Presenter
Jason Vonk
Jason has owned a gymnastics business for 15 years, coached athletes who advanced to Team USA, and worked with collegiate programs at Yale University, George Washington University, and the University of Georgia. For the past 12 years, he has also lectured and presented clinics for USA Gymnastics, helping coaches, owners, and leaders strengthen communication, improve team dynamics, and develop practical leadership skills.
Drawing on his experience across the gymnastics and leadership worlds, Jason now leads Inspired Leadership, his executive coaching practice. He partners with leaders and organizations to improve communication and decision-making, build stronger team cultures, and develop practical systems that help organizations operate more effectively and achieve lasting success.
Thursday, August 6
12:00 – 4:30 pm
National Congress Leadership Workshop
This 4.5-hour interactive workshop is designed for club owners, directors, senior staff and emerging leaders ready to elevate their impact. Led by experienced industry leaders, this session blends guided discussion, shared insights, and practical application. Together, you’ll explore how leadership shows up in real-world environments, beyond day-to-day operations and into the decisions, communication, and pressures that truly shape an organization. Participants will leave with actionable tools they can put to work immediately, a broader perspective on how peers are navigating similar challenges, and meaningful connections built through shared experience.
The workshop is structured into 3 parts:
- Part 1: Leadership in Today’s Environment-Explores leadership under pressure and the complexity of decision-making in today’s environment, setting the foundation for the session.
- Part 2: Collaborative Problem-Solving – The core of the workshop, this interactive, movement-based session engages participants in identifying shared challenges, recognizing patterns across organizations, distinguishing between immediate and long-term decisions, and exploring the impact of communication and generational dynamics.
- Part 3: Breakouts by Experience Level-Participants will engage in targeted breakout sessions for emerging and seasoned leaders, allowing for more focused discussion on topics such as communication, decision-making, managing hesitation, decision fatigue, and leading across generations.
Friday, August 7
10:45 – 11:45 am
Saturday, August 8
9:30 – 10:30 am
What Matters Most in the Round-Off, Back Handspring, Back Tuck
Coaches will walk away from this presentation with a plan for training a round-off, back handspring, back tuck that gymnasts can use to launch them into more difficult twisting and double flipping skills. Coaches will have methods for teaching great round-offs in their gym and be able to avoid the common errors in round-off, back handsprings and back saltos.