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February 2024 Newsletter
WOW! We're powering through Term 1 and it's almost the end of February!
There's a lot happening in the gym, so lets get you up to speed...
Gymnastics Victoria Awards:
We are proud to announce that Balance Gymnastics was named as a finalist in multiple divisions at the recent Gymnastics Victoria Awards Night!
Finalist positions included:
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Medium Club of the Year
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Recreational Coaching Team of the Year (all coaches)
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Competitive Coaching Team of the Year (MAG and WAG Coaches & the WAG HP Team)
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Outstanding Contribution to Gymstar (Madi Moore)
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Outstanding Contribution to Women's Artistic Gymnastics (Maddi Campbell)
Congratulations to all of the Balance community. Being named finalists across a broad range of categories is a testament to the passion for gymnastics at Balance!
Tahli Danelutti - Australian Team Update:
During the January edition of our newsletter, we caught up with Tahli Danelutti who had just competed in her first international event representing Australia! Since then, Tahli went on to compete at the Brestyan's Las Vegas Invitational on the second stop of the Australia team tour.
Tahli competed exceptionally and represented Australia with pride; even walking away with a couple of apparatus placings and a bronze medal as part of the Australian team!
Outside of competition, the gymnasts were treated to a range of classic American activities and even got to go back stage with the cast of KÀ by Cirque Du Soleil!
This final stop on the Australian tour marked the conclusion of Tahli's international debut and we couldn't be more proud. Make sure you say hello to Tahli when you see her back in the Balance gym!
Upcoming Important Dates:
February:
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15th February - March Tuition charges placed onto family accounts
March:
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1st March - March Tuition processed
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11th March - Public Holiday (No Monday Classes)
Balance USA Tour:
The much anticipated Balance USA Tour departed in late January for the US west coast. Comprising members of the Balance WAG High Performance Program and chaperoned by former Level 10 athlete Karla Danelutti, the team arrived in Las Vegas and met up with Tahli and Sally during their Australian team assignment!
The team acclimatised to their new environment over a period of three days, training at Salcianu Elite and Browns Gymnastics in Las Vegas. The adjustment to the different time zone and American equipment initially proved a challenge, however come competition day, the gymnasts were ready to go and show the US what the girls from down under could do!
Having successfully competed at the Brestyan's Invitational and placing across multiple apparatus and divisions, it was time for some sightseeing down the Las Vegas Strip. Highlights included the Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas Sphere, team dinner and some much needed retail therapy!
After their time in the desert, it was back on a plane to live it up in the city of angels: Los Angeles!
The team, now joined by Tahli and Sally who had finished their Australian team assignment, saw the sights of LA by strolling down Santa Monica Pier and visiting the UCLA campus at Westwood. Whilst on campus, the team was lucky enough to witness a live US College Gymnastics meet; attending the UCLA vs Arizona Pride competition, as well as meeting the team and visiting their state of the art training facility.
Next up it was time for the most important part of the trip: DISNEYLAND!
The team braved record breaking rain fall to explore the park from top to bottom, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Disney empire.
After a moment of relaxation, it was time to head to Oklahoma and attend the next competition stop of the tour. The team attended training at Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, where they were lucky enough to meet the gym's namesake Bart Conner OLY and his better known wife; Nadia Comaneci. The couple graciously posed for photos with our team and answered questions about their careers - certainly an inspirational moment having an audience with the perfect queen of gymnastics herself!
After the meet and greet, the team took to the floor at the Nadia Comaneci Invitational, where both of our teams placed in a very competitive field. Additionally, a number of individual placings were attained by members of the Balance squad, rounding out a successful international tour for the Balance gymnasts.
Before departing for Australia, the team made their way to an NBA game; working their way from the back row down to prime position in the middle of the court - those Australian t-shirts work wonders!
As you can see, the 2024 USA Tour was certainly the trip of a lifetime for our team.
The athletes, coaches and their families would like to thank and express their sincerest gratitude to all of the members who assisted their fundraising efforts throughout 2023 and 2024.
Well done team!
Balance Squad Competition Season Begins:
Our Senior MAG and WAG Balance Squads began their competition season over the weekend at the 2024 BTYC Invitational.
Competing alongside each other in the MAG and WAG Extravaganza, our Level 9 D2 WAG gymnasts and High Performance MAG athletes kicked off the weekend with outstanding routines across the apparatus. The chance for these athletes to compete side by side enhanced the event atmosphere and provided incredible insight to the differences between the two gymsports.
On Sunday our MAG L5-7 gymnasts took to the floor, showing off their routines for the first time this year and walking away with a number of placings.
Well done gymnasts and coaches - on to Trial events in the coming weeks!
Tuition and Policies - FAQs:
We've had a few questions about tuition and our policies over the last month, so have put together a FAQ section to assist all of our members who might share these questions!
Why is my tuition sometimes more and sometimes less?
Balance runs a monthly tuition system. This means that although a standard month has four weeks, sometimes there might be an extra class due to the number of days in the month. If your monthly direct debit amount looks different to what you were expecting, double check the number of times your specific gymnastics day occurs in that month; often times theres an extra class!
Is Balance closed over the school holidays?
Balance runs classes throughout the year and closes for holiday weeks scheduled by the club. This means that gymnastics does run for part of each school holiday period, although we do close at strategic times like Easter. Check out the Important Dates section of our website for all information about scheduled holiday weeks in 2024.
We are away during the school holidays. What do we do?
No worries! Jump onto our Customer Portal and log your absence from class to receive a make up token for use when you're back. The token will expire 30 days from the date of issue and can be used after the scheduled class.
I have logged an absence via the Customer Portal, but can't see my make up token. Am I doing something wrong?
Absolutely not, as long as your absence is notified more that one hour before the class start time. Make up tokens only appear on your account after the scheduled class as concluded. This means that if you log an absence for a Tuesday class on the Monday, you won't be able to book a make up until after the Tuesday class has run. The token will expire 30 days from the date of issue, so there's plenty of time to get your make up sorted!
How do I read the transactions on the portal and understand what each charge is for?
The line item charge on your account will always show what the charge is for, however it can be a bit tricky to read. Normal monthly tuition charges are named as a number and then the name of the month.
For example:
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"02 February" is for February tuition - the second month of the year
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"03 March" is for March tuition - the third month of the year
Most questions can also be answered by reading our Tuition and Payment Policy, which is available on our website here
Uniform:
A reminder that all participants in our classes need to wear comfortable clothing that allows them to move freely. Although we don't have a set uniform, suggested gymnastics attire includes:
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T-Shirt/Singlet
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Shorts/Leggings
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Leotard
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Shoulder length (or longer) hair tied back
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Water bottle
Please make sure you don't wear any clothing with zips or buttons as this damages our equipment!
Did you know that you can purchase a Balance leotard?
Balance has a range of club and training leotards available to purchase via the Customer Portal for all members.
All leotards can be tried on at the office - just see a Venue Leader for assistance.
Socials:
Make sure you follow us on social media to keep up to date with everything happening at Balance: