Team Handbook The Journey is the most important goal, not the destination.

Parents -

Together we make the program strong!

Community Ed - Boosters

Gymnasts - Coaches

Begin here. Go anywhere.

Introduction
Welcome to Hartland Gymnastics Academy (HGA). We are professional members of the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Program and USA member club. We follow the USA Gymnastics education program, code of ethics, safety certification program, and background checks. HGA provides a positive and healthy environment for youngsters who participate in gymnastics. We value honesty and integrity as demonstrated through:

The fostering of respect for and compliance with guidelines, regulations and rules. Mutual respect between and among athletes, coaches, judges, administrators, and volunteers. Valuable equitable access to opportunities for personal growth and development.

This program was started with the belief that there is a place for everyone in gymnastics. We truly believe that gymnastics is a sport different from all others; therefore, it must be approached in a unique and specific way in order to insure success for every athlete. Children need to experience success to build selfesteem. The only way to do this is through a greater commitment of time and effort as they move to higher levels. Through this program, our athletes discover the link between desire, dedication, direction and achievement. We are aware that success has its own disguise. In time each of your children will find the perfect lead role and costume based on the character they have become, virtually by the day-to-day toils and struggles they have encountered along the way. We hope that this handbook will be helpful to you as parents and trust that you and your child will find your experience with us to be rewarding!

Team tuition agreement

1. The tuition discount date is firm. The discount date is on or before 3 PM in the CE office by the 1st of each month. If you are not on auto pay and are out of town, sick, or otherwise unable to get to the gym, you can pay online at www.hartlandcommunityed.com or you can call in with your credit card. If you are not on auto pay and you pay after 3pm on the 1st and before the 5th you will be charged a regular rate. We offer an auto payment plan where CE will charge your payment by the 1st of every month without you having to worry about remembering. 2. Any unpaid balance, which is 5 days overdue, will terminate your childs participation in any competition, gym practice or function. In addition, there will be a $10 late fee. All fees (Booster Club dues, monthly tuition, meet fees) must be up-to-date to qualify you to practice, participate in team activities, and compete. Returned checks are charged at $25 per occurrence. 3. Hartland Gymnastics Academy reserves the right to adjust tuition at any time. 4. The team tuition does not cover costs of meets, coachs fees, equipment maintenance, new equipment, gym supplies, etc. These items must be paid for, but we choose not to have you pay for them with your monthly tuition. Meets and other projects raise monies for these costs, along with parent and gymnast obligations that are spelled out in our booster club by laws and booster club handbook.

5. The gym will be closed for all major holidays. If we do not have class due to weather you will be notified. Even if school has been cancelled for the day, chances are the roads are cleaned up by the time we have gym. 6. If a gymnast is sick, on vacation, or at a school or church function and misses practice there are no makeups, there are no changes in tuition. 7. A gymnast who is recovering from an injury will train around the injury. Those with a sprained ankle can do extra bars, while a gymnast with a wrist injury can do extra beam, trampoline, and floor work. An injury to one part of the body provides the opportunity to increase strength and flexibility in other non-injured parts of the body. Thus, we expect injured athletes to continue to train and come to practice. The coach will set up a training schedule around the injury. This keeps the gymnast in shape, ready to resume training once she is healed. Tuition is still due during recovery time for injuries unless the injury is so severe or of such duration that it is not safe or practical. Those situations are rare, so you should talk to your coaches prior to taking time off. 8. Parents picking up their gymnast late will be assessed a $5 late fee for every 15 minutes after class has ended. Late fees are to be paid to the gymnastics coach waiting with your child. 9. For your tuition amount, see the Hartland Community Education brochure or go online to www.hartlandgymnasticsacademy.com

10. If you have more then one gymnast on a team, you will receive a 10% discount on your tuition for the 2nd child and every one after that. The discount applies to the lowest rate. The children must be on team. 11. The decision to join the Hartland Team is a big one and reflects a commitment to the team for an entire year. Team members do not move on and off the team based on illness, injury, conflicts, or the like. You are either on the team or not. Team tuition would be higher if we determined tuition based on the likelihood that some team members might not be able to attend for various reasons. Computing a high number of gymnast hours in the gym lowers the cost to everyone. That is why there are no discounts for missed workouts. If you choose to leave there are no refunds for meet fees, booster fees, team fees, etc. 12. The tuition is based on 48 weeks per year. There are four weeks of the year which you are not paying for. HGA gives the following holidays and holiday weekends: New Years Day, Labor Day weekend, Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday, and New Years Eve. The gym will be closed on these days and there will be no make-ups for these days because you have not paid for them. 13. This leaves several days a year when the gym will be open and offering team practice, which you have not paid for. We offer this extra practice time at no charge, realizing that most families take a vacation each year.

14. HGA reserved the right to take any unpaid delinquent accounts to court. Any and all court costs regarding the claim (filing fees, mileage, miscellaneous court costs, hourly fees, for employee attending court proceedings) will be the responsibility of the persons named on the account. Your team tuition fee is in the HCEC brochure and on their website www.hartlandcommunityed.com or at www.hartlandgymnasticsacademy.com. You can pay each month by check 3 ways: 1. Drop it in the drop box on the team door 2. Drop it off at HCEC (M-F 8-6) 3. Mail it You can pay by credit card each month 4 ways: 1. Go in to HCEC (M-F 8-6) 2. Call in to HCEC (M-F 8-6) 3. Filling out an automatic payment slip where HCEC will automatically charge your credit card with the monthly tuition. 4. Go online to www.hartlandcommunityed.com

Rules and policies

Respect your physical self. All your efforts should go into building up your abilities. Fuel your body with nutritious food; rest your body with plenty of sleep; protect your body by being safe in the gym; listen to your body when it tells you to stop either because of illness or injury; heal your body when it tells you not to continue; and celebrate your body by making it strong, flexible and powerful enough to do the wonderful things expected of it in this sport.

Respect your nonphysical self. Gymnastics is the most demanding and difficult of all sports. You will suffer setbacks, frustration, fear, and defeat. Expect these things, learn from them, face them, and overcome them. Set high goals and achieve them step by step. Maintain a positive attitude when facing your fears and frustrations because it is your attitude which will help you to defeat them. Floor Music. All music becomes the property of HGA. Gymnasts should keep their own floor music copy in their gymnastics bag as back up. 30 Day Notice of Departure. The Hartland Gymnastics Team is a year-long commitment. We require a 30 day written notice of departure. This gives the coaches and gymnast time to work on trivial problems and time for the athlete to reflect. During this month we encourage your gymnast to still attend practice and train with her team. We have often found that during this period of notice, the gymnast, together with our coaching staff, are able to find a resolution to their concerns. Failure to provide payment in lieu of notice is considered a serious breach of contract with HGA. Respect your teammates. They have their own goals and dreams, but they are also here to help and support you. Cheer for them when they attempt new skills, make skills that are difficult for them, or when they are competing. Accept compliments with a simple thank you. The way in which you act. You show your respect by the way in which you act. They following actions show respect and are expected of a member of the HGA Gymnastics Team:

A. Attend all practices, competitions, and special events. B. Call the gym to alert the coaches if you will be absent for any reason.

C. Arrive on time and stay until practice is over. Get any taping completed before practice begins. D. You are expected to work hard and try your best. This is all that we will ever ask of you and this is always what you should demand of yourself.

E. Arrive at the gym ready to participate with the proper attire, hair pulled back, jewelry off, gum in the trash can, well rested, and ready to go. F. Treat other gymnasts with respect, be kind to those gymnasts younger than you are, and do not think to hold yourself out as better that other gymnasts. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and if you have not found your weakness yet, you will.

G. Ask permission to leave the gym. This applies to leaving practice early, going to the restroom, or calling home. The main reason is so that your coaches always know where you are. H. Always act in a way that shows your respect for yourself and to the gym. We want the gym to be a happy, motivating, and uplifting place to be. There is no place in our gym for rude or belittling comments, displays of anger or disgust, talking back to coaches or other adults, or

crying because you have given in to your frustrations and fears.

I. Be honest. Cheating is the ugliest form of disrespect. It shows disrespect to your coaches, to your parents, and most importantly, to yourself. If you cannot or will not complete an assignment, be honest about it. J. Tell your coach when your body is telling you to stop or slow down. This shows respect for yourself and for the coach. If you are sick, on medication, or are injured, we need to know and you need to listen to your body. Pain is the bodys way to tell you to stop. In addition, alert your coach if you have engaged in any strenuous activity prior to the start of practice.

K. Provide your body with food and drink that will help you do your best. L. Show respect for your safety and for the safety of your coaches by staying off the equipment without the specific permission and supervision of a coach. This rule applies specifically to the trampolines and pits.

M.Show respect for your safety and for the safety of your coaches by maintaining a body composition that is appropriate for the sport of gymnastics. While obsessing about our physical appearance can be a very real problem, an unfit gymnast can be a danger to themselves and to those who have to spot them. The way you look is a very personal matter and we will not comment on it

unless it interferes with your ability to perform gymnastics to the best of your ability. N. Always wait inside for a ride. Gymnasts are not to wait outside for pick-up following practice.

O. Concentrate on what you are trying to accomplish during practice. We will not permit you to make or receive phone calls during practice unless it is a family emergency or upon approval of a coach. P. It is inappropriate to approach a judge, meet official, or meet director before, during or after any meet to question, comment on, complain about, or discuss a score or the judging of the meet. You may, however, thank the meet director or other host parents for inviting us or for running such a nice event.

Q. Parents are to always be a positive force in the gym and in the life of their child. In the event that a parent is instigating negativity in or around the gym could result in the inability to participate at Hartland Gymnastics. Understand that coaches are easy to set up a meeting with if need be.

Team Locker Room Rules

1. You may choose a locker to use, but it must have a lock on it.

2. Do not give your combination to anyone else but your coaches and parents.

3. You may decorate your locker with removable items only. Nothing permanent shall be placed in or on the outside of the locker. If you move lockers please clean it out and remove any decorations. 4. Take home any leftover snacks/food that may be in your locker after practice.

5. Wash items in your locker frequently such as wrist bands, leotards etc to keep the locker room from smelling like a locker room 6. Treat everyone elses locker like you want yours to be treatedif you are ever caught destroying, placing graffiti on, or placing negative things in or on another teammates locker, you will no longer be allowed to use the locker room.

7. Pick up after yourself. 8. Be polite to others/guests who may be using the locker room while you are in thereit is not just the property of Hartland Gymnastics.

9. The locker room office is off limits to all gymnasts, unless you have permission. 10. Please turn off all cell phones while you are in practice.

Corrective Steps to discipline

With all this talk about respect we feel it is important to let you know what action steps we will take in the event of disrespect. If a gymnast disrespects her coach, a teammate, the gym, or locker room HGA coaches will follow this protocol: 1. First step: The gymnast will be warned that the behavior is unacceptable. 2. Second step: The gymnast will sit out the rest of practice and a meeting will be scheduled with her parents.

3. Third step: The gymnast will be dismissed from practice for a week. 4. Fourth step: The gymnast will be asked to remove herself from the HGA Team.

Miscellaneous information
1. Workout attire: Gymnasts are required to train dressed in a manner which reflects positively on our program. A. Leotards shall be worn. No shorts or T-Shirts. B. No jewelry is permitted because it causes safety problems for both the gymnast and her coach. C. Body art has no place in competition or in training. D. No food, drink besides water, or gum in the gym.

2. Attendance: We accept team members through a tryout process. There are always more athletes who want to be on team than we have room for. Therefore, if you do not come to practice you are taking the place of someone else who would like to be a part of our team. For this reason HGA expects every gymnast to try to come to every practice. This is particularly true at the highest levels. Gymnasts are expected to arrive 5-10 minutes early so that they will be ready to go the minute practice starts. We also expect each gymnast to attend all the meets and recommended clinics. 3. Emergency Procedure: In the unlikely event of a medical emergency involving your daughter, the following procedure will be followed: A. Emergency first aid will be administered, including requesting of emergency medical technicians and an ambulance if needed. B. You will be contacted using the emergency contact information you provide on the medical card. Your instructions will be followed from that point on.

C. In the event we are unable to make contact with a parent, we will make arrangements to contact the medical staff and hospital you indicated as a preference on the medical card. D. If your preference of a physician and hospital is not available, we will contact the nearest hospital and follow their instructions.

4.

In the event of inclement weather, you will have practice unless you are contacted by phone with information regarding your practice. You can also check on our website at Hartlandgymnasticsacademy.com. We do not follow local school systems decisions regarding inclement weather. In other words, just because the local schools close it does not mean that we will.

Payment Policy
Hartland Gymnastics Academy Payment Policy starting September, 2011. The payments for each level are listed below.
Discount auto pay price & Pay to CE by 3PM the 1st regular pay after 3PM 1st & by the 5th late pay after the 5th

Level

3 4 5 6/7 8/9/10 Xcel Xcel 3 days TOPS

149 169 189 219 249 149 174 80

159 179 199 229 259 159 184 90

169 189 209 239 269 169 194 100

You may pay CE via Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Debit Card, money order, check or cash. Community Education hours September through June are M-F 8am-6pm. Hours are different over the summer so be sure to plan accordingly. Holiday, sick day, meet, etc will not negate payment obligations. Your payment fee date is automatically generated via computer. You may pay on the CE web site, by phone, and in person by 3PM the 1st of the month to get the discount price. You may pay by the last day of the month in the box on the gym door to get the discount price. Writing a date on your check and putting it in the gym door box on the 1st or afterward triggers the computer automatically to charge the appropriate regular pay fee in your profile and your account will be charged accordingly. Late payment after the 5th will be automatically charged to your account. If tuition is not paid on time, athletes may not participate in practice, meets, extracurricular activities, or any activity connected with Hartland Gymnastics Academy.

TEAM AGREEMENT Both parents and the gymnast(s) should read the Hartland Gymnastics Team Handbook before signing this form. I have read and thoroughly understand completely the Hartland Gymnastics Team Handbook and Booster Club by-laws. I have gone over the Handbook with my child and all of us support the philosophy of the Hartland Gymnastics Team. We hereby agree to follow all the rules and policies presented in the Hartland Gymnastics Team Handbook, including: We will be a positive force in the gym with support for the entire team and our gymnast(s). We will attend all meets and recommended clinics. We will pay monthly tuition, booster club fees, turn in required paperwork, and purchase all required uniform items on time. We will fulfill all booster club obligations. We are committed to the HGA Team for the entire season. We understand there are no refunds for meet fees, booster fees, team fees, etc., if we choose to leave HGA. We will abide by the 30 day written departure notice that HGA requires. HGA reserves the right to take any unpaid/delinquent accounts to court. We understand that Hartland Gymnastics Academy & Hartland Gymnastics Academy Booster Club are separate distinct entities. Any booster club financial commitment fees do not benefit Hartland Gymnastics Academy.

PARENT/Legal Guardian Signature______________________________ Date______________________

PARENT/Legal Guardian Signature______________________________ Date______________________

Gymnast Signature__________________________________________ Date______________________