What are the "best" Gyms in Canada?

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Mom2Chickadee

Proud Parent
I've been curious about this for a while. On the American side there are so many high profile gyms and coaches producing extremely talented gymnasts, I was wondering if Canada had clubs that were considered "the best" and what makes them the best? Is it coaching, gym philosophy, luck into recruiting talented gymnasts?

I'm very happy with my DD current gym and she's a very cute little pre-comp athlete but I don't see her becoming a serious elite gymnast at any point so I'm asking out of pure curiosity, not b/c I want to scope out new gyms for my up and coming superstar :).
 
I think it depends on what you want out of a gym. I suspect there aren't as many choices in many areas, unless you live in a big City. And it would seem that in the states there are far more gyms, and far more high profile coaches than here. But that is a direct result of their population as well.

For me, it is very much about fit, finding that great coach/athlete combo that really works for them both. What one family considers a great fit may not work for another. We have a ton of gyms around where I live, but the reality is, they all have their pros and cons. And coaches here seem to move around a lot, given many gyms are not "owned" by the coaches. So you could be at a great gym with great coaching talent one year, then not so much the next.

And, I think the grass is always greener on the other side.

You look at gyms where there are "elite" athletes (but they really aren't called that in Canada), but then you have to consider - if that coach is gone travelling with that elite kid, who is left behind to coach yours?
 
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I don't think Canada has any real powerhouse, competition dominating gyms! I know Omega in BC has produced a couple great gymnasts, and a gym in Cambridge (can't remember what it's called but it's where Victoria Moors trains) is excellent. Alta in NS is fantastic with Ellie Black, Hugh Smith (not certain if that's his last name) a couple of really good younguns and many National level girls. In the provincials levels and in programs such as Aspire, Campia in NFLD and Taiso from NS seem to have some amazing littler kids. At Easterns, Ontario and Quebec win A LOT so they must have some great gyms.
 
Thanks you for your replies. I agree as a parent that the most important thing is that the gym and coach fit with the needs of the gymnast. Nice to see that there appears to be strong gyms all across the country, giving gymnasts the opportunity to reach the higher levels regardless of where they live.
 
I don't think Canada has any real powerhouse, competition dominating gyms! I know Omega in BC has produced a couple great gymnasts, and a gym in Cambridge (can't remember what it's called but it's where Victoria Moors trains) is excellent. Alta in NS is fantastic with Ellie Black, Hugh Smith (not certain if that's his last name) a couple of really good younguns and many National level girls. In the provincials levels and in programs such as Aspire, Campia in NFLD and Taiso from NS seem to have some amazing littler kids. At Easterns, Ontario and Quebec win A LOT so they must have some great gyms.

I think Cygnus in Newfoundland is probably better than Campia they have most if not all the national level women's athletes
 
We also have a ton of gyms in our area. I think most of the gyms mentioned above have produced one or two good gymnasts - but only one or two. So is it the coach or is it that the gymnast just happens to be that talented?

I look at a ton of things. Number of gymnasts per coach, hours of the gym, how far the gym is away from our home, how a coach handles themselves at a meet, has the club taken gymnasts to senior levels? Have the coaches taken kids to senior levels? How do they treat the kids? Does my gymnast like the coach?

I have been to several meets where "high end" coaches are there and their high powered gymnasts falls. And that coach leaves the gym in disappointment. Hey I want my daughter to be great but not at the expense of her self esteem. We have some coaches who are highly skilled in terms of coaching levels but never coached past National Open.

I think we are lucky in Ontario to have so much choice.
 

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