Parents DD Not on Team

[gymmomtotwo]

It is important to keep in mind that a child "having" a skill and thst skill being competition ready (or even close) are two entirely different things.

I distinctly remember sitting at one of DD's practices at the end of summer after she was moved up to Level 3. There was a mom there watching her rec kid and commenting in quite a derogatory manner about how her child could do all of the skills are girls were working on and lots more. The intermediate rec class at DD's gym works on skills at a different progression - they work cartwheels on beam, but not many handstands or turns. They work FHS on floor, squat on on bars and a few other skills that are beyond the L3 routine. But, while this child could do a bHS on the tramp, it wasn't ready for floor. Sure, she could do a cartwheel on the beam, but her cartwheel would not have passed muster on team. Same as many of her other skills. She "had" them, but 2 years later she has just made team this year for Level 3 and still has a long way to go to be competition ready.

I guess my answer to this would be that a rec kid that has been passed over for team does not have the opportunity to develop competition ready skills. Rec classes generally do not offer the right type of training nor the time necessary to really develop the skills necessary for team. From a Mom whose kid was not given the opportunity at one gym, but given a chance at the other, if your child wants team you have to try and make that happen. This gym is a dead end for this 10 year old. I have alot of respect for a kid that can develop Level 4 or 5 skills on 2 rec classes a week, even if they aren't competition ready. We have team kids take 16 hours a week to get the skills, and they end up doing quite well in meets once they have them. If OP is willing to commit to driving elsewhere, she should explore other options now before DD gets any older, and see if she can find another gym where she would fit in. It is a huge commitment as everyone has stated, so OP has to decide if it will work for her family. It is worth it to explore other options. I'm glad I did.

 

[Committed]

Not sure if this was asked, yet, but when is competition season?

Right now, there is no way DDs gym would take any gymnast onto team unless she had moved from another gym.
Any new girl would need to wait until after compulsory state (November) to be considered for team.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

We are not allowed to record the gym,( I know it's crazy) and she has room for improvement, but coaches have told me she was around level 5( like at 2 camps for instance) but i can try to find an older video before they made that stupid rule? Would an older video work from a year or two ago?

==
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the OP just doesn't want to post a video... it is what it is.

 

[duyetanh]

Many gyms don't allow video...I am glad mine does, my daughter loves to watch them and see her growth. We laugh a lot watching these old videos!

 

[profmom]

Really? Many gyms don't allow rec parents to video and photograph?

 

[Gymmommy71]

I read through this thread and I agree with a lot of what has been said. The main thing I wanted to add is that at 10 years old the clock is ticking very loudly for her age-wise when it comes to team - especially if you want JO. If you don't get her to another gym that will train her in serious team classes more than 3-6 hours a week ASAP, she will very soon be to the point where she is considered too old for the level she would need to be at the majority of gyms - not just your current gym. She is still young enough now, but if you keep wasting her time in those low hour per week rec classes at a place that is never going to put her on team (them inviting girls w/ less skills than your DD to team is a major red flag that its just not going to happen there - and I personally would stop asking them for pride-related reasons) it will soon be too late. Whatever the issue is that is preventing this gym from inviting her to team, you don't want to add "too old" on top of it when you eventually break down and take her somewhere else.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

It is important to keep in mind that a child "having" a skill and thst skill being competition ready (or even close) are two entirely different things.

This is soooooo true....the story of our summer! Good luck to OP.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Really? Many gyms don't allow rec parents to video and photograph?

Yep, ours no longer allows it.

 

[Seeker]

Really? Many gyms don't allow rec parents to video and photograph?

There is one around our neck of the woods that doesn't allow it. Personally, I am never there to take video, but it would be weird if the girls couldn't record each other. They do sometimes when they get a new skill.

 

[profmom]

I am saying specifically rec. I can understand team having different rules so as not to encourage the CGM crowd. But I'd be surprised to hear about more than a tiny handful of gyms with restrictions on rec parents' taking short videos of their kids.

 

[raenndrops]

Well I probably have no business replying here but I'd say it'll help determine how your daughter was 1-2 years ago.

And back to original topic, gymnastics is a huge, sometimes overwhelming commitment for the whole family. Driving to practice is only the start. You block off entire weekends (don't know competition times until 1-2 weeks before), and drive around the state for meets.... And travel around the country at higher levels. There's often also volunteer requirements and fundraising....

I hesitated to let my son also join team. Just my daughter on team was/is a huge commitment... And this means more days to drive in, separate booster club, etc. In the end we let DS follow his (current) dream and he'll compete his first season this year.

We've driven upwards of an hour each way to practice. It's awful. Then 30 minutes and yep! That sucked too. But we did it as DD is/was so passionate about it, and we want her to be able to pursue her dreams as best we can.

Thankfully, the kids gym is currently only 15 minutes from home, so that's an improvement. But when your kid goes 5 days per week, it's still a lot.

We spend a LOT of time driving, and the kids often eat (healthfully) on the go.

Based on OP's flag, it looks like she is in Canada. Some things may be slightly different, even though they now do JO.

 

[flippin out]

Ours prohibits all video and photo in lobby ....universal ban for all regardless of being team or rec

 

[Aussie_coach]

Even if the gym does allow videoing they may not allow it to be uploaded to a public forum like this one. The gymnastics world is small one and if there are videoing rules, the odds are that someone will see it.

It's important to consider that gyms look for many, many different things when selecting gymnasts for team. And it is different in every gym.

Some examples
Age
Body type
Body size
Leg flexibility
Shoulder flexibility
Strength
Muscle twitch speed
Parents
Commitment
Attendance
Promptness when paying fees
Attitude
Work ethic
If there is any space available in the team class
If they feel the child will be compatible with the current kids, coaches. Program etc
Punctuality
Behaviour
Any previous or current injuries or conditions

We are not saying, she is being left off for one reason or another, we are trying to explain that there could be any multitude of reasons.

 

[munchkin3]

Something is off with this whole thread.

 

[CLgym]

Maybe something is off?? I don't know... But it is also possible that the op already received her explanation (too tall) or at least a simplified version of an explanation. My DD and several pre-team mates were directed to Xcel rather than JO based primarily on a combination of age/height/body type, and not based on skills (fyi - these girls are very average height, not tall, and are only 6-7 yrs old -- but taller and older than the HO likes). And it did take me some time and work to get a meeting and frank explanation from the HO re: his Xcel/JO decision. Regarding posting videos -- doesn't seem weird to me that the op doesn't have anything recent. I've videotaped at the gym only one time (pre team mock meet) about 9 months ago. Not sure if it's prohibited, but would be both difficult (parents are not allowed in gym, and glass windows give limited viewing) and unusual at our gym.

Regarding advice to the op - I would (quietly) have your child evaluated at the two gyms in consideration even though you are concerned about travel and/or facilities. You do not need to accept an offer from another gym if the cons outweigh the pros for your family. But at least you are making a decision based on information not speculation.

 

[wgymmom]

We drive 40 minutes one way for my DD. Gyms that have height or age limits for team make me see red. Your choices are pretty much either to quit and explain that to your daughter, or try out at the gyms 30 min + away. You wouldn't be the first parent to drive a ways for their kid's passion. Good luck to you.

 

[Muddlethru]

OP, if your daughter is just starting out, it is likely she will only be practicing twice a week. Perhaps for those two days you can start something in the crockpot or get dinner pre-prepared the night before and just stay at the gym. Not knowing your daughter, her skills, her potential, the gym's policies, rules, coaches preferences, etc., it is impossible to make effective suggestions to turn your situation around. But if the gym said unequivocally "no" without further explanation or reassurance that although your daughter is not ready right now, she may be in the near future or that they are working towards her getting into the team, you really should consider finding another gym.

 

[AgingHippie]

Both my husband and I work full time with an hour commute each way. Then we have the gym commute which is 30 minutes each way four days a week and another DD that plays in a very competitive travel sport. If you asked us three years ago if we would be able to do it the answer would be no, but in reality you just kind of make it happen. Gymnastics practice is actually easier than travel sports because you at least have a set location and schedule with the exception of meets, but really there are only about 8 to 10 meets a year so that's not too bad. Much better than having 4 games in as weekend that could be anywhere with breaks in between.

If she really wants it and you really want to make it happen you can do it. Good Luck!

 

[claudidoll]

In another thread OP mentions that she is going to IGC to coach... yet doesn't mention it here, smells trollish

 

[ladybird]

Yep, it was already decided in another thread that this is a troll. Claimed to be from Canada and was inquiring about how the US levels work. And yes, just happens to be going to IGC to coach!