Newsletters  Home  Latest News  Newsletters  Development Plan  Events  Club Directory  GymMark  Partnerships  Coach Information  Judge Information  Child Protection  Gym Links  Contacts The Yorkshire Gymnastics Development Newsletter is issued on a quarterly basis. Produced by the Regional Development Officer, it details the gymnastic develeopment initiatives and activities within the Yorkshire Region. The next Newsletter will be published in January 2005. 2003 Newsletters 2004 Newsletters 2005 Newsletters January 2004 April 2003 April 2005 July 2003 July 2004 October 2004 November 2005 Got any news from your club for inclusion in the next Newsletter? If so, please email Kirsty with details. Development News - November 05 Regional Welfare Officers The Yorkshire Region are in a very fortunate position of having 2 highly qualififed Regional Welfare Officers. Anne-Marie Russell and Helen Monks are already working tirelessly for the good of the gymnasts / clubs in the region, assisting with sound advice, referals and facilitating Child Protection training at a local level. Yorkshire people should feel very privelaged to be in such good hands! Club Development Yorkshire Gymnastics Clubs have really embraced the GymMark process and the benefits it is brings for their club protection, good practice and development. 12 clubs in region have achieved the accreditation (2 pending courses), and a further 16 clubs are working towards GymMark, and I am confident will achieve it in the near future. School and Club links The 9 Community Sports Coaches in the region are doing an excellent job supporting the schools, establishing extra curricular clubs and linking these with the community clubs in the areas. School Sport Partnerships and clubs are formalising their relationships, which can only have a positive impact on communication, standards and talent identification. Who knows, in the near future we may have a system where by no youngster goes unnoticed! Youth Games During the summer months, 3 very successful Youth Games events took place in North, South and West Yorkshire. The events were only made possible by working in partnership with the 3 County Sports Partnerships and the Local Authority SDO’s. The result of this development work and planning was that each Local Authority ran a schools competition, and the winners went forward to represent their area at the youth games. Below are some approximate figures to highlight just how many children were involved in the Pre-liminary and finals of the Youth Games in 2005. North Yorkshire - 15 Schools - 180 pupils South Yorkshire - 35 schools - 450 pupils West Yorkshire - 51 schools - 675 pupils For most of the children involved this was their first ever gymnastics competition. Competition Managers West Yorkshire is one of only 5 County’s in England to be piloting the Competition Managers programme. Competition Managers have been appointed in four School Sports Partnerships in West Yorkshire to pilot this programme (St Marys SSP and Priesthorpe SSP in Leeds, Oakbank SSP and Thornton SSP in Bradford) To begin with the managers in West Yorkshire who are piloting the project will only be running the lowest level of competition for the youngest pupils and building up from there in forthcoming years. At this level children compete on Body Preparation, Floor and Bench/Basic Vault. The structure of the competitions, rules, moves, and levels have already been set to ensure that once the programme is launched nationwide there is standardised continuity. Once the programme is fully rolled out there will be local gymnastics competitions in place for all school children from beginner to advanced. There will be links between these competitions into the existing County level competitions and the BSGA Competitions for those pupils who show particular aptitude in gymnastics. And finally… Many thanks to John Carter and Judy Clark for holding the fort so well whilst I was taking some time out to produce another Yorkshire Gymnast! You have done over and above the call of duty and for that I am very grateful. Back to Newletters Index Development News - April 05 The Regional Plan The Regional Plan has been written in consultation with all the technical committees and key regional personnel. This plan sets out the key focus areas of development for the region up to 2009. Major focuses include accrediting clubs, getting more youngsters into registered club activity, and creating more links with local groups (The County Sports Partnerships, Local Authorities and School Sport Partnerships). Local groups, who are key for the strategic delivery of gymnastics, have been brought together across the region. Many thanks to all the personnel and volunteers in Kirklees, Bradford, Leeds, Rotherham and Barnsley who have contributed their thoughts and opinions to help forward gymnastics in these areas. Community Sports Coaches Update There is a great workforce of enthusiastic coaches spreading their way across the region. The impact these coaches are making has already begun, and it is anticipated that the contribution to grass roots gymnastics and the transition to clubs will be substantial over the months and years to come. Out there working on behalf of gymnastics for their local areas are: - Trish Davies and Zoe Styles in Wakefield Katy Foy and Kathryn Foster in Bradford Hannah Croughan in Kirklees Barry Collie in Calderdale Ruth Marshall in Sheffield Emmalouise Simmons in Barnsley / Rotherham and Doncaster Their roles vary from area to area, but most are in schools, working with the pupils and teachers, setting up extra curricular provision and acting as the signposting coach to the local clubs. This ensures a good talent ID set up and increases the opportunities to access quality gymnastics opportunities. Discipline Development Well done to Klas Gymnastics and Sport Aerobics club for hosting the third Yorkshire Open Competition in Pocklington. Clubs from around the country travelled far and wide to participate in the competition, which was of a high standard and enjoyed by all. Otley Rhythmic Gymnastics Club celebrated its 25th Anniversary in March this Year. The GymMark Club continues to thrive and progress and are a credit to the region. The club performed 30 routines to excite the audience and reaffirm their status as a ‘Quality’ club, congratulations to all people old and new who have contributed to the clubs successes over the years. Rotherham Gymnastics Club staged the first Men’s Artistic Introductory competition for the region in April. It was a great step forward for the development of Men’s Artistic in Yorkshire, and will hopefully encourage those budding young male gymnasts and coaches to make the transition from Floor and Vault to six piece apparatus. Coach Education The region continues to have an excellent professional partnership between the technical committees Regional Coaching Co-ordinators, The Regional Coaching Co-ordinator (Bill Smithies) and The University Sports Awards Team at Leeds Met (lead by Sally Nixon). For information and to access a Gymnastics Coaching Course - contact the team on 0113 2387437. GymMark 12 Clubs in the region have now achieved the GymMark accreditation, and a further 13 clubs are working towards the standard. Well done to Uropa TC (Rotherham), Sheffield Workshop GC, Next Generation TC (York) and Huddersfield GC who are the latest successes of the club development system. Keep up the good work everyone! And Finally On a sad and frustrating note, the two Regional High Performance Centres and Coaches have been prematurely stopped in their tracks due to a lack of funding from Sport England and UK Sport. Acrobatic Gymnastics Coach Craig Lowther and Men’s Artistic Coach Gheorge Predescu were making great steps, assisting with the development of talent and producing outstanding results for British Gymnastics and the Region. We thank them for their efforts and contributions over the last 3 years. Back to Newletters Index Development News - October 04 Work continues across the region in the schools and Local Authorities to ensure there are many opportunities to become involved in gymnastics. Once young people get a taste of Gymnastics, we can aim to provide them with the pathways to participate in local displays and competitions, gain access to qualified coaching sessions, and become involved in club activity. There is a new initiative which is helping this process along. The PE School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) project will improve the quality of sport provision to school children. The hope is that the current after school gym clubs, and new clubs that will be formed, will have direct association to the gym clubs based in the community. By establishing the links with clubs, the gymnasts will encounter a smoother transition from school activity into our gym clubs, and more young people will stay involved with gymnastics activity for years to come. This helps the mission statement of ‘START, STAY and SUCCEED in YORKSHIRE GYMNASTICS’. START - Children exposed to positive experiences of Gymnastics in Schools / Leisure centres. STAY - Children become members of a club, and stay involved with activity for many years to come. SUCCEED - Gymnasts to reach their full potential in gymnastics, through the guidance of the coaches, clubs and technical committees. Full and Part time coaching positions are being created to encourage the above to happen. Posts so far :- Kirklees - Full Time Community Sports Coach (Hannah Croughan) Bradford - 2 Part Time Community Sports Coaches (Katy Foy and Katherine Foster) Wakefield - 1 Full time and 1 part time Community Sports Coach Sheffield - 1 Full Time Community Sports Coach Rotherham/Barnsley/Doncaster - 1 Full time Community Sports Coach The professionalisation of coaching will provide excellent opportunities for the dedicated coaches, who for years have been battling against the time management of 2/3 jobs to pay the bills, whilst feeding their first love - gymnastics!! GYMMARK Many of the regional clubs are now working towards the kite mark accreditation of ‘GymMark’, and in the process are tightening up their working practices. The process of gaining GymMark can be time consuming and requires minimum operating standards clubs of child protection, club management, equity and ethics. Those who are working towards GymMark will appreciate the dedication to excellent working practice needed to attain the GymMark award. Well done to Otley RGC, Greenhead GC, Abbey Flyers TC and Harrogate School of Gymnastics, Brumby GC, St Bedes GC, Hull High Flyers and Halifax Sports Acro Club who have now set a president for the rest of the region to aspire to. Back to Newletters Index Development News - July 04 Congratulations GymMark Clubs ! The below clubs have attained the Club Mark accreditation :- Otley Rythmic Gym Club - Leeds, West Yorkshire Greenhead Gym Club - Huddersfield, West Yorkshire Abbey Flyers Trampoline Club - Sheffield, South Yorkshire Harrogate School of Gymnastics - Harrogate, North Yorkshire Those clubs who are working towards GymMark will appreciate the high standards and dedication to excellent working practice needed to attain the GymMark award. Well done to Otley, Greenhead, Harrogate SOG and Abbey Flyers who have now set a president for the rest of the region to aspire to. Youth Games Competitions The Youth Games provide a focus and a showcase for the development work carried out in schools over the academic year. Schools across the region have been encouraged to set up extra curricular gym clubs, and compete in the fun and friendly environment of the Youth Games. South Yorkshire Area Games May 2004 Over 100 pupils represented 15 Schools from all four Local Authorities (Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley) and took part in the Gymnastics competition held at Tapton School in Sheffield. There were some great school gymnastics displays performed during the day, and a good time was had by all. Congratulations to Mundella Primary (Sheffield) and Wath Comprehensive (Rotherham) who were the winners on the day. A big thank you to Haley O’Neil and the South Yorkshire Sport Partnership for their contribution to the first ever South Yorkshire Schools Gymnastics Competition. West Yorkshire Youth Games June 2004 This was the second year that gymnastics has been involved in the West Yorkshire Youth Games, and all schools had raised the bar since last years competition. Over 150 pupils from schools in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield took part in the huge event held at the Regional Gymnastics Centre in Leeds. There was a full house watching the competition, and a special guest, Rt Hon Richard Cabourn MP, Minister of Sport was also a member of the audience. Congratulations to Springbank Primary (Leeds) and Rastrick High School (Calderdale) who were the winners on the day. Once again, this event would not have been possible without West Yorkshire Sport and Katy Foy, who made the organisation second to non. PESSCL Funding to assist the PE school and Sport Club Links project has already made a big impact across Yorkshire. The Schools and Clubs in Wakefield, Bradford, Kirklees, Sheffield and Barnsley will benefit greatly by qualified coaches working along side the teachers to raise their confidence and ability to teach curriculum gymnastics to pupils. This in turn will encourage extra curricular activity, and more children will be participating in gymnastics across the region. The extra curricular activity will support and feed the community clubs, and encourage strong school - club links. There will be a team of coaches employed across the region to forge the gap between school and community activity, and assist with the journey along the player pathway. Watch this space for a gymnastics boom!! Back to Newletters Index Development News - January 04 Working with the Local Authorities It is often highly underestimated the great potential LA’s have to plug the foundation and participation gap between gymnastics in schools and clubs. Local Leisure Services are undervalued for their contributions, as approximately 90% of club gymnasts have originated from leisure centre classes (in Yorkshire that is anyway!) The Yorkshire RDO is working with local sports development units and facility managers to audit their current provision, and co-ordinate/standardise what is going on in their centres. A focus on the development of new coaches through the local community should address the shortage of sports leaders. Inter - leisure centre competitions will be encouraged, and model schemes of work for recreational gymnastics produced. Festivals Galore Over the festive period, two fantastic festivals took place in the Yorkshire Region. Harrogate School of Gymnastics presented ‘A Moment in Time’. Over 200 members of the club participated in the event, and entertained a full house of spectators. Great credit goes to head coach Jo Bass and her dedicated team for the theatrical display of General Gymnastics at its best. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council held an enormous Gymnastics and Dance Festival on December 5th at Thrybergh LC. Over 400 local gymnasts and dancers and school children took part in the high profile event, demonstrating fantastic performances from all ages and abilities. Congratulations to Jackie Thornhill and her Voluntary team for making it happen. PE Sport and School Club Links Between Jan and April 2004, schools in Wakefield and Bradford will benefit from the new PESSCL initiative. Feeder primaries of the local sports colleges will receive 20 hrs of gymnastics coaching, and assistance with developing extra curricular school satellite gym clubs. Definite links with community clubs and the local schools will be formed as a result of the programme. This aims to increase the opportunities available to young people wanting to participate and compete in gymnastics. Back to Newletters Index Development News - July 03 Gymnastics Festivals As a result of training courses with teachers and staff in Bradford and Leeds, two Gymnastics Festivals have taken place in West Yorkshire. Oakbank Sports College in Bradford and St Mary’s Sports College in Leeds held very successful events, and all staff, teachers and pupils involved did themselves proud! A very positive outcome was achieved, and the pupils were given an outlet to perform their curricular and extra-curricular gymnastics. West Yorkshire Youth Games Five Local Authorities took part in partnership youth games on June 29th at Leeds Metropolitan University, with over 1100 children participating. This was a significant step for Gymnastics Development within schools as it was the first time it had been included, with over 80 school gymnasts involved. A preliminary competition for school children years 5,6,7 and 8 took place in order to select which schools represented their Local Authorities at the Youth Games. A good time was had by all!!!! The games were also used as a tool to recruit and develop volunteers within the region. Many thanks to all those involved. Calderdale School of PE A very unique educational set up in Calderdale, which had provided gymnastics opportunities for over 1,500 children a week, regrettably closed its doors in April 2003. This has resulted in two new clubs forming to carry on the tradition of gymnastics in Halifax. Best wishes to Diamonds Gymnastics Club and Halifax Sports Acro Club for their future establishment. DISCIPLINED DEVELOPMENT Men’s Artistic The development of Men’s Artistic still needs great attention in Yorkshire, however progress is being made. A low level MA workshop was held in Rotherham in February, where 16 coaches from various disciplines attended and extended their current knowledge. As a result of this, a successful assistant club coach course ran in June with many of the coaches keen to develop their qualifications further. With the closure of Calderdale School of PE, came a loss of a competition venue. To combat this, the Region now has an additional venue fully-equipped for six-piece competitions at Thrybergh Leisure Centre in Rotherham. Development has commenced with a focus group to set up Men’s Artistic introduction competitions to smooth the transition from floor and vault to six-piece. This will also provide an outlet for recreational level participants. Rhythmic Gymnastics A successful Rhythmic Gymnastics workshop was held in June with 12 candidates, raising the profile of the discipline within the Region. A new development initiative in Kirklees has been established in schools. Recreational Rhythmic classes will run twice a week, with the vision of developing a new club in the Region. For more details please contact Kirsty Thornton on 01484-234128. Sports Aerobics A Sports Aerobics workshop was held in June with 15 candidates to raise awareness and increase understanding of this relatively new discipline. A coaching for teachers course was held at High Ridge Sports College and was well received by all who attended. Yorkshire held its first Open Championships on June 8th in Pocklington.The event attracted competitors from all over the country and was a huge success. Many congratulations to Kandy and Andrew Sissons and all their volunteers from Klas Fitness for their superb organisation. Coach Education An abundance of courses have occurred in Yorkshire in the last few months. The region now has the task of examining over 120 candidates! Two Top Gym courses and three extra curricular courses have taken place, and a BG Helpers course was overflowing in Barnsley. Ninety of the regions coaches, volunteers and helpers attended one of the four BG Child Protection Awareness courses in February. This is great news and will safeguard gymnastics and its participants. Child Protection Awareness Courses - York - Wednesday Sept 3 - 6pm to 9pm. Sheffield - Thurs Sept 4 - 6pm to 9pm. Bridlington - Monday Sept 8 - 6pm to 9pm. Child Protection Implementation Course Huddersfield - Thursday Aug 21 - 6pm - 9.30pm. Huddersfield - Sunday Sept 21 - 1 - 4.30pm. Helpers Award Driffield - Sunday August 31 - 10am - 4.30pm. Back to Newletters Index Development News - April 03 Hipperholme and Lightcliffe Sports College Gymnastics Programme The Sports Colleges and their partnerships have an excellent opportunity to use some of their training days to support teachers in the delivery of curricular and extra curricular gymnastics. The vast majority of schools request assistance with teaching gymnastics, and so Ann Henderson (PDM at Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) and the Yorkshire RDO got together to address the teachers needs. A five week programme was established within the SSCo’s programme to raise the standards of delivery for gymnastics, through a progressive and sustained training. Project Aims · Create a standard approach of gymnastics teaching across the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe Partnership · Increase the confidence, knowledge and ability of primary / secondary teachers · To improve the standard of gymnastics in the target schools · To provide opportunities for children to participate in extra-curricular gymnastics · To develop pathways from schools through after school clubs into local gymnastics clubs. Project Aims During the day, whole school training took place, with the coach and teacher working together. In addition to curricular support on site, the coach assisted with a lunchtime/ after school club. This introduced the pupils to badge schemes, display work, and the opportunity to progress their new skills further. The outline of the programme addressed all areas of the Curriculum (shapes, rolling, balancing, travelling, etc.) and increased the repertoire of skills of Teachers and pupils. Outcomes Initially, 12 schools, 96 teachers and 2,160 pupils benefited have from the gymnastics programme. The Coaches gained valuable experience working alongside the teachers, and the pupils were given a positive experience of gymnastics in schools. The Partnership will have a uniformed approach to gymnastics, and the High Schools will reap the benefits in KS3. For coaches, this is an exciting opportunity for funding and movement towards full time employment. It takes great planning and organisation, but the benefits are there for all parties involved. Handsworth Grange SC, Sheffield and Newsome SC, Huddersfield will soon embark on a similar gymnastics project. Gymnastics Festivals As a result of training courses with teachers and staff in Bradford and Leeds, two Gymnastics Festivals have taken place in West Yorkshire. Oakbank Sports College in Bradford and St Mary’s Sports College in Leeds held very successful events, and all staff, teachers and pupils involved did themselves proud! A very positive outcome was achieved, and the pupils we given an outlet to perform their curricular and extra curricular gymnastics. Calderdale School of PE A very unique educational set up in Calderdale, which had provided gymnastics opportunities for over 1,500 children a week, regrettably closed it’s doors in April 2003. This has resulted in two new clubs forming to carry on the tradition of gymnastics in Halifax. Best wishes to Diamonds Gymnastics Club and Halifax Sports Acro Club for their future establishment. Coach Education An abundance of courses have occurred in Yorkshire in the last few months. The region now has the task of examining over 120 candidates! Two Top Gym courses and three extra curricular courses have taken place, and a BG Helpers course was overflowing in Barnsley. Ninety of the regions coaches, volunteers and helpers attended one of the four BG Child Protection Awareness courses in February. This is great news and will safeguard gymnastics and its participants. The development of Men’s Artistic still needs great attention in Yorkshire. A low level MA workshop was held in Rotherham in February, where 16 coaches from various disciplines attended and extended their current knowledge. Despite this success, the MA ACC and CC courses were cancelled due to low numbers. With the closure of Calderdale School of PE, came a loss of a competition venue. The MA support structure needs to be strengthened in order to support the development of talent feeding into the High Performance centre in Leeds. Back to Newletters Index Yorkshire Development Officer, Culture and Leisure Services, Red Doles Lane, Huddersfield, HD2 1YF. Tel: 01484 234128 Mob 07739512201 Email kirsty.thornton.