Participation | Uist Get Qualified as Gymnastics Activity Instructors
Scottish Gymnastics is here to support clubs to deliver an uplifting gymnastics experience for all. Hear from Oni, the head coach at one of our most remote member clubs on the Isle of Uist as they complete the Gymnastics Activity Instructor course and become the latest instructors to be qualified.
The Gymnastics Activity Instructor (GAI) accreditation is a comprehensive four-day training course which allows learners to develop the skills to deliver fun and safe gymnastics-based physical activity to school-aged children and adults.
This course provides an alternative to the traditional coaching pathway, allowing anyone to upskill and lead delivery of low-level gymnastics skills to recreational participants.
You will also learn how to supervise others and support the growing demand for recreational gymnastics activity in clubs, leisure centres or schools.
Delivered by a qualified tutor, the course was recently delivered to learners on the Isle of Uist in the Outer Hebrides, creating an opportunity for more young people in the area to get involved in our sport.
Oni Fraser, who is the head coach at Uist Gymnastics spoke to us to let us know why the course was so important to her and the club.
Living on a remote island, it is often difficult for members of the club to travel to attend formal level two coaching courses and have access to mentors, so a course like the GAI is a great way to futureproof and offer gymnastics at a lower level to keep clubs running.
It’s important for people to know that you don’t need to be able to do all of the skills, the course is about teaching you how to coach it safely and deliver a fun experience for the gymnasts. It’s great that the course doesn’t require an exam style assessment, or logbooks. It’s a four-day commitment, but after the course is finished you are fully qualified to deliver gymnastics in your setting.
Oni Fraser, Uist Gymnastics Club
As a recreational club, it’s been really useful to learn about the progressions of skills, so that we can keep it fun for the kids who train with us once a week. For us, this course is perfect, because it gives us the chance to explore the benefits of the sport like coordination and balance, without having to move onto the competitive pathway.
Scottish Gymnastics has been really helpful in helping us access resources online and have been able to support us by being realistic about the numbers we need to run a course like this in Benbecula. The tutor has come along and really embraced our ethos as a club, understood our needs and given us the confidence that we’re supported out on the islands.
If you are interested in attending a course, please contact one of our participation coach developers on participation@scottishgymnastics.org