Team Newsletter

Fundraiser for Dance Co and Gym Team begins Tuesday, February 10. We have some new options this season.

Returning are the Mrs. Fields Cookies & Dog bones
New Frozen Pizzas
New Frozen Soft Pretzels
New Breakfast Croissant Crown

Begins Tuesday, February 10 - February 24th.

Delivery is Tuesday, March 24th.

Able to earn 40% of your individual total sales. Credit is posted to the competitive accounts only

*Butter braids will return in the fall of 2026

*For Gym Team Families who are paid-in-full, the credit will be applied to the June admin payment.

Any questions, contact customer service @ atbcustomerservice@live.com, 440-625-0000 or Lisa Yesko @ lyesko_atb@outlook.com

Order Here

Girl’s Meets:

Reminder that these schedules and additional information can be found in your emails and on your JackRabbit Parent Portal.

Girls State meet registration is in process. If your gymnast is invited to attend the Ohio state meet a personal email has been sent to your gymnast. Please complete the Google form in a timely manner to confirm your spot.

The Xcel state meet location has changed to Baldwin Wallace University.

Boys AAU meet 4 and AAU Championships will be hosted by ATB. We use these events as fundraisers to send our Boys team to Nationals. In the past we have raised enough to cover entry fees and coaching fees. In order to receive the fund raiser money, the parents must work 1 session of either meet. Meet dates are March 7th and April 18th. Mark your calendars.

Coach Julie -

Level 4 & Optionals

I was incredibly proud of the improvements I saw from our first few meets through the Coaches Spectacular. Scores improved significantly—but that is not what I coach for. I coach for growth in effort, work ethic, teamwork, and camaraderie. No one succeeds alone; everyone needs support. It was truly rewarding to observe the strides the girls made in these areas, and I look forward to seeing even greater progress at the Buckeye Classic.

This meet is especially meaningful to me, as the host gym is my home gym. I’m excited to coach there and reconnect with my coaching friends and mentors.

At the beginning of this week, I did notice some anxiety starting to surface. Coach Jackie addressed several important strategies the girls can use to manage pressure. Here are a few immediate actions we’ve been emphasizing:

Focus on the present: I’ve heard gymnasts say, “I hate this meet because I fell last time on beam.” Leave the past in the past.
Simplify: Use simple cues such as “I’ve got this” or “Commit.”
Focus on what you can control: Outcomes are not controllable—focus instead on form, shapes, and execution.
Use positive self-talk: Remind yourself, “I can make my cartwheel,” or “I am prepared.”

We also discussed long-term strategies for managing anxiety:

See challenges as opportunities
Master your craft
Prioritize self-care
Know your triggers and how to address them without letting them take over

As I’ve said before—and it’s worth repeating—enjoy the journey. Competitions should be fun. Enjoy traveling to new places, meeting new people, and creating memories. You may find yourself visiting amazing locations and forming friendships that last a lifetime.

Developmental Team

We are currently working on routines for the Rec League Competition, which gives the girls a chance to experience what a competition is like in a fun and relaxed environment. This is a great way for gymnasts to learn how meets are run and how to prepare for them.

If your daughter has not yet been fitted for her leotard, please make sure this is done as soon as possible.

TOPS

I’m happy to share that this class has grown, with several students added this year. Our primary focus is strength and up-skills, with some routine refinement during the competitive season.

As a Level 2–10 Rated NAWGJ official, I’m very familiar with deductions and have a strong eye for detail, which I believe is especially beneficial for athlete development.

Coach Nate

Hello families! February is shaping up to be a very busy month. With competitions nearly every weekend, our focus in practice will be on maintaining strong routines, fixing problem skills, and beginning foundational work on upgrades.

As we enter the second half of the season, stress levels can increase for our athletes. Everyone wants to finish strong at their final meets and feel prepared for State Championships. To support this, it’s important that gymnasts continue to fuel their bodies with good nutrition and get plenty of sleep so they can perform their best in both practice and competition.

This time of year also brings an increase in seasonal illness. We’ve already seen influenza B impact schools and practices. Please remember to keep your child home from practice if they are running a fever or have an active cough. This helps protect the health of the entire team and coaching staff—and gymnasts who are not feeling well rarely benefit from practice when they’re not at one hundred percent.

Thank you for helping us prioritize health and well-being as we head into a busy and exciting stretch of the season. We’re looking forward to a healthy, strong, and happy finish!

Coach Niki -

We’ve been very happy to have three weeks between competitions, giving us valuable time in the gym to focus on new drills that support stronger routines and skills. Across all events, we’ve emphasized strength, flexibility, and proper shaping.

Vault: We’ve added springs and mats to increase difficulty in training, which will make vaults feel easier and more controlled when we return to standard settings. We’ve also been focusing on correct shapes both on and off the vault.
Bars: Our focus has been on improving shapes in back hip circles and front hip circles.
Beam: Gymnasts have been working on a variety of handstand drills and dance drills to build confidence and consistency.
Floor: We’ve spent time on dance drills, round-off back handspring drills, and backward roll drills.

The athletes are excited and ready to apply everything they’ve been working on at our next competition!

One more note...

We love that families can easily view gymnasts’ scores and placements online. However, checking results during the meet can take away from the excitement of the awards ceremony.

We strongly encourage all families to keep gymnasts off their cell phones during competitions and especially during awards. There is something special about hearing their name called, walking to the podium, and experiencing that moment of surprise and accomplishment in real time.

We also want to be mindful of other athletes. Sharing placements ahead of the ceremony can unintentionally spoil the experience for teammates and competitors.

Let’s help preserve the thrill and celebration of the awards process for everyone. Thank you for your support!

Coach Jackie

Level 2 News

We just wrapped up the final week of Banana Split, and many of our gymnasts are proudly celebrating having all three splits! Everyone continues to work hard on strength and flexibility, and the progress is clear. Skill charts are filling up with stickers, confidence is growing, and routines are looking stronger each week.

February M&M

During M&M this month, our gymnasts worked collaboratively to create encouragement posters for another level team and designed pins for a gymnast of their choice. Each pin recognized individual strengths, effort, and care for one another—such a great example of teamwork and kindness.

We also spent time talking about stress and what to do when negative or spiraling thoughts take over. Together, we practiced a new breathing technique, learned ways to ground ourselves in the present moment, and explored how to “put worries away” in a mental container so they can be revisited later with a calmer mind.

Our focus continues to be on building resilience, empathy, and mental strength—one conversation, one breath, and one act of kindness at a time.

This Month We Learned:

4–2–6 breathing
Two grounding techniques
How to place intrusive thoughts into a secure “container” to handle later

Coach Zoie

Competition Season Update

Competition season is in full swing, and attending meets with the athletes has been such a rewarding experience! We’ve seen consistent improvement from meet to meet, and I’m excited to see that progress continue throughout the rest of the season. As we prepare for the remaining competitions, our focus remains on consistency and the little details that help routines truly stand out.

You may have noticed me in the gym recently working with my high school groups from Olmsted Falls and Westlake. We’ll be hosting our Senior Night at Above The Barre on Sunday, February 22nd at 3:30 PM, and we would love to see some Above The Barre team athletes there to help cheer on our high school teams!

Thank you all for your continued support this season—we’re looking forward to finishing strong!

If your athlete has enjoyed their gym team experience this season, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave us a Google review. Your feedback helps support our coaches, celebrate our athletes, and guide future team families considering Above The Barre.

Google Review