2014-‐2015 Parent Handbook 1
Jersey Optional Gymnastics Association (JOGA) Rules & Policies 2014-‐2015 Mission: JOGA was started to provide girls between the ages of 5-‐21 with a competitive gymnastics program that will allow them the opportunity to excel at school and participate in other activities, all while still being highly competitive in the sport of gymnastics. The JOGA league structure builds positive self-‐image and teamwork. JOGA Board of Directors: There are four elected positions on the JOGA board. These positions are voted on by the JOGA membership, and serve a two-‐year term. Each JOGA member club is allowed one vote. The remaining positions require special skills and are therefore appointed by the elected members of the board. State Director DJ Surgent Secretary Rebecca Onuska Treasurer DJ Surgent Coaches Rep Kim Lisowski *Competition Chair Person Ally McMahon *Rules/Policies/Ethics Wes Marutani *Coach/Athlete Educator Candice Miller *Membership Growth Tim Rizzon *State Judging Assigner Edith Maree *Appointed positions Nomination/elections for the 2015-‐2016 JOGA State Board: December 2014 Contact Rebecca Onuska if interested in running for a board position January 2015 Nominations & Bios March 2015 Ballots May 2015 Election Results posted June 1, 2015 New Board starts 2-‐year term 2
JOGA Annual Meeting for 2014-‐2015: The annual meeting was hosted on June 1, 2014 at Surgent’s Elite School of Gymnastics. This handbook has been updated with changes from the meeting. REGISTRATION: (All forms are available on the JOGA website www.JOGANJ.com) All payments must be in the form of Gym/Booster Club check or money order. Athlete Registration: Gymnasts must be registered JOGA members to compete in JOGA sanctioned competitions. All registered JOGA athletes are covered under the league’s insurance. To register gymnasts, a club must submit a completed Athlete Registration Form, as well as a waiver form and a registration fee for each athlete. The registration fee for levels 1-‐
6 is $35 per athlete; the registration fee for level 7 is $15 per athlete. The Competition Chair Person issues JOGA numbers within 2 weeks of receipt of correctly completed forms. The first two digits of an athlete’s JOGA number identify the member club. The remaining digits correspond to the individual athlete. The athlete keeps the same number until she graduates from the league (assuming she remains at the same club). If an athlete changes clubs within a season, the new JOGA club must notify the Competition Chair Person of the change in the athlete’s home club. A Rush Fee of $10 per gymnast applies for any JOGA number needed in less than 2 weeks of properly completed forms and payment. JOGA Meet Entry Fees: The JOGA meet entry fee for a standard qualifier meet is $45. Team awards are optional and are at the discretion of the meet host. The maximum team entry fee for team awards is $15 per team. Clubs that host at least one standard qualifier per year may also host invitational meets. Member clubs are allowed to host 1 invitational during the level 5/6 season and 1 invitational during the JOGA level 1-‐4 season per year (provided that the club also hosts one standard qualifier per year). The meet entry fee for an invitational JOGA meet is not limited. There may be a special venue or additional activities involved beyond what is customary in a basic or standard competition. For any 3
sanctioned qualifier or invitational competition, it is at the discretion of the meet director whether or not to issue a refund. Standard Gate Entry Fees: Gate entry fees for standard qualifier JOGA meets are at the discretion of the meet host but may not exceed $5 per spectator. State Championship Gate Entry Fees: ● On-‐site JOGA State Championship Fee-‐ Gate Fees cannot exceed $8/session or $12/day. ● Off-‐site JOGA State Championship Fee-‐ Gate Fees cannot exceed $10/session or $15/day. Gymnast Placement for the 2014-‐2015 Season: A gymnast must be placed in the appropriate level based on her 2 highest scores from the previous season. This includes her score from the State Championship. New JOGA athletes should be placed according to their ability. The chart below determines the placement of a gymnast entering JOGA from either USAG or USAIGC. USAG USAIGC JOGA Level 4 or 5 Copper or Bronze JOGA 6 or JOGA 5 Level 6 or 7 Silver JOGA 5 or JOGA 4 Level 8 Gold JOGA 3 or JOGA 2 Level 9 Platinum JOGA 2 or JOGA 1 Level 10 Premier JOGA 1 A gymnast may only compete in one JOGA State Championship per JOGA season. If a coach wishes to move an athlete to a higher level, he or she may do so during the season as long as the gymnast does not compete in two State Championships in the same JOGA season. Once an athlete has registered with the Competition Chair Person in a higher level, the athlete may not move back to a lower level. A JOGA athlete is only forced to advance one level per year even if she has qualified up more 4
than one level. Beginning in the 2014-‐2015 season, a level 2 athlete (age 8-‐11) is not required to move to level 1 until age 12. 2014-‐2015 Age Groups: Clubs hosting regular qualifier meets during the 2014-‐2015 season should determine a gymnast’s age group based on her age on the following dates: • Level 5-‐6 athletes: Monday, February 23, 2015 • Level 1-‐4 athletes: Monday, May 4, 2015. Age groups may be combined or expanded at the discretion of the meet host. At invitational meets, the host club may use birthdate ranges to determine age groups. JOGA 1 JOGA 2 JOGA 3 JOGA 4 JOGA 5 JOGA 6 JOGA 7 8-‐14 8-‐11 8-‐10 8-‐10 7-‐8 7-‐8 5 and up 15+ 12-‐14 11-‐12 11-‐12 9-‐10 9-‐10 15+ 13-‐14 13-‐14 11-‐13 11-‐13 15+ 15+ 14+ 14+ Competing in Other Leagues: All high school age JOGA athletes competing in level 1-‐6 are permitted to compete in any OPTIONAL league and in JOGA in the same season. This includes Excel, USAIGC and YMCA. This does NOT include USAG. No other JOGA level athletes will be permitted to compete in any other leagues without jeopardizing their standing within the JOGA League. JOGA Age Requirements: The minimum age for any gymnast in Levels 1-‐6 to compete in a JOGA sanctioned competition is 7 years old. The gymnast must be at least 7 years old on the date of the meet. If a host club puts an exhibition gymnast under the age of 7 into the competition, or a Level 1-‐6 gymnast is entered into a meet with false credentials, all scores for that team will be void. The minimum age for any gymnast in Level 7 to compete at a JOGA sanctioned competition is 5 years old. The maximum age to compete in the JOGA league is 21 years old. 5
Competition Rules & Guidelines: ● Gymnast report time may not be prior to 8:00am. The last routine must be finished by 10:00pm. ● Each session may last no longer than 5 hours from gymnast report time until the last routine finishes. ● There is a 64-‐gymnast maximum per session (unless capital cup format permits greater numbers without going over the allotted time). ● Coaches must initial the official sign-‐in sheet at each meet. The host club must send this sheet to the Competition Chair Person along with the athlete results within 24 hours of the last session of the competition. ● The meet host must send complete meet results via email to the Competition Chair Person within 24 hours of the meet in Excel format only. If the results are not emailed within 24 hours, a $25 late fee will be applied. ● Beginning the 2014-‐15 season, Level 1 team scores are calculated using the top 2 scores per event. For levels 2-‐6, team scores are calculated using the top 3 scores per event. ● Score inquiries must go through the Meet Director. The Meet Director presents the score inquiries to the highest rated judge for review and possible action. In accordance to National Federation of State High School (NFHS) rules, a coach is allowed one free inquiry. After one free inquiry a .05 deduction from the team score is taken for any inquiry that does not result in a score change. Also, note that an inquiry may result in a score reduction. Score inquiries must be submitted within 5 minutes of the end of that rotation or the inquiry will be void. ● Capital Cup (two full sets of equipment), Modified Capital Cup or JOGA Format I are the only accepted warm-‐up formats in JOGA. ● A JOGA meet must have at least two clubs participating. The sanction fee remains the same regardless of the number of athletes participating. ● Individual Event and All-‐Around awards for each age group are recommended at all JOGA qualifying meets. ● Team awards may also be given at the discretion of the meet host. An additional $15 per team may be charged. ● If your meet has to be cancelled for weather and cannot be rescheduled within one week, all monies must be refunded. Sanction fees will be credited to your 6
membership account. ● Parent conduct at competitions must be in accordance with the following guidelines: 1st offense of misconduct will result in a warning, and the 2nd offense of misconduct will result in being removed from the competition venue. ● Coach conduct at competitions must be in accordance with the following guidelines: 1st offense of misconduct will result in a warning, and the 2nd offense of misconduct will result in a 2-‐point Team Deduction. Competition Injury Procedures: 1. Implement “R.I.C.E.” then call 911 if needed for further assistance. 2. Keep emergency area clear from unnecessary people. 3. Alert local EMS of when you will be hosting competitions. JOGA State Championships Guidelines: QUALIFYING J7 J6 J5 J4 J3 J2 J1 SCORES States All-‐Around Qualifying Score N/A 23.00 26.00 28.50 30.50 32.50 34.50 States Individual Events Qualifying Score N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 8.25 8.75 ● Individual Event and All-‐Around Medals for 1st – 10th place finishers will be presented. Ties will be broken except for 1st place and 10th place. If there is a tie for 1st place on any event or the all-‐around, those athletes will be awarded 1st place and considered the State Champions. The next award given will be 3rd place for a two-‐way tie. (If there is a three-‐way tie the next place given is fourth place, etc.) All other ties will be broken by the highest event score. ● All level 5&6 athletes will receive and All-‐Around medal at State Championships. ● The JOGA State Board will provide the awards and T-‐ shirts ● The Board will use $10 per athlete toward meet expenses incurred by the league. These expenses include approximately $5 for the athlete gift, $3 for awards, $1 for athlete registration fee, and $1 for recording results and 7
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financial reports. For level 1 only, team scores are calculated using the top 2 scores per event. For levels 2-‐6, team scores are calculated using the top 3 scores per event. Team awards for up to ten places will be presented at the completion of each JOGA State Championship Meet. The highest event team score is used to break ties. Any gymnast who, because of extenuating circumstances, competes out of her assigned session at a State Championship meet will not be eligible for individual awards but her scores will count for her team. Any JOGA senior that has been a member for the past 3 years will be allowed to participate in the State Championship without having to qualify. The Board will supply checks to pay the officials at the State Championships. Two judge panels will be used at all JOGA State Championships approved by the Board. The score flasher must sit between the two judges. A meet referee, separate from the judging panels, will be used at the State Championship to manage the judging panels and to handle any inquiries. The meet referee is to be paid the same as the panel judges. The order of competition will be determined by random draw for teams. Individuals within a team may compete in any order chosen by the team’s coach. The order of competition for each event must be provided to the judging panel by the coach before warm-‐ups begin. For level 5/6 States, a separate balance beam must be provided and set at 1100 cm for the 8-‐11 age group. The host team must return any unused medals, gifts and T-‐shirts to a Board member at the end of the competition. The State Championship meet host must submit a financial report to the JOGA President and Treasurer within three weeks of completion of the State Championship Meet. The financial report is provided by the Treasurer. The only acceptable music formats at all competitions will be iPod or other MP3 players. Score inquiries must be submitted within 5 minutes of the conclusion of that event. After that time, inquiries will not be accepted. Once the decision regarding the inquiry has been made, that decision is final and further argument will result in a team deduction. ● Only registered coaches and athletes will be allowed on the competition floor. Excess people on the competition floor will be prevented by handing out coach and athlete credentials. Without credentials, you are not permitted on the competition floor. New for 2014-‐2015 • Level 1-‐4 athletes are no longer required to perform gym/acro or acro/gym on floor and beam. The requirement remains for level 5 & 6. Level 5 & 6 athletes may perform this series as part of their mount or dismount. For level 1-‐4 athletes, this series may not be connected to the mount or dismount. • The minimum vault score for a level 5-‐6 is now a 4.0. • The bonus chart for level 1-‐2 remains the same. A new bar incentive chart has been. The maximum bonus that can be earned from the bonus chart is 0.2 and the maximum bonus from the bar incentive chart is 0.4. J7 J6 J5 J4 J3 J2 J1 BONUS Standard Bonus Chart N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A YES YES Bar Incentive List N/A N/A N/A YES YES YES YES Bonus Skills: Bonus Skills system allows gymnasts to earn bonus for successfully completing higher level skills on each event. The bonus for these skills will be added to the overall score after the judge calculates all other aspects similar to neutral deductions. The bonus for the above skills is rewarded based on the successful completion of the skill regardless of execution. Each bonus skill is worth 0.1. A maximum of 0.2 can be added per routine. Each year this Bonus Skill list will be evaluated for additional skills as well as the removal of skills. Only Level 1 &2’s are eligible for the bonus system. The Bars Incentive: New for the 2014-‐2015 season, the Bars Incentive List provides bonus to encourage progressional bar skills for future advancement. All skills on this list will receive 0.1 bonus. If the skill is performed more than one time (ex. two giants) the skill will only be rewarded one time of 0.1 bonus. The max bonus awarded from the Incentive List is 0.4 and the max amount awarded from the Bonus List is 0.2. To receive 9
bonus from either list, the skill must be successfully completed. The bonus lists will not affect the normal bonus awarded under the NJSIAA C.O.P. 2014-‐2015 JOGA State Championship Meet Entry Information: Surgent’s Elite Gymnastics, Roselle Park, will host the JOGA Level 5-‐6 State Championship at an off-‐site location on February 20-‐22nd, 2015. Arena Gymnastics at Gymland will host the JOGA Level 1-‐4 State Championship on May 1-‐3rd, 2015. Entry fee for the State Championship is $85 per gymnast. Gate entry fees are $10 a session or $15 a day. Competing athletes are free all weekend. No admission is to be charged during the last rotation of the final session at the State Championship Competition. The sanction fee for the State Championships is $200 for the weekend. The qualifying and entry deadline will be 3 weeks (21 days) before the competition. Late entries, with an accompanying late fee of $10 per athlete and $25 per team, will be accepted up to 2 weeks prior to the competition. No entries will be accepted after the 2-‐week cut-‐off. MeetMaker is used to enter athletes at both State Championships. Details can be viewed at www.meetmaker.com . The State Director will then forward all information directly to the host club. To receive a refund for the state entry fee you must submit a doctor’s note on official letterhead or prescription paper to the JOGA Board no later than 48 hours before the beginning of the first session. Non-‐medical issues will not warrant a refund. Judges Guidelines 2014-‐2015: All JOGA competition meet directors must contact our State Judging Coordinator to assign judges for all JOGA competitions. If the judges at a competition are not assigned through the State Judging Coordinator, all scores will be null and void. The judging assigner fee will be paid up front as part of the meet sanction fee. The fee is $3 per a judge. Each judge must attend a JOGA certification clinic. This certification is valid for two years. The State Judging Coordinator will assign judges for the state meet. A judge must have judged an event at least twice during the season to judge at the state meet. Judges are 10
requested to dress professionally. Navy blue/black pants or skirt and a white or gold top are excepted attire. No bare midriffs or flip-‐flops are allowed. Scholarship Program: Two scholarships will be given each year to a graduating senior. Each scholarship is for $500. The candidate must provide the JOGA Board with a 500-‐word essay on a topic that the JOGA Board will decide upon and publish on the JOGA State Website. All essays are due 14 days prior to the State Championship Meet. The JOGA Board will decide upon the winners. The scholarship winners will be presented at the State Championship. 11