TeamGym News! The TeamGym Newsletter N° 16 - October 2023

Welcome to the 16th edition of the TeamGym Newsletter!

An intense summer period with numerous TeamGym competitions and training camps has passed.

The World Gymnaestrada took place in Amsterdam (NED) in early August, and many TeamGym gymnasts were there to take part. Visiting Gymnaestrada was an excellent opportunity to meet and network with TeamGym coaches and gymnasts, not only from Europe but also from other continents.

From 30 August to 3 September, we organised a TeamGym foundation level coaches’ course in Nedelišće (CRO). This was the first European Gymnastics TeamGym course being held in Croatia. The course was fully booked with participants from Croatia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic and Slovenia.

On 6 and 7 October, the TeamGym Technical Committee (TC) convened in Saint Julian's (MLT) for this year's third face-to-face meeting. The main topics on the agenda was the further development and spread of the discipline and preparations for next year's major events. On Saturday, the TC held a workshop to introduce TeamGym in Malta. Participating coaches and gymnasts were all very dedicated and inquisitive. Good luck to Malta Gymnastics Federation in starting up TeamGym!

From mid-October to the end of November, the TC will conduct a health survey amongst high performance TeamGym gymnasts. The survey hopes to inform future research and practice that might help to minimize the occurrence of injuries in TeamGym. To this end, this survey is aimed at TeamGym gymnasts (at least 13 years of age) who are competing at national and international level within European member federations. Information about the survey will be sent to all National Federations.

November will be a busy TeamGym competition month with both the Nordic TeamGym Championships from 10 to 12 November, and the inaugural Mid-European Championships from 16 to 19 November. Both competitions feature club teams from across Europe and gather in total 56 teams from all 17 federations taking part in the 2022 European Championships in Luxembourg. These competitions will provide international competition experience for club teams and at the same time serve as a springboard for next year’s European Championships in Baku (AZE).

Information about these events is available through the local hosts in Iceland and Italy:

Nordic TeamGym Championships, Reykjavík (ISL)

Mid-European Championships, Lignano Sabbiadoro (ITA)

Social media is a great way to stay updated if you can't attend the events.

The upcoming year is an exciting one as teams prepare for the first ever Open TeamGym European Championships from 16 to 19 October 2024, in Baku (AZE).

The Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation who participated for the first time in the 2018 TeamGym European Championships are now welcoming the whole TeamGym community, with gymnasts, coaches, judges, and supporters to the spectacular city of Baku and the magnificent National Gymnastics Arena.

Gymnasts will be training hard to get ready for the Championships. Coaches need to ensure that their teams are in top physical and mental shape. Awaiting the start of the competition, fans will eagerly cheer on their favourite teams.

For federations who have not yet started TeamGym, there will be a special VIP event, so they can see first-hand the enthusiasm shown for this gymnastics discipline by the competitors and spectators alike. Further information will follow as we get closer to the event.

With one year to go, preparations for the event are underway. To facilitate early planning for travel, the competition directives will be published earlier than usual. The 2022 TeamGym European Championships in Luxembourg were attended by 17 countries and 51 teams. The chances of that record being broken next year are high.

Keep up to date by following us on social media. The journey to the Open TeamGym European Championships is sure to be an exciting one!

Watch out for the invitation to the International TeamGym conference.  

You are all invited to the International TeamGym Conference, scheduled for 5 to 7 January 2024, in Malmö (SWE). This conference will include both practical and theoretical sessions across two pathways for delegates, i.e.

- Performance Pathway (targeting high performance level coaches and judges)

- Strategic Pathway (targeting administrators and governing bodies)

The conference is an excellent opportunity to increase your knowledge about the latest in TeamGym and at the same time influence the future direction of the sport. Practical and theoretical sessions will run in parallel on topics such as the technical development of triple saltos, transitions on the tumble track, dynamic execution on floor, case studies of national team programmes and injury prevention. There will also be sessions on the next TeamGym Code of Points, to be published early 2025. Further information will be found in the invitation. The registration deadline is 30 November.

Starting up a new discipline normally requires a lot of planning and preparation, as well as acquiring new knowledge. The key to a successful implementation is having a clear goal and a proper plan.

Setting up a TeamGym workshop is a great way to learn the basic rules, strategies, and techniques of the sport. Workshops also provide an opportunity for participants to interact with experienced tutors allowing them to gain invaluable insights into the sport.

The TC are frequently offering start-up workshops in different countries. Just recently a workshop was held for Malta Gymnastics Federation. Almost 30 skilled club coaches took part in the workshop. Focus was on presenting the sport, how to build up a TeamGym floor routine and provide the basics in trampet. There have also been previous TeamGym workshops held in Slovenia, Slovakia, and Luxembourg.

To help national federations get started, the TC is looking forward to offering support. As part of this effort, rules for competitions at regional and national levels will be proposed, as well as education in the three TeamGym apparatuses will be made available. If you have any questions, our TeamGym TC members are available to assist you. Contact us by sending a message.  

Are you already now interested in knowing more about TeamGym and how to Introduce the sport, you can download our presentation Introducing TeamGym to Clubs and Federations.

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A lot is going on in TeamGym.

Looking forward to seeing you at one of the major competitions in November or at the International TeamGym Conference in January 2024.

 

With my warmest regards,

Per Sjöstrand

President TeamGym TC

 

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