LONG POST!
My oldest daughter had a bad injury at her gym (that she had been at recreationally for 5 years and competitively for 1 year on JO level 2) when she was 8, right after kids came back into the gym after being out for months due to the start of Covid. She attempted an aerial (which probably should not have been done since she was not conditioned and it was not a skill she had mastered prior to being out for 3 months- but kids are kids and she wanted to try) and she broke her radial neck and displaced the growth plate which required a rod and 2 surgeries. She was not allowed back in the gym for 8 months as per her surgeon. When she came back, she had gained weight, was out out gym shape, and felt very awkward/ excluded by her teammates. The coaches didn't do anything much to help her reintegrate and she felt pushed out. My mother and I watched a few practices and it was clear to her (without me saying anything) that no one was helping our daughter reconnect with peers or get back into the shape she needed to be in. After much thought, our daughter asked to change gyms for a fresh start. She also had really high anxiety (is on medication for this) and the gym reminded her of the arm trauma. We agreed it would be a good idea. We moved to another gym which was wonderful! They had Xcel (not JO) which was fine and she was placed on the "Bronze 2" team, a higher level Bronze, not quite silver. She made friends, enjoyed her competition season, and loved the coaches. Our younger daughter also made the change from the old gym to the the new one, found friends, and started on the pre-team. We were happy.
A month ago, the new placements came out. Our older daughter had been told (as had I) that she would move up to silver. We were excited about the increase in hours and had planned our summer accordingly. She was held back to Bronze 2 again, which was unexpected and frankly IMHO wrong. We were told her "skill level is at silver, but her stress levels are holding her back," because she would take multiple breaks during practices. We were never alerted that this was happening, she was not told this was not okay to do, and they are aware that she suffers from anxiety. It was a complete blow to her, and all of her friends moved up and she didn't. I had multiple conversations with coaches and they all said, "her skill level is there, but she isn't ready emotionally." Mind you, the silvers practice 12 hours a week and the head coach has said, she "runs it like a JO program." So...here we are again in a tough spot. I had no idea their Xcel program was this competitive otherwise I would have likely looked at different gyms when we first switched and our older daughter's confidence is crushed again and she even said, "maybe gymnastics is not my sport, maybe this is telling me I should quit." She LOVES gymnastics; it is her passion.
My older daughter rightly so, wants to make a change but is heart broken. My younger daughter does not (she is an entirely different kiddo- not anxious at all). My older daughter is also a travel soccer player and moving gyms to one where silvers practice 7 hours a week versus 12 is going to be better for her. However, she is frustrated and embarrassed and does not want to be the "gym switcher."
Has anyone switched gyms more than once? We trialed 2 gyms last week and she absolutely loved one of the gyms and felt happy after the 3 hours practice and made a friend!- smaller program, 7 hours per week, former level 10 and then D1 college gymnast as coach who is super knowledgeable, kind, made practice fun but challenging. My older daughter was placed on silver at both gyms she trialed and even told Gold was in the near future at the gym she liked better. My younger daughter will stay at the old gym as she loves it, and the gym is okay with this. Has anyone ever had their children at two gyms? We have several gyms in the area and they would not compete in same meets due to different gym sizes. Might be good for both kids to have their own "place" as they do all the same sports. I'm so torn and frustrated. I am a former gymnast myself and this whole situation makes me so sad. Need help/ advice. I do think we will move our older daughter to the new gym she likes and keep our younger at the old gym. Looking for any feedback from parents.
My oldest daughter had a bad injury at her gym (that she had been at recreationally for 5 years and competitively for 1 year on JO level 2) when she was 8, right after kids came back into the gym after being out for months due to the start of Covid. She attempted an aerial (which probably should not have been done since she was not conditioned and it was not a skill she had mastered prior to being out for 3 months- but kids are kids and she wanted to try) and she broke her radial neck and displaced the growth plate which required a rod and 2 surgeries. She was not allowed back in the gym for 8 months as per her surgeon. When she came back, she had gained weight, was out out gym shape, and felt very awkward/ excluded by her teammates. The coaches didn't do anything much to help her reintegrate and she felt pushed out. My mother and I watched a few practices and it was clear to her (without me saying anything) that no one was helping our daughter reconnect with peers or get back into the shape she needed to be in. After much thought, our daughter asked to change gyms for a fresh start. She also had really high anxiety (is on medication for this) and the gym reminded her of the arm trauma. We agreed it would be a good idea. We moved to another gym which was wonderful! They had Xcel (not JO) which was fine and she was placed on the "Bronze 2" team, a higher level Bronze, not quite silver. She made friends, enjoyed her competition season, and loved the coaches. Our younger daughter also made the change from the old gym to the the new one, found friends, and started on the pre-team. We were happy.
A month ago, the new placements came out. Our older daughter had been told (as had I) that she would move up to silver. We were excited about the increase in hours and had planned our summer accordingly. She was held back to Bronze 2 again, which was unexpected and frankly IMHO wrong. We were told her "skill level is at silver, but her stress levels are holding her back," because she would take multiple breaks during practices. We were never alerted that this was happening, she was not told this was not okay to do, and they are aware that she suffers from anxiety. It was a complete blow to her, and all of her friends moved up and she didn't. I had multiple conversations with coaches and they all said, "her skill level is there, but she isn't ready emotionally." Mind you, the silvers practice 12 hours a week and the head coach has said, she "runs it like a JO program." So...here we are again in a tough spot. I had no idea their Xcel program was this competitive otherwise I would have likely looked at different gyms when we first switched and our older daughter's confidence is crushed again and she even said, "maybe gymnastics is not my sport, maybe this is telling me I should quit." She LOVES gymnastics; it is her passion.
My older daughter rightly so, wants to make a change but is heart broken. My younger daughter does not (she is an entirely different kiddo- not anxious at all). My older daughter is also a travel soccer player and moving gyms to one where silvers practice 7 hours a week versus 12 is going to be better for her. However, she is frustrated and embarrassed and does not want to be the "gym switcher."
Has anyone switched gyms more than once? We trialed 2 gyms last week and she absolutely loved one of the gyms and felt happy after the 3 hours practice and made a friend!- smaller program, 7 hours per week, former level 10 and then D1 college gymnast as coach who is super knowledgeable, kind, made practice fun but challenging. My older daughter was placed on silver at both gyms she trialed and even told Gold was in the near future at the gym she liked better. My younger daughter will stay at the old gym as she loves it, and the gym is okay with this. Has anyone ever had their children at two gyms? We have several gyms in the area and they would not compete in same meets due to different gym sizes. Might be good for both kids to have their own "place" as they do all the same sports. I'm so torn and frustrated. I am a former gymnast myself and this whole situation makes me so sad. Need help/ advice. I do think we will move our older daughter to the new gym she likes and keep our younger at the old gym. Looking for any feedback from parents.