Often times gymnasts look very serious, at least on tv. However there is always lots of smiling and hugging that goes on after an event or a routine. It seems that overall, even though gymnastics is a serious deal, the kids enjoy it tremendously. Even with year round practice the kids I see have lots of fun. That is the key to a child staying in a sport. Winning is great and makes things more enjoyable but every person in the world does better in any activity if they enjoy it. Gymnastics seems to provide a fun outlet that also includes healthy exercise, discipline, and team work.

Our Photo Website

Book us to photograph or video your team meets. Email

Tagged: aau gymnastics, youth gymnastics ]]> http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/is-gymnastics-fun/feed/ 0 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/biggest-improvement-to-youth-gymnastics/ http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/biggest-improvement-to-youth-gymnastics/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:59:36 +0000 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/biggest-improvement-to-youth-gymnastics/ Continue reading →]]> What is the one thing that would improve youth gymnastics as a whole? I’ve talked often about how limited cramped seating at small gym meets discourages family and friends from ever coming back to a gym meet. That is the one aspect I would tinker with to improve the sport. I also think the awards ceremonies last way too long because of giving medals out to 4^th – sometimes 20^th place is not really necessary. Comments please.

Our Photo Galleries

Book us for your gymnastics meet or team photos. nicolemclendon@gmail.com

I pasted the information below that was included in the AAU newsletter this week. Apparently the award for Coach of the Year is gone due to no one participating. Hopefully this can be changed but it will have to be because someone has a good idea on how to get people to participate. Maybe a twitter  or facebook campaign that makes it easy to vote could work.

“The Board has now suspended the annual award for Coach of the Year due to a lack of participation form the community at large. If you have any issues regarding this please address this directly to one or both of the two Co-Chairs, Cindy Furman at cfurman@ci.roswell.ga.us / Denise Jessen dcjess@bellsouth.net.”

Tagged: aau gymnastics, gymnastic coaching, youth gymnastics ]]> http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/no-more-coach-of-the-year-in-aau-gymnastics/feed/ 0 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/pressure-in-gymnastics-competitions/ http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/pressure-in-gymnastics-competitions/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:23:59 +0000 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/?p=314 Continue reading →]]>

How does your child handle pressure in gymnastics competition? For that matter in any situation? Sports is a great way to build character and can help kids learn to deal with stress. It gives them the opportunity to get used to stress or pressure in a setting that is not life or death. I know it is life or death to some parents though:) . Getting beat by a tenth of a point is tough to handle but later in life there will be more pressing issues than a judges score in gymnastics.

The greatest athlete I ever saw was Michael Jordan. He was also the best prepared mentally. He played great even when he was sick on rare occasions. He did not hit all the shots that he took as time was running out in a close game. But he did make plenty and he was not afraid to take the shot. He just did not believe he would miss. And he knew that if he did miss life would go on. Pressure actually increased his ability to focus and perform. He visualized himself doing great things before games so it was almost like he was playing the real game for a second time so that gave him an advantage. Visualization is a good exercise for any athlete including a young gymnast.

Another athlete had a different attitude toward pressure. Manny Rameriz is a MLB player with crazy talent but is kind of a knucklehead. Ok he is real live full blown knucklehead. But a couple years back he and his team were down 3-1 in the MLB playoffs. One more loss and they were out. They needed to win 3 straight games to move on to the World Series. A reporter asked him about the team’s confidence after the 3^rd loss in the series. Here is his quote, “If it doesn’t happen, so what, who cares?” Ramirez said. “There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.” ! On the surface that sounds like a negative attitude but for this specific athlete is was a great attitude. He was being totally serious. He wanted to win but was not going to be crushed if they did not come through. He put no pressure on himself to perform. That attitude gave him the ability be totally relaxed and play his game. He was the most talented hitter on the field so putting pressure on himself would not have helped.

Sports are great and the athletes should give everything they have to win. But there needs to be the reminder in the backs of their minds that sports are games. There is life outside of athletics. Whether your kid has Jordan’s attitude of total mental toughness or Manny’s attitude of “don’t worry be happy”, they will be better for it in the long run. It will help them in life … not to mention make them better performers in the gym or playing field.

Our Photo Website

Book us to photograph or video your team meets. Email

One problem with summer sports is that …. well they are in the Summer! Summer is so short in terms of school vacation now so it is hard to fit everything into a short season. Vacations, weekend trips , etc are hard to get to when sports events and practices are on tap. Also many gymnastics programs seem to have morning time practice in the summer which is the opposite to the nightly routine during the school year. This is better for stay at home Moms or Dads but is tougher on dual parent workers. Well the summer is almost over so things will get back to normal for those who had schedules swapped.

Our Photo Website

Book us to photograph or video your team meets. Email

Tagged: aau gymnastics, youth gymnastics ]]> http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/summer-gymnastics-schedules/feed/ 0 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/shawn-johnson-is-everywhere/ http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/shawn-johnson-is-everywhere/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:30:13 +0000 kctinman http://gymnastics1.wordpress.com/?p=309 Continue reading →]]> Epic Carnival: Shawn Johnson channels Ozzie Smith.

Shawn Johnson is taking full advantage of her stardom. And that is the way it should be. There is a small window of fame for most people that see the spotlight so she has to do what is best for her career. She most recently showed up at a celebrity softball game that was connected to MLB’s All Star game. She seems comfortable in the limelight so she will be around for a whle I imagine. Anyone who thinks she should de less, obviously does not understand marketing. Her time is right now and she has to make the most of it.