“Building confidence, self-esteem and leaderships skills through gymnastics and dance instruction in a safe and positive atmosphere.”
Summer Holiday
GRGA will be closed from May 29th – June 4th for a summer break. As with all sessions, June will still be four weeks long with the June session beginning the week of June 5th. Please help yourself to a “2006 Dates to Know” hand-out in the lobby for other important gym dates. Additional important dates and events to be planned yet this year will be announced in future newsletters and hand-outs. Classes will still be offered on Saturday May 27th, which is Memorial Day Weekend. As a reminder of GRGA’s policy, two make-up classes are allowed to be scheduled each session when notification of the absence is given in advance.
May 26th No Open Gym
May 27th Saturday Classes Will be Held (Memorial Day Weekend)
May 29th-June 3rd No Regular Classes at GRGA
May 29th-May 31st Level 5 and 6 Make-up Classes (see team bulletin board)
June 5th-June 10th First week of June Session (summer schedule in effect)
June 11th Sunday Night Open Gym Begins
June 19th-June 25th No Level 5 and 6 Class
Pizza Fundraiser
All members are invited to participate in this year’s Pizza Fundraiser. Proceeds from each pizza sold go into an account for your individual child to be used towards show or competition expenses. Coupons for one sixteen inch one-topping take and bake pizza from Pizza Works will sell for $10 each and can be redeemed in person at Pizza Works. Sellers will profit $4.50 from each pizza sold. Stop by the information desk to receive a packet of twenty coupons to sell and return by June 15th. It’s never too early to fundraise for holiday show leotards or future competitive-related costs.
Summer Open Gym
Open Gym will be offered on Sunday evenings during the summer sessions from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Gymnasts need to be at least 5 years old to participate and any non-members must have a parent signed waiver on file to participate. Cost is $7 for members and $10 for non-members per time. Open gym is an excellent opportunity for gymnast to gain extra gym time and work on any skills or apparatus they would like to in a self -paced yet supervised atmosphere. Gymnasts missing a class during the week with advance notice to the gym are encouraged to attend open gym as a make up class.
The new summer schedule is here! We know summertime brings about many new activities and vacations for our members. We hope that you can find a class time that will work well with your busy summer schedules. We want to remind all current members that registration for classes is done on a first come first serve basis. Class sizes are limited to an 8:1 student/staff ratio. For the summer sessions, Saturday preschool gymnastics and dance classes will not be offered. In the fall, GRGA will resume offering Saturday class options.
The $15 annual renewal fee was due to GRGA with your April tuition. This fee covers the cost of insurance, mailings and handouts for the year. If you have not paid this fee yet, please do so with your May or June tuition payment. Upon payment, you will receive a coupon sheet for free open gym passes as well as pro-shop, private lesson and birthday party discounts. All new members to GRGA in the year 2006 do not need to pay the annual renewal until April of 2007. If you did not receive your coupon sheet please feel free to stop at the front desk and pick one up.
Gymnasts of the Month are chosen by GRGA instructors based on hard work, attendance and attitude in the gym. Congratulations to the Gymnasts of the Month for March and April. Please check out the new Gymnast of the Month display in the lobby.
Grace Edwards – Pre-k
Rozlyn Hawk – Beginner
Ali Geislinger – Level 1
Alyssa Beaty – Level 6
New Birthday Party Packages
Beginning in June, GRGA will be offering revised birthday party packages. Please check out the lobby pamphlet rack for our new party options!
Coaching Clinic
On June 17th, owner and team coach Andrea Hassel will be heading to Pennsylvania to attend a coaching clinic at the International Gymnastics Camp (IGC). IGC is one of the most renowned training centers in the United States and is home to several USAG elite level training camps throughout the year. The coaches education program is led by Abie Grossfeld who is a three-time Olympian, three-time Olympic Coach and International Judge. Also assisting with the program is Phil Frank who is a USAG safety-certifier and club coach. GRGA is excited about this opportunity and looks forward to bringing back many new ideas and concepts to share here at home!
USA Gymnastics and Visa National Championships
GRGA participates in a nationwide program by way of its affiliation with USA Gymnastics. USAG is the national governing board for gymnastics in the United States and also has the responsibility of selecting the Olympic Team every four years. Gymnasts begin competing through USAG at level 4 and may progress through the levels at their own pace through achieving qualification scores at USAG sanctioned competitions. The competitive portion of USAG ranges from levels 4-10. Beyond level 10, an athlete may test for elite-level status and represent the country at national and international competitions. Minnesota is extremely lucky this year to play host to an elite-level meet and we would like to invite all gym members to take advantage of this opportunity! On August 16th-19th, the Visa National Championships will come to the St. Paul Excel Energy Center and will serve as a preview to the future Olympians of 2008! Watch for more details to come soon on ticket purchases and transportation opportunities!
Class Addition to Summer Schedule 2006
We have added a new preschool class to the summer schedule. On Monday evenings we will offer a 3 and 4 year old preschool class from 6:30-7:15. If you would like to switch from the current class you enrolled for, please contact the front desk and let them know of the change. If you have not yet enrolled for summer session please do so by May 27th. Registration may be done by filling out the summer enrollment slip located in the lobby or speaking with a GRGA staff person. We thank-you for pre-registering as it helps us to appropriately accommodate the class sizes with proper staffing.
Welcome Back Staff
We are thrilled about the summer return of several GRGA staff members that have been attending their first year of college. Blair Prokop, Krista Wetschka and Julia Kruchoski all return to GRGA for the summer months and will assist with a variety of classes and open gyms throughout the upcoming sessions. Prokop has been attending the University of St. Ben’s while Wetschka has been attending college in New York. Kruchoski will return to GRGA as a coach and athlete this summer as she continues to train for her second season as a competitive gymnast for Gustavus Adolphus University in St. Peter, MN. Kruchoski competed on the uneven bars during her freshman year at GAU. Welcome back ladies!
Tall Timber Days Parade
Although it’s several months away, GRGA is already looking forward to participating in the Tall Timber Days Parade in August. It’s GRGA’s goal to get as many members as possible in their float and to take home the First Place Prize in the Children’s Division. Look for more information and sign up information later this summer.