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!