WAG Competitive Programs: Train to Compete / Learn to Compete / Compete to Win

 "The road to success is a staircase not an elevator."

Women’s Advanced Invitational Programs (WAG)

Competitive sport is a family commitment. Each family must seriously consider the amount of time, dedication, and finances they are willing and able to commit to sport. In gymnastics, most competitions happen on the lower mainland and as such require significant travel and time away. The season is long with competitions beginning in December and usually finishing in June.

It is also important to remember that competitive gymnastics is not a team sport. Each athlete will progress at different rates dependent on several factors. Progress on each apparatus often takes more time on one than the other. To be competitively successful athletes must be prepared for challenging their comfort zone, having consistent training that involves high repetitions, regular attendance progress and competitions.

Coaches place athletes in specific programs based on several objective and subjective criteria including an athlete’s competitiveness, ability to deal with success as well as failure, physical abilities, and projected pathway of development and coachability.  Age categories are determined by birth year while competitive category is determined by skill acquisition and consistency. Athletes may be moved from one program area to another at any time. Athletes are invited on a yearly basis to the program that best suits their needs and commitment as determined by the technical staff. Competition assignments will be based on readiness and at the discretion of the coaches.

Each CPP level has required elements of difficulty and composition. If an athlete has all requirements, the events are scored from 10.00. Athletes with less than full requirements may or may not be entered at an athletes’ declared level. This is at the discretion of the coaches.

Athletes may progress or have goals that exceed the CC Program. As they progress, rules, regulations and training requirements also change. These levels require significant commitments from athletes, families, coaches, and the club.

CANADIAN COMPETITIVE PROGRAM

(CCP Provincial Stream Levels 6-8)

If an athlete is identified and committed to attaining the requirements for optional routines at the provincial levels,

(CPP 6-8) the training time and requirements increase significantly. To be competitive at these levels’ athletes must train a minimum of 16 hours over a full year program. Regular attendance and progress are necessary to compete in these levels. Time off (particularly extended time off) will be minimal throughout the competitive season, December to June.

There are opportunities to compete for positions on provincial teams (i.e. Western Canadian Championships, BC Games). Training costs are dependent on number of training hours per week. There are usually five to seven competitions per year at this level at a cost of $100.00- $150.00 per event.  Travel and accommodation fees are additional.