Competitive Programs

BRAG's Pre-Team Program is the link between recreational classes and entry into our competitive program.  It involves a selective process designed to identify young female gymnasts who have the ability to excel in the sport at a competitive level.  While we look for such attributes as natural talent, strength, flexibility, and work ethic, we also consider other factors like social development, listening skills, coachability, ability to make corrections, and the athletes support for fellow classmates/teammates in our selection process.  If your child is invited into BRAG's Pre-Team Program it means we have identified similar attributes in them that we have seen in other children who have become successful competitive gymnasts.   

Family support of the young athlete plays a major role in our selections as well.  The importance of a family's efforts to ensure the athletes are prepared for all practices, get adequate sleep, and develop proper study habits cannot be understated.  Also, families must ensure the gymnast attends every practice to maintain placement in the Pre-Team Program.  We simply ask that parents provide a nurturing supportive environment that parallels our nurturing and supportive training regimen.

Our Pre-Team Program helps prepare the athletes for the rigors of competition as the hours in the gym and intensity of the workouts increase incrementally.  Physically, the gymnasts will be challenged to improve their strength and flexibility, while at the same time they will overcome fears and develop the mental preparation needed in competitive gymnastics.  At times, we may try to develop a cohort of gymnasts with similar ability levels and prepare them progressively as a group or we may move an individual from one class to another based on the speed of their individual development.  Each child is wonderfully unique, so there is no cookie cutter approach we can use in developing them for competitive gymnastics.  Simply stated, our objective is to help each individual reach their maximum potential and that the lessons learned in gymnastics are transferable to their future pursuits in life.   

The invitation only classes we have designed to prepare the gymnasts for competition include:  Mini Team, Pre-Team and Xcel Prep.

Mini Team 1

 Previously known as Super Tots.  Our Mini Team 1 is an invite only in-house competitive team for our 4-6 year old gymnasts.  Our coaches are looking for body control, strength, flexibility and the love of gymnastics.  This team meets twice a week for 45 minutes each practice.  They are working to perfect the Level 1 Developmental Skills designated by USA Gymnastics with a focus on the three building blocks of gymnastics; strength, flexibility and body shapes. 

Mini Team 2

   Previously known as Level 2.  Our Mini Team 2 is an invite only in-house competitive team for our 4-6 year old gymnasts that have excelled on Mini Team 1.  Our coaches are looking for excellent body control, strength, and flexibility.  This team meets twice a week for two hours each practice.  They are working to perfect the Level 1 and 2 Developmental Skills designated by USA Gymnastics with a focus on the three building blocks of gymnastics; strength, flexibility and body shapes. 

Pre-Team 1

 Previously known as Developmental.  Our Pre-Team 1 is an invite only in-house competitive team for our 6-12 year old gymnasts.  Our coaches are looking for body control, strength, flexibility and the love of gymnastics. This team meets twice a week for 90 minutes each practice. They are working to perfect the Level 1 and 2 Developmental Skills designated by USA Gymnastics with a focus on the three building blocks of gymnastics; strength, flexibility and body shapes. 

​Xcel Prep

 Xcel Prep introduces the skills necessary to compete the four events in Women's Gymnastics (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise) at the Xcel Bronze level.  This class will prepare gymnasts for competition by training proper techniques for each skill.  Once ready the gymnast will enter the Xcel competitive program.

The four events in women’s gymnastics (vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise), each require incredible strength and flexibility.  As such, parents and gymnasts must remember that while most sports have seasons, gymnastics is a year-round commitment for athletes at the competitive levels.  USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, provides two avenues for competitive gymnastics; the Junior Olympic Program and the Xcel Program.

Developmental Program (Formerly USAG Junior Olympic Program)

​The Developmental Program was developed with the belief all athletes, regardless of their potential, must have a solid foundation of basic skills in order to advance safely. The program allows the gymnast to advance at her own pace, on occasion, competing in more than one level in a year.​  BRAG's Developmental Program is divided into two groups; Compulsory (Levels 3-5) and Optional (Levels 6-10).  The Compulsory Levels are progressive in nature, building upon the skills required at the previous level.  Competitive opportunities are provided up to and including the USA Gymnastics State Championships.  With Optional Levels 6-10, Levels 6, 7, 8, and 9 have difficulty restrictions, while Level 10 has no restrictions in the skill choice.  Levels 6 and 7 have competitive opportunities up to and including State Championships.  Additional competitive opportunities are provided for Levels 8-10, with the Level 10 competitive season culminating at the USA Gymnastics National Championships, Level 9 at the Eastern Championships and Level 8 at the Regional Championships.  Generally, to be considered for a collegiate scholarship in the sport of gymnastics, a gymnast has competitive experience as a Level 10 gymnast.

​Xcel Program
The Xcel Program is designed to offer a broad-based, affordable competitive experience outside the traditional Developmental Program.  The Xcel Program has five competitive levels; Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.  There are USA Gymnastics State Championships at each Xcel level.

​​Xcel is a great program for gymnasts that:

• Are at a variety of ages, abilities, and commitment levels; and want to enjoy all the benefits that gymnastics has to offer while having more flexibility than the Developmental Program.

• Have a passion for gymnastics and want to stay involved in the sport for the long term, while not striving for the goal of being a Level 10 or Elite gymnast.

• Cannot be in the gym the number of hours the Junior Olympic Program requires due to other activities or sports but still want to be a competitive gymnast.

• Have fears of skills the Junior Olympic and Compulsory Programs require.  In Xcel, the skill requirements are more flexible.

BRAG's competitive Trampoline and Tumbling (T&T) Team focuses on three of the four USA Gymnastics T&T events — trampoline, power tumbling, and double mini-trampoline.  Both men and women can participate in all the events.  Some gymnasts choose to focus on just one area, while others participate in multiple events.

​Trampoline
As a sport, trampoline varies greatly from recreational bouncing.  International competition trampolines are larger and more powerful than traditional “backyard” models, propelling trained athletes as high as 30 feet in the air during performances.  During two competitive routines of 10 skills each, upper-level athletes can easily demonstrate a graceful array of double, triple, and twisting somersaults.

Power Tumbling
Power tumbling is performed on elevated runways, generally designed with fiberglass rods underneath, that help tumblers propel themselves higher than a basketball goal as they demonstrate speed, strength, and skill while executing a series of acrobatic maneuvers.  Explosive somersaults with multiple flips and twists are performed by the top-level contenders.

​Double Mini-Trampoline
Double mini-trampoline combines the horizontal run of tumbling with the vertical rebound of trampoline.  After a short run, the athlete jumps onto a small two-level trampoline to perform a rebounding trick immediately followed by a dismount element onto a landing mat.

 Tumbling and Trampoline Prep

Tumbling and Trampoline Prep is a preparatory training program for gymnasts that train in Tumbling, Trampoline, and Double Mini with the ultimate goal of becoming a member of BRAG's Competitive Tumbling and Trampoline Team.  This invitation only class will prepare gymnasts for competition by training proper techniques for each apparatus.  Once ready, the gymnast will be invited to join the competitive Tumbling and Trampoline Team.