Junior Olympic Team

The Junior Olympic (JO) program at MG is the elite training track designed for goal-oriented, highly motivated and talented gymnasts. Gymnasts in this program train from a minimum of 6 hours to a maximum of 25 hrs a week. Students begin serious training around age 4-6 to prepare their bodies and minds and to create good habits in order to compete well in the future.

Gymnasts on this team will have the opportunity to travel all around the world for competition and training. MG athletes have had the chance to train with Olympians and their coaches both in the gym and out.

Selection for this team is by teacher recommendation or try-out only. Students will be able to "move up" in the levels after fully mastering the skills in their current level. There are multiple requirements based on level in order to participate. Read all sections below for more details.

See our Team Contract here. Students and parents must sign yearly to partake in our team.

Preteam Levels 1 & 2

• Level 1 must be turning 4 by Dec 31st of the competitive year. Level 2 must be turning 5 by Dec 31st of the competitive year
• by teacher recommendation or try-out only
• training 2/3 days a week 2 hrs per day
• Learns 1-2 routines
• 1-2 local competitions optional but strongly encouraged
• all JO rules and policies apply

Level 3

• Must be turning 6 by Dec 31st of the competitive year
• Pre-team prerequisite or by teacher recommendation/try-out only
• Training 3 days a week 3 hrs per day
• Competes 3 routines
• 2-3 invitational competitions yearly mandatory
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

Level 4

• Must be turning 6 by Dec 31st of the competitive year
• Level 3 prerequisite or by teacher recommendation/try-out only
• Training 3 days a week 4 hrs per day
• Competes 3 routines
• 3-4 invitational competitions yearly mandatory plus MA State Cup
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

Level 5

• Must be turning 7 by Dec 31st of the competitive year
• Level 4 prerequisite
• Training 3-4 days a week 4 hrs per day
• Competes 4 routines
• 4-5 invitational competitions yearly mandatory plus MA State Cup, Regional Championships and Open Championships (if eligible)
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

Level 6

• Must be turning 8 by Dec 31st of the competitive year
• Level 5 prerequisite
• Training 4 days a week 4 hrs per day
• competes 4 routines
• 4-5 invitational competitions yearly mandatory plus MA State Cup, Regional Championships and Open Championships
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

Level 7-10

• Must be 9 or older
• by teacher approval only
• training 5 days a week 4 hrs daily
• competes 4 routines
• 6+ invitational competitions yearly mandatory plus MA State Cup, Regional Championships and all qualifying events following
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

Groups

• Comprised of 2 or more gymnasts, with no more than 5 gymnasts competing on the carpet simultaneously and 1-3 alternate gymnasts on a team (Max 8 spots)
• Students perform 2 routines together, consisting of all basic individual skills and techniques in addition to lifts, tricks, and tosses to one another
• JO Individual team level required
• training is 3 days a week for 1+ hrs a day in addition to regular training
• must compete at all available invitationals and qualifying events to follow
• Must follow all JO rules and policies

What do we look for in students considering trying out for our competitive team?

Physically:

• Flexibility- in all joints, in order to sustain the stress of the required skills for competition without risk for injury
• Strength- because this sport requires great flexibility, the muscles must be extremely strong to keep all joints protected and to perform each skill correctly
• Stamina- each gymnast must perform 4 four extremely strenuous routines and make it look effortless
• Correct alignment- good posture= less daily stress on the joints= less prone to injury
• Lean and slender limbs- not only important for aesthetic appeal but also important in injury prevention so as to not add more stress to the joints

Mentally/Emotionally:

(even more important than the physical aspect and often the deciding factor in acceptance)

• maturity- This sport requires an incredible amount of maturity at a young age. This is due to the fact that a gymnast's career is relatively short. Most gymnast's careers end between the ages of 16 and 21. (Imagine doing your full-time job with all its responsibilities and stress but starting at age 5- Yes! That level of maturity!)
• Discipline- Good discipline creates good habits and good habits are the core of this sport. When students are stressed in competition and must make split-second decisions, it is their habits that will save both their performance and their bodies.
• Self-Discipline- Separate from discipline because this sport in practice is 90% proper repetition. Often times gymnasts will be asked to repeat a trick or movement a certain amount of times before they can move on to the next. Having the self-discipline to make sure that each (difficult) repetition is done with the same amount of care and attention as when your coach is standing two feet from you. Gymnasts must demonstrate the mental tenacity to not give in to fatigue to create those good habits.
• Respect- For one's self, for their teammates, for their coaches, for their space and for "the process" (of learning)
• Team mentality- Here at MG we take pride in the fact that our team functions like a family. In and outside of the gym our students love and support one another. Their success is our success. We don't allow anyone or anything to break that bond so important in creating the trust necessary to be able to be confident in this sport. We have a zero-tolerance for bullying policy and any bullying will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the team.
• Stress management- Students must be able to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Each and every competition has its own challenges, often even before an athlete competes. Being late for the warm-up, having forgotten something important at home, having one of your four routines go horribly wrong, etc. (the list really goes on and on). Gymnasts must be able to calmly problem-solve on the spot without having it affect their performance both in practice each day and on the competition carpet.
• Motivation- The only way students can get through this demanding sport is with a goal in mind. Without goals, an athlete has no guiding force to get them through the harder days. Whatever that goal may be, we as coaches want to help them to it!
• Resilience- Fall 99 times get up 100. This sport often feels like more failure than success from an athlete standpoint. They just dropped that same toss 50 times in a row, why should they try again? Because they know that eventually, it will happen! Being able to pick yourself up over and over and over again after a bad practice, a bad week, a bad year and come back stronger than ever is what makes the difference between a child doing exercise and an athlete
• Responsibility- With gymnasts traveling (sometimes without parents even) both nationally and internationally, there is an expectation that students are responsible for themselves even at a young age. It's often a bumpy start with things being forgotten at home and learning about consequences but we truly find that gymnasts become successfully autonomous much faster, and those students tend to be the most successful.

Dress Code for all JO Gymnasts:

• MG provided tank tops or t-shirts*
• Black shorts or tight-fitting leggings*
• Half toe shoes (Jassy, Venturelli, or Sasaki)*
• Team Jacket*
• Knee pads*
• Elastic stretch band*
• Theraband* (can purchase from us)
• Ankle weights* (1lb ea. ages 4-6, 2lbs ea. ages 6-8, 3lbs ea. Ages 8-9, 4-5lbs ea. Ages 9+)
• Elastic loops 
• Black stirrup tights
• Black leg warmers
• All USAG required apparatus (Brands: Sasaki, Chacott, Pastorelli, Venturelli all accepted-talk to your coach about color and size)

• • • • • Rope, Ball-all levels
        • Hoop (yearly as needed)
        • Clubs- level 5 and up
        • Ribbon- level 6 and up

Online registration is not available for JO classes. Your child will be registered for the appropriate class pending try-out and approval.