Monthly Archives: January 2019

Viking Gymnastics & Dance Wants to “Flip the Decision” for UIC Gymnastics — #flipthedecision

On Sunday, February 3, Viking’s USAG Boys and USAG Girls teams will perform at the conclusion of the UIC Women’s College Gymnastics meet.

Although we are excited for our teams to perform on this big stage, we are sad about the recent news: The UIC mens’ and womens’ gymnastics teams have been told that this will be their last competitive season!

Here are some of our gymnasts who want to #flipthedecision:

Why is UIC dropping gymnastics?

On August 31st, 2018, The University of Illinois at Chicago announced the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will eliminate the men’s and women’s gymnastics programs at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season.

These are two top-notch programs. Both have talented, hard-working athletes. UIC Men’s’ team has had 7 Division I All American Athletes and has the highest Division I finish in all UIC Sports. The UIC Women’s team has won 12 Midwest independent conference titles.

Members of Viking’s USAG girls’ team performing at UIC in 2018.

The decision to drop the teams is being done as a move toward the goal of building attendance at basketball games. UIC administrators hope to join a higher profile athletic conference. This would bring bigger name schools to play at the Pavilion — and larger crowds. Larger crowds mean more money.

To be in a bigger profile conference, UIC teams must prove they are the best/top in their current conference — the Horizon League. To improve their chances of being the best in the Horizon League, UIC administrators feel all their resources should be spent on the teams that compete in the Horizon League.

Unfortunately, the gymnastics program does not compete in the Horizon League. Therefore, it no longer seems to fit with the UIC administration and their future plans.

The UIC Gymnastics supporters want to #flipthedecision. We hope that by using respectful public pressure we can remind the Athletic Director and Chancellor of all the reasons this move is not in the best interest of UIC or UIC Athletics.

Why is #flipthedecision important?

Viking gymnastics and UIC mens gymnastics teams

Only 16 colleges currently support men’s gymnastics teams. Losing UIC’s program will bring the number down to 15.

There are only four Division I women’s gymnastics teams in Illinois. There will be none in the Chicago area without the UIC program.

Viking Gymnastics is interested in this issue. Our students work hard in their sport. We believe that college level gymnastics should be an obtainable option for them in a city as large as ours.

Charlie Friedman, Director of Viking Gymnastics & Dance, is the coach of a former UIC scholarship athlete. “I can tell you that having a program like UIC in Chicago is a magical opportunity, and one I want to witness for years to come,” she said. “Even having our grade-school-aged athletes tumbling down on the main floor as guests at a collegiate meet is incredibly inspirational.”

Viking performance details

Viking’s team had a great time performing at UIC last year — and enjoyed meeting all the UIC student athletes!

The meet will begin at 12:00 pm on Sunday, February 3, at the UIC Dorin Forum. The meet is open to the public. The UIC Women’s Team will face off against Eastern Michigan. The Viking teams will perform after the meet is over.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for youth, available at the UIC Women’s Gymnastics Page. The UIC Dorin Forum is located at 725 W. Roosevelt Road (the corner of Roosevelt and Halsted).

How you can help #flipthedecision

There is conversation around this issue on social media, using the #flipthedecision hashtag.

If you cannot attend the event, you can still make a difference. Write or call in support of saving UIC’s men’s and women’s gymnastics teams. The UIC Athletic Director and Chancellor are the best people to contact about this:

UIC Athletic Director: Garrett Klassy; email: gklassy@uic.edu; office number: 312-996-2695
UIC Chancellor: Michael Amiridis; email: chancellor@uic.edu; office number: 312-413-3350

Join us at Viking Instagram and Viking Facebook and #flipthedecision!

Viking Gymnastics Teams Compete in Wisconsin Meet

What happens when Viking’s competitive gymnastics teams – and their families – travel to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for a weekend gymnastics meet?

All kinds of fun!

From Friday through Sunday, January 10-12, 2019, Viking girls’ competitive gymnastics teams attended the Lake Geneva Gymnastics Vacation Classic. The meet hosted teams from Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin in levels 3 and up in both USAG and GIJO.

Home base during the weekend was Timber Ridge Lodge and Waterpark in Lake Geneva, where many of the families stayed.

Team dinner

The weekend officially began on Friday evening with a Viking team dinner in the hotel. One hundred forty places were set for the meal, and gymnasts and their families enjoyed salad, pizza, and cookies while chatting with teammates and making new friends.

Viking gymnastics coaches and their families attended the dinner, too. Coach Charlie Friedman, owner of Viking Gymnastics & Dance, and her husband, Coach Mendel Moskovits, coach the USAG teams; Angel Brown and Addison Sawyer coach the GIJO teams.

Family fun

During the weekend, when they weren’t competing, it seemed like Viking gymnastics team members were everywhere having a great time!

Parents supervised and had plenty of fun themselves. Some families even ventured out to do some shopping and sightseeing.

One of the highlights was that the girls had so much time to spend with each other. They used the crafts room at the hotel to make “good luck” signs for teammates’ hotel room doors, got together to swim in the waterpark, hung out in each other’s rooms, played board games, gathered for more food, and found many other ways to amuse themselves.

By the end of the weekend, parents and gymnasts were checking in with each other about how things went and wishing others good luck – like one big Viking gymnastics extended family.

Competitive gymnastics

Amid all the fun, the girls showed amazing focus. Throughout the weekend, each team competed at its assigned time at the Grand Geneva Hotel Forum.

For some of our gymnasts this was their first time in a competitive meet!

Here are the team results:

GIJO: Level 3 — 3rd place; Level 4 — 2nd place; Level 6 — 1st place
USAG: Level 4 — 3rd place; Level 5 — 3rd place; Level 6 — 2nd place; Level 7 — 5th place

Learning new skills

At all competitive gymnastics meets, the gymnasts not only practice and perform their routines but also learn lots of life skills:

Learning about good sportsmanship as they rely on their teammates, coaches, and families for support and encouragement.
Cheering each other on when things go perfectly, and they cheer for each other and keep their chins up even when things don’t go well at all.
Making the most of equipment that feels a little different than it does at our home gym.
Coping with distractions such as loud music and clapping.
Tolerating much more hairspray than they use at home!

Preparing, focusing, and adapting to changes are skills that Viking competitive gymnasts will apply over and over in their lives.

We are so proud of our competitive gymnasts, and so glad that everyone had a great time in Lake Geneva!

Would you like to learn more about the Viking competitive gymnastics teams?

For a look at competitive gymnastics, be sure to attend the upcoming Viking gymnastics home meet that will be held at Niles West High School on March 23 and 24. Be sure to stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram for more information, and come cheer on our Viking gymnastics teams!

Join the Snowflake Challenge at Viking Gymnastics & Dance!

viking gymnastics and dance snowflake challenge Viking Gymnastics & Dance is having a little bit of fun with all this snow — and our gymnasts and dancers are invited to join in!

We have — creatively — hung snowflakes throughout the facility. Be sure to look everywhere, since snowflakes can be found in the hallways, the gym, the parent room, and dance studio windows.

Kids are invited to guess how many snowflakes we have throughout the building. There’s a sheet at the front desk for kids to write their name (first & last) and their guess. They may also include their class day and time.

Guesses will be accepted through the end of this week at Viking Gymnastics & Dance. You are also invited to follow along on our social media for the results — Viking Instagram and Viking Facebook.

Here’s how Viking Gymnastics Campers spent their Winter Break 2018

Camp! Not Just for Summer!

Note: Our next “day off camp” will be January 21, 2019 — be sure to check out our Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Camp!

This winter break we offered camps full of dancing, gymnastics, crafts, and games! Everyday our gymnasts came in for a great warm up Little gymnasts with the long living tradition of the “Waka Waka” dance, with roots to when Viking Gymnastics was still in the upstairs gym at Niles North High School! Gymnasts participated in group stretching that prepares their bodies for a day of activities and games. Children split into groups based on their skill level and we’re off!

During camp, every group did each of the competitive events; vault, bars, beam, and floor for the girls, and parallel bars, high bar, mushroom, floor, vault, and rings for the boys. Gymnasts learned new skills and practiced mastery of others. Since camp is much longer than a regular class, coaches helped each gymnast individually, and corrected skills as students rotated through stations. Camp is great for gymnasts to work hard, build friendships, and achieve goals! Our toddlers enjoyed obstacle courses, balancing on beams, and playing in familiar territory in the tot area!

But, before we knew it, all our campers were tired and it was time for snack! After a refreshing snack, students went into other activities that make Viking camps unique. Each day we made a different winter themed craft. Some crafts we made this winter camp were snowmen, hibernating animals in a tree, ear muffs, and hot cocoa mugs. We also went into the dance studios learn some awesome moves with Miss Jessica. Finally, when we didn’t think we could have any more fun, we played fun interactive games for all ages! When the day was done, we stretched to make sure our muscles would not be too tired the next day — but you can’t help being a little tired when you have this much fun!

Our camps at Viking Gymnastics are SO fun, friends don’t want to leave when it’s time to go!

Don’t worry if you missed out on the fun, we will be offering gymnastics camps, dance workshops, and a special open gyms when school is out next. Check out our Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Camp, January 21, 2019.

A big thank you to all our friends that joined us for our Winter Gymnastics Camps!