How do we build skills for life? Building skills for life is our ultimate goal at Barron Gymnastics. We focus on this goal within all of our programs. Sometimes in the world of competitive gymnastics, we can lose this focus. Training our athletes to be in peak condition and to be ready for competition can cause us to lose focus on our ultimate goal.

So how do we stay focused? What specific ideas and activities will develop the whole child, including the athletes that spend hours at our gym? It is our responsibility to make their time more then just training sessions.

I am so proud of our competitive program. The coaches go beyond the competitive practice to build skills for life by incorporating creative, interesting and inspiring activities into the workouts.

Celebrations- Due to the number of training hours and weekends spent at competitions, the competitive athletes miss some celebrations with their school friends. As a result, we provide celebrations with their gymnastic friends.

Christmas Party-In addition to celebrating the holidays, the gift exchange becomes a giving program. In lieu of a gift exchange, the gymnasts donate a gift to the children at the Costas Center at Cardinal Glennon.

Pajamanastics- An overnighter full of fun and energetic activities. The monies collected for the event go directly into our Coaches Education Fund, which supplements the expenses to send them to USA Gymnastics conferences. These conferences provide seminars on the current trends and business practices in gymnastics.

Year End Banquet-The banquet is a time to come together with the coaches, athletes, and parents and celebrate the past year. Our focus is to acknowledge individual accomplishments and to give each child a chance to be noticed.

Training- Training does not have to be boring, predictable, or uninspiring. In fact, to get the most out of the training it needs to be creative, motivating and interesting.

Theme Days- Silly Socks, Crazy Hats, Beach Day, Fourth of July and Sports Day are just a few of the themes that the coaches incorporate into a practice. The girls can wear leotards, shirts, shorts, socks, and hair accessories that are in line with the theme.

GFA Camp (Gymnastics For All)-The camp includes all of our competitive levels. It is 4 full days of training with guest coaches, judges and choreographers. The week concludes with a performance for family and friends.

Character Building- This is of utmost importance. We are not teaching gymnastics. We are teaching children the sport of gymnastics. Their gymnastics days will come to an end, but the character that they develop through the years of gymnastics participation will continue.

Journaling-The team follows a journaling program that our coaches have tailor-made for our athletes. It encourages the girls to learn about themselves and to build a positive self-esteem through journaling exercises. The focus is completely about character building, using their gymnastics experience to develop a strong, healthy, and positive mind set.

Of course, our coaches spend many hours developing lesson plans and a training program to build strength, flexibility, and balance. They develop drills and return stations for the girls to be successful and to accomplish the highest skill level possible. They study body movement and physical science to train the complex movement of gymnastics. But they have a deep understanding of the mind and body connection. By going beyond the competitive practice with unique ideas and activities that build both the mind and the body, we will provide what every one of our gymnasts deserves: Skills for Life.