We are celebrating our Gymnastics Coaches!
USGCA, USECA and leading industry vendors are initiating the FIRST Annual National Gym Coaches Week to celebrate coaches in all gymnastics disciplines!
History
From early Greeks to the Modern Era
How We Got Started
Gymnastics was introduced in early Greek civilization to facilitate bodily development through a series of exercises that included running, jumping, swimming, throwing, wrestling, and weight lifting. Many basic gymnastic events were practiced in some form before the introduction by the Greeks of gymnazein, literally, “to exercise naked.” Physical fitness was a highly valued attribute in ancient Greece, and both men and women participated in vigorous gymnastic exercises.
Our US Founders
Gymnastics was introduced to the US by Dr. Dudley Allen Sargent, who taught gymnastics in several U.S. universities about the time of the Civil War. Most of the growth of gymnastics in the US centered on the activities of European immigrants, who introduced the sport in their new cities in the 1880s. Clubs were formed as Turnverein and Sokol groups, and gymnasts were often referred to as “turners.”
Our First Coach Practiioner
In 1774, Prussian, Johann Bernhard Basedow included physical exercises at his school in Dessau, Saxony—this action began the modernization of gymnastics, and also thrust the Germanic countries into the forefront in the sport. In the late 1700s, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn of Germany developed the side bar, the horizontal bar, the parallel bars, the balance beam, and jumping events. He, more than anyone else, is considered the “father of modern gymnastics.”
We Celebrate our Coaches
National Gym Coaches Week is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding impact our gymnastics coaches have in ensuring gymnasts are properly trained and developed with care and safety. From September 15-21, 2019 we encourage “thank you’s” from athletes and parents to the coaches who call the gymnastics industry home.
INSTRUCTIONS
How National Gym Coaches Week Works
Step 1
Gym owner or parent orders their $25 box of National Gym Coaches Week supplies from USGCA. Orders starting August 15.
Step 2
During the week of September 15 – 21, 2019, athletes express their “thanks” to their coach(es) using the “Thank you, Coach” post cards.
Step 3
Between September 15-21, 2019, post single picture of each coach with the hashtag #ThanksUSAGymCoach on the gym’s Facebook page.