Grand Rapids

Gymnastics Academy

“Building confidence, self-esteem and leaderships skills through gymnastics and dance instruction in a safe and positive atmosphere.”

October 2006 Newsletter

Grand Rapids Gymnastics Academy Voted Most Improved Club in MN

In September, GRGA was voted as Most Improved Gymnastics Club in Minnesota for 2006. Voted by fellow coaches and judges, this was a huge honor for GRGA in only its fourth year of business. Head Coach Andrea Hassel was also one of several coaches nominated for a coach of the year award by members of Minnesota USA Gymnastics. USA Gymnastics is the premier gymnastics program in the United States and is responsible for selecting the U.S. Olympic Team and producing 98% of all college gymnasts in the United States.

Individual Progress Charts

Progress charts for each class level will be distributed in October to all gymnasts enrolled at GRGA. This is a great way for students to set personal goals and track their own achievements in class. Throughout each session star stickers will be distributed for skills that students have demonstrated proficiency with.

Dates to Know

October 2 – October Session Begins

October 14 – Open Gym

October 21 – Open Gym

October 29 – Meet VS. Bemidji

October 30 – November Session Begins

October 31 – Halloween – No Classes

November 3– Sign-up deadline for Holiday Show

GRGA Annual Holiday Show

The GRGA Holiday Show will be held at the Greenway High School Auditorium again this year on December 22^nd. Attached you will find an envelope to order your leotard or dance costume. In order to have an accurate count for choreographing and ordering costumes, GRGA will need to have all members signed up by November 4^th. The cost for each leotard can be paid by check or taken from your fundraising account. So, if you haven’t begun fund-raising yet, this is a great reason to start. Participation in the show is entirely optional. Last year was the first year of the holiday show and we had over 100 participants! We hope to make this year an even bigger success. Class pictures will be done again this year in conjunction with the dress rehearsal in December. More details on the dress rehearsal and picture day schedule will be posted in the November newsletter.

Gymnasts of The Month

Amy Key

Kate Kampa

Dancer of The Month

Raina Cardwell

Beef Stick and Poinsettia Fundraisers

Two great fundraisers are available for the month of October! Please see the information desk for more information. Also, please turn in any candy bar money that is still out as soon as possible. GRGA will conduct a Cookie Dough fundraiser in November again this year as well. As always, all fundraising money goes directly into the account of the member fundraising. Money can be used towards the Holiday Show, competitive expenses and GRGA special events.

Happy Halloween

GRGA will not hold classes on Tuesday, October 31^st, due to Halloween. Please attend an open gym session on October 14th or 21st to make up for this missed class time.

Open Gym Schedule

Due to GRGA’s busy competitive meet schedule, open gym is not held every weekend. Please keep posted on scheduled open gym times by following the calendar in the lobby or via the website at www.grgymacademy.com. Open gym is an excellent time to make up a missed class or a great opportunity for anyone desiring extra gym.

MEA Weekend

GRGA will conduct classes over MEA weekend and on other non-school days. Due to the difficulty of offering make up dates, GRGA will only cancel classes on school days that are canceled due to inclement weather.

Team GRGA

After an intense summer of hard work by the competitive team, GRGA started out the 2006-07 season with a clean sweep in their first meet of the season. Team GRGA visited Twin Ports Gymnastics of Superior on September 30^th and left Wisconsin successfully with first place finishes in levels four, five and six. On October 7^th, GRGA competed at Roseville High School in the 1^st State Qualifier meet and qualified 5 gymnasts to the Minnesota State Meet to be held in December. Team members qualifying for the state meet from Level 6 are Sarah Gardeski and Riley O’Brien. Level 5 team members qualifying for the state meet are Dominique Flack, Mariah Harguth and Mackenzie Dumm. The Level 6 team earned a 4^th place team trophy while Level 5 earned a 3^rd place team trophy. Congratulations girls!

Grand Rapids Gymnastics Academy

1887 East Highway 2

218-326-3001