Parents Gyms in Southern California

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Orangesoda

Proud Parent
Hi. I'm new, so please pardon my ignorance. I know very little about gymnastics.

I enrolled my three year old daughter in gymnastics on a whim about a year ago and the gym we were at promptly put her into a pre-team class. Fast forward a year. She's progressing and enjoying herself and seems to be well-suited to the sport. I'm trying to figure out if we're at the right gym. I have no idea which gyms produce successful athletes, what the reputations are, etc. I know she's only four, but we're spending significant time and money already, and if this is going to be her "thing" I'd like to make informed decisions about our time and energy investment! Are gyms ranked? Can I look at meet scores? What so cal gyms win all the meets? Am I even asking the right questions?? Any advice is appreciated.
 
Well, the good news is you have a lot of quality programs to choose from, and that's the bad news as well. :)
 
I know she's only four, but we're spending significant time and money already,

Okay, may we ask what you consider to be a significant amount of time and money, bearing in mind as you say, she is four ? Because with this sport the time and financial commitment just keeps on going up as they progress. We could then say whether you are doing too much, too little, or as baby bear said, just right !
 
Also-you said on your other thread she nearly has her back walkover.

Do a search- BWO and bridges can be damaging to young spines- it is generally recommended children under 5 don't practice bridges. If your club is insisting - that would be an indication you're in the wrong club. And likely wasting your money as she may have a serious back injury before she even gets started.
 
She'll be five September 30th.

Also-you said on your other thread she nearly has her back walkover.

Do a search- BWO and bridges can be damaging to young spines- it is generally recommended children under 5 don't practice bridges. If your club is insisting - that would be an indication you're in the wrong club. And likely wasting your money as she may have a serious back injury before she even gets started.
 
I completely understand the the time and monetary investment in this sport is large. We're currently doing 3 hours a week at $200/mo. And yes, I know this is nothing compared to what it would/will be if she continues - I do think it's a lot for a four year old though.

Okay, may we ask what you consider to be a significant amount of time and money, bearing in mind as you say, she is four ? Because with this sport the time and financial commitment just keeps on going up as they progress. We could then say whether you are doing too much, too little, or as baby bear said, just right !
Incompletely
 
well, I know its a different system over here but my DD is possibly a US level 6/7 (still waiting on those giants) she started gym at 6, took a year out at 8 and is now 10, she has never trained more than 12 hours a week
 
I completely understand the the time and monetary investment in this sport is large. We're currently doing 3 hours a week at $200/mo. And yes, I know this is nothing compared to what it would/will be if she continues - I do think it's a lot for a four year old though.


Incompletely

$200 a month seems a little on the expensive side for 3 hours, even in an expensive area. That would be about $160 a month here. And this is a pretty expensive area. So you might be able to find something more in the $160-170 range, but it won't be any less.
 
What part of San Diego? There are a lot of gyms in SD as well as in Orange County and even SCEGA in Temecula. I have an 8 year old training level 5 and a 4 year old level 2. Our coach specifically is aware of bwo and back issues, especially with the 4 year old.
 
We are up in LA, where I would think would be more pricey (??) and that seems high. We pay less for many more hours of team training, and less for rec too.
 
Definitely be careful about the BWO's. My dd was not and I did not know the damage they could do. She would do them at home all of the time when she was 4/5. She ended with a back stress fracture at the age of 8. She was in a back brace 24 hours a day for 3 months. No need to rush the back bends!
 
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So it seems no one has an answer to my original question. Are we not allowed to name gyms?

I have been given specific gym names when I asked a similar question, but most came from private messages. I would have no problem sharing, I am just not familiar with the San Diego area at all. You could try going to meetscoresonline and looking at this years SoCal state championships and seeing where your gym falls, in terms of performance, and see if you recognize any competitors..
 
It depends because I don't know where in San Diego you live which makes it hard to say where a gym an hour away is. San Diego County is large. In North San Diego County there is Pacific Coast, SoCal Gymnastics, Seawind (a YMCA program), Oceanside Gymnastics, a newer gym called Coastal Gymnastics Academy (focuses on TOPS and optional gymnasts), TRC (one in Solana Beach and in San Diego), Elite Gymnastics Academy in El Cajon. There is a YMCA program in Chula Vista and I believe in the Santee area. In south Orange County in my opinion the best is Azarian, always produce great gymnasts and high scores. SCEGA in Temecula produces elite gymnasts, many college scholarships and National team members. You could start there and look on mymeetscores and look at their websites.
 
She'll be five September 30th.
But she should not be doing any bridges until she's past 5yo and then only sparingly at first. It sounds like she's been doing them for awhile. That combined with the time and money comment makes me concerned too about too much too soon. I don't know specifics about gyms in So cal. I wills ay gyms that win is not the only thing to consider. Training methods, injuries, gymnast longevity etc are very important. Burning out a kid and parent or causing injuries in a young child can mean an early exit from the sport.

As well, I agree So Cal is big can you narrow down which part you are interested in?
 
Thanks. I agree with everything's you've said. She just started kicking bridges over with a spot about a month ago. I was unaware of the risks associated with back stress and damage in early years. Thanks for the heads up.

We're in San Diego. I'd be willing to travel up to an hour if I found the "right" gym. It looks like Azarian is just out of my range, but SCEGA might be an option. The SCEGA name keeps popping up, but I don't see them in any of the state rankings...

But she should not be doing any bridges until she's past 5yo and then only sparingly at first. It sounds like she's been doing them for awhile. That combined with the time and money comment makes me concerned too about too much too soon. I don't know specifics about gyms in So cal. I wills ay gyms that win is not the only thing to consider. Training methods, injuries, gymnast longevity etc are very important. Burning out a kid and parent or causing injuries in a young child can mean an early exit from the sport.

As well, I agree So Cal is big can you narrow down which part you are interested in?
 
Very helpful. Thank you! I'm just so not on the "in" with gymnastics that I don't even know where to start. This is helpful.

It depends because I don't know where in San Diego you live which makes it hard to say where a gym an hour away is. San Diego County is large. In North San Diego County there is Pacific Coast, SoCal Gymnastics, Seawind (a YMCA program), Oceanside Gymnastics, a newer gym called Coastal Gymnastics Academy (focuses on TOPS and optional gymnasts), TRC (one in Solana Beach and in San Diego), Elite Gymnastics Academy in El Cajon. There is a YMCA program in Chula Vista and I believe in the Santee area. In south Orange County in my opinion the best is Azarian, always produce great gymnasts and high scores. SCEGA in Temecula produces elite gymnasts, many college scholarships and National team members. You could start there and look on mymeetscores and look at their websites.
 

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