The Surgent’s
Elite Boys Gymnastics Team was founded by Jim Surgent, in 1974 with the purpose
of developing competitive gymnasts for participation in club meets at all levels
of United States Gymnastic Competition. The team participates in New Jersey
State meets, Region VII Championships, Junior Olympic National Championships,
U.S.A. Championships.
Surgent’s Boys
Team trains at three locations; Roselle Park, Garwood, and Westfield. Teams are
not limited to one location and may on occasion train at different locations
depending on circumstances. Schedules are mailed to the residence of each team
member at the end of each competitive season. If you did not receive information
regarding the fall training schedule, please contact Jolene at the Westfield
location.
Surgent’s is
currently the largest club team in the state of New Jersey. We have routinely
qualified more gymnasts to compete in the J.O. National Competition than any
other private club in the country. Many of our alumni are now competing on the
NCAA level for such colleges as Penn State, University of Illinois, and Temple.
Jim Surgent trained Dominick Minicucci a two-time Olympian for the ’88 and
’92 games and Gymnastics Hall of Famer.
www.oocities.org/gymatsurgents
N.J. State Gymnastic’s Web Page
Address
Phone
numbers:
Roselle Park
(908) 241-1474(office)
*(908)
241-0005(gym floor)
Garwood
(908) 789-3392(office)
*(908)
789-8466(gym floor)
Westfield
(908)
317-0523
USA
GYMNASTICS
is the
National Governing Body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States,
consistent with the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the Constitution of the United
States Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics Federation. The
mission of USA Gymnastics is to encourage participation and the pursuit of
excellence in all aspects of gymnastics.
The parents’
organization of Surgent’s Elite Boys Gymnastics Team, G.Y.M., Inc. is a
non-profit corporation, which employs the coaches for competitions, maintains
the team’s registration of meets, manages travel arrangements for coaches and
National Meets and supplies financial and moral support to the team members. A
volunteer Executive Board elected from the membership runs the organization.
Club meetings are held the second Tues. of every month at the Garwood gym at
7:00pm, unless otherwise posted.
Boys
gymnastics at Surgent’s begins with Level VI, age 7. Levels and Age categories
are as follows; Level VI are age 7, 8, 9, 10-11 and 12 and over, Level V are age
8-9, 10-11, and 12 and over, Level IV are age 10-11 and 12 and over, Level III
age 12-13 and age 14 and over, Level II age 14-15, and Level I age 16-18.
Surgent’s boys
move up through the Levels on the basis of age and ability. Any questions about
team placement should be directed to the coach.
It is a privilege
and an honor to be a part of a nationally recognized and respected team such as
Surgent’s Elite Boys Gymnastics Team. The parent organization will provide,
financial and clerical support for meet registrations, the coordination and sale
of uniforms and pictures, communications through the use of phone chain,
newsletter and web site, sponsorship state meets, and social events.
A Surgent’s
gymnast must behave in a sportsman like manner at all times. He must be clean
cut and be in full uniform to participate in meets. Full Uniform includes
step-in, white shorts, white pommel pants, black warm-up tee shirt, red warm up
pants, warm-up jacket and clean white socks with no emblems. Jewelry of any kind
is prohibited. The gymnast must be in full uniform (warm-up suit, fully zipped)
to accept an award at a meet. All team members must remain at a meet until all
awards (for that session)
have been distributed. Team Trophies are usually presented after all individual
awards have been distributed. All Surgent’s Team members, of that level, share
the podium for a team award.
G.Y.M. fees are
separate from Surgent’s Elite monthly training fee.
Competing
gymnasts must first join, G.Y.M., by completing the G.Y.M.
membership application and attaching a check for $75 payable to G.Y.M. This fee
supplies financial support for the administration of the organization. Until
G.Y.M. receives this fee the Meet Coordinator cannot enter your son in any
upcoming meets.
Second, you
must complete the athlete member application to USA Gymnastics and attach a
check for $45 payable to G.Y.M. A team member cannot compete in any meet without
the competition number issued by USA Gymnastics. Applications must be processed,
via computer, by G.Y.M.’s Meet Coordinator to ensure accuracy.
Both applications
and checks must be returned to the G.Y.M. mailbox at either location by Aug. 1
of the competition season.
Third, to enter a
meet, you must complete for your son a Meet Entry Form. This form will be in
your mailbox prior to each meet. You must complete the form, attach the
appropriate check and return it by the deadline date to the G.Y.M. mailbox.
ALL CHECKS SHOULD
BE MADE PAYABLE TO G.Y.M.
The club’s
philosophy on fund raising is to curtail the cost of meet fees and travel
expenses for coaches and national qualifiers, to compensate coaches for their
time and expenses at meets and to support G.Y.M.’s operational expenses.
We
suggest that each family, help in this effort by raising a minimum amount.
Levels II III & I should raise $200, all other levels are asked to raise
$100. The fund raising minimums are calculated per family not per gymnast. Fund
raising is not mandatory.
If
you choose not to participate in the fund raising effort the minimum amount will
be charged to your son’s account on May 1 of the competition year to offset
additional coaches expenses and operational fees.
Fund raising over
the suggested amount will be divided 50/50 between the organization and the
families individual meet fees. Families fund raising profits may be forwarded to
the up-coming season but may not be reimbursed directly to the family. There
will be several fund raising opportunities during the year.
Jim Surgent, Matt
Stevenson and your son’s coach will choose appropriate competitions from a
list of state qualifying meets and invitational meets. The state directors will
prescribe the number of state meet required to qualify for attendance at the New
State Championships in March. Invitational meets are a great experience for the
boys to see a broader spectrum of competition, these meets are more expensive,
and are usually out of state. If an Invitational meet appears on your schedule,
your coach has determined it to be of benefit to your son. If you feel your son
is not ready for this level of competition please, talk to your coach. Great
pains are taken in the selection of meets for all levels. Performance at the
State Championship will determine qualification for the Region VII Championship
(all levels) and performance at Regionals will determine qualification for J.O.
Nationals (only for Levels I, II, & III). Level I & II gymnasts could
qualify for USA Championships based on their performance at Nationals or the
National Qualifier.
To enter any
meet, the parent must complete a meet entry form and attach a check made payable
to G.Y.M. for the amount designated on the meet entry form. The fee must be paid
before the parent’s organization can register him for that particular meet.
Registrations can only be made by G.Y.M.’s Meet Coordinator. The host gym will
not accept any independent entries.
Pay particular
attention to the dates of the meets and your child’s readiness when completing
the Meet Entry Form. Since entry fees are paid to the host gym by G.Y.M. in
advance, they cannot be refunded if the gymnast fails to attend a meet he has
been registered for. However, you should contact the G.Y.M. Meet Coordinator as
soon as you know the gymnast cannot attend a meet because she must notify the
host gym. In case of an emergency the day of a meet, please contact your team
mom, who will relay the information to the coach.
Times and
Directions for meets will be posted on bulletin boards at each gym, on the web
site and will be in your mailboxes. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR MAILBOX.
Your
son has the opportunity to compete only because there are parents committed to
providing gymnasts with the competition experience. Every Surgent’s parent is
asked to be as cooperative as possible when we host such an event. We can
provide a successful competition only with the help of every team parent.
Time and efforts
regarding G.Y.M. sponsored meets cannot be converted to fund-raising credits.
Jim Surgent
Owner and Head
Coach of the Surgent’s Elite, Roselle Park, Garwoood and Westfield locations
since the mid-1970’s. Competing for Trenton State College himself, Jim has
coached over 20 USA national Team members (including 2-time Olympian Dominick
Minicucci) and has seen over 30 Surgent’s boys win full scholarships to highly
ranked universities with NCAA Programs.
Matt Stevenson
Head
Coach of the Level 1 and 2 gymnasts and co-owner of the Roselle
Park location,
Matt has been at Jim’s side since the early 1980’s. Matt has been
co-chairman of New Jersey’s Men’s Junior Olympic National Program for the
past 10 years and serves as Meet Director for the New Jersey State Meet every
other year. He has coached gymnasts at State, Regional, National, National
Qualifying Meets as well as USAs. Matt competed on college and club teams while
living in Maryland.
Stan Dobrydnio
A former member
of Surgent’s Elite Club Team and a National Qualifier; Jim and Matt trained
Stan. He attended the University of Massachusetts and competed on the
University’s gymnastics team. He has been a coach for Levels 5,4,3,2 and 1 for
the past 5 years and his students have qualified by Regional team, Nationals and
the USA Championship Meet. He currently trains the Level 1 and 2 teams at the
Roselle Park location.
Rich Pulsfort
Also a former
Surgent’s Elite Club Team member, Rich was a Junior Olympic National Team
Member and the 1988 National Vaulting Champion. He graduated from Michigan State
University on full-scholarship for his gymnastics ability. He has coached Levels
6, 5, 4, and 3 for the past 8 years. He is a nationally rated judge in men’s
gymnastics. In the past 2 years, he has trained regional team members and
qualifiers for the Junior Olympic National Meet. He is currently the Level 3
coach at the Roselle Park location.
Dave Surgent
Jim’s son, Dave
(DJ), is the manager of the Westfield location of Surgent’s Elite. He was
another former member of Surgent’s Elite Club Team. He was N.J. High School
State Champion for Westfield High School. He attended James Madison University
and competed on their gymnastics team. He then transferred and graduated from
the University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in Business Management and also
competed for their gymnastics team. For the past two seasons DJ has been the
Level IV coach at the Roselle Park location of Surgent’s Elite.
Newton Ribeiro
A member of
Surgent’s staff since the early 1990’s, Newton competed for various Club
Teams in his home country of Brazil. At Surgent’s he has coached Levels VI, V
and IV. He has trained New Jersey State Champions and has coached many of his
boys in the Region VII Compulsory and Optional Championship Meets. He continues
to be a Level IV and a Level V coach at the Garwood Location.
Russ Shupak
Also a graduate
and gymnastics team member of the University of Massachusetts, Russ coached at
Tim Daggett’s Gym prior to coming to Surgent’s Elite two years ago. As a
Level VI coach he has trained New Jersey State Champions and qualified three of
his boys for the Region VII Compulsory Championship Meet. He is currently a
Level V coach at the Garwood Location.
Amiel Rivera
A member of Elizabeth High School Gymnastics Team, Amiel taught recreational gymnastics and Boys’ Peewee Team at Eastern Gymnastics Academy in Cranford, N.J. for over five years. Making the move to Surgent’s, he has taught the Level VI boys for the past five seasons. He has had several of his boys qualify for the Region VII Compulsory Championship Meet. Amiel continues to be the Level VI coach at the Garwood Location.
Co-Presidents:
Teri Boyle & Joanne Liscovitz
Vice President:
Linda
Rosso
Treasurer:
Diane
Sawicki
Secretary:
Marie
Rizkalla
Meet/Coach
Coordinator:
Shari Brandman
Event Coordinator:
Rose
Cammarota
Fund Raising:
Susan
Nizolak
Communications:
Donna
Quinn-O’Brien
Newsletter/Directory: Julie Zavaro