CANGYM Rec Gymnastics program

Attention Recreation Program Directors.

I’m impressed with the 2nd Edition of the CANGYM recreation program developed by Gymnastics Alberta. It’s a significant improvement on the original.

The CANGYM National Badge Program is Gymnastics Canada’s National Skill Development and Evaluation program for Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics.

This program is intended for use with participants of varying abilities aged 6 and older, including beginner level participants through to entry level competitive gymnasts.

Utilizing the CANGYM badge program allows participants, coaches, and parents to monitor progress in addition to being a motivational tool for athletes. …

Gymnastics Canada

It’s a big binder with supporting documentation available on an accompanying disk. There is no on-line support, however.

CANGYM looks expensive at $110 from Gymnastics Canada. But a club needs purchase only 1 copy. Everything is photocopy ready. In fact, I would say it’s a bargain. I’m not aware of any other badge system as good.

The CANGYM levels are often used for Report Cards.

The program is not perfect for every club, but it’s a great “starting point” for building your own program.

The most controversial part is the CANGYM badge program. Many clubs use it. Savvy coaches break some of the levels into 2 parts, allowing more kids to progress more sessions. Some clubs even produce their own badges rather than use the astonishingly expensive official badges. ($2.53ea).

Overall, I highly recommend the binder as a resource for every recreation program.

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