Stockport School of Gymnastics

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Noel Lambert Anderson
5 years ago
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Inside this issue: The 2013 Calendar Ecokids is coming in February Grades Parents Have a Go Session Town Hall Display Christmas Walk Welcome to 2013 A new year and a slightly new format for the

1 Inside this issue: The 2013 Calendar Ecokids is coming in February Grades Parents Have a Go Session Town Hall Display Christmas Walk Welcome to 2013 A new year and a slightly new format for the newsletter. The aim is to get a great photo of a SSoG gymnast on the cover, so we start the year with one of Ruby Hewitt on the beam taken at the Club Championships in November by Becky Shard s Grandad. January 2013 Newsletter The new gym will start to come together during 2013 on a number of different levels. We will be employing paid staff starting in January to help run the facility, we have budgeted to install the raised ski-run and pits and will be introducing lots of different sessions during the day. The business has begun. The SSoG Calendar rd January Christmas Camp 9.00 to rd January First Club Training Session of th January Christmas Camp to th/6th January the Recreational Winter Term at the Offerton Centre 5th-11th January the Recreational Winter Term at the Newby Road Centre 13th January Grades Trials, joint control competition with Manchester South at Newby Rd. 2nd/3rd February GM Regional Grades being held in Wigan. 8th February Ecokids collection. 23rd/24th February Regional Grades Finals, National Grades and Compulsory Grades at Robin Park Sports Centre, Wigan 23rd/24th March However in the excitement of our own facility, it is vital that we keep the ethos of the club. Already the character has started to change with not having communal mat shifting. It s good to be different and we do need to keep the mix of excellence and community. Last Session of the Recreational Winter Term at the Offerton Centre 23rd - 29th March Last Session of the Recreational Winter Term at the Newby Road Centre 21st-24th March British Championships 6th/7th April the Recreational Spring Term at the Offerton Centre 6th-12th April the Recreational Spring Term at the Newby Road Centre 7th April Stockport Easter Competition 20th/21st April National Grades Finals in Birmingham.

Town Hall Display We were invited to the Town Hall to support the central while the successful groups were being presented with a few weeks and they went down

We were part of the entertainment that was put on their cheques to help with their activities.

a Christmas fun routine. let, conditioning set, with dance and moves all Great fun, met Father Christmas and got a dona- thrown in.

There was a hope that we would have the grand opening ceremony in December, but alas we are nowhere near ready and will have to wait until 2013.

There was a continuation with the painting upstairs, with doors being varnished, and most other areas being freshened up.

2 Town Hall Display We were invited to the Town Hall to support the central while the successful groups were being presented with a few weeks and they went down very well. Georgia s routine was based on Street Jazz and area You Say, We Pay event. We were part of the entertainment that was put on their cheques to help with their activities. Vicki put together a variety of dances in Ruby did her floor routine, Becky did a new routine, which was a mixture of bal- Susan and Georgia finished off with a Christmas fun routine. let, conditioning set, with dance and moves all Great fun, met Father Christmas and got a dona- thrown in. Megan and tion for the club funds. December Progress at Newby Rd. There was a hope that we would have the grand opening ceremony in December, but alas we are nowhere near ready and will have to wait until During December we received 4 new crash mats, wall padding to fit round the beam area and 2 trampolines. There was a continuation with the painting upstairs, with doors being varnished, and most other areas being freshened up. The reception and all common downstairs floors are now carpeted, which has made a real difference. Upstairs the café has had the suspended ceiling fitted and is ready for the lights to be installed. Next job to complete the café and the balcony area. Gymnast of the Month November The November Gymnast of the Month was Becky Mooney. She rang the bell twice for new moves, had a good competition in the NW Individuals and was part of the winning GM Level 4 team in the NW Inter-County Teams. Well done Becky. Page 2

Ecokids The next Ecokids collection is on Friday 8th Feb 2013.

3 Ecokids The next Ecokids collection is on Friday 8th Feb The items we can now donate have changed slightly, most notably that they no longer accept books, and bric-a-brac items are more restricted than previously. Items can be dropped off at Newby Road from Thursday Jan 31st 2013 and can be put in the Dance Studio. EcoKids accept the following items: Good quality, dry clean clothing, Soft Toys, Pairs of shoes, Handbags, Net Curtains, Bed Linen, Small portable electrical items in good working condition (excluding all TV's), Costume Jewellery, Bric-a- Brac ** * SMALL PORTABLE ELECTRI- CAL ITEMS (in good working condition). For example: table lamps, toasters, hairdryers, clock radios, canopener, toothbrush, cd player, coffee grinder, juicer. **BRIC-a-BRAC: Popular bric- a-brac objects typically include: small vases, figurines, decorative teacups, picture frames, small bowls, trinket dishes and other small ornaments. Any bric-a-brac items are to be put into a cardboard box. Ecokids don't accept the following items Poor quality, wet, stained, mouldy or ripped clothing, Quilts, duvets & pillows, Heavy curtains, Carpets, mats, rugs CD s, DVD s, Audio & Video tapes and TV s, Furniture, Metal and wooden heavy items, Books, Textbooks & Magazines, Computers and accessories This is really easy as we have a lot of things at home that need recycling and it can earn the club vital funds. In 2012 just Ecokids collections raised nearly 1,000, which can take considerably more effort with other methods. Helen Cleaver is the organiser. A Big Thank You Trampolines While continually trying to get more parents involved in the club, it can be very easy to undervalue the fantastic help put in by a small number of parents that are already involved, to get us to where we are today. I m not convinced by Volunteer of the Week/ Month/Year awards and there is a danger in putting names in print, that someone Questionnaire Results We gave out a letter approx 6 weeks ago asking how members would like to help around the club. Oly 1/3 of the letters have been returned. If you clean forgot then please get the information back to us as we need to plan rotas for So some of the help that we Page 3 with an equal contribution is missed. So a massive thank you to all those that have put time in at the centre during the year with professional services, building expertise, electrical, painting, floor laying, demolition, moving equipment and chairs, sealing floors, transport, scaffolding, phone systems, alarms, lighting, tiling and everything! have been offered is very encouraging, for instance more than enough to help with running the café at Newby Rd when it is a going concern and similarly to help with the desk on Saturday Rec sessions at Newby Rd. All completed letters back to Phil or Julie please. We were asked by DC Leisure, who run the sports centre at New Mills, if we needed a trampoline. So although the gym plans didn t have a trampoline in them, we said yes and they have been picked up and are now in the gym. Gareth Bantoft had kindly offered a large tail lift wagon for the job, but even so there was a lot of manhandling needed so a good job that Steve Cleaver was around to help. We actually have 2 trampolines, but at the moment we have kept one in storage as it is not obvious where it will fit. Trampolines are great fun for recreational gymnasts and good too for progressions for club gymnasts. Chloe Andrew They Gymnast are not of really the for Year anything other than gym moves, but we can also hire out the centre for trampolining lessons.

But everyone who visited the Olympic site or watched the broadcasts will have been made aware of the army of volunteers who cheerfully gave up their free time and worked away, without complaint, all

4 Become a Games Maker at SSoG The new year message from the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, caught my eye. "The extraordinary events of the Olympics and Paralympics last summer provided an unforgettable spectacle. But everyone who visited the Olympic site or watched the broadcasts will have been made aware of the army of volunteers who cheerfully gave up their free time and worked away, without complaint, all hours of the day and night to make Christmas Walk these great events happen. They were the key people who translated the Olympic vision into reality for the rest of us. It ought to make us think a bit harder about all the other folk who quietly, often invisibly, turn vision into reality and just make things happen - especially volunteers." We have come a long way in 12 months from a leisure centre club with a maximum of 15 hours training time per week to a dedicated facility with unlimited time. We are still set up as a mem- bers club, which gives us all responsibilities to make sure that the club continues to develop the gymnastics but at the same time understanding that it is a business having to be financially viable. Our outgoings are much higher now and to balance the books we do need to make use of the centre during the day and to increase the number of training gymnasts at all levels, rec and competitive. All businesses have to be careful on their outgoings and we are no different. We have some fixed costs, like the rent for the building, but most other bills we can try and control. So for instance to paint the inside of the centre we had a quote for 1,500. We asked a local company if we could borrow a cherry picker, we borrowed a paint sprayer and did the painting with a couple of parent volunteers in a weekend, so we ended up paying less than 100 for the paint. Earning new money can e difficult. Ask the fund raisers. As a members club we need to be careful about raising fees too much to pay bills for jobs that we could do ourselves. So the message is simple. Its our club, all of us. Lend a hand, don t just drop off and pick up, don t just sit and watch, lend a hand. Coach & Committee night out No raucous night out in town, dancing to the early hours, but a hastily arranged meal out at the Spice Tower in Offerton this year. Great Indian food (highly recommended) and not too bad a turn out, considering the very short notice a couple of weeks before Christmas. By the way, Dave is there, just keeping out of the way of the camera! Christmas was very wet, trying to break the record for the wettest year ever. However the Christmas walk in Bollington completely dodged rain and we all stayed dry, although we did see some spectacular slides/ falls on the muddy slopes. Many thanks to Andy Sefton for hosting what will probably be our last walk in Bollinton. There was only 1 gymnast there so next year we will try something a bit closer to Newby Rd and encourage all club members to enjoy the fresh air. The photo was taken in front of White Nancy, suitably decorated for the Jubilee and Olympics Page 4

Other News A big thanks to Jess Todd and Hollie Ward for organis- Not forgotten, just delayed as we don t have enough has been an asset to the club and much liked by the ber of years and has allowed

5 Other News A big thanks to Jess Todd and Hollie Ward for organis- Not forgotten, just delayed as we don t have enough has been an asset to the club and much liked by the ber of years and has allowed me to concentrate on the ing our Christmas Camp this year. 5 sessions during the volunteers to organise and get the new facility up and gymnasts. Our new volunteer is Lucy and she too has setting up of the Newby Rd facility. Claire will be helping Christmas break attended running. We ll sort some- a gymnastics background out with club sessions and is by a mixture of Club and Rec gymnasts enjoyed some thing out this term. and we will see her on Saturdays. going through her Level 3 coaching modules, so she extra training in small focussed groups. Look out for activities throughout the year in all school holidays. The original plan was to open the gym in December as it seemed like a reasonable target when we started Claire Ferguson has been running the recreational sessions at Dialstone and will still be around in the club on a regular basis. The club owes a great debt to Claire for taking on this big The official club photo for out in April. The main reason for a December opening then at Offerton for a num- job and now looks forward to her contribution to club gym is below and is slightly different to the one on the was that it coincided with a special birthday for our Grades Trials website. There is never a good time to take a photo as it is difficult to guarantee that all gymnasts will be present so apologies to all those who were missing. A couple of events were missed that we normally do before Christmas, the Rec competition and the Disco. President, Pete Stanway. The opening didn t happen, so it sort of passed us by, so a belated Happy Birthday Pete, from all at SSoG. We will be welcoming another volunteer from Manchester University during January. Cloe has been with us for nearly 12 months and For those gymnasts that have paid the entry fees the final control competition will be on Sunday 13th January in the Newby Road Centre. Just to add some interest and a genuine competitive atmosphere, we have invited the gymnasts from Manchester South to join us. They will also bring their judges! The target scores are set at the old distinction level, 44 for Grades without a conditioning set and 55 for Grades with a conditioning set. Please don t get too tense on the day. You have all worked hard and should make the scores. Good luck and keep training hard. SSoG Official Club Photo 2012 Page 5

Parents Have-a-go session Good turn out for the final session of the year, the annual chance for parents to try out in the gym, hopefully realising

This year there was an added incentive in that the bottles of wine that were given to us as Christmas presents by the landlord were offered as

After a warm up, some parents splits better than one or two of the club gymnasts, it was onto pieces, including the newly installed trampoline.

The chins competition (men only) was a dead head between Tim Crane and Warren Shard, with the wine going to Warren as Tim left before we had a

6 Parents Have-a-go session Good turn out for the final session of the year, the annual chance for parents to try out in the gym, hopefully realising that there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. This year there was an added incentive in that the bottles of wine that were given to us as Christmas presents by the landlord were offered as prizes for the most sit ups and the most chins. After a warm up, some parents splits better than one or two of the club gymnasts, it was onto pieces, including the newly installed trampoline. After a reasonably timid start the moves started to develop; some not bad handspring flat backs and a handspring dismount off the beam. The chins competition (men only) was a dead head between Tim Crane and Warren Shard, with the wine going to Warren as Tim left before we had a chance to do the tie breaker. The ladies sit up wine was awarded to Jackie Blackburn, very competitive. The session was completed with parents having a go at completing their daughters grades floor routines. I think there were one or two mums that would have made good gymnasts. Luckily no injuries, but aching muscles in evidence later in the day and on the Monday. Page 6

Stockport School of Gymnastics

Stockport School of Gymnastics This New Year - what s your resolution? As 2017 approaches it s time to think about New Year Resolutions that will last. Not the January Gym membership that lasts for a month, but something that will be