"A Letter and Guildlines to Team Parents & Athletes"

To be on the Colorado Springers Team should be regarded as a privilege. Students chosen to be on team are not only the "talented" ones, but also those who are willing to work hard, learn eagerly, and be a team player. A team member must be able to follow instructions and work independently. A member must take constructive criticism without taking it personally.

Coaching goals are not only to build a winning team but also to build self-esteem, self-discipline, respect and character in each student. The students that work for these qualities will be the real winners in life. Any team, which has succeeded in this area, has already won. In order for these goals to be accomplished, there must be a Triune between the Student, Coach and Parents. This will be explained later.

Philosophies for coaching vary as much as the students do. Some coaches are strong in motivating, others in technique. No one coach has it all! Help your child to understand strengths and weakness without hurting athlete-coach relationship. The fact that your child has been asked to be on team shows our interest in their success.

This may be the first team for one student, while others may have been at other gyms with different styles and philosophy of coaching. What is important, is that we are all on this team now and we need to support each other, in every way possible for the benefit of the team.

ArtSports has several national team members. We have won more than 11 national titles. Germany, Australia & South Africa are some of the places our athletes have gone to compete. We have developed & trained our own state judges. ArtSports has an average of over 40 athletes qualifying to the National Championships the last several years. We average over 30 top ten finishers each year. Since 1995 when our program started, we have been improving. We plan to continue improving!

Our training philosophy can be said in three words, Motivation, Progressions & Follow Through. Spotting is not to be used as a short cut, but as assistance for safety, a manipulation for patterning and motivation to avoid stagnation. Over-spotting creates dependence and is detrimental to confidence.

A team member's move up to the next competition level is always decided by at least two team coaches.

The triune is a relationship and responsibility between athlete, parents and coach. If any part of the triune is broken, the athletes chance for success is minimal. The Triune, or the success triangle as spelled out in the team contract, must be understood and followed as closely as possible. All team parents and athletes must read and sign this agreement, along with the head coach. s signature.

During Practices:

Parents must avoid contact with children. Instructive body language or verbal comments to coaches or children can be very disruptive. Often a student will look to Mom or Dad for validation. Please keep the attention towards the coach and allow a bond of trust to grow. If one parent is allowed to coach from the sidelines, then all parents should be able to coach. This would obviously not be practical. For this reason, if a student is not able to focus on his or her coach, the parent will be asked to leave in the interest of that student and the team. If you need to speak with a coach, please avoid conversation during practices. Don. t take time away from the team. The best way to get a coach's attention is through writing. Leave a note at the desk or with the "team file". If another parent comes to you with a concern, please direct them back to the coach.

Team Support:

All team members are required to wear team warm-up jackets to all T&T functions. Especially when traveling or at any competitions, events or functions that include other T&T athletes. Any competitions that ArtSports registers on it's meet schedule are mandatory. If you are on the "little tumblers team", meets outside the state of Colorado are not mandatory but an option. All other team members must participate especially in any meets within our state.

A student going through a frustrating period needs both the support of parents and coaches. Building faith in the coaches occurs more through the parents than one would know. Parents can help by taking the side of the coach when any confusion occurs. If you have a concern, please limit it between you and the coach through written means. Please have as much patience in our coaching as we have in your child. Second guessing the coaching staff will in the long run, slow your child. s progress and hurt the team. Be supportive of all the coaching staff, not just your child's favorite. Teach your child how every one of our coaches has something to offer your child. It should not depend upon how much he or she likes the coach.

Conflicts:

Any extra coaching, privates or technical input other than the team's coaching staff, must go through the head coach. All to often, parents, friends, outside gyms and other staff members are too quick to offer their help. This can be confusing and detrimental to any athlete if they hear some new way of doing a skill. At higher levels, this can be a dangerous issue. Other coaches, parents, etc. who are not on the same page with team coaches that have the latest rule changes, styles and techniques, will cause conflicts within your child's coaching relationship.

The training environment we are providing your child is far more important to his or her future than what color medal is ever won. They are learning how to learn. Trampoline & tumbling may not be as important to them in ten years. However, our athletes are developing those tools for dealing with life. Respect, persistence, patience, humility, empathy, and learning that continued effort will eventually bring success, no matter how tough it seems at the time. Only with tools like these and more can one hope for greatness.