Parents Summer practice hours

[notthatmom]

So my DD has team tryouts at the end of May (she is on Preteam now). She's been so excited about making team!

A few weeks ago I asked one of the L3 moms what summer practice was like schedule wise, and she said it was the same as during the school year.



Well, I definitely asked the wrong person because that's incorrect. Yesterday at gym they were talking about how practice is basically in the middle of the day during the summer, and they don't have the schedules yet.


Is this normal? I mean what the heck are working parents supposed to do? I'm feeling very discouraged that my DD may not be able to join team because of this.

I might have to look around for other gyms again but if summer practice like this is the norm across the board, team is never going to be a possibility for her


Looking for encouragement. Ugh.

 

[vbdb]

Summer training at our gym is during the day as well. The girls train at least 4 hours typically and either have a morning or afternoon start. I'm lucky to work from home and can manage that schedule fairly well. Other families with working parents have carpooling and often have their kids dropped off at a baby sitter when training is done or picked up from for afternoon training.

 

[mommyof1]

Daytime summer practice is how it is at every single gym in our area, where working moms are a distinct minority and many of those who do work are teachers who get the summer off. My daughter's gym is better than most because only compulsory groups practice in the morning; optionals practice in the evening year-round. (Side note: The main reason I was disappointed when I learned it was likely my daughter would repeat L3 was that I want her off morning practices as soon as possible!) Summer is just brutal. Three days a week, I drop her off at the gym and work from home during morning practice, then pick her up, drive her across town to day camp, and then drive another hour or more to my office, where I spend a few hours before turning around to drive home. It works out to between 3.5 and 4 hours of driving a day, three days a week, for most of the summer. I get out of a week of it by sending her to gymnastics camp. When I travel on business, we spend $$$ hiring a babysitter to drive her from practice to camp. If I could afford it, I'd hire a summer nanny.

Besides the hassle of daytime practice, I really don't like the limitations it puts on summer academic and enrichment activities. We may want our daughter to take a summer school course for advancement in math next year, but that would mean missing a month of practice. We have also stopped sending her to some great educational day camps because the curricula are not compatible with missing three mornings a week. I honestly don't understand why gyms do this to their customers, especially if they have air conditioning and afternoon heat is not a concern.

 

[mommyof1]

... and it is also totally normal for summer practice schedules to be set long after it's too late to register for summer day camps. Last year we got the tentative summer schedule in April and the final schedule along with level assignments in mid-May, which is earlier than we would have gotten them at our old gym. Day camp registration has to be done on February 1. We basically have to make an assumption about the level assignment and schedule and then gamble on camp registration.

 

[MAcastsalot]

Same here. The days tend to stay the same, but the hours change, and the hours may not be the same each day (two mid-day and one early morning, for example). In our area, moms either make enough to afford a nanny, or they stay home, so the people in the middle have a difficult time. As a previous poster stated, it makes it even harder to do camps, especially when move ups and summer schedules aren't decided until a few weeks before!

 

[3gymgirlsmom]

Our gym has day practices as well. We work with each other and carpool as we can.

 

[Ali'sMom]

Our optionals have daytime practices in summer, 9:00-1:00. Our compulsories are more evening, but still 4:00-7:00. We are lucky as my mom brings my daughter to/from practice. Our gym has camp all summer, so some girls stay all day.

 

[Tigtimes]

Mix of day and night. As a working parent it is very hard. You pay for full weeks of summer camp yet they won't go full week. Early morning practices you lean on non working parents to help to car pool but still tough. Schedule comes out almost as school lets out so you play the guessing game, register for camps then pray

 

[gymdoc]

Working mom here too. Both gyms we've been at had morning practices and it sucks! First year, my kids did practice in the morning, then the gym had a camp option for the afternoon, but I still had to pay the same price as the kids that were in camp all day. Last year, DDs had practice 8:30-12:30. I found a college student to drive them to practice ( I have to be at work at 8), pick them up at 12:30, and watch them til I got home from work at 6. We will likely do it this summer as well.

We also shared with other moms to carpool. My sitter would pick up their kids at practice and drop them off at a day camp for the afternoon.

 

[BachFlyer]

Single parent here, and agreed, summers are so very hard! I have worked out flexibility with my job (working from home half days and "lunches" at wierd times) but I know I'm lucky that I can do that. It is not the norm for my company and it was a bit of a challenge to get them to agree to it, but depending on what you do it might be worth it to ask if you explain the situation. I have had to rely heavily on other team parents/friends/family to help out. Do you have any teammates or good friends at the gym who might be willing to do pickup and you do drop off or vice versa?

Edited to say that this sport is definitely not set up for families where both parents work. But it is nice that the gym isn't so darn crowded during the summer months, as opposed to during school when everyone is cramming in practice in the afternoon and evening. They really get more done.

 

[duyetanh]

Edited to say that this sport is definitely not set up for families where both parents work. But it is nice that the gym isn't so darn crowded during the summer months, as opposed to during school when everyone is cramming in practice in the afternoon and evening. They really get more done.

No it is not. Can I just 'like' this post 1000 times? And my dd loves that the gym is so empty when she has summer practices!
Most gyms DO change it up. But the good thing is you know about it potentially NOW....so it gives you time to plan for the "what ifs."
Because you do work, and this will be a challenge, I would actually try and have an informal two minute meeting/conversation with the coaches who will be trying her out. I would do whatever you can to not have others listen to you (I have found in the very few years we have been on team that some of the pre team parents are the worst in being competitive), which is why I would ask if you could just speak to them for a minute to the side where you are sure no one is lurking like a vulture over your shoulder. Then I would just kindly say something general, like, "She is so excited to try out for team in May! I know there are no guarantees she will make it, but if she does, could you give me a general sense as to when practices would be in summer, so I could mentally start formulating a plan that would fit our schedule?" I know our team has theirs out already, but many may not. And many already know they are in the daytime, but don't know what time. My dd's gym has no a.c., so thank GOD the h.c. has his wits about him and has the practices in the early mornings in summer. It has made for challenges, but I got to know parents, and have worked out a system. There are ways you can pull this off; you are just going to need to be creative. But don't close the door until you hear the schedule. Once you know it, start thinking how it can be done. Unless you are driving over an hour one way (cough, many of us do), there are lots of possibilities. And even if you are, there are many people on here who probably have ideas that can be helpful.
Good luck, and let's hope she makes it!

 

[cftmoonlight]

Daytime summer practice is how it is at every single gym in our area, where working moms are a distinct minority and many of those who do work are teachers who get the summer off. My daughter's gym is better than most because only compulsory groups practice in the morning; optionals practice in the evening year-round. (Side note: The main reason I was disappointed when I learned it was likely my daughter would repeat L3 was that I want her off morning practices as soon as possible!) Summer is just brutal. Three days a week, I drop her off at the gym and work from home during morning practice, then pick her up, drive her across town to day camp, and then drive another hour or more to my office, where I spend a few hours before turning around to drive home. It works out to between 3.5 and 4 hours of driving a day, three days a week, for most of the summer. I get out of a week of it by sending her to gymnastics camp. When I travel on business, we spend $$$ hiring a babysitter to drive her from practice to camp. If I could afford it, I'd hire a summer nanny.

Besides the hassle of daytime practice, I really don't like the limitations it puts on summer academic and enrichment activities. We may want our daughter to take a summer school course for advancement in math next year, but that would mean missing a month of practice. We have also stopped sending her to some great educational day camps because the curricula are not compatible with missing three mornings a week. I honestly don't understand why gyms do this to their customers, especially if they have air conditioning and afternoon heat is not a concern.

As a strictly team coach, I like the daytime hours for summer, because for a few months I get to feel like a normal person and be home with family by 5 pm, instead of rolling in well after 9.

 

[gymmutti]

Another full-time working single parent here. Finally my kids are on the same schedule (for years it was 1 morning and 1 afternoon practice). Now they are both morning. I have been grateful for understanding managers who allow me to work odd hours (make up for lost time to drive them to and from). It means even less time with my children because now I have to work into the night - but they get to do what they love. I AM counting down to the moment my oldest has a drivers license.

 

[z2akids]

Summerc practice at DD's gym depends on the coach. A couple of coaches have other full time jobs. Practices for those levels tends to remain the same year round- so 4:30 or 5pm starting time. Other coaches are at the gym full time and those levels are more likely to have morning hours in the summer.

It can be difficult, especially when first starting out. After a year or two, you get to know families and can rely on each other for carpooling.

 

[mommyof1]

As a strictly team coach, I like the daytime hours for summer, because for a few months I get to feel like a normal person and be home with family by 5 pm, instead of rolling in well after 9.

Sadly, working moms of gymnasts never get to feel like normal people. We are either getting home late from picking up our gymnasts, or working late to make up for the fact that we spent half the day getting them to and from morning practice.

I am definitely not trying to start a parents v. coaches war here, just pointing out the impact that summer practices have on working parents who are responsible for transportation, usually moms.

 

[notthatmom]

This info is all so helpful! I've been looking into a part time babysitter during the school year next year to help with transportation so maybe I'll just start that early.

I get it from a coach's perspective too....I often wonder how they make things work for themselves with the way practices are scheduled in the first place.


When I asked yesterday, the girl at the desk is fairly new, and wash there last summer so she really doesn't know. Our HC is out of the country for a meet with one of the gymnasts so maybe I'll wait until she gets back to have a quick convo with her. Weekdays are just so hard to meet with them because they're always so flippin busy (see what I did there? "Flippin" )

There's always email as well, much easier to get fully focused answers.

I think I just need to figure out: 1. DD's probability of making team, 2. Other parents who may be able to help, and 3. If this will be doable at all before we commit to anything.


Thank you so much for everyone's advice. If y'all can make it work, I'm sure I can figure it out too!!

 

[notthatmom]

Sadly, working moms of gymnasts never get to feel like normal people. We are either getting home late from picking up our gymnasts, or working late to make up for the fact that we spent half the day getting them to and from morning practice.

I am definitely not trying to start a parents v. coaches war here, just pointing out the impact that summer practices have on working parents who are responsible for transportation, usually moms.

I agree with you on here as well. Although I don't think ANY gym parent feels like a normal parent...working or not. There's a reason why "normal" parents don't understand any of us in the first place


Again, I get it from a coaching perspective...they have to have a life outside the gym too, it doesn't mean we still can't think it sucks though.

 

[NutterButter]

It's hard and not at all convenient but you'll figure out a way to make it work. I have a love/hate with summer hours. All the daytime carpooling is so disruptive to my work day. But I do love having my girl home every night. And she gets to go to DS's baseball games (she misses most of his sports stuff the rest of the year).

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Our summer schedule doesn't change, but that is because we have year round schools here. So there really isn't a summer break where everyone is off school. Still, next level practices start at 3:30 which is before school gets out. I still don't know how families with 2 working parents manage. I really should go back to work, but the logistics are overwhelming.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Our gym does week camps, half day morning or all day but hours make it hard for working parents (with day hours)

Non camp weeks, day practice scheduled, with some evening options (at least there was at the lower levels). This year TBT.

Requires creative ideas. Some days husband goes in late or comes home early. I work the overnights, so some days I get 5 hours of sleep or 2. Family pitches in for pick up.
And some days she doesn't go.

We do the best we can.