Competition Gymnastic Team

At Crenshaws

1) Is gymnastics a year-round sport?
Yes. Gymnastics is too demanding to be seasonal. The training year is broken down into many parts. Gymnasts who take off for any extended period of time will find themselves falling behind quickly. There training year follows closely the school year.  Fall is generally routine building, spring is the competitive season and summer is a "new skills" time of year. Generally, we ask new children to join the team in the summer to get a taste of team-style workouts.  Meets are their way of showing off or performing what they have learned. Crenshaws and the coaches DO NOT MAKE A BIG DEAL out of winning at the earlier ages. This the kids do all too well by themselves. Coaches look for improvement from meet to meet.

2) How many meets do gymnasts attend?
Generally, the season fill include 5-7 meets including the State Championships. At the upper levels, the gymnasts may even qualify to regionals or nationals. This will extend the season. Out of the initial 5-6 meets, half or more are in Central Texas and other half in some of the other larger Texas cities. (i.e. Dallas, Houston, etc.) 

3) How much do the meets cost?
Every meet will have an entry fee. This fee will run from $50-65+ per gymnast. To enter the team, Crenshaws must send in the entry fee for our team 4-5 weeks prior to the competition. Once the money has been sent, your child is responsible for paying this fee even if they do not attend. There are generally no refunds from the host clubs. Coaches are given a small per session stipend and their lodging and travel expenses.  These expenses are split among those gymnasts traveling to the meet. If the team travels as a group, the gymnasts will also cover a split of their motel room and meals. Breakdown on costs are figured at least five days prior to the meet and parents will pay fees even if they make last minute changes. Crenshaws does not make a profit on any of the traveling meets. Therefore, changes in parents plans will cause the club to lose money on the meets.

4) How much do the uniforms cost?
The boy's team tries to keep the same uniform for a period of at least three years. The only item that we add each year is a traveling t-shirt. A full uniform will include a competition jersey, competition shorts, team duffel bag, traveling shirt and a warmup top. Crenshaws will order these items in the early fall. Cost for these items is around $125+. Parents will generally order workout grips for their child. We will supply order forms on these items. These additional items may cost $50. When possible, pre-used items may be purchased from ex-team members. Uniform ordering time is late September. Crenshaws does not make a profit on any uniform ordering. The girl's team follows much of the same guidelines with the exception of their competition leotard that is changed annually.
 

5) Who governs the competitions?
Crenshaws competes under the rules and guidelines of the USA Gymnastics. This is the organization which fields a team for all of the major national and international meets including the Olympics. A set of compulsory routines, Level 4-Elite are prepared by this organization. Most boys and girls entering the program will begin competition at the Level 4 level. At the Level 4 & 6, the routines are an exact set of skills or compulsories. Level 7-Elite routines involve the gymnasts and coaches to prepare their own "optional" routines under certain skill requirements. Each fall our gymnasts join the USAG which will cost about $50 per year.

6) How are the workouts set up?
At the beginning levels, girls and boys workout three times per week for a couple of hours. As they move up to higher classes, Crenshaws will add additional days. Somewhere around 12 years of age, and a few years of experience, they are moved to senior team and will begin working 5-6 days per week for 3 hours per day. In the summer, the upper level boys may have workouts in the morning. Workouts are physical. Kids will come home with bumps and bruises or "rips" on their hands. We work very hard to insure the safety of each gymnast and have a VERY LOW accident rate. Except for minor bumps, it is generally the rule that the gymnasts will go the entire year without even medium injuries. Kids who are bothered by minor problems in workouts will be allowed to work around these problems.

7) How much do the workouts cost?
Team fees are set up monthly with payment due at the beginning. There is a late fee for payment past the 15th. Beginning levels will pay around $180-200 per month for 6-10 hours per week. The upper levels will pay $250 per month for around 18 hours per week. These fees are generally lower than the state averages. Each fall, there is a team registration fee of $50 and the $50 USAG fee.

8) How many gymnasts are in a workout with a coach?
The coaching ratio goal is one coach per 7-9 gymnasts.

9) Where do you get your coaches?
Crenshaws is very lucky to have a wonderful staff of coaches year in and year out. Currently, most all of our coaches are ex-competitors.  Several of our coaches have been with us over 10 years. Currently, the coaching staff of six has a total of over 70+ years experience coaching gymnastics.

10) What are the ages of the team members?
The age range on the team is from 7 years to 18 years of age. The beginning levels generally show a 3 year span in ages.

11) How are decisions made concerning my child's gymnastics?
A great deal of time, not to mention years of experience, go into every decision. Our foremost concern centers around each boy or girl and their continuing to maintain a positive experience at Crenshaws. We welcome questions from parents, but please approach us as though we are all on the same side....your child's!


12) Do upper level gymnasts have trouble doing both gymnastics and schoolwork?
Actually, we have found that gymnasts who are unable to "put off" doing school assignments are far more diligent toward getting their work done before their workouts. Our graduating seniors over the past years include college students at Stanford, LSU, Penn State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, University of Texas, Navel Academy, West Point, etc. Gymnastics teaches goal setting and time management. Not too shabby!

13) Can my child workout at other clubs in Austin?
We do not want our team boys or girls working out with other clubs in the Austin area. Especially without our prior permission. Under these circumstances, they may be asked to leave the team. We do not have a problem, with coaches permission, in having your child workout at an out-of-town team if you are on vacation. Boys or girls may want to attend summer gymnastics camps. Please check with coaches to see if the camp you are choosing will fit your child's needs.

14) What happens if we change teams and leave Crenshaws?
Your child is welcome to leave the team program at any time with the proper 30 day notice, but the door revolves only one way. If he leaves, unless very special arrangements are made, he will not be given a future place on the Crenshaws team.

15) How does Crenshaws compare with other clubs?
Crenshaws has placed boys and/or girls in Junior Nationals every year since 1976; something almost no other club can boast. There is more to coaching than the coach alone. The organization is a major part in seeing that a program is great year after year. Even though our younger gymnasts work out less than other teams, we consistently finish in the top three in state team competitions. Remember, it is not the quantity of time, but the quality. Furthermore, we have less "burn out" from our team members because we work them out less at an earlier age.

16) Is my child allowed to do other sports throughout the year?
Especially at the beginning levels, we do not discourage participation in other sports. We are concerned if boys or girls begin to miss too many workouts because they fall behind the group. As children begin to reach our senior level, we would rather them begin to concentrate their energy rather than be a "jack of all trades."

17) Must my child attend all of the meets?
Attendance to meets is not mandatory. However, boys or girls who do not have goals to work toward begin to fall behind in workouts. Workouts during the meet season are centered around preparing for the meets. Gymnasts feel left out if they are not allowed the anticipation of an upcoming meet. If boy or girl qualifies for the State Meet, they should attend this competition. Winning is fun, but it is the working toward one's goal that is far more important. We are all born knowing how to win, however, many of us need to learn to lose graciously.

18) Is there a formal Parents Club and fundraising?
The team does have a parents' club although it is not as active as other teams. Generally the organization helps to run several meets that are run here at Crenshaws. Most of the parents are opposed to burdening their child with lots of additional fundraising. The Spinner Invitational, a very large boys home meet in February, is the largest source of team income. The money from this meet guarantees that all entry fees and coaches expenses are paid for the boys and girls for State, Regionals and Nationals. This usually amounts to $60-75 per child per meet. At nationals, it can mean savings of over $500+ per child.

19) How involved should I be as a parent?
It is our belief that parents should encourage their child in all of his endeavors without being the push behind the motivation. Kids need to learn to participate from within. Parents who become overly involved tend to expect more out of the sport than often can be gained. The child will sometimes become squeezed between the parent and coach. Coaches push and parents should praise. Parents need to be an oasis that their children can seek. Parents are welcome to occasionally visit workouts to watch for a short while. It is our policy that we would rather not have parents in the gym nightly, especially if there are other classes in progress. The nightly visit by parent is distracting to the gymnasts and coaches. We have even had parents on the floor coaching their children.

20) I understand my child may receive school credit for being on the team at Crenshaws.
Since Gymnastics is an Olympic Sport, boys and girls who are in middle school (starting seventh grade) and above are eligible for receiving P.E. credit for their participation on the team. Over the years, we have worked closely with at least ten area schools. If your child is eligible, please see your school to ask what is required. We will prepare a letter to the school if needed. Every six weeks, we will send a grade to the school for your daughter or son. Unless we are having absence problems, the grade will always be a 100. (Since they workout 3-5 times as much as a regular P.E. class, we feel the 100 grade is more than fair.) There is no charge for this service even though a great deal of time is spend preparing grades.

21) After my child graduates from High School...
There have been cases where a gymnast continues working out with the club after he graduates from High School. Each case is considered on an individual basis. If a child stays with the team through the twelfth grade, he or she will be granted a “lifetime” membership to the health club at Crenshaws.

22) Should my son choose to leave the team...
We appreciate those children who make a commitment for the main portion of the year. (September-May) However, children may leave at any time as long as parents give the office a 30 day written notice of their intent to withdraw from the team. If a child just drops from the team, the parents still own for that 30 day period.

23) What if I have additional questions?  gilgym@aol.com (boys)  mjw1957@aol.com (girls)
Gil is generally at the club every morning during the week and Woody is around in the evenings. Please feel free to call and have your questions answered. Please avoid calling on a daily basis. Gymnastics team is not for all boys or girls and their parents. Crenshaws likes to surround itself with people who are supporters. If you are unable to get comfortable with the policies and workouts with the team, this program may not be for your child.
 

Rules for Spinner Team Members

Team members are to dress appropriately for workouts. Gymnast should wear gymnastic type shorts, t-shirts or leotards. Please no "jams" or "dress like shirts". Any questions about dress should be directed to the coaches.

All competitive uniform parts must be labeled with member's name. This reduces the loss rate on meets. Remember, quite a few boys or girls have the same clothing when we travel.

Team members must check their boxes daily and take home any notes. Each gymnast has their own box. The box should be cleared daily.

Team members should not receive or make personal phone calls. All of the lines at Crenshaws are being used for business.

Gymnasts must behave themselves before and after workouts when not under the direct supervision of a coach. there are other programs at Crenshaws and the team members should respect the other class members good behavior.

We expect the travel fees to be paid prior to each meet. After a meet, it is extremely difficult to keep up with past due meet fees. Each travel sheet has a due date.

Coaches would like gymnasts to phone in when he/she is going to be absent or late. This is a rule that we strictly enforce with the older team members. Younger team members are encouraged to get into the habit.

Coaches expect the language and discussion in the gym to be appropriate for all ages. The team spans ages from 7-18 years and we are not in the business of "educating" the younger gymnasts.

The coaching staff will expect a high level of respect from each gymnast.

When traveling with the team, gymnasts must follow all of the traveling rules. On the first meet of each season, gymnasts are reminded on how they must behave. The rule of thumb is; If you are not sure what you are about to do is right, DON'T DO IT.

Gymnasts are never allowed to workout in the gym without a coach. This is especially important when gymnasts show up early for extra workouts. This rule is for safety reasons.

For boys, we expect haircuts that are well within the mainstream of gymnastic circles. The judging association will actively deduct for "unusual" haircuts. This would include tails, patterns cut in scalp, long hair, etc.

Fighting between team members is strictly prohibited. There is no way to build team spirit while killing each other. Work problems out or face removal from team.