"Specally Made By God"

From one of our Aim High moms:

"Langstyn said she is going to Aim High like Kiona!

She had a good first practice.

The best part was at the end when they were dismissing.

The instructor said let us pray

and Langstyn asked if she could pray for the class.

I am very proud of my girl!

Specially made by God!"

 

Indeed, Langstyn is very special! 

 

"The first thing I want you to do is pray.

Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know..."

1 Timothy 2:1

(The Message)

 

Aim High Academy strives to teach each and every child

that God made him/her special

and has a plan for his/her life.
We are thankful for our precious students!

Did You Know?

GYMNASTICS

The word "gymnastics"

came into use in the 1570s

from the Greek words "gymnastikas" and "gymnazein."

 

"Gymnastikas" means "fond of or skilled in bodily exercise."

"Gymnazein" means "to exercise or train."

 

Wall Art at Aim High Academy

The Free Dictionary states the meaning of gymnastics:

"Physical exercises designed to develop and display strength, balance, and agility,

especially those performed on or with specialized apparatus."

 

Coach Kelsey with a future gymnast - Aim High Academy



USAG Region 3 Level 7 Championships Report

Region 3 Level 7 USAG Championships

were held April 25-27, 2014,

at the Galveston Island Convention Center

in Galveston, Texas.

Aim High Academy was thrilled that both of our Level 7 gymnasts

qualified for this competition!

 

449 gymnasts from the 7 states comprising Region 3

qualified to participate in this meet.

2014 Region 3 Level 7 Judges

Kiona competed in the Friday session.

Kiona's 9.625 Vault Score won 2nd Place

Kiona's All-Around Score of 37.475 won 4th Place

We congratulate Kiona for her wonderful performance!
And after the meet, there was celebration:

Kiona with her proud parents

Sheridan competed on Saturday.

Her 9.7 Vault Score won 2nd Place

Sheridan's 9.55 Beam Score won 4th Place

Sheridan finished 11th All-Around.
Congratulations, Sheridan, on a great performance!
And, again, celebration afterwards:

 

Sheridan with Aim High teammates Skylar and Jamarie

Sheridan celebrated by playing in a very cold surf!

A few snapshots from Galveston:

Jennifer coaching Sheridan
Congratulations to Coach Jennifer
for a job well done!

Aim High Academy
FLIPPING.FAITH.FUTURE.

We thank God for giving our gymnasts
the confidence, strength, and ability
to compete successfully.

 

 

 

 



Big Week for Kiona and Sheridan!

This is a big week for Kiona and Sheridan!

 

They qualified for USAG Regionals,

which will be held April 25-27

at the Galveston Convention Center

in Galveston, Texas.

 

These girls will be competing against the top Level 7 gymnasts

from Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma,

New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming.

 

 

Kiona and Sheridan have come such a long way

since they walked in the doors at Aim High Academy,

and we congratulate them! 

 

Please join us in praying for safe travel

for these two girls, their families, and coach

and also for them to have an amazing experience at Regionals.

 

 

We thank all of you

who have invested in Aim High Academy's program.

You have helped make this possible!

 

 

 

Last week this blogger visited Aim High Academy twice

and each time was blessed.

 

Blessing #1:

This precious little gymnast (shown in photo with Coach Elizabeth)

shared with me the Bible verse Aim High had assigned:

 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

 

Such a blessing to hear TRUTH

being spoken by such a little one!

 

BLESSING #2:

One mother told me that Aim High is the only "church"

her two children receive.

 

I am thankful for Aim High Academy,

where boys and girls can participate in a quality program

that not only teaches life skills through sport

but also meets spiritual needs.



Giving Back!

Our wonderful Aim High families collected candy and eggs

for an Easter egg hunt at Penny Park at noon on Saturday, April 19th.

Our team kids stuffed 300 eggs for the children as a service project.

 

 

We are so proud of our Aim High family stepping up to help serve the community!

 

To God be the glory!

H I P H O P

HIP HOP dance refers to street dance styles

primarily performed to hip hop music.

 

On Monday evenings, Aim High Academy offers a class in

Hip Hop dance.

 

Michael Light Harrison demonstrating a move for his students at Aim High.

 

 

Although Michael makes this style of dance look easy,

this blogger bets the students feel very challenged!

 

Although Aim High Academy's main focus is to offer gymnastics,

we are also offering various forms of dance in an effort

to utilize the space with which we have been blessed.

 

And here's the good news: we have room for more students

in our dance classes!

We currently offer the following classes:

Ballet

Hip Hop

African Dance

 

Call 918-794-4774 for more information.

 

Aim High Academy is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation

and depends upon donations (along with grants and fund-raising)

to fund its program.

We would appreciate your support!

To donate online, visit www.aimhighgym.org



D A N C E

Meet Our Dance Instructor

Michael Light Harrison

Michael began performing in 1997

and has become a proficient choreographer

with a memorable stage presence.

He is a successful instructor in various forms of dance and gymnastics.

Michael is the founder of Nameless Label Studios...

this studio ignites young people's passion for music

and assists them in rediscovering themselves.

 

Aim High Academy is thankful

to have Michael as our dance instructor!

Michael instructing our USAG team in ballet class

 

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine,

ballet is excellent for improving posture, core, discipline,

balance, flexibility, and lower-body strength.

These components can help a gymnast in many ways.

Posture and core are of the utmost importance to gymnastic performance.

During gymnastics, posture can become distorted due to the bending, twisting,

and executing of moves that go far beyond daily functional activities.

In ballet, posture is the foundation of every movement,

be it static or dynamic.

Learning to command the body and postural alignment in a controlled environment

with strict form can carry over to gymnastic training.

Alongside postural awareness is core control,

which is also the foundation for all movement.

Gymnasts need to be flexible but remain tight at the same time.

Staying tight and attaining the ability to rid the body of unwanted motion

begins with core control which allows for efficient movements without wasted energy.

There are many ways to improve gymnastic ability

and ballet is a great supplement for skill enhancement.

 

THANK YOU

MICHAEL!



Did You Know?

According to the Tulsa County Health Profile released in 2010,

the zip codes served by Aim High Academy had

the highest % of mothers with less than a 12th grade education.

 

Participation in sports has the power to change a girl’s life.

Research shows that young women who participate in sports

have higher grades and perform better on standardized tests than non-athletes.

 and African-American female athletes are 15% more likely to graduate from college

 compared to their non-athletic peers.

Also, high school girls who participate in sports wait longer before having sex

for the first time than their peers who don’t participate in sports.

 

Aim High Academy, a 501(c)(3), was founded in 2006 with classes beginning in 2007 at the John 3:16 Family and Youth Center. In just 7 years…

·         We have grown to serve over 250 precious children each week in a 20,000 square foot facility.

·         We have a team of 29 gymnasts representing North Tulsa in Statewide competitions, 2 of which became State Champions this year and are headed to the Regional Championships in Galveston on April 24^th.

·         We have a volunteer based tutoring program providing homework help to all Aim High families on Monday and Thursday evenings.

·         We now offer dance classes (ballet and hip-hop) to the community.

·         Beginning mid-April we will offer fitness classes (Zumba and African Dance) for parents while they wait on their kids.

·         We have an exhibition team who has performed twice at OKC Thunder games and performs every year at the opening game for the Tulsa Shock and participates in the MLK Jr. Parade.

Most importantly, we teach all of our kids

that God made each of them special

with a purpose and a plan for each of their lives.

 

 

Aim High Academy combines FLIPPING and FAITH

to help build bright FUTURES in urban children and youth

from the North Tulsa community.