Parents Which gym to choose? Standard 2 years each level? Or fast progression?

[Mo's Mom]

Our DDs will be switching gyms at the end of this season for a variety of reasons. However we haven't decided which gym to move to. Our 3 main choices are extremely different. As parents, our first choice would be the very organized, well-equipped gym about 40 min away which has plenty of steady, experienced coaches, good experience with optionals, and a safe, supportive team environment. However, this gym (in a neighboring town) begins practice at a time we can never make because it is the time dds school ends and we still have to drive. Also, the philosophy of the head coach is that every gymnast needs to spend 2 years in each compulsory level - the first to get the physical skills, the second to be mentally prepared for the next level. Not sure if that rule applies to optionals. Dd1 is a 9-year old second year level 5, who competed one meet level 6 this year & got the mobility score & even qualified for level 6 states. Not sure if the strict 2 years per level will be too restrictive. In gym1 she would have 2 more years at level 5 (new) before optionals, wven though she already has the mibility score to move to optionals.
The Gym2 option is more of a factory, with a huge gym, huge optional team, but much more intense. Gym 2 advances girls, but also will drop them back a level just before states if they feel that they won't place as well as desired in the higher level. They are considered, by gymnasts at least, as the top gym in the area, which can also be a bit intimidating. Dd has had a personal goal to beat gym2 (which is also the gym goal) so joining them seems off to her. Gym2 starts at a convenient time, and is closer than gym1 albeit more expensive, but not sure if there will be competition opportunities for dd2 (who competes level 3 as a 6 year old).
Then there is gym3, which dd1 prefers (mainly because she likes their colors), has opportunities for dd2, is closer than gym1, and has optionals, but kind of leaves optionals gymnasts to their own during practice time that's shared with compulsory levels because coaches are working with lower levels or rec.
All are better than where we currently are, with the exception of commute.
So, that's the dilemma here. Gym1 believes gymnasts must be mentally prepared to advance, even if they have the skills. Gym2 wants to maintain top gym status in the region, so will move gymnasts to make gym more successful (or at least that's what coaches from other gyms say & it seems from outside). Gym3 may have balance between those 2, but not as many coaches, therefore not the level of safety as gym1 because of their hawk eye approach. I'd love to hear from folks in each situation to find out the goods and bads of each type of gym. We're not able to speak to patents & coaches at each place yet because of current coach/gym.

 

[gymmommy123]

Has she done a practice or two at each gym? Tough choice, but maybe she'd really "click" with one, if she had a chance to workout with them a time or two. I'd be most likely to lean toward gym 2, since they move them forward at the pace in which they're ready.

 

[gymgal]

I would want to observe practice at gym 3 to get a better feel for what is really going on. Seems odd that they would leave higher level gymnasts to their own devices. I'm wondering if it has to do with the time of the year, what they are working on when they are alone, etc. do they have good optional gymnasts who score fairly well?

given your description of the first two gyms, neither appeals to me. Actually, they sound a lot alike to me in their desire to stack their teams to win in what i consider questionable practices. A blanket cookie cutter approach of every girl repeats all compulsory turns me off. I understand the philosophy behind the approach. I just don't agree with it. And if they are doing their job coaching correctly and there its not much in the way of injury, many (not all) should have no problem moving up a level a year for those lower levels. it sounds like they are trying to make a run for medals themselves by stacking their team with repeaters. As for the second gym, to me, it's just poor sportsmanship. I know the rules say you can do it, but if a girl can compete competently in meets at a level, then she should compete that level at state meet.

So, I would be looking at the 3Rd gym a little more to see what is truly going on there. If it really is a case of no supervision, then that gym would be out, since safety trumps everything else. In that case, I'd look for other gyms in your area, and if there are none, go with the 2ND gym, but with the understanding that my dd would not be moving down at states just to win.

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[iwannacoach]

Wanting to "beat" gym 2 pretty much sums up which gym she should switch to if she wants to concentrate on gymnastics and is capable of enduring the rigors of the program. That shouldn't be too hard given gym 2 has a large team program and it's unlikey that gym 2 has a means of taking in only kids who are mysteriously suited to their program.

I mean really, when you get down to it the main requirements for a gymnast are desire, discipline, and (at the very least) a body that won't hold them back. Therein lies the need for a realistic look in the mirror lest she switches to a gym that's packed with kids who're physically trained and determined to do their best to sensibly maintain their bodies. So my answer needs to be viewed from that perspective.

It sounds like gym 3 is a disaster waiting to happen, both emotionally and physically. At least my experience is that kids left to their own usually end up enjoying each other so much that they fail to train in a way that will get them where they themselves want to be......or......their ability to fly through the air eventually exceeds their body's ability to absorb impacts, and they end up on crutches.

I would eliminate gym 1 on the basis of the two year deal, cuz it's nothing more than a pile of BS. Do they really think a kid who can do level six skills at the beginning of her first level five season won't be both physically and emotionally ready for level 6. What it really sounds like is they have a weak optional program (by design) and want it to take twice as long to find out as it would for most able body kids in most half serious gyms offering an optional program.

As a parent, I'm naturally leery of gymnastic factories, which gym 2 probably isn't because they aren't all that common. They may be serious and expect the kids to work hard in a controlled but non-stifling atmosphere, and they may want to be the best. Is that a bad thing, because if that's so you're pretty much obligated to sit on your hands every time somebody does something great that requires hard work, guts, vision, or passion. Bottom line? Isn't it ok to want to win, and take reasonable steps while making reasonable sacrifices to have a chance to do so.

Oh, but I digress........ just put her in gym 2 if it's a program she can handle for now. She'll be handling it a lot better a year from now.

 

[bookworm]

Having been in the sport for 14 years and had a few gym changes, go with Gym #2 and don't look back..

 

[gymmomtoo]

Honestly? I wouldn't go to a gym that mandates 2 yrs per level without regard to skills or the individual gymnast--that just seems crazy to me. And I would also eliminate a gym that leaves their optional gymnasts to fend for themselves (if, indeed, that is what's happening).

Have you done a trial at the gyms? Gym 2 describes one of the gyms near us too and if we ever moved gyms, that's where we'd go.

 

[MaryA]

I agree with Gymgal... I would want to find out more about gym 3. I do think it's odd that they are not providing adequate coaching for their optionals. I do think that, as girls get older, they can be trusted to complete certain (safe) assisgnments on their own, more so than the younger ones. Is it possible that the times you've observed might just be during those times? Are they really throwing big skills uncoached and unspotted, or are they just completing certain assignments on basics? How do their optionals do? If they have upper level optionals, if they're doing fairly well, and if each and every one of them isn't in a cast of some sort, then I think probably they're getting good coaching and spotting. If you truly do find out that gym 3 mostly focusses on compulsories, and that their optionals don't get the attention they need, then it sounds like your only choice is gym 2. You wouldn't be able to get to gym 1 on time anyway, and I agree that I don't love the cookie-cutter approach. I mean, if the first year is to get the skills and then the 2nd year is to prepare for the next level, then you wouldn't really need 2 years at the next level, would you? Because you would have already spent a year preparing for it at the previous level!

 

[J&A's mom]

I wonder if 'letting them fend for themselves' is during stretching and strength? Did you see this, or hear about it? I would do practices at the gyms and see which fits.

 

[jago]

Do your own research and don't listen to gym gossip from parents that haven't actually had a child train within a gym program.

Visit Gym 1, Gym 2 and Gym 3 - sit and observe for yourself. It's the only way to make an informed opinion.

 

[Flossyduck]

Yes - you definitely need to go and see all three yourself and talk to people involved. You hear all sorts about other gyms because everyone wants to justify their own choices.

If gym two has a huge team and gets good results they must be doing something right, because if people weren't happy they'd go elsewhere. If your daughter sees them as the ones to beat then why shouldn't she be the one to beat too?

TBH our gym will pull girls from a competition if they think they are going to score badly. It's not to hold them back, it's because they don't want girls to come a long way down the list below their team mates and have a confidence knock, so you need to find out from the horses mouth what the reasoning is, it isn't always bad...

Having said that I still think you should see the all and if possible trial them all and see which one clicks.

Good luck.

 

[cbifoja]

Are there REALLY gyms that require their kids to do two years at EACH compulsory level???? In our gym that would amount to eight years in compulsories!!!! I'm hoping the gyms that require this don't start competing until L5.

My daughter would have quit the sport long ago if she had to follow that. This would mean she would be a second year L3 rather than a 1st year L5 planning on testing out of L6 to compete new L6 next year. HUGE difference and she would be bored stiff....no beyond stiff....bored dead, flat out rigor mortis.

I know for my daughter, she likes the constant challenge of new skills and how much uptraining her gym does. Her teammates tend to do one year per level. Very few girls have to repeat and very few girls skip. Not to say it doesn't happen, usually one girl each year has to repeat and one girl gets to skip, but for the most part, her gym is a steady progression.

I think I would join my daughter in death if I had to listen to the compulsory music for 8 years! LOL I always feel for the coaches who coach the same level year after year....having to listen to the same music over and over and over and over and over and over and....well, you get it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hah! and you're complaining? some of us have been listening to that music since 1988. [Dunno screams very loudly whilst pulling hair straight up with both hands]

 

[skschlag]

Glad I haven't listened to it for that long Dunno! The sad part is, I am a BOY parent, and I know the compulsary girl routines and music by heart! LOL

I agree that I couldnt' go to such a cookie-cutter gym. All the boys and girls in our gym seem to follow their own paths. Whether it is 1 year at a level or 3, it is the gymnast that matters. I like that they look at each child and their path, rather than a blanket policy. My ds did 3 years of 5, and we are still hoping 1 year of 6 and a jump to 8. And, it is all up to him and how hard he decides to work!!

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

It sounds like Gym#1 is out because the hours don't work anyway, so you can mark that one off the list. I personally would not go to a gym that requires every gymnast do two years of each compulsory level. That is crazy to me!!!

You should go observe the other two gyms, then if both still seem like a possibility you can talk to the coaches and have your dd(s) attend a practice or two. If you are definitely leaving your current gym, then I don't think you need to worry about being secretive. From your descriptions, I'd go with Gym#2, but I feel like you need more info to make the best decision.

 

[JBS]

Gym 2.....

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Jbs ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^