Blaine/Ham Lake Xcel August 2023 newsletter

August 2023 Newsletter

Gymnastics

Ninja Zone

Dance

Blaine/Ham Lake Xcel News

Dates Coming Up

August 2nd and 3rd - Spirit Days! Beach Day - dress for the beach (be sure to wear leotard underneath).
August 8th - Team Outing
August 13th - Meet and Greet/Handbook Meeting
September 4th-5th - No practice ALL levels - Back to school!!
September 8th-9th - Spirit Days! Tie Dye day! Who can dress in the best Tie Dye clothing?

USAG Memberships

All families should have received an email from USAG regarding a membership. If you have not already done so, please complete that membership purchase or renewal ASAP. Athletes with no membership will not be competing.

If you do not receive an email from USAG please reach out to Carly (Xcel@jamhops.com)

Modified practices - August

Silver and Platinum will NOT have practice Tuesday, August 8th, due to the team outing. There will be a make-up practice offered for these levels: SIlver - Monday, August 7th 1:45-4:45 at the Team gym and Platinum - Wednesday, August 9th 1:30-4:30

Fee Reminder:

Bronze 2-Diamond - The remainder of the uniform fee will be added in July and charged with August tuition.
Bronze 1 - Uniform fee will be added to your account in July and charged with August tuition.
Backpack order - due to extension of deadline, all backpack orders will have the $65 charged with August tuition.
Team Outing - athletes that have sign up for the team outing will have the fee added to their account in August and charged with September tuition
Meet fees - meets fees are being calculated this month and will be split into 2-3 payments. All fees will need to be paid for before state meet. State, Regionals, and optional travel meets will not be included in these payments.

Please reach out to Nicole (customercaredirector@jamhops.com) if alternative payment arrangements are needed.

Silver Optional Travel Meet:

The silver level has the chance to travel to Des Moines, IA for the Chow's Winter Classic gymnastics meet. This meet is optional and only athletes that have signed up will be registered. There is a minimum requirement of 6 athletes signed up for the level to attend. Please sign up here: Chow's Winter Classic Sign up

*Deadline to sign up will be September 15th

Gold/Platinum/Diamond Travel Meet:

The Gold/Platinum/Diamond levels have the chance to travel to Chandler, AZ for the Arizona Classic gymnastics meet. This meet is optional and only athletes that have signed up will be registered. There is a minimum requirement of 6 athletes signed up for the level to attend. Please sign up here: Arizona Classic Sign Up

*Deadline to sign up will be October 1st

August Reminders:

Remember to bring running shoes to practice - we may run around the pond!
Drink lots of water before, during, and AFTER practice! Hydration is important to keeping our bodies healthy.
Bring extra hair binders in your gym bag!
Bring a healthy snack to practice to help refuel your body during and after a workout.

Private Lessons:

USAG has required an additional waiver for any private lessons. This waiver needs to be renewed every year. If you are scheduled to do a private lesson with any of our coaches, please fill out the Private Lesson Waiver and turn into your coach. Thank you!

Fall Schedule, groups, and Meet Schedule

Fall Schedule can be found here: Fall Practice Schedule and Tuition

Fall groups - Be sure to check out which group your athlete will practice with and which level they will compete: Fall Practice Groups

Athletes will start their new group/schedule Wednesday, September 6th.

Tentative Meet schedule can be found here: Meet Schedule Page

Please let Carly know ASAP if you are aware of any meets you can not attend.

Jam Hops Xcel Team Outing

Team outing scheduled for Tuesday, August 8th!

The team will head to Valleyfair for a day of FUN! Sign up deadline was 8/2/23. Those signed up should watch for an email with more details.

There will be NO Platinum and Silver practice this day! Please see the modified practice section for makeup times.

Jam Hops Xcel Meet and Greet

Want to meet other Xcel parents? Would you like to get to know your athlete's coach? Come to the Xcel meet and greet. We will be going over the Xcel handbook at this time as well.

Bronze 1 - August 13th 6-7:30

handbook review 6-6:30,
open gym (athletes only) and meet the coaches 6:30-7:30

Bronze 2-Diamond - August 13th 6:30-8:00

open gym (athletes only) and meet the coaches 6:30-7:30
handbook review 7:30-8

Choreography

Bronze 1-Silver will have new floor and beam routines this year! Choreography will be taught during regular practice. It will be important for your athletes to attend practice this month to be sure they are learning their routines and choreography. If your athlete is in need of a private lesson to learn their routine, please reach out to Carly (xcel@jamhops.com) or contact your athlete's coach.

Gold will have a new floor and beam routine. Floor routine will be taught October-November during regular practice time. Gold athletes have the chance to help contribute to the beam routine. Each athlete will create a section of the routine and vote on their favorite poses to create a routine.

Platinum and Diamond athletes will have individual routines for Floor and Beam. Floor choreography can be kept for 2-3 years and then it is recommended to purchase a new routine. Floor choreography can range between $300-$350 per routine, plus cost of music - athletes in need of a new routine will receive an email from Carly. Please reach out to Carly (Xcel@jamhops.com) if you have any concerns regarding this.

Platinum and Diamond athletes will be able to create their own routine on beam with input and advice from the beam coach. Beam choreography is available to purchase if needed.

OPEN GYM UPDATE

Open gym has been filling up almost every week! Be sure to register early to guarantee a spot.

*Important - Athletes that register for a spot for open gym are expected to attend open gym. Xcel athletes that register and do not attend will be charged the open gym fee. There are no refunds for this fee.

Registration opens every Monday, this can be completed online or by calling a Customer Care Representative at 763-413-0647.

August Athlete of the Month

Brynn was chosen because of her work ethic! Brynn is always ready to work hard and tries everything with a smile!

Congratulations Brynn

Nickname: Brynn

Favorite Food: Ravioli

Favorite Summer Activity: Water Skiing

Favorite Winter Activity: Gymnastics

Something you are proud of: Getting my Flyaway

Someone you admire: Suni Lee

Favorite Gymnastics Skill: Round off Back Handspring Back tuck

What do you want to be when you grow up: Marine Biologist

Team Leaders

We would love to have the parents help keep the team spirit alive! If you are willing to be a team leader, please reach out to Carly (Xcel@Jamhops.com) or sign up here: Team Leader Sign Up

Potential Team Leader duties:

organize team dinners (planning for day/time, communicate to other parents, reserve table if needed)
plan gymnastics meet activities (if applicable, such as Ghost and Goblin Halloween contest)
plan for parents to sit together at meets, potential parent meet themes

Team leader position is a month long volunteer position and will be specific to the level your athlete is competing in (if your athlete is a silver level athlete, you only have to plan for the silver level). There can be more than 1 team leader per level per month and one is welcome to sign up for more than 1 month.

This is a new activity for the Xcel team and the first to involve parents! I appreciate your patience as we work out the kinks and hope this will help make your time with the Xcel program more enjoyable.

Athlete’s Corner

This month we are focusing on flexibility and stretching. Stretching and staying flexibility is essential for keeping out bodies healthy! Check out the links below for more information.

Shoulder strength and flexibility

Split and leap flexibility