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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The Importance of the “Soft” Stuff

Secret: I have a new favorite gymnast. She is 12 year old Jaymes Marshall. I first saw Jaymes when her vault from the 2016 JO Nationals lit up Facebook. And then I recently read this interview she did for Inside Gymnastics. In the interview, this very talented and highly accomplished gymnast was asked, “What’s some […]

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#LifeLesson, a Parent’s Perspective

A couple weeks ago, JAG’s USAG compulsory level gymnasts competed in their State Championship. One of our Level 4 gymnasts, Madi, who placed first in the All-Around at Sectionals, had a very good chance at winning the All-Around at State. Pretty exciting stuff when you are 10 years old. But also for her family, her […]

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24 People You Might See at a Gymnastics Meet (as Told by Cats in Honor of #NationalCatDay)

Did you know that October 29 is National Cat Day? Well, it is! So, to celebrate our feline friends, here are 24 people you might see at a gymnastics meet, as told through cats. The gymnast who arrives without her hair done and needs a team effort to be ready on time. The team with the perfectly synchronized […]

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Reflections From the First Meet of the Season

For many gymnasts, this past weekend marked the first weekend of the competitive season for USAG compulsories. And our club was among those for whom this was true. The morning of the first day of competition, our director of the compulsory program, a coach with over twenty years of coaching experience, posted this on her […]

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Competition: Is it Good or Bad for Kids?

There are those who think that competition erodes self-esteem, interferes with learning, ruins peer relationships and causes undo stress for the young athlete. And this is absolutely true.  Competition can erode self-esteem, interfere with learning, damage relationships and cause stress. Others will argue that competition is good for kids because they need to learn that […]

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12 Lessons You Learn the First Year Your Child is a Competitive Gymnast

1. Getting to the competition can be, well, challenging… 2.  And when you get there, you will be shocked at the cost to get in to watch… and the cost of eating. 3. A gymnastics meet lasts about 4 hours… 4. …though your child actually will compete for less than 3 and a half minutes, so don’t blink […]

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5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Gymnastics Judges (according to an actual judge!)

A dear friend (who asked to remain anonymous) sent me this terrific list of five things you might not have known about gymnastics judges. 1. We don’t get to just be a judge because we want to. We have to earn it. Becoming a gymnastics judge requires work. A lot of hard work. We have to […]

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Don’t Get Caught in the Race!

This is a wonderful essay by a gym mom reflecting on her daughter’s gymnastics journey.   It’s a great read and a wonderful reminder that rushing kids through the process often leads to them losing the joy that is inherent to why they began gymnastics in the first place. The Marathon Gymnast As a mother […]

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