FIG RG Age Group Programme Welcomes Nine New Experts

In the year 2014, the International Federation of Gymnastics has introduced an Age Group Development Program for the discipline of Rhythmic Gymnastics, which then started to be introduced in training sessions all over the world in 2015.

Last year, the training seminars took place in three different regions -- Southern Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia. The federations who took part in the seminars were presented with five-day training camps if they wished to adopt the program. The response has been so overwhelming that the FIG even needed to invite additional Rhythmic Gymnastics experts and coaches to familiarize themselves to the program so that they’ll be able to deliver it to these countries.

Ten rhythmic gymnastics experts were gathered at the FIG Headquarters in Lausanne to gain a better understanding of the program and also to examine it for possible improvements. Nine of the ten experts were able to accept the invitation. They were among the most popular faces of the discipline: 2012 Summer Olympic medalist Liubov Charkashyna, who currently acts as Athlete Representative to the RG Technical Committee; Dr. Marta Bobo of Spain, who has been a frequent Academy expert; MD Katja Kleinveldt, who acts as the Germany’s national Coach and has also frequently taught at the Academies; former Olympian Eva Serrano, who works in the French rhythmic coach education programs; Mimi Masleva, who previously acted as the national coach of Bulgaria, has coached several different countries and currently coaches in Canadal; Monica Guzman, the national coach of Mexico, and a former Russain member Marina Spekt,who is now coaching in her own program in Moscow.

The FIG Age Group program consists of testing and monitoring program for physical abilities, motor abilities, technical development and apparatus skills, in addition to a complete competition program with revised optional rules for age-group gymnasts and also compulsory exercises for all ages. Also, it consists of a variety of additional information related to developing a systematic rhythmic gymnastics program that can promote better performance.

The technical content of the Academy program was collaboratively developed by the former Bulgarian and British National Coach Nadya Aleksandrova together with frequent Academy expert and international judge Eunice Lebre and Portugal National Coach and FIG Academy expert Helena Dias. During the development, they were guided by the Director of Education and Academy Programs, Hardy Fink, who ensured that the philosophy, format and implementation would be similar to the other FIG education programs.

The development of this program and its international introduction has been financially supported on an ongoing basis by the International Olympic Committee, which had also supported an analogous program for the Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics in the previous years.

The three-day seminar, wherein the experts presented all aspects of the program was led by Nadya Aleksandrova, Eunice Lebre, Hardy Fink and Helena Dias.

The mentioned seminar, which aims to prepare new Academy experts for the FIG Age Group Development and Competition program is very timely, as the upcoming three months will be a very busy one.

Costa Rica would be the first venue of this five-day training camps, which is expected to start already next week. It will also take place in Guatemala, Malaysia, Vietnam, and El Salvador before the end of February. The International Gymnastics Federation will also hold an Introduction Seminar in Peru for all of the countries of South America, which will be also offered five-day camps in the coming year. Another eleven Rhythmic Gymnastics Age Group coach-education training camps will take place before the end of April.

2016 would probably be a busy year for the FIG Education Programme, which will also host multiple Academies at the same time. In February, there will be a Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Academy in Chinese Taipei and also two Academies in DPR Korea – one for Artistic Gymnastics and one for Trampoline. 

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Philippines Hosts Another FIG Academy for Rhythmic Gymnastics

The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines had hosted another week-long FIG Academy in the country which was held from September 20 until September 27, 2015. It took place at the Gymnastics Association National Training Center located at Malate, Manila.

The event, a level 2 Academy for Rhythmic Gymnastics was held exactly a week after the Philippines organized a Level 2 Academy for Aerobic Gymnastics

It was the 6^th FIG Academy that was hosted by the country, the 35^th Academy for Rhythmic Gymnastics and the 209^th FIG Academy that was held since the academy program has started 12 years ago.

There were 17 coaches who partook in the said Academy. Six countries were represented by these coaches, including Hongkong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the host country, Philippines. The participation in this Academy was partially funded by the Asian Gymnastics Union through the use of International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) Development Fund.

Dr. Katja Kleinveldt, a German coach who abandoned her career as a medical doctor in order to fulfill her passion of coaching and teaching Rhythmic Gymnastics became the course leader for this Rhythmic Academy. Kleinveldt is currently the National Coach of Germany. She was accompanied by two other experts from Europe who are both in charge to discuss all of the technical lectures.

One of them was Nadya Alexandrova of Great Britain, a former national coach of Great Britain and Bulgaria and a member for the FIG Academy Working Group for Rhythmic Gymnastics. Another expert was Natalia Gorbulina, a Russian coach who has handled some of the world-renowned rhythmic gymnasts and was also a part of the Academy Working Group.

The examination proper was comprised of a theory examination and two practical examinations – first is the construction of a mini-routine and the other one is the demonstration of a rhythmic gymnastics skill.

Due to the coaches’ low level of experience, majority of the participants in the Academy achieved a relatively low score. Most of the scores are ranging from 51% to 87%. Despite being low, it shows a significant improvement compared from the Level 1 Academy that was held last year.

Cherrie Kwek, a rhythmic gymnast from Singapore got the highest mark of 87%. Philippines’ Enida Tolentino got the second highest score and the third best result was obtained by Whynn Reroma of the host country, Philippines.

The International Federation of Gymnastics expressed their sincerest gratitude for the Cynthia Carrion, the President of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, for her eagerness and passion on hosting this event in an excellent facility with a lot of remarkable participants and a wonderful support staff. They have also acknowledged the efforts of Secretary General Bettina Pou for taking care of all the preliminary organizational work and assuring that all the necessities and demands were met during the Academy.

The FIG Academy Programme will resume with a very busy schedule until the end of this year. The programme will provide coach education workshops at the Men’s World Championships and the Trampoline World Championships and will also organize Academies in Jamaica, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Namibia, Benin, China and Qatar on November and December.

The FIG Academy Program

The FIG Coaches’ Academy Program is an education program provided by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for coaches of various countries in all of the FIG disciplines (Men’s Artistic, Women’s Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline, Aerobic and Acrobatic). The program began with a goal of supplying the coaches with appropriate knowledge in accordance with the principles and content of the FIG Age Group information.

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