My Hero Gabby

As coaches and club owners (and even team parents), it’s easy to become attached to kids who are not our own children.  In fact, despite having four children of my own, I constantly refer to JAG gymnasts as “one of my kids…” when talking to friends which is super confusing to others who don’t teach […]

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#ReeseGoals: The Power of Post-Its on a Bathroom Mirror

This is the actual bathroom mirror of one of JAG’s athletes. Reese, who just turned 9, is finishing her Level 4 season. When her mom posted this photo of Reese’s mirror, my heart exploded with pride and with her mom’s permission, I wanted to share this with all of you. There is so much that […]

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A Baker’s Dozen: 13 Things That A Gymnast Needs From Her Coach

  She needs you to be happy to see her.   Nothing starts a workout better than a coach who enthusiastically greets their athletes. She needs you to show her she is more important than her performance. That means being kind to and speaking to her after a meet no matter the outcome. She needs you […]

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A Dozen Life Lessons to Learn from Simone Biles

Simone Biles is a role model for everyone who watches her or is fortunate enough to meet her. And there are probably hundreds of things we can learn from this amazing athlete and exceptional human being—but here are 12 that resonated with me. Preparation is key. In the days leading up to her Olympic competition, […]

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10 Reasons Why I Love Aimee Boorman

She understands what an incredible sport gymnastics is for all kids.   Aimee says, “I love watching kids grow. Gymnastics is more about life than just being a sport.  It teaches you about respect, dedication, time management, drive…I could go on and on.” She puts the child before the gymnast. According to the The Los Angeles Times Aimee […]

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Because There is No Such Thing as Perfect: Why the Perfect 10 is Perfectly Gone in Elite Gymnastics

    “Wait? What happened to the perfect 10?” This question will be on the lips of many a casual gymnastics fan, confused by the scoring system at the Olympics this week. “What the heck does a 15.877 even mean?” Well, aside from meaning that’s a really great score, the 15.877 (and all the other […]

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Four Awesome Moments from Olympic Team Prelims You Might Have Missed

With the U.S. Men’s Team exceeding expectations and the U.S. Women’s team proving that they are light years ahead of the competition, there was so much incredible gymnastics happening that the little moments can go unnoticed. The supportive parent: The proud coach: The good friends: The unity of being together.     Because in the […]

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Here’s To the Girls Not In Rio!

Gymnastics is not traditionally thought of as a team sport. Though those who train gymnasts, especially at the competitive level, understand that great teammates are the secret sauce that makes the journey of a gymnast a little smoother and a lot more fun. At the end of the week the Olympics kick off.  Five women […]

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Will it Ever be Good Enough? I Spent too Much Time being Embarrassed by My Bronze.

July 21

Originally posted on Get Psyched!:
Back in 1992 my only goal was to make the Olympic Team. When that dream happened my next goal was to hit all my routines during the competition. I didn’t think about medals, or making finals, or even being put on the front of the next Wheaties box. I was…

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7 Reasons Why Being In Sports As A Child Is Important

At JAG we’ve always said that we measure our success as a coaches and managers not by the number banners we put on a wall or even the number of NCAA athletes, international level competitors or even Olympians our club produces, but instead by the quality of young adults we help families raise. I know […]

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