Parents Is My Gym a "Good Gym"

[billise]

Hi all, I am still relatively new to the world of gymnastics and was just wondering how do you know if your gym is a "good gym?" Are there any sources that "rank" gyms is different regions?

DD started gym about 2 years ago in a rec program. I didn't know anything about gymnastics but she was full of energy and I was constantly passing a gymnastics club that is only about a mile from my house so I decide to sign her up for a class. About a year later she was invited to join the pre-team, which she has been a part of for almost a year now. With my limited knowledge, I love the gym. The owners and coaches seem great, she is learning a lot, having fun and progressing. Recently I learned that at least a few of the girls on the pre-team come from about an hour away to "train" at the facility. I was shocked to learn that they traveled so far, but they said that it was one of "the best programs in the area". I chose to bring my daughter to this facility solely because of it's proximity to my home for a "fun rec class", but it has gotten me wondering, how do you know which programs in your area are the "good" programs? Do you look at meet scores or does the USGA offer any type of "review" system of USGA programs?

Thanks!

 

[Quadqueen]

While there are loads of things that go into what one considers a "good gym," you can check out your gym's scores on websites like MyMeetScores.com. That can tell you how the girls do at the upper levels, which is a very good indicator of whether it's producing successful optional level gymnasts. Obviously, there are many other factors that determine whether it's a good gym for your family....the hours required, the coaching style, the environment, whether the girls are happy, etc.

 

[Quadqueen]

Also, visiting gyms and talking to parents at other gyms also give you a good indication how it compares to your gym, and/or may validate your feelings about your own gym. It's hard to know if yours is "good" without being familiar with how other programs run.

 

[sglemon]

You can go to the state USAG websits and see how teams in your state rank at the state meets. For example, Virginia's website is VAUSAG.com. You can look in archived results and see meet results from 10 years back. Under the state meets results, most will also have the team results. You can see how gyms ranked through the years at the state meets.

In the end, a "good" gym really comes down to where you are happiest at. What is the use being at the no 1 gym in the state, if your gymnast (and you) are not happy.