Marian's Competitive Program

Do you find yourself referring to your daughter as a little monkey? Is upside down her favourite way to be? Competitive Gymnastics may be the place for her!

The ideal time to start pre-competitive gymnastics is age 5-6. Marian has an incredibly fun and exciting developmental program. Certified coaches use games and fun activities to teach basic skills, increase strength and flexibility, and encourage a love for gymnastics.

Marian offers the most diverse competitive program in Saskatoon, from Junior Developmental, to Junior Olympic, Aspire, and High Performance. Visit our FAQ page for information on how to join.

Developmental Program

The Marian Developmental program includes six progressive levels with compulsory routines on each event.  Gymnasts in this program at Marian will attend three in-house evaluations per year.

The Developmental program gymnasts focus on improving their own physical ability and skill set, by competing against themselves, not others.    The program rewards precision and quality gymnastics at a base level, so that the athletes can grow and prepare to compete in the competitive program as they reach the appropriate ages and skill levels.  With solid basic preparation, athletes will be able to reach their true potential as competitive gymnasts. 

While our developmental athletes work to perfect their routines, they also work to advance their skill level with supplementary skills and drills on each event. Another main focus for these athletes is continually advancing physical ability to prepare them to safely and successfully advance as gymnasts.  

Junior Olympic (JO) Program

As of July 1, 2015 Gymnastics Canada has adopted the JO Program developed in the USA for use in the Provinces and Territories. The Junior Olympic program was developed with the belief that all athletes, regardless of their potential, must have a solid foundation of basic skills in order to advance safely. The program allows each gymnast to advance at her own pace. The Canadian Junior Olympic Program (CJO) has some modifications that are not in use in the USA or in other countries who have similarly adopted this program. These modifications are to assist our coaches and athletes in making the transition to JO from the previous national stream and provincial programs that have been in place in Canada. The rules of the JO program are otherwise being implemented in their entirety. 

At Marian, our objective is to have our athletes work on perfecting the routines for the level they are ready to compete in, as well as working toward the skills required for the next level, with a  focus on quality gymnastics, precision and form. 

The JO program includes 10 progressive levels.  Marian's Intermediate Team will include levels 1 - 4, and the Competitive Team will include levels 5-10.  The level each athlete will compete will be determined based on their ability to complete the skills in said level, with confidence, safety, quality and consistency in mind.

Junior Olympic Levels 1 - 5

Athletes who are placed in Junior Olympic Levels 1 - 5 compete compulsory routines on each event. These gymnasts will have opportunities to compete at invitationals during the competitive season.  Athletes in Levels 3-5 will also have the opportunity to qualify to compete at Provincial Championships. 

Junior Olympic Levels 6-10

Athletes in the Junior Olympic Levels 6 to 10 compete routines that include progressive requirements that are used to construct individual routines on each event.  Athletes in levels 6 to 10 will compete at invitational competitions, and will be eligible to qualify for Provincial Championships.   Athletes in levels 8 to 10 will be eligible to qualify for Western Canadian Championships, and athletes in Level 10 (as well as level 9 age eligible) are eligible to qualify for Canadian Championships. 

Aspire Program

The Aspire Program has been created to assist in the development of young athletes across Canada as they set their sights on participating in future high-level competition. The program is divided into two levels and dedicated to mastering strong basic skills on all four events upon which to build contemporary advanced elements in the years to come.

Canadian High Performance

The High Performance athletes aspire to compete at inter-provincial and national levels or are already national high performance gymnasts. Provincial, inter-provincial, and national competition is provided in two age groups for national stream, and three for high performance.