We’re down at our beach house in Bay Head, NJ, and Maddie and London are trying hard not to hear words like “back to school.”  Meanwhile, I’ve been reviewing the school calendar to figure out when we have to head back to the Roxiticus Valley.  The first day of school is, unfortunately, the day after Labor Day, so we’ll head home no later than Sunday and enjoy the annual Labor Day parade and carnival in Mendham.

But wait… what’s this?  ROSH HASHANAH •••• NO SCHOOL!  That’s right, the girls go back to Mendham Township Elementary School starting on Tuesday, September 7th… and then there’s a school holiday on Thursday, September 9th.  What’s a mother to do?

Luckily, Randolph Gymnastics & Climbing Center is hosting an open workout on Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 9th from 1:00p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  The cost is only $12.00 per child and includes:  all gymnastics equipment, all inflatables (air track, castle and slide), rock wall climbing, and unlimited fun.

Open workout at Randolph Gymnastics is a great way to check out the gymnastics and rock climbing facilities before you sign up for classes or schedule a birthday party.

**AII children must be at least 5 years of age and 36″ tall to participate**

Open to all Randolph and Rockaway Gymnastics members and the public. Bring your brother, sister, mom, dad, cousin or friend. Call or stop by to reserve your spot, as space is limited and you wouldn’t want to miss out.  As always, be sure to let Shannon know that Roxy sent you!

Randolph Gymnastics
3 Middlebury Boulevard
Randolph, NJ 07869
(973) 584-4111

Support the Randolph Gymnastics competitive team and get great holiday gifts for friends and family by participating in the Yankee Candle Fall/Holiday Collection of 2010 Fund Raiser running Sept. 1st – 29th at Randolph Gymnastics.  The team is also holding a bake sale from Monday, September 13th – Saturday, September 18th featuring home made treats, coffee, and more.

CLOTHING DRIVE: Donate your old clothes, bags, toys, bedding, etc. to 3rd World Countries, Fund Raiser running until October 28th.

For more information, contact Randolph Gymnastics and ask for Shannon. 973-584-4111

Friends and loyal readers know that Roxy is more of a procrastinator than a planner, but we all know that the early bird catches the worm, and today I learned of an early bird discount for London and Maddie’s gymnastics classes that is just too good to pass up.

Register NOW (through August 30th) for the Fall Session (August 30th through November 13th) at Randolph Gymnastics and save 10%. Print this page and present it when registering.

You must register before August 30th and pay in full to receive this discount.

Please call Randolph Gymnastics at (973) 584-4111 for more information on scheduling for Fall gymnastics classes, and be sure to tell them Roxy sent you.

Since we got our beloved cockapoo puppy, Peanut Butter, back in May, we have certainly been remiss in not posting Peanut Butter’s personal recommendation of Dr. Wendy Turner at the American Animal Hospital in Randolph, NJ.  We found Dr. Turner through a referral by our personal puppy nanny 911, Justine Schuurmans of The Family Dog.  Whenever we go to the veterinarian, Peanut Butter gets so much love and attention from Wendy and the entire staff that she doesn’t care whether she’s getting a shot or blood test.

At the end of every school year, Randolph Gymnastics holds an annual Junior Olympic Ceremony where all of their students receive an award for participating for the entire season. Students ages 5 and up undergo testing during the month of May. The outstanding students that receive the most points are also awarded with a trophy or medal for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each age group. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• Girls ages 5 & 6: 1st place - Lauren Coyne, 2nd place - Alexandra Glasser & Maria Damiano, 3rd place - Sarah Karbanchinshy
• Girls ages 7 & 8: 1st place - Rachel Thompson & Skylar Macak, 2nd place - Cindy Gao, 3rd place - Mikaela Timmermans
• Girls ages 9 & 10: 1st place - Sara Isenberg, 2nd place - Dani Greene & Olivia Timmermans, 3rd place - Noel Appleby
• Girls ages 11+: 1st place - Caitlin Cavanough, 2nd place - Jenny Bohn & Lesly Kurian, 3rd place - Aly Stiles
• Boys ages 5 & 6: 1st place - Jordan Ferrano & Alex Ecko, 2nd place - Jason Vella, 3rd place - Thomas McGlynn & Frank Vilot
• Boys ages 7 & 8: 1st place - Ben McDonough, 2nd place - Jared Mitchell, 3rd place - Joseph Quinones
• Boys 9 & 10: 1st place - Eric Befumo, 2nd place - James Gause
• Boys 11+: 1st place - Kevin Farrelly, 2nd place - Kyle Dew.

The 2010 USAIGC State Championships were held on May 29th and 30th at the Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey.

For the Gold Division, 12 year old Hannah Liu won bronze medals on Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, All Around, and won the gold on Vault making her the 2010 Vault State Champion. 13 year old Aimee Mehta, won the silver medal on Vault and the bronze medal for All Around.

In the Silver Division, 11 year old Miranda Mornhineway won silver medals on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise; she also won bronze medals on the Uneven Bars and All Around.

In the Bronze Division, 8 year old Laura Pailas won the bronze medal on Vault. 10 year old Emily Otten won the silver medal on the Uneven Bars. 9 year olds, Sara Hafemeister won the bronze medal on the Uneven Bars; Shelby Reed won the silver medal in All Around, and the gold medal on Vault making her the 2010 Vault state champion; Sarah Houser won the silver medal on Vault, and gold medals on the Uneven bars, Floor exercise, and All Around bringing home three (3) state titles:  2010 state champ on bars, floor and all around.

Even though our family has been highly focused on London and Maddie’s softball games with the Yankees and the Mets this season, our daughters’ thoughts are never far away from the good times they’ve had over the years at Randolph Gymnastics. I just received an email reminding me that it is almost time to sign up for the Fall Session, which runs from August 30th through November 13th. Randolph Gymnastics will be holding open registration for Fall classes on Saturday, June 5th. Parents and children are welcome to come in, meet your child’s instructor, and play for an hour. Here’s the schedule for Saturday, June 5th:

• 18 months to 5 years old (not in Kindergarten): 1:00 - 2:00pm
• 5-year-olds to 8-year-olds (Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced): 2:00pm - 3:00pm
• 9-year-olds and up (Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced): 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Boys, girls, tumblers and gymnasts are welcome.

While you’re there, pay in full and save 10% on Fall classes.

Call Randolph Gymnastics at (973) 584-4111 to learn more about summer camp, group classes, private lessons or birthday parties. If you let Shannon know that Roxy sent you, she’ll arrange for an age and skill appropriate free trial class for your child.

London and Maddie just started playing softball this year, and they’re having a blast… however, you can always recognize London when she’s not in the field… instead of sitting obediently on the bench, waiting for her turn at bat, she’s cartwheeling along the sidelines.   When London learned the “windmill” pitching technique at a softball pitching clinic last weekend, I started expecting her to incorporate a cartwheel into her pitch.

Anyway, it’s just a reminder that I can take the girl out of gymnastics for a session to try another sport, but I can’t take gymnastics out of the girl…

Randolph Gymnastics is now registering for spring classes… the next session starts May 3rd and runs through the remainder of the school year until June 26th.  Summer camp starts June 28th and runs through August 27th.

At the beginning of this year’s “season” for Garden State Ballet and Randolph Gymnastics, London and Maddie discovered a new restaurant:  Mamma Caterina, 1250 Sussex Turnpike in Randolph, NJ.  Since the girls’ ballet and modern dance classes run pretty late, we’ve found it very convenient to stop in to Mamma Caterina either before or after dance class for a slice of pizza for Maddie, chicken fingers and fries for London, and a rice ball for Roxy.  So far, everything we’ve tried has been delicious!

Mamma Caterina, 1250 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ  07869.  Phone: (973) 933-2531

There’s another 4 to 7 inches of snow headed for the Roxiticus Valley tonight and tomorrow, so I’ve decided to warm things up by reviewing London and Maddie’s summer camp options. While I will write about ballet, tennis, singing and acting camps in the coming weeks, today’s focus is gymnastics summer camp for kids 5 and up.

London and Maddie are in the midst of another great year of weekly gymnastics lessons at Randolph Gymnastics.  The new session started the week of February 8th and runs through May 1st. If you’d like your child to get started right away, they’re very flexible about pro-rating the session cost for the remaining weeks.   Since the kids have off from school today (Monday, February 15th) for Presidents’ Day, Randolph Gymnastics is hosting an open workout from 1 to 3pm. It’s a great chance for you to see how your kids like it while you meet the instructors. For $10/person, you can turn them loose at Randolph Gymnastics, where instead of jumping on your sofa, kids can go crazy on the inflatables (giant slide and bouncing castle), as well as the trampolines, balance beams, and other gymnastics equipment, all supervised by a staff of professional instructors.

A few weeks ago, Rex and I had the chance to stop by and see our girls in action during a Friday make up lesson, and we continue to be impressed when we see Maddie cartwheeling on the balance beam and London’s back flips on the trampoline.

Over the summer, starting the week of June 28th and running through August 27th, Randolph Gymnastics offers a 10-week Summer Day Camp Program for aspiring gymnasts age 5 and up to learn or maintain their gymnastics skills during the off-season. Both a full and half day camp schedule is available. The full day runs from 9:00am through 4:00pm and half day runs 9:00am through 1:00pm. Before care starting at 8am and after care until 6pm is available if needed for $5/hour per child. Some of the camp’s activities will include: recreational gymnastics & open work-out, arts & crafts, games and races, swimming, non-contact team sports, and a climbing wall.

The awesome climbing wall shown in the photo on the left is right next door at Randolph Climbing Center, where London and Maddie have enjoyed several rock climbing birthday parties.

The Randolph Gymnastics Summer Day Camp schedule is flexible, and you’ll find rates on the Randolph Gymnastics web site for one to five days per week and one to ten weeks of camp.

Call Randolph Gymnastics at (973) 584-4111 to learn more about summer camp, group classes, private lessons or birthday parties. If you let Shannon know that Roxy sent you, she’ll arrange for an age and skill appropriate free trial class for your child.