Parents Expectations

[medic3188]

My dd will be seven next month. She is a level 3. She goes once a week for 2 hours. She also does a rec class for extra gym time. She was supposed to move up to level four this summer and not compete until next year while she learned the level 4 skills. Our gym does this a little backwards. This whole big thing went down at the gym and one month ago they tested all the girls. They were supposed to let the parents know how the kids did, but havent as of yet. They said they were going to switch classes two weeks ago.
We are still in limbo. Summer session starts in 4 weeks. My dd goes to camp an hour away for part of the summer and takes privates while she is there. So basically I need to know whats going on so I can mkae summer plans. Her coach said they have changed their idea of what they are doing and they are going to have the girls compete level 3 while they are learning level 4 for some experience. Okay so this was the new plan, but noone knew when they were going to do this. She also said they were looking at having the girls come four hours a week. However no one knew when this would start.
I tried to talk to the gym owner and he promised me an answer Tuesday. Well it is friday and he never got back to me. When I asked the secretary she made it sound like I was being a pain and that they would have a schedule the week before summer session starts. I went to my dd's coach and she said that she was definately going to be going 4 hours a week through the summer. This is all I really wanted to knoew I guess.
Is is wrong to expect that the gym should give you a few weeks notice about class schedules prior to change in sessions? What is the norm for this type of situation?

[bogwoppit]

Group placement is always a mystery at our gym, they evaluate for competitive and groups once a year. The owner/head coach knows everything and the parents and gymnasts are in limbo. The coaches usually know, but it is like they are gaurding state secrets! Sometimes we don not find out the group or schedule until the day classes are supposed to begin, which makes scheduling the lives of three kids a challenge.

It has driven me nuts over the years, but now I am kind of used to it and my girls are in the higher groups, so it is less of an issue. But, I do remember being in the same place as you and my daughter wanted to know what the year would bring.

In the end it is the gym you chose and the style of gym. You have asked, all you can do is wait, or keep asking and risk looking like "one of those parents".

I do get where you are coming from though......

[GymMom68]

It's not too much to ask for them to give you a clue. I think it's sad that's there's so little communication that you and your daughter have to sit in wonder at what's going on.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bogwoppit Group placement is always a mystery at our gym, they evaluate for competitive and groups once a year. The owner/head coach knows everything and the parents and gymnasts are in limbo. The coaches usually know, but it is like they are gaurding state secrets!

Often, we deliberately don't tell the kids or their parents what level they are going to be until late, because that's not what we want them thinking about during workout. Lemme see if I can give a better example of what I'm talking about.

Take our group that competed level 4 last year. I could probably tell you right now which girls will likely compete 5 next year and which ones will likely be doing another year at 4. However, for the kids who will do 4 again, I don't tell them that at this stage, because if they know they're doing the same level again, what motivation do they have to push themselves over the summer? And, though this is less of a concern in most cases, if I tell the ones who will be doing 5 next year that I know they'll be doing 5, they may feel that they already have it made, and don't need to work particularly hard to move up (this is less of an issue, but I know of at least one or two girls who would have this attitude). Besides, it's completely possible that one of the probable 4's will surprise me and make huge progress between now and when the season starts, and be ready for the next level. Or vice-versa.

If you're just talking about scheduling, though, that's a different matter; that you have every right to be told of well in advance.

[Mac]

Everyone here is right. Which means there are contradictory goals for parents and coaches. Parents want to know as early as possible for reasons of scheduling and just to know for its own sake. Who doesn't want to know if their child will advance or not? Heck, I want to know what will be happening three years from now! Then I can relax with the certainty of it!!!! :)

Coaches are hesitant to pass on the info for the reasons Geoffrey mentioned and one other. If promotions are listed now, but don't take effect until one session ends and the next begins, then there's the added risk of kids being mean to each other--"I'm moving up and you're not." Hey, it happens. From a gym's perspective, it's best to list the promotions and have the new classes/groupings start immediately. It avoids gossip and kvetching during the interim time.

It's hard to balance the two sets of needs.

[bogwoppit]

No, for us it is basically they evaluate one week and the girls are supposed to begin training in two weeks, the coaches all know the groups, but the parents do not get told until they turn up at the gym on the first night of training. All our comp girls train on Friday night so that's easy, but that's when you find out the rest of your kids schedule.

Geoffrey's motivation thing make total sense. My girls finish competing tomorrow and then they will train the whole summer, they will not be evaluated until September for level of competition.

Though as I said earlier, I have just become used to this way of "doing business", it's wierd but my girls know that they are in one of two training groups each year. It is much harder for girls and parents just beginning the gym journey.

Gyms are just like any other business, some are good, some are bad and some are just plain odd, but that does add the variety to life.

[gym law mom]

This seems to be the single largest complaint among parents---lack of communication and move up time seems to be the worst. This year, it has been so scattered---1 girl will be told one night, another at a later practice etc. My daughter wasn't told anything and they started in their new teams on Monday, so she just went to her usual Level 6 practice. Then she was told the coach just wanted to see her doing her BHS series on a regulation width beam---low, whale or high over several practices and she could start with the Level 8s. We have a summer schedule, but nobody seems to know when it starts and it is very different between Level 6 and Level 8 as far as times and days off etc.

GT--I understand what you say about telling kids they'll move up too soon. Well, we had 2 Level 5s who were just driving everyone nuts by strutting around saying how good they were and they were "locks" to move up to 6. Coaches had to pull them aside and have a real intense talk. One girl did apologize to her team---the other just has continued to be a brat.

Medic--I would wonder why they are spending time with Level 3. I know in our state, I have never seen a meet where Level 3 was offered. Sounds like you don't have much info either as to what being on this new Level 3 team would mean---team leos etc? 4 hours/week isn't alot of time to teach girls Level 3 routines plus work on Level 4 skills.

[medic3188]

Gym Law-
They used to do a mini team which was level four and you spent the whole year learning level 4. If you had all your skills by march then you did two non sanctioned meets for experience. Then the following year compete level 4. Now they want to compete level 3 with the girls who already have most of the level 3 skills and then teach them level 4. By next year they will have competition experience. This has just started to be very big in New York

As far as moving up, my daughter already know that she will either compete three or learn four or both. This is not a surprise. Her coach has told her this. The only suprise is when it will start. She is getting bored and ansy about it. She wants a challenge. I just want to know if she will do twice a week for the summer or not. The actual days are not even that important.

I understand how telling a kid can not be good. This is the problem we had with my dd. She knew 6 weeks ago and she is ready to move..This is even though the girls she is moving with are the ones she is in with. She wants the advance class twice a week and it is not offered yet. So all she can do is bounce through rec classes as a second class to try to keep her interest.

[littlegymchampsmom]

medic, our gym was exactly the same way with team... I really had no clue what to expect with hours or moving up when, where, how long etc... as new parents to the system we are especially lost First they said the girls would need to be on pre-team for a year - which was fine - a year for us would be dec 08, I just expected it, so come mar, then april and then may I just wanted to know the hours pre-team would have in the summer, especially how many - well, so we could plan like normal people ... they kept promising but no schedule, it was top secret info, everyone was completely hush, hush. Then one day they just handed me a sheet saying my dd would train level 5 with the rest of her group and at least they provided a schedule... I was confused because they said one thing and then did another. At first I was even a little upset... I understand why now after reading GT's comments, it makes sense.... it also sounds like this is the norm in comp gymnastics... we came from a rec gym that was run like a tight ship lol, it was very organized, so the transition has been crazy...

[medic3188]

I just hate having no idea of what is going on. I have a great rapport with her coach. She told me that she will be a level 3 working 4 next year and she has told this to others also. It is the gym owners who keep everything in the dark.