So you all know me...and how I feel....

[bogwoppit]

Lets just assume that we are all just sharing our thoughts and opinions on this board. We are not judging or evaluating each other based on what we write.

I value all of your opinions, even when I do not agree with them, we learn by other peoples experiences as well as our own.

I assume that you are all here because you love and care for your gymnasts and want the very best for them. I also assume that you love gymnastics and the process of moving through the levels, no matter what country you live in.

Based on all that, post your feelings, thought and ideas. I have learned so much through all of you and I often feel that parents are afraid to be themselves in case they are judged by older parents/members.

I don't know more than you, I just know what I know. I'd love to know what you do too.

W

[Blackie6]

What sets this forum apart from all others (which is why I love it here!) is that people do share their thoughts and feeelings. Plus, I love that that there are parents of all levels here, coaches and gymnasts themselves. I've learned so much from here this past year & have really enjoyed the parent brags, videos and pictures. Somtimes I do shy away from posts because I feel like I don't know enough about gymnastics to make a valid point or just not as passionate about the sport as some parents are.

My DD just turned 7 and will be a 2nd year L4. Being honest, she's really not that good. I think she's the best, but that's because I'm her mom and biggest fan. I never get tired of watching her, even at practice. While she has made progress and has gone from getting scores in the 6's and 7's to end of season 7's, 8's and a couple surprise 9's on vault, she still brings up the rear end on the team. And I feel bad for her. I know she loves gymnastics and has a lot of heart, enjoys conditioning, going to meets & and her friends, but I wonder if eventually the talent everyone else seems to have will frustrate her. Also, she has a mild Neuro impairment which makes her one leg/foot turn inward. Makes her look crocked (sp?)especially in handstands. But the coaches are aware of it and are wonderful in working with her. I love our coaches! So, we try to take it all one step at a time, not knowing how far she will go in this very competative sport. It is also a huge financial obligation. One that I am not sure we thought about 100% because truthfully we did not think she would ever get this far! Should she make it to L5 or L6, I am not sure how we will come up with the funds for tuition. I guess I will work a lot of home gym meets, LOL

But to go back to your post, I got side tracked, keep those stories coming & continue to be yourselves here......as a parent just starting out, I really appreciate all the knowledge and information you've all shared! I have learned so much & feel like I've had more honesty in this forum than I've had sitting next to some obessive gym mom upset that her DD didn't win a handstand contest at practice. No, they aren't all like that, but some are very competative and obsessed. And, you can't talk about this with your non-gymantics friends cause they can't get over why you pay so much to have your DD tortured 10 hrs a week!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I just want to say that for any time I've come accross as being too combatitive and judgemental towards parents (and I know I've been guilty of this on multiple occasions), I apologize.

That's all, carry on.

[gymmomntc2e6]

I too feel that this is a great site both for learning and making friends. Seeing how hard all of our girls work in the gym, having a place where everyone is so supportive - especially after a bad day - it just helps. DD had a rough meet today. She did not seem to be too affected by it which is great, but I was disappointed for her because I know how hard she works and unfortunately today it was not her day. She had missed an entire week due to the flu and lost 2.5lbs. She has not fully gotten her energy back and is not as steady as she has been in the past.

Again, I ramble, but I appreciate the support this site offers. And when I wish well at a meet I mean it - even if your dd is competing against mine!!! They all work hard.

[flippymonkeysmom]

I think it is great having a site where parents, gymnasts, coaches, fans, etc. can talk to each other. Having a child in this sport can be very draining - emotionally, financially, etc. I love being able to talk to other parents who 'get it'. I hate to see any gymnast not do well - they all work so hard. I've actually felt like crying for girls I don't even know because I have seen their devastated little faces after messing up a routine.

Anyway, to be perfectly honest sometimes I love this sport and sometimes I hate it. I know my dd loves it - but sometimes I feel like a bad mother that I let her push herself so hard. I know she is not the most natural and she is going to be tall. Up to this point she has done well - not the best - but still pretty good. Now that she is moving into optionals I worry that her flexibility issues and height are really going to effect her - so sometimes I wonder is it all worth it. I hate that she misses out on a lot of other things also. She wanted to try out for the school cheerleading team, but didn't because she was afraid it would cut into her gymnastics too much. I know she is the one making her own choices - but she is still a child and I should be making sure she is making smart decisions - but I'm not always sure what they are. I also hate the time it takes her away from the family. Between school and the gym she is hardly ever home. Of course on the positive side, I love the self confidence it has given her. I love the look on her face when she conquers a fear or finally gets that new skill she has been working on.

So to make my long rambling short - I am very grateful to have people who understand my ramblings because they are all going through it too.

[flippymonkeysmom]

Oh - and as far as overly competitive parents - I just ignore them. I used to let it get under my skin, but a few years into all this competition stuff- I'm just like, yeah yeah whatever, your kids the best.

[medic3188]

You know I am somewhat competitive. This past meet my dd taught me and my very competitive mother something. She scored three 8 and a six. I knew she would not place and I was so disappointed. My dd is very competive. This gym gave medals for 1-7 and ribbons for other places. Everyone gets something. My dd walked out with an allaround medal-everyone also got- and four ribbons. You would think she got first. She was so proud. I learned the scores don't matter. I stopped writting them down. Who cares. P.s. after that meet she got moved up to level 3. Something much more important.

[Blackie6]

I love that too! Good for your daughter & congrats on the move-up! My DD's very first meet stunk as far as the scores but that one ribbon & opportunity to hold her arms up over her head was as good as a gold medal. Maybe when the girls get older and understand the scores more they really don't care about the ribbons, but I think everyone should get one in these lower level meets.

[Livinatthegym]

I lurked for 6 months before registering and posting. I'm wrapping up my 5th, and possibly my final, season as the parent of a competative gymnast. Mostly, the experiences have been good, and perhaps I just joined the forum because I'm going to get a little nostalgic when it's all over next month.

Ok, I do admit to chuckling a little at some posts, for instance the parent of a 6 year old pre-teamer worried about switching gyms to one where there's an elite program. Looking back, I've seen so many of my girls' teammates, some with incredible promise, drop out from injury, burn-out, or simply the desire to try other activities. I've seen girls retire when their bodies have grown beyond ideal gymnast porportions. There's so much that could be coming.

And yet . . . I love the enthusiasm and the excitment all the new gymnasts and their parents have. It's fun. There's so much to dream about. It's kind of like getting to relive those first few meets in level 4 when we had no idea what to expect.

I really enjoy reading the posts here.

[mariposamama]

I love this forum and think that, as with all online forums, there has to be some realization that we are all human, that typing things out often is harder than discussing them in person and that context is very hard to get from the written word. We all have things to share and we all have our own opinions. I have found that with online support groups, you have to have just a little tougher skin because things can be misconstrued and taken out of context. I always assume the best of intentions and if I am wrong, no big loss.

I value everyones opinion here and enjoy reading what the experienced gym moms think as well as what the newbies like me think and go through. It has helped me immensely to have found this forum as I was struggling with the whole idea of team, practices for so many hours, etc, etc. I also know that it is so hard to talk to non gym moms about this because, like me, they often can't fathom a child spending so much time at the gym.

I hope we can all just respect each others opinions and experiences and take what we need from them and let the other parts go if they don't pertain to us or don't help us. We all learn from each other in some way.



P.S. I love all your posts bogwoppit! You are a great resource here!