ~ continue on p.20

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Member Club Benefits • Free web site and link to USA Gymnastics web site on the "find a club search" • Free employment ads all year long on the web site • Discounts on Congress, National Business Conference and I-Day Business Builders Workshops. • A Member Club Only Website with useful business information, clip art, benefits of gymnastics articles, etc. • Free Invitational Listings on the web site and in Technique • Weekly Broadcast Emails on the latest information • A useful marketing kit filled with three posters, a video to show in your lobby to promote gymnastics and commercials that you can use on TV to promote your school. Additionally, an online marketing brochure and how to access the useful online materials, logo and ad slicks and a sample of our Guide to Gymnastics. • 2008 Seasonal materials-3' x 5' Banner, window decal and logo slick • Professional Development Certification Program materials to certify your staff in-house • One year subscription to Technique magazine ~

V ' INATIONAL !\ CONGR!;:SS USA GY," NASTICS

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2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Gymnastics Event TIckets: Special rate for all session tickets for Congress attendees. Registration form: In next issue of Technique and on Website at www.usa-gymnastics.org Special discounted group registration for Member Clubs. Special Early Bird Pricing

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USA GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY COURSE OFFERINGS USA GYMNASTICS UNIVERSITY debuted two new online courses in October: First Aid Basics and Preschool Fundamentals Part 1: Theory. First Aid Basics teaches the basics of first aid with a focus on the sport of gymnastics. The Part 1: Theory course is the online portion of the Preschool Fundamentals course. The live portion, Part 2: Hands on Training (HOT), debuted this year at the National and Regional Congresses.

COURSE DESCRIPTION First Aid Basics This course provides basic first aid information for all gymnastics professionals. It covers injury prevention, common types of gymnastics injuries and risks and the symptoms and treatment of those injuries. It also includes general information on other life threatening conditions. This course is essential for gymnastics coaches, instructors, and teachers

as well as all gym employees. This online course is $25.00*, and will take approximately two hours to complete. Preschool Fundamentals Part 1: Theory This course is a must have for preschool instructors. Part 1 covers young child development theory including teaching philosophy, stages of child development, characteristics of a good teacher, class management, safety considerations, skill deconstruction, lesson planning, and program assessment. This course will help instructors better understand their students and better prepare, organize, and run safe and successful preschool classes. The Part 1 online course is $50.00*, and will take approximately four hours to complete. Part 2: Hands on Training (HOT) This is a live, hands-on training course designed for preschool instructors. Part 2 course topics include fundamental movement

for children, class safety overview, games, activities to avoid, manipulatives, lesson planning, inclusion of music, thematic teaching, parent/child teaching, and the use of apparatus. This is a great handson follow-up to the theory course, with course instructors demonstrating practical examples of many of the concepts taught in Part 1. It is recommended to take Part 1 prior to Part 2, but not required. The Part 2: HOT live course is $65.00* Check online for the schedule of courses available. www.usa-gymnastics.org/education. All USA Gymnastics University online courses have a 30 day access time. The user is able to log in and out of the course limitlessly during the 30 days. REGISTER FOR A COURSE TODAY! -r. To register or for more information, visit our website at www.usa-gymnastics.org or call USA Gymnastics Member Services at 800-345-4719.

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SUPPORT TEAM USA! The Road to Beijing begins with 2008 USA Gymnastics events ... If history serves, looking at 2004 as a guide, an Olympic Champion may very well emerge in 2008 at a USA Gymnastics event.

Terin Humphrey 2004 Olympic silver medal , uneven bars Paul Hamm 2.004 OlYmpic AII.Around . Champion Silver medal, high bar

2008 USA Gymnastics Events Schedule (Artistic) 2008 Tyson American Cup .... .. ......................................................... New York City, Ny ........ .. .............. March 1, 2008 2008 Pacific Alliance Gymnastics Championships .......................... San Jose, CA ................. ... .... . March 28-30, 2008 2008 Visa Championships

Men's ......... ....... ............... ....... .... ........................... ..... .................. Houston, TX ........ .................... May 22-24,2008 Women's .................... ............... ............ .............. .......................... Boston, MA ................. ................ June 2-5, 2008 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics ................................. Philadelphia, PA ...................... June 19-22, 2008 Schedule subject to change.

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Event Schedule Thursday, June 19 7:00 pm Men's Preliminary All-Around Competition

Friday, June 20 7:00 pm Women's Preliminary All-Around Competition

Saturday, June 21 3:00 pm Men's All-Around Finals

Sunday, June 22 7:00 pm Women's All-Around Finals

Men's Program

~~ U PDATE JOPC MEETING - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2007 I. ROLL CALL Members Present:

Reg 1 - Roger Baldwin Reg 2 - David Klei n Reg 3 - Gil Elsass, Chairman JOPC Reg 4 - Dan Coon Reg 5 - Bob Witmer Reg 6.. ::: DeWayne.DaYenIlQrt..S.m etary Reg 7 - Rick Tucker Reg 8 - Kevi n White Reg 9 - Dean Schott NGJA Rep. - Jon Culbertson Jr. Rep. MP.C..:::.J.imKLe.mpnaue.râ&#x20AC;˘ .PIQXY for Steve Butcher Jr. Rep. MPC - Bill Foster Jr. Coaches Rep - Kelly Crumley Men's Program Director - Dennis McIntyre Junior Olympic Program Coordinator - Jeff Robinson, voice, no vote Members not present

Athlete Rep - Jay Thornton

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 8 2006 SEPTEMBER 10, 2006, CONFERENCE CALL MAR~H 6, 2007 Tabled

III. REPORTS A. 2007 JO Nationals Organizing Committee No report was presented B. National Office Report - Dennis McIntyre The addition of Jeff Robinson has been great for the junior program. He has hit the ground running. He is focusing on the whole junior program, and trying to get the junior athletes ready to handle the complex changes that have occurred as a result of the FIG. Lisa Cooper is now the Men's Program Manager USA Gymnastics is now focusing on World Championships in Stuttgart in 2008, to ensure our qualification to the Olympic Games. The USA Gymnastics' Website is being reorganized. C. Junior Program Report - Jeff Robinson The junior program is very complex, because it needs to be. The state of gymnastics in the world is changing radically and therefore the junior program must change to prepare the athletes for success of our country at the world championship level and at the same time have a program that every athlete can successfully participate within. D. MPC Report - Steve Butcher/Bill Foster (written report) E. NGJA Report - Jon Culbertson (written report) F. 2005-08 Age Group Competition Committee Report (no report)

IV. BID PRESENTATION(S) FOR 2009 JO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Cincinnati Men's Gymnastics Junior Olympic committee, inc. has placed a bid for the 2009 JO National Championships. MOTION: The JOPC recommends that the national office consider awarding the 2009 JO National championships to Cincinnati Men's Gymnastics Junior Olympic Committee, Inc. Motion: Kelly Crumley Second: Bill Foster Vote: Passes unanimously

TECHNIQUE. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

V. NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2008 FRANK CUMISKEY AWARD Nominate Ken Achiron Motion: DeWayne Davenport Second: Bill Foster Note: Nominations will continue to be accepted until the September JOPC meeting.

VI. 2009 - 2012 JUNIOR OLYMPIC PROGRAM - JEFF ROBINSON Jeff Robinson's first initiatives as Men's junior program director are to develop junior programs which are not overly reactive to the FIG changes and yet can meet the needs of the grassroots and elite gymnasts. Therefore he is reorganizing the Age Group Competition Committee and renaming it to the Junior Program Format Coordinating Committee. The structure is as follows. The Junior Program Format Coordinating Committee (JPFCC) will coordinate the work of separate writing committees who will be tasked to writing the draft programs for: a. The compulsory level routines b. Optional level rules c. Competition format d. Future Stars Program (Junior Coaching Staff) There were some concerns that the JPFCC does not report to the JOPc. Dennis McIntyre and Jeff Robinson assured the JOPC that the junior program format coordinating committee does report to the JOPe, even though it was created by the Men's Program Committee. In this regard this committee's work will be reviewed by both the MPC and the JOPc. The Junior Format Coordinating Committee will respond and be responsible to the JOPC exactly as the former AGCC was. Jeff is also looking to find a better delivery method for the junior program material and their updates.

VII. REGIONAL CONGRESSES - JEFF ROBINSON We are looking at providing a men's program structure to be used at Regional Congresses around the country

VIII. QUALIFICATION/REGISTRATION PROCESS TO JUNIOR OLYMPIC NATIONALS Tabled

IX. FORMAT FOR 2008 JUNIOR OLYMPIC NATIONALS PROPOSAL FOR JR QUALIFYING PROCEDURE TO 2008 VISA CHAMPIONSHIPS Straw vote: The JOPC endorses the use of FIG scoring (with MPC approved exceptions) for the All Around Finals competition at JO Nationals. Passes: unanimous Note: The final formatting and adoption of this proposal will take place at the JOPC September meeting.

X. USE OF JR PH FOR LEVEL 4 & 5 COMPETITION Discussion: The committee does not feel the need to introduce a new piece of equipment to the J.O. program.

XI. MEN'S SCHOLARSHIPS (NGF AND SIMMS) Tabled

XII. ELECTION OF JOPC CHAIRMAN Gil Elsass nominated for chairman Motion: Roger Baldwin Second: Bob Witmer Vote: passes unanimous

XIII. NEW BUSINESS A. Setting qualifying scores - Fall JOPC meeting B. Possible separation of the 12 year old and 13 year old age groups at Level 9 at the JO Nationals.

Discussion no action C. Question of equal regional representation of judges at JO Nationals. Discussion no action

Motion: Voichi Tomita Second: Bill Foster PASSED: 5 - 0

XIV. ADJOURNMENT

The Additional Staff credential positions will be nominated from among the perso nal coaches of the Olympic Team Members or USA Gymnastics Men's Program Staff by the Men's Program Committee. Motion: Voichi Tomita Second: Bill Foster PASSED: 5 - 0

Motion to adjourn. Motion: Bob Witmer Second: Dean Scott 11:50est Approved by: Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

••• MEN'S PROGRAM COMMITTEE

IV. ADJOURNMENT Motion : To Adjourn at 11:50 am COT Motion: Bill Foster Second: Voichi Tomita PASSED: 5 -- 0

CONFERENCE CALL MINUTES

Respectfully submitted by Bill Foster, Junior Coaches Representative

THURSDAY, JULY 05, 2007

Approve d by: Dennis McIntyre, Men's Progra m Director Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

Chairman Yoichi Tomita called the meeting to order at 11:08 a.m. COT.

I. ROLL CALL Members Present: Yoichi Tomita, MPC Chairman & Vice Chairman for Men Bill Foster, MPC Secretary & Junior Coaches' Representative Steve Butcher, Junior Coaches' Representative Kurt Golder, Senior Coaches' Representative joined the call at 11:30 am Russ Fystrom, Senior Coaches' Representative Jay Thornton , Athletes' Representative Absent John Roethlisberger, Athletes' Representative Absent Present, Not Voting: Butch Zunich, National Gymnastics Judges Association Absent Ron Brant, Senior Program Coordinator Absent Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Jeff Robinson , Men's Junior Olympic Program Coordinator Ron Galimore, USAG Vice President Events/ Men Steve Penny, USAG President

II. OLYMPIC SELECTION PROCEDURES Steve Penny began the meeting by reviewing the development of current procedures and a problem with regard to the format and viability of an Olympic Trials given selection procedures which provide for 100% discretionary selection. Dennis reviewed extensive statistical analysis of different methods of balancing the needs for selection with the needs for a competition with viable results for the spectators and the television audience. Ron Galimore explained that NBC is doing live television for the Olympic Trials, so the issue of not having an automatic result at the end of the competition is exacerbated. Revise athlete selection to read: Athletes may qualify to the Olympic Games Team in one of three ways: 1. Place first or second in the all around at the conclusion of the 2007 Olympic Team Trials using the final results (combined/weighted results from both the Visa Championships and Olympic Trials). To be eligible for automatic selection, the first or second place all around athlete must have placed in the top three on three of the six events using the final results. Athletes who place first or second in the all around but do not place in the top three on three different events may be selected to the team as provided for in number 2. 2. Be chosen by the Olympic Games Team Selection Committee as one of the remaining, up to six, athlete members for the 2008 Olympic Games Team . To be eligible, a Team Member must be a participant in both the 2008 Visa Championships and 2008 Olympic Team Trials. 3. Petition to the 2008 Olympic Games Team through the petition process. Motion: Russ Fystrom Second: Steve Butcher PASSED: 5 - 0

III. SELECTION OF THE OLYMPIC COACH The Head Coach will be nominated by the MPC no less than 6 months prior to the start of the Olympic Games. Motion: Russ Fystrom Second: Yoichi Tomita PASSED: 5 - 0 The Assistant Coach will be nominated, from among the personal coaches of the Olympic Team Members, by the Selection Committee plus the Head Olympic Coach.

••• MEN'S J. O. PROGRAM COMMITTEE PHONE CONFERENCE CALL JULY 10, 2007 The meeting called to order at 12:05 PM EST by Chair, Gil Elsas

1. ROLL CALL Members Present: Reg 1 - Roger Baldwin, Tim Klempnauer Reg 2 - David Klein Reg 3 - Gilbert Elsass, Chairman JOPC Reg 4 - Dan Coon Reg 5 - Bob Witmer Reg 6 - DeWayne Davenport Reg 7 - Rick Tucker Reg 9 - Dean Schott NGJA Rep. - Jon Culbertso n Jr. Rep. MPC - Bill Foster Jr. Coaches Rep - Kelly Crumley Athlete Rep. - Jay Thornton Junior Olympic Program Coordinator-Jeff Robinson voice, no vote Members not present: Reg 8 - Kevin White Men's Program Dir - Dennis McIntyre Jr. Rep. MPC -Steve Butcher

II. PROPOSAL FOR THE ADOPTION OF FIG SCORING IN THE JO PROGRAM. JEFF ROBINSON The idea of going to an FIG scoring program within the JO Program is understood by the gymnastics' community as inevitable. There was a great deal of discussion concerning the pros and cons of the proposal. However at this time there are some primary concerns as listed below • There have been so many changes within the last year that we should avoid voting on a program that contains areas where there are still questions so as to avoid numerous updates. • Judging inconsistencies between the compulsory and optional levels

,<,ote. fails unanimously Jeff Robinson would like written ideas and feedback within two weeks. Email suggestions about the summit Meeting adjourned Approved by: Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

••• MEN'S PROGRAM COMMITTEE

VISA CHAMPIONSHIPS MINUTES AUGUST 16, 2007 Chairman Yoichi Tomita called the meeting to order at 11:20 a.m. PDT.

I. ROLL CALL Members Present: Yoichi Tomita, MPC Chairman & Vice Chairman for Men

continue on p.26

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • TECHHIQUE

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II. USOC HIGH PERFORMANCE PLAN UPDATE FOR 2008 USA Gymnastics is updating the USOC High Performance plan for 2008 which will include requests for assistance with additional JF equipment for USOT(, JF equipment at Beijing Normal University for training at 2008 Olympics, additional training camps for the senior team and educational technology items such as a DVD copying machine for the men's program for use by the National Team coordinators.

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III. FALL COMPETITIONS

These competitions are available but participation has not been confirmed for all based on availability and budget. a. Junior International in Japan 9/21-26 b. DTB 10/26-28 c. Gander-Swiss Cup 10/2 9-11/ 5 d. Glasgow 11/8-11 e. Olympic Test Event 11/28- 12/3

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IV. ATHLETE FUNDING Current team funding program ends December 31, 2007. The MPC must consider the 2008 funding program in the near future. There was a general discussion of the funding for 2008.

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A. Discussion to refine the field of athletes eligible to compete at the Winter Cup Challenge as well as the possible consideration of a video submission fee to offset the cost of having judges evaluate the video submissions which is a very time consuming task . It is anticipated that the format for the competition in 2008 will remain the same with Thursday-Saturday competitions. B. Discussion of National Team Selection at the Winter Cup Challenge: In addition to the 7 members of the WC Team, the 7 members will be selected. Motion: To select the 7 open Senior National Team positions at the Winter Cup Challenge in the following manner: • 4 members selected rank order using the National Team Points System . The points system will be published no less than 45 days in advance of the competition . • 3 members selected by the Men's Program Committee. Motion: Jay Thornton Second: Yoichi Tomita PASSED: Unanimously C. Winter Cup Challenge - Las Vegas 2009-2010 Motion: Award the meet to the Dusty Ritter Gymnastics, LLC in 2009 and 2010. The MPC will review whether to award the meet to Dusty Ritter Gymnastics for 2011 and 2012 in 2009. Motion: Steve Butcher Second: Bill Foster PASSED: Unanimously D. Discussion on the need to increase the emphasis on doing 2 vaults starting with the 2009 Winter Cup by requiring two vaults from all competitors. This will be further discussed in the future with a goal of giving a one year advance notice of thi s requirement if it is adopted.

VI. 2008 QUALIFIER APRIL 18·19, 2008 The MPC endorsed exploring the possibility of moving the Qualifier to Wednesday, April 23. This will be a one day competition event. This is the only way to accommodate the NCAA coaches and the Junior Athletes/ Coaches

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VII. 2008 VISA CHAMPIONSHIPS Any changes to the competition format must be completed and in print 45 days prior to the first qualifying competition scheduled for April 19, 2008. It is anticipated that this will be a Thursday-Saturday competition.

VIII. OLYMPIC SELECTION Procedures have been approved, pending USOC Board of Directors approval. The procedures will be posted on the USA Gymnastics web site ~ continue on p.28

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••• j

UPDATE

- I MEN'S

I. ROLL CALL

IX. LEVEL 3 FIG BREVET COACHES' COURSE

The course will be held November 4-8 at the USOTC. Information will be sent out as soon as it is available.

X. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE

Dennis reported on the status of the plans and procedures for the World Championships.

XI. PETITIONS Tabled until the National Team Selection meeting

XII. NEW BUSINESS Discussion of the procedure of placing petitioned athletes on the National Team, unranked and "unfunded." (In actuality, unranked and limited funding .)

XIII. ADJOURNMENT Motion: To Adjourn at 12:18 pm CDT Motion: Steve Butcher Second: Jay Thornton PASSED: Unanimously

Members Present: Yoichi Tomita, MPC Chairman & Vice Chairman for Men - excused himself from meeting due to potential conflict of interest Jay Thornton , Athletes' Representative Bill Foster, MPC Secretary & Junior Coaches' Representative Steve Butcher, Junior Coaches' Representative Kurt Golder, Senior Coaches' Representative joined the call at Russ Fystrom, Senior Coaches' Representative John Roethlisberger, Athletes' Representative Present, Not Voting: Butch Zunich , National Gymnastics Judges Association ABSENT Ron Brant, Senior Program Coordinator Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Jeff Robinson, Junior Olympic Program Coordinator

II. SELECTION OF THE 2007·08 NATIONAL TEAM

Respectfully submitted by Bill Foster, Junior Coaches Representative Approved by: Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Di rector Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

•••

MEN'S PROGRAM COMMITTEE NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION MINUTES AUGUST 17, 2007

Chairman Jay Thornton called the meeting to order at 11:15 p.m. PDT.

Review of National Team Points System which was used to select 8 team members. Those team members are : David Durante, Guillermo Alvarez, Jonathan Horton , Sho Nakamori , David Sender, Sean Golden, Alexander Artemev, Justin Spring . Discussion of all gymnasts who participated in the 2007 USA Championships. Petitions for Sean Townsend and Tim McNeil were also considered .

III. MOTION FOR PLACEMENT ON THE SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM Add: Kevin Tan, Joey Haggerty, Clay Strother, Paul Hamm, and Yewki Tomita Motion: Jay Thornton Second: Kurt Golder PASSED: 5-0-1 ~ continue on p.30

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UPDATE IV. PETITION FOR SEAN TOWNSEND Motion: Approve the petition and place Townsend in the 14th position on the National Team Motion: Jay Thornton Second: Steve Butcher PASSED: 6-0

V. PETITION FOR TIM MCNEIL Motion: Approve the petition and place in an unranked, limited funded position on the National Team Motion: Kurt Golder Died for lack of a second

XIII. ADJOURNMENT Motion: To Adjourn at 11:40 pm PDT Motion: Kurt Golder Second: Steve Butcher PASSED: Unanimously RespectfulLy sub mitted by BiLL Foster, Junior Coaches Representative Approved by: Denni s McIntyre, Men's Program Director Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

••• MEN'S PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 Chairman Yoichi Tomita caLLed the meeting to order at 11:05.m. CST.

I. ROLL CALL

Members Present: Yoichi Tomita, MPC Chairman & Vice Chairman for Men Jay Thornton , AthLetes' Representative Jon VaLdez, MPC Secretary & Senior Coaches' Representative

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Steve Butcher, Junior Coaches' Representative Stacy MaLoney, Junior Coaches' Representative Russ Fystrom, Senior Coaches' Representative

Present, Not Voting: Butch Zunich, NationaL Gymnastics Judges Association Ron Brant Se ni or Program Coo rdinato r Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Jeff Robinson, Junior Olympic Program Coordinator Absent: John RoethLisberger

II. DISCUSSION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2007. DISCUSSION CENTERED AROUND AVAILABILITY OF ATHLETES BASED ON INJURIES, AND INTEREST IN ASSIGNMENTS Motion: 1.) Send David Durante to the Author Gander- Swiss Cup competition 2.) Designate Sho Nakamori, David Sender, Guillermo ALvarez, Kevin Tan, Sean GoLden, CLay Strother, Sean Townsend, Yewki Tomita as potentiaL competitors for the Beijing OLympic Test Event and to determine the 6 co mp etitors, 1 non-traveLing aLternate after the October 24-28, 2007 Senior NationaL Team Camp. 3.) Designate Kevin Mazeika, head coach, and Thorn GLieLmi assistant coach for the Beijing Test Event . Motion: Yoichi Tomita Second: Jay Thornton PASSED: 5-0-1

III. REVIEWED JOPC QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES TO THE JUNIOR DIVISION OF THE 2008 VISA CHAMPIONSHIPS RECOMMENDATION Motion: To accept quaLification procedures to the Junior Division of the 2008 Visa Championships as recom mended in the proposaL from Jeff Robinson, Men's Junior Olympic Program Coordinator. Motion: Jon Valdez

Second: Stacy Maloney PASSED: 6-0-0

IV. THE PUERTO RICAN FEDERATION HAS REQUESTED PERMISSION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2008 WINTER CUP CHALLENGE AS PART OF THEIR OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION PROCESS. Motion: Approve up to 4 athletes from the Puerto Rican Federation to participate in the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge Motion: Russ Fystrom Second: Jay Thornton PASSED: 6-0 V. Motion: To Adjourn at 12:05 CST Motion: Jon Valdez Second: Yoichi Tomita PASSED: Unanimously Respectfully submitted by: Jon Valdez, Senior Coaches Representative Approved by: Dennis McIntyre, Men's Program Director Approved by: Steve Penny, USAG President

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PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES

APRIL 28-29, 2007; INDIANAPOLIS, IN I. ROLL CALL Linda Ocmand - NPCC

Jennifer Hess - NTCC Selena Peco - NJOCC Ivaylo Katsov - NECC - absent Michael Rodrigues - NAR Tonya Case - VC (non-voting) - joined by conference call Tom Housley - PM (non-voting)

II. 4 YEAR PLAN Program Committee met at the USA Gymnastics National Office in Indianapolis, IN to discuss goals and objectives for the Acrobatic Gymnastics Program in the United States over the next 4 years. PC felt it was essential to set clear-cut goals with quantitative measures in order to efficiently and effectively achieve the overall program goal of Program Development.

III. PROGRAM COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT GOALS BY DECEMBER 2009: Judges - 25 total new judges (Region 1, 3, 4, 7 - 20 judges) (Region 2, 5 - 5 judges) Introductory Athlete Memberships - 200 additional Clubs - 5 additional Coaches - 25 additional Athletes - 300 additional Total Membership = 1650 (30% growth) Motion: LO Second: SP PASSED

IV. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE A new Program Development initiative, individuals within each region will be invited by the Program Committee to help promote the sport of Acro. The PDTF helps to educate new coaches and clubs within their regions with educational materials created by the Acrobatic Gymnastics program by proactively approaching pre-existing dance and gymnastics clubs. PC recommends ~ continue on p.32

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UPDATE the following individuals based on past and current success within their own regions to be invited as members of the Program Development Task Force. Proactively approach potential clubs i. Region 1 - Pam Meier / Nancy Davis ii. Region 2 - Lee Hatfield iii. Region 3 - Brandi Lewis / Selena Peco / Lorna Spellman iv. Region 4 - Ronda Francis / Dawn Mortiz v. Region 5 - Angela Layne / Illya Demyanyuk vi. Region 7 - Sharise Beavers / Leeann Leenhart vii. Region 8 - Jennifer Hess Linda Ocmand, National Program Committee Chair will provide leadership and direction to this grou p. A meeting wi ll be scheduled for the PDC to meet at the 2007 J.O. National Champions hips. Motion: LO Second: MR PASSED

V. ACRO PRE路TEAM PROGRAM The Acro Pre-team Progra m, a new Program Development initiative, will help new Acro clubs start-u p more easily while curre nt Acro clubs can use the program to potentially create a feeder program for their competitive Acro teams. The Pre-Team package will include pictograms, educational pictures, week-to-week lesson plans, program guidelines, marketing initiatives, and a DVD Companion video. The project is tentatively scheduled to roll-out Fall 2007. With the vision, enthusias m, and current success of Aerial Tumbling and Acrobatics, ATA is leading the design of the Pre-team Program. The pre-team program will be implemented to increase total number of introd uctory ath lete mem berships within t he Acro program and help achieve Program Developme nt goa l of 200 new introductory athletes by Dece mber 2009. PC recommends focus of high priority to be placed on the construction of a PreTeam Program over the month of May and June 2007. Motion: LO Second: SP PASSED

VI. FREEDOM CUP a. Recommendations for Freedom Cup Delegation Officials: i. Head Of Delegation - Ronda Francis ii. Head Coach - Ivaylo Katsov iii. Head Coach - Selena Peco iv. Assistant Coach (Junior/Senior) - Resi Buell-Size v. Assistant Coach (Age Group) - Nancy Davis vi. Team Manager (Junior/Senior) - Sharise Beavers vii. Team Manager (Age Group) - Linda Meier Motion: LO Second: MR PASSED

SP, IK abstained on decisions related to personal assignments b. All USA athletes and coaches attending Freedom Cup will function within the delegation structure and work together as a team. All are required to stay at the host hotel and USA Gymnastics wi ll make room assignments for the delegation . This is the case regardless if the ath lete is competing for t he USA or their club team. This is a unique opportunity to bring together coaches and athletes from across the country and provide them with t he experience of participating in international competition as well as being part of an official delegation. c. Awards i. Seniors - All-around award based on final combined exercise. ii. Juniors - All-around award based on final combined exercise. iii. AGC - all-around award based on final exercise (pair/ groups have choice of competing balance or dynamic exercise). iv. Maximum 12 pair/ groups per age group per event can qualify for finals. No restrictions per club team or country.

VII. 2007 REGIONAL CONGRESSES Presentations are being created to present at each Regional Congress. The decision was made to begin to increase awareness in each region and to sta nd ardize the information being co mmun icated across the country.

VIII. 2007 NATIONAL TEAM/JONT TRAINING CAMP A training camp is tentatively scheduled for October or November. This wi ll be a joint camp for the Senior National Team, Junior National Team and JO National Team.

IX. 2008 ACRO EVENT SCHEDULE PC discussed the 2008 Acro Event Schedule. 2008 year is an Olympic Yea r and will also include t he Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. Two (2) tentative plans we re discussed in order to best prepare U.S. athletes for the upcoming competition season based on the dates of the Acro World Championships. The fina l plan is dependant on the timing of the 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.

X. 2008 SUPER CLINIC A motion was called fo r the 2008 Super Clinic to increase focus on ed ucati ng coaches and judges on a national-level. Emphasis of the Super Clinic is for the education of judges and coaches. Much va lue gai ned when judges from aro und the country meet together to discuss the issues and learn together. The Super Clinic is sched uled to move in the direction of conducting education at a high level for Regional and National judges. Education of local level judges will be handled within regio ns. In order to better educate all Acro judges and increase the time spent together on a national leve l, the focus of the Super Clinic will be for experienced judges, 2nd year local and above. The increased focus on education is to continue efforts towards Prog ra m Development and to achieve membership goals by Decem ber 2009. (Pending budget approval). Motion: LO Second: JH Passed ~ continue on p.34

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UPDATE XI. 2008 REGIONAL ATHLETE CLINICS PC discussed ideas on the implementation of Regional Athlete Clinics in order to continue the development of the athlete pipeline of our Junior Olympic National Team athletes, increase grassroots development, and to co ntinue educating Acro coaches within each region .

XIV. 2009 SUPER CLINIC (INTERNATIONAL JUDGES COURSE)

Discussions were held on the potential hosting of an International Judges' Course in conjunction with the 2009 Super Clinic. Details are yet to be confirmed and are dependant on the Brevet Judges' Course.

XV. MAY (05路14路07) TECHNICAL UPDATE

Tom briefly shared ideas on a Junior Olympic Nationa l Team Coordinator whose partial role would be to serve as lead clinician for the Regional Athlete Clinics. The JONTC wi ll help to standardize training amongst athletes and coaches to help ensure the most success during international competitions as well as increase coaches' education on training styles, conditioning, and peaking .

PC revised the May Technical Update. A motion was called to post the revised May Technical Update, on the Acro we bsite, upon completion. Motion: LO Second: JH PASSED

In conjunction with the Regional Athlete Clinics, an opportunity to host an AcroBasics course may also be available to aid new clubs and coaches starting up an Acro program. The implementation of Regional Athlete Clinic and Acrobasic courses held in conjunction wou ld help to make strides to achieving Program Development goals and continue the development of the athlete pipeline.

XVI. COMPULSORY MUSIC

Recommendation - A meeting is to be scheduled at the 2007 J.O. National Championships to discuss options and to further develop these clinics with the Regional Administrative Chairs. (Pending budget approval). Motion: IK Second: LO Passed

XII. 2008 REGIONAL JUDGES CLINICS

To achieve the goal of increasing the total number of judges within the Acro program, PC recommends Regional Judges' Clinics to be held within each region before the start of each competition season. The focus will be placed on education for new and/or local Acro judges. (Pending budget approval). Motion: LO Second: JH Passed

XIII. 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS In 2008, the Acrobatic Gymnastics National Championships wi ll crown the national champions for both Junior Olympic athletes (Levels 5 - 10) and the Junior and Senior Elite athletes. Additionally, depending on the date and location of the 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships and also due to the separation of Visa Championships due to the Olympic Trials in 2008, PC encourages all elite coaches to potentially prepare for the 2008 National Team Trials to be held earlier in the 2008 season. National Tea m Trials serves as the qualifying meet for all elite nationals to compete at the 2008 National Championships. As the dates for the 2008 World Championships are announced, additional details will be provided to all elite coaches. Recommendation for 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics National Championships to crown both Junior Olympic and Elite National Champions. Motion: IK Second: SP Passed

PC di scussed the possibility of offering compulsory music for Level 4. Music would be created solely for USA Gymnastics and the Acrobatic Gymnastics program and used for all Level 4 events. Music wo uld be event specific. Plans are being made to include comp ulsory music in the near future.

XVII. LEVEL MOBILITY - ELIGIBILITY REPORT FORM

Linda Ocmand made a motion to require all coaches to fill out the Ski lls Testing Eligibility Report and submit to the National Office for approval prior to Skills Testing, The motion called to verify athlete eligibility prior to the start of Skills Testing and to ensure all athletes are meeting eligibility status per the Acrobatic Gymnastics Rules and Policies. The Eligibility Form must be in-hand to the Program Director ten (10) days prior to the Skills Testing and must be approved before ski ll testing is facilitated. Motion: LO Second: SP Passed

XVIII. LEVEL MOBILITY - COMPETITION EXPERIENCE

A motion was called for all Tariff Sheets and Mobility Report Forms to be sent to the Meet Referee before Tariff Sheet deadlines prior to the start of any competition. Motion: SP Second: LO Passed

XIX. HOW路TO路BOOK

PC re-visited the "How to Start an Acrobatic Gymnastics Prog ram" book and made red-pen revisio ns. The "How-to-Book" is tentatively scheduled to be published July 2007 in time for distribution at t he 2007 National Congress.

xx. JANET VON BARGEN AWARD In honor of long-ti me Acrobatic Gymnastics International rated judge, Janet Von Bargen, a motion was called to create an award on behalf of all Acro judges. The Janet Von Barge n award will be presented each year at the National Championships to a judge who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Motion: LO Second: JH Passed ~continue on p.36

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XXI. PROGRAM COMMITTEE INFRASTRUCTURE a. Recommendation - Michael Rodrigues opens the lines of communication with elite athletes, including JONT athletes, provide international reminders, receive feedback on training, etc. .. b. Recommendation - Jennifer Hess opens lines of communication with U.S. judges, help organize and facilitate Super Clinic and Regional Judges' Clinics, and continues educating all judges in the United States in order to achieve Program Development goal of 25 new judges. c. Recommendation - Selena Peco is to continue focusing on JO program, JONT ath letes, and develop new program deve lopment initiatives to achieve Program Development goal of 25 new coaches. Selena will help (in conjunction with Linda Ocmand and the PDC) to market Regional Athlete Clinics, market AcroBasics courses held in conj unction with Regional Athlete Clinics, and reach out to the RAC for Level 6 and 7 video footage for new coaching videos. d. Recommendation - Ivaylo Katsov opens lines of com munication with elite coaches to aid in the development of elite athletes. PC is recommending Ivaylo to take more of a leadership position with National Team/ JONT training ca mp, lead coaches and athletes at Regional camps, and help to continue to develop Team USA. e. Recommendation - Linda Ocmand is to chair the Progra m Development Committee (PDC) meeting held at the 2007 J .O. National Championships. The PDC meeting is to help deve lop and direct key people within eac h region to actively get clubs involved with the sport of Acrobatic Gymnastics. Approved by Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President 09/ 18/ 2007

Selena welcomed the JO Committee members to the JO Committee Meeting. A reminder was made that no major changes will be made to the Specifications this year. Nancy Davis proposed making a change to Level 7 in terms of how it is scored. The proposal was made to standardize Level 7 with the rest of the developmental program (Level 5 - 8). This proposal has two parts. The first part deals with inconsistency in calculating difficulty and ultimately how that affects scoring. Part 2 describes changes to the different pai r/group skills to better alig n this level with advancement from level 6 and onward to level 8. Part 2 is a secondary step that could be implemented when changes to the Specifications are scheduled to be made. Nancy is happy to work with a coach who has numerous years of experience in terms of developing the men's pair and men's group considering their experience with these two events. A motion was made to eliminate bonus in Level 7 to standardize this level with the other developmental levels. The change will be made January 2008. Motion: NO Second: SP Passed

3. COACHING VIDEO A recommendation was made to develop Level 6 & 7 coaching videos to aid coaches with skills in Level 6 and the expectation of how skills should be performed. Selena Peco will assist Tom Housley with this project using video from the 2007 J.O. National Championships.

4. FIG SKILL EVALUATIONS The deadline for the FIG Skill Evaluations has passed for 2007 (June 1). No new skill evaluations from the US program will be accepted by the FIG .

•••

ACROBATIC GYMNASTICS JUNIOR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE MINUTES

5. 2007 - 08 EVENT CALENDAR Tom reviewed the 2007 - 08 Event Calendar with the committee. The committee was pleased to see a tentative calendar, including dates and site locations for the upcoming season.

JULY 27, 2007

6. NEW PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

1. ROLL CALL

Tom reviewed new programs and initiatives being created by USA Gymnastics and Aerial Tumbling and Acrobatics including the Aero - Pre-Team program, How-toBook, and Program Development Committee.

Selena Peco - NJOCC Nancy Davis - Region 1 RJOCC Ronda Francis - Region 4 RJOCC Michael Rodrigues - NAR Tom Housley - PD Lee Hatfield - Region 2 RJOCC Jennifer Hess - NTCC Linda Ocmand - NPCC Illya Demanyak - Region 5 RJOCC

7. JONT TRAINING CAMP FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS An email will be sent to Selena Peco regarding feedback and suggestions from the committee.

8. CLARIFICATIONS FOR THE 2008 A motion was made to keep the back bird position as illustrated in the Acrobatic Gymnastics Specifications. By definition, the ~ continue on p.38

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UPDATE correct positio n for the back bird is in an arch position . Motion: SP Second: LH Passed A motion was made to clarify all slide to split individual element skills. The correct technique for this skill is to land on one foot with continuous motion through to the final position. The athlete may not "pause" to receive credit. Motion:SP Second: NO Passed A motion was made to clarify cartwheel to knee in Level 5 and Level 6. The correct technique for this skill is to land on one foot with continuous motion through to the final position. The ath lete may not "pause" to receive credit. Motion: ID Second: SP Passed A recommendation was made to clarify Level 7 Women's Pairs, Men's Pairs, and Mixed Pair - 4A. A motion was called to allow up to a 180 degree turn to sit. Motion: SP Second: MR Passed The com mittee di scussed wrap to backbird and whe re release is expected to take place. The committee agreed that this is a judgment call by the judges based on individual circumstance.

9. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS

A recommendation to re-visit the boundaries for each region in the Acrobatic Gymnastics program was made to promote, serve, and administer the official Acrobatic Gymnastics program for athletes of all levels of ability throughout the United States. The Acrobatic Gymnastics Program Committee will discuss at co mmittee meetings at the 2007 Visa Championships. Motion: RF Second: NO Passed Meeting Adjourned - 11:36am

Approved by Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President

09/ 18/2007

•••

NATIONAL TECHNICAL COMMlnEE MINUTES

JULY 27, 2007 1. ROLL CALL

Jen nifer Hess - NTCC Kari Duncan - Region 1 RTCC Selena Peco - NJOC( Sharon Giamanco - Region 4 RTCC Sharise Beavers - Region 7 RTCC Michael Rodrigues - NAR Linda Ocmand - NPCC Tom Housley - PO

2. JUDGING PROGRESSIONS

"If the judge needs or chooses to re-test after taking a break from judging for whatever reason and for whatever duration of time, then the ro lling two year period wou ld start over once they recertify. Requirements wo uld need to be met and that judge could upg ra de two yea rs from then." Motion: JH Second: SG Passed

A motion was made to change the requirements for maintaining judging certification in terms of international competition for Regional and high er judges. A petition may be sub mitted if a judge is attending an international competition and is unable to meet requirements per the Rules and Policies maintaining judging certification. The petition must be sent to the National Technical Chair. The petition will be voted on by the National Technical Committee for the internati onal competition to be used in place of the National-level competition. Motion: S8 Second: SG Passed If a judge has a FIG Brevet level rating for Acrobatic Gymnastics, the judge

may enter up to the National level within the United States. The judge must

TECHNIQUE· NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

take an d pass the certification exam . Moving forward, the judge would need to follow the J udgi ng Progressio ns per the Rules and Policies. Motion:JH Second: SP Passed

3. JUDGES' COMPENSATION

A motion was made to increase the clinician fees for judges due to the amount of time and persona l expenses to organizing clinics. Clinician of judges' Course will receive $150 per clinic day plus rei mburse ment of travel and business expenses. Motion: SP Second: SG Passed

4. SUPER CLINIC AND REGIONAL CLINICS

At the Face-to-Face meeting in Indianapolis, IN, Program Committee recommended to increase focus at the 2008 Super Clinic on educating coaches and judges on a national-level. The increased focus on education is to conti nue efforts towards Program Development and to achieve membership goals by December 2009. Pf(lgra m Committee reeommended to tne Nationa l leennieal Chair tnat all 5tate rated or nigher to attend the 200B Stlper Clinie. The reeommendation \.a5 ealled to better edtlcate tne program'5 top rated jtldge5 a5 .. ell a5 prepare the5e jtldge5 for international jtldging. 1 Yes 5 No Did Not Pass A motion was made to require the Regional Technical Chai r and/or Regional Technical Coordinator from each region to attend the 2008 Super Clinic. Motion: SG Second: JH Passed: 1 Abstaining

5. JANET VONBARGEN AWARD

A motion was called for the National Tech nical Committee to vote on the judge who is most deserving of the Janet VonBargen Award. The award is given on a year-to-year basis, but does not have to be given out every year. It is up to the discretion of th e NTC. The award recipient must be a USA Gymnastics professional member and current U.S. judge who exhibits outstanding service and dedication to the Acrobatic Gymnastics program. Motion: SP Second: KD Passed

6. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

A motion was called for the National Tec hni cal Chair to serve as the Chair of the Superior Jury. The National Technical Committee Chair will make recom me ndations for the Meet Referees and Assista nt Meet Referees fo r National Championships with final approval from Program Committee. Motion: SG Second: S8 Passed

7. REGIONAL ISSUES & CONCERNS

Linda Ocmand add ressed the National Technical Committee regarding complaints, issues, and/or concerns within each region an d the policies and procedures to properly handle issues. Linda encouraged the regional committees to empower the regional committee individuals to address issues with judges within their respective regions. Motion: SP Second: KD Passed

8. RTCC AND RJC

Jennifer Hess reiterated the expectations, roles and responsibilities of th e Regional Technical Committee Chair and Regional Judges' Coordinator per the Acrobatic Gymnastics Operating Code.

9. RTCC PROGRAM AND GREEN CARDS

Jennifer Hess addressed the on li ne Judge's Database error. The error will be corrected following the 2007 Visa Championships. Green cards need to be mailed to each of the Regional Technical Chairs by August 31, 2007

10. CLARIFICATION - INCORRECT OR ILLEGIBLE TARIFF SHEETS

A motion .. a5 made to add the follo .. ing to tne Aerobatic Specification5, page BO 6.B. Wrong Piettlre .1 e,er~ h.o ocCtlrrenCe5 Wrong Valtle .1 e,er~ h.o ocetlrrenCe5

G~mna5tic5

Program Committee amended the NTC minutes at the Visa Championships during the 08/ 17-19/ 07 Program Committee minutes. ~ continue on p.40

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The fo llowing motion was made in regards to Clarification - Incorrect or illegible Tariff Sheets: "Every two mi stakes, regardles s of the type of mistake on the tariff sheet, will receive a .1 ded uction per exercise." Motion: JH Second: LO Passed

ACROBATIC GYMNASTICS PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES SAN JOSE, CA AUGUST 17-19,2007 1. ROLL CALL

11. REVISED TARIFF SHEETS A motion was made to allow only 1 Revised Tariff Sheet to be submitted by t he Revised Tariff Sheet Dead line. When submitting a revised tariff sheet form, a copy of the tariff sheet is not required to be submitted . Motion : S8 Second: KD Passed A motion was made to allow only 1 Minor Tariff Sheet revision to submit any minor changes 1 hour before the start of the pair/ group's session of competition . Motion: S8 Second: KD Passed A motion to clarify page 80 to state, "it is the coach's responsibility to notify the Meet Referee, CJP and Difficulty Judge of any minor changes by submitting the Minor Change Form directly to the MR, CJP, DJ. Moti on: S8 Second: KD Passed

12. APPEAL PROCEDURES A motion was made to revise the Re solution of an Appea l - Number 2 & 3. The following ch anges will be made: 2 - If the appea l is not resolved by the CJP to the satisfaction of the coach concerned, he/s he may ask for action by the Jury of Appeals. This request must take place within 15 minutes of the return of the appea l to the Appeals Tab le and an additional $20 fee is due at t he time of the request. Motion: SG Second: KD Passed

13. J.O. COMMITTEE AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE

Linda Ocmand - NPCC Jen nifer Hess - NTCC Selena Peco - NJOCC - absent Ivaylo Katsov - NECC Michael Rodrig ues - NA R Tonya Case - Vice Chai r - via confe rence call Tom Housley - PD

2. REVIEW OF NATIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MINUTES The Program Committee recommends the approval of the policy proposals submitted by the Natio nal Tech nical Co mmittee with the following amendments: a. Any judge who is National Superior or Nationa l rated or would like to test from Regional to Natio nal rating or National to National Superior, must attend t he Super Clinic to take the appropriate judge's certification test. b. In addition to the Regional Technical Chair and/ or Regional Technical Coordinator being required to attend t he 2008 Super Clinic (per NTC Minutes 7/ 27/ 07), all current National and Nationa l Superior judges must attend the 2008 Super Clinic. c. If a judge is unable to atte nd the 2008 Super Clinic, a petition may be submitted to the Natio nal Technical Chair for review by the Natio nal Tech nical Committee. A decision wi ll be given within 2 weeks of t he submitted petition. d. In regards to Clarification - incorrect or illegible tariff sheets: • Every two mistakes, regardless of the type of mistake on the tariff sheet, will receive a .1 deduction per exercise. e. In regards to Minor Tariff Sheet form : • . An exception may be made if an ath lete is injured. The injury must be verified by the medica l personnel before the Minor Tariff Sheet is accepted. Motion: JH Second: LO Passed

3. REVISED TARIFF SHEET FORM

Selena Peco up dated the Nationa l Tec hnica l Comm ittee on reco mm endations , up dates, and motions fro m th e J un ior Olympi c Com mittee meeti ng. Li nda Oc mand update d t he co mmittee on t he Program Development Comm ittee. Meeting Adjourned : 4:22pm Approved by Steve Pen ny, USA Gymnastics President 09/ 18/2007

An update has been made to t he Revised Tariff Sheet Form. The new for m wi ll be used starting in the 2007 - 08 competitive seaso n.

4. MINOR CHANGE FORM A Minor Change Form has been created for coaches to use when submitting Minor Changes at a competition . The Mi nor Change Form ca n be submitted up to 1 hour before the start of the at hlete's competition session. The Mi nor Change Form must be given directly to the Meet Referee, (JP, and DJ

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5. REVIEW OF NATIONAL JO COMMITTEE MINUTES The Program Committee recommends the approval of the policy proposals submitted by the National JO Committee.

6. NATIONAL TEAM TRAINING CAMP

Program Committee discussed plans for the National Team Training Camp that will take place at Karolyi's Training Camp November 9 - 13, 2007.

7. INTERNATIONAL JUDGES The Program Committee recommends the following judges to participate and attend the FIG International Judges Course in Acrobatic Gymnastics: Mindi Blankenship Michelle Caviness Selena Peco Nancy Davis Lisa Kidd Courtney LeJeune Jurek Pol Motion:JH Second: LO Passed

8. SELECTION OF NATIONAL TEAM

The Program Committee received a petition for Junior Mixed Pair Ryan Ward and Kelianne Stankus (REALIS) . The petition met the requirements and the pair was eligible for consideration for the Junior National Team . The Program Committee recommends the following pair/groups for selection to the Senior National Team: Women's Pair: Mallory Henthron, Savannah Shields (A E) Men's Pair: Tyler Spray, Julian Amaro (WCA) Mixed Pair: Xiau-Ling Wee, Andre Solodar (PTAG) Kristin Allen, Brian Kincher (WCA) Women's Group: Mariah Henninger, Tisa Penny, Allysha Kidd (WCA) The Program Committee recommends the following pair/groups for selection to the Junior National Team : Mixed Pair: Madeline Bones, Kyle Bloom (ATA) Ryan Ward, Kelianne Stankus (REALIS)

9. LEVEL 10 EXHIBITION ROUTINES The following correction will be made to the Rules and Policies, page 30, letter E: a. Level 10 athletes who wish to exhibit a combined exercise will perform no more than three exercises. They will not participate in competitions for placement. The combined exercise will be scored and the scores will not be flashed. No awards will be given for the combined exercise nor will the combined exercise score be included in the all-around total. Rules & Policies, page 30. Scores will be given to the Program Director for documentation at the National Office.

Motion: LO Second: IK Passed

10. FACE·TO·FACE MEETING The Program Committee discussed the importance of having time to discuss future plans for the acrobatic gymnastics program. The program committee plans to meet at least one weekend in 2008 to continue strategic program planning and development over the next four years.

11 . RULES AND POLICIES The Program Committee recommends the following changes to be made to the Acrobatic Gymnastics Rules and Policies: a. Music must be submitted before a meet on a CD. A cassette tape is not acceptable and therefore will not be allowed to be used for competition. The CD must be clearly marked with the competitors names; club. b. For the safety of the athlete, an air conditioned unit must be used for State and Regional Championships. This is effective starting January 2008. c. National Championships - Multiple Events i. Level 8 and above athletes are ineligible to compete at National Championships in multiple events. This is effective starting January 2009 . • In a situation where an athlete becomes injured, the coach may petition an athlete to compete in multiple events. The petition may be considered so the uninjured athlete is able finish the competition season by substituting a new partner. Documentation must be provided by a physician when submitting the petition. The petition must be submitted prior to State Championships and be sent to Program Director for approval by the Program Committee. Motion: JH Second: MR Passed

12. OPERATING CODE The Program Committee reviewed and recommends the following changes to the Operating Code for the Acrobatic Gymnastics Program: a. Page 6, letter j: attend at least 2 regional clinics, when appropriate, to continue the development of new judges and increase education and proficiency of current judges within each region.

13. SPECIFICATIONS The following clarifications and changes, in addition to Technical Updates, will be made to the Acrobatic Gymnastics Specifications. The changes and clarifications are effective immediately: a. "Free leg" - holding anywhere on the leg is considered a 2:2 position and therefore would receive 2:2 value, regardless of hand placement on the leg. The leg must be "free" (no support on the leg) to receive 2:1 value. b. Pike position (leg crossed) - leg position is optional ~ continue on p.42

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UPDATE 14.2007 BRITISH OPEN TOURNAMENT

VII. NEW BUSINESS

The Program Committee revisited the 2008 Calendar. In preparation for the 2008 World Championships, the Acro program will send an official delegation to the 2007 Britiah Open Tournament in Stoke-on-Trent from December 1 - 2, 2007. A selection event will be held in conjunction with the National Team Training Camp, November 9- 13. Motion: LO Second: IK Passed

The committee recommended that a proposal be taken to the Women's Program Committee for the addition of the following to the Women's Operating Code, Responsibilities of the State Administrative Committee Chairmen: The State Administrative Committee Chairman MUST submit all committee meeting agendas and subsequent minutes to their respective Regional Administrative Committee Chairman prior to distribution.

15. NATIONAL TEAM TRAINING CAMP Ivaylo Katsov will serve as the lead clinician for the National Team Training Camp in November 2007. Ivaylo will reach out to all Junior Olympic and elite coaches, with athletes on the national teams, prior to the camp date to aid in the development of the camp schedule and coaching sessions. Ivaylo will continue to work in the capacity of National Elite Committee Chairman by opening up the lines of communication amongst all coaches and provide opportunities during the camp for coaches to share ideas on coaching philosophies and training plans. Motion: JH Second: MR Passed Meeting Adjourned - 1:23pm

• •

VIII. REGIONAL CONGRESS Rachel reported the dates of 2008 Regional Congresses to the RACe's. These dates are confirmed: Region 1 August 21-24 Santa Clara, CA Region 2 TBD (Tentative October 11-13 in Seattle or Spokane) Region 3 TBD Region 4 July 10-13 Coralville, IA Region 5 TBD (Tentative October 23-26 - IL-Chicago area) Region 6 August 14-17 Burlington, MA Region 7 Not held due to National Congress in Philadelphia June 19-21 Region 8 July 17-20 Jacksonville, FL (tentative)

IX. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 11 :30 A.M •

l.~m I~

'.I. WOMEN'S

••• TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

OCTOBER 12-14, 2007, INDIANAPOLIS, IN

WOMEN'S ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AUGUST 15, 2007 SAN JOSE, CA 1. ROLL CALL

Meeting was called to order at 8:30 am by National Administrative Chair - Kathy Ostberg Region 1 - Jen Shipman Krause Region 2 - Meg Doxtator Region 3 - Cori Rizzo ( excused absence from 1st part) Region 4 - Jim Schlott (excused absence from 2nd part) Region 5 - Bobbi Montanari Region 6 - Jen Scannell Region 7 - Lynn Perrott Region 8 - Deb Kornegay VPP - Kathy Kelly JOPM - Connie Maloney WPM - Rachel Brazo

II. REVIEW OF STATE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMlnEE CHAIRS WORKSHOP AGENDA. No questions

III. FINANCIAL REPORTING A. All State and Regional reports will be sent to John Hewett B. All State Reports will be copied to Regional Chairs C. All Regional Reports will be copied to National Chair D. All Regional Accounts are to remain under the jurisdiction of the Regional Chair

IV. SILVER QUILL AWARDED TO MIKE MCCABE, flORIDA. V. SILVER MOUSE AWARDED TO KIM FUCHS. MISSOURI. VI. STATE'S RULES AND POLICIES (STATE'S RIGHTS) A. The Regional Administrative Committee Chairmen were charged with reviewing the State Policies of their respective states. States' Rules and Policies must be consistent with the National Policies set forth by the Women's Program. Inconsistencies were noted and will be address at the State Chairmen's Workshop. Kathy Kelly developed a PowerPoint presentation highlighting these various issues. B. Next RACC meeting is scheduled for May 19, 2008 from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. following JO Nationals.

Also, to add to the Responsibilities of the Regional Administrative Chairmen: that the Regional Administrative Committee Chairmen MUST submit all meeting agendas and subsequent minutes to the National Administrative Committee Chairman prior to distribution.

TECHNIQUE' NOVEMBER / OECEMBER 1007

I. ROLL CALL:

Chairman Cheryl Hamilton called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM . Region 1 Neela Nelson Region 2 Linda Mulvihill Region 3 Carole Bunge Region 4 Linda Thorberg Region 5 Char Christensen Region 6 Pat Panic has - Excused Absence Region 7 Myra Elfenbein Region 8 Marian Dykes Asst. Tech. Comm. Chair Audrey Schweyer JO Program Manager Connie Maloney

II. REGIONAL CONGRESSES 2007 The Technical Committee expressed thanks to the National office for organizing the highly successful Regional Congresses in Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, as well as the National congress in Region 1. The committee also commends Kathy Ostberg for her excellent organization and communication with the RTCCs in regards to the judging sessions/ speakers. The committee looks forward to creating specific core jUdging sessions to be offered at each congress in 2008.

III. RANGE OF SCORES Due to the increase in the penalty for a missing Special Requirement: Recommendation to change the range of scores, effective August 1, 2008, to the following: 9.5 - 10 0.20 9.0 - 9.475 0.50 0.70 8.0 - 8.975 Below 8.0 1.00 Motion: L. Thorberg Second: M. Elfenbein PASSED

IV. JUDGES' MEETINGS PRIOR TO COMPETITION (ALL LEVELS) The committee would like to remind judges/ meet referees that the following procedures should be considered for inclusion during the meeting prior to competition: 1. logistics of the meet/scoring system, meet mechanics, etc. 2. rule changes 3. equipment issues 4. info from Meet Director 5. professional protocol reminders

V. OFFICIAL SCORE SHEETS R&P page 64. B.4. Change the wording to: the Chief Judge checks that the scores of both (all) judges, the average score, as well as time and line violations are properly recorded during the competition.

of the meet director to insure that Start Value flashers are provided for each judge, unless the Start Values are to be written on the gymnast's competitor card. Meeting commenced on Sat. Oct. 13 at 9:00 AM

Clarification for Petitions: Regarding petitions to State or Regional competitions, scores presented to the SACC or RTCC must be documented by an official score sheet issued by the Meet Director. (Refer to 2007-08 Rule s and Policies, page 49-50. Part Two, Section V, Injury or illness petitions).

X. LEVEL 2-3 VAULT PENALTIES

VI. DETERMINATION OF FINAL EVENT SCORE

XI. LEVEL 4-6 BEAM DISMOUNT

Page 10, R & P D. Clarification: The procedure of using the score of the Chief Judge or Meet Referee to average with the original average score of the two judges (Base score) is NO LONGER USED. Add to # 3: It is the professional responsibility of the judges to come to an agreement if their scores are initially out of range. Add #4. If the judges are unable to compromise, the Chief Judge may mandate that the scores be brought into the allowable range.

VII. INQUIRIES Reminder to judges that if a coach has a question regarding an exercise during the competition, the judges should advise the coach to submit an Inquiry Form to officially receive information. There should be no casual conversation between a coach and a judge during the competition regarding the evaluation of an exercise.

VIII. AFFILIATION Add the following to the R & P, Page 63: II. A. Affiliation of an official at a specific meet refers to: Add bullet: An immediate family member is defined as a parent/stepparent, grandparent, sibling or any member of the household. II.A. Add second bullet A judge who is an immediate family member of a competing gymnast, or of a coach or club owner of a competing team , is considered affiliated with that specific club team and may not be assigned as a Chief Judge at meets in which that club is competing. Refer to Rules and Policies, page 63, II.B : In non-qualifying Open Invitationals with two or four judge panels, affiliated judges may be assigned as Chief or Panel Judges, provided that the Meet Director lists the judges and their affiliation on the pre-meet information .

IX. START VALUE Since the flashing of Start Values is now required, it is the responsibility

The committee discussed the need to add deductions for th ese vaults. Some suggestions will be sent to both the JO and TC members and decisions will be made at the joint meeting of JOC and TC in May 2008 . Clarification: Example : The gymnast attempts the di smount, comes down without performing the 1/4 turn, and remounts to attempt it again. A 0.5 deduction is taken for the fall. If, on the 2nd attempt, she does not complete the dismount again, anoth er 0.50 deduction for the second fall will be applied . Use the best attempt to determine the additional deductions for incomplete element. Refer to compulsory book (penalty pages and grey boxes) .

XII. JUDGES' ACCREDITATION Clarifications regarding procedures: A. Former judges who have no current rating may start testing again at the level they previously held. B. Judges who hold a current foreign Brevet and are now living in the U.S. will be requi red to submit documentation of thei r Brevet and attend a Level 10 Optional judging/ rules clinic prior to being assigned to a Jr. Olympic meet. A person who held a foreign Brevet in the past, but does not hold a current Brevet rating, may begin testing at Level 10. C. All Optional-rated officials must test at Level 5/ 6 in order to judge at the Compulsory levels. D. CPE deficient: If there is a need to assign a judge who has not completed their CPE requirements, the assignor must inform the meet referee, so that the specific judge's fee will be reduced by $5.00 per hour as per the Rules and Policies, page 66, A. 9. c. 2) . E. When hosting a clini c, it is the clinic organizer's responsibility to have staff available, in addition to the clinician, to sign the CPE forms . Reminder that for multi-track clinics (like Regional Congress) , only sessions that pertain to coaching and/ or judging of competitive gymnastics can be used for CPE hours. It was suggested to designate the CPE-eligible sessions by an asteri sk and to title the judging/ coaching tracks as Women's Artistic, rather than judges/coaches. The committee made recommendations in the procedures for signing CPE records at clinics/ congresses. It was requested that Connie revise the Annual CPE ~contin ue on p.44

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UPDATE Report form to include the Judge's Rating as of the past Aug. 1, carry-over hours from previous year; and any hours to be carried over for the next year. Connie reported that the 2005-06 CPE audit procedures were carried out and all persons audited submitted their receipts satisfactorily.

XVIII. JUDGES' ACCREDITATION WEB PAGE

XIII. SElECTION OF JUDGES FOR REGIONAL MEETS

In accordance with the recent FIG decision, it is now permissible for femaLe gymnasts to wear a unitard (with long Legs and sLeeves or no sleeves) for competition.

The committee members shared the various ways each Regional Administrative Committee selects the judges for Level 8, 9 and 10 Regionals.

XIV. COURSES FOR 2009 A. Level 10 Re-certification was discussed and a decision was made to discontinue this level of certification. All individuals attempting to attain the Level 10 rating must successfully pass the Level 10 Theoretical and Practical exams at 80% on each part. B. National Course (multiple dates) Eligibility: 1. Current Brevet or National rating 2. Held a Level 10 rating a minimum of two complete cycles (8 years) 3. Must have attended a minimum of two USAG Regional or National Congresses or National NAWGJ Symposium in the current cycle (June 2005 - Dec. 31, 2008). 4. Must hold a current USAG Professional membership and current safety certification 5. Must be current with CPE requirements Format: Written Exam (10 questions on general and each event) Practical exam (5 routines per event) Criteria for attaining a National rating: 85% average with a minimum of 80% on each part (Written/Practical) If a judge sco res a minimum of 80% on each part, but does not achieve an 85% total', he/s he will receive a Level 10 rating. Anyone scoring below 80% on either part must either take the National Course re-test or take the Level 10 exam. , A one time National Course re-test will be offered at the National Congress C. USAG BREVET COURSE Eligibility: 1. Current FIG or USAG Brevet 2. Previous Senior National (Elite) team member (minimum of 21 yrs. of age) 3. Current USAG Professional membership and safety certification 4. Current with CPE requirements Course format/criteria for passing will be determined at a later date. D. National or USAG Brevet Course exemptions: Since the members of the Women's Technical and JO Committees are responsible for the development/creation of the rules and deductions for Level 10, those committee members who currently hold a USAG Brevet or National rating will retain their current rating . It is highly recommended that they audit the course for their respective level. Since the FIG Brevet rules are now very different from the JO rules, it is highly recommended that all FIG Brevet judges attend a JO rules clinic prior to being assigned to a JO Optional competition.

xv. CHERYL REMINDED THE RTCC'S THAT THE

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JO NATIONALS AND LEVEl 9 EAST/ WEST JUDGES ARE DUE BY DEC. 1ST. She requested that they include any specific affiliations.

XVI. CORE JUDGING TOPICS FOR 2008 CONGRESSES The committee selected five core topics, in addition to a JO Update, for the 2008 congresses. Each member was assigned to a specific event to prepare for the theme of "Good, Better, Best". A timeline was determined to insure that the five DVD projects would be ready for evaluation at the May 2008 meeting. Meeting continued on Sun . Oct. 14 at 9:15 AM

XVII. BASE SCORES The committee reviewed the scri pts for the State, Regional and East/West base score DVDs in order to update with any rule/value changes from the May 2007 meeting. The committee also evaluated Level 7 routines for a new State Meet Base score DVD .

TECHNIQUE路 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

The committee developed information to be posted on the web page to give examinees information about the exams and how to prepare.

XIX. GYMNASTICS APPAREl

XX. JO CODE REVISIONS The committee approved the following revised Appendix items : va ult value charts, "cheat" sheet, optional requirement chart, symbols charts, and event score sheets. These will be posted on the web site on the Women's Program , JO Program and Just for Judges web pages. Meeting was adjourned at 12:00 pm. Next meeting is scheduled on may 19-20, 2008 following J.O. Nationals in Kissimmee, FL. 1\

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Olympic Dreamers Club 102 North Cool Springs Road O'Fallon, MO 63366

New Clubs/Coaches: AcroBasics Course - The AcroBasics Course is for new clubs/coaches interested in starting an Acrobatic Gymnastics program. Learn the program rules and how to start your new Acrobatic Gymnastics program or Pre-team program. The course will also provide an easy start-up program (Acro Pre-team program) and how to incorporate this program within your current gym to provide an athlete pipeline for a competitive Acro program and/or as an additional revenue stream for your club. Coaches and club owners can also take advantage of the time to mingle and network with existing acro coaches, judges and club owners from across the country! Instruction will include classroom setting and in-gym learning with Acro National Team athletes demonstrating the skill requirements in each of the levels (Levels 4-8). New coaches will have an opportunity to work with these top athletes or their own athletes to obtain handson experience spotting and training. The clinic will also be available to 2nd year judges or above and current coaches.

Clinic Schedule, Registration Form and Host Hotel information is available online at: http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/acro/200S/superciiniclindex.html

CLASSIFIEDS for sale· position available· seeking emp l oyment· educa tion · consign ment

POSITION AVAILABLE Assislanl (oa(h/lnslru"or Needed. Soulhern New Hampshire gymnoslics school of over 1000 sludenls is searching for a qualified individuol 10 ossist the heod girls' and boys' cooches with leoms ond teach dosses. Strong spoHing skills are required. Benefils indude denIal and health insuronce, sick doys, poid vocolions and 0 401 K option. Send resume 10 judy@gymnoslicsvilloge.com. INSTRUCTORS/(OA(HES. Porogon Gymnastics of Norwood (Bergen Counly), NJ is looking for inslructors and coaches, PIT-FIT. Requirements: Positive ollilude, responsible, reliable, love 01 children. Posilions ovoiloble for competitive team cooch level 6 and up with lIexible hours. Also preschool through inlermediole inslruclion. Company sponsored certilicotions (Sofely, CPR, Firsl Aid) Full benefils/ poid vocotion &sick doys, company mOlched retirement pion. Will troin. Solory commensurole with experience. NEW locility, stote-of-the-ort, opprox. 11,000 sq. It_ Locoled in Ihe NY/ NJ Metropolitan area, easily accessible from 011 mojor highways. Conlocl 001: emoil:dot@porogongym.com., 201767-6921 or lox resume to 201 -767-6693 or ot 49 Wolnul Slreet, Suite 4, Norwood, NJ 07648. www.porogongym.com. JOIN THE FASTEST GROWING TEAM IN MASSACHUSmS. Mossochusells Gymnoslics Center has exciling coreer opporlunilies ovoilobl.. MGC operoles five "stote of the orl" gymnoslics focilities in Ihe Greol.r Boston/ Metro Wesl/Soulh Shore or.o with progroms ronging from, Tumbie-iol 10 NOlionol L.v.1 J.O. girls ond boys teoms. w. ore looking for "Th. B.sl" inslruclors and cooch.s in Ihe induslry. We off.r a compeliliv. comp.nsolion pockoge and fonlostic growlh polenliol. w. have imm.diole full ond porI-lim. op.nings for Ihe following posilions: USAG girls cooch, USAG boys coach, Rec. T.om Cooch.s. Cheerleoding coaches, Recreolionol Progrom Dir.ctor, Pre-school ond Closs Inslruclors. Inler.sl.d condidol.s should forword Ih.ir r.sumes 10: Mik. Colorossi, MGC, P.O. Box 856, Slow MA 02043 www.mik.colorossi@mossgymnoslics.com Rapidly expanding and largest slale 01 Ihe ort locility in north.rn Virginio, Apollo Gymnoslics, is s•• king enlhusioslic, quolifi.d coaches ond office sloff lor our 1000+ slud.nl r.cr.olion progrom os well os our chompion boys and girls I.om. These or. long-Ierm posilions lor professionols who wonl 10 be port of on up ond coming premier Iroining locilily. Our lull lime employees enjoy a generous b.n.lils pock age 10 indude denial and medical insuronce, sick doys, holidoys, and paid vocolions. We offer 0 highly compelilive solory commensurol. wilh experience. Conlocl Debby Burgsleiner 01 (703)·580-9144 or opollodebby@ool.com_ Apollo Gymnastics in Woodbridge, VA, is seeking a quo Ii lied Teom Direclor/ Heod Cooch 10 leod our 100+ slrong champion boys ond girls learn. Dulies indude coordinoling ond running bOlh oplionol and compulsory progroms. Responsibililies involve supervising coo ching sloff, selling Ihe competilive meel schedule, ond coordinoling leom proclice. Musl be enlhusioslic wilh strong molivolionol skills. Musl be willing 10 seek prolessionol developmenl ond work wilhin all ospecls of USA Gymnoslics 10 indude Ihe TOPs progrom_ This is 0 long-Ierm posilion for 0 well-experienced coach who wonls 10 be pori DIan up ond coming premier Iroining focilily. Our generous bene fils pockoge includes denlol ond medical insurance, sick doys, holidays, and poid vocolions.

We offer 0 highly competilive solory commensurole wilh experience. Conlocl Debby Burgsleiner 01 (703)580-9144 or opollodebby@ool.com. Gymnastics * Filness * Sporls. We ore looking for energetic professionols lor our Needhom, MA campus 10 lead dosses lor children up 10 9 yeors. Responsibilities: supervise and provide doss instruction and demonslraling knowledge, skill ond obilily in specilic oreo(sl of expertise; curriculum development. Kids Uis a dynamic, fun ond colorful 7,000 square fool recreolionol locilily providing dosses in Gymnastics, Sporls, Filness, Morliol Arls, Cooking, Science, Theoler, and Music. Fully equipped Gym + 2 slory high indoor jungle-gym and mulli-purpose dossrooms. Conloct Rob Mord (7811 444-B255, lorword resume wilh cover leller 10 kidsu.needhom@kidsu.com. Excellenl benelils_www.kidsu.com Easl (oasl Gymnastics (heer ond Dance, 01 MerriH Islond Florida, is looking lor compulsory Girls teom ond Rec cooches. Close 10 Cocoa Beoch ond Ihe Kennedy Space Cenler. 10 yeor old program wilh brond new 14,600sq It locilily, 500+ kids ond a greol lomily friendly work environmenl. Check us oul 01 www.eoslcooslgym.com. We ore inleresled in energelic, lomily friendly leom pi Dyers, 17yrs 01 oge or older wilh a slrong desire 10 build chorocler in Ihe lives of our young olhleles. live, surf, ploy ond work on Ihe Spoce Coast. call 321·4542244 Or e-moil resume 10 pickleswl@cli.rr_com ClASS /TEAM (OA(HES. Camden Gymnaslics is successlul and lost growing gymnoslics program in Cooslol Georgia. One gym locoled in beoulilul Golden Isles and Ihe second gym is loco led in Kingslond, GA. Greol ploce for living! We ore seeking experienced dosses, lumbling, girls and boys leoms coaches. Full lime posilion ovoiloble. Sol Dry commensurole wilh experience. Coli Yuri 01 (912)996-6772, lox resume 10 (912)265-3317, emoillo: comdengym@bellsoulh_nel GYM MANAGER: Gym Venlures Gymnoslics 01 Son Diego, CA, is currenlly occepling opplicotions lor gym monoger. Requiremenls ore: Knowledge 01 sporl, responsible, reliable, posilive ollilude, molivoled, enlhusioslic, ond love working wilh children. Underslonding 01 gymnoslic environmenl, musl be conlidenl in multi los king. Responsibilities indude bUI nol limiled 10 leoching reereolion dosses, scheduling, lesson plans. locoled in beoulilul soulhern Colilornio just up Ihe rood Irom Ihe beoch, Ihis lomily orienloled gym is 0 greol ploce 10 work wilh room lor growlh. Solory commensurole wilh experience. pleose coli, emoil, or fo x resume 10 Debbie 01 85B 272-2266 5066 SonIa Fe St. Son Diego, CA 92109 www.gymventures.com or emoil: gymvenlures@gmoil.com

FOR SALE (LASS CONTROL for Windows. Serving Gymnoslics since 1990 wilh Closs Monogemenl and Accounls Receivoble softwore, induding Iree lraining and lechnicol support. Pocked wilh leolures, easy 10 use, ond ne!workoble. Flexible selup, eosy ossignments, roslers, ollendonce, morkeling onolysis, oulomoled luilion coleulotion, multiple discounls, oddilionol/reloil chorges, invenlory monogemenl, sales lox supporl, lote chorges, earlypoymenl discounls, invoices/ slolemenls, receivobles reports, linonciol and enrollmenl summaries, inslructor schedules, wailing ond mokeup lis Is, moiling labels, send messoges ond invoices by e·moil, support lor bonk droit ond credil cord poymenls, ond much more. Only 5600 (5300/ oddilionol workslolion)_ Conlocl Voughn Softwore

TECHNIQUE' NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007

Services 01 800-821 -8516, voughnsoftwore@bellsoulh_ nel, or www.voughnsoftwore.com MC/VISA/AMEX Gymnastics Drills and Condilioning Books. Gymnoslics Drills ond Condilioning lor Ihe Hondslond-ISBN # 1-4116-5000-X \ Gymnoslics Drills and Condilioning Exercises - ISBN # 1-41160579-9 \ Gymnoslics Condilioning lor Ihe Legs and Ankles - ISBN # 1-4116-2033-X \ Gymnastics Drills ond Condilioning lor Ihe Walkover, limber, ond Bock Handspring - ISBN # 1-4116-1160-8 \ Order all 4 drills books logelher - 566.96 + s\h. Also ovoiloble, Gymnoslics Compelilion Journol: My Scores, My Gools, My Dreams - ISBN # 1-41164145-0 \ Visil GymnoslicsSluff.com lodoy for Ihese ond olher gymnoslics producls induding Gymnoslics Equipmenl, Apporel, Books, Supplies, ond Gifts. www_GymnoslicsSluff.com \ 88B-496-8749 GK RISK FREE PROGRAM: Gel wilh Ihe program! It's beHer Ihon ever, wilh 0 lerrilic ossortmenl 01 NEW styles ond fobrics ond incomporoble soles polentiol. Plus, ii's eosier Ihon ever 10 order, sell ond relurn your RISK FREE gormenls. We offer cuslomized pockoges lor your pro shop, meels ond summer compoYou only poy for whol you've sold and moy relurn Ihe resl, Ihere is obsolutely NO RISK! If you hoven'l Iried us lolely, it's lime you slorted eorning exIra prolils wilh our RISK FREE merchondise. Call 1-800-345-4087 lor more informolion on how you con gel slorted lodoy! Email: cuslomerservice@gkelile.com

EDUCATION

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HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD RATES 1-100 words = $100 101-200 words = $200 Your ad in Ternnique will ouiomoli<oDy be pkxed online for 30 dayS of no adOrtionol morge_ The oddress is: wwwousa-gymnastics.org/dassifieds/ Your 30dayS will begin on lire next regu~r posting dot.

Available now! The NEW GYM(ERT Gymnoslics lraining monuols (Levels 1, 2, 3, & Ihe NEW Skills & Drills for Ihe Compulsory Coach level's 4, 5 & 6) 0 musl lor Iroining your sloff; cuI your lesson plonning lime signiliconlly; use 10 coordinole doss progressions ond skill troining melhods; ond, besl 01 011 hove a quick reference thol is eosy 10 use which indudes lesson Plonning Forms ond Closs Evoluolion Forms by level. The GYMCERT monuols provide concise inslruction, deor illuslrations, ond several cooching, spoiling, ond solety lips. Will your sloff be reody for your loll sludents? Order direct by colling loillree: 1-866-591-8500 or online: www.GYMCERlcom.

10 .. ........ _June 10 July ....... .... _..... July 10 Augusl .... .. .. ........ Aug. 10 Sepl/Oct. .. .... Oct. 10 Nov./Dec ... NOTE: II Ihe IOlh falls on a weekend or holiday, Ihe preceding work day is considered Ihe deadline.

CONSIGNMENT

SUBMIT Email your ad and credit card information to:

LEOTARDS ON CONSIGNMENT: Would you like 10 ex pond your leolord soles? This is a good lime 01 Ihe yeor 10 inlroduce a new ossorlmenl of leolords_ Rebecco's Mom populor leolord consignmenl program is Ihe solulion. Our consignmenl selection leolures our newesl slyles and lobrics, induding Ihe Fromed Hologrom sly le_ Rebecco's Mom speciolizes in workoulleolords ond leom worm-up leolords feoluring Hologroms, Foils, Gliller, Rhineslones ond Nail Heods ond our roinbow 01 soft Velvellobrics. We olso indude a sensolionol seleclion 01 nylon Iycro designs leoluring Howoiion prinls_ Our leolords ore designed wilh your Teom Gymnosls in mind ond are ovoiloble in 011 sizes, 5/ 6 Ihrough odull lorge. We are currenlly occepling new opplicolions Irom Club Pro Shops, Porenl 800sler Groups, Reloil Siores and Summer Camps. Pleose coli our loll Iree lelephone number, 1-888-289-2536 or lox Rebecca's Mom 01 1-818-980-0119 lor credil opplicolion, lerms, and prices_ We olso supply Slole ond Regional Meel Pockoges as well as leolords for special evenls, so pleose call TODAY.

DEADLINES

DEADLINE FOR AD ISSUE AND PAYMENT Jonuary . . ...... _........................._De<.10

february M,,,h __ .. . April ..._........ M,y .. __ .. .

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Ipeszek@uso-gymnosfics.org Or mail to: USA Gymnastics, Pan American Plaza 201 S. Capilol Ave_, Sle. 300 Indianapolis, IN 46225 or fox to 317-237-5069. *Kyou fax, please indude y.... uedit card number, exptrolion rlrite and signature.

Pleose design,le if your ,d should oppear in Technique mOjo,ine or USA Gymnastics magozin•. ADS SUBMITTED WITHOUT PAYMENT Will NOT BE PUBLISHED_ USA Gymnastics reserves the righllo vary format.

Te!hniQue is received by more than 17,000 USA Gymnoslics professionol membelS plus thousorxls 01 viewOiS will be exposed 10 your00 oofine. Advertise lour employmenl opportunity, proouct. serwe, or competition here or grool resul~. Ouesl~ns? (on loon Peszek ,1317-829,5646.

FOR INFORMATION on how to publish a classified ad in Technique, go to http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/publcations/ Orcall Luan Peszek at 317-829-5646.

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TOPTIER gasoline by BMW, GM, Honda and Toyota. So it makes sense that Chevron has been, and will continue to be, a proud sponsor of U.s.A. Gymnastics, a team that tirelessly strives for top tier performance. Their success is inspirational and we wish them all the best. Chevron

ÂŠ 2005 Chevron Products Com an San Ramon CA. All ri hls reserved.

USA Gymnastics 201 S. Capitol Avenue, Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46225

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. Postage

PAID Indianapolis, IN Permit No. 7867

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

2007 SAFETY CERTIFICATION SCHEDULE The Safety Schedule is updated weekly on our website www.usa-gymnastics.org. Please see the website for the most current schedule. *Tille ard date sWJject to dDJge. See uso-gynmstics.org lor updates.

November

North Los Vegos, NV 89032; 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Go For It USA, 3105 Coleman SI. Directions: Don Spencer 702-658-9003 (ourse code: DS1212092007 Instructor: Don Spencer 702-658-9003 Instructor: Mike Rizzuto 814-238-8995

16 Springfield, MA 01109; 4:00 r.m.to 9:00 p.m. Springfield College-Bemis Hal Rm. 110-263 Alden SI. Directions: Patricio McDiarmid 413-596-2313 Course code: PM 11162007MA Instructor: Potricia McDiarmid 413-596-2313 17 North Hoven, 006473; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. East (oast Sports, 44 Sachem Dr. Directions: Jerry Nelson 203-392-8874 (ourse code: JNIII720070 Instructor: Jerry Nelson 203-239-1266

2008

17 Williston, vr 05495; 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Green MI. Gymnastics, 240 Pioneer Dr. Directions: Robin Bourdeau B02-652-2454 (ourse code: GMIII72007VT Instructor: Gail McGann 802-273-3627

January 13 Wilmington, OH 45177; 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Aerial Athletics Directions: Angie Layne 937-383-5700 (ourse code: BM011320080H Instructor: Bobbi Montanari 614-777-9430

24 Stroudsburg, PA 18360; 1:00 p.m.to 5:30 p.m. Intemo~onal Gymnastics Camp, 9020 Bortonsville Woods Rd Directions: Bruno Kious 570·629-0244 (ourse code: PF11242007PA Instructor: Phil Fronk 856-786·3977

March 15 North Hoven, 006473; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. East (oast Sports Directions: Jerry Nelson 203-392-8874 (ourse code: JN031520080 Instructor: Jerry Nebon 203-392-8874

December 1 Farminglon, MI; 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 23966 Freeway Pork Directions: Dove Mahoney 248478-6130 (ourse code: HF12012007MI Instructor: Helen Fry 989-754-7401

SAFETY CERTIFICATION IS REQUIRED FOR PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIp· PRE-REGISTRATION FORM (Minimum age for Safety Certifi(ation is '6 years) COST: www.usa-gymnastics.org Nome: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Male or Female:._ _ _ _ __ Professional or Instructor #: _______ Current Safety Exp. Dote: _ _ _ _ _ __

Soc. Sec. # _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Birth Dote:_ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Stote: _ _ _ _ _ _ Zip: Telephone: (H) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

(W) _ _ _ _ _ _ __

E-mail Address: Course Code: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Course City/State: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Dale: _ _ _ _ _ __ Form of Payment:

o VISA

OOther _ _ __

Payment Amount: _ _ __ _

Nome on Cord: Number: _ _ _ __ Exp. Dote: _ __

Signature: _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Pro-Member with Current Safety Certification wishing to r~certi~ at live course .............:.: ....:................ no charge Pro-Member With Expired or New Safety CertificatIOn ............ $ 65.00 Instructor Member ................................................................ $ 65.00 Non-Member ........................................................................ $ 115.00 • You must have your USA Gymnostics number or dote applied for on the registration form in order to qualify for the discount. All registrations must be received at USA Gymnastics two (2) weeks prior to the course date*. late registrations, incomplete registrations, or registrations without proper payment will not be processed. late registrations are not guaranteed a book or admission to the course. On-site and late registrations will be charged a $25 on-site!late fee. All materials, indudinj) the course book, are provided at the course and are part of the course fee. Certification is valid for four (4) years. Safety Certification is non-refundable and cannot be transferred to another individual. Safety Certification registration, however, may be transferred to another course within six (6) months with prior written notification. lote fee will apply if notification is received after course deadline. ' USA Gymnastics reserves the right to alter course deodline

Mail registration form and payment to: VISA USA Gymnastics Member Services P,.,d Sp."'., Pan American Plaza, Suite 300 201 S. Capitol Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46225 or Fax to 317-692-5212

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