Club vs. HS Gymnastics

[NYgymfan]

I know there are some big differences between High School and Club gymnastics.

I came across an old newspaper article about how some coaches have very different ideas about club gymnasts participating on their HS teams. Some club coaches don't want their gymnasts to participate in HS gymnastics because they would be spending time away from their club for HS practices and meets. This actually allows more inexperienced gymnasts to participate on the HS teams though since competition at tryouts isn't as bad. Other club coaches let their gymnasts compete on their HS teams since even though they are spending time away from the club they are still spending good chunks of time practicing their skills. Some of the HS coaches say they need the club gymnasts to try out and compete because they can't really develop gymnasts with lots of skills on their own because the season is so short. I can't find a link to the article otherwise I would post it for everyone.

What do all the gymnasts/coaches/parents on here think about this?

[gimnystcoach]

I head coach both club and HS gymnastics and because of this, I tend to understand both ends of the spectrum.

My club girls are good, but they are still too young for HS gymnastics. In a few years, a few of my older ones will be in HS and want to compete, and I am trying not to be too overprotective of them going to "another coach" for 3 months. But it's what happens and if they are ruined then I need to fix them when they come back.

On the other hand, as a HS coach, I absolutely need those club gymnasts because the majority of girls on my high school team have virtually never done gymnastics and I only have 4 weeks to practice them before our first meet.

But what I do now is hold "off season" HS practices that are open to all HS gymnasts that don't have a home club (In my state you cannot have off season practices with just your team), that way they have nine months to practice.

[CoachL]

Another aspect that I can think of is that a club coach will not want their athletes competing in HS because their chance of obtaining a scholarship would be very slim. And to be honest if one of my upper level kids tried to do HS gymnastics I would absolutely flip out. This is a little different for guys though. Growing up in Illinois all the good club guys went to their HS teams and it was very competetive, but out here on the west coast I don't even know if there is a HS gym programs anywhere in the state.

[NYgymfan]

Thanks for the replies


Most of the girls on the team at my HS are former club gymnasts but they only compete at the HS level now (and many of them do other sports too...especially ones that use gymnastics skills like cheerleading or pole vaulting with the track team).

[gymdog]

Been there, done that, had an entire training group just end over the issue, which basically changed the direction of my gymnastics career but whatever. In the end the whole thing wasn't worth it from the club side of things (I kept doing club at another gym that was really different) but various events (a perfect storm, if you will) combined to escalate the situation, there was misunderstanding, etc. In retrospect I wouldn't have made the same decision, but I don't think the same decision would have been made from the other end either. I realize this is all vague but it's kind of hard to explain what happened.

But I don't regret doing high school either. Anyone can participate during most of the local meet season, and my team was majority beginners. The HS state meet is dominated by level 9s and 10s (and former 9s and 10s) and we all knew each other from club. However in states where club gymnasts can't do HS (WI comes to mind) the level at the state meet isn't much different, because the best HS teams work out like optional teams (a little less intensely but the skill level is certainly nowhere near beginner). In fact a beginner often can't get on these teams, is my understanding, because the nature of the program retains enough experienced girls (unlike some of the states that allow simultaneous participation, like my state, meaning club gymnasts don't attend all meets allowing space for others, or choose not to do some seasons, or choose to just do club).

Some of my best memories from high school are centered around HS gym and my best friends did it with me (beginners). Super competitive gymnastics can only take you so far anyway. On some level I think a lot of us were torn because you're trying to make sacrifices on either end and so much of high level gymnastics ends up seeming like life and death decisions all the time. But in the end all you're going to have is memories anyway. Once you've gotten that far, if you want to, why not have some fun with friends and get some recognition for the one thing you've worked on? We usually couldn't do other sports or activities because of the time, but with gymnastics you are practicing the skills anyway at club. Girls who have done high school gymnastics here, some for all four years, have gone to NCAA (with scholarships and as walk-ons) and had a lot of success. In fact, the 2006 USAG JO National Champion for Sr C, won our high school states just a couple months before, capping off her fourth consecutive win (and 4th year of participation in HS). If you're smart about it and can handle it, high school gymnastics isn't somehow going to "taint" you forever and ruin your life. Unless you're trying to be elite or go to the Olympics, it's reasonable to evaluate the individual situation and participate if it works out.

[gymgymgymnast08]

No high schools by me have gymnastics =[

[Indiana]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gymgymgymnast08 No high schools by me have gymnastics =[

Me either. I guess it's not something that's done here in Aus.

I could easily see both sides, though. High school gymnastics sounds like an awesome concept, but only because I can imagine I'd be doing it with friends from school. And it would just be another place I could be gymnastics crazy. But I think that if I was really trying to head toward one goal (ie. elites) then I think there would be too much of a confliction between the two.

[gracefulone]

I do gym at a YMCA, so it's a tad different, but last year we lost our sole level 9 to compete highschool. For us, highschool gym is a big deal. We just won our third consecutive state title. It does hurt our Y program though; we've been losing girls like crazy and we know we will lose some awesome younger gymnasts once they become freshman.

[Tumblequeensmom]

Don't know whether or not this is the article you were referring to, but I'm sure it's the same thing!

Club Rules Leave High School Gymnastics Teetering - washingtonpost.com

[NYgymfan]

Yes, Tumblequeensmom, that's the one! I couldn't find it again after I read it and typed up the post.