Team at 5 1/2?

[mariposamama]

Last week and this week, DDs coach talked to me and they want to move her to team soon ( asked if she meant pre-team and she said no). I guess they do compete level 4s at 6 at this gym (her old gym doesn't even compete level 4, they start at level 5 at age 7). The level 4s practice 12 hours a week.

I am torn. DD loves gymnastics and is good at it, but it just seems so young. She would be thrilled to be in the gym so much, but it seems like a lot to me.

The cost to start up isn't that bad, booster fees, warm ups and leo. The monthly fees are pretty reasonable in my opinion. $205 per month. We pay $110 per month for 3 hours a week right now.

I guess we will have to try it when they decide to move her, because I can't hold her back from something she loves. I have kind of talked to her about it, told her that it will be much more work, that her coach will be different and she is fine with that. But until she has done it, she really doesn't know.

Any input from other mamas who have been there, done that with little ones? I guess I was just caught off guard because I thought she would be in her developmental class until 6, then go to pre-team, then maybe eventually to team someday. I didn't expect her to be asked to move to team so little.

Thanks!

[laurameer]

Sounds like you have a talented daughter on your hands! I know what you're going through with this decision. My DD is 6 and has been on team L4 for 2 1/2 mos now. Our team only does 9 hrs/wk. Our daughters sound very simialr, love to be in the gym, practice at home constantly, travel by roundoff instead of walking .

You just have to know your kid, and watch very closely. Be prepared for sore muscles (lots more conditioning), it's hard for a 6 yr old to know the difference between sore and hurt. Ask lots of questions. DD is very tired and very hungry after practice, I have to be ready for crankiness and respond with understanding. I also watch at least half of each practice. I feel she's too young to be left there for so long alone and it keeps me aware of what she's doing and her emotions/attitude/behavior.

Just keep an open mind that it may be too much. There's nothing wrong with trying team and if it's not working move her back to a less intense class for awhile. We have to remember they're only 5/6!! They have lots of time. Let us know how it goes.

[gym law mom]

You don't have to do anything. This seems like a rather odd time to move a child to team since most teams have been set for awhile and are either competing or getting ready to compete. You're right that your dd can't compete in a USAG meet until her 6th birthday which would be sometime in the spring? By then most compulsory meets are over for the year.

Is she working on all of her L4 skills in her current class? What would the plan be if she moved to team? The girls who are competing will be spending alot of their practices running through routines for the next meet and possibly working on L5 skills. Would a coach be working with your dd on her L4 skills and routines? Would hate to see her get lost in the shuffle. It is a big jump to go from 3 hours/week to 12. Is there any other group(such as a pre-team) that she could move up to that would help with the transition to more practice time, but not the big jump to team practice?

I'm sure she is excited(as are you) and thats absolutely fantastic. That is something as the parent of an 11 yo that we still like to see in them----that love to do the sport, learn more skills etc. My big concern about putting such a young one on a team(when she can't compete) is she may be thrown in the deep end and have a bad experience and not want to continue. Take her and watch a L4 team practice and then go to one by yourself and really consider if she is ready for it. If she isn't ready now or it doesn't feel right, I'm sure she'll be ready come spring.

[mariposamama]

Quote:
Originally Posted by laurameer Sounds like you have a talented daughter on your hands! I know what you're going through with this decision. My DD is 6 and has been on team L4 for 2 1/2 mos now. Our team only does 9 hrs/wk. Our daughters sound very simialr, love to be in the gym, practice at home constantly, travel by roundoff instead of walking . You just have to know your kid, and watch very closely. Be prepared for sore muscles (lots more conditioning), it's hard for a 6 yr old to know the difference between sore and hurt. Ask lots of questions. DD is very tired and very hungry after practice, I have to be ready for crankiness and respond with understanding. I also watch at least half of each practice. I feel she's too young to be left there for so long alone and it keeps me aware of what she's doing and her emotions/attitude/behavior. Just keep an open mind that it may be too much. There's nothing wrong with trying team and if it's not working move her back to a less intense class for awhile. We have to remember they're only 5/6!! They have lots of time. Let us know how it goes.

I definitely worry about it being too much, but then again, she loves it so much. I won't hesitate to pull her out if I think she isn't doing well emotionally/physically and she knows that if she ever wants to stop, that all she has to do is say so. I can't say I would be sad if she wanted to do something else, especially something safer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gym law mom You don't have to do anything. This seems like a rather odd time to move a child to team since most teams have been set for awhile and are either competing or getting ready to compete. You're right that your dd can't compete in a USAG meet until her 6th birthday which would be sometime in the spring? By then most compulsory meets are over for the year. Is she working on all of her L4 skills in her current class? What would the plan be if she moved to team? The girls who are competing will be spending alot of their practices running through routines for the next meet and possibly working on L5 skills. Would a coach be working with your dd on her L4 skills and routines? Would hate to see her get lost in the shuffle. It is a big jump to go from 3 hours/week to 12. Is there any other group(such as a pre-team) that she could move up to that would help with the transition to more practice time, but not the big jump to team practice? I'm sure she is excited(as are you) and thats absolutely fantastic. That is something as the parent of an 11 yo that we still like to see in them----that love to do the sport, learn more skills etc. My big concern about putting such a young one on a team(when she can't compete) is she may be thrown in the deep end and have a bad experience and not want to continue. Take her and watch a L4 team practice and then go to one by yourself and really consider if she is ready for it. If she isn't ready now or it doesn't feel right, I'm sure she'll be ready come spring.

Oh, she won't be moving until summer. I am just freaking out about it already. I am one of those worrywort mamas.

She has some of the L4 skills and they work on those in her class each week.

I did ask her specifically if she meant pre-team and she said no. I thought she would go to pre-team first, but she said that she won't. The pre-team girls practice 1 hour more a week than her current class. I am not sure who is in the pre-team class.

They are working on L4 skills in the developmental class she is in right now.

DD turns 6 in July. I guess by summer she will be almost 6. I should change the title, but I can't. LOL. I think I miscalculated in my head.

Thanks guys. She really just seems so little to me. Probably because I am her mama. And because she is so tiny physically (35lbs). She is my baby. Can't she stop growing up so fast and doing things that scare her mama?

[fruitcake]

My dd joined team at the beginning of this summer-she was not quite 6 at the time. I too was a little concerned about the age--I knew she had the ability but boy did she seem young. She still seems young and being small for her ages, looks tiny next to the other girls. She however loves it! We can't get her to stop doing routines and skills around the house. I am sure your dd will be fine also and like you said you can always pull her if you think it is not working.

[Ingymmom]

Hi mariposamama,

Sounds like your little one is quite a talent

I also have a little one that joined team young. I went through the concern issues, and understand your dilemma. A joined team this past June as a 5 yr old, then turned 6 in Sep. Our gym does not compete L4, they start at L5 similar to your previous gym, so she is technically considered a L5 but can not compete until she turns 7 next year - but she is still treated the same as everyone else and coaches have the same expectation of her as they would any other girl (except that she is allowed to train less - totally different topic LOL). Prior to team she was in what our gym calls a pre-team class where they went from training 6 hours a week to 8 hours. I struggled with those hours at the time because she had just turned 5 and was only in a rec class one hour a week initially, but I have to say she loved every second of it.... when the coaches said it was time for Team & she would train 15 hours a week I was concerned yet again - from 8 to 15 seemed too big a jump - but again it worked out very well for her. We did not hesitate to miss a day here or there for a party, or "just because". Now that school has started (she is in half day kindergarten) she is still in the gym about 16 hours a week and still thoroughly enjoying her gym time. We still take it one month at a time and we STILL take off whenever I think its time. I would never want her to feel like gym is a job... To this day she absolutely still considers the gym her playground.

So some gymmies can start a little younger - each child is different, & it is just important to monitor & respond appropriately to your little one, but it absolutely can be a great thing - gym does not get too scary until much later LOL. L4 & 5 especially should just be a really great time. (gym should ALWAYS be a fun great time, but I emphasize those especially because the skills are easier and there is a lot less pressure then higher levels).

That said the only concern I felt when reading your post was the the major jump in hours from 3 to 12. Is there some reason why they won't put your dd on pre-team now and at least add another hour? It would make the most sense rather then going straight from developmental to team. If not since you have so long to wait for team ( I say long, but it will be here in a blink ) , I would try to find some way to gradually increase gym time... We have a new pre-team in our gym and this year they decided to make it a 10 hour a week (2 hours a day, 5 x's a week). I can not tell you what a shock it was for some very talented girls to go from 1-3 hrs a week all the way to 10 - MANY dropped out initially. Some did return and worked up to the required schedule which did help, but it took some time (a few months).

I am curious how does your gym break down their hours? How many days does the team train their 12 hours?

[Blackie6]

Hi,
Mom of young gymmie adding 2 cents, LOL!
I was where you are last year about the same time. My dd was not even 6 yet and had only been on pre-team (4 hrs a week) about 7 mths when invited onto the team. L4 Team trainned 10 hrs at the time (now trains 10 1/2 to 11) and I had no idea what to do with her. In my head I kept saying what kid at this age would want to be here for that many hours... it's crazy! What mother would allow her daughter to do this kind of intense training at such a young age? What other sport for kids would expect that level of committment from kids and parents? I kept going into the office to speak with a great staff member who reassured me that they were not holding any girls prisoner, LOL, they all loved being there and would be there longer if they were allowed. I considered JOGA too, which was less hours, is very BIG here in NJ and she could compete starting age 7. I was told to just give USAG a try and see if she liked it, we could always move to JOGA, but it was easier to start USAG first because of the way skills are taught. Because of her maturity, I did hold her on pre-team until her 6th B-Day and she went from the 4 hrs to 10.5 without any hesitations. She loves it! She does do other activities (CCD, Brownies, Dive team, T-Ball) which we take her out of practice occasionally, but now that we are in the middle of meet season we don't miss anything. She is the youngest on her team now, has done 3 meets so far and still loves it. I have to yell at her to get her out of the gym when practice ends, she loves it that much.

My best advice is just let her try. I am sure if the hours are of a concern you can speak with the coach & work up to it. I thought I would have to do that with my dd, but knowing that her friends were all in there and she might miss something she would not leave the gym. Do I still think she is goofy and imature, yup, but that is what I love about her, she is always smiling when she leaves there. There will be plenty of time to be more serious, like some of the older teamates, but for now at this age I think it's great that they enjoy the excercise & experience in the gym.

Hope this helps!

[nettyinpa]

I can also say been there, done that. My dd was moved into the Developmental class at age 4, almost 5. They practiced 9 hours a week over the summer. Like a lot of other girls here, she loves it. Doesn't mind the extra time. Since she wouldn't make the move until next summer, let her try it. They can always move her back down. My dd is now 6 and trains 12 hours a week. It is a lot more work, expecially with the conditioning part of it. But, again, she really enjoys it and never complains. She's looking forward to her first meet in December.

Good luck to you and dd!

[mariposamama]

Thanks everyone. So glad to see that others have been in similar positions. I am almost positive that DD won't mind at all, she asks everyday if it is gymnastics and comes home after practice only to practice more "because she is all stretchy and warmed up." LOL. I do think she will be surprised to possibly actually have pain. That will be new for her.

I definitely think that she may need to work up to the 12 hours and I will bring it up with them when it actually happens. I shouldn't even be worried about it because it is so far away. I just always freak out intitially when something worries me, then I get info, step back and calm down. LOL.

I am wondering how they break down 12 hours as well. I was wondering if maybe she meant 9 hours a week. She has 3 girls, all on team, maybe she mixed up one of their schedules with her level 4 girl. That would seem more doable.

I also think they must see something I don't see. Not that I don't absolutely think my DD is awesome, she amazes me, but she isn't as well behaved as some of the other girls, for example, she can't wait in line for her turn, will be off doing handstands or cartwheels, or playing on a mat, etc. I have kept waiting for them to say something to her, or me for that matter, and whenever her coach has wanted to talk to me, it has been for good things. Go figure. I wouldn't say she is super talented, but she works hard and really tries. Some things do click with her and skillwise she is doing good, but she could use some grace. And straighter legs. I think those things come with age and practice though and of course naturally for some.

[gymbratsmom]

I have been there too. My dd was 5 when she started team. She did some level 4 fun meets at 5 years old. She loved every min. of it. She did two years of level 4 because she was not old enough to do level 5. When she turned 7 she became a level 5. She placed third in the AA at the state meet.

This year she is 8 and a level 6. She is the youngest in her group and the next oldest is her sister who is 10. Almost everyone else is 12. She is doing great this year and still loves gymnastics. She keeps up with all the older girls and fits in with all of them.

If I had the chance I would do it all over again. She still loves gymnastics and wants to do more. I would try it and see what happens. I'm sure you could always move her down if it doesn't work out.