For New Parents

What is the Booster Club?

First and foremost, our purpose is to promote gymnastics at all levels from local to international.  Our goal is to provide the opportunity for our gymnasts to ultimately compete at the highest level they can obtain.

The Nittany Gymnastics Team Booster Club is a non-profit organization whose legal name is Nittany Gymnastics Team, Inc.  As a non-profit organization, we must follow certain rules and legalities regarding our activities and the money we raise and spend.  We are classified by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization, which dictates many of our practices as they relate to fundraising, and spending money that is raised by the booster club. In our case, the 501(c)3 status provides exemption from federal income tax for organizations operated exclusively to foster national and/or international amateur sports competition, as long as no part of the net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.  With this status we can accept charitable donations, fundraise, and host gymnastics competitions – the proceeds of all these going towards the betterment of our team in the sport of gymnastics.

Who are the members of the Booster Club? 

Any parent who has a child on either the girls competitive team, or the boys competitive team at Nittany Gymnastics is automatically a member.

Is the Booster Club part of Nittany Gymnastics?

No.  We are a totally separate entity from the gym.  The monthly fee you pay the gym for training is not part of the team’s business.  That contract is between you and the gym school.  The team, on the other hand, must organize, manage, and finance its own activities.

What is the cost of having a child on team?

When you have a child that competes on a team at Nittany Gymnastics, there are certain costs involved.  You are responsible for your monthly tuition to the gym school.  In addition, you are responsible for competition attire, grips (if necessary), entry fees to meets, and coaches’ fees for meets.  Competition costs are discussed further on a subsequent page.

Do I have to fund raise?

To some extent, yes.  The corporation (Booster Club) has the option of designating a fundraiser as required.  In the past, the Team Yearbook has been a required fundraiser.  All team members have been required to participate in this fundraiser (details will follow later). All team parents are required to work at the home meet.   However, most of the fundraisers we do throughout the year will be optional.  Special fund raisers may be held to offset the costs of any gymnastics competitions. Just remember, the more funds raised, the less dollars out of your own pocket.

How is team money kept track of?

There is one checking account for the Girls team funds and one checking account for the Boys team funds.  However, on paper this money is broken down into separate accounts so that we may better keep track of individual fund-raising activities.   Fundraised money can never be refunded, and can only be spent on team competitions and related expenses required of all gymnastics team members.

The General Fund is money that is to be spent for the benefit of all gymnasts.  We use the general fund to pay administrative expenses, like bank fees, copying costs, etc.  We also need the general fund to pay for larger expenses, like running a home meet, sending gymnasts to regional and national competitions, gifts for our coaches and gymnasts, etc.  Thus, EVERYONE’S participation is very important for fundraisers that contribute to the “General Fund” !

How can I know what is going on with the team?

We use these communication channels to ensure that you receive information in a timely manner.

  • All announcements and updates are sent via email. So make sure the Booster Club officers have your email address.
  • Announcements, results, latest news and other information is available on the team website, http://www.nittanygymnasticsteam.com. This gets updated regularly so make sure that you check it often.
  • Folders in the filing cabinets in the waiting area are used for messages and fundraising information. Check your child’s folder EVERY time you come into the gym.
  • The Team calendar, various sign up lists and announcements are on the the Girls’ Team bulletin in the waiting area.
  • MOST IMPORTANT – try to attend the monthly meetings.  The meeting schedule is posted at the gym and on the web site; please mark your calendars for these meetings so you can learn more about the team and how you can help them succeed in the coming year. Your input at these meetings is extremely valuable in making the booster club run more efficiently for everyone involved. There are various committees within the booster club so parents have many options for getting involved.

Payment Schedule

Our fiscal year begins on June 1st.  Every year a payment schedule will be created by the booster club treasurer, based on the budget for the upcoming competition season.  The payment schedule will require each gymnast to fundraise or pay by personal check to the Booster Club specific amounts by specific dates.  Payments are usually required on the 15th of every month from July to March.  Specific amounts will differ by level, and will be higher for the upper competitive levels.  The payment schedule is a guideline – if you pay or fund raise more in earlier months, obviously your amount due in subsequent months will be less.  The payment schedule will be put in your folder some time during the month of June.

What are the competition costs?

The following are costs that parents must pay for their gymnasts to compete.  The costs will automatically be deducted from your gymnast’s Booster Club account as they are incurred.  (This is the reason for the above payment schedule)

1.  Entry Fees
Every meet that your child is entered in requires an entry fee per gymnast. The typical entry fees are between $75 and $120 per gymnast per meet.  Entry fees are usually required to be paid at least 2 months in advance of the meet.  Some of the larger meets require entry fees to be paid up to 4 months in advance. If, for any reason, a gymnast is scratched from competing in a meet where entry fees have already been paid, those fees will only be refunded to the gymnast’s account if the host gym refunds that fee.  If no refund is granted, then the gymnast incurs that cost.
Most meets also require an entry fee per team.  (A “team” is a group of at least 3 gymnasts, identified by the coaches, who are competing at the same level for a team award).  Team entry fees typically range between $50 and $75 per meet; these fees are paid from the general fund.

2.  Coaches’ Fees
The booster club is also responsible for our coaches’ expenses when they take our children to a meet.  This includes, travel, hotel, mileage and food.  We also pay a “coaches fee” of $75 to $100 per session (depending on who the coach is).  Meets are broken down into “sessions” – a session is usually a specific level of gymnasts, and sometimes for larger meets – they break it down by age groups within these levels.  For example, if your daughter is a level 5 gymnast and is 9 years old, she may compete in a separate session than a child on her team who is 8 years old.  Most meets will run an entire weekend, and may have as many as 3 or 4 sessions per day.  Depending on the size of the meet, our coaches usually must attend at least 3 sessions per meet.

Every gymnast will be assessed coaches’ fees depending on the level they are competing.  The fees are Level 4 = $300, Level 6 = $400, Levels 7-10 = $500. The remainder of the fees is covered by the proceeds from the two home meets. Should there be a shortfall in home meet income, coaches fees will be evenly assessed across all members of the team.

3. Clothing and other Competition Items

Leotards -Gymnasts are responsible for purchasing their own competition and warm-up leotards.  These are ordered through Nittany Gymnastics Team, but are paid for by individual team members.  If your child outgrows a leotard or leaves the team, you may only sell it to other team members.  Look for more info on this later in the summer.

Warm-Ups – Gymnasts purchase and own their own warm-up suits (pants and jackets).  These are ordered via Nittany Gymnastics Team, but are paid for by individual team members.  If your child outgrows a warm-up or leaves the team, feel free to try to sell it to other team members.

Grips and other competition items – grips and all other competition items required by the coaches will also be additional expenses for the gymnasts.  These items will often be ordered through the team or the gym, but require full payment from individual team members.  In addition to grips, this includes: floor music (for levels 7 and above), grip bags, duffel bags, specific hair products (bun nets, glitter spray, etc.), and any other items the coaches may request that the gymnasts have.

Please remember that you may use any funds in your child’s account toward required team competition costs (leotards, warm-ups, equipment.)  In the above example, please note that hair products or any other optional expenses the individual gymnast chooses to incur, may not be paid for out of your child’s individual account.  To some extent, required expenses are determined by the coaches. For example, if the coach decides that all team members will use the same grip bags, that cost would be considered a required team expense.  However, if an individual gymnast chooses to attend a workout clinic on her own, and it is not required of all team members, this would be an optional expense not covered by booster club funds.

4. Travel

Hotel arrangements are made by the team coordinator. You will be required to stay in the “team” hotel if your competition time necessitates leaving State College before 7am. Otherwise, staying in the hotel is optional.  Reimbursement can be made from your individual account for the cost of the hotel room plus taxes and for mileage as set by the travel coordinator at 25 cents per mile, provided you have adequate funds in your individual account.  Requests for reimbursement need to be made in writing within 30 days of incurring the expense.

Do I need to work at our home meet(s)?

The Nittany Gymnastics Team hosts one or two home meets every year. Among our largest fundraisers, these are held in collaboration with home meets of the Penn State Women’s Gymnastics Team. This arrangement is a win-win for both parties:  we have more demand for our meet than we can satisfy, and we bring spectators for the corresponding Penn State Women’s Team meet.  Final distribution of the profits are determined by the booster club after the accounts are settled.

A lot of work is required for the preparation and execution of our home meets.  The weekends of our home meets require the participation and support of a large number of people, including all parents of Nittany Gymnastics Team members.  The dates are usually announced in summer prior to competition season.

Working at a home gymnastics meet is a very rewarding experience. You have the opportunity to learn more about the sport, and how the team is judged against other teams.  You also have the opportunity to meet parents, gymnasts and coaches from around the country, as we have hosted teams from across the region, including teams from Virginia, Maryland and Florida.  The annual Nittany Invitational has become a well-known tradition in the region, with interested gyms making contact with us early in the summer to be sure they get into our meet. We are known for running efficient and enjoyable meets, which keeps people coming back year after year.

We begin discussing the home meet at our Booster Club meetings in the fall.  Try to attend all meetings so you can get involved early!  For any questions about the home meets, please see or contact Michelle Dzyak (867-1929, med15@psu.edu Home Meet Director.

 

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