POLL: How do you feel about your gym?

[mariposamama]

I really love my DDs gym and she does, too. The team seems to be well run, the coaches are good and my DD likes them.

It is the 3rd gym she has been to, we left the first because they changed management, then they let the team program and all the coaches (including my DDs preschool coach who she LOVED) go in such an awful way (note on the door that team was no longer there) that I couldn't see giving them my money anymore. The 2nd we left because DD was in the rec class for her age, was bored and teaching herself new tricks at home and she wasn't being moved up or challenged.

At her current gym, she shines and she loves it. I love her coaches and everything seems well run. She is happy and constantly challenged now, so that is the best part.

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I have mixed feelings about my daughters gym. She is young and has only competed for a year and seems to be happy there at the moment. I think the owner is very together and experenced in the sport and knows what she is doing, she is very organized and has a plan for the girls on the team. I think they concentrate more on the older girls are in the higher levels and that have stuck with the sport. At first this bothered me but after seeing what these girls have sacrificed over the years givng up parties, teenage activties and summers to train I really think they deserve the extra attention. The owners seems to focus more on getting these girls college scholarships to become sucessful women rather than chasing olympic dreams which I think is great and more realistic in the long run. The things that I am not so thrilled with are the long hours of training the far away meets and I think they can be very tough on the girls while they are training, sometimes the intensity is too much and I just want my daughter to have fun. We breifly tried out another gym for classes and my daughter was unhappy with the shorter hours and found it to be less challenging so I quess the grass is not always greener. Bottom line although I have some influence my daughter if she does not want to be there she is not going to do well so I feel like I have to put her where she is happy and confortable or else it is a waste of time and lots of money.

[gym law mom]

I think we all need to acknowledge there is no perfect gym. Every gym has its quirks and areas that could use improvement. Also, what one parent may find just fine, another will not. Right now, I would say overall my gymmie is in a good place----far far better than she was at the 1st gym this time last year. Overall. the coaching is good, she is getting new skills, looks forward to getting to practice(most days) and that love for the sport that we knew was there is coming out.

There is something that may turn out to be an issue in the coming months, but it really has more to do with 1 person than anything else. Bottom line is my gymmie is happy right now.

[Granny Smith]

For the most part, I am good with dd's gym. This is the only gym that she has been at - 7/8 yrs now. Her gym is known as an optional gym and we have drudged through the Compulsory yrs knowing that the payoff would come in the Optional yrs. Dd competed L7 and did great. She is currently L8 and will compete L8 this upcoming season.

I love the HC/O, but I do have issues with some of the other coaches, but basically keep my lips zipped, as long as safety is not an issue (safety concerns, I will speak up.)

I hear the complaints that parents (basically the mothers, funny how dads really don't hang out too much) have about the gym, the coaches, the work out, everything and sometimes I think they are valid, but honestly the gym floor is not bluer on the side - I would never leave. Dd's current gym is one of the best in our state and if she wants to achieve her goals, it is where she should be and she knows it.

I just want to add that I do think now that I have been at the gym for as long as I have, I have learned to let things be. If it is not broke, don't fix it. I try to relax and not evaluate every little thing that the coaches do. I want what's best for my dd, but she is the one out there doing it and as long as she is content, then so am I.

[KBT]

I am happy with my current gym. I'm looking for a gym that has adult open gym which is hard to find. Gyms that do have adult open gym tend to have a culture that focuses on gymnastics being a fun, lifetime sport rather than on winning lots of USAG medals. This is the type of culture I want. It may not be the nicest gym in terms of equipment and location, etc, but its philosophy towards gymnastics is exactly what I'm looking for at this point in my life. Ten years ago this would not have been a good fit, but now it's perfect.

[jls1969]

I too put love the gym. We changed about 18 months ago and my DD is doing great. It a seriously competitive gym and her coach is intense, but it is the perfect spot for her. The communication is the only problem I have---but I attribute some of that to the fact they are Russian. My dd is serious and wants to become an elite---so I feel like we are in the right gym to do that. An interesting question...

[gymadison]

we had the "i hate my gym" feelings so we moved gyms - it was scarry but we did a lot of research before the switch - dd has been at the new gym for 1 month now and we are thrilled! so far it has been the best thing we could have done

[whipback]

I like my gym a lot, but my problems are our floor springs arn't too big, the floor is pretty hard, and we also don't have a pit. We solve these problems by using a sting mat sometimes, useing belts, and I go to the University with my coach and they let me train there and use their pits.

[msl529]

We have been @ 3 different gyms.

Gym # 1: DD began her gymnastics there, went from pre-team to competing L4 & L5 over 2 years. Relaxed coaching, not much attention paid to technique, so while the girls had fun together, they did not compete well at all.

Gym # 2: DD moved there after two years at gym # 1. After 2 years of competitive gymnastics, she decided she wanted get more serious and have better training. Gym #2 had nice coaches, nice girls, & was quite strict on technique. DD had to do a 2nd year of L5 there, since she had terrible technique leftover from gym #1. It was a great year for her though, she improved a ton, won a couple of State titles, and her confidence went through the roof. She says it was worth it to her to hang back a level for all that she gained.

Gym #3: We hated to leave Gym #2, but had to move to a new State this past Feb. Now we are at gym #3. DD moved up to L6 (finally!) this Spring. She went thru a phase of wanting to quit over the past couple of months (due to I don't know what), and now has decided to go ahead and compete in the Fall as a L6. We'll see how that goes. They are not quite as fussy about technique at this gym as they were at gym #2 . DD says she may even like it here better than gym #2, because they are a bit more relaxed than gym #2, but not overly so, like gym #1. We will see how this pans out for her season.

I would summarize our 3 years & 3 gyms this way: As long as dd is happy, it's fine w/ me. She decides when, & if, she needs different coaching, and she has been pretty right-on with her choices thus far. Evey gym has its pluses & minuses, and as many have said here, while the grass seems greener elsewhere, it is more likely just different. Its really all about how well the program FITS the DD & the family.

[GymnastRaeRae87]

Managers changed as well as owners and it is more unorganized now and the coaches aren't as great... but i still like it