FEBRUARY GENERAL IDEAS
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Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year. If you are planning to host a Kids’ Night Out, market it like crazy for
parents to enjoy an evening out! You may want to extend the time to accommodate a longer date evening.
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Offer a buy-one-get-one offer (i.e. shorts, leos) with the second for the customer’s Valentine!
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Send Valentines to all of your clients and customers — paper or digital.
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Snap pictures of “gym friends” for Valentine’s Day and Friendship Week to post on social media.
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Heart health is another prominent theme for February. Promote how gymnastics benefits children’s heart
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New enrollments may begin to taper off as the New Year is under way. This is a great time to look at those
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The President Day holidays will bring school closures (some school systems have an entire week off for “ski
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Consider “early bird” specials for summer camp enrollment or at least be advertising your summer camp
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From Feb 3 through the 14 have paper hearts available for kids to write nice things about coaches. You can
health all month.
classes that have lower enrollments and try to increase the enrollments through “bring a friend” days.
week”). Consider offering day camps.
purchase the hearts from a teaching supply or party store or make your own.
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What it means to be an Olympian (the softer side of the Olympics)
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Plan an email campaign highlighting all that is happening in February
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Do something nice for your staff to celebrate Valentine’s Day
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After Valentines Day, prepare proshop for St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) and Easter (March 27)
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Begin promotions for Spring Camps; if you hold an open house for you summer camp, plan that.
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Begin promotions for any Easter egg/Spring egg hunt or events
LOOKING TO THE MONTHS AHEAD
FEBRUARY HOLIDAYS/IDEAS
ALL MONTH
American Heart Month
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Promote WEAR RED DAY (February 5) on social media and within your club
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Tips, advice or local resources for improving heart health
https://www.goredforwomen.org/home/live-healthy/prevent-heart-disease/
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Awareness and early warning signs of heart disease
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Diet, exercise and fitness tips
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Highlight how gymnastics benefits the heart-health of kids (The American Heart Association recommends
children participate in 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Gymnastics classes are perfect to fulfill this—
promote this idea ALL month!)
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For more information and ideas on how to get involved: http://healthfinder.gov/nho/februarytoolkit.aspx
Black History Month
Highlight the achievements of Black gymnasts with a Black History Month Tribute of Gymnasts including:
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Dominique Dawes
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Gabby Douglas
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Simone Biles
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John Orozco
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Dianne Durham
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Mike Carter
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Ron Galimore
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Donell Whittenburg
Olympic trivia for Black History Month:
The FIRST black athlete to compete at the Olympics was Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera, competing for France in 1900.
The FIRST black athlete to win a gold medal was African-American John Taylor, who was part of the US relay team in
athletics in 1908.
The FIRST black African to win a gold medal was Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, who ran barefoot all the way in
Rome, 1960.
National Children’s Dental Health Month
RESOURCES: http://www.ada.org/en/public-programs/national-childrens-dental-health-month
FEBRUARY 1
#MondayMotivation
Post a motivational quote from an Olympian, tag with #YourClubName #RioReady #MotivationMonday FEBRUARY 2
National Groundhog Day
If the groundhog sees his shadow that there will then be six more weeks of winter. If this is so, he then retrieves back
into his den and goes back to sleep. If he is not able to see his shadow, the groundhog remains outside to play and people celebrate believing that spring is just around the corner.
#TuesdayTrivia—post a trivia question about the Olympics. Could be a Facebook contest; or just for fun.
#YourClubName #RioReady #TuesdayTrivia
Happy Birthday, Jazmyn Foberg!
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=218276
FEBRUARY 3
Coaches Day
Celebrate your coaches today!
Through Valentine’s Day, ask kids to write on paper hearts why they appreciate their coaches. Post some of the answers
on your Facebook and decorate your lobby with the kids’ responses!
Save some of the best comments for future marketing campaigns!
Happy Birthday, Elmo! (Sesame Street)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/elmo-birthday-sesame-street_n_1253442.html
FEBRUARY 4
Girls and Women in Sports Day
This national celebration began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women in sports. National Girls and Women in Sports Day has
blossomed into a day to acknowledge the past and recognize the current and future sports achievements, the positive
influences of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.
Host an event celebrating Girls and Women in Sports Day
For ideas: http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/en/home/advocate/ngwsd
Share facts about the benefits of sports for girls and women:
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/sitecore/content/Home/Research/Articles%20and%20Reports/Mental%20
and%20Physical%20Health/Her%20Life%20Depends%20on%20It%20III
Throwback Thursday
post a YouTube video of an old Olympic routine or an Olympian as a younger gymnast #YourClubName
#RioReady #TBT
FEBRUARY 5 (FIRST FRIDAY OF FEBRUARY)
6 MONTHS UNTIL OPENING CEREMONIES
Wear Red Day
If you have chosen to focus on matters related to the heart in February, Wear Red Day is another chance to bring attention to heart health issues.
https://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday-resources/
Promote jump ropes in your proshop as a heart healthy toy.
Encourage everyone to wear red.
Make a display of red leotards and shorts for purchase.
FEBRUARY 7
Super Bowl Sunday
Pre-superbowl
Are you ready for some football? Is your little athlete enrolled in gymnastics at YOUR GYM’s NAME? Did you know that
gymnastics is the basis of ALL sports, developing kids strength, flexibility, agility and listening skills? But, most importantly: it’s FUN!
Here are some fun YouTube football/gymnastics themed videos:
9 yo gymnast beats 14 yo football player in pushup contest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbkmSR0UelA
Florida Football Players try to do Gymnastics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb8-sZH8NBI
If gymnastics were easy…
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/if-gymnastics-were-easy-they-would-call-it-football-1/
FEBRUARY 8
Kite Flying Day
If you sell kites in your proshop, go all out.
#MondayMotivation
Post a motivational quote from an Olympian, tag with #YourClubName #RioReady #MotivationMonday FEBRUARY 9
#TuesdayTrivia—post a trivia question about the Olympics. Could be a Facebook contest; or just for fun. #YourClubName #RioReady #TuesdayTrivia
FEBRUARY 10
National Umbrella Day
A Chinese acrobat performs a dance with umbrellas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ridqjzUaLk
Sell umbrellas in proshop.
Umbrella trivia: Did you know that the first umbrellas, used over 3500 years ago, were to protect people from the sun
not the rain?
FEBRUARY 11
National Make a Friend Day
Stress how gymnastics helps kids make friends.
Take pictures of friends at the gym and tag with #NationalMakeAFriendDay.
Post articles about the importance of friendship.
Quotes about friendship
Throwback Thursday
Post a YouTube video of an old Olympic routine or an Olympian as a younger gymnast #YourClubName #RioReady
#TBT
FEBRUARY 12
Lincoln’s Birthday
Post quotes by Lincoln. My favorite: Whatever you are, be a good one.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/abraham_lincoln.html
FEBRUARY 14
Valentine’s Day
Show the LOVE of your gym on social media by continuing to post the nice things kids said about their coaches.
Host a Kids’ Night Out so parents can enjoy an evening out—if you want to kick off “Friendship Week” tonight, you can
offer a Friends deal.
Give away Hershey’s Kisses to each customer at check-out
TRIVIA
• Approximately 1 billion valentines are sent each year in the United States.
• Elementary school teachers receive the most valentines of any group of adults.
FEBRUARY 15-21 FRIENDSHIP WEEK
Friendship week is the perfect week to bring in new families and grow enrollment with “Bring a Friend” offers for
classes or events.
Promote Friendship bracelets, necklaces etc. in your Proshop.
Post pictures of “friends in the gym” on social media.
FEBRUARY 15
Presidents’ Day
#MondayMotivation
Post a motivational quote from an Olympian, tag with #YourClubName #RioReady #MotivationMonday FEBRUARY 16
#TuesdayTrivia—post a trivia question about the Olympics. Could be a Facebook contest; or just for fun. #YourClubName #RioReady #TuesdayTrivia
FEBRUARY 17
Random Acts of Kindness Day
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
Post quotes on kindness
http://parade.com/376796/jerylbrunner/random-acts-of-kindness-day-inspires-21-quotes-about-kindness/
http://inspiremykids.com/2015/great-kindness-quotes-for-kids/
Washington’s birthday
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_washington.html
FEBRUARY 18
Throwback Thursday
Post a YouTube video of an old Olympic routine or an Olympian as a younger gymnast #YourClubName
#RioReady #TBT
FEBRUARY 22
#MondayMotivation
Post a motivational quote from an Olympian, tag with #YourClubName #RioReady #MotivationMonday FEBRUARY 23
#TuesdayTrivia—post a trivia question about the Olympics. Could be a Facebook contest; or just for fun. #YourClubName #RioReady #TuesdayTrivia
Happy Birthday, Nia Dennis!
https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=203358
FEBRUARY 25
Throwback Thursday
post a YouTube video of an old Olympic routine or an Olympian as a younger gymnast #YourClubName #RioReady #TBT
FEBRUARY 28
National Tooth Fairy Day
Ask about traditions in their home
ToothFairy merchandise
http://ddpa.toothfairyactivities.com/activities/
FEBRUARY 29
Leap Day
Show your gymnasts doing every kind of leap imaginable #LeapDay
You can also upload YouTube videos of different kinds of leaps.
#MondayMotivation
Post a motivational quote from an Olympian, tag with #YourClubName #RioReady #MotivationMonday Author— Anne Josephson, Josephson Academy of Gymnastics (JAG)