Update as of 10/16/20:

With Cass County's move to the "Orange/High Risk" risk level in terms of COVID, we have had to update a few of our safety guidelines in order to keep our athletes safe and our doors open. The following are the updates: Parents/guardians/visitors must wear a mask at all times while within the facility. Athletes should wear a mask when not actively participating in gymnastics activity at AGG, IE while entering/exiting the building, when waiting for class to begin or waiting for a ride home, or passing through common areas. While parents are always allowed to watch, we ask that families continue to limit "guests" to one adult per athlete and to limit time spent in the building to help control traffic and contact opportunities. We understand that circumstances sometimes require young siblings to watch with parents and just ask that these additional children stay within arms reach.

In this situation no one has all the "right answers", please know we are trying our very hardest to find the best ways to keep our gymnasts safe while making it possible for them to continue to learn the sport they love. Please reach out if you have any questions!

 

Update as of 9/29/20:

We will continue to follow our guidelines as stated from 6/1/20. 

Additional Clarifications: (Per Sanford Sports Medicine)

What is Close Contact Exposure?

• For COVID-19, the CDC defines a close contact as anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 48 hours before the person began feeling sick until the time the patient was isolated.
• Household members and roommates are also considered close contacts.
• Direct physical contact with a positive COVID-19 individual without wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or unprotected direct contact with their infectious secretions (e.g. coughed on , touched used Kleenex, etc.) is considered a high risk contact situation.

 

What is not an exposure?

• Maintaining social distance of 6 feet away from a positive COVID-19 individual.
• Wearing proper PPE in the presence of a positive COVID-19 individual.
• Brief interactions with a COVID-19 individuals.
• Interactions with someone who has been in contact with a COVID-19 individual; two degrees of separation is not close contact. But self-monitoring is encouraged.

 

Please follow your healthcare provider's directives.

 

Current Guidelines for participation in classes as of June 1, 2020

What AGG is doing to keep athletes, families & staff safe:

•             Staff members with symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath, body aches, chills, loss of taste/smell, etc.) will be instructed to stay home as well as notify supervisor of symptoms and follow CDC-      recommended guidelines regarding what to do if you are sick. Sick employees will be required to consult with healthcare providers and state/local health departments to determine when they can return to work.

•             All staff will have temperature screenings daily upon arrival at AGG and data (name & temp) will be kept on file in an employee log. Staff with temps at or above 100.0 will not be permitted to remain in the building.

•             Employees will monitor and immediately report any symptoms that develop while at work to their supervisor. Employees who report symptoms will be immediately separated from other employees, customers, and visitors.

•             Employees with sick family members (in house or close contact) will not be permitted to report to work.

•             Employees will wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and/or used hand sanitizer (minimum 60% alcohol) and will avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth.

•             All staff will be required to wear cloth face masks/PPE and will be trained to properly put on, use, and take off masks/PPE and when to wash/properly dispose. Staff may lower facemask when further than 6 feet away from others and need to be heard by athletes.

•             AGG Staff will frequently monitor public health communications re: COVID-19 recommendations for the workplace.

The following will be provided at AGG for staff/families/athletes:

• Tissues
• No-touch receptacles
• Hand soap & hand-washing stations (bathroom sinks)
• Alcohol-based hand-sanitizer in multiple locations
• Disposable wipes for cleaning/sanitizing commonly used surfaces

•             Frequently touched/commonly used surfaces (front desk, doorknobs, door handles, etc.) will be routinely wiped down by employees.

•             Common areas (entryways, bathrooms) and hard surfaces (countertops, etc.) will be

cleaned/disinfected by coaching staff in the 30 min. “gap” between each scheduled training group.

•             Small props/equipment (panel mats, foam beams, small matting, vinyl spots, etc.) will be cleaned/disinfected by coaching staff prior to being put away/in the 30 min. “gap” between each scheduled training group.

•             Equipment (beams, bars, vaults, floor, large matting areas) will be cleaned/disinfected following the final training group of each day.

 

 

AGG Athlete Responsibilities & Expectations:

•             Athletes with symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath, body aches, chills, loss of taste/smell, etc.) will be instructed to stay home as well as notify AGG of symptoms if they develop symptoms within 72 hours of their last visit to AGG. Sick athletes will be required to consult with healthcare providers and state/local health departments to determine when they can return to AGG.

•             Athletes may wear masks/PPE during training but will not be required to do so. If mask/PPE becomes a safety issue during training, they may be asked to remove it.

•             Athletes will arrive no more than 10 minutes prior to their scheduled training time and will leave AGG within 10 minutes of the completion of their practice.

•             Athletes must sanitize hands upon arrival at AGG and between event rotations and/or after coughing/sneezing/etc.

•             Athletes will be permitted to enter/use only their scheduled training space for each scheduled practice as well as the assigned entryways, bathrooms, etc. for that training space.

•             Athletes will arrive at AGG with their leotard/training apparel already on to limit use of the restrooms for changing prior to practice.

•             Shoes/clothing will be put into bucket upon arrival. Please bring minimal personal items.

•             Athletes must bring their own water bottle to practice, already FULL of ice/water, to limit use of water bottle filling stations. Athletes WILL NOT be permitted to share water bottles.

•             Athletes must wash hands prior to exiting AGG. Doors will be propped open so athletes will not have to touch anything on their way out of the building.

We recommend athletes follow “front line responders” protocol when they return home following practice:

• Travel directly home from the gym (no stops on the way)
• Practice apparel goes immediately into the wash
• Athlete goes directly into the shower/bath prior to eating, interacting with family members, etc.

AGG Family Expectations:

•             AGG is encouraging parents/guardians to “drop off & pick up” rather than enter the building with their athlete in order to limit the number of individuals in the facility – however, AGG will permit one adult family member per athlete to enter the building and watch practice. Anyone staying in the building will have a temperature screening and will not be permitted in the building if at or above 100.0.

•             Parent/Guardians who do enter the building must adhere to the 6-foot social/physical distancing guidelines.  Upstairs class parents may watch from the balcony over the lobby. Downstairs class parents may watch from the main balcony where we have spaced the chairs to the appropriate distance.  (Please do not move chairs.) We encourage all adults that remain in the building to wear masks.

•             Balcony seating will have signage designated which chairs have been sanitized and are ready for use. Please “flip” signage to indicate that a chair has been used so we know which seating to clean/disinfect between training groups.

•             Please be sure athletes wash hands before attending practice and follow above-listed protocols after returning to your home.

•             As always, any individual (family member or athlete) who is not feeling well should remain home.

 

 

Notice:

I am aware that while gymnastics is an individual sport, there will be times when incidental contact will occur. American Gold Gymnastics is operating in a social and physical distancing environment but even with the best efforts and intentions, there will be times when the children will breach the prescribed (currently 6’) distancing recommendations. In addition, our teaching and coaching staff will spot (physically assist) when the circumstances require it.  Spotting our students and athletes is often necessary in order to teach skills safely, to help athletes perform skills correctly and to prevent injury. I understand and agree that spotting will be part of the learning process at American Gold and I agree to permit my child’s teacher and/or coach to physically assist my child when needed. Direct assistance will also be provided in the event of injury. I also understand that accidental contact between children is always a possibility.  

I have read, and understand, the above listed policy & procedures and I acknowledge that I am sending my athlete(s) to practice voluntarily and understand that even with the extra precautions put in place athletes in attendance still risk exposure to Covid-19 and/or other illnesses.

 

I have read and understand the preceding Guidelines and Notification.

Signed:

 

Date:

 

 

March 20, 2020 Update

To our AGG recreational class families,

First of all I would like to thank all the families that have reached out with supportive emails and phone calls during this unprecedented event! We are proud to know we have such a caring community! 

As American Gold wants to be part of the solution, we will follow Governor Burgum's recommendations and will not be holding any in-gym classes for the following week (through March 29).

We are immediately freezing all of your recreational accounts and when it is safe for us to re-open, we will extend your tuition to cover all classes missed due to this shutdown. 

We understand what a stressful time this is for all our families! We want to do anything we can to keep some normalcy in our students daily life. To start, we will be sending out Virtual Classes and Training created by some of our coaches to all of our active families! Your kids have worked hard to develop their gymnastics skills. We want to help them be able to continue to work on what they can, so they are all set to jump back in as soon as we are able to! Look for one in your email soon!

Our Customer Experience Department will be available to phone calls (701-280-0400) Monday - Thursday from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM for any questions you may have. 

We miss you all already and can't wait to see you back in the gym as soon as possible! Stay safe and healthy! 

March 15, 2020 Update

To our AGG recreational class families,

With the Governor's mandate of K-12 schools being closed through the week, American Gold felt it would be prudent to cancel classes for Monday, March 16-Sunday, March 22 to do our part to help with social distancing. 

During this break, our staff will be using the extra time to focus on additional deep cleaning on top of our usual daily disinfecting and sanitizing protocols. 

You can schedule a makeup class for this week's lesson anytime through the end of May.

You can use this opportunity to do some of our stretching and flexibility skills at home!

We hope to be back on schedule Monday, March 23rd and will keep you posted as we watch the updates on a day to day basis. 

 

 

 

March 13, 2020 Update

After watching Governor Burgum’s press conference, AGG has decided to continue to offer team practices and classes through the weekend. We will reevaluate on Monday and update on a day to day basis.

We understand that with the abundance of information on TV, social media, and happening in conversations at home and at school, children may be feeling anxious, scared, or overwhelmed. Our staff and coaches will be using language meant to promote hygiene and health, while diffusing any nervousness children may have due to information-overload. We want your child to feel safe, and continue to have a fun place to play or train, even if their normal schedules are disrupted.

We are committed to taking care of our athletes. At this time, our facilities remain open for healthy children, run by healthy staff. If the situation changes, we will continue to update our families. In the meantime, rest assured that your child is being cared for by healthy staff, in a clean environment.

We understand that you (and your child) may be concerned about this issue, and our thoughts are with any of our community members who have been personally affected. Please rest assured that your child’s safety has always been, and will continue to be, our top priority.

If you have any concerns about attending, please know we respect each parents’ individual decision. Contact our Customer Experience department at 701-280-0400 with any questions about make-up classes or pauses in enrollment.

If your athlete is an Acro or Competitive team member, please contact your lead coach or program director directly with questions and concerns.

 

 

 

Update: March 12, 2020

USA Gymnastics Pulling all Sanctions through March 31, 2020.

 

I am heartbroken to inform you that we've just received word that USA Gymnastics is shutting down all Sanctioned Events through March 31st, 2020. Look for an official statement from them shortly.   What this means for our state is that we will be unable to host the ND USA Gymnastics State Championships next weekend in Fargo, ND. As an organization, American Gold is willing to postpone the event until a later date if ND Member Clubs still wish to participate. Please feel free to reach out with opinions regarding the possibility of rescheduling or canceling the event altogether.   We are working on finalizing Regional Qualification procedures for athletes who have meets left in their respective post-seasons. Please look for more information soon regarding Xcel, Level 6-7, and Level 8-10 Regionals -- meets hosts are currently planning to run all meets as scheduled, however, as with most news related to COVID-19 and its prevention, the situation is very fluid and evolving by the day.   Questions or concerns should be directed to Whitney Beck, ND State Administrative Committee Chair (whitney@americangoldgymnastics.com).

 

AGG sanitation practices:

We have our entire gym cleaned and sanitized daily by professionals including wiping down mats with a disinfectant.

We provide a hand sanitizer around the gym—help yourself anytime!

We use sanitary wipes in the gym to wipe down mats and equipment between and after classes.

You can also help stop the spread of germs by keeping your sick child home. You can schedule a make-up class any time you have to be gone through the end of May.

If you have any concerns, please contact us at 701-280-0400 and we will be happy to answer any additional questions!