WAG I want to go on vacation!!!

[Lucy's Mom]

We are planning a family vacation for a week and my kids are all very excited, except for my oldest dd.

"I can't miss gym. Not now, it's practically season! Mom you don't get it! If you miss a week you need 1-2 weeks to get back to where you where. Thats 2-3 weeks out and I have verification for season! Why now why can't we go during summer, or after season like everyone else!? If I go my releases and dismounts will mess up!"

Thing is, to go during summer, prices go way up. Now we are planning on spending about $1,000, during summer or right after season we would spend about $3,000. Now thats quite a difference.

I don't know what to do! I don't feel comfortable leaving her home with someone while we are all enjoying our vacation.

I honestly think she has time! Her first meet is in december.

Ugh! What should I do!???

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

How old is she and what level is she training?

 

[coachmolly]

If you are going someplace within the states, you might be able to ask her coaches if they can recommend a gym in the area that would let her practice with their team a few days. Not all teams would be open to that, but if her coach has a trusted colleague they might be willing to work out an arrangement.

 

[Lucy's Mom]

She is 14, training 10

 

[Lucy's Mom]

Im not sure that would be possible as we plan on going on a cruise...

 

[iwannacoach]

Please don't take this as criticism, really I'm just trying to provide insight.......Your dd is right you just don't get it. This is her dream season and your dream vacation is going to take at least a little something away from that.

 

[coachmolly]

Could you and DH go on a cruise, or even you and a few friends, and leave the kids with grandparents/aunt or uncle/neighbors or friends that you trust. That way gymnast DD won't be missing out on the vacation and still get to practice and you could still get a little break. You could plan a small family vacation for late May once States/Regionals/and Nationals are over, which is still not peak season in many areas so you should be able to get a deal.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Agree with iwannacoach, at her age and level, taking a vacation 3 months before start of season would affect her progress and season readiness. Normally I tell parents to make the decision that is best for their family. BUT when we are talking about a high school age kid, who is level 9 or 10, I think the answer is different. If a girl of that age is still devoted to gymnastics, and has the talent and drive to get to level 10, I would tell parents to do everything possible to make the path to her dream as smooth as possible.

 

[iwannacoach]

I have a few more moments to add some thoughts.......The week off may or may not have a noticeable impact, but will have some impact just the same. Another issue may contribute to an even larger impact, that being her perception of what she needs to do to have a sucessfull....possibly a "break out" season, and she may have a hard time recovering from what she perceives to be a "major setback".

Most kids in sports have secret ambitions they hesitate to share with even their closest of friends. Your dd may have a very valid ambition of nibbling at the elite level in the next few years, or placing among the top in her age group her last two or three years before college.

I don't know what your perception of dd's gymnastics experience is, but I'll share mine with you......a 14 year old with level 10 capabilities is a bit of a rare bird. Most kids either can't get that far due to a variety of physical or emotional reasons, or they just don't care to try. It's a lot of work and sacrifice on her part as well as her family, and it seems possible to me that taking her out for that week could severely diminish the returns on all of those investments in sacrifice.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Agree with iwannacoach and wandre... My own dd is same age and level and she would KILL me if I suggested taking a week off right now. The stress of missing that time would be worse than any loss of skill she might have.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

She is 14, training 10

bad idea. level 10. december meet. pre-season stuff takes till about mid to late November. let her stay with 1 of her teammates.

 

[txgymfan]

If she is dead set against it and you make her go, you will all be MISEARABLE! There are few things as bad as being around an Angry, Moody, Ticked-Off Teeager.

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

Agreed. Anything training 7 or below (maybe even 8) would probably be fine. But not if you're a level 10.

 

[MeetDirector]

OP -

It would appear to be the collective opinion of the experts here that this is a bad idea. The #1 expert, Dunno, puts it very succinctly. My dd, training 9, would never go along with something like this.

Good Luck with this.

 

[Lucy's Mom]

Could you and DH go on a cruise, or even you and a few friends, and leave the kids with grandparents/aunt or uncle/neighbors or friends that you trust. That way gymnast DD won't be missing out on the vacation and still get to practice and you could still get a little break. You could plan a small family vacation for late May once States/Regionals/and Nationals are over, which is still not peak season in many areas so you should be able to get a deal.

That would be unfair to my other kids who really want to go...

 

[Lucy's Mom]

I honestly don't see how a week can really "mess up" one of her skills or routines... Doesn't she have time to recover by early December?

Call me a bad gym mom, but I'm a little sick and tired of always giving up things for her and having our plans and vacations revolve around her gymnastics. Gymnastics shouldn't control everything! It's unfair to the rest of the family.

 

[txgymfan]

Could she stay home with a teammate?

 

[gymdog]

She should simply stay with a teammate. It is okay for her to go of course, but if she's training to be a first year 10, you should understand this may mean she is no longer doing level 10 when she gets back. For a week long cruise she would end up missing maybe even 10 practices, let's say you need to travel to and from the cruise site or extra preparation/recovery. Add to that the chances of getting sick.

If she were level 5, 6, 7, even 8 I would say it's fine. But trying to be a 10, she probably isn't 100% ready and that week to 10 days could mean a lot at this point. In the summer it would have been fine. It may still be fine. But you have a 50/50 chance that it means another year of level 9. She knows that and apparently isn't okay with those odds for a vacation. I am sure there must be a family at the gym that will agree to let her stay for a week and is trustworthy.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the overwhelming majority of injuries that take place in gymnastics are during pre-season. and this is when most of what is to come is being trained. leaving within 6 weeks of 1st competition in pre-season is just a bad idea. 3 weeks from a meet during the season thereafter also a bad idea. it is level 10. i suppose your gym could have done a better job educating you as to the training requirements of a level 10. a couple of scheduled days are okay.coaches can work within that. not 7-10 days.

and please don't shoot the messenger...you asked. just have her stay with a teammate. it's done all the time.

eta: maybe you'll have to forego the 1st meet. eliminate the 1st meet and you don't have an issue. this will make preparation for "her" 1st meet later to be safer. and i don't believe missing the 1st meet will rain on her level 10 parade. as a parent, you just can't have the expectation that she'll compete because you don't think it will effect her. it will.

 

[Lucy's Mom]

I guess I'll just never understand how 7 days can be so bad... I just feel like if we're looking back, in some 20-30 years at all the fun memories, well, you know? And even when we come back she might wish she would have gone.