Confessions of a Gymnastics Coach: The Day My Athlete Called Me Out
I have a confession to make. The other night at team training, I slipped. One of my gymnasts finished an attempt, and as I was trying to watch nine other athletes at the exact same time, I casually threw out a, “Hey, awesome job!” Spoiler alert: It wasn’t awesome. Her form was off, her focus…
Building Real Confidence: Why We Don’t Hide the “Red Pens”
I recently had a fascinating conversation with a parent that really made me think. She was hesitant about enrolling her child because she worried that competitive environments do more harm than good. Her view was that sports should focus entirely on constant praise and protecting a child’s feelings, rather than emphasizing competition or correction. We…
The 5-Step Homework Game Plan
We have officially entered that time of year. You know the one: the days are getting darker, the weather is getting lousier, and the glorious “honeymoon phase” of the new school year is officially over. The novelty of the shiny new locker and the cool teacher has worn off, and kids are staring down the…
The Ultimate Big Sister Energy: A Letter to a Newborn (From a 7-Year-Old)
Every now and then, a story makes the rounds in the coaching community that hits you right in the feels. A coaching friend of mine, Jeri, shared one with me a while ago, and it perfectly captures why we love what we do. Jeri coaches the upper-level competitive athletes at her gym, so while she…
Ready for School? Us too!
This is the time of year when kids are ready to go back to school. They have played all summer long and are ready to get back to the orderly day of school and after school activities. I remember as a child when the end of August rolled up that I was usually anxious to…
How to W.I.N.
We stumbled across a brilliant piece of gymnastics wisdom the other day, and it hit us right in the feels because it perfectly mirrors our philosophy here at Gymfinity. We loved it so much we had to paraphrase it, polish it up, and share it with you. When our gymnasts step up to salute the…