Business & Marketing - Gym Momentum

What About Scores?

December 22, 2011 by Tony Retrosi Leave a Comment

The following is a copy of an e-mail sent out to new level 4’s. We feel it is important to get ahead of the curve before parents get TOO obsessive about scores.

Dear Parents

We couldn’t be more proud of all the girls, especially those who just competed for the first time. It was a great meet! There were some solid routines and encouraging improvements made across the board.

We wanted to take a minute to explain some of what goes into the scores the judges come up with and how we view them. We need the girls to concentrate on what they can control. There are a number of things that the girls need to think about during a meet and we don’t believe scores should be one of them. They simply can not control the score.

1) Scores can vary from meet to meet. The judges’ number one priority is to establish the proper ranking on each event (ie. the best vault gets the highest score, whether that is a 9.8 or a 9.1, and then each vault is ranked down from there). Depending on the number of competitors and the overall quality of the gymnastics, the exact same floor routine could score an 8.2 at one meet and an 8.8 at another. Neither the coaches nor gymnasts can control the scoring process.

2) Because of the variable nature of scores, we do not emphasize them during training or even in competition. We believe that it is far more effective to keep the girls’ energy focused on what actually has an impact on the quality of their performance. We consistently emphasize process-specific goals for each event (ie. I want to make sure my legs are perfectly tight on my leap pass in my floor routine). We don’t believe in wasting any mental or emotional energy on thinking about whether or not the routine will “get a 9.0”.

3) When you communicate with your daughter, try to ask her about her goals and whether she was able to accomplish them. Ask her about what she is still focused on improving. While it is harder to talk about the specifics of the routines, it will help us convey a consistent message that the process is more important than the outcome. Instead of congratulating your daughter for a certain score, try to point out placement instead (wow, you were third place on vault out of all those gymnasts!).

4) If you do have questions about what your daughter is working on improving, please feel free to email us. We are happy to do our best to help you better understand the sport. If a situation arises where coaches have a question about a score, there is a formal process that allows us to inquire with the judges. Once a judge reexamines the routine, the score can go up, stay the same, or go down.

Thanks so much for all your support of our home meet and your gymnasts!

The 10.0, Time to Bring it Back?

December 20, 2011 by Tony Retrosi 2 Comments

I try VERY hard to site any anywhere I get information from. I gathered this information from a number of sources. Gymnasticszone.com, Gymnastike and American Gymnast.

There is probably no more controversial topic in International Gymnastics today than the 10.0 or Lack of 10.0. The 10.0 was the very trademark and most recognizable symbol of our sport.

That being said, it did have its limitations. Is it time to bring it back? What are your thoughts? Post your comments below

Here’s a short list of the way the code has created trends in men’s and women’s gymnastics during the past several quads:

1988-1992: The perfect 10 system endures, meaning elite-level routines that meet all difficulty requirements start from a 10 and are devalued from there. Notable trends: The period of the greatest emphasis on “perfection” and making routines and skills look flawless.

1992-1996: Routines start at a base 9.4 start value in women’s gymnastics, and 9.0 in men’s gymnastics, meaning the gymnast has to earn bonus points by performing difficult combinations. Notable trends: The blind to Jaeger on uneven bars and back handsprings followed by multiple layout stepouts on beam.

1996-2000: The FIG does away with compulsory routines, lowers the base start value in both men’s and women’s gymanstics and devalues combinations like back handsprings followed by multiple layout stepouts on beam. Notable trends: This is the era of the punch front to wolf jump mount on beam, double layouts to punch fronts on floor, and lots of forward swinging combinations on rings. Sans compulsories, many top gymnasts have a slightly different presentation, less balletic than in past years.

2000-2004: The new code forces more difficult combinations in order to attain greater bonus. The first generation of gymnasts not to grow up with compulsories are less elegant but a greater number seem capable of greater difficulty than before. Notable trends: Lesser-seen combinations from past years like the front aerial, back handspring, layout stepout on beam gain popularity. The punch front to sheep jump is also seen often.

2004-2008: After an Olympic marred by judging scandals in the men’s all-around, rings, parallel bars and high bar, the FIG abandons the perfect 10 in favor of an open-ended code that in theory rewards execution as much as difficulty. Gymnasts are required to do 10 difficult elements in each routine, and bonus is given for extremely difficult combinations. But gymnasts and coaches quickly figure out that since there is no limit to the amount of D-score one can get, that is the thing to focus on. Notable trends: The double full side pass on floor.

2008-present: More of the same, with slight modifications, namely that the number of elements is reduced from 10 to eight in women’s gymnastics. Notable trends: Bail to toe hecht transitions on uneven bars, sissones or stag jumps out of all imaginable tumbling passes on women’s floor, Takamoto skills to Yamawaki or Kovacs on high bar, 1.5 to full twisting front 1 3/4 rolls on men’s floor.

“Originally created to serve the development of our sport, the Code has mutated into a time bomb that we are wholly unable to contain,” Grandi wrote. “Worse, it is a pitfall to judges and gymnasts alike, and creates situations that are often impossible to navigate. Remember Athens!”

Letter From Bruno Grandi

Oh, that Code!

The more seasoned among us remember back to the first Code. A twelve-page opus crafted by Gander, Lapalu and Hentges, it gave structure to Men’s Artistic Gymnastics and mapped out judging in three distinct categories: difficulty, combination and execution. That was back in 1949.

Today, the Code reaches out to cover all FIG disciplines; it governs everything, infiltrating gymnastics like a metastasis that spreads and traps the sport in its deadly net. Originally created to serve the development of our sport, the Code has mutated into a time bomb that we are wholly unable to contain. Worse, it is a pitfall to judges and gymnasts alike, and creates situations that are often impossible to navigate. Remember Athens!

The time has come for us, the technicians, judges and leaders in sport, to gather round a single table and revisit the Code; to re-equip our discipline with the structure and spirit originally inherent to it. This is the endgame of the FIG Symposiums for Rhythmic Gymnastics in Zurich (SUI) at the end of April, for Artistic and Trampoline in mid-June and for Aerobic and Acrobatic in September.

Simplify the Codes; we all agree on this point. Keep in mind the essence of Roman law, the first legal system in the history of Man and which is still active today. According to our predecessors, excessive detail is what dilutes and suffocates justice. Too many laws annihilate law itself!

Starting in 2005, we took successful steps toward standardising our Codes; a commendable action, to be sure, but a far cry from being enough. What we need is complete and unequivocal reform if we hope to have a Code that serves to further develop our sport. We must simplify, not complicate. What is the essential reason for the Code? What is it made to do? What is the meaning of its existence? The answer is found in history, whose most basic message is that in order to move forward into the future, one often needs to take a brief look into the past.

At the 1948 Olympic Games in London, judging in gymnastics was scandalous! Judges were using criteria to evaluate exercises specific only to their own countries. It was a free for all. Such chaos! A Code was then created to clarify and classify criteria to maintain a standardized approach to judging. Unity was finally re-established.

A mere twelve pages in 1949 compared to hundreds today, not counting the thousands of symbols that go with them! How can a judge effectively react, evaluate and decide in mere seconds and under the pressure that goes hand in hand with, say, an Olympic Final? Impossible; it is beyond human capacity.

We need a Code, a point of reference, which will bring structure to the evaluations brought by our judges and allow us to employ the Fairbrother system. Only by doing this will we be able to avoid situations such as were experienced in Athens and London. We have the tools, IRCOS for one, which can aid in attributing an accurate technical score if used properly. But we must accept the fact that the Artistic score is largely a product of a more subjective, and certainly human, evaluation. That is the variable in our equation; fallible but not unjust. And if we are to lose ourselves in the nimbus of objectivity, we have reference judges in the wings to set our course straight.

Thank you for your attention.

FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE GYMNASTIQUE

Prof Bruno Grandi, President

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM GEESE

December 19, 2011 by Tony Retrosi Leave a Comment

Fact #1 – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone.
Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one another.

Fact #2 – Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese, we will stay in formation with those who are ahead of where we want to go and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others.

Fact #3 – When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.
Lesson Learned – It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

Fact #4 – The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson Learned – We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not something else.

Fact #5 – When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again, or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese do, we too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

HOW TO DELIVER A HOLIDAY TOAST?

December 14, 2011 by Tony Retrosi 1 Comment

Today we escape (a little) from the gymnastics world to talk about delivering a quality, memorable toast at a Holiday Party. We just had our Holiday Party last night and as the owner of the gyms I felt it important to get up and say a few words. My goal was for my staff to know that I really appreciate all their hard work and that I look forward to working with them each and every day.

The actual point of ANY toast is to get your audience to like themselves (and you) a little bit more than before you started speaking. Think about the toast beforehand. Maybe make some notes-BUT, when you are standing up in front of everyone. NO NOTES. I think that if you have notes, it seems less sincere.

When delivering the message itself- think about what you would say about your employees to a group of other club owners. Leave out the negative- AND THERE IS YOUR TOAST.

Key Technical Matters

The toast should come early. Maybe it’s not the first thing, but it should happen near the beginning.
It’s OK to yell at people to get them to be quiet. Anyway, whatever follows, “HEY! SHUT UP!” will seem magnanimous by comparison.
You have to be standing up.
You have to hold your drink chest-high during the entire toast. If, while holding your drink chest-high during the entire toast, your arm gets tired, then it’s probably time to wrap it up. Arm fatigue is a natural toast timer!
Stay in one place. Leave “working the room” to the motivation speakers.
Any sort of “traditional Irish toast” that you found on the internet is not recommended. Most of these fail at being funny, cute or sincere. It just says, “I really don’t care enough to think of something on my own”
If you are giving the toast and your boss is in the room, do NOT poke fun at your boss during the toast.
If your boss is NOT in the room, do NOT poke fun of your boss during the toast.
If you are the boss, you may (and probably should) poke fun at your self.
Do not use the term “poke fun” during a toast.
Or any other time.
When in doubt, say: “Cheers to us and screw everybody else.” That always works.

SECRETS TO BETTER BRAINSTORMING

December 12, 2011 by Tony Retrosi Leave a Comment

Secrets To Better Brainstorming

We have all been called into those meetings where we are asked to brainstorm on-

A new program
Problems with a particular group of gymnasts
Problems with a particular group of parents (problem parents? In our sport?)
Plan for the new year

Some times these session get way off track and lost in the woods. Sometimes they do not even create a BRAIN BREEZE let alone a Brain Storm.

Let’s start at the beginning- HOW DO YOU LEAD A BRAINSTORM MEETING?

The Invitation-

An invitation to a brainstorm session should start with a stated goal.
Should include a little more information than you think anyone needs so that everyone feels comfortable participating
Consider inviting one more person than you think you need. Maybe a lower level coach or someone from a different part of the program. Maybe even a PARENT!

How To Begin The Meeting

You could stand up and yell, “Get out your umbrellas because there is going to be a brainstorm.” But that would probably just make you feel stupid. So I would start by making fun of someone else. (Ok- I am kidding. Maybe.)
If you have refreshments, snacks, beer what ever, make sure everyone gets what they want then bring the focus back to you.
You need to get things rolling so have some ideas ready. Nothing too specific and nothing too good. You don’t want people to latch onto them like a life raft. You just want to get things moving. Think of it being inspirational mediocrity. It gives everyone an example that they can easily beat.

Bad Ideas

Gently guide the discussion. The reason you are leading the meeting is that you have become successful enough to know a good idea from a bad idea. As a leader it is OK to let people walk down certain paths and abandon others. But be gentle.
If you are going down a dead end or the conversation is getting lost- just ask the question again.

Silence

To the person leading the meeting, silence suggests time is being wasted by people who don’t know what they are doing.

Let the silence hang in the air for a second. Let people collect their thoughts. Look them in the eyes.

Getting Out

Bring the meeting to an end by recapping what was discussed.
Try to have an idea that each person contributed.
Thank everyone for their participation.
Finish your drink and relax and listen. Keep your note book near by. Someone will have something to add!

KEY TECHNICAL MATTERS

When an idea comes to you, wait 10 seconds. If it still seems like a great idea after 10 seconds, then say it out loud.
If alcoholic beverages have been made available to you and you’ve had one drink, wait 20 seconds before blurting out your idea.
Three drinks?- Wait a minute
Four drinks? Shhhhhhhhh
A colleagues idea should not be publicly denigrated- unless it is so colossally stupid that by cutting it off at the knees you’re averting disaster.
Maybe not even then.
The best way to tell if an idea is good is to look at everyone BUT the person speaking. Almost any response is indicative or merit. Shift in position, nod, smile, robot dance, swoon.
Best thing anyone’s ever said about a brainstorming session, “When stuff is good, it floats” (remember that other things float too)
Know that together you can defy the impossible
Snacks help.

5 Exercises to keep YOU (the coach) healthy!

December 8, 2011 by Tony Retrosi 4 Comments

Gina Paulhus, CPT and Owner, Home Bodies Fitness Training

As coaches we are always worried about our athlete’s conditioning program. We need to make sure our athletes’ bodies are physically prepared for the demands of gymnastics. When is the last time you thought about if YOUR body is prepared to coach?

Think about it–the demands include: spotting, moving mats (hopefully you have trained your kids to move the mats!!), long hours on your feet and with your body in less than ideal positions. Coaches have a dominant side which can throw the body out of whack over time. Then there is the stamina required of being the only coach at a meet with kids in four separate squads…

Here are 5 simple tips you can use when thinking about your own workout. You ARE working out, RIGHT??

1. For strength training, choose dumbbells over machines and barbells.

Dumbbells prevent your stronger side from ‘taking over’ developing muscular balance in the body. A balanced body is less prone to injury.

2. Favor ‘interval training’ over steady cardio.

Interval training, where you vary your pace within a workout (such as jog, sprint, alternating, or jog, walk alternating) is more similar to the demands of your job. It is also more effective in helping with weight control. 20 minutes of intervals is worth 60 minutes of steady cardio.

3. Do some core.

I bet you know a billion core exercises for your gymnasts. Pick two for abdominals, two for your sides, and two for your back.

4. Work out before work.

You will not be able to put much into your training after a long day at the gym. If you have kids, try hitting the gym right after dropping them off at school. Don’t go home, you will find something else to do!

5. Stretch tight areas as priority.

Who has time to stretch for an hour? But everyone can find five to ten minutes to stretch your tightest areas. Hamstrings, hip flexors, chest, and back are typical culprits.

How To Avoid Tendon Rupture

December 7, 2011 by Tony Retrosi 2 Comments

-Brandi Smith-Young, PT, FAAOMPT, OCS. Perfect10.0 Physical Therapy

How To Avoid Tendon Rupture

All too often little aches in the tendon go treat with ice, stretching, and continued repetitive stresses of tumbling and vaulting. The newest studies out there now show there is no inflammatory response in tendon injuries. It is more of repetitive micro-tearing of the tendon which leads to rupture. This is no longer referred to as tendonitis but tendonopathy. This can be prevented with proper early intervention, physical therapy, and respect for the 11-12 week healing process for the tendon. Thus tumbling on the tumble track, decreasing landings and take-offs, and utilizing equipment advancements like sting mats, pits, and other absorbing equipment during the healing process is necessary. It is imperative that the cause of the tendon injury is addressed, whatever weakness or tightness is leading to abnormal stresses on the tendon. This is addressed with very specific physical therapy. If the cause of the tendonopathy is not addressed the injury will continue to return.

How can I tell it is a tendon injury verses a bone or joint?

The gymnast will point directly at the body of their tendon or on it’s insertion on the bone or growth plate in a growing athlete as the location of pain. This may be the patellar tendon, just at the bottom of the knee cap, at the insertion of the patellar tendon on the tibia, the achilles tendon, or the insertion of the achilles tendon on the heel. These are the two most likely tendons injured in gymnast. Many times Severe’s Disease, Osgood Schlatter’s disease, Sinding Larsen Johansson’s disease or jumper’s knee are missed diagnosed when it may be a tendon injury or the tendon may be involved in the diagnosis.

What are the signs my gymnast is getting a tendon injury or progressing toward rupture?

Early stages: In the early stages your athlete will report pain at the beginning of activities. Prime example would be reports of pain in the tendon or insertion during warm-ups which subside after getting “warmed-up”. No pain during actual practice. Reports of pain and the need to ice the tendon after practice. May or may not have any swelling present.
Progressing towards rupture: As the micro-tearing gets worse the intensity and frequency of tendon pain will get worse. The athlete will report pain not only during warm-up but throughout practice, progressively worsening as impact activities (ie tumbling or vault) become more repetitive. There may be noticeable swelling over the tendon region decreased with rest, low loading (ie bike), and ice.
End stages just before rupture: As micro-tearing worsens the athlete will start to have pain, possibly a dull ache, with most all activities. There will be noticeable swelling over the tendon which may or may not subside with rest, ice, or biking. If the athlete has not gotten treatment and limited their activities, it is necessary they do so.
Partial tearing: When a partial tear is present or occurs. The athlete will have increased swelling which may or may not subside with ice. Possible mild bruising. Increased pain intensity and will not tolerate palpation of the tendon. Strength will still be present but painful to contract the muscles (ie. quad for the patellar tendon, gastroc for the achilles). No sports and get the athlete into the orthopedic as soon as possible for assessment.
Full Rupture: When full rupture occurs the athlete will not be able to activate their quad or gastroc. They may get a small bit of motion from other secondary muscles( ie the posterior tibialis which also points the toe). There may be a palpable deficit in the muscle. There will be severe pain, swelling, bruising, and inability to weight bear. Immobilize the athlete, non-weightbearing, and get them into a good sports orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible. Do not have the athlete continue to contract the muscle. We do not want the muscle belly to retract any further than it already has to assist in any surgical repair needed.

What can I do as a coach to prevent the progression?

When a gymnast complains of tendon pain and is in the early stages this is the time to get the athlete in to see a good physical therapist. We will need to start the tendon training process and address the issues which have contributed to the tendon injury in the first place. In many cases it is a loading issue. The athlete is landing or jumping with poor technique or lots of compensations. Many times this is after the athlete has grown in the last year and the muscles are imbalanced. Some muscles are too tight and week while others are flexible and strong. In some cases the athlete developed compensatory movement patterns when increasing skill level and/or intensity of training. These compensations will need to be addressed along with tendon training. Tendon training involves low loading lots of repetitions (40-60% 1 repetition max, sets of 100-200 slow repetitions many times in a day). This means lots of biking, eliptical, painfree active range of motion, and minimal loading for up to 11-12 weeks. The sooner the injury is caught the faster the recovery. The stage of injury the athlete is in will dictate the amount rest from high impact activities (ie tumbling, vault, and possibly some beam tumbling or dismounts) needed. The painfree principle applies. The athlete cannot have pain while doing anything. Pain is a sign of continued microtearing and will lead to rupture. Rehab post-surgical repair of a rupture is 6-8 months and even up to 1 year to return to high level impacts and performance. As frustrating as 11-12 weeks can be the wait is worth it compared to the alternative. With proper strength and flexibility training specific to each athlete and proper tendon training your athlete will be back on track.

Look for exercises to come to help prevent tendon injuries by a proper stretching regimen and improving muscle function to promote proper jump and landing mechanics.

See the link below for presentation on tendonopathy leading to tendon rupture.

TENDON RUPTURE

THE ISSUE OF ETHICS

December 6, 2011 by Tony Retrosi Leave a Comment

“The Issue Of Ethics”

Dr. Joe Massimo & Dr. Sue Massimo

Excerpt from Psychology and Gymnastics by Drs. Joe and Sue Massimo.

In today’s climate of politically correct responses, it is clear that ethics is a concept that is well known and discussed in considerable detail. Many professions have a strict and fairly well monitored code of ethics (lawyers, medical doctors, psychologists, etc.). Many of these directives were a direct consequence of years of planning and deliberation on the issue. Coaching sports as a profession should be no different and coaching young athletes should definitely have a strict code of ethics.

If we look in the past to an issue of “Olympic Coach” published by the U.S. Olympic Committee Division of Coaching Development, an article appeared that dealt with ethics in coaching. A challenge in sport was offered during a presentation at the USOC Coaching Symposium. In this presentation, it was stressed that the coach’s highest priority should be in establishing relationships with athletes that help them develop in positive ways. The most important first step, in this regard, would be the development of a set of principles that would address expectations in the coach-athlete interactions—a code of conduct. In fact, that is the direction that USA Gymnastics took and this organization has made great progress in developing a Code of Ethics to better serve those who participate in gymnastics.

There are many obvious obstacles and resistances that interfere with the development and subsequent adoption of a code of ethics and behavior. One basic difficulty is that not many coaches like to talk about the subject. It is not just that they see it as an infringement on their autonomy and right to manage their own functioning, but also because some of the content is sensitive. Issues that present clear ethical dilemmas are touchy subjects for many coaches. They would prefer to deny the existence of such problems, even knowing that they are out there.

A major contradiction concerning a code of ethics is that sport is often seen through a different set of moral lenses than those used in the rest of our lives. For example, in years past some of us have seen gymnastic coaches treat their athletes in ways that, outside of the training setting, would be grounds for dismissal if not a civil or criminal lawsuit. What to some is acceptable in the gym might not be outside of that setting. Does this mean the behavior in the training setting is above the law in terms of what is right and ethical? Many more athletes participating in sport today are sensitive to the issues of abusive, demeaning, humiliating, or degrading actions of their coaches. A larger than hoped for number of coaches uses the gym as a place to work out their own personal problems around authority and control. These personalized agendas usually involving themes of domination are used to abuse the power the coach has by virtue of their positions and role. A loss of objectivity can often occur and contribute directly to emotional damage in a young gymnast who sometimes holds the coach as a special person and even god-like figure. A code of conduct goes a long way in illuminating what can be expected and accepted by everyone.

Since many coach’s livelihoods depend on production and performance of their athletes, it is understandable that they might tend, to some degree, to take advantage of their student’s time and physical well-being. Safety has always been stressed in gymnastics, but we are all aware of the fact that far too many coaches go for the big “tricks” prematurely, without preparation, in order to produce a winning team. A code of ethics also addresses the issue of over-emphasis on winning to the long range detriment of the gymnast. When it is a question of keeping your job, some resistance to looking at this question is to be expected. Again, however, is that an ethical point of view?

Seven basic attributes have been identified that athletes between the ages of 12 and 20 look for in their coaches. It is suggested that priority by the coach should be in developing positive and helpful relationships with their athletes. Our own research over the years with competitive gymnasts here and abroad has revealed similar findings. These attributes will be discussed in this paper from the perspective of the sport of gymnastics.

Coaching Attributes

Competence. Research has clearly shown that most athletes want coaches who know their business. This not only means technical, biomechanically-based knowledge, but also the ability to communicate this information to them in a clear and useful manner. It is of interest, in this regard, to note that a questionnaire format survey, conducted by your authors involving hundreds of gymnasts, the less successful athletes felt that “technical ability” was the single most important attribute in a coach. The ability to provide “spotting” was also identified with the competence variable. More successful and experienced gymnasts as determined by actual competitive performance and record placed far less emphasis on this characteristic and indicated that the empathetic, emotionally supportive qualities of a coach were more highly valued. The question was raised, at that time, whether a partial key to outstanding coaching involves the coach’s ability to grow and change in keeping with the changing needs structure of an athlete. Obviously rigid, set-in-their-way coaches might have difficulty when such flexibility is needed. This issue has not been adequately examined to date and remains an intriguing question, with many ramifications for professional coaches and program development.
Approachability. Another important identified attribute involves the gymnast’s desire to have a coach who is open to what they think, say, and feel. They also look for coaches who can handle feedback about their coaching style, without becoming defensive, and who have the capacity to admit to mistakes. Many gymnasts have indicated that they often do not communicate with their coaches because they feel their concerns will be invalidated. Two of the most common examples involved the gymnast’s reluctance to tell the coach that they are afraid of a skill and do not feel ready to execute it in the demanded way, or that they are hurting with some physical injury. Many have stated that the coach often denies the crucial emotional message in these kinds of statements and will respond with “What are you afraid of?,” “so what,” “that’s foolish,” “cut it out,” or “you’re faking it.” Such a style, on the coach’s part, makes it most difficult for a gymnast to “trust” that they will be heard, and many would rather not risk enduring the coach’s anger. In terms of being able to admit to having made a mistake, a coach who says to an athlete, “Look, my behavior yesterday was out of line. I’m sorry,” will gain returns in personal credibility and in establishing the human qualities of the coach that few other actions could achieve.
Fairness and Consistency. This dimension of the coaching interaction is one of the most difficult to maintain. Most coaches, although they may wish to deny it, have “favorite” athletes in the gym. Their preference may be subtle, but it is detectable in any training setting and sometimes is glaring. Gymnasts, as with other athletes, expect and should receive equal treatment. Rules should apply to everyone, and although individual differences need to be taken into account, athletes should expect that approaches to the unique needs and characteristics of each gymnast will be addressed in a timely fashion and does not automatically mean unfairness. All athletes should receive such sensitive and individually tailored management, not just a select few. A code of ethics would need to discuss this area in detail.
Confidence. Gymnasts want to know they can rely on the coach to set a positive example, both in and out of the training setting. Athletes look for a clear set of guiding principles that focus on the overall long and short term goals of the coach in relationship to the team as a whole, and its individual members. Many of the rules and disciplinary expectations that apply to the gymnast should also be evident in the coach’s behavior and personal standards. Practice what you preach is associated with this kind of coaching characteristic and must be viewed as an ethical guideline.
Motivation. Another basic attribute sought by athletes in their coaches that has ethical implications involved motivation. There are basically two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. External motivation concerns stimulation that comes from outside the gymnast. Pleasing the coach or family members, concrete rewards for success, etc. are examples of extrinsic motivation. Internally motivated athletes find their drive in more personal factors such as pride, the acquisition of skills, and demonstrated mastery. Rarely is a gymnast purely one or the other in terms of a motivating force, but as with most athletes, motivation is usually sustained by a combination of outside and inside factors. If it is the ethical responsibility of the coach to serve as a motivator, then it is crucial that he or she have a great deal of enthusiasm and love for the sport. This kind of dedication and excitement in the coach is contagious and serves as a very powerful and basic motivational technique. In this regard, passion for the support is ethical.
Personal Concern. Most gymnasts and athletes, in general, want a coach who is genuinely concerned about their overall well-being as people, not just as motor wonders. Sometimes the coach serves as an adult friend and mentor as well as someone who directs the physical training of an athlete. Many young people want to be able to confide in their coach and ask questions without being treated as an inferior. Mutual respect, in this regard, is highly advantageous. At times of injury, this principle becomes very clear, and often young athletes are ignored or abandoned on some level when they can no longer “compete” and make an active contribution to a team. Such behavior on the part of a coach is not right and is, in fact, unethical.
Support. Gymnasts want coaches who encourage and also who demand that they go for the maximum realization of their individual potential. They are looking for coaches who instill security and confidence. All athletes want coaches who will recognize and praise their achievements and constructively deal with their weaknesses and areas for needed improvement. Coaching through the overt use of fear, intimidation, and domination is counterproductive and not ethical.

Adopting a “Personal” Code of Conduct

In summary, although progress has been made by several sport federations to develop a strict code of ethics, many do not involve the type of desired characteristics nor coach-athlete relationship issues just reviewed. The code of ethics for gymnastics addresses issues such as motivational or training methods which may be considered abusive, has established guidelines for all registered coaches and gymnastics facilities, and continues to monitor and update their ethical code. However, based on the previous seven attributes of competence, approachability, fairness, confidence, motivation, personal concern, and support perhaps we, in the gymnastic community, should strive towards adopting these additional desired characteristics as our own “personal” code of conduct. Refer to “Abuses of Anger in the Gym,” “Male Coach-Female Gymnast,” as well as “I Have a Problem with My Coach” found in Psychology and Gymnastics for a more in-depth look at this important issue.

Works Cited

Massimo, J. & Massimo, S., (2012). “Abuses of Anger in the Gym,” in Psychology and Gymnastics, NY, NY: Morgan James.

Massimo, J. & Massimo, S., (2012). “Male Coach-Female Gymnast,” in Psychology and Gymnastics, NY, NY: Morgan James.

Massimo, J. &. Massimo, S., (2012). Psychology and Gymnastics. NY, NY: Morgan James.

Nielsen, W., (1994). “Ethics,” in Olympic Coach: U.S. Olympic Committee Division of Coaching Development, Winter 1994, Volume 4, Number 1.

USA Gymnastics Code of Ethics. October, 2011. http://usagym.org/pages/aboutus/pages/code_of_ethics.html

Andrea Bailes

December 1, 2011 by Tony Retrosi 3 Comments

Last week in Wit and Wisdom 11/25 I quoted Novelist Cynthia Ozick:

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude”

I wasn’t going to post this until mid-December but as I was editing the website today, I felt that it couldn’t wait.

We all too often rush though life in and out of the gym without taking the time realize that working with kids is a real gift. I had just returned from a vacation and while going through nearly 400 e-mail messages I came across this submission. Please take the time to read and pass it on. AND TODAY, WHEN YOU GO INTO THE GYM, MAKE IT COUNT.

Submitted by Matt Brinker. You can follow his blog at BLOG OF MATT BRINKER

I want to tell you about a child named Andrea Bailes. This was not easy to write for me at all. I can’t ever remember crying like this in my life. I can hardly see the keyboard to write this through all the tears. Everything I remember just brings more and more.

Andrea was a fourteen year old girl in the eighth grade. She would have attended Point Pleasant High School. Andrea was a gymnast, but also dabbled in soccer and volleyball. From all accounts she did those two sports very well. I never had the pleasure of watching her do other sports besides gymnastics. She was dear to my heart through gymnastics. I had the privledge of coaching this athlete for several years.

Andrea was involved in a car accident on Friday the 18th of November, 2011. The accident took her life.

Back up several years. Andrea came to SOGA and her first year she competed level four. In the beginning she was not very good and her flexibility was terrible, but she was strong and she worked her ass off. Within the span of a month or so her splits had gone from hideous to almost all the way down because she had been working on them outside the gym constantly. I remember teaching her to do her shoot through. She struggled mightily with these because of her long legs. She never gave up. She kept trying it over and over and over again until she got it. She kept a good attitude all the time and would often encourage her team mates even when she wasn’t doing well and even when the other athletes were doing the same skills better than her. She improved greatly in that first year.

Her second year at the gym brought more of the same. She was tall, thin, and inflexible but again she never gave up on the skills despite all of her struggles. Level five was better for her because she could showcase her strength much more. Throughout the entire year she was probably the best team mate in the gym. Still, constantly encouraging everybody. She always had a good attitude. She was always smiling. She always worked hard. Anytime her attitude went south it was because she was frustrated with herself because she wanted to do the skills better or do them right.

Andrea finished her second competition season at SOGA as level five state champion on Uneven Bars, but that didn’t seem to matter to her. Her team had not done as well as we had all liked at states and she was disappointed. She did what she always did. She went back into the gym and quietly worked her ass off. She would try her hardest to do every little thing she was asked to do and it rarely came easy to her. She kept trying.

This brings me to our third season together. I had already spent more than two full years with her and I saw her two, three, and sometimes four days a week. It was decided that her and her team mates would be level sixes this year. Yet again she confidently and quietly went to work at the gym. She did it with determinate smile at all times. The beginning of this season was rough for all of the level sixes. They made huge strides before meet season. Andrea struggled on beam and floor, mostly due to a lack of flexibility. She began to shine on vault and bars. She constantly pushed her team mates to do better on those two events. Because of her lack of flexibility, back walkovers were particularly troublesome for her. She tried them constantly and failed constantly but she never gave up. I remember the mighty roar that went through the gym the first time she landed one of the beam, which was probably halfway through the season, at least. This thought brings tears to my eyes now. She was so happy. But it wasn’t happiness for herself. She was happy that she might be able to help her team on beam now.

As the season progressed she kept getting better, as did her team mates. Even after landing walkovers in the gym with more consistency… I don’t believe she ever stayed on the beam at competitions. She continued to encourage her team mates with her chin up and a smile on her face even after she would fall off beam. The fire would come into her eyes the second we headed to vault and bars and she would shine. She was so aggressive and she did everything I asked her to do. She won lots of meets on vault and bars. She took her awards with a smile, knowing that she had done everything she could to help her team mates. She would then sit and watch everybody else get medals on beam, floor, and in the all around with the same smile.

When states rolled around that year the girls were ready to go. They had done well all year. They had won most meets on vault and bars, largely thanks to Andrea’s efforts. We did beam first and it was not so good for us. Andrea came off the beam yet again, but then cheered on her team mates with a great attitude and a smile. Floor next. Much better results for all the girls, but still not what we all wanted. As we made our way to vault, I saw the fire. I saw it in Andrea’s eyes and I saw it in the other girls. They were ready to go. My five little level sixes dominated vault. They were “rock stars” and they earned every tenth they got. Her score somehow did not even count for our team on vault but you couldn’t tell. They had all vaulted well and she was happy and so where the rest of the kids. I tried to refocus them for bars and they took the coaching well. They warmed up and competed like rock stars again. Andrea’s score was second highest on our team, but again… That didn’t matter to her. After we were finished I told the girls I was proud of them. They had worked their asses off all year and they had showed up well at states. When things shook out my five little level sixes took second place as a team. We were first on vault and bars as a team and Andrea took first on bars. I never heard a word about her bar title from her, but she was so proud of the second place team award.

This spring, summer, and fall Andrea continued to work her ass off like normal. We played with flipping vaults for fun and she did them well. We did giants with some consistency and she was consistently hitting casts and clear hips in handstand. She developed one of the prettiest layout flyaways I have ever seen. She finally was on an even playing field on beam and floor. No terrible walkovers to set her back. She could do a handspring and cartwheel-cartwheel. She could also show some of her power on floor and ended up getting pretty good at her level seven passes.

None of this matters though, because she did it all with a great attitude. She worked her ass off when she was in the gym and she did it with a smile. She ripped three times last week. Big, bloody rips. She peeled the skin off and went back to work. I have seen her straddle a bar and get up laughing. And yeah… I meant bar, not beam. She straddled it really hard. She jumped up smiling and laughing at herself even as the tears came to her eyes. Andrea was the first girl to encourage somebody. She was the first girl to give a team mate a kick in the butt when they weren’t doing what they were supposed to. She was the first girl to laugh at a team mate and she was also the first girl to laugh at herself, or me. She was ever the smart ass as she got into her young teenage years. Every coach, athlete, and parent loved her. Every single younger child looked up to her. They didn’t look up to her because of her tall, thin, extremely muscular frame. They did so because she was an amazing child, athlete, friend, team mate, daughter, and sister. She was everything that I hope my children turn into.

I think back on all the memories over the past few years with Andrea in the gym. She has been with me since SOGA opened. She aspired to be a coach. I’m not completely sure, but I think that it was because of me. She constantly helped out her team mates and they would listen to her almost as well as they would listen to me. She had the worst hillbilly accent at times and we all enjoyed correcting her and gently teasing her. She would always take it with a huge smile and would usually give it back to me or the other kids. Just like she did a little more than twenty-four hours before she lost her life. Andrea grew into a beautiful, confident, funny, caring, and all-around amazing young girl. Like I said before, she was always a smartass and she kept me on my toes. That made me love her even more. I rarely had to question her effort or desire, if ever. My only regret is not being able to see her outside the gym more. I know that she was a wonderful person outside of our doors as well. Everybody that knew her liked her. I will never forget Andrea Bailes as long as I live.

I had to talk with my athletes and parents today. It was extremely hard. Most of the kids already knew about Andrea and all of the parents knew. I tried to be strong for the kids. I told them all I loved them and that if they needed anything at all that I wanted them to come to me. I told them I didn’t care what it was. If they needed somebody to listen or talk to, a shoulder to cry on, or if they just needed a hug… I would do whatever it took to help guide them through this difficult situation. There were many tears shed. I told my athletes to go over to a couple mats to sit, hang out, and talk. Soon their quiet talks turned into laughter as the parents all began discussing things we could all do to help out Andrea’s family. After the kids had some time to decompress I went over to them to talk some more. I told them that Andrea embodied so many great qualities that we all had to take with us. She blessed our lives with her smile, whit, work ethic, and stubborn determination to be the best she could be. I told my gymnasts that I was going to continue on with my life and try to take those values with me. I never want to let Andrea Bailes and her attitude die in my heart and mind. I told them that I thought Andrea would want us to continue on and work our asses off to be the best we could be, just like she would. They all agreed. I left them alone and a short time after their gentle laughter turned into running, jumping, and flipping. The kids began to deal with this problem together, in the gym. Andrea would have done the exact same thing. She always did. She never missed an opportunity to play with her friends in the gym.

As I sat in the gym I kept looking around from event to event. In my head I kept seeing her doing her skills on the events. All the little mistakes, all the quirks, all the beautiful lines. The door opened and an even worse realization hit me. Not only would I never see this wonderful child do gymnastics again… I would never see her walk through those doors again. Somebody else walked through the door but all I could see was her head poke in as she sort of shuffled in towards the lockers. She had a very unique way of entering the gym and I’m not sure if anybody else has ever noticed it.

I don’t know where things will go from here. I know Andrea was a huge part of my life and the lives of all the people at SOGA. She was very dear to me in particular because of all of the qualities I have gone on and on about. It feels to me like a little sister or daughter has been taken away. I can only imagine how her family feels.

I do know that going forward I want to keep her memory alive in my heart and mind. I want to keep those qualities burning inside me. I want to be the best coach I can possibly be and I want to make these kids into the best people they can possibly be, and hopefully great gymnasts. I want to do it for Andrea Bailes. That phrase has been echoing in my head for hours and hours. For Andrea Bailes. For Andrea Bailes. She has done so much for me and for others and I can only hope to do as much for others as she has done. Only time will tell and only time will heal or lessen the pain.

I do not know how to move on in this post, in the gym, or in life right now but I do know why I am going to do things and how I am going to do things. I am going to do it to the best of my ability at all times, because that is what she did. I am going to try to be a better encourager, because that’s what she was. I am going to try to go about things with more of a quiet confidence, because that was what she did. I am going to do all of this because Andrea Bailes made me a better person and a better coach. I am going to do it for her because it what she deserved.

I will never forget you and I will always appreciate the time I was able to spend with you. Thank you for all the great memories and thank you for being such a wonderful person. You will be missed more than you ever know by me and everybody else. I love you. I only hope I can be as great a person as you were.

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