Olympia Gives Back During National Gymnastics Day

Olympia Gymnastics, Ninja City, and Team Central will be hosting special events throughout September to recognize National Gymnastics Day. This year we are partnering with St. Louis Children's Hospital to assist in raising money for the Hospital and their special needs for the children they serve. Our gyms will be hosting Special KNO or KDO throughout September and 100% of the proceeds from these events will be donated to St. Louis Children's Hospital. 

Every choice, every rotation, every drill, every long night/day, every word we speak in the gym is based on our mission to build happy, healthy, confident kids. Unfortunately, not every child has the simple opportunity to be happy, healthy, and confident. This year for National Gymnastics Day, all 9 of our gyms are uniting to make an impact on the circumstances that keep kids from living our mission. Together, we are raising money to benefit St. Louis Children’s Hospital and help the children in our gyms understand the joy and necessity of giving back to the community. Join us in working toward our mission by donating to St. Louis Children's Hospital!

Any and all donations help us reach our goal! We have many ways you can contribute to this goal. 

• Attend one of our Kid's Night Out events (and bring a friend)
• Invite Friends and Share Online Through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Contribute to our Donation Box located in our Gym Lobbies 
• Go online and donate

2016 Road to Rio Spring Performance

During the month of May, our gyms are transformed to reflect this year's theme of "Road to Rio". This event is a fan favorite and allows the gymnasts, tumblers, and ninja's to show off their skills they have been working so hard on over the past few months.

This year's theme was Road to Rio to celebrate the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Each spring student receives “TOP” scores as they perform their skills before a crowd of raving fans. Children shine, family and friends beam and coaches are filled with pride. The annual spring performance is a super confidence building event packed with fun. Our staff look forward to it every year.

Spring Performance Dates:
Manchester: May 2 - 7 (Ninja May 5-7), Mid Rivers: May 14-19, Chesterfield: May 21-26, Ellisville: May 13-15 & 20-22, Festus: May 16-21 

Wonderful Character Lesson for all the Children

by Ray Overmann, Owner of Olympiad/Executive Director of Team Central

I have been attending the Stan Musial Awards for several years.  It illustrates heart warming examples of life lessons that I believe you and your children will benefit from watching.
The Stan Musial Awards were held on December 5th at the Peabody Opera House.  There was an encore presentation broadcast of the show on Christmas day at noon on KSDK Channel 5.

You can watch the show online.  Here is more information regarding the show and broadcast.

Olympiad Tips for Choosing a Summer Camp

There are so many options to choose from for your child's summer activities.  If you are interested in choosing a summer camp for your child this summer, here are a few tips in choosing:

2016 Summer Opportunities Fair is
Saturday January 30 10:00a-3:00p at
John Burroughs School

1. Do Your Research, look for a camp early!  There are several options for you to get information on summer camps in the St. Louis area.  You have various Summer Camp Expos that are hosted early in the year, St. Louis Magazine offers a camp guide, you can also check out the Summer Opportunities Fair where you can visit different vendors and learn more about their summer opportunities, this fair is usually hosted in late January. Many camps will offer "early bird" specials, so getting the jump on camps early in the year may save you money too.

Things to consider:

• History & Philosophy
• Safety
• Certified Staff
• Schedule 
• Ratios
• Accommodations of special needs

2. Location, Location, Location...

Unless you choose to send your child to a sleep-away camp, you’ll need to find a camp that is close to your home or work. This is helpful in case of an emergency you will be close. Another thing to think about getting the right location is choosing the right location increases your chances of seeing some familiar faces such as, friends from school or neighborhood or activities your child is involved in.  

3. Look for camps that are ALL-WEATHER 
Summer can be loads of fun, but keep in mind St. Louis summers can also bring thunderstorms, hot days and bugs.  You will want to look for a camp that provides air conditioning and/or alternate indoor activities when the weather is not cooperating, to keep kids safe from sun exposure, heat exhaustion and severe weather. 

4. Safety is Key!

If possible, it is important to visit the camp facility prior to choosing.  You can look at several things while visiting:

• Is the facility clean and void of safety issues or hazards
• What are the emergency procedures and policies
• Have the staff been appropriately trained, certified in safety, First Aid and/or CPR
• Is there plenty of supervision in and around the facility
• If the campers go off location, what are the procedures and policies

5. Look for the camp that is a perfect fit for your FAMILY!

There are so many options here is St. Louis to make choosing the best camp for your family easy.  To help you make your decision, try making a list of your family's need and wants.  

Jot down what your child needs and what they want, make sure all (or most) of your needs are met.  Needs may be location, safety, price, schedule or special need accommodations and wants may include fun activities, friends, learning, camp themes. 

Whatever you choose, have a great Summer and have LOADS of FUN!

by: Shelly Peterson

Healthy Snacking for After School

AFTER SCHOOL HEALTHY SNACKS!

ANTS ON A LOG (prep time - 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
5 Celery Sticks
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries

Directions:
Cut the celery sticks in half
Spread the peanut butter
Sprinkle the raisins or cranberries
(allrecipies.com)




FRUIT KABOBS (prep time - 10 minutes)


Ingredients:
Skewers (I find them in the baking aisle at my grocery store
Strawberries
Orange chunks
Pineapple chunks
Kiwi chunks
Grapes 

*Please feel free to swap fruits in and out as you see fit. (blueberries, raspberries, green grapes, and bananas). 

Directions:
Wash and prepare all of your fruit by cutting the oranges, pineapple, and kiwi into chunks. Take a skewer and begin adding one piece of fruit at a time. Start with a strawberry, then add an orange, pineapple, kiwi, and finally grapes.

(Recipe: http://www.centercutcook.com/rainbow-fruit-kabobs)



APPLE SANDWICHES (prep time - 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 small apples, cored and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
3 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons granola

Directions
If you won't be eating these tasty treats right away, start by brushing the apples slices with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Spread one side of half of the apple slices with peanut or almond butter then sprinkle with chocolate chips and granola. Top with remaining apple slices, pressing down gently to make the sandwiches. Transfer to napkins or plates and serve. (wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes)



Granola, Yogurt, Berry Parfait (prep time - 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups your favorite granola
2 cups fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and/or other fruit such as bananas, peaches or mangos (peeled and sliced)
4 tablespoons honey (optional)

Directions:
Line up parfait or any kids cup
Spoon 2 tablespoons of yogurt into each cup and smooth surface
Spoon 2 tablespoons of granola overtop and smooth surface
Spoon 2 tablespoons of fuit over top and smooth surface
Repeat the process, adding a bit of honey here and there to taste

Courtesy Bob Blumer, Surreal Gourmet
Compliments of http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/granola-yogurt-berry-parfait-recipe.html?oc=linkback

SPECIAL KIDS NIGHT OUT

Olympiad Ellisville runs a lot of special events; from birthday parties on the weekends to Kids Day Out on weekday mornings.  We also have a Kids Night Out program once a month on Saturday nights where parents can drop off their kids, enjoy a date night, and we’ll ensure their children have a blast in the gym!

We recently ran an event that we were very passionate about and very excited to offer to the community.  It was different than our regular Kids Night Out’s – for this special event we wanted to honor a gymnast that we recently lost.  Macy Tolbert, age 7 passed away unexpectedly from suspected meningitis.  Macy, a triplet, took classes alongside her sisters Ella and Sydney, and we’ve also been able to get to know and love her parents, Shelly and Christian.  Macy's family has been active in our gym for the past several years.  The staff decided to hold a Kids Night Out to benefit Macy’s memorial fund.  Staff right away jumped in to volunteer their time, and we worked to secure food donations from the community so that all profits could benefit Macy’s memorial to assist with medical bills and funeral expenses.

Macy’s Kids Night Out ran last Friday, August 5 from 6-10pm.  We had 64 kids in attendance and a great staff that volunteered their time for the event!  The children enjoyed gymnastics rotations, group games and everyone’s favorite- fort building!  With great support from our customers and community, we were able to raise about $1500 for a great purpose.  Seeing so many happy and smiling faces running, flipping and cartwheeling was a fantastic reminder of why we do what we do everyday.

Olympiad would like to thank everyone who took part in the event!  Also, a special thanks to the Woodford, Duggan, Sabados and Bouras families for their donations of food and supplies.  Pizza Pizza was kind enough to provide us with some tasty pizza pies, and Gulf Shores Restaurant donated a very yummy salad.  We are incredibly blessed with a caring staff who gave their time on a Friday night for a superb reason: Kelly Blanner, Darcy Bates, Jamie Spies, Amanda Major, Morgan Kapp, Jennifer Duggan, Amy Bell, Will Stokley, Sarah Trice and Joy Ordaz.

View this very touching tribute to Macy Tolbert, she will be missed by many http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlKh36TYKQc

If you would like to learn more about Olympiad Gymnastics in St. Louis, please visit our website at www.olympiadgymnastics.org