WAG Experience boarding with another family?

[Shira]

Hey everyone,

I've heard that it's common for gymnasts to live with another family if their gym is far from home and the family cannot move closer. Does anyone here have any such experience that ended badly? For example, the host parents were abusive, encouraged eating disorders, anything like that. Whether it happened to you, your child, or a peer, I would really appreciate any info about this. Thanks!

-Shira

 

[bogwoppit]

Hey everyone,

I've heard that it's common for gymnasts to live with another family if their gym is far from home and the family cannot move closer. Does anyone here have any such experience that ended badly? For example, the host parents were abusive, encouraged eating disorders, anything like that. Whether it happened to you, your child, or a peer, I would really appreciate any info about this. Thanks!

-Shira

WHy do you want to know this? We do not usually advocate the dicussion of eating disorders etc.

 

[twinmomma]

I'm not sure I'd say it's "common". I know Gabby Douglas did this, but unless you're looking at elite gymnastics with the potential to be an Olympian, I certainly wouldn't see the point.

 

[Shira]

WHy do you want to know this? We do not usually advocate the dicussion of eating disorders etc.

Oh, I see. I'm actually working on a paper for school based on my own experiences and those of others. The ED part isn't the most important, I'm generally interested in how placing a young gymnasts in the care of other parents can sometimes have deleterious effects.

 

[Shira]

I'm not sure I'd say it's "common". I know Gabby Douglas did this, but unless you're looking at elite gymnastics with the potential to be an Olympian, I certainly wouldn't see the point.

Thanks for your reply! So boarding with other parents isn't actually popular? I suppose I've seen more about boarding schools than boarding in other homes but I'm not too sure as I've been out of gymnastics for a while now.

 

[bogwoppit]

Oh, I see. I'm actually working on a paper for school based on my own experiences and those of others. The ED part isn't the most important, I'm generally interested in how placing a young gymnasts in the care of other parents can sometimes have deleterious effects.

Okay, that is cool.

 

[ayyyrial]

Never heard of this happening in my time as a coach and gymnast, other than in the news/books about elite gymnasts. All the gymnasts I know as an ex-gymnast and a coach live with their families. I'm in the US - I know it can be different in other places.

 

[twinmomma]

Thanks for your reply! So boarding with other parents isn't actually popular? I suppose I've seen more about boarding schools than boarding in other homes but I'm not too sure as I've been out of gymnastics for a while now.

I don't think it's common at all. Like I said, the only one I've ever heard was Gabby Douglas, and while I have heard of gymnasts' families moving for training, I don't know too many parents who would be on board with sending their kid to live with another family - Olympic hopeful or otherwise.

 

[twinmomma]

Also, boarding school wouldn't make sense in the US either, unless it was a boarding school tied to a gym. More parents homeschool for the fact that gym hours get so crazy as kids move up, rather than send their kids off to a residential school.

 

[tuckfull]

I know of two girls who have done this - both were around age 12, training 9/10 and reaching for elite. One came home after a month - she was just not ready to leave home. The other one came back a year or so later only due to having to take time off to heal an injury. It was hard on the girls' families to allow them to go but they were both young & talented with that passion and drive, so they agreed to give it a try. It seemed very kid driven in both cases, rather than parents with stars in their eyes.

 

[OHGymMom]

One of DD's former teammates moved from a gym in the midwest to one in the deep south about a year and a half ago. She is, I believe, now living with her 2nd host family. She was competing 8 when she moved and just finished her level 9 season. I know at one time her parents were hoping she would be elite/college material and at her age she may get there. However, at the same time the gymmie wanted to quit so this was more a parent driven move than gymnast driven. I assume from what I see on Facebook and IG that she transitioned well to living a long way from home and, hopefully, regained her love of gymnastics.

 

[twinmomma]

One of DD's former teammates moved from a gym in the midwest to one in the deep south about a year and a half ago. She is, I believe, now living with her 2nd host family. She was competing 8 when she moved and just finished her level 9 season. I know at one time her parents were hoping she would be elite/college material and at her age she may get there. However, at the same time the gymmie wanted to quit so this was more a parent driven move than gymnast driven. I assume from what I see on Facebook and IG that she transitioned well to living a long way from home and, hopefully, regained her love of gymnastics.

I guess I just see this as so sad. Kids are kids for such a short time, and I literally cannot fathom leaving my child to be raised by someone else and losing all those years of building a relationship and watching my child grow up. The actual likelihood of elite/Olympic level gymnastics is so small, that if you believe that strongly in your kid's potential, move your family then. And none of this, "not everyone can pick up and move their family across the country" bs. I have a hard time believing with as many gyms as there are that there's an area where there is such a vast wasteland of gyms that an elite level kid's only choice is to move so far from home someone else has to take responsibility for them.

 

[skschlag]

^^^^^ couldn't agree more!!! ^^^^^^

 

[sce]

I don't think it's common at all. Like I said, the only one I've ever heard was Gabby Douglas, and while I have heard of gymnasts' families moving for training, I don't know too many parents who would be on board with sending their kid to live with another family - Olympic hopeful or otherwise.

I think it was more common in the 80s and 90s as I used to hear of more athletes who did so. Mary Lou Retton for one. More recently I've heard of situations where one parent moved with the athlete while the rest of the family stayed together.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I agree too, but we still have a culture of boarding schools here in the UK, even at primary age. Not so much the youngsters now, but my friends dad was sent away to boarding school at 7 !

I could never send my kids away, I am having a hard time thing about university for my eldest at 18 !

 

[Faith]

There is an option for us to send dd to a boarding school that works with a nearby club.

Wouldn't do it though. We'd all move if it was best for the family...

I think danusia francis might have done it? I know she started off in Coventry and went to Heathrow with sone sort of school scholarship...

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Interestingly I know people that went to both Kelly College and Millfield on scholarships, one swimming, one rugby one academic, think all of them were about 13/14 when they went though.

 

[MILgymFAM]

My older DD is a part of a scholarship program that encourages kids to go to elite private boarding schools- about half of her cohort is now in boarding school. It's gymnastics that actually kept her from seriously considering it. None of the schools had gymnastics teams (that we could find) and she wasn't willing to give it up.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Not uncommon in the USA for high school age kids on the national team track in other sports to leave home to train. My kids have had friends who play hockey and soccer move to train with their national age group teams.

 

[suebee]

I taught at a boarding school. It isn't for everyone but it is really awesome for some kids. It just depends on the kid and the school.

But I don't think that high level gymnastics would work with most typical boarding schools. Many are somewhat physically isolated and transportation and time away from campus would probably be an issue.