Work for Cirque

For those of you who hope to go work for Cirque Du Soleil here is a montage of the shows and the things you might end up doing if you get hired.

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/jobs/casting/extras/news/2009/Trampoline.aspx?cid=external_ads/castingnewsletter&src=PM-16040

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone in the OGC tumbling program and to everyone who reads this blog. We wish you all the very best in 2010!

Provincial CBA CHANGE

Okay so it has only be a day or two since the schedule went out but we have a slight change already. I will also e-mail this to the CBA Tumbling Group.

Provincial CBA Group: SCHEDULE CHANGE

PLEASE NOTE THIS CHANGE

On the schedule it shows a Make Up class on Tuesday, December 8th for December 9th when the gym will be in ripped apart for competition set up. We will not be having the December 8th Make Up class. We will make it up with Don sometime in January closer to the competition when the extra session may be of more use to those who are stressing. We will make sure that day is clearly indicated on the next schedule.

My apologies for this change.

Secret Santa

We will be doing a Secret Santa Gift Exchange in the Provincial and National Tumbling Groups again this year.

This week we drew names. If your tumbler doesn't remember the name of the person they are buying for please send us an e-mail as we have the confidential lists stowed in a secure location somewhere in the OGC facility.

Gifts should be in the price range of $15 to $20. Please keep it simple and in range.

Provincial Tumblers will be doing their Secret Santa Gift Exchange on Thursday December 17th.

National Tumblers will be doing their Secret Santa Gift Exchange on Wednesday, December 23rd. (***NOTE: This is a change from what is written on the schedule that was posted.***)

If you are not able to come to the gym on the day of the gift exchange please send in your gift in advance so that your Secret Recipient can still get their gift. If you aren't going to be at gym on that day then we will keep your gift in a similarly confidential undisclosed location at the OGC for you until your return.

Thanks for participating and being part of the Christmas spirit at the OGC.

Happy Holidays to all!!!

Developmental 1 Class CHANGE

Karen and Kelsey's Developmental 1 Tumbling Class will have the following change this week:

Thursday, December 3rd NO TRAINING due to the OGC Christmas Banquet

A Make Up Class will take place during the day 11:30 to 1:30pm on Friday, December 4th (a PA Day for most kids).

If you are unable to make that time we are sorry but it is unavoidable as our coaches are very busy too.

Usually there would be no make up class for the OGC banquet evening but since the Developmental 1 Class will miss another Thursday due to the Competition we thought we would be nice and offer this make up class on Friday.

Please scroll down to view the extensive post about the December schedule for more scheduling information.

OGC Christmas Banquet

Please note that will not be any training for tumblers tomorrow, December 3rd due to the OGC Christmas Banquet.

The Banquet is at the

St Volodymyr Cultural Center, 1280 Dundas Street

Meet and Greet at 5:30pm

Dinner at 6:30pm

Celebration concludes at 10:30pm

Hope to see you all there!!!

SNOW DAY Communication

In the event that there is a snow storm we will post class cancellations here on the blog by 2:00pm at the latest. We will also often e-mail you directly. When you see the post or receive the e-mail please send an e-mail to Don or Niki or the club's info e-mail to let us know that you have received the notice. We will do follow up phone calls to those that we do not hear back from at 3:00pm but would prefer to only call those families who did not catch the e-mail or the post.

Snow days will not be made up at a later time.

Front Door Policy

During this month if your athlete's group is scheduled for a class while the office or building is closed there will be no viewing available for parents/family/friends. You will be required to wait at either the sliding glass doors at the main entrance inside or be asked to wait at the downstairs service entrance. Be on time. If you are late you will not get in for the class. You also will not be able to pick up your child early or midway through class as the coaches need to stay in the gym for the duration of the class. You can pick up your athlete when the coach ushers them out at the end of class.


If you have scheduling concerns on a specific day you must contact the coach prior to the class.

Sorry for the inconvenience of this closed viewing area policy but it is for the safety of the gymnasts and the protection of the club.

Thanks

DECEMBER SCHEDULE

Here it is!!!

Pay close attention because there are many changes. I will make some notes here for each group rather than creating separate schedules for everyone.

Developmental 1 - Karen and Kelsey's Group

Thursday, December 3rd - OGC Christmas Banquet - Make Up December 4th, a PA Day for school kids, make up time to be communicated to you by Karen and Kelsey

Tuesday, December 8th - REGULAR
Thursday, December 9th - CANCELLED due to Women's Elite Canada Competition
Tuesday, December 15th - REGULAR
Thursday, December 17th - REGULAR
Tuesday, December 22nd, 224th, 29th, and 31st NO TRAINING over school break

Classes Resume REGULAR January 5th 2010

Developmental 2 - Amanda's Group (younger group)

Thursday, December 3rd - CANCELLED OGC Christmas Banquet

Monday, December 7th - REGULAR - Measuring for Bodysuits

Note: Developmental Groups do not train over the Holiday Break but a Make Up Class due to the Women's Elite Canada Competition is scheduled for the break. We are cancelling one class and making up the other during the Women's Competition.

Wednesday, December 9th - NO TRAINING - Make Up December 21st 10:00-12:00noon

Thursday, December 10th - CANCELLED

Week December 14th to 17th REGULAR

December 21st to December 31st NO TRAINING

REGULAR TRAINING Resumes Monday, January 4th 2010

Developmental 3 - Amanda's Group (older group)

Thursday, December 3rd - CANCELLED OGC Christmas Banquet

Sunday, December 6th - REGULAR

Monday, December 7th - REGULAR Measuring for Bodysuits

Note: Developmental Groups do not train over the Holiday Break but a Make Up Class due the Women's Elite Canada Competition is scheduled for the break. We are cancelling one class and making up the other during the Women's Competition.

Wednesday, December 9th - NO TRAINING - Make Up December 22nd 10:00 - 12:00noon

Sunday, December 13th - CANCELLED

Week December 14th to 17th - REGULAR TRAINING

December 21st to December 31st NO TRAINING

REGULAR TRAINING Resumes Monday, January 4th 2010

Provincial D Niki and Don's Group

Wednesday, December 3rd - CANCELLED OGC Christmas Banquet

Sunday, Decmeber 6th - CHANGED!!! - 3:30 to 6:30pm

Tuesday, December 8th - REGULAR

Thursday, December 10th - CANCELLED - We are cancelling one training and finding alternate training for the other day during the Women's Elite Canada Competition

Sunday, December 13th - TRAINING AT FUTURES GYMNASTICS CLUB MISSISSAUGA 11:30 to 2:30pm

Week December 15th to 17th - REGULAR TRAINING

Holiday Schedule

Monday, December 21st 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 22nd 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 23rd 9:00 to 11:30am

Monday, December 28th 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 29th 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 30th 9:00 to 11:30am

Provincial CBA Don and Niki's Group

Thursday, December 3rd - CANCELLED OGC Christmas Banquet

Sunday, December 6th and Monday, December 7th - REGULAR

Tuesday, December 8th - MAKE UP CLASS 7:00 to 9:00pm for Wednesday, December 9th

We are cancelling one class during the Women's Elite Canada Competition and making up two.

Thursday, December 10th - CANCELLED

Sunday, December 13th - TRAINING AT FUTURES GYMNASTICS CLUB MISSISSAUGA from 11:30 to 2:30pm

Week December 14th to December 17th - REGULAR TRAINING

Holiday Schedule

Monday, December 21st 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 22nd 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 23rd 9:00 to 11:30am

Monday, December 28th 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 29th 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 30th 9:00 to 11:30am

National Group

Thursday, December 3rd - CANCELLED OGC Christmas Banquet

Training Camp at OGC with Montreal and Quinte Bay Tumblers

Saturday, December 5th 11:00 to 1:00pm 1st Training 2:00 to 5:00pm 2nd Training

Sunday, December 6th 9:00 to 11:30am 3rd Training - No Afternoon Training

Monday, December 7th and Tuesday, December 8th - REGULAR TRAINING

Note: During the Women's Elite Canada Competition we are Cancelling one class and making up the others.

Wednesday, December 9th - NO TRAINING - Make Up December 5th 11:00 to 1:00pm

Sunday, December 13th - TRAINING AT FUTURES GYMNASTICS CLUB MISSISSAUGA 2:30 to 5:30pm

Week December 14th to 17th - REGULAR TRAINING

Holiday Schedule

Monday, December 21st 4:00 to 7:00pm

Tuesday, December 22nd 4:00 to 7:00pm

Wednesday, December 23rd 12:00 to 3:00pm

Monday, December 28th 4:00 to 7:00pm

Tuesday, December 29th 4:00 to 7:00pm

Wednesday, December 30th 12:00 to 3:00pm

December Schedule on its Way

We've made a list and we're checking it twice ... of all the changes that are being made to the December schedule. With the Elite Canada Women's Gymnastics meet, Christmas Banquet, and holiday trainings there are many changes this month.

Please stay tuned as I will have it up tomorrow along with special notes on the changes.

To give everyone a "Heads Up!" on the holiday training schedule I will post that here:

Developmental Groups do not have regular training between December 19th and the 2nd of January. Amanda's groups will have a make class which will be posted with the full schedule and identified as a special note.

Provincial D and Provincial CBA will train together

Monday, December 21st from 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 22nd from 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 23rd from 9:00 t 11:30am

Monday, December 28th from 1:30 to 4:00pm

Tuesday, December 29th from 1:30 to 4:00pm

Wednesday, December 30th from 9:00 to 11:30am

National Group will train:

Monday, December 21st 4:00 to 7:00pm

Tuesday, December 22nd from 4:00 to 7:00m

Wednesday, December 23rd from 12:00 to 3:00pm

Monday, December 28t from 4:00 to 7:00pm

Tuesday, December 29th from 4:00 to 7:00pm

Wednesday, December 30th from 12:00 to 3:00pm

Please let us know if you will be away for any of the scheduled holiday trainigs.

Thanks! Happy Holidays!

Pam Americans in Daytona

I just wanted to post an additional note about the Pan American Championships for Trampoline and Tumbling that is scheduled for Daytona, Florida in March.

Originally after receiving a mass e-mail from our High Performance Director at Gymnastics Canada, Stephan, Duchesne, I was under the impression that any athlete who fit into an Age Category (11 to 18 years old) could attend without any special requirements. I was uninformed at that point. I am posting the correction that was sent out to us from Gymnastics Ontario and was further clarified for me by the High Performance Director himself.

Please read it carefully and understand that only those athletes who have been to Nationals or who have made the National qualification score for their level will be permitted to attend and even then they will have to obtain and FIG Licence to participate. Let me explain: FIG stands for Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, so the International Gymnastics Federation. Any athlete who wishes to compete outside of their country for an international meet must have this licence. In essence the Age Scandal from the Beijing Olympics where some Chinese gymnasts were accused of lying about their ages prompted the FIG to require athletes to register their birth date information so that ages cannot be changed or lied about at later competitions. We will be asking to register our athletes in the next couple months so that they have an FIG Licence prior to Pan American Championships.

Please note this prevents any of the Provincial athletes from participating in Pan American Championships or from competing anywhere outside of our country.

I hope this provides some clarification for all of those who read this blog. My apologies for the confusion.

Jonathan Meehan 12th in the World

OGC Tumbler 12th in the World


Jonathan had a great competition. He successfully landed both his passes (Round-off, whip, spring, double-layout, whip, whip, spring, double-pike and round-off, whip, whip, whip, whip, whip, spring, full-full tuck).


Congratulations to Jonathan on his 12th place finish in a category of 34 tumblers from around the world.


Here are the results from the Men's 15/16 tumbling World Age Group Championships

15-16 Boys TUM Qualification results
# Gymnast Country Difficulty Score Difficulty Score Sum
1 MANIN Mikhail RUS 7.6 33.7 6.6 32.6 66.300
2 COOK Aaron USA 8.5 32.6 8.6 33.4 66.000
3 CRUZ Paulo POR 7.1 32.3 6.9 32.6 64.900
4 VISAGIE Tiaan RSA 7.7 33.0 7.8 31.9 64.900
5 PANTELO Leonid UKR 8.0 32.4 6.9 31.8 64.200
6 MYRHORODSKYY Yaroslav UKR 7.8 31.8 7.7 32.1 63.900
7 KIGO Alexander RUS 6.1 31.5 8.0 32.3 63.800
8 BALEZIN Alexander RUS 7.6 32.3 7.1 31.4 63.700
9 GREGORY Shaun GBR 6.6 31.4 8.0 32.1 63.500
10 RENKERT Alexander USA 6.1 31.7 6.7 31.6 63.300
11 NACEY Austin USA 5.1 30.8 6.1 31.6 62.400
12 MEEHAN Jonathan CAN 6.1 31.2 5.1 30.8 62.000
13 LALETIN Nikolay RUS 8.1 29.0 7.9 32.4 61.400
14 VARDUMYAN Artur UKR 6.1 30.8 5.3 29.4 60.200
15 SUGIURA Jumpei JPN 6.5 31.0 5.5 29.2 60.200
16 GANSWYK Leon RSA 6.1 29.9 5.9 30.2 60.100
17 QUINTAL Pedro POR 5.8 29.8 6.2 30.0 59.800
18 MOELLER Kasper DEN 6.0 30.5 4.7 29.3 59.800
19 MONGEY Kilian FRA 4.5 29.9 4.1 29.6 59.500
20 SOARES Ruben POR 6.5 31.5 4.4 27.4 58.900
21 EVERAERT Alex BEL 6.0 28.2 6.4 30.00 58.200
22 DIMITROV Pavel BUL 5.9 29.3 4.7 28.9 58.200
23 GOSSELIN Xavier CAN 5.7 28.5 5.3 29.6 58.100
24 LUCAS Jordan GBR 4.1 26.1 6.9 31.0 57.100
25 SUDA Konrad POL 6.1 30.2 4.0 26.6 56.800
26 BOLLE Mathieu FRA 4.5 28.3 4.3 28.3 56.600
27 BASTOS Martim POR 4.2 28.2 4.0 27.7 55.900
28 BELKHIRAT Soheib ALG 3.0 26.2 5.2 28.4 54.600
29 COOPER James GBR 3.9 25.6 4.0 28.6 54.200
30 KENSIL Joshua USA 6.4 31.6 5.0 21.4 53.000
31 LEACH Jamie GBR 4.3 28.0 1.9 24.8 52.800
32 CHIHANI Mohamed ALG 3.5 25.2 4.4 27.2 52.400
33 GEIDT Artur KAZ 5.1 23.5 5.8 27.3 50.800
34 KARAIVANOV Plamen BUL 5.0 24.1 2.7 15.3 39.400

Results

You can follow the results live on this website.

Jonathan competes at 11:10am. Not sure what time that is in Canada time.

check out this website:

http://10.1.2.10:8080/AContestServer/static/events/4-event

Good luck Jonathan!

Pics from Russia 3

The star of the show!!

Pics from Russia 2

These are pictures from the second most famous church in Russia: The Church of the Spilt Blood. The blood was that of Peter the Great who was stabbed inside the cathedral.

It's a fantastic church that is much larger than the more famous on in Moscow.

All of the art work in side is made of a large mosaic. Truly spectacular.

Pics from Russia 1

The Hermitage is the main museum in St Petersburg. It was the winter palace for the royalty. It house Catherine's large art collection. Here is a sampling of its majesty.

In St Petersburg

Jonathan and I are here in St Petersburg, Russia at World Age Group Championships. Here a couple quick picks to let you all know that we are alive.

It's about minus 3 degrees and we have some snow.

The competition will be intence with really strong teams in the tumbling. We are watching the Russian team train right now while I'm blogging. We have free WiFin the competition hall. It's pretty cool.

I'll post results here as soon as we get them. Today is Monday and we don't compete until Thursday.

I'll post more soon.

December Schedule Question?

As promised we are trying to get a jump on the December schedule so that everyone can make holiday plans.

December 4th, 5th, and 6th the Provincial B, A and National level tumblers will be having an In House Training Camp with the kids from Quinte Bay and the Montreal Club that we often do exchanges with. You will have altered training that week.

December 9th to 13th the OGC will be hosting Women's Artistic Gymnastics Elite Canada. We will be canceling a couple classes and going to other gyms in the area for some trainings. We are still working on this so I am not able to provide a definite schedule yet as we are communicating with those other gyms to arrange days and times that work best.

Over the 2 week Holiday Break we will have altered trainings:

Developmental classes will NOT be running between December 18th and January 2nd. Regular classes will resume on Sunday, January 3rd. In the past four years that we have been running the tumbling program our Developmental tumblers have not had trainings during this time.

Provincial and National Tumblers:

Sunday, December 20th there will not be any training.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of both weeks we will be training during the day. The times are not yet scheduled. We are waiting to hear back from you on this question:

Will you be at training between December 20th and January 3rd?

If you will not be at training December 21, 22, 23 or 28, 29, 30 please let us know so that we can put classes together or make changes where necessary. Please send Don an e-mail to let us know your Holiday training intentions.

dholmes_tumbling@hotmail.com

All regular training will resume with regular times on Sunday, January 3rd.

NOVEMBER SCHEDULE

Please note that Don will be away at the World Age Group Championships from the 11th to the 22nd of November. Julianne will be supplying for Don during that time.
Thanks for your understanding.

We will try to have a December Training Schedule out this week so that everyone can make their Holiday Plans well in advance.

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Flu Spreading Precautions

The OGC has sent out an e-mail to it's staff and families regarding our efforts to prevent the spread of germs. I thought it would be a good idea to post it here as well.

I thought the graphic nature of my graphics would catch your attention.

Dear Parents,

As you are all aware, we are in the flu season. I just wanted to make you all aware of the precautions the club has taken regarding this issue. We have been in touch with the health department and we have done the following:

There are hand sanitizer dispensers at all the entrances and in the gym area. We are encouraging the children and staff to use them.

In each washroom over the sink there are signs explaining to everyone on how to correctly wash their hands.

If your child is experiencing flu like symptoms, please keep them at home until they are well. Please inform your coach if this is the case.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks


The Oakville Gymnastics Club

Pan American Championships

We plan to take all national level tumblers and possibly a few special invited provincial tumblers to the Pan American Championships in Daytona Beach, USA.

Rationale:

Gymnastics Canada is mandating that any tumbler who would like to be considered eligible to attend the World Age Group Championships must have competed internationally at at least one meet prior to World Age Group Championships. In an e-mail from Gymnastics Canada it was suggested that we take our tumblers to the Pan American Championships being hosted in Daytona Beach, Florida this March (26th, 27th, 28th, 2010). This in NOT the Pan American Games. It is a Championship meet for all American countries that compete in Trampoline and Tumbling. It is also a club meet and all of the American Clubs will be attending as well. Usually the US holds a Winter Classic T&T meet but this year they have opted to not host this meet and have all of their athletes attend the Pan American competition in Daytona. This will make the Pan American Championship the most attended tumbling meet in North America this year. We are invited to attend as individual clubs.

We plan to attend as Oakville Gymnastics Club. This will be one of the major competitions on the road to World Age Group Championships next fall in Metz, France. If you wish to be considered for the the World Age Groups Championships you must attend this meet in Daytona. Also note that if your athlete takes a vacation for more than three days during the month of March they will not be allowed to attend this competition (our rule). We will not take athletes who have not trained prior to this meet. This may be one of the largest tumbling competitions our athletes will ever compete in so we expect full commitment leading up to this event.

Please start planing for this event both financially and as a family.

Thanks for your understanding and commitment to our program.

No Attending Tour Selection

For those tumblers who are in levels B, A, Novice, and Youth we have decided NOT to attend the Tour Selection Competition being hosted December 12th and 13th in Burlington.

We just recently received new rules for the all the levels both provincial and national. We do not feel that it would be appropriate for our athletes to attempt passes that they are not prepared to compete. We feel that we need at least until the 1st Ontario Cup to be prepared with these new requirements.

As well the meet that Ontario plans to "tour" to is the Pan American Championships that will take place March 26th, 27th and 28th in Daytona Beach, Florida. This event is a club event so we have planned to attend this meet as the Oakville Gymnastics Club. We would rather our athletes travel with our team and be under our care for this meet. We feel that if one or two athletes are selected for the Tour Team that it would be more divisive for our club than good.

I will explain the necessity for attending the Pan American Championships in the subsequent post.

So know that our first competition will be the Mock Meet that we host scheduled for January 17th here at the OGC. The first official competition will be two weeks after that at the 1st Ontario Cup in Mississauga (at Futures Gymnastics Club).

Thanks for your understanding.

No Quebec Travel Meet

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I regret to inform everyone that the Travel Meet that we had intended to travel to is not long an option for us. The Quebec Gymnastics Federation changed the date of their 3rd Tumbling Qualifier to the week prior to the date we had originally planned to attend. The date that they moved the competition to is the same weekend as our 3rd Ontario Cup in Barrie. We must attend our own qualifier. We are trying to come up with an alternative event for the entire team to participate in. We will let you know what we come up with.





Thanks for your understanding in this matter. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do a travel meet as an entire club.

World Age Group Championships

Jonathan Meehan has been a Power Tumbler at the OGC for the past 3 years. So far in his short tumbling career, Jonathan is showing that he is definitely an up and coming Canadian tumbler.

During this year's Canada Cup qualification competition, he solidified top spot in the 15-16 age group category for the upcoming 2009 Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships. He will represent Canada in this very prestigious event that will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia this coming November 11th-22nd.

We are all very proud of Jonathan's accomplishments and we wish him the best of luck at the 2009 World Age Group Championships!

Juicebox Pick Up

Please pick up your juicebox orders at the main office after 6:00pm this week. The person in the office will tick off that you picked up your order.

If you haven't registered in advance for Family Fun Night do so now as spaces are limited.

Thanksgiving Monday

Just a reminder that there is no training today, Thanksgiving Monday.

Please enjoy time with your family, the great food and the colour of the leaves.

I spent the weekend near Algonquin Park and despite the flash flurries we had some great weather.

See you all on Tuesday and if you haven't registered for the Family Fun Night you have a week to do so. There are only a few spaces left so e-mail me soon or call the office directly.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from the OGC Tumbling Program.

Don

Juicebox Orders Due NOW!

Just wanted to remind everyone that Juicebox Orders are due this week.

Please submit your orders with payment to Agnes in the office.

Thanks for your support.

B, A, and Novice Training Camp

Some people may have noticed that Gymnastics Ontario is offering a Provincial B, A and Novice 10-14 training camp in two weeks. We have decided to NOT be part of this camp for one major reason. Registration to this event is restricted to 4 tumblers per club. We have about a dozen athletes in these categories and feel that restricting the registration to 4 is not fair to our athletes. As well we do not feel that we want to take a coach away from the entire group to work with just a few atheltes. We want to ensure that we are providing equal opportunity for all of our tumblers.

In liu of this event we will be hosting a small private training camp for out own athletes as well as our friends from Montreal and Quinte Bay on the weekend of December 5/6.

Hopefully in the future registration will be open to all.

October Schedule

3rd Qualifier in Quebec

There has been some questions as to what the "3rd Qualifier in Quebec" is doing on our Event Schedule.

Well, we have decided that we don't like the fact that all of our athletes aren't able to share in the travel opportunities that some others are able to qualify to during the regular season. Travel opportunities such as Eastern Canadian Championships or Tour or Ontario Winter Games, what-have-you. So we decided that we would offer an optional travel competition to Quebec this year. We plan to take a coach bus (or two) and invite families as well. The idea is that we travel as a team and cheer each other on. We want all of our athletes to share in this event from our Provincial D athletes all the way up to our National level tumblers. We have asked our friends in Quebec if we could attend one of their qualifiers and the one that works out best for us is the 3rd Provincial qualification competition in Quebec. It is the 3rd qualifier for Quebec athletes not our kids as the 3rd Ontario Cup is in Barrie.

This is a fun competition that we would like to make an annual event whether we travel to Quebec, another province or the USA.

If this requires further explanation feel free to drop Niki or I an e-mail.

Don