Parents New here with a boys gym/team question

[OwlGalLiz]

I know girls gymnastics is a lot more well known, but where can I find information about boy programs? My son is 5 (started gymnastics a year and a half ago), and while he still has a year before he can compete, my husband and I are looking for a good program so that he will be ready when he's old enough. He has stated on more than one occasion he wants to be on team, if it were up to him he'd be on it NOW. He's got natural talent, and is in a developmental class right now (he blew through pre-k classes in a year and was bored). He wants to be in the gym every day (though we are realistic-and want him to have fun too). I see lots of websites to show girls team scores, gyms, etc. But where do I go to find out about boy teams and gyms that work well with boys? There are several in our area and we know we need to make a decision pretty soon so we're not known as "gym hoppers" (which we don't want to be). I've asked around, but all the locals I know have knowledge of girls teams as their daughters are on team, but don't know much about the boy teams. All the websites, etc they have pointed me to have led to girls team info. Any thoughts on boys or where to look? Thank you so much from a mom who is all so new to this.

 

[skschlag]

you could go check out a couple and just see what you think. You could also look up the state results for TExas Men's Gymnastics, or whatever region they are in. I wouldn't base your decision solely on scores, but that will help you see who does a lot with boys.

Good luck!!

 

[OwlGalLiz]

Thanks for the reply. We don't want to base it on scores, maybe I phrased it wrong. We're really looking to find out more about them, how they are with the boys, etc. Advice, I guess. Is there no forum or website for something like that? How do we know if its a good gym for boys, etc. or do the focus on the girls and not so much the boys, etc.

 

[skschlag]

Most gyms will do both, in my experience. Girls is such a big sport! I think observing is goign to be your best bet. The meet results will just give you an idea of who has a lot of boys at the different levels....which most likely means a well-rounded program. Then you can kind of narrow it down and go check out gyms. I know some parents will even talk to coaches, etc. For us, we did start at one gym, in the pre-team program, then we switched to a different gym. Hopefully, some of the CB members from yoru state can help you out too!!!

 

[clrmom]

I would start by finding out which gyms have boys' competitive programs (not all do). I am assuming you are asking because your son's current gym doesn't have a competitive program for boys? If not, you could ask the coaches at your current gym if they have any recommendations. If they do have one (or you just want further information), you could visit a couple gyms and to watch (find out first by calling or through their website what time their competitive team program works out). By watching the coaches interact with the boys, you will have an ideas if it will be a good fit for your son.

You could also attend a gymnastics meet in your area to see them in action. There should be a competitive boys website for your state or region listing meets or on a website with a boys' program, they might list a meet schedule.

Some questions to ask a program (if you call) are how many boys do they have in the program and what are the age ranges, what levels are their boys, how many coaches and how long have the coaches been with the program.

Here on chalkbucket, there is a MAG forum (men's gymnastics). The parents, coaches and gymnasts there may be able to give you more advice. When my son did gymnastics, he originally was on team at the gym I started him at for preschool gymnastics. They then moved him to their competitive program (pre-team at age 5/Kindergarten). I had chosen this gym purely based on location and with no idea about competitive gymnastics. It worked for us for awhile, but it was a small program and my son was the youngest by several years. When this gym suddenly closed, we moved to another gym. What my son liked about the second gym was that there were a lot more boys. They also provided more workshop experiences with outside coaches and he liked those opportunities.

Anyway, good luck with your search. Hope some of this helps at least a little.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Definitely check out the MAG page on chalkbucket. Great parents happy to respond to questions.