Operating Code/Rules & Policies

2025-2026 Missouri Valley AAU District Operating Code
Note: The following shall serve to be the MV operating code. Unless noted within, all other requirements should follow the AAU guidelines.

MV District Rep: The District Rep will serve as the MV leader and the liaison between the  MV membership and the AAU office. Current District Rep is Gayla Rodenbur  

District Rep Election: The District rep is voted on by the MV membership. The position  will be voted on every 4 years. The next election for District Chairperson will be held  during the 2026 District Championships. We also formed a committee for the following  positions that will be held for 2-year terms. Secretary/Treasurer, National/Regional Rep,  Marketing, Judge Liaison. Next election for committee positions will be 2025.  

District Rep Fee: The District Chairperson shall be compensated $100 for the position  served each year. The fee will be disbursed from the Missouri Valley monies.  

AAU District Membership: Each team competing in the AAU MV must register all  gymnasts and coaches to be on the competitive floor and to vote on district  matters.  

MV AAU Levels: MV will compete in compulsory Levels 1-5, HUGS Ruby, and Optional  Levels All Xcel levels including the new Copper level, 7, 8, Open Optionals and Ladies  Division following the Xcel Platinum guidelines. In addition MV will allow the Boys 4 x  4 to participate in any meet offering it. The rules will follow the same awards  guidelines as the women’s division. Rules for Boys 4 x 4 can be found at: AAU - Gymnastics (aaugymnastics.org) Boys will follow the same rules for awards and other guidelines.  In addition, boys are asked to enter at the same level for all events. 

MV AAU Meeting: The MV district will have its annual meeting during the district  championship each year. In addition, AAU clinics may be held in the Fall and any other  time as decided by membership or the District Rep.  

AAU District Championships: Teams wishing to bid for the next year’s championships  will be given a slip/ballot to fill out and they will place in a container upon entering the  district meeting – Discussion about any gym that has not had a chance to enter their name  and then the winning ballot/entry will be randomly drawn by a coach selected to do so.  

Voting Policy: (Clarified 2022 District Meeting) - Each MV team registered with AAU is  allowed 1 vote. Gyms that have multiple locations but are only registering one gym will  receive one vote. District Rep will determine if the vote shall be a hand or written ballot.  

Other items as needed may be voted on via email as deemed necessary by the Chair.

 

AAU Competition Schedule: Any preliminary dates to host competitions should be  presented at the District Meeting. Only 2 meets will be allowed on the same weekend. A  final AAU competition schedule will be presented after the Sept 1 deadline. 

MV AAU Competition Rules & Policies:  

Sanctioned vs. Unsanctioned Meets: All AAU meets hosted in MV must be sanctioned by  AAU. Submission of proper forms & fees must be made to AAU. Any meet that is not  sanctioned may not use the terms AAU in promotional materials and may not be used for  qualification to the District Championships. Any unsanctioned meet must notify gyms in  promotional materials of the rules they will be following such as awards, entry fees,  admission fees, rule changes. MV does not recognize meets that are not sanctioned with  AAU. If using a recreation section please include in flyer, but if the section is during the  AAU part of a meet the gymnasts must still have AAU numbers.  

Meet Fees: Individual Meet Entry Fees shall be charged as follows or will not exceed the  following amounts: - New fees 2023 Season. 

Meet hosted in house: $50. 

Meet hosted in house but renting equipment: $60. 

Meet hosted in outside facility: $60. 

District Championships: $75  

Team Entry Fees: $35 per team per level maximum.  

Spectator Admission Fees: Spectator fees are set as follows:  

Adults $7, Children (3-12) $5, Kids under 3 are FREE.  

Awards: MV has adopted the following award requirements. Only medals/trophies given  for awards. No Ribbons.  

Level 1/Xcel Bronze/Copper/Hugs: All Age groups 100% placement  

Level 2 & up/Xcel Silver & up: All age groups with more than 5 gymnasts will  be awarded 50% +1, Everyone receives an AA award.  

Team Awards: 100% of teams entered with a paid team entry fee shall  be awarded a trophy or plaque.  

Award Age Groups: It is recommended that age group awards not exceed a maximum of  13 places at all sanctioned meets and not exceed 12 at District Championships. The age  span cannot go more than 3 years at any level. If there is a single competitor, the meet  director can contact teams about combining age groups to have some competition.  

Date for determining age groups will be 1st Day of Age Group National  Championships, which is 6/18/2026.

 

Age to Compete: A gymnast must be 4 yrs. old as of the date of the competition to compete in an AAU meet. 

 

Mobility: Gymnasts may change levels prior to March 1st but must compete at the same  level after that date. Gymnasts must compete at the District Championships in the same  level they intend to compete at the National level.  

Equipment: FIG equipment shall be provided for all completions. Aero Boards are  allowed in all levels of AAU competition. The Host gym shall supply or arrange for a  minimum of 2 aero boards for all Capital Cup or Modified Capital Cup competitions. In  addition, regular vault boards should be provided for vaults, bars, and beams.  

Meet Format: Most MV AAU meets are run in a modified capital cup format. Teams  should be notified in advance of the meet of the format you will be using in  promotional materials.  

Event Warm-ups: All warm-ups should be timed as follows:  

Level 1-4, Bronze, Silver, HUGS: 1 minute per gymnast  

            Level 7, Gold, Platinum, Ladies: 1.5 minutes per gymnast  

Level 8, Diamond, and Open Opt. 2 minutes per gymnast  

Large teams over 8 are recommended to split their group to eliminate a backup  during competition. Small teams may elect to block time with other teams.  

Note: Competition will not be timed. Warm-ups will be timed.  

Routine Exceptions: All MV clubs and gymnasts are to follow the USAG routines as  written with the exceptions listed on the AAU website, www.aaugymnastics.org. MV  currently has no exceptions to the routines. All routines performed at Regional or National  competitions follow the AAU guidelines on the website.  

District Qualification: In order to compete in the MV District Championship a gymnast  must compete in at least 1 AAU meet prior to the championship.  

National qualification: Any gymnasts who finish in the top 12 of their age group & level  and score a 29 AA score will qualify to attend the National AAU Championships. Gymnasts  must compete at the same level in both Districts and Nationals.  

Judging Panel: Host gyms may elect to use a 1 or 2 judge panel. All judges must be NAWGJ  judges and judge the levels for which they are rated. It is highly recommended that all  judges should be familiar with AAU rules and routines. Some USAG rules will differ from  AAU. It is highly recommended that a 2-judge panel is used for upper optional levels at the  District meet.   Cathy Knott is the current AAU judging director. Host gyms need to contact Cathy (cathy.knott@me.com) to request judges for your meet to avoid potential conflicts  with other meets. Judging fees and expenses are set by NAWGJ.  

MV AAU Scholarship – at the 2023 meeting it was decided to give a $250.00  scholarship to seniors that are still competing within the AAU MV league.  Presented at awards for their current level at State/District meet.  

MV AAU National Championship Team 

All individuals competing at the AAU Summer Nationals must purchase the AAU MV Team  Leo and Coaches T-shirt. Gymnasts and fan shirts shall be optional. MV Team T-shirt shall  have all Team names representing the MV team on the back of the shirt. Leo shall be  chosen by coaches attending the National Championships.  

Qualifiers: Any gymnast who qualifies at the District Championship may elect to  participate in the National Championships. Proper registration and fees must be  submitted individually by date determined by the AAU National Organization.  

Organization: Following the District Meeting, those individuals interested in attending  Regionals/Nationals shall meet to discuss MV Team Leos and T-shirts etc. One individual  will be chosen or volunteer to organize team apparel for the district. Tawnita Augustine  from Heartland Allstars is Regionals/Nationals Coordinator  

Your current MV Officers  

2022-2026 

Gayla Rodenbur -District Chairperson (*2026)  

Marrisa Bland - Secretary (2026)  

Angie Curtis - Treasurer (*2026)  

Tawnita Augustine- National/Regional Coordinator (*2026)  

Dakota Bridle– Media/Marketing (*2026)  

Cathy Knott- Judging Liaison (*2022)

 

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