WGBA Information

Wichita Gymnastics Booster Association (WGBA) Questions and Answers

WGBA functions as a parent operated, not for profit organization. We offer financial benefits throughout a season, support activities designed to enrich the girls' experience, and provide opportunities to raise funds benefiting both the individual gymnast, as well as, our association. Our role also includes working closely with Wichita Gymnastics Club (WGC). WGC provides the training facilities, coaches, and years of experience. It is a privately owned and operated business. WGBA and WGC are two separate entities. These QandAs address those issues pertaining to WGBA.

WGBA doesrequire all team families to become members for several reasons. Those include: financial benefits for families, all working towards a common good for the girls, as well as, assisting the gym with all that goes into our girls. We look forward to getting to know each of you throughout this upcoming year as we work together to make it a successful and rewarding experience for both you and your child. If you have any questions or concerns, please complete our contact form.

Who joins WGBA?
Each family on the competitive gymnastics team at Wichita Gymnastics Club.

Why is joining a requirement?
To be a part of our support system:

Supporting our GYMNASTS by contributing to and helping with team functions
Supporting the GYM by working meets and any other gym event
Supporting the COACHES in various ways throughout the year
Supporting fellow BOOSTER CLUB FAMILIES by participating in the association's numerous opportunities designed to enrich our year with our children and their teammates

When am I to join?
As soon as you accept a team position.

Do I owe money when I join?
Yes. There is a one-time membership cash or check fee of $50.00, payable to WGBA. In addition to the fee, the membership form on page 19 of this handbook is needed as well. It is a great idea to get this done ASAP after parent meeting. Any questions need to be directed to the Membership Director.

What are some of the major benefits of being in WGBA?

Opportunities provided to raise funds for gymnast's expenses such as meet fees and uniforms
10% - 20% of standard meets fees paid by WGBA for your child depending on the level of your gymnast
Fees for regional and national meets are paid in full by WGBA provided the requirements for participation have been met by any qualifying gymnast

What is WGBA's membership year?
June 1st till May 31st of the following year.

As a parent, what sort of a time commitment must I make?
Outside of getting your child to and from practices and meets, we also have several parent work days. Examples of these days are trophy work days (we hand make our own trophies for our meet in February), stuffing goodie bags for our meet, setting up and tearing down for our meet, and any other activities either WGC or WGBA find a need for parent participation for. Usually, these days are scheduled on Saturday mornings while the girls are practicing for a couple hours or so. There will always be notification of these sorts of activities well in advance for us parents to schedule around. WGBA will communicate day/time/event via the WGBA Newsletter. WGBA understands that schedules fill up extremely quickly, but in order for our girls to have the best year possible and us to pull off all that is required, we MUST have parent participation. We need YOU to make US a part of your schedule. Reminder: In being a part of WGBA and a competitive team, ALL FAMILIES, are expected to participate in some way with the meet hosted by WGC. There are many ways to do this and more information will be forthcoming the closer we get to February.

How many parent meetings must I go to?
We always have a parent meeting before season starts around August. In addition to this one, we also have an end of the year parent meeting around April which includes voting in the next WGBA positions holders. Additional meetings are only necessary when we are preparing for our meet in February or if you hold a position within WGBA.

How do I know who to contact with my issues, comments, concerns, etc.?
The board of WGBA always welcomes any communication from a parent. On the gym's website, in the WGBA section, there is a form a parent can fill out with any topic for the board. This is automatically sent to the President's email for review at the next board meeting. Any parent who sends such a form WILL hear a response from the President within a timely manner. Otherwise, here in this handbook, there is a listing of all appropriate position holders and how to communicate with them. We were all new parents of gymnasts once, and our goal is to ensure we help out however we can as we know it can be overwhelming. WGBA's contact list is on page 2 of this handbook.

How will WGBA communicate with me?
We understand how quickly all the notes can begin accumulating, especially when a family has more than one child or more than one event along with school and/or church activities as well. Therefore, our goal is communicate as efficiently as we possibly can with all of our parents. Communication is essential for us to make sure all parents know what is going on within WGBA and at WGC that we are to take part in. Therefore, we will be sending home a newsletter each month (maybe twice) holding all the pertinent information for the upcoming month or so. We need for you all to read these and respond if necessary as soon as possible to keep WGBA functioning well. Our newsletters will always be on "colorful (non-white)" paper, so they will be easy to spot! In addition to the hard copy coming home, the newsletter will also be available on WGC's website under the WGBA link.

What and where is the WGBA board in the gym?
This board is hanging by the girls' cubbies on the wall and is a form of communication to all parents within the association.

What and where are the girls' "mailboxes?"
Each girl has a "mailbox" for communication to be distributed. Please remind your child to look for "mail" to bring home. Please let the little girls know the bigger girls will help them reach theirs!! The mailboxes are above the girls' cubbies.

Who determines who holds the positions within the WGBA?
Towards the end of each fiscal year, WGBA holds a final parent meeting. Several issues are discussed in looking towards the next year. It is here that WGBA holds the election for the next fiscal year. We must have a certain percentage of the association participate in order for the votes to count. Therefore, since each family receives only one vote, it is EXTREMELY important for at least one parent to attend this meeting.

What if I want to participate within the association next year? How do I sign up to "run?"
We would LOVE to have every parent participate within the association at some time or another. Prior to the end of year parent meeting, position sheets will be hanging up on the WGBA board in the gym. At your convenience, before the deadline, you may sign up for whatever position you would like to try to hold. Once votes are submitted, WGBA will contact you and results are sent via the newsletter.

Is there anywhere I can see a year at a glance for reference?
Yes - check your handbook, or this website on the Team pages. Please keep in mind this calendar is to be used more as a reference for events happening during a particular month versus an actual calendar for dates and times. We do not receive dates far enough in advance to provide an actual calendar of events. However, we trust this will at least give reference to when major events will be occurring for planning purposes.

What is parent apparel?
Throughout the year, just as in other sports, we wish to support our girls via what we wear to the meets. We want our gymnasts to now we are on their side!! : Therefore, we offer parents the opportunity to purchase WGBA wear at group prices through the middle of September to wear to meets. In addition to this, we require at least one t-shirt purchase per parent for our meet in February. When we host our meet, there are many people on the competition floor. When one of our parents shows up to work, we need to be able to recognize each other just by looking at them in order to know who should and should not be present on the competition floor. In addition to this, wearing our parent apparel allows us to spot each other quickly when issues arise or help is needed for a parent or for the meet coordinator. REMEMBER: ALL parents are required to put in two sessions each at our meet. Thank you in advance for supporting your child in this way, and please remember more information will come regarding the specifics on this.

What is a gymnast's account?
Within the association, we keep an "account" with allocated funds for your gymnast. WGBA keeps these for the parents, credits and debits them appropriately, and send out statements for parents review. An example of a statement is in your handbook.

How often will I receive a WGBA account statement?
Monthly during season, less in summer. Contact our treasurer with questions.

As a parent, what sort of money commitment must I make?
Again, WGC and WGBA are separate. Therefore, your monthly fee for your daughter to do gymnastics will be paid through Linda at the front desk. Regarding WGBA, all membership money (fifty dollars), team apparel (competition leos, etc), parent apparel, and meet fees will be paid to WGBA. Team apparel will be paid deposit down and balance when picking up. Parent apparel is paid up front. Meet fees (money it costs for your daughter to compete at a meet) are paid up front by WGBA, and we allow parents to pay out fees over a five month time period (October through February). Therefore, if your meet fees total $500.00, a parent would owe WGBA $100.00, from October through February. We ask that parents pay the monthly meet amount per your gymnast's level throughout the season, and if there are any readjustments needed to your WGBA account, March's statement will reflect such adjustments. You will be receiving a monthly statement from WGBA throughout season via your daughter's mailbox at the gym. If you EVER have ANY questions, our treasurer should be your contact. In addition to this, we want to refer you to the bottom of page 9 regarding situations arising that will NOT make it possible for you to go to a meet as expected. Bad weather WILL NOT constitute a refund of meet fees for you.

What happens to the money in my gymnast's account if my gymnast takes a break or concludes her time at WGC?
You may elect to have your gymnast's account frozen for up to one year. In order to do this, a letter MUST be written to the treasurer of the WGBA asking for this to happen. Within the year, if your gymnast returns to team, the monies are unfrozen and available for use. If your gymnast does NOT return within the year, the monies are forfeited and transferred into the WGBA general fund.

What is I have an idea for a fundraiser?
Fundraisers must meet several points of criteria. However, if any parent has an idea for a new fundraiser, please submit your idea to the president for review at the next board meeting.

I know WGBA helps me financially with gymnastics, but are there any other ways to help put money in my gymnast's account?
Yes. WGBA provides 5 major fundraisers each membership year. We offer: Subway Cards, Cookie Dough, Candles, Advertisements in our Meet Program, and Carlos O'Kellys. When we participate in Subway cards, cookie dough, and candles, 70% of the money raised goes back to the gymnast's account as credit, 20% goes to WGBA, and 10% goes to the chair who works the fundraiser. Please keep in mind the percentages are based off of net profit, not retail price. The advertisements run a bit different, due to no need for a chair. Therefore, program ads put 70% back into the gymnast's account as above, 20% covers the cost of printing, and again, 10% goes into WGBA's general fund. Carlos O'Kellys works different yet. This works off of a point system. When you work, you earn a point. If a mom and a dad work, two points are earned for the gymnast's account or if a mom works two events, two points are earned for the gymnast as well and so on. At the end of the month, the number of events and individuals worked are added up. If we earned $100 this month, and had 10 points total, each point would be worth $10. If you worked two times, earning two points, your child's account would earn $20. Carlos' monies are divided as follows: 10% to WGBA, the chair allotment, and the rest to the gymnasts' account per parent(s) work. As a parent in the association, we STRONGLY encourage you to participate in at least two of these fundraisers. This is what allows us to do great things for our girls.

What are the WGBA general funds used for?
The board allots monies in the general fund for budgeted expenses including, but not limited to, meet expenses, equipment rentals, printing, scoreboard expenses, Christmas gifts for our girls, team gatherings, and so on.

What happens if I get behind in what I owe WGBA in my daughter's account?
Failure to keep your gymnast's account current may result in suspended WGBA membership and competition privileges, up to and including state. The expectation is that every account will stay current. It is extremely important to do this, so that the WGBA continues to operate properly.

2011-2012 WGBA Team Members

President: Marilea Blissett
Treasurer: Margaret Bedard
Secretary/Membership: Kathy Doyle
Meet Coordinator: Stephanie Gillig
Assistant Meet Coordinator: Janine Riley
Hospitality: Kay Finn and Kathy Logback
WGBA Corner: Jana Ultzsch
Team Apparel: Lisa Arnett
Program Ad Editor: Justine Nightingale
Scorekeeper: Kerri Coleman