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kiddie cartwheel club saftey rules and recommendations

GENERAL:

  • All participants must be enrolled in one of our host locations or registered for a park class to be eligible for Kiddie Cartwheel Club programs. If your child is not currently enrolled in a host program, reach out to your school or contact us about park options!

  • Everyone participating in any activity conducted by Kiddie Cartwheel Club is required to sign a “Release of Liability, Waiver and Assumption of Risk” before starting classes. All participants under 18, a parent or legal guardian must also sign.

  • All Kiddie Cartwheel Club staff/instructors are required to pass the following:

    • Background check (must complete screening process every 2 years) 

    • U110: U.S. Center for Safe Sport Course

    • U112: Tough Coaching or Emotional Abuse Course

    • U113: Safe Sport Policy Course

    • Concussion education 

 

The Club's Role in Safety: Safety is a priority for us at Kiddie Cartwheel Club and we adhere to the following to ensure safety of our staff, participants, and anyone else who otherwise engages in our programs:​

  • Our policies and procedures ensure adequate supervision;

  • Our instructional activities are planned and carefully scrutinized for safety;

  • We conduct frequent inspections of the physical environment;

  • We conduct timely repairs or removal of identified hazards;

  • We have policies and procedures that educate students on safety aspects of the specific skills and activities that they undertake;

  • We have provisions for medical care;

  • We ensure coaching knowledge is equal to the instructional tasks and upgraded continuously;

  • We ensure instruction is up-to-date and properly applied to all skills;

  • We carefully plan instruction that considers the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student; and record all program activities.

  • We maintain ZERO TOLERANCE for any abuse of students and staff. We do not tolerate abuse in any form. Every student and staff has the right to participate in safety, no matter what;

  • As a USAG member club we are required to have a policy consistent with USA Gymnastics’ Safe Sport Policy that affirms its commitment to the welfare of gymnastics participants in its organization. USA Gymnastics Member Clubs also must adopt USA Gymnastics’ Prevention Policies and are strongly encouraged to enforce more comprehensive Proactive Policies tailored specifically to their club;

  • We maintain a duty to report prohibited conduct;

  • Any adult under USA Gymnastics’ Jurisdiction must report Child Abuse immediately. This requirement begins when an adult learns of facts that give reason to suspect any child has suffered an incident of Child Abuse or that adult is informed of an allegation of Child Abuse. Reports must be made immediately both to relevant government agencies and the U.S. Center for SafeSport;

  • Gymnastics apparatus and equipment is checked to ensure that it is adequate for the skills, ages, sizes, and abilities of the gymnasts using the apparatus and/or equipment;

  • We maintain an appropriate student: instructor/ratio. Student to instructor/ratios can range from one student with one or more instructors to many students with one or more instructors. The number of students under the care and direction of an instructor should be consistent with the:

    • level of ability and experience of the instructor,

    • skill level of the student,

    • age and gender of the student,

    • type of tasks being practiced, and

    • available space, type of equipment and other distractions;

  • We believe that children are not miniature adults. Growing up is a complex process that is replete with size, physiological, perceptual, and motor changes that occur as the child grows and matures.

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The Student's/Families Role in Safety: In light of the responsibilities of gymnasts in training and performance, gymnasts should be aware of the following points.

  • Appreciate the risk of the activity. Gymnasts should be familiar with the skills or activities they are performing and understand the difficulty level and risk involved. The climate of training should encourage gymnasts to investigate those aspects of skills that they do not understand. Instructors/ coaches should take a moment when introducing a skill or drill to inform the gymnast of what might happen if the gymnast does not follow instructions or if the gymnast fails to perform the drills correctly;

  • Be supervised. Gymnasts should never engage in activity without supervision. By definition, if gymnasts are unsupervised then they are not being instructed. Through supervision and instruction, coaches, instructors and others are able to supply gymnasts with feedback and spot errors in technique;

  • Waiting for supervision implies that a gymnast knows that unsupervised practice is unacceptable. Once the gymnast knows that unsupervised practice is unacceptable, then he/she should always wait for a competent vigorously discourage horseplay among themselves and others;

  • Dress appropriately. Gymnasts should wear appropriate attire for all activities. Clothing, whether too baggy or too tight, can impede movements and reduce safety. Gymnasts should not wear jewelry. Even simple earrings can be caught on a sleeve during an arm swing and tear the skin of the ear. Rings can become caught in chalk and cut fingers;

  • Control personal grooming. Gymnasts should wear their hair so that vision is not impaired. Hair appliances instructor before beginning activity. Gymnasts should also can become a dangerous projectile, cut the scalp during gymnastics movements, or, particularly items that dangle, become a serious danger when the gymnast swings his/ her head about. Ponytails and items in long hair can strike the gymnast in the eye following a violent head movement. Fingernails and toenails should be trimmed to prevent cutting the gymnast or a spotter. Eyeglasses should be secured to prevent slipping. Dangling jewelry from a pierced body part may become entangled in clothing or with a spotter and result in injury;

  • Families please ensure your child is prepared to participate. Gymnasts who are ill, angry, fatigued, frustrated, worried or otherwise unable to concentrate invite injury. Gymnasts should be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to perform; gymnasts or their parents should report to the coach or instructor anything that will compromise their ability to participate. Gymnasts taking medication should obtain clearance from a physician that indicates that the medication will not interfere with gymnastics activity. Gymnasts suffering from an illness should inform the coach, obtain clearance from a physician prior to participation, and closely monitor their condition and ability to perform;

  • Master basic skills. Gymnasts should know how to perform basic skills prior to learning more advanced skills. Gymnasts should communicate their comfort level with skills as they are presented and mastered. Additionally, gymnasts should follow proper progressions in learning new and more difficult skills;

  • Know the skill. Gymnasts should thoroughly and completely understand all skills they attempt. Gymnasts can study skills by experiencing the skills and lead ups themselves. Gymnasts can also study skills by viewing video or film of the skill, watch other athletes performing the skills, and other methods;

  • Commit to the entire skill. Gymnasts should always follow through and perform the entire skill. When a gymnast stops in the middle of a skill, regardless of the reason, he/she increases the risk of injury to both herself/himself and to a spotter;

  • Know personal limitations. Personal limitations may involve skill, experience, illness, injury, and other factors. Gymnasts should not pursue skills or activities that exceed their current abilities.

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The staff at Kiddie Cartwheel Club reserves the right to restrict or deny access to anyone who in the staffs opinion violates any of these rules performs in a reckless manner which endangers themselves or others.

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