artistic gymnastics competitive and recreational
TRANSCRIPT
Program Overview by Steve Butcher
Artistic Gymnastics Competitive and Recreational
Current FIG MTC President Current Pan American Gymnastics Union VP Current USA Gymnastics Men’s Program Committee member- all
athlete selection Current Sr. Director of Operations- Varsity Inc., owners of 15+
gyms with gymnastics & cheerleading in the USA, runs a competition with 3,000+
Former PAGU MTC President 2003-2011 FIG Brevet Judge for 7 cycles USA Men’s National Team Coach 1991-2006 Coach of 1996 Olympian John Macready Private gymnastics school owner 6 ½ years Former national level gymnast University degree in business management & physical education
My Background
USA Gymnastics Competitive Program Scoring System Current Competitive Program Numbers USA Elite Program Competitive Program Numbers History Sanctioned Competitions University & High School Systems Recreational & Preschool Gymnastics Why Gymnastics? MAG Gymnast Life USA Gymnastics University Summer Camps
Overview
ELITE Juniors and Seniors(all Olympic and World Championships Teams selected from this group)
Level 10 TOPS Program WAGTalent
Identification Testing Programs-
elements and physical
preparation
Future Stars Program MAG
Talent Identification
Testing Programs- elements and
physical preparation
Level 9Level 8Level 7
Level 6 compulsory
Level 5 compulsoryLevel 4 compulsoryLevel 3 compulsoryLevel 2 compulsoryLevel 1 compulsory
Competitive Program Chart
Levels are the Junior Olympic Program
USA WAG Levels (Junior Olympic Program) uses the 10.0 system
Never changed system USA University WAG program uses 10.0 scoring
USA MAG Levels (Junior Olympic Program) uses the FIG system
Changed for better spectator understanding USA University MAG program uses FIG scoring
Scoring
2012-2013 102,295 gymnasts
29,229 coach/judges
131,524 total participants 4,000+ competitions & 3,000+ gym schools
Current Competitive Program #’s
Actual Competitive Gymnasts #’s
Total # 102,295
Women 73,839
Men 12,961
Trampoline & Tumbling 5,952
Group 6,118 Rhythmic 1,481 Acrobatics 944
2012-2013
Actual Competitive Program %
Women 72
Men 13
Trampoline & Tumbling 6
Group 6 Rhythmic 1.5 Acrobatics 1
2012-2013
1980-1981 1990-1991 2000-2001 2005-2006 2012-2013
30,275
48,821
75,367
88,190
102,295
n/a8,325
16,95422,978 29,229
Registered Numbers with Federation
Gymnasts Judges/Coaches
Growth since 1980
Competitive Program
Twenty years ago 2-3 private gyms or universities (MAG/WAG) in the USA provided most top gymnasts
Things started changing 15 years ago Federation emphasized gymnasts stay at home Many foreign coaches in the USA have raised level Training Camps and development of coaches MAG camps 5 times a year WAG more frequent & check by Marta before any
major competition for readiness No centralized training required, but possible for
MAG (over age 18)
Elite Program
4,000+ sanctioned by federation each year
May be held by any gymnastics school
USA Gymnastics covers insurance for a small fee
6-10 months out of the year judges working a lot
My company owns 15 gyms and hosts many competitions, one invitational with 3,000+ gymnasts, every January
These large invitationals are enjoyed by parents, coaches, gymnasts, and judges. Less stress than state, regional, and national competitions
*Not including high school and university competitions
Competitions
Return on investment Scholarships WAG more than 1,000 gymnasts each year
with full tuition, room & board, plus expenses
MAG more than 100 each year with full tuition, room & board, plus expenses
Many scholarships are worth $250,000 US to a family (1,530,250 RMB)
University System
High quality education at private or public universities
Most gymnastics teams have the highest average grades of sports at their school
The best WAG university teams get 15,000 spectators for all competitions
Some entry advantage for top gymnasts No false advancement or grading for these
gymnasts at the universities
University System
Represent school is most important aspect
Good local media coverage
Very little chance for a university scholarship and no chance to make the USA Team
Competitive form of recreational gymnastics
USA Gymnastics will soon govern MAG
High School System
Numbers are approximately 10x that of the competitive gymnasts, meaning more than 1 million participants nationally
Approximately 1 million children take gymnastics classes each year
Parents choose for their child to enter gymnastics
Most go just one day a week for 1 hour
Preschool Gymnastics (ages 2-5) Very popular!
Recreational Gymnastics
It’s fun! Develops strength Develops flexibility Develops coordination Teaches listening skills Gains self-esteem and confidence Provides social interaction with peers Teaches goal setting Develops cognitive abilities to help in the classroom Develops skills to enhance other sports
Also, relatively safe at low levels
Why Gymnastics?
Marketing to Parents
MAG Gymnast Life to Olympics
Age 3 Parent Child Class 45 minutes each week Ages 4-5 Recreational Class (Levels 1-2) 1 hour each week Age 6 Pre-Team Selection (Level 3) 3 hours each week Ages 7-9 Competition (Levels 4-5) 6-9 hours each week Ages 10-12 Competition (Levels 6-8) 10-15 hours each week Ages 13-17 Competition (Levels 9-10) 15-22 hours each week Ages 18-21 University & Elite Competition 20-25 hours each week Ages 22-30 Elite & Olympic Competition 20-25 hours each week
USA
Note: this is rare- most gymnasts never advance past Level 6They use their experience to help in other sports and throughout life
Butcher baby
Online courses Safety education for all coaches & judges Technical education for all coaches & judges Required safety and entry level coaching
course required to coach at any competition Note: every member coach and judge must
pass background check Various levels can be achieved through
education Maximum is National Coach- requiring courses
+ experience
USA Gymnastics University
Fun Friendship Learning Inspirational 6 hours of gym per day Many games Many activities Many contests Olympians
Summer Camps
Summer Camps
Thank You
Gymnastics- The Foundation for All Sports