Author Archives: John Melson

6 Exercises For Gymnasts

6 Exercises for Gymnasts to Stay Strong at Home

We all miss being at Viking, but we can still stay strong at home! Here are six strength exercises for gymnasts of all ages and levels that can be done anywhere, anytime. Improving your strength during this time can help improve your gymnastics when we return to the gym.

1. Squat to Chair
Stand with a chair slightly behind your feet. Start by bending slightly at your hips, then bend your knees to lightly touch the chair and then stand up again. Keep your chest up and knees in line with toes. Complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions. This exercise will help strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes to help you jump into skills like a back handspring.

2. Glute Bridge
Laying on your back, knees bent with feet on the floor, and arms by your side, press your lower back into the ground and lift your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Hold this position for 30 seconds, three times. Try picking one foot off the ground for an extra challenge! This exercise strengthens your hamstrings, glute muscles, and core muscles to help you stick your landings on skills like a side handstand beam dismount.

For an extra challenge, try this:

3. Superman (Arch) hold
Lay on your belly with your arms by your ears. With your feet together, lift your feet, arms, and chin off the ground while squeezing all the muscles in the back of your body. Keep your arms by your ears. Hold this position for 30 seconds, three times. This exercise strengthens your shoulder and back muscles to help you with skills like the tap swing on bars.

4. Pushups on Knees
Create a pushup position with your knees on the floor and feet up in the air. Keep a straight line from your shoulders to your knees throughout the movement. Lower your chest and hips to the floor, by your elbows bending at a 45° angle, and then push up to the original starting position. Complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions. This exercise strengthens your biceps and triceps in your arms to help you with skills like the front handspring vault.

5. T-Hold
Lay on your belly with your arms out to the side (in a “T” shape). Point your thumbs towards the ceiling. Keep your chin and legs on the ground and use the back of your shoulder muscles to lift your arms off the ground and hold for 30 seconds, three times. This works the shoulder muscles that help you stay on the balance beam on jumps and leaps.

6. Boat Hold
Laying down, arms by your side, and knees bent, press your lower back to the ground and engage core muscles to lift shoulders and feet off ground. Hold this position for 30 seconds, three times. Put your legs out straight (keeping them off the ground) for a bigger challenge! This exercise is good for building the endurance of your core muscles for skills like a glide swing, and kip on bars.

For an extra challenge, try this:

Staying home is a great opportunity to work on your gymnastics strength with exercises like these and a great time to try our Viking Virtua Classes! Stay home and stay strong!

Viking Art Fair

At Viking Gymnastics and Dance, we encourage children to explore their creativity and express themselves through mediums in addition to dance and gymnastics. Here are 2020’s outstanding submissions.

We miss you too!
Thank you to our artists. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Making of Viking Virtual Classes

As we are starting our second month of Viking’s Virtual Gymnastics classes, I was asked to reflect back on what seems to be both a very long and short experience. Creating our Virtual Classes has become my new normal and within a week, I was able to find a routine for the work I need to do.

When the Illinois Stay at Home order was extended, we wanted to offer our students quality gymnastics lessons and a way to stay connected with us. A couple of hours were spent on the phone discussing how to make this happen, then off we went to make a demo class to see if our words could be put into action. Let’s fast-forward through about 10 hours of work, basic iMovie lessons, the necessary and overdue computer updates, and say that our first attempt was not going to be what we offer to our gymnasts. We have the knowledge; but how do we best share it without being in the gym?

Back to the drawing board to create a more detailed, ongoing lesson plan to guide our thought process. Let’s focus on strength and really break down some of the skills our students work on at the gym, without using the equipment. Let’s use props that one would find in their home. They are fun and help keep the kids interested, just as they do in class. Fast forward again through the creation of yet another demo class and…Yes! It’s good! We’ve got this – we’ll soon be Insta-famous, YouTube Sensations, and Hollywood will be knocking on our door! Well, maybe not, but we’ve created something that will give our virtual students an opportunity to participate in gymnastics while at home. Which means we will have accomplished what we set out to do.

If our gymnasts could glimpse behind the scenes, they would be entertained to know what has gone into the creation of the videos. Our camera crews consist of cell phones taped to floor lamps or on top of shoebox lids stacked up on a step ladder. Sometimes one event lesson takes three to five times longer to create than it actually is, as halfway through we misspoke and cannot cover it up, or we fall in a way that should not be put into class! Our hair is a mess, hidden by hats (don’t do gymnastics in a hat!) or thick headbands. We record our lessons at random times of the day, mostly with consideration of sunlight, noise that might upset our neighbors, or the availability of an assistant camera person.

We joke that we are slowly getting into shape with all the conditioning and skill work we’re doing alongside our students, but in truth, we are humbled to be able to do what we can for them. We each work at Viking because of our love for the sport and desire to pass it along to others. In an unprecedented time, we have been met with the challenge of doing this in a new way.

Sitting in my home, thinking about what my daily work life has become, I ask myself a number of questions – Would I rather be in the gym at Viking? Yes, without a doubt in my mind. Have I been frustrated and stressed numerous times the past few weeks? Yes, yes I have been. Have I been thankful for the listening ears and support of my coworkers? Yes, of course. Have I been impressed with my coaching peers, in their creativity and abilities to teach in a new way? Yes, I most definitely have been. I am grateful we have found a way to offer gymnastics to our students from home. It has been a journey and will continue to be one, but through this, we will become stronger, more versatile individuals – both the coaches and gymnasts.

How to Stay Healthy and Active at Home

Since the COVID-19 update, it’s been encouraged that we stay home and practice “self-distancing,” which means adjusting to daily life inside at home. Let’s avoid getting stir crazy, stuck on the couch in pajamas, and eating junk food. You can still manifest a healthy and active lifestyle in the comfort of your own home. Not only is it good for our physical health, but also for our mental health. This is a stressful time for a lot of people and it can easily get to us, so here are 6 scientifically proven tips to stay healthy and active at home.

Create a Plan to Start Your Day

While we’re indoors, “normal” life like school drop-offs, grocery shopping, going to gymnastics & dance classes are not an option. However, you can create a plan for you and your family to stick to during the week! Set a bedtime, wake up and get ready, and even create a family workout schedule! There are loads of studies backing up the benefits of routines for positive mental health. In the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, they found that family routines help to moderate impulsiveness and oppositional symptoms and traits in children, meaning routines protect and help children feel safer.

Stretch in Your Living Space

Avoid stiff joints and get your blood circulation moving! Whether it’s in the living room, back porch, or bedroom floor. Encourage your family to stretch before breakfast or before lunch. We’re even providing Virtual Gymnastics & Dance Classes that the whole family can do together! According to the American Osteopathic Association, moderate stretching and yoga style movements have physical benefits such as soothing lower back pain and improves energy, and mental benefits by managing stress.

Ditch the Chips

Make healthy snacks for the whole family to enjoy! Choosing a healthy snack over junk food fuels your body and mind. It also fills in the nutrition gaps, like calcium and fiber. Avoid snacks that are loaded with sugar and have no nutritional value. They cause fatigue, tooth decay, and are unfulfilling.

Back in December, Nutritionist Kristin Gustashaw visited Viking to share nutrition tips which are good to know when deciding what you’re snacking on. Swap out ice cream for a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola toppings, chips for veggies and hummus, and cookies for no-bake chocolate chip energy balls (we love this recipe!).

Keep Your Mind Active

Being stuck inside can be mentally strenuous, especially when we’re constantly following the news. Change the channel to a quiz based program like Jeopardy and challenge your family members to see if they can answer the questions, or play an educational app. If you need a break from screen time, a recent Harvard study on cognitive fitness found that solving problems like sudoku, math equations and word puzzles all helped to maintain mental positivity and sharpness.

Try a Home Workout

You can find a home workout almost anywhere in this day and age! It’s a great way for your kids to stay active when they’re not at gymnastics or dance, plus the whole family can be a part of it! Try our “What’s Your Name” Work Out! Spell out your full name and complete the activity listed for each letter. For a greater challenge, include your middle name or try favorite characters’ names!

Find an Active Hobby

Try and maintain a hobby that keeps you moving, like crocheting, making music, painting, baking, and writing. There are so many activities you can explore, and not only does it keep you busy, but it can lift up your spirits as well. A study conducted by several psychologists of about 1,400 people found that those who said they engaged in enjoyable leisure activities positively impacted their mental and physical health.

Remain in Touch

Viking Girl Power 2020

On February 22nd, we held our second annual Viking Girl Power fundraiser for the Athlete Assistance Fund and it was I·N·S·P·I·R·I·N·G! Many local businesses and entrepreneurs volunteered to share their knowledge with all of our Girl Power participants.

Gymnastics Speaking Event

This year’s guest speaker Bridget Venturi Veenema – Coach, World Cup Champion, the first woman elected to the USA Baseball board of directors, and first American Gladiators Grand Champion, opened the event by speaking about the importance of not giving up. You can experience failure and use it to help motivate yourself to improve. As long as you keep trying you can get to where you want to be.

Celeb Gymnastics Coaching for Kids rity Trainer, Beth Horn, sat down to talk about setting their dream goals. How it is important to take those large goals and break them down into smaller, achievable goals that serve as building blocks for those that are larger. She discussed steps to keep you focused to meet your ultimate goals.

Viking Gymnastics and Dance Classroom

Our participants learned about the importance of computer science with Digital Adventures. Using the Scratch programming language, participants were able to create their own animated short stories.

Ta gymnastics instruction king care of ourselves is so important! Some of our participants experienced how to tune in and tune out through guided meditation while Sun and Moon Yoga taught us a gentle yoga flow for peace and clarity. Jim and Marcy Wade, owners of ATA Martial Arts, taught us about self-defense and bullying.

Girl Power in the Gym

kids learning in the gym Coaching Teen Girls in the Gym Girls playing in gym

W Gymnasics Instruction Class e explored how to protect our bodies and the importance of standing up for yourself with a Prevention Education Coordinator from the Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault.

two young girls playing in the gym Gymnastics Rewards

Groups learned about teamwork. How working together within both smaller and larger groups in your community helps you to become stronger and in some cases, reveal treasures that you didn’t know existed! Through dance we explored concepts of counterbalancing, weight sharing, and partner lifts and discovered what we are capable of achieving with teamwork and care. When we support one another, we uncover the inner strength often hidden within ourselves.

Gymnastics Girl Power We explored the Power of Positivity through dance improvisation and movement exercises to empower and express our participants creative voices in ways that words cannot. Physical life was brought to the positive thoughts we created and we learned how to do this anywhere.

little girls learning gymnastics TYGR Occupational and Physical Therapists showed the importance of inclusion in play. That although someone may have different abilities, we can all play together and be comfortable with one another.

gymnastics group picture

We had an amazing time at Viking Girl Power 2020! It was truly inspiring to see everyone learn, try something new, and work together. Thank you to all of our volunteers, local businesses, and participants – we can’t wait for next year!

Staff Pumpkin Painting Contest

When there’s a chill in the air and the ghosts and ghouls come out to play, you know it’s time for our Annual Pumpkin Painting Contest! Viking Staff had a ghoulishly, delightful time bringing their creative pumpkins to life!

Pumpkin Painting Party

These BOO-tiful pumpkins were on display and our Viking families had a frightfully fun time voting!

Here are the top 5 pumpkins for this year! Coming in at 1st place, Ms. Lynn and her haunted scenery, 2nd is Charlie and her majestic unicorn, 3rd is Karyn and her loyal Minion, 4th is Lynda and her pumpkin king, and finally 5th is Coach Ellie and her Day of the Dead sugar skull inspired pumpkin!

Gymnastics Painting Party

Thank you to everyone who voted this year!

Top 10 Gymnast Bag Necessities

Does this scenario sound familiar? You are running a little late to gymnastics. Your gymnast is scrambling for a water bottle, a snack, and of course… hair ties! Trying to get everyone out the door, into the car, and rushing to class on time. Finally, you arrive and a sense of dread overwhelms you because you are sure there are items missing from your child’s gym bag!

If you have a gymnast in your life, this is likely a frequent occurrence. Don’t you worry; we’ve got you covered! Our Viking coaches have shared the top 10 necessities for every gymnast’s bag:

A Water Bottle
Your gymnast is hard at work in class and it’s important for them to stay hydrated, but you do not want them to miss out on learning every time they run to the water fountain. Instead, get them their own water bottle that they can notice easily. Make sure the top is tightly secured and the bottle has their name on it.
Snacks
Having a snack in their gym bag is crucial for restoring energy. The key to a healthy after workout snack is something that is easily digestible and packed with protein! Protein is an essential building block of the body. When your body is hard at work, replenishing with protein will repair cells and help build new ones. Some ideas for protein packed snacks are turkey slices, cheese sticks, veggie slices with hummus, and Greek yogurt. Learn more on our previous blog post about Nutrition in Gymnastics.
Hand Wipes
Let’s be honest. Your gymnast will be touching so many surfaces: beams, floors, bars, etc… To keep the germs at bay, toss a package of hand wipes in their gym bag!
Lip Balm/Lotion
No matter what season it is, gyms are dry; lip balm and lotion can help! Just be sure that your gymnast applies lotion after practice. No one wants to be slip sliding away while doing gymnastics!
Hair Elastics/Hair Brush
If your gymnast has long hair, it’s crucial to make sure their hair is tied back and away from their face. This prevents accidents and helps your child to see better when trying to perfect their skills! They may not always use the brush but it’s there for when they need it!
Grips
This isn’t applicable for all gymnasts but if their coach says it’s required, don’t forget their grips! It’s also good to have a backup pair that they’re working to break in by taking a few turns with every now and again. That way, when the current pair gets too old your gymnast has another one ready to go. *Don’t forget, Viking coaches can measure and order grips*
Wristbands
If you’re going to pack grips, DO NOT forget wristbands! Wearing grips without wrist bands may lead to chafed wrists during practice.
Pre-Wrap/Athletic Tape
It doesn’t hurt to carry an extra roll especially if they regularly tape their ankles, wrist, or anything else! Remember to apply the pre-wrap first before the athletic tape. If any injury is persistent, make sure to see a medical professional.
A Pouch for Valuable Items
Sometimes your gymnast will forget to take off dangling earrings or necklaces before practice. Pack a small pouch to keep valuables from getting lost. If they have a cell phone, make sure they have a safe/secret spot in their bag that they can easily access after practice. As an extra step of precaution, students can leave their cell phone at the front desk and it can be picked up after class.
Deodorant
No explanation needed, but their teammates and coaches may appreciate this especially during a hot and sweaty practice!

You’ve got the gymnastics bag ready, but you’re looking for classes? We offer gymnastics classes starting at the age of 6 months old! We maintain a small student-teacher ratio to give the highest quality individualized instruction to every student.

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!

Benefits of Starting Your Child in Baby Vikes Gymnastics

by April Sawyer

child learning to crawl and walk More than 20 years ago I led a mom’s group with children ages 1 to 3 years old. As we crawled along with the children, I mentioned its importance and how crawling is connected to children’s reading abilities.

Many of the parents were shocked to learn this! From that day forward, I made it my mission, through the sport of gymnastics, to inform and help parents understand the importance of motor skills, coordination, and balance.

coach working with toddler Why is this important?

In today’s world, children are not getting the necessary daily physical activity. Therefore, we see more cognitive delays, sensory issues, behavioral problems, delayed speech, and the list goes on.

One thing that contributes greatly to decreased activity is the baby carrier. Some babies spend way too much time in them.

Unfortunately, these issues are not noticed until children are older. Getting children moving earlier is better! ‘Tummy time’ and other out-and-about activities help strengthen your baby’s neck, back, arms and core muscles.

How Viking is helping change this

At Viking, we see a huge need to start children in activities that connect neurons, strengthen muscles, and help in advancing development inside and out in numerous other areas. We pride ourselves on our research and efforts that help each child get off to a great start in life. Our Baby Vikes classes begin at 6 months old. Yes, 6 months!

Toddler Learning Gymnastics During a Baby Vikes class we work on all the muscles necessary for a great beginning: coordination, balance, activities to help with eyesight, spatial awareness, fine and gross motor skills, tracking, landing feet first to prevent falls off the bed, couch, or stairs, and many other important skills in a fun and bright environment.

How to get started

If you or someone you know has a child 6 months or older who is learning to crawl or walk, they would benefit from our Baby Vikes class! This class provides a head start and the results are for life.

Call or stop by today if you have questions or want to see our facility, and sign up!

Crazy Sock Week at Viking!

Viking Gymnastics and Dance Socks Week

This week, Viking staff members are all about crazy socks! Everybody has a different thought as to what defines socks as crazy. For some people it’s design. Others consider anything other than solid black or white, like bright, boldly colored, or mismatched socks as crazy.

Gymnastics and Dance

Wearing crazy socks says can allow your individual personality to surface. When my daughter was in grade school, there was a dress code that said solid color tops and solid color skirts or pants were required. But do you know what had no restrictions? Socks! My daughter could let her energetic personality show through in the socks and tights that she wore. Patterns, bright colors, matched, mismatched – she wore them all and still does!

two gymnastics coaches

There are Viking staff members that wear fun socks to express their true personality year-round! Others wear them when the mood strikes or on special occasions.

Official National Sock Day is December 4^th, but keep your eyes open all week and see how many different patterns or mismatched socks you can find at Viking!