Is it worth it?....opinions needed - Page 2

kristilyn73 · 04-27-2008, 07:51 AM

I think this topic is coming up in gymnasts homes across the country. Times are getting tough, everywhere and I have had this conversation with several parents at my gym too...

When the economy slows most of us are forced to re examine our spending. And I dont know about all of you but my bank account doesnt have tens of thousands of dollars in it!

DD is an optional gymnast, is I were to pull her out now.. it would be devistating.

At the same time, I have a second DD who is a competitive Dancer. It is also not fair to spend all my money on DD1's Gymnastics and then tell DD2 she cannot do dance.

So we prioritized our spending.. and found that Extra Curricular activities were a necessity. Therefore, we need to cut back in different ways, dinners out are the first to go.

(too bad for me.. More cooking). No frivilous leotards or shopping trips... makes those Meets a little tough.

Bottled Water is another way to cut back. With all this talk of gas prices, the prices of a gallon of bottled water is ridiclous. If we make small changes, the money for the gym is there...

Gym Law Mom had a good idea - I actually started coaching when DD made team. I got some great training and now am able to coach girls up through Level 6. I used to get a discount on my tuition but the accountant didnt like that very much. So now I just get a paycheck. Even though I only work 2 hours a week, that $35 pay check every 2 weeks pays for DD's Dance tuition.

We have a 3 year old Boy... and I always joke - DS is going to do something that doesnt involved, Uniforms, costumes, accessories, grips, shoes, Coaches fees, travel fees, etc. How does chess team sound?????

flippymonkeysmom · 04-27-2008, 11:55 AM

Chess sounds nice and cheap, lol - my ds decided he just loves hockey

What is it with my kids inability to pick a cheap sport !!!!

Livinatthegym · 04-27-2008, 04:09 PM


Quote:
Originally Posted by flippymonkeysmom Chess sounds nice and cheap, lol - my ds decided he just loves hockey What is it with my kids inability to pick a cheap sport !!!!

Oh, no! I've heard hockey is worse than gym. Go get the seeds and plant that money tree . . . now.

Kristilyn, you make a good point about giving all of our children more or less equal resources.

kristilyn73 · 04-27-2008, 08:14 PM

Flippy - We live in Hockey State USA - Minnesota!! And the one thing my DH and I have decided, is that DS will NOT Play hockey. I think we are the only Minnesotans that have said that.

But to be honest, I will put any hockey parent dollar for dollar and hour for hour of practice.

Shawn · 04-28-2008, 05:34 AM

There is a caveat to the equal resources policy in our house. We spend what we need to for DD's gymnastics because she is very dedicated and works very hard. In contrast, our oldest DS has "tried" a lot of things but puts no effort into any of them. Thus, we stopped paying for things. Piano, for example, was costing us $100 per month and he practiced only when forced to and even then, he only practiced what he wanted to, not what his teacher told him to. We can't afford that much money for him to go hang out with his teacher once a week, and we told him so. He has also tried hip-hop dance, choir and karate but was enthusiastic about none of it. At some point, we had to stop throwing money away.

Blackie6 · 04-29-2008, 08:29 PM

I ask myself this question ...oh about a gazillion times a week. My DD completed her first year as a level 4 and will do another L4 season and right into L5 probably (I say probably because that is the plan for a couple of us w/younger DD's who opted to hang back) but I hate to think that far ahead. I am not sure how the experienced gym moms feel, but I suppose I feel more frustrated becasue all I can see my DD do since Jan (end of states) is TOPS conditioning and some skills. No more competitons, no more routines and frankly maybe it's because I have nothing to "watch" right now it seems like she has not improved much since last year, LOL. Yes, the coach assures me she is but still I would like to feel that she is moving along at a normal pace since so many others from her team (who moved into L5) seem to be so much more talented. I guess it would help me justify that huge expense that will probably go up in about 6 months when she will start to train L5 too. Yes, I don't mind the expense for something my daughter loves, but that idea creeps into my head all the time about what I could use that tuition money for each and every month. Not only tuition, but all those other things on your list that add up to $$$$ every year. I try to take it in baby steps. I would like to see better scores in Sept for her 2nd L4 season and also see if she can tackle some of those harder skills expected in L5. If she continues to like it, the money is there even if it means working more hours. In another year she will be 8 and maybe can also decided for herself where she wants to go with gymnastics. If she decided not, thats fine too because I wonder everyday how I got suckered into this sport so quickly since it is so expensive. But I have 2 boys too (aged 9 & 12) who do baseball, regular season, fall ball, all-stars.... and the cost for uniforms, pitching lessons, batting cages, sports camps, gas to get to tournaments, ect...all adds up too!

My advice to you is do what I do, baby steps...take it one step at a time. Things may change down the road and you may have to decide whether to continue or not, but as long as she likes it and you can afford it try not to look at it as one huge expense. Try to see all the other benefits being in gymnastics has to offer.

Bay Valley · 04-29-2008, 08:41 PM

I am paying $290 a month and live 1 hr 20 min away. DD will probally going higher level which is $350 a moth and another day of training. I do have carpool with 2 others at 5 days week will help. They will be leaving in 2 years for college and I dread this thought. With gas at $3.75 a gallon here it is getting harder o everyone. Our booster club is going to have some major fundraising to help with the costs for everyone.

Shawn · 04-30-2008, 05:22 AM


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bay Valley I am paying $290 a month and live 1 hr 20 min away.

Wow, I must be very spoiled if your costs are typical. I drive 35 minutes each way and pay $165 per month (level 4, 11 hours per week). That doesn't include competition costs of about $1200 but that's for the entire year so it's actually about $100 per month, still less than your $290.

Livinatthegym · 04-30-2008, 07:05 AM


Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackie6 I ask myself this question ...oh about a gazillion times a week. My DD completed her first year as a level 4 and will do another L4 season and right into L5 probably. . . . I am not sure how the experienced gym moms feel, but I suppose I feel more frustrated becasue all I can see my DD do since Jan (end of states) is TOPS conditioning and some skills. No more competitons, no more routines and frankly maybe it's because I have nothing to "watch" right now it seems like she has not improved much since last year, LOL. Yes, the coach assures me she is but still I would like to feel that she is moving along at a normal pace since so many others from her team (who moved into L5) seem to be so much more talented. I guess it would help me justify that huge expense that will probably go up in about 6 months when she will start to train L5 too.

I know the feeling you're describing exactly, Blackie. Funny story. My dd2 had a pretty good lvl 4 season. Our head coach wanted to move her up to optionals for the next year. I said no, but did let her score out of 5. That first lvl 6 season, she came in last place at just about every single meet. She repeated lvl 6 (duh!). She did better the second time, but still left plenty of meets, including state, with no medals. I did tell that kid there were considerably cheaper ways to have fun. Wouldn't she like to try martial arts or something? Nope. She didn't care if she was winning or losing. (Old mom can pick up a lesson or two from the kids now and again.)

She did lvl 7 this year. You know, of course, that every level gets tougher because those who stay in from year to year are likely to be your better gymnasts. So, I went to the first meet hoping she'd get a medal. Um . . . dd2 won floor, beam, and AA! Holy cow. WHERE did that come from? She had a "no fall" meet season. Her bar scores were averaging about 9.5. She won the vault title at state. Who is this kid?

When you watch your dd, especially if you watch every day, you may not see improvement.

Those other little girls who seem so talented as compulsory gymnasts, even those who win all the time, do not necessarily become the best optionals. I'm sure I wasn't the only one wondering what hole dd2 crawled out of.

Half the girls in at level 4 are out by level 6. Ninety percent are out by level 10. If repeating the level gives your daughter a good year and fosters the desire to stay in the sport, so much the better. Even if she doesn't pick up a bunch of new skills this year, she may well outlast those kids who seem so talented today.

Try not to get discouraged because you don't see much progess right now or because you see former teammates moving ahead faster. This sport really is about survival, and the girls who move slow and steady seem to be the ones who can stay in long-term.

flippymonkeysmom · 04-30-2008, 11:52 AM


Quote:
Originally Posted by kristilyn73 Flippy - We live in Hockey State USA - Minnesota!! And the one thing my DH and I have decided, is that DS will NOT Play hockey. I think we are the only Minnesotans that have said that. But to be honest, I will put any hockey parent dollar for dollar and hour for hour of practice.

Right now the hockey isn't too bad b/c he is only 6 - of course we did just get an email for evaluations for a more intense travel league - I couldn't hit that delete button fast enough, lol. Maybe in another year or two if he still wants to play I'd let him try out - but not yet. It's bad enough that when I was filling out the direct deposit form at work I was thinking 'wouldn't it be easier to just have it deposited straight into my dd's gym account'.