It has been very fun for all of us, the girls are always great to be around.  We arrived late on Wednesday and were up early Thursday to get organized, do all the prep and then walk to the gym (about 8 mins from the hotel).. once I post pics you will see how much you could miss Green Victoria.   We had to wear sunglasses to stop the dust from blowing up in our face.  The gym is at Grant McKewn Centre and its a wonderful bright gym and huge amount of bleachers which are great but do cut into the training carpet area.

The girls did their cardio and stretching in the upper mezzanine of the centre, and then fought their way to some warm up carpet space.  All Groups got 3 minutes each on the carpet which is wonderful and we were ready to start

The Group performed first on Thursday about 1:30 and they did very well, a few small glitches but a very solid routine.  Unfortunately there are 11 groups competing here but we are the only one in our category, lovely to be recognized for our achievement with Gold Medals, but even better is to note of all 11 groups, including 4 National Stream Groups,  our first day scores were the 3 rd highest, just behind the National SR trio, in second,  and only about 1 point behind the 1st performance of the Saskatchewan Open Group in HOOP. 

After group Cairo rested a bit and then worked on her ball and Clubs routines.  Both routines were solid and competition was tough, all four athletes were very good, and Cairo placed 3rd  in both with one score being .03 and the other .1,  which is considerably better than you scores from Provincials.   

The group girls were great supporters and were clapping and cheering for Cairo. 

After the rotation all of the VRG girls were busy helping with video taping and line judging and marshalling.   The Alberta organizers were very appreciative and told me numberously how lovely and giving they all were.

We rested and looked forward to even better preformances on the second day,   group was pretty much about the same level... we really missed our Victoria Crowd cheers, and Cairo did a nice Hoop but was disappointed with the few drops, and the deductions that took place.  

For me there were great, they felt good about their performances, and learned more about themselves and the many gymnasts around them, we saw more technicques, and great Choreography from Saskatchewan and enjoy the rest of competition

Last night finished off with a great banquet and hip hop dance instructor... as always we shone.

Lots of love from Edmonton from all 6 of us.  Enjoying west edmonton mall today

WOW, lots going on at VRG!!!! come along and join us Breaking into Sprin April 14 2 pm

HOT SHEET FOR VICTORIA RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS CLUB  updated March 2, 2013

Similar to last Saturdays  MOCK  Competitions  will be from 12 - 1:30 pm Mar 23,  May 4   and one in June to be determined.

MARCH 8 - 10  ELITE CANADA AT THE OVAL IN RICHMOND - VOLUNTEERS CAN TRAVEL WITH BARB VIA BUS ON SUNDAY MARCH 10 - Costs ferry, transit and food.  BEST gymnasts from across the country. Leaving on the 7 am ferry.  Please confirm with Barb by Wednesday if you plan to come volunteer time and see the best RG gymnasts in Canada

WE ARE TRAINING ALL SATURDAYS IN MARCH, EXCEPT EASTER SATURDAY MARCH 30.  PLEASE EMAIL OR CONFIRM NEXT IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND OVER SPRING BREAK(FOR COACHING ORGANIZATION) other days will be different   I will continue to  update the calendar about training times etc  please see ttp://www.victoriarg.com/Events.htm

PARENTS MONDAY FEB 25 5:45 and SATURDAY MARCH 2 10:15  ( please attend to ensure your questions are answered.) - OR PICK UP THE INFO SHEET ON THAT DAY AND SEND BACK THE REQUIRED INFO.

BREAKING INTO SPRING VRG  GALA PERFORMANCE/FUNDRAISER - including glowing gymnasts
VICTORIA RG  SHOW   April 14,  2013   2 pm Matinee
Dress rehersal etc.  Saturday April 13 from 9 am to 11 am
THIS SHOW is a fundraiser for our Western Canadian Competitors - please bring family and friends  Tickets $ 6 .00 each (children under 5 free)  or 4 for $ 20.00 also there will be a raffle for accomodation and meals in Tofino for two.  and a Silent auction as well   PLEASE INVITE FAMILY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND SUPPORT OUR SENIOR GYMNASTS/JUNIOR COACHES - Emma, Carly, Cairo, Alex, and Zoe

May 25 and 26 = Western Gymnaestrada in Nanaimo - discussion re bus/hotel/costs Please peruse the info booklet, and Gymnasts 6 and up  are able to perform - costs include registration, uniform (jacket) and costume, transportation and hotel    approximately $ 180 per gymnast  (less if you have a turquoise jacket already)
TEAM JACKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR $65.00 IN ALL SIZES.  PLEASE ORDER BY March 22, 2013  
SENIOR TEAM -  PERFORMANCE ON MARCH 23, PROVINCIALS ON APRIL 6/7 VANCOUVER, WESTERNS EDMONTON APRIL 24 - 28
SPRING  BREAK -   

SATURDAYS  AT Shoreline  March 9,16,23  SHORELINE  REGULAR SCHEDULE -

Mondays - Tuesdays- Thursdays  Fridays starting time at 5:30 pm   ALL SAINTS - REGULAR TRAINING - you MUST EMAIL YOU ARE ATTENDING TO ENSURE THERE IS A COACH

Ballet, Stretching Conditioning   
EXTRA FUN STUFF IF YOU HAVE SOME TIME DURING THE DAY. TUESDAY mARCH 19 -21
9 am - 1030 am   -  Maximum 4 gymnasts per  day- this will be great opportunity to improve yourself  AGES 7 and up - Cost $ 15.00 per day, register by March 7 to ensure a spot.  2 coaches for 4 gymnasts. LOCATION  VIEW ROYAL COMMUNITY HALL


RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS MINI CAMP
AGES 4 - 6 YEARS   Tuesday  MARCH 19- Wednesday 20- Thursday 21  mornings   11 - 12:30 AM CRAFTS AND GYM TIME-  BRING A SNACK  COST $ 15.00 PER DAY OR ALL THREE FOR $ 40.00  LOCATION VIEW ROYAL COMMUNITY HALL


FYI  - VICTORIA SPECIAL OLYMPICS INVITATIONAL AT SHORELINE MARCH 17, SUNDAY.  GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CHEER ON THE SPECIAL O GYMNASTS  9 AM TO 4 PM

FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2013 Mario Lam of Vancouver will be doing Sessions of Martial Gym.  This is an awesome program for BOYS     http://www.martialgym.info/coaches.html            There will be one at 1 - 3:30 pm and another at 5 - 7 pm  Location to be determined.  cost  $ 15.00


SUMMER CAMP DATES -   THERE WILL BE TRAINING CAMPS AND EXCITING NEW CAMPS FROM   JULY 22 TO AUGUST 9, 2013.  APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER TRAINING AND NEXT YEAR IS DUE BY MAY 31, 2013

OPEN HOUSE FOR 2013-2014  SEASON - OUR 30TH YEAR OF RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS IN VICTORIA...... BRING A FRIEND DAY JUNE 2, 2013   - all Saturdays in June except 8th are OPEN HOUSES

WRAP UP SHOW - MONDAY JUNE 10, 2013  5:30 warm up and start at 6:15 - 8 pm

Wow, great start, and ALL the best to Erika!!!

sideways view of warm up

I took this photo on Monday as Erika sat on Zoe's splits...and it looked quite cute, unfortunately my lack of technology has it sitting sideways, but you get the idea of it.    Zoe and Carly were laughing and Erika carefully took a seat.  


This fall has been UNBELIEVABLE, today again I opened an email from another family wanting to experience Rhythmic Gymnastics..yahoo.   It appears that we will have an incredible year with all the great returning gymnasts and the many new people joining in.    Coaches have organized to ensure that we have a training program of warm up, conditioning, skill technique and motivation for everyone.   I am proud of what coaches and athletes have raised the bar to, and feel confident the improvement will be very visible as the year progresses.   Please do email or text of phone me to discuss where your gymnast is at, I love to talk about kids and especially gym kids, and hopefully my years of coaching can help others understand the progress.

This club has been around since 1983, and there are always ups and downs, but it survives and thrives because of the coaching staff that invest their time and energy to the gymnasts.   We have been blessed with many coaches over the years, and all have contributed to strong young women.   As this year starts we have missed the coaches that are currently  busy with their lives that they aren't in the gym.  Karley is working as a Teacher on Call in the Victoria School District,  and Lexus is busy working full time to save for more education,   we wish them the very best and hope to see them occasionally during the year. Karley was wonderful for the past four years will all our gymnasts and big thank you for her energy and love...(PS she is doing some yoga training with us later in the year. Lexus was such a wonderful coach for little ones last year, that they miss her as do I.  Georgia P will be back soon as she is almost settled into her UVIC studies after being in North Van for the Summer.   Thank you to Leanne, Rachel and Jayna for their efforts at the start up and for the upcoming season.

Oh yes, and Erika..... I remember last fall thinking that once Leanne and Karley started their Teaching practicum that training was going to be tough without them...but lo and behold Erika Leigh Stirton Howard, had moved here after her wedding to Malcolm.   When she agreed to help coach I was excited and hopeful that we would be a good fit for her, and it wasn't good it was incredible.  I know that everyone who has been in the gym or travelled or just met her will feel that not only is she amazing at RG but she an inspirational, energetic and very funny person, and all the while quite a demanding coach.   As the oldest gymnast it has been great for me to learn more and find a fantastic new friend.   As you probably know tomorrow Friday Oct 5 is her last day at the gym, and  then the next adventure of living in Oxford as Malcolm works on his masters.   What a caring coach too,  she stayed behind these past 5 weeks to help us get going, and doing some of her amazing choreography, while Malcolm started in Oxford,  for this time I am deeply grateful.   We will continue to keep in touch and hopefully see her visit us in 2013.

Wow, great year ahead, thank you all for your support and especially for your kids.

Barb

This photos is taken just before we left Whistler to head home.   Wow, what a great weekend all 35 of us had traveling to Whistler by ferry then bus, and participating in great workshops and the show for 2012 BC Gymnaestrada.    I find it a bit unbelievable that our last large trip like this was probably the 2001 Gymnaestrada in Whistler.   TOO long of a break between,  I have set my sites on getting organized with a small or large trip each year,  they are SO very inspirational...we learned lots of things, but just a few are, travelling responsibly with a large group,
for our senior gymnasts good role modeling and helping young gymnasts see the beauty and fun of our sport
meeting new people from different places
sharing Madagascar with all your friends as you travel the Sea to Sky Highway
new skills from the Movie Stunts workshop, how to crawl like a monkey in Parquor,
letting go and Groove fitness, with your eyes closed, and open and in different directions
being responsible for yourself and drinking lots of water and being patient with you and your teammates
learning how wonderful gymnastic routines can be, and realizing that if you smile they are even better
cheering our favorite team of Victoria Special Olympians
loving the color turquoise, and how easy it is to see in a crowd..."yes waiter that our sea of blue"
appreciating our coaches and parents and how much they give for our benefit.

And I am sure I could go on, and on and on....but overall I think I had forgotten how fun a road trip can be, and it was a blast.

Reminder to everyone open house tomorrow, Saturday June 16-  regular training times, so bring along a friend, and exciting new workshops for the summer and fall....as well a looking at your training for next year.

Welcome Back and Westshore registration.

Happy New Year to all of you. Our club training resumes on January 5th, 2012...and it will be an exciting seasons with great opportunities for performance and for some travel. Please ensure that you are receiving our emails and let us know if we have missed you. Email us at victoriarg@shaw.ca

Due to some communication difficulty on my part with Westshore they are not running our programs in this seasons brochere. Here are the programs and you can register on Saturday 7 - cheques payable to Victoria Rhythmic Gymnastics, and if you are hoping to pay by visa, please talk to Barb on Saturday. Thanks

****And invite a friend tomorrow, no obligation if they want to try the class, Saturday morning is the best time****hopefully they love our sport and our club as my as we do. Shoreline location - see that under contacts on the website www.victoriarg.com

VICTORIA RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS www.victoriarg.com
SPARKLE PROGRAM - 6 week program 2.5 years to 5 years
Combine dance, ballet, and gymnastics all into one with the use of hand held apparatus such as ribbon,
hoop, ball, rope and scarves! Children will learn body movements and coordination through the use of music and hand held apparatus. Each class will involve some basic tumbling as well as some fun games and a chance to learn the basics of this wonderful sport. Participants in this level will also learn a routine to music throughout the session. 2.5 years to 5 years (2 coaches to help divide the ages appropriately) January 7 to February 11 - $ 42.00 9am to 9:30 Saturday @ Shoreline

SPIRIT PROGRAM - 6 week program 6 years and up
This fun class is designed for beginner to intermediate level rhythmic gymnasts. Develop
coordination and poise as you experience the sport,which combines ballet, gymnastics, and a variety of
apparatus into one rewarding activity!
(2 coaches to help divide the ages appropriately) January 7 to February 11 - $ 54.00 9:45 am to 10:30 Saturday @ Shoreline

If you are interested in one of our other programs please email Barb at victoriarg@shaw.ca or call her at 250-888-5801 and we can set up a trial practice for you.

Thanks for your interest.

Barb

Week 11 notes

Hello all,

Thanks for your support over the past month, as I put lots of effort into the campaign to be Mayor for View Royal. 453 votes were more than I expected in this small community, where the current incumbents have a strong following. I really enjoyed meeting people more of my community and plan to do it again in 2014.

VRG Coaches are very blesssed to coach a great group of girls, with very supportive parents. Thanks for all the support you give your kids and the club.

Short notes about the next 3 weeks of training. (We will break for the Holidays on Friday December16th, 2011. Training resumes on Thursday January 5, 2011)

- TODAY AND NEXT SATURDAY Bodysuits, Photos and and preparing Gymnaestrada Routines. Please have girls hair up in tight high pony, or bun, short hair tidy. We may be late for pick up today. We will do any missing girls photos next week as well.

Gymnaestrada Routine is a fun big routine that we are putting all girls and we will also be recruiting participants outside of RG in the New Year. The goal for this routine is 30 participants, for our Performance in Whistler June 9 and 10 2012.

SATURDAY DEC 10 - Snowflake Mini Competition and Gala. This will be a wonderful day, and we need your daughters participation and your help. Next week there will be a sign up and quick meeting at 10:30 about the event. We are hosting Okanagan RG and Victoria Special O at the event. THE ENTIRE DAY IS AT Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. (PISE) which is on Interurban by Camosun

9 pm on Friday - Pick up Okanagan girls from the airport - we are looking for billets for up to 10 girls, we will match them close to your daughters age, I prefer to billet to gymnasts togethers and priority will go to Girls on the competitive team program.

8:30 set up
Schedule 9 am and 945 classes - Your special Christmas Class, that will include a performance for your family members
10 am Victoria Special O will warm up and then Compete
11:30 Warm up for Okanagan and Victoria Competitors
12:30 Competition finishing at 3:30 pm.
3:30 Gala/Gymnaestrada performance
5:00 Tear Down
6:00 Dinner with Okanagan Team - Location to be Determined.

ORDERS OF EQUIPMENT AND TEAM WEAR

We are still finalizing new tracksuits for the girls as well as bodysuits so orders will go out in December with items arriving in January

Equipment - please check out www.bermosport.com, email me the list of what you would like to order by Thursday December 2, 2011 and equipment will be available for pick up on the 9th of December/10th

Thats all for now, have a great weekend.

Barb

Week Six - Amazing kids

Thanks everyone for your ongoing support and keeping your kids active!!!! I was going through some of my many, many publications and papers regarding coaching and RG...you can imagine that 30 years (I started coaching at 18) can create alot of paper... it became a bit of humour at times as I say that theory 30 years ago has been changed two or three times, and some of it is back in the 2011 programs. One of my favorite facts, is that skipping everyday is similar to running, and you need to do less to get the same benefits. So as you will see we incorporate skipping in all our programs and the look on a childs face when they have succeeded in skipping is my favorite face.

Just a few cudos for members of our club - Coaches - thank you to Karley, Leanne, Jayna, Lexus for their consistent positive and challenging manner they lead the gymnasts. Caroline Hoffman has decided to challenge herself into the National Stream level for the upcoming season, which is a big demand on time and training for someone in their graduation year. She is progress amazingly, and enjoying additional help and environment by travelling to Vernon and training with their Coach Camille and some National Team members.

And to all the little ones you are the highlight of my week, your energy and enthusiasm keeps me young and looking forward to seeing you perform at the upcoming events.

Congrats to our different group members, you will all be performing at the Snowflake event December 10, 2011. As will all our 30 plus members- Keep the date open and we will inform you of costume and routines and schedule in the next couple of weeks.

I have found some amazing insight into choreography late in my life, and I am so glad to have strongly connected to our senior group of Alex, Cairo, Carly, Emma and Zoe your energy and kind feedback are making the routine come together so quickly and it will be awesome.

Next week we will have order forms for tracksuits and for equipment... Please place your orders by email and payment can be credit card or cheque. We will also be having a photography session in November team and individual. These will be ready before Christmas.

We have run this club as a not for profit society for the past 2 years, and hope that there are some parents able to come to our AGM on Monday November 21, 2011 5 pm - 6 pm. There are exciting events and trips planned for this season, so do come, hear about it and give your energy to your daughters program.

Any questions or comments - don't hesitate to call, I love to hear from you all