POLICIES & PROCEDURES

SECTIONS BELOW

Introduction

Liability Waivers & Release

Supervision Guidelines

Before and After Instruction, Parents, & Non-Participants

Camps, Classes, Clinics, and Competition Practices

Unaffiliated Coaches, Instructors, & Outside Programs

Birthday Parties

Private Lessons & Prior Stretching

Drop-In Sessions for Individual Athletes & Small Groups

Full Compliance

Introduction

Please read all of the information as it pertains to each individual visiting our facilities.

Supervision Guidelines

Anyone on the premises, on any gym floor (purple carpeted mats, blue carpeted spring floor, purple & blue vault runways, and black carpeted spring floor), on any foam-filled tumbling or gymnastics mats or air-inflated mats, or on any spring-loaded equipment must be Supervised by an Instructor that is listed under the Gym’s Insurance in this capacity: Staffed Employee or a Contracted Instructor who may also carry their own Liability Insurance for Coaching.

Furthermore, anyone on the Gymnastics Equipment and Apparatuses (Balance Beams, Uneven Bars, & Vaults) may only be on that equipment if Supervised by an Instructor that meets the above criteria AND is either a Recreational Gymnastics Instructor or a Competitive Gymnastics Coach certified under USAG guidelines in either an active or passive spotting role (this means that they are in the same area of the building and have given the student an audible consent on that specific day and time that the athlete may be on the above listed equipment while the Instructor is either actively spotting them or passively spotting by allowing them to perform a skill while maintaining visual contact). 

In addition to not using or being on the equipment, this also means that no one other than Staffed Employees or Contracted Instructors may move or adjust any of the Equipment or Mats, with the exception of students or athletes under the instruction and purview of the above individual currently supervising them, but only in relation to what would be within their ability and not something that would generally fall under an instructor’s operation to perform.

For example: an athlete can move or remove mats under the uneven bars, but they can’t change the uneven bar settings.

Before and After Instruction, Parents, & Non-Participants

Anyone not within a current Camp, Class, Practice, or Private Lesson and either working directly with, or being supervised by a Staffed Employee or Contracted Instructor, may be on any Gym Floor or Equipment. This includes athletes who are attending but have arrived before or stayed after their scheduled instruction time. No one may enter the Main Gym Area except when going to the restroom. Please utilize the Camera Feed on the TVs in the Viewing Area.

One Parent is allowed in back During a Private Lesson ONLY. Parents are NOT ALLOWED to adjust equipment or mats, or Spot at any time since they are neither a Staffed Employee or a Contracted Instructor within our Policies.

Camps, Classes, Clinics, and Competition Practices

Students & Athletes may be on the floors and equipment during their classes and/or practices, only under a Staffed Employee or Contracted Instructor’s Supervision. Prior to the start the of class and/or practices that they are currently enrolled in, and following the end of the class and/or practices, they may not be on equipment or floors.

At the end of their Instruction, there may be instances where a parent will be invited to see a new learned skill  or additional mastery of an existing skill. This is by invitation only. Please refrain from entering the back gym for any reason other than restroom use, even after the end of practice. Athletes are required to collect their belongings and promptly leave the gym following their Instruction without performing any additional unsupervised gymnastics.

Unaffiliated Coaches, Instructors, & Outside Programs

USAG or USASF Coaches that are not Staffed Employees or Contracted Instructors are only able to spot at our facility under the direct on-site Supervision of the Gym’s Manager who serves as the Main Coach for both of the Gym’s USAG & USASF programs. This is Scheduled outside of Class Times for School Cheer & Dance Teams, Mock Gymnastics Meets, Mardi Gras Groups, etc. For our Competition Programs, we may occasionally bring in an outside Coach to correct routines. No Instructor is able to give permission to or provide Supervision over another Individual spotting an Athlete.

Birthday Parties

During Scheduled Birthday Parties, a Staffed Employee who is either a Recreational Gymnastics Instructor or Competitive Gymnastics Coach will be on site at the Facility to Supervise the Party’s Participants in a Passive Spotting Role so that the Participants may Utilize the Equipment which does also include the Gymnastics Equipment. Participants must ONLY be performing skills that they already obtain and without spotting assistance and are not allowed to work on new skills. The Staffed Employee can move any equipment, tables, and chairs around to fit the party’s needs or to set up obstacles for the Participants, but the Employee is unable to Actively Spot any of the Participants during the event.

Parents are not allowed to assist or spot during this event either, however, Parents are welcome to walk freely around the main parts of the facility along with their children during this time. We may still have some ongoing Private Lessons as we remain an active facility. The Host Parent will need to fill out a Birthday Party Waiver complete with the names of each Participant, as they will be wholly responsible for all those in attendance.

Private Lessons & Prior Stretching

Athletes must Check-In for every lesson! On a day where there are no Employees up front, the athlete must Check-In with their Instructor in back as soon as they arrive. After Check-In, the athlete may Stretch on one of the floors independently, however, this must be confirmed with either the Instructor who will be teaching that lesson, or if that Instructor is currently occupied or has not arrived on site, permission may be granted from another Employee. In either instance, the stretching must be done where space permits and under the direct purview of an Instructor or Employee.

This must be confirmed prior to every lesson upon Check-In. They may not begin stretching in the front room if no Instructor is in the front room and vice versa. Stretching implies anything the student can do on their own to stretch their muscles but DOES NOT include any gymnastics elements such as (but not limited to) Jumps and Tumbling, nor can they utilize any mats or equipment before their lesson has begun or after it has ended!

The student will be working directly with an instructor and must remain in the same area (the front or back of the gym) that their Instructor is in, and cannot continue to perform any skill on any equipment unless the instructor is with them. If the instructor leaves the room to go to another room to grab equipment, use the restroom, or for any reason then the student must wait until the instructor is back with them before continuing.

Private Lessons can be used to develop Tumbling skills, but can also be used for training on the Gymnastics Equipment and Apparatuses (Balance Beams, Uneven Bars, & Vaults), however, this must be with a Staffed Employee that is also either a Recreational Gymnastics Instructor or a Competition Gymnastics Coach with USAG Certification.

During a Private Lesson, one parent/guardian may follow alongside the instructor in front or back of the gym with their athlete but must remain out of the way and not lounging on any equipment. No additional parents, siblings, relatives or friends are allowed due to space constraints and general liability.

Drop-In Sessions for Individual Athletes &  Small Groups

We have a Drop-In Program where Athletes may utilize the facility if pre-approved by Management, but it has a very strict set of rules and guidelines and these sessions must be approved each time by the Manager AND by the On-Site Supervisor for the scheduled date. These are similar to Private Lessons, but they are booked through the Manager and paid directly to the Gym for the allotted time. During Drop-In Sessions, Athletes practice existing skills without any Active Spotting, but are instead, Passively Spotted by the On-Site Supervisor and must remain in their vicinity. The Supervisor may be performing other roles during this time such as monitoring Classes, Practices, or during a Private Lesson with another Athlete, and if the Supervisor moves to another room, the Drop-In Session must move as well!

Athletes in a Drop-In Session are ONLY allowed to work on the Carpeted Floors, Mats & Tumble Tracks, and ONLY on existing skills related to Cheer, Dance, Jumps, Stunting, Tumbling, or Performance Materials. This was set up for Cheer Tryouts as most of our Instructors stay fully booked but we still wanted to provide a space that athletes could practice their skills. In the past, we were able to allow Gymnasts to make an appointment, pay the Gym Fee, and practice Floor Routines ONLY since Dance & Tumbling elements are able to be placed under our USASF Liability & Policies.

Drop-In Sessions are not allowed on any of the Gymnastics Apparatuses or Equipment (Balance Beams, Uneven Bars, & Vaults) are strictly off-limits due to a combination of USAG Liability & Policies since the only approved On-Site Supervisors during these Drop-In Sessions are not USAG certified.

Full Compliance

We are unable to make any exceptions to our Policies even if situations have been handled differently in the past. This way we stay in compliance and good standings with both of the Governing Bodies we adhere to, USAG & USASF, in order to continue to be able to provide our Programs!