Colorado E.A.G.L.E.S.

History of the EAGLES

The EAGLES League was dreamed up in 1992 by Betsy Sprague and Pam Turner, after they attended USAG National Congress.  At Congress, they attended a seminar in which a coach from Florida talked about his competitive team program, and the importance of allowing more gymnasts to be successful in their early years of competition.  For example, in the state of Florida they have sub-divided the age divisions and levels much more than here in Colorado.  Where Colorado has one state champion in the Level 6 seven-to-eleven age division, Florida has five (a seven-year-old champion, an eight-year old champion, etc.)   Many people have become frustrated with the competitive options for lower level gymnasts in the state of Colorado.

We started this league to provide an introduction to gymnastics competition in a positive and user-friendly manner.  We chose to award ribbons for individual achievement rather than placement, so as to avoid head-to-head competition between the children.  Beginning gymnasts should focus on their own achievements rather than how they compare to others.  We set up a competitive season that would culminate in a Championship Cup, that each individual would have to qualify for by achieving a pre-set all-around score.  The Championship Cup focuses on Team Achievement, awarding trophies for team placement, and also on individual acheivement by having placement awards in many age groups (no more than 25 gymnasts in each division).

The Inaugural season for the EAGLES League was 1993 with 5 clubs and 90 gymnasts participating. EAGLES now has nearly 2 dozen clubs and recreation district programs participating.