TWISTED NEWS

In This Issue

The Power of a Back

Handspring with Will

Stokes

Upcoming Events

August Contest

Winners

New to the Twister

Family

Twisters in The News

News from the PAB

August Athlete of the

Month Winners:

Hanover: Madison

Gillespie of Hail

Sterling: Darby Wright

of Dew Drops

Maryland Twisters Newsletter September 2016

With Coach Will Stokes

A back handspring is the second most important tumbling skill. The back handspring is a transition skill that helps build power in a pass. It is also crucial to start a standing tumbling pass. For these reasons a strong powerful back handspring is vital to good tumbling. Mastering back handsprings is critical to being a good tumbler. We will discuss a back handspring in running tumbling, standing tumbling, and how to condition for a good back handspring. In a tumbling pass, back handsprings allow an athlete to connect skills. Handsprings can follow round-offs, or other flipping skills. It allows an athlete build power for a more dynamic skill to follow. Whether doing a back handspring coming out of a round-off or a double full, the skill allows multiple element to fit in a pass. In standing tumbling, most begin with a back handspring. From level 2 which allows a standing back handspring to level 5 which is standing back handsprings to double full, it is vital to have good technique for a powerful back handspring. The major parts of a back handspring are the sit, jump, handstand, snap down and rebound. Let’s discuss each part and how to condition the body for the best technique.

Sit: The first part of the handspring where the athlete transitions from a standing position backward to a sitting position to initiate the momentum for the back handspring. Exercise: 1: Start in a standing position and move to the sitting position on a mat. Make sure the arms swing back behind the body, and the back is straight. Exercise: 2: Wall sits. Sit with your back against the wall and knees at a 90 degree angle. Hold this position for a few minutes at a time to strengthen your legs and back.

Continued to next page

Eye showing their support for our beloved Jimmy!

Attention all WORLDS

athlets!

All Worlds athletes are required to

have a government issued ID at

Worlds this year!

Acceptable forms of IDs:

State ID Cards

Driver’s License

Passport

Athletes must carry an original ID

Upcoming Events:

Danell Leyva is coming to Hanover!

November 9th, 5:30-8:30 pm Join us for this Tumbling Camp with Olympic Silver Medalist,

Danell Leyva. Register here: http://pro.camps/Yq6cPal

Half Year Try Outs for

Sterling - November 12th, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Hanover - December 3rd, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Registration will be available online.

More details coming soon!

Twisters Showcase

December 4th Both gyms will showcase under one roof.

More details coming soon!

Jump: The second part of the movement where weight is transferred from the feet to hands traveling backward. The body becomes airborne and the hands will make contact with the ground. Exercise 1: With a foam pit behind you sit and jump back and land on the crash mat. You should land on back in a hollow body. Exercise 2: Burpees with a stretch jumps or squat jumps.

Handstand: After the jump, the hands make contact with the ground to begin the snap down. You must be able to support the weight of your body and the forces created when jumping backward. Exercise 1: Learn to lever into a handstand and hold or do handstands against a wall. Exercise 2: Condition by doing regular push-ups or handstand push-ups.

Snap down: In the snap down, two things happen. There is a push or shrug from the shoulders to get the hands off the floor. The feet transition back to the ground in a quick “snap” like motion. Exercise 1: Handstand hops are where the athlete levers forward and as the hands make contact with the ground pushes

through the shoulders and hops off the ground lands back in handstand. Exercise 2: Snap downs are when in an athlete is in a handstand with a slight arch and pulls their toes to the ground as their

chest and arms come up and finish in a standing position.

Rebound: The upward movement after transition back to the feet where the athlete is propelled into the air and then lands back on the performing surface. Exercise 1: Agility drills that include bounding across the floor on your toes, or bounding side to side over a line on your toes. Exercise 2: Calf raises to strengthen you lower leg and ankle. The next transition would be to connect the round off to the back handspring. When connecting the two elements, there will not be a sit or jump as described above. The punch from the round off will create the same momentum as the sit and jump in the standing back handspring. Also, the back handspring should only be taught after mastering the basics of a handstand, back walk over, and a back bend kick over. This will insure the athlete understands how to transition momentum backward and can support one’s own weight.

Alyssa Albright, Devon Allessandrino, Madison Allessandrino, Michelle Audrade, Kaitlyn Biser, Isabella

Bissett, Destini Bowman, Karina Burgman, Megan Buss, Kylie Cropp, Chloe Eichenlaub, Sarah Kaitlyn

Goldstein, Rylie Gross, Juliette Hill, Megan January, Alana Johnson, Sarah Kenny, Casey Knopp,

Lailah Kofie, Avery Malek, Karin McGinnis, Jessica Mosley, Morgan Nasir, Lillian Nodell, Sierra Pare,

Anthony Paris, David Pellegrini, Kaitlyn Piedrahita, Dyon Preston, Ansley Robertson, Sammi Senio,

Abigail Stinson, Victoria VanRossem, Hannah Walker, Jadyn Washington, Halle Williams, Justin

Williams, Avery Yelton, Payton Zampiello

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Congratulations! To the following teams for winning the August

Tosses and Jumps Contest!

JT Bergman

Coach of Mist

Growing up in the northern Virginia area, I have cheered my entire life including all star and high school competition teams. I was an All American Cheerleader and featured in American Cheerleader Magazine. I love both coaching and being a tumble instructor. My style is being positive and building up confidence in the athletes and teams. I've been coaching all star for over five years and am so excited to have joined the Maryland Twisters! When I'm not in the gym I enjoy spending family time with my two little boys and painting. CHEERS to the best season yet - GO TWISTERS GO!

Carlos Munoz

Coach of Forecast and Tumbling Coach

As an athlete I started my career in college at Northeastern University in Boston, MA where we made top 10 at NCA nationals every year we competed and where my last year we won the Grand National championship. The next 2 years I spent at Louisville wining another back to back grand championships making it 3 in a row. At Louisville I also competed, and coached for GymTyme Allstars where we won NCA Dallas open both years I competed . After that I moved back to Boston and cheered professionally for the Boston Celtics and coached at Celebrity All Stars, now ECE. After my 2 years there I moved to Maryland where I coached for University of Maryland and won back to back NCA all girl national championships. After that I retired for a couple of years only performing for the NBA and consulting. In 2012 I found a home with Infinity All Stars where I consulted and coached with the staff 2 years after I joined the coaching staff, 2 years later Infinity was acquired by Cheertyme where I stayed for 2 years. And now I am happy to be at MD twisters. `

Robby Carmack

Coach of Sprinkles and Vortex

I was born and raised in the DC Metropolitan area and started his all-star career in 2007. I have competed at many competitions including NCA/NDA All Star Nationals, Cheersport Nationals, and both USASF's Cheerleading and Dance Worlds. I’ve been coaching all-star cheerleading and dance since 2008. From 2010-2012 I was the Head JV cheer coach and the Assistant Varsity coach at Dominion High School in Sterling, VA. I joined the Twisters family in 2010 and competed on the International Coed 5 team, Black Ice. This is my first year coaching at Maryland Twisters and I couldn’t be more excited to work with the talented coaching staff at both the Sterling and Hanover gyms. This season I am coaching 2 teams at the Sterling gym, Sprinkles and Vortex. My favorite Twisters memory is the Cheerleading Worlds in 2011. Worlds 2011 was memorable because Black Ice made their first appearance at Worlds and F5 won the Large All-Girl division. In my free time, I love spending time with my family and friends, trying new restaurants, and having movie marathons.

“I would like to send out a big thank you to all the

teams for honoring Jimmy this month at weekend

practices by wearing ORANGE and posting to social

media. Jimmy's family appreciates your love

and support.”

Love, Coach Sharon

Blake Forry on the cover of Inside Cheerleading Magazine!

Mist and Thunder showing their love for our Jimmy!

Sterling Mini’s having fun at Bring a Bestie Night!

News From The

Parent’s Advisory Board:

It’s not them it’s you. Ok, this one is going to be tough to read as a parent but stay with us; it will be worth it. A recent article in Lohud, part of the USA Today network, talked about the other (potentially negative) variable in youth sports, parents. Gasp. Not you of course. The other parents. But read on, just to see how you can help someone else. In this article Butch Harmon, the top PGA golf instructor in the U.S talks about a father who gladly fly’s his talented, athletic son in for $1000 per hour lessons. As the story progresses you hear Butch describe how the father was interfering with the coaching process, and when Butch finally asks the father to leave, the son actually thanks him for it. Although the boy is grateful for all his father does, the added pressure he brings by interfering with coaching and practices is too much. Bringing that back to cheer;

Are you by chance the parent that notices the sign on the gym door saying “no parents beyond this point” but goes in anyway? You just need to let the coaches know one thing about your child. Plus, they don’t really, mean you. Is your athlete at the gym on off days not because your coach wants them there, or they want to be there but, because you think they should be there? Are you on the phone or email to the coach the minute your child gets moved to the back row of jumps?

Most helicopter parents come from a good place. You want nothing but the best for your athlete, and they deserve it! However, it’s very possible if you let them go a bit, and let the coaches plan fully play out, your athlete may reach levels they didn’t even know were possible. Give it a try, as difficult as it is, the results could be just what your athlete needs. Source: http://www.lohud.com/story/sports/2016/09/21/butch-harmon-pga-golf-parents/90313584/

September’s Athlete of the Month

Hanover:

Madison Gillespie - Hail

“Madison has been a wonderful addition to Hail. She is a hard worker with a positive attitude and will try anything we ask. She has become one of our strongest flyers and we are so glad to have her. Great job so far!

Keep it up.”

~ Coach Matt T.

How does Madison standout on her team?

Madison is a hard worker. She was the first stunt group to hit our first stunt section!

What would Madison’s teammates say about her?

Her teammates would say she is a quiet hard worker. She doesn't complain she just does her

job.

How have you seen her improve since this summer?

Madison has been working hard with her level 4 stunting skills and it shows. She has gained

a new level of confidence in the air.

Coach Matt T, Ashley, and Brittany

Sterling:

Darby Wright - Dew Drops

What makes Darby standout on his team?

Darby is always working on her skills even when there is down time at practice.

She picks up new skills quickly, takes extra classes outside of her team practice, and is a

hard worker. As her coach, I am able to put her in any position and I know that she will

be able to handle it and do it well! Darby is always willing to learn and try new things!

What do you see in Darby’s future?

Darby is naturally talented. With continuous hard work, the possibilities are endless for

her! I look forward to watching her continue to excel this season. And one day I

see Darby evolving into an awesome athlete and a future F5 girl!

How does Darby contribute to her team?

She is a fast learner and has tried all different positions on the team. In the past couple

of months she has achieved a consistent back walkover, started working on her back

handspring, and is learning to base and backspot. When her coaches are teaching

something she is quiet and listening, the other girls pick this up and listen too!

What would Darby’s teammates say about her?

She can be silly and is a fun teammate. Darby gets along with everyone, and puts a

smile on everyone's face. We love having her on Dew Drops!

Coach Chelsey and Mandy

“I love having Darby on the team! She is a strong, versatile athlete. She picks up new skills quickly and I can count on her to be a team player. I can't wait to see how much

she grows this season!”

~ Coach Chelsey

“She always has a great

attitude, is on time and

ready to work. Kayleigh

stepped up as a strong base

when we pulled her from

flying and continues to

work hard at every

practice.”

~ Coach JT

September Nominees:

Kayleigh Rae Trent - Mist Trinity Smith - Freeze

“Trinity has done an great

job in her role as a new level

2 flyer. She is consistently

hitting her stunts and

shines with her huge

smile!”

~ Coach Shonte

Jake Hurman - Cobalt

“Jake has really seemed to impress us so far this

season. Setting goals of tumbling skills and

achieving them already he shows nothing but

dedication and determination to his team and this

program. Such a hard worker going above and

beyond what is ask he really is a stand out athlete

and a joy to coach. His fun spunky personality is

definitely starting to show as he gets comfortable

amongst his peers at Maryland Twisters. We love

having him as a member of cobalt 16-17!!!”

~ Coach Kenney

Megan McCool - Forecast London Beckford - Sidewinders Raegan Mihalic - Velocity “Megan is one of the younger girls on the

team, but one of our hardest workers. She

listens to what we say and applies it to the

skill until she gets it right. She's always

going the extra mile, tumbling any

downtime chance she gets, sometimes we

literally have to say Megan STOP

tumbling and go take a break. Megan's

hard work is paying off, everyday she is

progressing into a better athlete than she

was the day before.. I am so proud to be her

coach.”

~ Coach Mandy

“London is wonderful to

coach! She always gives

110%, is respectful and

always pushes herself to

be better! London is the

perfect example of a

Maryland Twister ath-

lete!”

~ Coach Krissy

“Raegan has impressed all of us

since this summer! She is a

hard worker and keeps

improving! Keep up the hard

work Raegan!”

~ Coach Sheldon

Maryland Twisters enhancing your athlete through the sport of cheerleading

Contact Us

Give us a call for more

information about our services

and products

Maryland Twisters

HANOVER

7460 New Ridge Road

Hanover, MD 21076

(410) 766-8729

STERLING

23714 Overland Drive

Sterling, VA 20166

(703) 665-2284

info@marylandtwisters.com

Visit us on the web at

www.marylandtwisters.com

Follow us:

FB: facebook.com/

MarylandTwistersHanover/

facebook.com/

MarylandTwistersVirginia/

IG: www.instagram.com/

themdtwisters/

Twitter: twitter.com/

TheMDTwisters

Mobile App: search

Maryland Twisters in the app

store.

Morgan King - Thunder

“Morgan comes to every practice ready to work hard. She is always a respectful and

takes corrections from her coaches and apples them without question. Starting off this

season Morgan did not have her Back hand spring without a spot. Today she can do

series back hand springs and is now working on specialtiy combination passes. As a

flyer Morgan is committed to being the best she can be in the air. She stretches every

day and it shows. When she is not home she is in the gym working on her flexibility

and tumble skill in her privates. She is a team player always willing to go the extra

mile. Morgan is a pleasure to coach. Her can do attitude and determination is a

unmatched by anyone else on the team. It is without hesitation that we nominate Mor-

gan King for Athlete of the Month from THUNDER”

~ Coach Hollis

Mollie Upchurch - F5

“Mollie is a new athlete at Maryland Twisters and is new to F5 as well. This

summer has been full of challenges for her. She has been taking privates to

improve her transitional flying skills, and working on cleaning up her specialty

to double pass (RO 1.5 twists through to double). Meanwhile, she is being

indoctrinated to the Twister way and the expectations of F5. She is completing the

two conditioning homework assignments outside of practice. This is a lot of work

for a young athlete in such a short time. However, she has faced it all with smiles

and a joyful attitude. She comes to practice ready to work and constantly pushes

herself to be better. The reason she was chosen as F5’s athlete of the month is the

huge strides she has made this month. She is flying more confidently, and

hitting harder transitional stunts. Her tumbling is cleaner and more

consistent. Congrats Mollie! The coaches are proud of you. Keep up the good work!

And like NCA says “The Work is Worth IT!”

~ Coach Will