February is Flexibility Month
 At ATA it has become a tradition to FOCUS on FLEXIBILITY during the month of FEBRUARY! Flexibility helps improve posture, reduce soreness, decrease the risk of injury and improve physical performance. Flexibility from student to student will vary greatly; however, studies have shown that with consistent practice, flexibility can improve. During this month, coaches will not only start off every class with the regular warm up/stretching time, they will include stretching throughout the class by incorporating it into the circuits and stations. Students will do toe touches, pancakes, splits, over splits, straddles, back & shoulder stretches, etc. Encourage your child to practice these stretches at home.
- Always warm up the body prior to stretching, as this increases blood flow around the body, which in turn makes the muscles more supple.
- Ease into a stretch, relax, and don't push or bounce. You should feel a stretch in the muscle which may be a little uncomfortable, but not painful.
- Remember to breathe regularly and rhythmically. Do not hold your breath.
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Gymster Gymnastics
February Theme: Friendship
February is friendship month! From February 5
th
-15
th
, gymnastics stations will encourage friendship and teamwork. Students will practice introducing themselves, giving each other high-fives and working in pairs, as they move through our Valentine's themed stations. There will be a FREE Adventure Hour on February 14
th
in honor of Valentine's Day, so bring your friends! Parents of guests must fill out a waiver (available online).
Skill of the Month: Rolling
Children often have underdeveloped vestibular (balance) systems. As a result, they have a decreased sense of body awareness and an impaired sense of space. Rolling and spinning help organize this system. Rolling also helps provide necessary stimulation to the muscles and ligaments in the body.
January Flashback
Last month, Gymsters learned how to keep their bodies "happy and healthy" with good eating and lots of exercise.
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February's Safety Tip
A gymnast's attire is incredibly important to his/her safety. Below are ATA's policies on dress code .
Girls: A clean leotard / Gym shorts are ok with a fitted shirt / No midriff tops / Hair must be tied back / No jewelry except post type earrings / Feet should be bare.
***Check out our Pro Shop for Leos & shorts!!!
Boys: A clean T-shirt / Clean gym shorts / Feet should be bare.
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At ATA we do formal skills testing once every 3 months. We just completed our most recent testing the week of Jan. 21st. To see your child's progress, log into ATA's Customer Portal site.
- Once logged in, click on your student's link.
- Click on the "Skills" button.
- Click "View Skill Details" for their current level.
Please keep in mind that once a student has mastered all of the skills within a level, he or she can be promoted to the next level at any time. (They do not need to wait for the next program wide testing week).
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Parent's Night Out
ATA will be hosting a Parent's Night Out for students and their friends! Our experienced and safety certified staff will organize game, relays, crafts, & supervised free play activities. Pizza will be provided. Sign up in advance!
Space is Limited!
Date:
Sat. Feb. 9th:
Ages:
3-12 (must be potty trained)
Option 1:
5-10pm $37 enrolled/$42 non
enrolled
Option 2:
5-7:30pm $22 enrolled/$24 non enrolled
To sign up, go to
www.atagymnastics.com
and go to the Parties & Events\Special Events page or log in to your customer portal.
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Acrobatic Gymnastics Team
The holidays are over and Team ATA begins the new year with focus and effort! Meet season begins next month, so January is used to work on mastering all competition skills, adjusting and polishing dance in routines and building stamina so that complete routines with skills becomes easier for athletes to execute!
The focus of the month was Healthy Body and Mind. Athletes are reminded that having a healthy body means good fueling with healthy food, adequate water and rest. A very important aspect of competitive sports is having the right mind set! Keeping the mind "tight" by asking athletes to focus their thinking on skill reminders as well as encouraging words when frustration comes in.
This past weekend, Levels 6, 7 and 8 pairs and groups had a Mock Meet here at ATA. Routines were run and performed in front of judges and received a score. Judges and coaches then met with athletes to discuss their results and focus on areas that needed adjustments and corrections. With four weeks now until the first meet, athletes and coaches have plenty of time to fix problems and implement changes and then to practice these things so that first meet can be greeted with confidence!
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