Spend your December Vacation with Exxcel!

There are still spaces left in Exxcel’s exciting December vacation camp which runs Dec. 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 29th, 30th, 31st and Jan. 2nd.

Half (9AM-12PM) or Full Day (9AM-3PM) and Extended Day (8-9AM and 3-5PM) options are available for ages 3+. A signed waiver is needed for each child (download on the Exxcel Home Page). Campers will enjoy gymnastics, climbing, bungee, zip line, arts & crafts, circus arts, games, and much more! Call the office today at (617) 244-3300 to register. See you in the gym!

Customer Appreciation Board

Here at Exxcel Gymnastics, we appreciate your patronage. As a way to say thank you, we’ve started a monthly customer appreciation raffle. Look for the entry box on the bulletin board outside the girls restroom. Enter to win cool prizes like Gas Cards, Coffee Shop Gift Certificates and more! Last month's winner won a Hess gas card. This month, we're giving away a free Kids' Night Out. Enter today!

Introducing GymTrendz!

Just in time for the holidays, GymTrendz is a new line by Exxcel that specializes in gymnastics-inspired apparel, jewelry and gifts.

Fun and flexible, GymTrendz carries clothes that breathe and stretch with your body. See what GymTrendz has to offer so that you can look good on the outside and shine on the inside!

Available at Exxcel or on the Web at http://www.gymtrendz.bigcartel.com/. You can pick the items up at Exxcel, or we'll deliver the fun and festive packages directly to your door. Shop today!

A new session and a new month means....

A new Skill of the Month!

December's Skill of the Month is the Hollow Body position. The Hollow Body position is one of the most important fundamental body positions in gymnastics. Hollow is the opposite of Arch.

Gymnasts hold and move through this position in many gymnastic skills, from beginner to advanced, on all apparatus. It requires the gymnast to engage all her muscles, most importantly the muscles in the core of the body.

To achieve a Hollow Body position, a gymnast can concentrate on curving the stomach and chest inward until the back is flat on the ground. However, Hollow Body position doesn’t have to be performed lying down. It can be done in the air and on the hands as well.

Next Month:
Bridge

Kids' Night Out this Saturday!

Looking for something fun for the kids to do on a Saturday night? There are still spaces left in Exxcel's Winter Wonderland Kids' Night Out this Saturday (12/13) from 6:30-9:30 PM. Take a few hours to wrap presents, finish holiday shopping, or enjoy your own night out! The cost is $40 per child, but the 3rd sibling is free! A signed waiver is needed for each child attending Kid’s Night Out. Call the office at (617) 244-3300 for more info or to sign up. See you in the gym!

Exxcel Gymnastics on USA Gymnastics Web Site!

We opened up the homepage for USA Gymnastics the other day and were pleasantly surprised to see the smiling faces of a few Exxcel gymnasts! Check it out - the girls are in one of the slideshow pics getting autographs at the Visa Championships from Miss Liukin herself. Way to represent girls!

New in the Winter Session - AERIAL STARS!

Aerial Stars is brand NEW 2-hour class that will introduce students to the dazzling and gravity-defying art of Aerial Fabrics. In this visually stunning exercise, students will learn to twist, twirl and climb on the ribbon-like fabrics.

The class is taught by Rustam—an experienced circus performer whose resume includes top spots in some of the most famous circuses from around the globe!
Ages 7 +

NOW ENROLLING for WINTER

We are currently enrolling for the winter session which runs Dec. 8th-March 14th. Preferred Client Enrollment has ended and Exxcel will now accept new enrollment and class transfers. Classes are filling up fast -- call today to get your preferred class and time. (617) 244-3300

Preferred Client Enrollment Ends Soon! Call today to reserve your spot!

There are only a few days left of Preferred Client Enrollment (PCE)! Classes are filling up fast, but the same class, day, and time is guaranteed with payment during PCE. On Monday, Nov. 17th, Exxcel will accept new registrations and class changes. If you're trying to switch into a different class, give us a call or stop by on Monday. The office opens at 8:30 AM.

November's Skill of the Month - The Scale!

The Scale is a basic body position performed on the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise to show precise body control. Scales encourage focus, strength, balance and coordination, among other things.

A Scale is done by leaning slightly forward, and holding one leg as high as possible upward and backward. The arms should be to the sides or backward, the chest should be lifted, and the legs should be straight.

There are many Scale modifications practiced in recreational gymnastics classes. Look for them first performed on the knee or supported by the hands. A fun way to practice a Scale is to approach it from a Lunge (October’s Skill of the Month!).

Next Month: Hollow Body Position

Lost and Found Clean-Out...

Exxcel's Lost & Found closet will be cleaned out and packed up for donation on November 7th. If you think you may have left something at the gym, please make sure to stop by and check out the closet before then. Thanks!

2008 World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars...A must see!

It was great to see many of our Exxcel gymnasts out in support of the Olympic superstars this past Sunday at the tour stop in Boston. The athletes put on an amazing performance that rivaled anything you'd see in a circus or concert. I've been to the shows after the last 2 Olympics and this one topped them all by far. They've already been through Boston, but if you get a chance to catch the show anywhere else, I highly recommend it.

Reserve your spot for the Winter Session!

It's that time again...Preferred Client Enrollment starts November 3rd and runs for 2 weeks. Same class, day and time is guaranteed with payment during Preferred Client Enrollment. Stop by or call the office to register. There are no new class release forms to fill out.

On Monday, November 17th, Exxcel will accept registrations for class changes and new client enrollment.

Exxcel’s Winter Session runs December 8, 2008 through March 14, 2009.

Please note, Exxcel will be closed on Thursday, December 25th & Thursday, January 1st for the holidays.

We will be offering Special Makeup Classes for all Thursday classes on Sunday, January 11th from 9AM-12PM. Sign up for this special makeup when you register!

Have a Spook-tacular Saturday Night at Kids' Night Out!

There are still spaces available in Exxcel's Halloween Kids' Night Out this Saturday night (10/25) from 6:30-9:30PM. Ages 4+ are welcome! Call the office today to sign-up. Activities include gymnastics, climbing, bungee, zip line, halloween games, arts & crafts, pizza, popcorn and a movie!

Skill of the Month! The LUNGE

October's Skill of the Month is the Lunge. The Lunge is a basic gymnastics position that comes before and after many skills. The legs are separated, the front leg is bent, and the back leg is straight. The hips and torso should be kept square, and the arms and head should be up. The gymnasts’ weight should be distributed evenly between the 2 legs.

The Lunge is a strong and stable position when performed correctly. Handstands, Cartwheels, and many other skills start and finish in a Lunge.

In my classes, I like to teach the lunge position by calling it "Lunge-y Lady." We pretend Lunge-y Lady is a superhero that saves handstands and cartwheels around the world! Christine also has a lunge alter-ego... "Lunge-Bob Squarepants!"

Next Month:
The Scale

Back Handspring Clinic this Sunday!

Looking to master that elusive back handspring? Exxcel offers 1.5 hour back handspring clinics each month until the Spring. We still have a few spaces left for this Sunday from 8:30-10AM. The cost is $25 per clinic or $110 for 5 clinics. These clinics are a great way to work through all the various phases of this tough skill. Students should be working toward this element in class to attend the clinic. Pre-registration is required, so please call in advance if you're interested. Space is limited!

Have Columbus Day off? Come to Exxcel!

We still have spaces available in our Columbus Day HIGH SEAS ADVENTURE Camp on Monday, October 13th. Half (9AM-12PM) or full (9AM - 3PM) day camp is open to ages 3+. Extended day options are also available.

Camp is a fun-filled day packed with exciting activities like bungee, zipline, games, arts & crafts, climbing, and of course - gymnastics!

Call the office to sign up. If you can't make this camp, don't despair :-) We run vacation camps on every major school holiday, so plan ahead and spend your vacations with Exxcel!

Need some time to yourself in the AM?

Doesn't everybody? Exxcel's favorite morning program is now offered every weekday. Parents' Morning Out is offered from 9AM-12PM for ages 3-5. The best part is there is no commitment required. Sign up for as many or as few classes as you want!

While your little ones learn and play, you can enjoy 3 hours to run errands, meet for coffee, take your favorite yoga class, or just relax! PMO is taught by Robyn and Amy - 2 of our fabulous teachers who really make learning fun.

Activities include: Gymnastics, Climbing, Arts & Crafts, Science & Nature Activites, Song & Dance Time, Story Time, Bungee, and so much more!

All activities are set to fun weekly themes. Call the office for details. Please sign up at least 1 day in advance - there's a discount though when you sign for multiple classes.

Parking/Waiting Area Notes...

The first three weeks of a new session are always a bit busy as families settle into their schedules. Once the session is underway, many older students will be dropped off, and the parking and waiting areas will be more accessible.

In the meantime, we invite parents to use the birthday party room located at the top of the stairs for quiet activities while their children are in class. Our facility offers wireless services for your convenience. A third viewing monitor has been ordered for that space and is expected to be in place in a couple of weeks. We have also asked employees to park away from the facility, freeing up spaces for our clients. Please review the parking procedures on the sidebar to insure the safe arrival and departure of our students. Children not attending classes must be supervised by an adult at all times.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working with your children during this incredible Fall Session at Exxcel.

Open House Thanks

Thanks to all who came to the Fall Open House this past weekend. It was great to see a bunch of new families excited to join the Exxcel family. The team gave an awesome performance to wrap up the event. The next Open House is our Summer Camp Open House on February 7th -- we'll also be having our annual Helping Handstands charity event that day so mark your calendars!

Fall Session Underway!

The Fall session is off to an exciting start! We're thrilled to see everyone's smiling faces back in the gym after a fun-filled summer. We are continuing to open new classes every week, so please check our updated schedule at www.exxcel.net if you haven't found what you're looking for. There are still plenty of spaces in our morning and early afternoon classes -- a great option for those early release days at many of our area schools. As always, call the office for more details.

Happy Labor Day! Welcome to the Fall Session!

Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday weekend. Classes start Tuesday! Can't wait to see you all in the gym. An updated schedule has been posted on the Web site. We've opened some new classes/times in the last few days so continue to check if you're looking for other times. Please note, Teen Fitness has switched from Fridays at 4:30pm to Fridays at 5pm.

Open Gym Starts Again in the Fall Session

Just a reminder, Open Gym will start up again on Tuesday, September 2nd. It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:15 to 1:15pm. The cost is $8 per child. Release forms can be downloaded from the Web site (1 per school year).

New Classes and Times NOW AVAILABLE!

Fall classes are continuing to fill up quickly, but we've added many new times and classes this week from our Wishlist and Waitlist. Check the Web site for an updated schedule. If you still don't see a class that fits your needs, please let the office know what works for you and ask to be added to our Wishlist - we'll try our best to accommodate you!

Don't forget the session starts Tuesday, September 2nd!

The countdown is on...12 days until the Fall session!

Yay! Although I'm sad the summer is winding down, I'm getting excited for Fall! Exxcel is busy gearing up for an awesome session with new classes, new coaches, new programs, and new equipment! We're excited to welcome Robyn, Hassan, and Laura to our stellar class coaching staff. Be sure to look for them in the gym.

We kick things off on Tuesday, September 2nd. Classes are filling up quickly -- please call the office to register.

Open Gym will also start back up the week of September 2nd.

Don't miss the 2008 World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars

Nastia, Shawn, Chelsie Memmel and more of our favorite Olympic stars are headed to TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday, October 26th at 3PM for the 2008 World Tour of Gymnastics Superstars! This tour is not to be missed - "the gymnasts will be knocking your socks off to some of the hottest music from Disney Records!" Buy tickets through Exxcel and SAVE! Balcony seats are $42, Loge seats are $65. Call or email Melissa today - exxcelaau@aol.com.

Shawn - A Golden Girl at last!

Congrats to Shawn Johnson for her Balance Beam gold! "Her grin was a thousand times wider than the 4-inch-wide beam she had just conquered." Personally, I think she should have taken the Floor Exercise title and Nastia the Uneven Bars, but the new scoring system and panel of judges seems to slight the US at every turn. I can't get into it or you'd have to read an entire page!

Needless to say, it's an exciting end to a historic Olympic Games. I hope this momentum can carry gymnastics for a little while in the national spotlight -- the gymnasts deserve all the recognition they're getting!

COMING FALL 2008: AcroStars!

Exxcel is excited to introduce AcroStars to our Fall lineup of classes. Acrobatics is a major performance sport throughout the rest of the world, but it hasn’t been practiced widely in the U.S...until NOW! This brand new program will introduce students to a variety of skills such as tumbling, conditioning, ballet, supports, and pyramid work in a collaborative, team setting. Inna will teach the first class which will be offered Friday evenings from 5:00-6:30pm. Inna has many years of international acrobatics coaching experience - she has even coached World Champions in the sport. Check out these photos of some of her former students. Inna will work closely with all our AcroStars to to choreograph their own unique routines. Ages 7+ are welcome!

2 more weeks of camp!

Spend your last days of summer with Exxcel. We still have space in our Rec Camps for the next 2 weeks! This week, we kick off our "Carnival" theme and the field trip will take us to George's Island in Boston. The last week of camp is "Slumber Party" and we're headed to Plaster Fun Time in Newton -- don't forget there's no camp on the last Friday in August (tuition is pro-rated). Call the office to register!

Sleepover Success!

I'm happy to report that the Beijing Olympics Sleepover was a huge success. Thirty-six kids joined us as we watched Nastia and Shawn take home gold and silver Beijing Bling on the big screen! The picture was bigger than a movie screen -- it really captured the moment and almost made it feel like you were there and part of the action! We danced, played, flipped, built forts, and ate into the wee hours of the night. Olympics Hairwraps were all the rage, and "Nastia's Nails" got quite a bit of business, as everyone was eager to get the Perfect 10 Manicure. I'll post some pics as soon as I get them. Thanks to all who participated!

Congrats Ladies

I know I'm a day late on the Olympic recap, but it took that long to process the Team finals...that, and our computers were down :-) As I'm sure you know by now, the US women took home the silver medal in the team competition Tuesday night. There were a few major stumbles along the way, but the team should be applauded for their achievement rather than made to feel like they let down a nation. Former US gymnast John Roethlisberger said it well in this video clip for NBC - "Don't throw Alicia under the bus."

We should all be proud of a silver medal. At the elite level, gymnastics is a difficult sport, both physically and mentally -- these girls have spent endless hours in the gym and deserve our support. We're still world champions, and I for one am looking forward to cheering on Shawn and Nastia in the All-Around finals tonight.

"This is how we roll!" We're not the only ones :-)

Hope you got a chance to see the US men grab an unexpected bronze in last night's team competition. They put out an unbelievable performance and really stepped up to the plate to take 3rd place behind China and Japan. The guys could be overheard using our phrase, "This is how we roll," to capture the night's excitement -- go Team USA! Here's a good article about the competition from my old hometown paper, The Chicago Tribune.

Go Team USA! There's always Tuesday...

Despite a few freak falls and injuries, the reigning world-champion women's team still managed to pull off a #2 finish heading into Tuesday night's final. The girls remain optimistic:

“We’ve overcome so many obstacles, but we came out here today and showed the world and every team out here that we can come back strong,” Johnson said. “We made a few mistakes, but it is prelims and it’s the perfect time to make them. We’re going to come back even stronger in the team finals. We’re ready to fight for it.” Shawn Johnson, the current world champion, was the 1st place AA finisher.

Catch the women's team finals Tuesday on NBC at 10:15PM. Click here for a complete gymnastics TV schedule. The US men posted a 4th place prelim finish - finals will be tonight at 10PM.

DON'T FORGET! EXXCEL'S OLYMPICS SLEEPOVER IS THIS FRIDAY. THERE ARE STILL SPACES LEFT FOR WHAT SHOULD BE AN AWESOME NIGHT OF UNINTERRUPTED GYMNASTICS FUN. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Beijing Bound!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the world (especially the gymnastics world) has been anxiously anticipating the Beijing Summer Olympics, set to kick off in high style with the Opening Ceremonies tomorrow night. Catch them on NBC at 8pm Newton time!

If you know and love gymnastics, you know that gymnastics on TV is a BIG DEAL. We're pretty excited about the Olympics and hope you can join us for Exxcel's exciting Olympics Sleepover on Friday August 15th! Come watch TEAM USA compete for Olympic Gold on our big screen. We'll also have pizza, popcorn, bungee, and open gym! Ages 7+ are welcome. Call the office (617) 244-3300 for more info and to register.

And we're off....!

Yeah! The blogging has begun! We at Exxcel are really excited to be able to communicate with you, our awesome clients, in such a direct and fun way. Thanks for checking us out and make sure to stop back regularly for updates and info about Exxcel!