YMCA vs. USAG gymnastics

[BarCoach]

I have the opportunity to start coaching at a YMCA gym. I know the routines are the same as USAG, but I've always thought Y gymnastics was of a lower quality. That the girls get moved up before they're ready, don't have to have all their skills to compete, are sloppy, workout fewer hours, and that the coaching isn't great. I'm getting this idea from the two Y's that I know of. Can someone please confirm this or clue me in to what Y gymnastics is really like? Thanks!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

that's essentially correct. but just think of what you can bring to the table there if they don't have good coaching.

p.s. no matter where you go, your level 4's are still going to fall off beam...

 

[fuzi]

Seems pretty much correct from my experience. The plus side is Y-gymnastics is often more affordable and accessible. The downside is the gyms tend to be inferior, the coaching is rarely as good, and gymnasts train fewer hours.

 

[2gymbratz]

I am a YMCA coach and yes we do have fewer practice hours. However we do have some great coaches. Most have taught at private gyms before. We are very structured even in the progressive programs and make sure that the kids do have all of there skills and scores before moving up to the next level. I think it all depends on the individual gym. There are some in the area that are very relaxed, ours is not, and it shows at meets. We do occasionally attend intivationals that private clubs are a part of and we are very competitive with them. I wish you well in whatever you decide to do. Bringing your knoweledge and skills to a Y would be great for the program and those kids that generally can't afford a private gym.

 

[maryRS]

Depends on the program, IMO. My daughter is a Y gymnast. She does practice less hours, she is a level 6, she practices 9.5 hours a week. That being said, I think our coaches are very good, some were former club coaches, we have 2 coaches who were former elites, and one or two college gymnasts. Our gym does mostly Y meets and a couple USAG meets. At the USAG meets the girls who are scoring 1st and 2nd place at Y meets are generally scoring further down, not the top 3 but they are placing. The ones who are placing 12th at the Y meets are generally not placing at all. In our area there are a few stronger Y gyms, and some that have girls that are being helped on many of their skills. Same with when we go to states and nationals, there are some Y gyms that apparently do mostly USAG and are very strong gyms.

Also, many families use the Y because while their kids want a team experience, not everyone wants gymnastics to consume their life. So you may find girls who do other sports, or other activities.


So, I think it depends on your program. One thing to note, in my experience the Y is a great place to be. It is a wonderful organization, and while she loves the gymnastics, her whole experience is so much more than just gymnastics. The team is a family, and the girls get involved in all kinds of community and team building activities.

 

[MaryA]

DD started off in a Y program. As with anything, there were positives and negatives. Fewer hours, definitely. I guess that can be a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it. Negatives were things like feeling like we were always fighting with the Y over the program (a Zumba class with one instructor and 30 people in the class is a much more profitable use of the gym space, from the Y's point of view), old equipment that was not as safe as one might like (we had no spring floor... just a strip of air floor to practice tumbling passes), having to set up and tear down the equipment every practice. But there is a Y gym not too far from us (there is a CB mom with a DD in that program... maybe she will chime in) that has a beautiful gym of its very own and practices the same number of hours as the private gyms in the area. In fact, DD's next USAG meet is going to be at this Y gym. As for coaching, there are good coaches and bad coaches at all types of gyms. DD developed a passion for gymnastics at the Y, so I will always credit them with that, even if it's not where we ended up staying for the long term. Good luck with your decision!

 

[breathegymnastics]

Well i used to train at the Y and i always wanted to go to a real club gym. I think the Y doesn't have as good of a program as club gyms. I haaated how there was barely any hours in the gym.. i competed level 4-6 there and from those levels the times were the same, three days a week for 2 hours. so i basically only trained 6 hours a week even as a level 6. but i know for a fact most the time it's a lot cheaper than club. I agree with the others about the equipment, our gym was soo tiny and we had to go in the basketball court to set up floor and vault then tear it down at the end of practice. In the actual gym we had a spring floor strip, tumble track, 1 set of uneven bars, 2 high beams, and a low beam. No pits or strap bars :/ Otherwise i never had problems with the gymnasts or coaches, they're pretty nice Competitions and routines were the same, we had meets about once a month. Also i don't know about other club gyms, but no one was aloud to go to nationals until you were a level 7.

 

[Quadqueen]

I have coached in a Y gym, and DD did L3 there before moving to a private gym. From my experience only, there can be some great coaches at Y gyms. DD left our Y because the equipment was lacking (no spring floor and only three floor strips, so no one could really do a floor routine of L5 or higher during practice). The hours are also lower. That could be a good or a bad thing, for those who don't want to put in the hours. The fees were much lower, especially for meets, so that is also a plus for some families.

We were one of the stronger Y gyms. At least at our gym, there was a movement towards making sure kids were ready for the next level before moving them up. We found that the competition was not very tough among other Y gyms...DD was winning every meet and started to expect it, and I didn't like that! The judging also seemed to be a bit easier.

 

[maryRS]

Yes we have a full gym. We not set up or tear down. Our gym is designated for gymnastics only. We have a full spring floor, some Ys do not.

DD started off in a Y program. As with anything, there were positives and negatives. Fewer hours, definitely. I guess that can be a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it. Negatives were things like feeling like we were always fighting with the Y over the program (a Zumba class with one instructor and 30 people in the class is a much more profitable use of the gym space, from the Y's point of view), old equipment that was not as safe as one might like (we had no spring floor... just a strip of air floor to practice tumbling passes), having to set up and tear down the equipment every practice. But there is a Y gym not too far from us (there is a CB mom with a DD in that program... maybe she will chime in) that has a beautiful gym of its very own and practices the same number of hours as the private gyms in the area. In fact, DD's next USAG meet is going to be at this Y gym. As for coaching, there are good coaches and bad coaches at all types of gyms. DD developed a passion for gymnastics at the Y, so I will always credit them with that, even if it's not where we ended up staying for the long term. Good luck with your decision!

 

[coachmolly]

I think most of what has already been said is generally true, though as with anything, there are exceptions to the rule. I know of a handful of Y programs that are pretty competitive, maybe not on the national level, but with other local gyms. I grew up near the Y program that I believe MaryA is talking about and it's one of the better, more established programs in the area. They have an amazing gym, huge team, and host a big invitational each year. The exceptions are typically the Y programs that have dedicated gym facilities and don't have to share with other sports and deal with limited gym access and put up/tear down before and after each practice, but I imagine with the right coaches other more limited programs could also be successful.

 

[flipper's fan]

that's essentially correct. but just think of what you can bring to the table there if they don't have good coaching.

p.s. no matter where you go, your level 4's are still going to fall off beam...

unless you can write off duct tape as a business expense

But seriously, in general the Y's don't devote as muche time and money as the private clubs, but I have seen a few y teams in region 7 that are pretty competetive...maybe not against a team that rhymes with lark nets but they hold their own at most meets. Look at the one you are considering and base your decision on that one.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hahahahahahaha...lololololol........lark nets...oh my gosh.....breathe dunno...breathe.

 

[flipper's fan]

hahahahahahaha...lololololol........lark nets...oh my gosh.....breathe dunno...breathe.

plaigerized that from Mary A I believe

 

[gympanda]

I coach at a Y and love it. We only compete YMCA meets, but some will do USAG or AAU as well, if there isn't a strong YMCA league in your area. We do less hours than the private club down the street and continually make it clear our program is not designed to get your DD ready for college or the olympics, but to prepare your DD for life. We focus on the YMCA values of honesty, friendship, caring, responsibility, respect and faith. It makes for a great time!!!

We are competitive at the national YMCA competition and had girls qualify into the L8 finals, as well as take home a few first place AAs in L7 and L6. I like to think we run a great program, but have a different focus. We aren't focused on creating amazing athletes, but rather amazing young women. It just so happens that our coaches are experienced and educated, so we can also teach good gymnastics...which isn't necessarily the case in every Y (nor is it the case in every private club.)

I'm a major advocate for YMCA gymnastics. I grew up and competed in a private club and loved my experience there. It is what has driven me to coach and judge...however, the interaction I have with my girls now is completely different than my competitive experience...and my gymnasts are better than I ever was at gymnastics.

YMCA follows all USAG rules in terms of routines. However, individual networks, zones or districts are able to modify things based on what is best for their area. For example, in our area we do not have a deduction for coach on the floor, even at the optional levels. We also follow our state's High School rules for L9 bars. We were finding we had girls who could compete L9 on every event, except bars and they were being stuck at L8. So, our L9s use L8 special requirements and VPs, but start at a 9.7 and use L9 bonus and composition. Most YMCA zones or districts also have a "mandate" requirement, which is a set score that if a gymnast gets twice she is forced to move to the next competitive level for the next season. It keeps girls who are scoring 36s at L5 from competing L5 again the next year. However, there is a petition process, so if she was a great L5 but has fear issues at L6 and won't compete any of the salto skills, she can potentially still be allowed to be a L5 again. (This is a can of worms, it's not the best system, but its not the worst system...again...designed to not necessarily create the greatest gymnasts in the world, but to keep competition fun and accessible.)

So...in closing to my crazy long reply about something I'm super passionate about...YMCA gymnastics CAN be fantastic...it can also be unsafe and a little scary. Like a private club it really depends on your management, the philosophy towards gymnastics, and the coaches. There is one YMCA that I know placed girls at L10 USAG nationals this year, so it is possible, if you find the right Y...but most of us are just trying to make great people and if we win a medal along the way...good for us!

 

[wandrewsjr]

Wow, gympanda, you are a great ambassador for the Y. Made me want to apply for the job barcoach is considering!

 

[MaryA]

You can plagiarize me... I don't mind.

 

[bribri514]

My niece is at a YMCA gym but competes in the USAG program. I think the quality of the coaching is the same. Our Y might be different than some of the other Ys though... I also competed for a rec center when I did club gymnastics where many girls competed in the local CARA and EAGLES programs (Colorado YMCA pretty much). Our coaches were the same quality as well, there was just less hours practiced and less intensity for those girls. The same standards were there though. I think our rec girls did better than the teams from the big private gyms who competed in those leagues, IMO because they go in having lower expectations of their girls. That just sets girls up for failure USAG, YMCA, XCEL, whatever, it does matter. All girls should be coached with the best quality possible!

 

[flipper's fan]

You can plagiarize me... I don't mind.

Thanks- that was sooo good I couldn't think of a better way to put it!

 

[MaryA]

I do think that if my DD's YMCA team competed only YMCA meets, or only competed prep op or USAIGC or whatever, we may have stayed. Not that there weren't other issues as well, but when you watch your daughter, meet after meet, competiing against girls who put in 2x or more hours, with better equipment, etc. it's hard. I know gymnastics will never be "fair." There will always be a team that practices more, or has their kids repeat levels until they're scoring 38's, or whatever. But you DON'T want to set your kid up to fail, and I felt like being a USAG level 6 gymnast practicing 7 hours a week without even a full spring floor to practice on was putting her at a huge disadvantage. I also think that conditioning took a back seat to skills, just because there weren't enough hours to do both, which lead to every gymnast of middle school age or older wearing a brace on at least one limb, if not more. The optionals girls on our Y team look like the walking wounded! My DD is now practicing 2x the hours she was at the Y and while she complains more about being sore, she almost never complains about ankle pain or heel pain (her 2 most common complaints at the Y) and I think that has to do with the combination of better conditioning and better equipment.

But I digress. YMCA gyms need great coaches, just like any gym. If the hours and pay are better, I certainly wouldn't reject it just because it's a Y. Like any job, find out as much as you can about it before you commit. I think if my DD had gone to Gympanda's gym, we would have stayed. I am more interested in my daughter being a great person than a great gymnast. But favoritism and queen-bee-ism and inappropriate role models and crazy gym moms can flourish in YMCA gyms too, just like in any gym. Do your homework and find out if you think it will be a good fit for you.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Something to keep in mind is that the Y is a christian organization and they have definite philosophies about the way programs should be run. For some people, it's great. For others, it can feel stifling.

My kids never did Y gymnastics (which isn't offered around here), but they did other activities at the Y and it wasn't a great fit for Pickle.