AAU ACRO HOLDS FIRST CLINIC IN FLORIDA!
2017-07-21
A note from AAU Acro Director
On Saturday, June 10th, Team Florida hosted its first AAU Acrobatic Gymnastics (aka Acro) Clinic at Suncoast Gymnastics and Sports Academy in Odessa. The purpose of the clinic was to introduce and educate Florida coaches, Judges, athletes and parents about this relatively new sport. The turnout at the event was more than I ever anticipated- nearly 200 athletes, numerous coaches, judges and parents participated in the many opportunities offered at the clinic to learn how to start an Acro program in your gym, how to become an AAU Acro judge, how to use Acro as well as Artistic Gymnastics to develop collegiate competitors in a new NCAA sport called Acrobatics and Tumbling and best of all, let athletes have a hands-on experience learning the balance and dynamic pair and group elements of this amazing sport.
Many thanks to our featured clinicians:
IVAYLO KATSOV, 4 time former world and European Champion, past USAG Acro Elite Committee Chair, national team coach and owner of a highly successful club in Missouri. Ivaylo worked his magic on the kids, many of whom were totally unfamiliar with Acro skills and in no time, they were paired up or working in trios, accomplishing skills that had them begging to do more. Ivaylo worked non-stop getting athletes totally hooked on the challenging but super fun moves that Acro offers.
SHELBY ARMSTRONG: Head coach of the Women's Acrobatics and Tumbling team at Davis & Elkins college in Virginia. Shelby talked with excited coaches, athletes and parents about this newest NCAA women's sport in Div I, II and III colleges and universities that offer partial or whole scholarships. 19 colleges participate in competition with more making plans to include the sport. It was so wonderful to hear that besides just women's artistic gymnastics being offered collegiately, Acro and Tumbling is opening up more opportunities for gymnasts to continue their career in college.
OLIVIA GILL: AAU Acro judges director. Olivia had a crowd of interested folks listening to her lecture on how to judge Acro. In the audience were some familiar faces of Florida artistic gymnastics judges, coaches, parents and older athletes. Plans are in the works to hold a judges and coaches clinic in October to ready new judges for the 2018 spring season.
My sincere thanks to Suncoast Gymnastics for being the site of the clinic. Arnold Gwinn and Cindy Gwinn went over and beyond to make this event so enjoyable.
It was exciting to see many new faces in the crowd and I'm excited to say several have committed to begin new Acro programs in there own clubs. Nationally, Acro is not large like artistic. It is much more popular in European countries. It is my hope that Florida AAU can grow a program that changes that. A year ago, I knew nothing about Acro; I now have a team of 22 athletes with NO extra equipment expense for my gym at all! It is a sport that any sized athlete can participate in. And minimal space is needed to teach, as well as no prior teaching experience.
Team Florida AAU Acro had its first competitive season with approximately 50 athletes and 3 clubs participating. We had two local meets and competed at the state championship at the Tampa Convention Center in April. It was amazing. My goal is to double the amount of teams for the 2018 season and Acro has been accepted as an emerging competitive sport in the 2018 AAU National Championship to be held next June at the Tampa Convention Center.
Acro athletes do not have to practice the hours that artistic does- in fact my own team practices just once a week for 2 hours and we successfully competed up to level 6, and forging ahead with Level 7. And there is an AAU developmental competive program that I personally developed for beginner to intermediate athletes, levels 2, 3 and 4 that can easily be implemented as a once a week program. This program is competitive within AAU or you could choose to make it more in-gym.
I am currently working on videos for all required elements for levels 2-6. Also, all rules governing AAU Acro competition. These will be ion a form and will make it easy for any coach new to Acro to quickly learn to teach the sport. Including Acro in your overall program will generate extra revenue for your club by retaining athletes who are looking for a sport that is similar to artistic gymnastics, yet accommodates athletes of all sizes; can allow athletes who are already in your gym training artistic or trampoline and tumbling to become involved in a true team sport without going to another facility. Boys, girls and siblings can train together, and a greater ratio of student to coach is possible due to the difference of teaching methods from artistic. Kids pair up almost on their own based on who works best together. Athletes can compete in more than one pair or group in different levels. And you will see smiling, laughing and positive relationships among athletes developing all on their own. And I have to say, it's really a lot of FUN to coach Acro. Never a dull moment!
More information will be on our website, teamfloridagymnastics.org as well as the AAU national website under gymnastics. Our rules are based on the NGB, USA Gymnastics with modifications that benefit our program and its participants. All clubs participating in AAU Acro are required to be member clubs with USAG, as we require in artistic.
Because Acro is an emerging sport, it will be associated with our Team Florida program, so that means low cost, positive competition for the athletes. All clubs, coaches and athletes who register with AAU in gymnastics are automatically registered with Acro as well and same for Team Florida membership, do no added expense to parents of kids spreads doing artistic gymnastics.
Acro will be a spring season sport within the Team Florida program. If you didn't attend the clinic but are interested in learning more about Acro, no worries. Please don't hesitate to contact me for further info on how to get started in this awesome sport! It's easy, a blast for the kids and now is an opportunity for collegiate competition! I look forward to talking to you soon.
Kathy Stuenkel
AAU Acro National Program Director
Florida AAU Gymnastics District Chair
4287 La France Ave
North Port, Fl 34286
941-457-6131 (c)
941-429-5777
teamflorida@comcast.net
Many thanks to our featured clinicians:
IVAYLO KATSOV, 4 time former world and European Champion, past USAG Acro Elite Committee Chair, national team coach and owner of a highly successful club in Missouri. Ivaylo worked his magic on the kids, many of whom were totally unfamiliar with Acro skills and in no time, they were paired up or working in trios, accomplishing skills that had them begging to do more. Ivaylo worked non-stop getting athletes totally hooked on the challenging but super fun moves that Acro offers.
SHELBY ARMSTRONG: Head coach of the Women's Acrobatics and Tumbling team at Davis & Elkins college in Virginia. Shelby talked with excited coaches, athletes and parents about this newest NCAA women's sport in Div I, II and III colleges and universities that offer partial or whole scholarships. 19 colleges participate in competition with more making plans to include the sport. It was so wonderful to hear that besides just women's artistic gymnastics being offered collegiately, Acro and Tumbling is opening up more opportunities for gymnasts to continue their career in college.
OLIVIA GILL: AAU Acro judges director. Olivia had a crowd of interested folks listening to her lecture on how to judge Acro. In the audience were some familiar faces of Florida artistic gymnastics judges, coaches, parents and older athletes. Plans are in the works to hold a judges and coaches clinic in October to ready new judges for the 2018 spring season.
My sincere thanks to Suncoast Gymnastics for being the site of the clinic. Arnold Gwinn and Cindy Gwinn went over and beyond to make this event so enjoyable.
It was exciting to see many new faces in the crowd and I'm excited to say several have committed to begin new Acro programs in there own clubs. Nationally, Acro is not large like artistic. It is much more popular in European countries. It is my hope that Florida AAU can grow a program that changes that. A year ago, I knew nothing about Acro; I now have a team of 22 athletes with NO extra equipment expense for my gym at all! It is a sport that any sized athlete can participate in. And minimal space is needed to teach, as well as no prior teaching experience.
Team Florida AAU Acro had its first competitive season with approximately 50 athletes and 3 clubs participating. We had two local meets and competed at the state championship at the Tampa Convention Center in April. It was amazing. My goal is to double the amount of teams for the 2018 season and Acro has been accepted as an emerging competitive sport in the 2018 AAU National Championship to be held next June at the Tampa Convention Center.
Acro athletes do not have to practice the hours that artistic does- in fact my own team practices just once a week for 2 hours and we successfully competed up to level 6, and forging ahead with Level 7. And there is an AAU developmental competive program that I personally developed for beginner to intermediate athletes, levels 2, 3 and 4 that can easily be implemented as a once a week program. This program is competitive within AAU or you could choose to make it more in-gym.
I am currently working on videos for all required elements for levels 2-6. Also, all rules governing AAU Acro competition. These will be ion a form and will make it easy for any coach new to Acro to quickly learn to teach the sport. Including Acro in your overall program will generate extra revenue for your club by retaining athletes who are looking for a sport that is similar to artistic gymnastics, yet accommodates athletes of all sizes; can allow athletes who are already in your gym training artistic or trampoline and tumbling to become involved in a true team sport without going to another facility. Boys, girls and siblings can train together, and a greater ratio of student to coach is possible due to the difference of teaching methods from artistic. Kids pair up almost on their own based on who works best together. Athletes can compete in more than one pair or group in different levels. And you will see smiling, laughing and positive relationships among athletes developing all on their own. And I have to say, it's really a lot of FUN to coach Acro. Never a dull moment!
More information will be on our website, teamfloridagymnastics.org as well as the AAU national website under gymnastics. Our rules are based on the NGB, USA Gymnastics with modifications that benefit our program and its participants. All clubs participating in AAU Acro are required to be member clubs with USAG, as we require in artistic.
Because Acro is an emerging sport, it will be associated with our Team Florida program, so that means low cost, positive competition for the athletes. All clubs, coaches and athletes who register with AAU in gymnastics are automatically registered with Acro as well and same for Team Florida membership, do no added expense to parents of kids spreads doing artistic gymnastics.
Acro will be a spring season sport within the Team Florida program. If you didn't attend the clinic but are interested in learning more about Acro, no worries. Please don't hesitate to contact me for further info on how to get started in this awesome sport! It's easy, a blast for the kids and now is an opportunity for collegiate competition! I look forward to talking to you soon.
Kathy Stuenkel
AAU Acro National Program Director
Florida AAU Gymnastics District Chair
4287 La France Ave
North Port, Fl 34286
941-457-6131 (c)
941-429-5777
teamflorida@comcast.net
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