Society News.....

Delta Gymnastics sends athletes to BC Winter Games...

photo by Sandor Gyarmati

Congratulations to all the Delta athletes who qualified to go to BC Winter Games to be held in Terrace in March 4-7, 2010

Alex Farquharson, Mitchell Farquharson, Bradley Gulbranson, Ryan Littlewood, Samantha Lo, Hannah Rusak-Gillrie , Alissa Stirling, Sara Stoll, Danae Wright.

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Danae Wright (left) and Alizza Stirling, are among those attending the upcoming BC Winter Games.

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B.C. Winter Games athletes to return to hall reception
Delta Optimist Wednesday March 3, 2010 read more

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March Articles

These articles are written by our coaches each month....

                             Nutrition                   Recreation

Nutrition

The theme at Delta Gymnastics the past couple of weeks has been “nutrition”. Over the years, the subject of good nutrition in the schools and public centres has been a hot topic. Like all habits, exercise and healthy food choices, have to be practiced regularly in order to be developed. The biggest culprit in poor nutition are foods that contain empty calories. Foods, such as soft drinks, potato chips, cookies and candy, contain very little nutritious value, but have lots of calories. These ‘empty’ calories prevent the consumption of foods with nutritional value. Calories are found in all foods, but foods that also have vitamins and minerals are considered nutritiously dense. These foods are often not processed because the act of processing actually removes certain vitamins and minerals from them. For example, white bread contains less nutrients than whole bread.

A great way to start children on the lifelong path of healthy eating is to have healthy foods readily available for snack choices. Processed, ready made snack foods like granola bars and cookies are easy and convenient, but contain lots of sugar and ‘empty’ calories. Having veggie sticks, fruit, or trail mix available is a great alternative to chips and cookies. Soft drinks and sports drinks also have a lot of sugar and should be limited. Even juices should be considered treats as they contain lots of sugar, both natural and added. In fact, a glass of orange juice can contain as many as up to five oranges. A great way to make your own sports drinks is to add water to your favorite juice; 10% juice and 90% water will give you all the eletrolytes you need while hydrating hard working bodies. Remember when it comes to food, like in life, everything should be in moderation.

Recreation

Gymnastics is an amazing sport. It takes so many years and so many hours to get good at any of the skills. Then you turn on the TV and watch the athlete perform with ease. Over the past year of working here, I have seen kids accomplish a lot of different cool skills; cartwheels, forward roll, sole hangs and walking across the beam on their tip toes. But the boys have some really hard skills to perform on the Parallel Bars, Pommel Horse and Rings. Boy’s Gymnastics has these three apparatus that differ from the girls and they swing on the high bar not the uneven bars. Their bodies must be strong to be in control of the skills they are performing. On the Rings they hold themselves upside down, then lower their toes down, and then pull themselves back over to land in a motorcycle landing. The Pommel Horse starts off as a little black mushroom. The boys need to hold their bodies in the air while they swing there body around it. It is so hard!!! I have heard it said that boys gymnastics is for wimpy boys; not the truth at all. The proof is in the sweat. Over the past year of working here I have seen kids accomplish a lot of different cool skills; cartwheels, forward rolls, sole hangs and walking across the beam on their tip toes.  I'd like to focus on the boys this month; they've got some really hard skills to perform on the Parallel Bars, Pommel Horse and Rings.  These three apparatus differ from the girls, and rather than performing elements on the uneven bars they use the high bar.  The boys need strong bodies to be in control of the skills they are performing.  This is most demonstrated on the Rings, where they have to hold themselves upside down, then lower their toes down, and then pull themselves back over to land in a motorcycle landing. The Pommel Horse is even more difficult, and for the novice athletes starts out as a little black mushroom. The boys need to hold their bodies in the air while they swing there body around it.  It is so hard!!!  So kudos to all the boys in our programs at Delta Gymnastics for their hard work!  Don't forget, gymnastics skills are usually far more difficult than they look - the proof is in the sweat!

- Jeff Vanderkuip

Do you have a question?

Recreation Athletes in a “Handstand Pose�

Feel free to send us your questions & comments by using any of the methods indicated below.

Email: info@deltagymnastics.com

Phone: 604.943.0460

Fax: 604.943.1610

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 am – 5:30 pm