honoragymnast
Proud Parent
Hello, I am looking for advice about switching gyms. My daughter is a level 3 gymnast and is 6 years old. Ever since she's been a small toddler she has lived and breathed gymnastics. She loves the sport and her intense passion for it has only increased as she's gotten older. We live in an area where there really is no elite track for gymnastics. The only gym in our area does not have a TOPS program (which is something I'd like her to do) and is not very competitive. She was only allowed (by the gym) to be there 1.5 hours per week until recently when they decided to let her join their team and bumped her up to 6 hours per week. The closest gym to us that is willing to work with a kid who hopes to pursue elite gymnastics or college gymnastics is 2 hours away. Are there other parents who make that kind of drive for their kid to do gymnastics?
I'm also frustrated with the coaches at her current gym. There are only 2 of them and they have a lot of gymnasts to work with. This means there is little to none one on one coaching. Although they do pick favorites and give them extra turns and extra corrections/pointers. They are fine with it taking a long time for a gymnast to get a new skill. (18 months for a mill circle, for example!) They've said they are not terribly interested in winning and that they're not there to get gymnasts to elite gymnastics or college gymnastics. On the other hand, they've said the girls should be prepared to not have a lot of friends outside of the gym, to spend most of their after school time at the gym, and they get really upset if they think a gym parent is looking at another gym. They also forbid at home gymnastics practice and they do not like the gymnasts to watch any sort of gymnastics on youtube. (Tutorials or gymnast channels)
I'm just trying to find other parents who travel a great distance to get to the gym and how they make that work.
I'm also frustrated with the coaches at her current gym. There are only 2 of them and they have a lot of gymnasts to work with. This means there is little to none one on one coaching. Although they do pick favorites and give them extra turns and extra corrections/pointers. They are fine with it taking a long time for a gymnast to get a new skill. (18 months for a mill circle, for example!) They've said they are not terribly interested in winning and that they're not there to get gymnasts to elite gymnastics or college gymnastics. On the other hand, they've said the girls should be prepared to not have a lot of friends outside of the gym, to spend most of their after school time at the gym, and they get really upset if they think a gym parent is looking at another gym. They also forbid at home gymnastics practice and they do not like the gymnasts to watch any sort of gymnastics on youtube. (Tutorials or gymnast channels)
I'm just trying to find other parents who travel a great distance to get to the gym and how they make that work.