How to find the "right" gym??

[callys_gym_mom]

I'm the mom of an almost 6 yr old who has been doing gymnastics since she was 18mos old. We selected the gym we are currently at because they have a really neat program for the little ones with small equipment and a special seperate area for them.

The credentials of the owners are great, the facility is awesome -state of the art; however, she has been going for 4 yrs now and just does not seem to be advancing or being challenged. Her strength is great, she can climb the rope all the way to the ceiling and has little six pack abs, but her technique and flexibility are not getting much better.

The negatives of the gym are that the teachers in the pre-school classes do not seem to be very experienced. There has also been a high turn over in teachers in teh 4 yrs we have been going. The owners have been branching into dance, fitness and karate now and seem to be more concerned with making money than teaching gymnastics. It also seems like they are maxed out student to instructor ratio-wise on the competitive levels and instead of continuing up the levels, more kids end up quitting. On the other hand, the kids who make it to the team level seem to do well in competition.

In your opinions - am I better off switching to a smaller local gym with not as advanced facilities, but where the focus is more on the gymnastics and less on the making money. Or stick it out at the big gym and hope the she is one who will not get bored and quit before there is a spot for her to move up?
Thanks!!

[canadiangymmom]

I haven't ever been in your position before because we didn't start gymnastics until my daughter was 7, so it's hard for me to say what I would do. I guess if I was in a similar situation I'd be trying to weigh out how much my daughter was learning and how excited she was to go to each class. Is she in a rec class? pre-team? Do her coaches know she wants to learn more and be involved at higher levels? Some gyms seem to have a high turnover in children and often have rotating coaches. As a result, the programs are geared at the rec gymnast who has no plans of competing.

I think if her technique and flexibility aren't improving and competing is her goal, I might start by discussing this with the head coach at the gym. Find out if they have plans for her and whether or not they are aware of her goals. If they aren't on the same page, I might consider looking at what other programs are available in your area.

Good luck,

Canadian gym mom

[callys_gym_mom]

Tonight was her first night of the 5&6 yr old class at our current gym and she was noticably ahead of the other girls in this class. I guess you would consider her class a rec class, but they don't really differentiate. Also because of the lack of teachers and the fact that the owners just had a baby they are kind of restructuring the class progressions. One of the things that kind of bugs me about this gym is that instead of letting the parents know when they think the child should move up, they have "evaluation days". Basically, if YOU think your child is ready to move up you pay a $10 fee and come in at a set time to have your child evaluated and they will tehn tell you if she should move up. I don't know if this is their way of seeing who is willing to invest the time and money or what. I thought that it was the instructors job to put the gymnast in the skill group they are suited to??

So, anyway, she is signed up for the next 7 weeks at our current gym, but we are going to the smaller gym this Saturday to check it out and have her evaluated to see what class she would be placed in there.

This is all new to me, but she really has a knack for gym and loves it, so i guess it's time for mom to start learning more! LOL!

[Megley]

I don't have a ton of experience either, but it seems to me that if your daughter is 6 years old and has been in gymnastics for four years, the coaches should have determined by now whether she will be competing and have moved her at least to a pre-team class. She should be working on skills as well as conditioning. My daughter turns 5 in October. She started in a beginner class last December and was moved to a developmental class in February and then to pre-team in June. Her coaches already know that she likely will compete at Level 4 next year. Her classes are 6 hours a week now and they are working on all the skills they will need for the Level 4 routines as well as some Level 5 skills (mostly for beam and bars).

I have never heard of your gym's method of charging a fee and having the parents determine whether a child should be tested to move up. That seems to be a very strange way of identifying gifted gymnasts. At our gym, the coaches usually approach the parents about moving the children up. Good luck at the new smaller gym. Perhaps that is the right move for you if they will be teaching more skills. Let us know how it goes!

[gracefulone]

I'm a gymnast of ten years, all but 2 of those at the same gym. In my opinion, it would be better to check out the smaller gym, especially if they're going to teach more skills. Your dd is obviously very strong, but she's not getting the skills that use her strength. Good luck!

[JBS]

Quote:
Originally Posted by callys_gym_mom Basically, if YOU think your child is ready to move up you pay a $10 fee and come in at a set time to have your child evaluated and they will tehn tell you if she should move up.

That's a great way to drive business away. You are already paying for classes, it is their job to show you constant progress. If progress in not already built into classes, then there is a problem. But what do I know, I'm only the program director of a 900 student gym.

[callys_gym_mom]

She went this morning to try out the class there and it was great! The facility is not huge and state of the art, but their focus on the girls was WONDERFUL!!

When I called the girl I spoke with on the phone told me they would put her in the beginner class and after she comes to a couple classes they'll have a better idea of where she belongs.The head of the beginner thru pre-team classes was out of town when I originally called, so she did not know our story but she picked up on the fact that Cal was more advanced and had her trying different things to see how much she could do. I am also just sick seeing how much she can do, but didn't know exactly what the coach was talking about until they showed her because she had never been showed some of the basics at the other gym. I am kicking myself for not moving her sooner and also for thinking that a fancy expensive gym must be better than a small one!!!

I am really amazed at the level many of your little ones are at already!! Cally & I are both excited about gymnastics again - something we had lost when she was climbing a rope and doing forward rolls every week!!

[gracefulone]

I'm very happy to hear you're impressed.Sometimes it's all about exploring your options! Congrats once again.

[canadiangymmom]

That's GREAT! I'm glad you've found a better placement for your daughter. It will be a lot more fun for her if she gets to learn new skills.

I'm looking forward to hearing all about her new journey in the gym

Canadian Gym Mom

[Megley]

I'm just posting to add my congratulations. It sounds like this is definitely the right move for you and your daughter. As Canadiangymom mentioned, your daughter will just love learning new skills. No doubt she will be practicing them all over your house soon!