Athlone Gymnastics Club

We had a fantastic weekend of gymnastics at the National Indoor Arena with gymnasts competing across many levels. The weekend really showcased how the sport has grown in Ireland over the past few years with over 2,000 competitors taking part across all gymnastics disciplines. It is incredibly entertaining to watch the skill and performances from all the gymnasts and to see that Athlone is well represented on the National stage.

Huge Congratulations to all our gymnasts who competed, putting in amazing performances, we are so proud of them and what they have achieved with our Club.

Massive well done to our medal winners :-

Alannah – Gold in her very first National Series Competition

Laoise – Silver on Vault

Mya – Bronze on Floor

Sport is not just about the medals, the hard work and commitment that goes into training and the friendships made along the way are a huge part of it.

Many of the age groups had huge numbers competing and some of our gymnasts narrowly missed out on a podium place by the finest of margins – Aoibhinn was extremely unlucky not to place on Vault with an excellent score, Laoise was also very unfortunate not to medal on Floor or in the All around competition, she came really close with super scores for her routines. Kate performed her Yurchenko Vault for the first time at a Competition and the first time for an Athlone gymnast to perform it, requiring nerves of steel to execute it!

Well done to all the gymnasts – Aden, Alannah, Aoibhinn, Isla, Kate, Laoise, Mya and Sarah, we are so proud of you.

Wishing our gymnasts the very best of luck in the upcoming National Series competition over the weekend – Laoise, Kate, Aden, Alannah, Sarah, Isla, Mya and Aoibhinn.

Competitions are special times when some lovely memories are made, regardless of the outcome. The girls have been working on their routines all throughout the Summer and we know they will do their very best when the day comes around. You’ve got this girls!

Thanks to the superb coaching team for their time and commitment in preparing the gymnasts and attending the competition with them, without them, none of this would be possible.

Safe travelling to all on their journey to and from the competition and have a wonderful time supporting the girls!

Our Christmas Fundraising Raffle is now well underway and the draw will take place on December 15th.

Over the next 2 months we will be selling tickets at various locations so come and get your ticket to be in with a chance of winning some amazing prizes!

If you can’t get to us, don’t worry, you can just scan the QR code or use the link below and complete your details, including payment, it couldn’t be easier!

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/christmas-raffle-2024

Please support our Fundraiser, great prizes to be won, all funds go back into the Club. Best of luck!

We are closed for all classes from Monday, 28th October to Sunday, 3rd November (inclusive). Normal classes resume from 4th November.

Wishing everyone a lovely Halloween and whatever way to choose to celebrate, have lots of fun and be safe.

We’re included in the current round of the Tesco Ireland Community Fund in Tesco, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone and Tesco Express, Baylough. If you’re shopping in these stores over the next few weeks, we’d really appreciate if you could vote for us using your blue token. Thank you!

New Gymnastics Year!

Term 1 starts on Saturday, 31st August and we look forward to seeing our returning members and welcoming new members over the coming week or so. Many of our new members joined us over the Summer for Camps so are somewhat familiar with the gym, although classes are quite different to Camps. Before the term begins, we would ask parents to please read the information below which will assist with the smooth running of the Club.

Please take a few moments to familiarise yourself with how we operate :-

• Only children who have been registered should attend for class as per the time slot on their form.
• If you have not registered your child or have not received confirmation of registration, please do not attend as we cannot accept anyone who is not registered on our system. You should check your email or check with us in advance if unsure.
• Children should be dropped at the main door not more than 5 minutes before their class time, where one of our staff will check them in. Parents are not required to wait or sign anything as all the information has already been provided to us on registration.
• Try to have your child on time so they’re not missing the warm up and important stretches.
• As our classes run back to back, children will be asked to wait in the foyer area of the gym, under our supervision. As our space is limited and we utilise it for gymnastics and equipment, we do not have a viewing area available.
• As we are very conscious of Child Protection regulations, only registered gymnasts and our staff are permitted in the gym during sessions.
• All our coaches are qualified under our NGB Gymnastics Ireland and all are fully compliant with Safeguarding requirements.
• Children should bring a bottle of water with their name on it and ensure they bring it home afterwards as any bottles left behind will be put in the bin. Also please make sure they take home hoodies, jackets, etc.
• As children will be asked to remove socks and shoes on arrival, crocs, sliders, etc., are the quickest and easiest option for children (please no laces!)
• Long hair should be tied back prior to arrival.
• No jewellery to be worn in the gym as this can get broken or lost during activities.
• Strictly no mobile phones or devices while in the gym, if a child needs a phone for after class, it must be powered off and left with their shoes for the duration of the class.
• Clothing suitable for sport to be worn – leotards are not necessary for recreational gymnastics but shorts, t-shirt, leggings, are all fine – please no skirts, dresses, tights, jeans, crop tops, etc.
• We also have a strict ‘No Nut Policy’ as we have some members with nut allergies.
• All children warm up and stretch together and are then split into small groups with a coach, this is a great opportunity to get to know other children in the group and make some new friends.
• Children are only permitted to use equipment under the direction of their coach. We know the equipment is very tempting to try out but using it without the proper instruction can lead to accidents!
• We ask gymnasts to always be nice to each other and to the coaches and we would ask parents to encourage this also as it fosters a nicer environment for everybody.
• We cannot accommodate any requests to join a different class for a week your child may be unable to attend. Once the registrations are complete for the term, we cannot move a child to a different day/time during the term as all other classes are also full.
• Please ensure children are collected on time as some children get very distressed when parents/grandparents are late collecting them. Please come to the door to collect your child so that they are not running out into a very busy car park.
• We would ask parents to please not interrupt classes and if a child has to leave early, please let us know beforehand so we can arrange it.
• If your child is going to be absent through injury, it will be necessary to get a clearance letter from the consultant before returning to gymnastics.
• For registration for the next term, a link will be sent out late October/early November with a deadline by which it has to be paid to secure the place and continue gymnastics.
• For any queries our email is administrator@athlonegymnasticsclub.ie and our phone number 083 8333171, please do not send emails to any other address. Please also note that our coaches are not involved in the club administration.

We realise that, after all the spaces and new classes we added, some children still did not manage to get a space such was the demand once they went live. We would love to be able to accommodate everybody who would like to join us but ultimately it comes down to the numbers we can safely take at any one time and the availability of coaches. We will continue to do our best to make more spaces available throughout the year so please bear with us.

We are very close to full capacity in our current classes now and with our new term starting on Saturday, 31st August, this is the final opportunity to secure a place for your child. We will not be opening up any further spaces before the term starts or during the term and we have no plans to add additional classes next term.

The spaces we have left for girls are as follows :-

Saturday 12.15-1.15pm for girls born 2012 to 2015 – 2 spaces

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-girls-sat-1215

Saturday 4.15-5.15pm for girls born 2011 to 2015 – 3 spaces ** FULL **

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-girls-sat-415-

Saturday 5.15-6.15pm for girls born 2016 to 2017 – 2 spaces **FULL**

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-girls-sat-515-

Sunday 10-11.00am for girls born in 2013 – 2 spaces

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-girls-sun-1000

The spaces we have for boys are :-

Saturday 5.15-6.15pm for boys born 2014 to 2017 – 1 space **FULL **

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-boys-sat-515-615—–s

Sunday 9.00-10.30am for boys born 2010 to 2013 – 2 spaces

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-boys-sun-900-1030am—

New Classes Added

Due to the huge demand for spaces in the Club, we are delighted to be able to open up some additional classes for girls in our new 12 week Autumn term, starting on 1st September. Please ensure your read all the information before proceeding with registration.

• Spaces are for new members only, this is not additional classes for existing members as we want to give others an opportunity of joining the Club.
• All spaces are on a first come basis only.
• Classes are only for the ages as listed for each link, please ensure you enter the correct date of birth when registering as otherwise the registration may be invalid.
• Please note, we are not accepting children born in 2018 or later.
• No previous gymnastics experience is necessary to join a class as children all start from the basics with us, even if they are self-taught or have transferred over from another discipline (e.g. rhythmic, acro, etc.), other disciplines are very different to artistic gymnastics.
• All classes are drop and go, we do not have a waiting or viewing area available for parents.
• Once a child is booked into a class, they cannot move to another class after registration or during the term.
• Children cannot attend classes on different days if they are absent and unable to attend at their regular class time.
• When the class is full, the link will automatically disable and unfortunately, we cannot add more spaces to that class as we have to work within our coach:child ratios.
• If you do not receive confirmation to your email address from both Jotforms and PayPal, (this should be generated automatically on receipt of payment if email is entered correctly) please check with us if the payment has gone through, if it hasn’t, the place has not been secured.
• We do not currently have spaces available on any other days, except what is listed below.
• We are not keeping a waiting list so please don’t ask us to add your child’s name if you are unsuccessful in securing a place.

Class times and ages available are as follows :-

Sunday, 12.30-1.30pm – Girls born in 2016 and 2017 *** FULL ***

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-sun-1230-130-p

Sunday, 1.30-2.30pm – Girls born in 2016 and 2017 *** FULL ***

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathone/term-1—new-members-sun-130-230

Sunday, 2.30-3.30pm – Girls born in 2015 and 2016 ***FULL ***

https://form.jotform.com/Gymnasticsathlone/term-1—new-members-sun-230-330-pm

Our final Summer Camp came to an end today with a super bunch of boys and girls, some of whom had never been in the gym before but it felt like they had been with us for years!  They were an amazing group who gave their best to every aspect of the Camp, many getting new skills in a very short space of time.

We have had an incredible Summer of Camps since 8^th July with some morning and afternoon camps most weeks over the Summer.  We met many new faces over the weeks, some wonderful characters, some came in with a smile and left with an even bigger smile, which is very rewarding for everyone.  We have some campers who return again and again, always with the same level of enthusiasm and ready for whatever is in store for them.

Huge credit to our coaching team – Saoirse, Áine, Aoibhinn, Cliodhna and Rachel, they have been the most amazing coaches we could wish for.  They brought energy to each and every camp as if it was their first one, they helped and encouraged everyone, especially those who needed a little extra and without them, none of this would have been possible.  Go raibh míle maith agaibh!

A special word of thanks also to the helpers throughout the summer – Aaron, Ava, Emma, Kate, Lile, Orla, Rachel and Riain, for some, it was their first time to help at Camps and took to it straight away. Well done!

Finally, this week, after months of planning, upskilling, etc., we took a step forward and ran 2 GymABLE Camps just for children with disabilities.   We are so grateful to Gymnastics Ireland and Roscommon Sports Partnership for their help and guidance on this road.  It is something we have talked about for a long time, now we can finally say, we made the breakthrough.  We felt it was so important for these children to have something that was just for them and with other children having multiple camps to choose from throughout the Summer, we believed that everyone deserved that opportunity.  Thank you so much to all the parents who trusted us with their most precious treasures and brought their children to the Camps, their appreciation for what we were doing was incredible.  We really hope that this is something we can develop further over the course of time.  Once again, thanks to the amazing coaching team and helpers who were once again up for the challenge, we really appreciate it!

We will have some photos from this weeks camp over on our Facebook page (don’t forget to give our page a ‘Like’ to keep up to date with what’s happening).

For now, the Coaches are taking a well deserved break from their duties, the office will remain open next week and the new term will start on Saturday, 31st August when we welcome everybody back and welcome new members onboard!

** We have an ongoing need for additional coaches to join our team to help meet the demand for spaces in the Club**

Level 1 and Level 2 Coach Positions available

We are an Artistic Gymnastics Club, affiliated with Gymnastics Ireland and are based in the Midlands, just off the M6 in a very central location and an easy commute to Dublin, Galway, etc.  We currently run recreational programs for both boys and girls and a competitive program for girls, which we hope to expand over the coming years.

Successful applicants must –

• Have a recognised gymnastics GymSTART Level 1 or discipline specific qualification (minimum).
• Have 2+ years experience coaching artistic gymnastics.
• Be able to provide proof of qualification and experience.
• Be reliable, responsible and committed to their role.
• Display enthusiasm, energy, patience and calmness throughout the sessions whilst working with children of all abilities and helping them to reach their potential.
• Be a good role model.
• Be able to plan and deliver fun and engaging sessions.
• Hours are negotiable but ideally we are looking for coaches midweek days/evenings.
• It will be necessary to complete Safeguarding and Garda Vetting before taking up a role, which we will assist with.
• Be eligible to work in Ireland without applying for a work permit/visa as we are not in a position to sponsor one at this time.
• Immediate start.

Attractive salary with lots of opportunties to further expand your coaching/judging qualifications for the right candidate.

Interested parties should send their CV with covering letter, in confidence, to the Club Manager at administrator@athlonegymnasticsclub.ie