Qualified for Nationals (fundraiser)

We have a fundraiser coming up this weekend to support one of our gymnasts (Rylie Hoffman) that qualified to compete at Nationals in San Diego, CA on Saturday, May 7^th.  We are trying to raise some money to pay the expenses.  We will be having a BBQ dinner this Saturday, April 30^th from about 5:00-8:00pm.    We will have smoked meat, pork 'n beans, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, salad and other goodies. Non-alcoholic drinks are also included. For those 21 & up, it is a $5 donation for adult beverages.  More information on the event can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152626841470604
It will be great food for a great cause but if you cannot attend, but would like to donate, you can contact Christi at the front desk.  

Afterwards, we will be having a Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament.  There will be a $25 buy-in and rebuys will be allowed for the first few rounds.  We will pay out at least two spots depending on how many players we have.  Seats will be assigned at 7:45.  You can register at anytime with me (Toby).  If you are going to be late, please e-mail me or call the gym.  More info can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110203572396780

To give you an idea of Rylie’s accomplishments, she is 14 year old 8^th grader and a first year Level 9 gymnast.  We compete under the umbrella of USA Gymnastics which is the US Olympic branch for gymnastics.  We begin competing in USAG at level 4.  Level 10 is the highest competitive level except for Elite, which is the level of the Olympic gymnasts.  Most college gymnasts competed Elite, Level 10 or Level 9.  The final meet of the season for levels 4-7 is the State Championships.  Levels 8-10 can use the State Championships to qualify for the Region Championship.  We are in Region 4, which consists of Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Levels 9 & 10 can use the Region Championships to qualify for Nationals.  Level 9s must finish in the top 12 of their age group to move on to Western Nationals which consists of Regions 1-4 (most of the states west of the Mississippi).  So only 48 gymnasts per age group qualify for Western Nationals.  Rylie is one of them and is on her first try.  This is also for a first for our growing team.  Although, we have more hopes for the future, this is a great accomplishment and Westerns just happen to be in San Diego this year, which is an expensive trip.  Any help would be appreciated. 

We also like to think those who have already offered some donations: Odon’s BBQ, HyVee, MEGA Booster Club, Ruby Tuesday’s, and MEGA parents!

Check our Facebook page for any updates:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Belton-MO/Missouri-Elite-Gymnastics-Academy/69293599915

Thanks,

Toby
MEGA
toby@moelitegym.net
816-331-0013

MEGA & Gymnastics Shirts by Christmas!

MEGA SHIRTS

T-Shirts: $12

Long Sleeve Tee: $16

Hoodies: $20

Available in Gray or White

Available Sizes: CXS, CS, CM, CL,CXL (white only) AS, AM, AL, AXL, AXXL (add $2), AXXXL (add $2)

In order to be available for pick-up at the gym on Tuesday, December 21st, between 4:30 and 8:30, all orders must be submitted via e-mail to toby@moelitegym.net by Sunday, December 19th, at 7pm.  

Payment must be made to "MEGA" by 8:30 pm on Monday, December 20th.  

Designs will be sized relative to shirt.

Design 1 Gym

Design 1 MEGA

Design 2 Gym

Design 2 MEGA

 

 

 

 

Design 3 MEGA

Design 4 Gym

Design 4 MEGA

Design 5 MEGA

Design 6 Gym

Design 6 MEGA

Design 7 MEGA

Design 9 Gym

Design 9 MEGA

End of Summer Updates

FALL SCHEDULE:
It’s time for the kids to go back to school. The fall schedule begins this week. If your child is a current student, make sure you’ve confirmed your new class time. That also means tuition is due this week if you didn’t pay Early Bird last week. If your child is a former student that would like to start classes again, please come in, call Christi at the gym (816-331-0013) or e-mail me (toby@moelitegym.net) for class times. Classes are filling fast, so the sooner you call, e-mail, or come in, the more selection of class times and teachers you’ll have.


NEW/SHORTER TRIP TO MEGA:
In case you didn’t already know, the North Cass Parkway exit from 71 highway is now open. It is about 2 miles north of the gym and is likely the quickest way to get to the gym if you are coming from north of 58 highway, Raymore, or from 71 highway south of Peculiar (Harrisonville).


WIRELESS INTERNET:
We now offer wireless internet at the gym for our members. If you want to stay and watch class, you can now bring your laptop, etc. and utilize our internet.


TUMBLING:
Beginning/Intermediate Tumbling: Our tumbling classes will change slightly for the fall. Kayla will be teaching a 6:00 class for ages 14 & under and a 7:00 class for ages 14 & up. The classes will primarily be on Wednesday but they may move around a little due to her schedule. This week the classes will be on Tuesday but they will move to Wednesdays beginning next week (Aug 25th). Those classes are $10/class. You do not need to sign-up for them.
Advanced Tumbling: I will be starting an advanced tumbling class. Beginning this week, the class will be from 8:30-9:00 on Wednesday night. Tumblers must either be approved by me or able to do a round-off back handspring by themselves in order to join this class. Due to the short time we have available, I expect the tumblers to be stretched and ready to go by 8:35. They can come a little early and stretch on the blue floor as long as they are respectful of the other classes in the gym. If no one shows up by 8:35, I will be leaving and the gym will be closed. Initially, the cost for this class will be $7. I hope to begin the class a little sooner when we see how the fall schedule is working.
Tumbling Clinic: If there is demand, we will offer some Saturday afternoon backhandspring/tumbling clinics. Please let us know if you are interested.




OPEN GYMS:
We don’t have the fall Open Gym schedule worked out yet but it will be posted soon.


DECALS & T-SHIRTS:
We have customized decals available for you cars. They have a MEGA, a silhouette of a gymnasts, and your child’s name on them. They are available for $8.
The gymnastics team booster club will soon have MEGA shirts available too. The proceeds from these shirts will go to help pay competition expenses for our team girls. The booster club also has a poker tournament and a spaghetti dinner in the works as fundraisers.


REFERRALS:
Don’t forget that we will give you a $20 credit if you refer a family to the gym. They must list you as their reference on their registration form and they must pay for a full session in order for you to receive the credit.


SPONSORS:
We are also looking for sponsors for our hosted meets. We will be hosting a Missouri State Qualifier on October 29th-30th that will bring gymnasts from across Missouri to our gym and we will be hosting our annual Cupid Classic on February 4th-6th that has brought up to 650 gymnasts from Missouri and Kansas to our gym. If you or someone you know of is involved in a business that might be interested in sponsoring, please let me know.

Chin-up Bar at Home

An excellent cheap home training tool is the chin-up bar.  The one picture below was around $20.  For most kids the bar should be installed around chin height.  Just playing on the bar allows kids to gain strength and confidence. 

Skills that can be practice on the home chin-up bar (you should be there all times, smaller kids will just let go of the bar)

   Possum hang:  turn sideways under the bar wrap legs around the bar while hanging on it

   Strong arm support (as shown in the picture):  belly should not be pushing on the bar

   Strong arms with swinging legs: same as above with small, straight swinging legs

   Chin hang: hold chin above the bar for as long as possible

   Pike hang: hang from bar while hold legs together straight in front

   Skin the cat: hang from bar, pull feet under the bar between the hands and roll through (THIS SHOULD BE SPOTTED: some kids will let go upside down and it can be hard on shoulder if done too fast or out of control)

   Small cast:  from strong arms, swing legs, push body off the bar, and return to the bar

   Glide: Pike hang from bar with small swings

   Strong arms roll forward: (THIS SHOULD BE SPOTTED: this can be a scary skill and it can hurt their stomach) they should try to keep their arms straight and roll forward VERY SLOWLY, when they lean forward to upside down and are hanging by their hips, they will need to roll their hand forward around the bar and pull so they can lift their feet, then they need to keep their feet as close to the bar as possible and lower them as slowly as possible so they don't smack the floor; ideally they will finish in a pike hang.

   Pullover:  (this can be somewhat difficult skill that does require strength)  they should start standing on the floor, holding the bar in a regular grip with their chin just above the bar, they will need to kick one or both legs all the way over the bar while pulling down with their arms (trying to hold the chin or chest to the bar as long as possible), they will finish in strong arms.

   Back hip circle: (this is a much more advance skill and everything above will need to be mastered first)  they will start in strong arms, perform a small cast, a small cast, a larger cast, come back to the bar, keep their arms straight, lean their shoulders back, pull their toes over the bar and down, and circle the bar back to strong arms.

Please be careful and let me know if you have any questions.

What to work on at home

One of the main themes of this blog it going to be giving you (the parent) things to work on at home with your child.  I will incorporate pictures and videos when needed.  I am going to start with the basics and work my way up.  If you have specific questions or your child has a specific area you'd like to work with her (I'll use her generically, but most of what I'm posting here applies to boys too), let me know and I will try to address that area.

Calendar

There will be a permanent link to the calendar on the bar below the title of the blog.  It may move around the page if I change the formatting, but it will be available here.