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August 2024 / Issue 37Do you have friends and family that are interested in gymnastics? Share this newsletter and ask them to hit: |
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In case you missed it...- The AGF Office will be closed September 2nd for Labour Day. Have a wonderful long weekend!
- The third and final Canadian Sport Institute 50/50 Lottery is running through the 2024 Paralympic Games! Purchase your tickets and help fund sport in Alberta. Buy your tickets now.
- Are you a Gymnastics Club in Alberta that's interested in joining AGF? You can find out more info on the benefits of membership here; or get in touch with our office, and we'll be pleased to help you get started.
- Athlete and coach registrations are due September 27th. More info about registration categories is on our website. We've streamlined GFA and updated the Developmental and Competitive levels. Always remember that whenever a member upgrades, your club will only be charged the higher membership AND insurance fee. No double payments!
- Do you want to relive the excitement of Provincials, Canadians, and Gymfest? Find the links to HomeTeam Live here.
- Our Parkour Program Curriculum is ready for purchase!!! See here for more info.
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MAG Athletes and Coaches at CGC training camp last weekend MAG NewsThank you so much to the 40 athletes and coaches that joined us this month for a summer training camp at the Calgary Gymnastics Centre! It was a great camp where we got to prepare for the upcoming season. We also hosted a strategic planning session at ATCO Park in Calgary for MAG representatives and coaches. The meeting focused on solidifying our goals for the next Olympic cycle and the steps we need to take to accomplish them. It was a great venue, and we were excited to create concrete plans and discuss the aspirations we have for the program going forward each year through 2027-2028! 🙌 This fall, we will be working on organizing more training camps and preparing for the AGM and Gala awards night in October. We are also super happy to be voting in our first men’s program Athlete Representative. This is going to be a great year for all of us in MAG! |
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photo credit @livieparis2024 WAG NewsWe want to take this month to give a big high five to all of the WAG athletes, coaches, and families from across the world that made their way to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games 🤸♀️🌍🇫🇷 The WAG competitions were a total thrill to watch! We had them on non-stop in the office. Of course, a big congratulations to Team Canada for all of their hard work and dedication. AGF was cheering for all of you along the way. 🍁👏 We’re so honoured to be hosting past, and maybe, future Olympians in Calgary for Canadian Championships in May 2025. The road to LA28 is already underway! Lastly, a shout out to Ellie Black (NS) and Shallon Olson (GymBC) for the heart and sportsmanship they showed Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos of Team France after qualifications. Click to view. Ellie received the Paris 2024 Fair Play award for this display of support. Everyone needs a shoulder and an uplifting word at some point. Thank you Ellie and Shallon for showing what sport is all about! ❤️ |
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TG NewsWith the outstanding 2024 Olympic Games in Paris complete, it’s time to turn to the next quadrennial! FIG released their code of points for the 2025-2028 cycle this past spring, and Gymnastics Canada is currently working with all of the provincial sports organizations to create our new technical documents for the upcoming season. Watch out for them in September! All of us at AGF are making grand preparations for our Annual General Meeting and Gala awards dinner, both of which take place in Edmonton this October. We're so excited to be able to share the wonderful achievements made by the TG community this year, and we're looking forward to a successful 2025. Representatives from all clubs will be in attendance as well as several of our best athletes and coaches. Will you be there? We cannot wait! Check out the link further down the page for info on discounted hotel room rates, and if you are interested in submitting a nomination for the GFA awards, watch your inbox for instructions. 😎🙌 |
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GFA & Sport Development News
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Our annual GFA Getaway was held in Canmore last weekend at Canmore Illusions Gymnastics Club. We had a fantastic time with 39 participants from 11 clubs, 5 GFA Committee members, and our CEO. Everyone was treated to several outstanding sessions delivered by the ever positive and creative Ali Stoffels, Founder/CEO of Recreational Gymnastics Professionals. The sessions included: - Engaged Coaches (and the difference you make)
- Finding the Challenge Zone – Adapting for Individual Success
- Innovation Station
- Conditioning can be FUN!
- Not your Average Preschool & Beginner Beam Ideas
Thankfully, the wind and lightning storm the night before stayed away, and we had some great weather in the Rockies. The weekend also included a hike to Grassi Lakes that had some amazing views, highlighted by a beautiful rainbow.🌈 Thank you so much to everyone who attended for making it such an incredible weekend. And a great big thank you to Ali for your insight and for answering all of everybody's questions. You can learn more about Ali and check out her podcast here. We've already started to plan next year's getaway, and we look forward to seeing you there! |
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AGF’s AGM & Awards Gala will take place in Edmonton this year at the Delta Hotels Edmonton South Conference Centre: 4404 Gateway Blvd NW, Edmonton, AB. Use the link below to book your room before September 18th, and get a discounted rate! |
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AGF held it's Casino Takeover last weekend at the Deerfoot Inn & Casino in South Calgary, and it was a great success! Sadly, the AGLC only allows human volunteers, so Roland was not able to help out, but we were joined by 36 non-monkeys from across the province. A special shout-out goes to everyone that came by to help out. We really appreciate the hours you put in and the assistance you provided! The funds earned from the casino will go directly towards our events hosting and promoting gymnastics in Alberta through athlete and coach development. Clubs that provided volunteers will also get to share in the proceeds. Thank you so much to: Also, a big cheer to the AGF staff that worked on the casino planning and organizing, including Jacinda Bennett (Admin Support), Haleigh McCourt (Communications + Marketing), and Craig Drebit (Finance). Stay tuned for our next casino in 2026! |
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Our online store is now OPEN!! Shop to your heart's content for GYMCAN badges and certificates, CanJump stickers and program binders, as well as vintage Team Alberta clothing and gear. You can access the store here! Please note there is limited stock, and all sales are final. |
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Gymnastics Canada is partnering with the You Can Play Project, a leading organization committed to ensuring safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our ongoing commitment to fostering a safer and stronger, more inclusive and supportive environment for the 2SLGBTQ+ community in gymnastics across Canada. The partnership with You Can Play will focus on the development and implementation of comprehensive educational programs, resources, and training sessions designed to promote awareness and understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ issues within the gymnastics community. These initiatives will be tailored for athletes, coaches, officials, and club administrators to ensure that every member of the community feels safe, respected, and valued. Key elements of the partnership include: - Educational Workshops: Tailored training sessions aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of 2SLGBTQ+ identities, challenges, and inclusion practices for all levels of gymnastics.
- Resource Development: Creation and distribution of materials to support clubs and individuals in building inclusive spaces and addressing any issues related to 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion.
- Visibility: Highlighting and sharing the stories of athletes, coaches and participants within gymnastics.
- Policy Support: Collaborative efforts to review and enhance Gymnastics Canada’s policies and procedures to ensure they reflect our commitment to inclusion and equity.
This partnership aligns with Gymnastics Canada’s broader strategy to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of the sport. It underscores their commitment to taking meaningful action to support and uplift the voices and experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in gymnastics. |
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Upcoming NCCP CoursesAll registered AGF members will get 7 days to sign up for NCCP courses BEFORE they open to the general public. If you are registered with an AGF Member Club, contact their administrator and they will grant you access.
*If you do not have a current AGF Membership in the Uplifter registration system, it will not allow you to sign up during the member-only time frame.* - GF Intro + Artistic | Aug 31 - Sept 1 | Explosion
- GF Trampoline | Sept 8 | Grande Prairie Gymnastics
- GF Intro + Artistic | Sept 14-15 | Canmore Illusions
- GF Theory | Sept 15 | Online
- GF Trampoline | Sept 15 | Spruce Grove Aerials WAITLIST
- C3 WAG | Sept 24-27 | Pegasus Gymnastics East
- C1 Theory | Sept 24-26 | Online
- GF Theory | Sept 29 | Online
- GF Intro + Artistic | Sept 29-30 | Phoenix Gymnastics Centre
- GF Trampoline | Sept 30 | Pegasus Gymnastics East WAITLIST
- GF Intro + Artistic | Oct 5-6 | Grande Prairie Gymnastics
- GF Theory | Oct 12 | Online
- C1 Theory | Oct 21-23 | Online
- C1 WAG | Nov 8-10 | Grande Prairie Gymnastics
Register and view all available courses here, or to view all past, present, and upcoming courses, visit our website.
If a course is full, make sure to put yourself on the waitlist, so you can be notified of spots that become available due to cancellation.
The NCCP Newsletter comes out every Friday with information about all available NCCP courses. Don't miss out, sign up! |
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Use the button below to sign up for our Mailing List and get access to education news, Provincial NCCP training events, professional development opportunities, and other coaching information. |
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September 16th-22nd, 2024 marks the 10th Anniversary of National Coaches Week. It's a time to celebrate the positive impact coaches have on athletes at your club. Coach.ca can help you plan your own events and activities with their free participation guide; so you can say #ThanksCoach! Click here for more information. The Government of Alberta's Sports, Physical Activity, and Recreation (SPAR) program is also offering NCCP Multi-Sport modules for courses offered in September with registration opening August 1st. For more information on those courses and when they are offered, click here. |
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AGF and the Provincial and Territorial Gymnastics Sports organizations across Canada are pleased to announce the launch of SafeSport Gym Education.
SafeSport Gym Education is a collection of gymnastics organizations from across the country who worked hard to create documentary-style videos to share what safe sport means from real people, completely unscripted from real athletes, real coaches and real parents.
This is a collection of moments, feelings, and stories to educate us all.
Visit SafeSportGymEducation.org to view videos for all ages and for all people involved in our sport, in both official languages. You will also find Activity Books, Colouring Pages, and fact sheets about each video!
Feel free to browse and share and stay safe, because Safe Sport is Everyone's Responsibility.
Contact us at info@abgym.ab.ca for more information. |
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Instagram: @albertagymnastics
reposted from @grs.trio
We are so excited to announce that we will be representing team Canada at the world championships in Portugal this September! It has been our goal ever since we became trio to make it to the world championships and we can’t believe that it is actually happening! 🇨🇦✈️🇵🇹🥳💪🏼
Click the photo to watch their reel! |
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A Word from Finance and Membership 💵💰💲
The summertime is a very busy season for the Finance and Membership department at AGF!
This is the time where we gather and allocate funding, thereby allowing us to ensure that the season runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. First of all, we're proud to report that we've had a 99% club retention rate with 73 member clubs across the eight zones of Alberta communities, and we truly appreciate each one of them. Last season we finished the year with 49,763 members. Wowzers! Gymnastics is growing all across Alberta as more and more people, young and old, come to enjoy our sport. We will be working with our member clubs to get that number even higher this season and into the future. This month saw two significant fundraising events take place. As mentioned above, we held our Casino Takeover at the Deerfoot Inn & Casino last weekend, and I want to personally acknowledge the parents, club staff, and other volunteers that came out to help. It's incredibly heart-warming when people take time out of their busy lives to support our sport. Also, we confirmed receipt of the operating grant funding from the Government of Alberta's Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation (SPAR) branch, in recognition of our efforts in delivering sport programs and services to Albertans. A big thank you to Marvin Dobish, the government's sport consultant and biggest sports fan, for his work and guidance. Together, the casino and SPAR funding provide about 5% of AGF's total funding and allows us to continually put forth top-level programming. Speaking of the 2024-2025 season, we have already made it through the first session of the year! This is a reminder to clubs that Session 1 encompassed July/August classes, and all athlete and coach registrations are due on Sept. 27th at 4pm. For those of you that are new to the process, detailed instructions can be found on our website, or alternatively, you can contact me at membership@abgym.ab.ca. If you are having troubles with the Uplifter registration system, contact Jacqueline at online@abgym.ab.ca. This registration should include all athletes and coaches currently training, as well as any drop-in classes, birthday parties, and camps you may have held. Remember, if an individual is not registered with AGF, they are not covered by the sports accident insurance policy which would be a big problem in case of injury or other incidents. Furthermore, registration grants your coaches and potential coaches a discounted rate for NCCP courses. So make sure to get your members set up! The 2024 Paralympic Games have just started in Paris. Since the first Stoke-Mandeville Games in 1948, the Paralympics have always been a strong advocate of inclusion and equity, values to which I think we all work towards. Change starts with Sport. To the athletes in Paris, spectators across the world, and sport fans across our membership: Amuse-toi bien, tout le monde! Have fun out there. 😁🔥👏 |
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2023-2024 Team Alberta Results 🤸♀️🥇🥈🥉🤸♂️
2024 Arctic Winter Games
🥇 4 🥈 2 🥉 2 Results 2024 Artistic Western Canadian Championships - MAG
🥇 18 🥈 14 🥉 19 Results 2024 Artistic Western Canadian Championships - WAG
🥇 18 🥈 14 🥉 14 Results 2024 TG Western Canada Cup
🥇 17 🥈 20 🥉 15 Results 2024 Artistic Canadian Championships - MAG
🥇 4 🥈 6 🥉 5 Results 2024 Artistic Canadian Championships - WAG
🥇 2 🥈 2 🥉 3 Results 2024 Trampoline Gymnastics Canadian Championships
🥇 16 🥈 13 🥉 16 Results 2024 Acrobatic Gymnastics Canadian Championships
🥇 3 🥈 4 🥉 1 Results
Way to go Team!!! |
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Getting to know our members! 📩
In July we asked:
The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are upon us! Besides Gymnastics, which sport would you love to compete in if you had the chance? 🏋️♀️🤼♂️🏐🏌️🏓🚴♀️🏊♂️⚽️🏄🏑🚣♂️🏸🎯🤺 "Track 100 percent 💯" - @grace_gymnast.12 "Acrobatic Gymnastics" - @ns.acropairab "Diving, one of the closest things to gymnastics" - @reesewong123 "Acrobatic Gymnastics isn't in the Olympics yet! So I'd choose that!" - @a_morgan_world
🤠🏅 Question of the Month 🤸👏
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from your time in gymnastics? 🤔🤸♀️💪
Answer our Question of the Month, and you could be featured in our next newsletter!!! Don't forget to include your first name and city/town. Send your responses to info@abgym.ab.ca or DM us on Instagram @albertagymnastics
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👥 Getting to Know Your AGF Team! 🙌 What was your favourite event or performance to watch during the Olympics?🏊🏐🏃♀️🤽♂️🏓🤾♀️ |
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Haleigh - All of the gymnastics was amazing! I especially enjoyed the team finals and seeing everyone give all their very best. Being from the USA but working here in Canada, I was happy to have two countries to cheer for! 🙌🍁❤️🤍💙 Craig - While I was absolutely gutted when my men's basketball team was eliminated 😭🏀🍁, my favourite part was watching Eleanor Harvey win a medal in Fencing! 🤺 She's worked so hard over all of these years, and I'm so happy she gets rewarded for it. DYK Eleanor coaches and trains just down the road from the AGF head office! Robin - I love it all! I'm incredibly proud of all of our gymnasts … so many great performances!! I enjoy watching the sports that I'm familiar with and learning more about the ones I’m not. I just wish it was longer! Watching the emotions of athletes, coaches, family and friends is by far the best part … so fantastic. Mo - My favourite was always watching artistic gymnastics. Growing up in the sport, it is an event that I always look forward to, and it didn't disappoint! It was awesome to watch both Canadian teams compete in team finals. I also enjoyed the Athletic sprints, Beach Volleyball, and this year I snuck in some time to watch surfing. Jacinda - Watching Félix Dolci fall was heart-breaking but I’m so glad he got another shot on high bar. I also loved the sport climbing and skateboarding. By the way, the memes from the Olympics were gold, and SNOOP DOG?!?! Yes!! LA28 is going to be unreal! Keevin - I am a huge fan of the Olympics and tried to watch as much as I could, especially the swimming, athletics, and beach volleyball, along with all the top Canadian athletes! My top performances of the games were: - Julien Alfred winning the women’s 100m for Saint Lucia
- Mondo Duplantis breaking his pole vault world record again!
- Sydney MacLaughlin-Lavrone smashing the women’s 400m hurdles
- The Canadian Men’s 400x100m Olympic Champions
- Melissa/Brandie taking silver in Women’s beach for Canada’s best ever finish
- The Canadian Women’s Rugby 7’s taking silver with that huge semi-final upset against Australia
- Simone Biles (enough said)
- Summer and Leon dominating the pool
Carolyn - I obviously loved watching the gymnastics but I also really enjoyed the track and field events, swimming, soccer, and breaking!
Jacqueline - I can’t pick just one and we tried to watch as much as possible. It is amazing to watch the athleticism and see everyone’s reaction once they know they made the podium! 🤩 Roland the Monkey - I love Olympic Weightlifting and Paralympic Powerlifting!! 💪🏋️♂️ It takes a lot of bananas to get that strong! |
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We Want to Hear from You! 📣Do you enjoy this newsletter? Is there anything you'd like to hear about? Email us your suggestions and comments, and we will do our best to get them into a future edition. |
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