Anon Experiences as a parent of a HOPES/training elite gymnast?

[Anonymous (1225)]

Hey y'all,

I was wondering if there are any parents on this forum that can share their experiences with their gymnast participating in TOPs/HOPES and any type of 'training elite' or 'fast-track' program. What was their training schedule like? When did they get their schoolwork done? Did your gymnast enjoy it? Is TOPs/HOPES actually helpful for qualifying Junior or Senior Elite? What was their life like outside of the gym?

Also, should I trust a gym that has never produced an elite before to take my gymnast to the elite level? Or should I go to a trusted elite gym?

 

[Anonymous (9a0a)]

Also, should I trust a gym that has never produced an elite before to take my gymnast to the elite level? Or should I go to a trusted elite gym?

You could go to a gym that has produced a string of Olympians and your kid could still not make it to elite. Or you could somewhere with no such history and they could still get there.

 

[Anonymous (24b8)]

Idk that you need to go to a gym that has produced Olympians, but a coach, not necessarily a gym that has produced elites is a plus. That's not to say a gym/coach that has never done elite cant get you there, but they will be learning too. There is some strategy and relationships that are involved in getting someone to elite. Its not going to take the place of talent, but knowing the system, the folks on the national team, the judges, etc does help.

TOPS and Hopes I am mixed on. There are plenty gyms that have strong track records in elite world that do not do either program. I do think some gyms use it more as a marketing tool than actual program. At some point I think girls on elite path sort into 3 buckets (and I mean no disrespect to any gymnast at any level):
1. The special talented - these are the ones that have a genuine shot at Olympics, national team members, particularly at Sr. Elite level. Rarified air here, even girls who make the Jr. National team dont make the Sr National team.
2. The talented elites - these are the girls who enjoy competing elite, maybe for a variety of reasons, the pomp of competitions, the attention, and its pretty damn cool to say you are/were an elite. But while obviously talented, they are not going to make an olympic team or even national team. Again, rarified air here, there really are not that many elites in the US compared to the total number of gymnasts.
3. The talented training elite - these are the girls who could very easily be in the second group. They might have even gone through the elite qualifying process, but dont like the elite world, the stuffiness of the competitions, the lack of many meets, just the general vibe compared to DP. But they love to train hard, work on big skills, etc. Many of these are the top performing L10s

As far as what does life look like? You are looking at least 25 hours per week of training time in the gym, probably some home-school/online school format. Some folks I think are fortunate to live in the right location and have school options that allow for some brick and mortar education. But social life is definitely going to be, at a minimum, non-traditional when you hit the middle school and high school years. Plenty of obscure travel to either elite qualifiers or development camps, which really are not fun, tend to be high-stress affairs. Schoolwork is done in the car, on the plane, in the train, a small cubby in a hotel room, etc, you get the drift. I know most if not all the girls love the training and being in the gym around their peers and working hard. I just think its important from time to time to stop and assess where your gymnast is at, how she feels about things, being honest about future trajectory and which bucket you might fall into.

 

[B&M's mom]

My DD fell into category three not because she lacked talent but injuries kept her from qualifying. Training elite is a lifestyle which requires not just committment from the gymnast but also the family as it consumes time and resources. She started at a small gym who had no experience with elites but were willing to help her. In fact, the coach got her prepared for TOPS testing in 3 months and she scored well enough to make national testing. We later moved her to a gym who had produced elites. Training was 35 hours a week starting at 1 pm each day. She finished at 7pm and went immediately home to do homework. No social life and only spent half a day at school. The high school was difficult to work with but I thought it important that she be in a school for the core classes. During the time she trained elite, she often spent additional time at workshops and camps which involved travel. All of which was funded by me. There were a very small group of girls training elite so she did have some social interaction there.

Our family life revolved around her schedule. Vacations were limited to the few weeks she had off. Often we made trips to meets a mini-trip as we knew we'd have limited opportunities for other trips.

She loved it (well, for the most part). If she hadn't had knee problems, she would have likely qualified. She ended up leaving the sport and becoming a diver in college. She's now applying for medical school and her personal statement revolves around everything she learned as a gymnast. She and I have no regrets about the journey but it was hard.