Rec Gymnastics

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

RISING STARS RECREATIONAL GYMNASTICS

This program is offered to girls in 1st grade and up. The purpose of this program is all in the name – recreational gymnastics. In this program, we teach the participants the importance working hard, without forgetting their daily dose of fun!

In the Recreational Program, classes will include instruction on all 4 apparatus (vault, bars, beam and floor), as well as safety and basic technique on trampoline & tumble trak, muscle strengthening, stretching, and teamwork.

We want each gymnast to truly master the skills at their level before moving up to the next, not only so that they perform the skills well, but so that they feel well prepared for the next level and never feel overwhelmed. We want each and every child to succeed. In this program, we teach that succeeding doesn’t always have to mean standing on the 1st place spot on a podium. It’s the learning, developing and growing in a way that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

BEGINNER

Meets for 1 hour & 15 minutes. At this level of gymnastics, children are being introduced to each of the apparatus and all of the equipment in the gym. The very first things they will learn in the gym are the proper safety techniques used here in our facility. The “Jump-Stick” is something every single child will know after their first day at Flying High. In addition to safety, participants will begin to learn the basics of gymnastics on each event, and focus on developing a certain comfort level on each apparatus. You will see your little star walking across the balance beams, climbing over the bars, learning cartwheels, rolls, and the ever important handstands on the floor. Your star will be leaving class sweating and smiling!

LEVEL I

Meets for 1 hour & 15 minutes. Children walking through the doors on their first day of gymnastics have a wide variety of skills to master before becoming Intermediate level gymnasts. In order to make the transition from Beginner to Intermediate a little smoother and a little less daunting, we’ve added the Level 1 classes as a stepping stone to lie in between the two. Once a Beginner feels comfortable and has accomplished the basics on each event, they move to Level 1 where they begin to focus on doing the basics with proper form – squeezed legs and pointed toes. They have attained, at the Beginner level, a sense of body awareness, and are now learning to use that in order to enhance current skills and learn more complex ones.

*INTERMEDIATE

Meets for 1 hour & 30 minutes. Becoming an Intermediate is a very exciting time for our gymnasts! At this level, they have shown that they can perform the basics of gymnastics and have demonstrated that they understand the importance of proper body mechanics, form and technique. Now, it’s finally time to work on some of the exciting skills that they have been so anxiously awaiting! Flip flops and beginning handsprings on floor, front hip circles on bars and even handstands on the high beam! These are skills they have been seeing the competitive team girls working on – and now they are working on them too! Our Intermediate gymnasts work hard to accomplish level 2 and 3 skills, stay challenged with the wide variety of skills needed to pass out of this level and have fun with learning exciting new things.

Once all of the skills are achieved and gymnasts have shown determination to learn, it’s time to move out of Intermediate. At this point, gymnasts have the choice of continuing with the Recreational Program, and going into our Advanced class, or moving towards the competitive program and joining our Pre Team class. **Information on Pre Team is listed under the Shooting Star Team page. **

*ADVANCED

Meets for 1 hour & 30 minutes. Now that participants have passed out of Intermediate and have chosen to stick with the Recreational Program, the variety of skills to be worked on is endless. At the Advanced level, gymnasts use the body mechanics and technique they’ve been learning to build upon the basics they’ve already accomplished, and develop more and more advanced skills. This level is able to keep gymnasts excited and challenged for years to come. Whether they are working towards being on a high school team, or are just interested in having fun and learning a wide variety of skills, Advanced is the perfect class for them! Participants do not learn USAG routines in this class, as they would in Pre Team, but the combinations and variations of skills are endless and will definitely keep your star coming back for more!

*Gymnasts at these levels are also invited to be members of our Rec Team!! Check out the info about Rec Team at the bottom of this page!*

BARS CLASS

This supplemental class is for gymnasts who are already in our program. Whether your star needs extra work on that one elusive skill in order to move up to the next level, or they just need a little extra time spent on bars to build confidence and strength, this class is the perfect choice. It is a 30 minute class, taught by the director of the gymnastics program, geared towards suiting each star’s individual needs. Gymnasts can sign up for 2, 4 or 6 weeks at a time – whatever is needed.

BACKBEND/FLIP FLOP CLASS

This supplemental class is for gymnasts who are already in our program. This class helps those who need...

A little extra time and help mastering a particular backbend skill
Extra time to work on backbends, in general, to improve overall back and shoulder flexibility
Help with their flip flop – either just learning it, or looking to master it

It is a 30 minute class, taught by the director of the gymnastics program, geared towards suiting each star’s individual needs. Gymnasts can sign up for 2, 4 or 6 weeks at a time – whatever is needed.

TUMBLE STARS

In this program, you will see your stars mastering skills on the floor exercise, starting with the basics and working their way up to the high flying skills! This program is offered to boys and girls, first grade & up, who are interested in floor exercise only. In this program, participants learn a variety of skills on the floor as well as how to properly use the tumble trak and trampolines to compliment floor skills. All classes will pay special attention to technique, form, mastering the basics, progressing towards more advanced skills, muscles strengthening exercises and having a lot of fun!

All tumbling classes are coed and grouped by skill level. Join us today and send your child tumbling toward the stars!

BEGINNER TUMBLING

Meets for 45 minutes. Let’s get started! In this class, children will learn tumbling basics and begin a solid foundation for all of their future tumbling. Focus will be on lunges, rolling skills, cartwheels, beginning work on backbend skills, and most importantly – handstands. Basic body awareness and body positions will also be taught at this level.

INTERMEDIATE TUMBLING

Meets for 45 minutes. Backbends in every direction! Toe-pointed back walkovers, backbend stand ups, front limbers, tick-tocks… the backbend skills are endless and will keep your Tumble Star challenged. Intermediate tumblers will focus primarily on a multitude of backbend skills, while continuing to perfect the basic skills learned in Beginner Tumbling.

ADVANCED TUMBLING

Meets for 1 hour. Flip flops are coming your way! At this point, tumblers have gained a better sense of body awareness and are able to use that to start building on the basics they’ve been perfecting. They have a great front roll – now they’ll make it a dive roll. The front walkover is mastered, so they will turn it into a front handspring. Back rolls are no problem, so they become back extension rolls. What comes after learning a perfect back walkover?? That’s right – the highly anticipated flip flop! This is the first time they will start learning the mechanics of taking basic skills to the next level.

POWER TUMBLING

Meets for 1 hour. Time to put it all together! This is the level that every one of our Tumble Stars looks forward to the most. Finally, the beginning stages of adding power to their tumbling has been accomplished, and it’s time to put it all together. At this level, our tumblers focus on using body mechanics to achieve the most power and speed, in order to put together entire tumbling passes. Once that is accomplished, the possibilities are endless! While newer Power Tumblers tend to focus on round off, flip flops and connecting 2 skills with ease, this particular level can keep tumblers challenged for years to come. Crowd pleasing salto(aerial) skills are taught going forward, backwards, and sideways and the progressions, variations and combinations of skills are sure to keep tumblers excited and motivated.

CHEER TUMBLING

Meets for 1 hour. The Cheer Tumbling class is offered to girls 6th grade and up. Focus for this class is placed on building the basic tumbling skills, while also touching on some “crowd pleaser” skills. Participants in this class will also work on strengthening muscles needed for tumbling and cheerleading jumps. While it is called “Cheer Tumbling,” participants need not be cheerleaders nor aspire to be cheerleaders. Any girl, 6th grade and older, that is interested in working on their basic tumbling skills, whether it be in order to prepare for cheerleading or just for fun, is encouraged to join this class!

TEEN CLASSES

Have you been away from the sport of gymnastics for a while? OR
Are you in 6th grade or higher and just developing an interest in the sport? OR
Are you interested in being on your high school gymnastics team? OR
Are you a cheerleader who is looking to enhance her tumbling skills?

If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, our Teen Program is just the place for you!

CHEER TUMBLE

(Also listed under Tumble Stars Program)
Meets for 1 hour. The Cheer Tumbling class is offered to girls 6th grade and up. Focus for this class is placed on building the basic tumbling skills, while also touching on some “crowd pleaser” skills. Participants in this class will also work on strengthening muscles needed for tumbling and cheerleading jumps. While it is called “Cheer Tumbling,” participants need not be cheerleaders nor aspire to be cheerleaders. Any girl, 6th grade and older, that is interested in working on basic tumbling skills, whether it be in order to prepare for cheerleading or just for fun, is encouraged to join this class!

TEEN REC.

Meets for 1 hour & 15 minutes. This class was designed for those, 6th grade or older, who are interested in working on their gymnastics basics, without being in a class full of 6 year olds. Whether you have been away from the sport for a while, or are just developing an interest in it for the first time – this class is focused on helping to build your basics while allowing you to feel comfortable in a class of your peers. When all of the basic skills have been mastered, participants are able to move into our High School Junior Varsity / Varsity class.

HS JV / VARSITY

Meets for 2 hours. Girls in 7th grade, 8th grade and high school, who are already on a high school gymnastics team, or are interested in working towards being on one, will love this class. It is designed to help girls prepare for high school gymnastics competition. Focus will be on skills and combinations that follow Illinois High School Association (IHSA) competition rules. Girls in this class work on everything from perfecting their basics to achieving higher level skills and combinations to achieve the most points in their routines.

*RISING STAR REC TEAM

*A Fun Approach to Competitive Gymnastics*
The Rising Star Rec Team is a fantastic and unique program offered here at Flying High! The Rec Team is open to all Intermediate, Advanced and Pre Team members. Rec Team members will compete the Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 routines.

The idea behind the Rising Star Rec Team is two-fold. The Rec Team is a perfect opportunity for those who:

1) Are working towards being a part of the Shooting Star Competitive Team, and want to get a feel for what gymnastics competition is like.
2) Are not sure that they will become members of the competitive team, but would like to have an arena to showcase the skills they’ve been working so hard to master.

In either case, the Rising Star Rec Team is a terrific choice! What’s so great about the Rec Team is that, it gives the girls a chance to experience what it’s like to learn routines and perform them in front of judges and a crowd, without having to make the commitment of being on the competitive team. It is a great way for them to test the waters and help them decide which route will work best for them later on. Another fantastic aspect of the Rec Team is that it is an entirely positive experience for the girls! The competitions are geared to encourage the girls to keep working hard and having fun! They are given feedback on their routines and rewarded for their hard work.

FAQ’S ABOUT REC TEAM

Q: How does it work?
A: Members of the Rec Team still attend their regular Intermediate, Advanced or Pre Team class as usual. In order to learn the routines, they attend an additional 1 hour class per week with the other members of the team.

Q: What do they wear to the meets?
A: Members wear a cool Flying High leotard and warm up that can be purchased in the Infinity & Beyond Pro Shop and that they can also wear to practices.

Q: How many competitions are there?
A: There are 5 competitions per season (December – May). We ask that each member commit to participating in at least 2 of the competitions. Two of them are even at FLYING HIGH, which makes attending them, rather convenient!!

Q: Why should I join the Rising Star Rec Team?
A: As mentioned above – it is a great way to get competition experience, without all the commitment of being on team. It is a great way for the girls to showcase the skills they have been working so hard to achieve. And most of all – it’s a lot of fun!

The Rising Star Rec Team really is an exciting addition to our Recreational Program. We are so proud of the girls on the team and look forward to having your Star join us today!