practice during vacation?

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profmom

Proud Parent
We're going somewhere warm for a week over the winter break. Unfortunately, the way the holidays work and the team practice schedule works, my kids are both going to miss some practices. Both will be out of the gym for two full weeks. We've duly informed the coaches and got somewhat different reactions, which was a bit amusing to me.

The girls' coach said basically, "Yay! Handstands on the beach! Have a great time!" The boys' coach scratched his head a bit and said, "Hmm, maybe I can find a gym for you." What's amusing about this to me is that my DD is a . . . not awesome . . . L6 and my DS is a pretty good L4. Both have meets coming up in early January, DS the first weekend and DD the second. Just based on where they are gymnastically, I'd have thought that my DD's coaches would have been more concerned than DS's.

I don't think I'm quite enough of a dedicated gym parent to drag my beloved offspring to a gym for a break this short, but I am curious about how other gyms handle this for team members. At what point (i.e., level, time of season, and length of time away from gym) do the coaches say, "let's see if we can get some gym time for your child while on vacation"?
 
I'm inclined to think a week off is week off, and it can do a lot of good both physically and mentally to have a short break completely waway from the gym. Time to heal, recover, and they'll get back fresh and ready to train.

If you were the kind of family to be having a week away every few months, it might be different, but the I can't imagine anyone committed to gym doing that, or being able to afford it! One of dd's pre-team friends goes away every school holiday (so 3 or 4 times a year) and they weren't moved up to team.

As a parent I wouldn't want to be traipsing to gyms on my week off either! You need the break too...
 
Our compulsory team has 2 weeks off for Holiday break and does every year. I think the break is good for them.

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I would thank him for his advice/concern and then do what I want with my kids. If it were my kids we would go on vacation- vacation from everything- including gym! Have a great time!
 
Enjoy the time off and have a great time with your kids/family. The gym and skills will still be there when you get back.
 
they're not level 9's or 10's or elites. it won't hurt them now. and as long as they gym is being paid.:)
 
I don't think it's critical, but I do tend to lean towards sending the kids to gym while on vacation, and that's what I do myself. And my kids are pretty low levels. But I don't think it's so pleasant to come back to a full swing having deconditioned. A week, maybe, but two weeks I would either send them to gym there or do a basic conditioning and stretching regimen. My kids have in the past had a three week period in August where everything was dead and/or we were out of town, and then we get back and BOOM, everything hits at once in full swing. So I have generally had them do a week of visiting gym, a week of nothing, and a week of visiting gym.
 
You can't lose that much condition in two weeks though? Maybe a bit, but it wouldn't take long to get back. I think the break is worth losing a week of condition myself.
 
DD's gym is closed from this Saturday until Jan 2nd, when they will have a week of daytime training.

I have HEARD that for every week off beyond one week, they lose about 2 weeks of conditioning. I would probably bring a basic conditioning sheet along and encourage the kids to do it a couple of times in the 2nd week of your vacation.

Have a great vacation!
 
DD was out of the gym for 10 days over Thanksgiving. She came back and had a VERY rough practice and HC told her it might take her till AFTER CHRISTMAS before she felt "normal" in the gym again! Thankfully, she had much better practices the next two days and then went to a meet and did better than she had at the meet immediately before she left on vacation. That said, if it was up to me, I would have had her in a gym once or twice while she was away, but when ever I bring up anything like that, my husband starts to look at me as if I am insane. In the name of marital harmony, I don't suggest it anymore. :rolleyes:
 
Really ? Our girls have regular gym Term Time only - so thats no scheduled gym for 3 weeks at christmas, 3 week long half terms 3 weeks at Easter and 6 weeks off in Summer. There are additional practice days during Summer and Easter but they are entirely optional, team only. No-one drastically looses condition or skills and they come back refreshed and raring to go.:)
 
What's amusing about this to me is that my DD is a . . . not awesome . . . L6 and my DS is a pretty good L4.

Ok for starters , I would look at the levels of your kids (both compulsory) and I would go on vacation and don't look back...and I wouldn't even entertain the idea of bringing them to a gym during their time off.

My daughter has been a Level 10 for 6 years and we have gone on vacation EVERY year, and I can tell you we have never set foot in a gym in a vacation spot that we have been at, nor have I ever even given it a thought. They train so much and its year round that when you take a vacation, that's what their bodies need too..a vacation. And if they have a rough practice (or two) after coming back, so be it...I wouldn't change a thing.
 
Really ? Our girls have regular gym Term Time only - so thats no scheduled gym for 3 weeks at christmas, 3 week long half terms 3 weeks at Easter and 6 weeks off in Summer. There are additional practice days during Summer and Easter but they are entirely optional, team only. No-one drastically looses condition or skills and they come back refreshed and raring to go.:)

Our team gets one week off in June and one week off the first week of school in September :) And just one-day holidays for major things like Christmas and New Year's the rest of the year.
 
What our coaches do is get us to do strength while we are away so we don't come back completely 'wrecked'
 
DD's step 4 group has three weeks off. The coach gave out a sheet of basic conditioning exercises for them to do over the break. The coach said 'every day' but I think that's overkill, I'm aiming for about three times per week, the same as they usually train. I'm hoping that way it won't be a shock to the system when she starts back at gym again.
 
Really ? Our girls have regular gym Term Time only - so thats no scheduled gym for 3 weeks at christmas, 3 week long half terms 3 weeks at Easter and 6 weeks off in Summer. There are additional practice days during Summer and Easter but they are entirely optional, team only. No-one drastically looses condition or skills and they come back refreshed and raring to go.:)


Our gym is the same. They usually end mid June and go back in early September, so about 12 weeks off gym. Kips are not lost, tumbling is still there etc. These girls tend to be the active types anyway, so a summer of swimming and outdoor sports keeps them fit, gym specific conditioning is caught up on quickly. The first weeks back are hard physically, but considering how much they train they do very well. Year round gym is not the norm everywhere, especially in smaller communiities.
 
Thanks very much for all the insights! My two are at a year 'round gym that has a one-week break and another roughly half-week break, but the coaches usually aren't too fussed about kids coming and going during the summer as long as it's not excessive. And like most gym kids, mine are pretty active, so I am guessing that at least in terms of aerobic conditioning, the swimming and running around will keep them in relatively good shape. They love to fool around with their skills, which is fine, but I've already warned them that DD will not be doing any tucks on the beach and DS will not be attempting any back handsprings/doing any back headsprings.

My eight-year-old has grand designs to disassemble his parallettes and pack them. I draw the line at the mushroom!
 
Our gym has a conditioning sheet for when the kids are off for a week or more. so on the school vacation weeks if they aren't at the gym then they have a sheet takes about 45 min to complete they do it once a day. It has things like pull ups, push ups, V ups, splits, etc to keep them stretched out. Usually I have my DD do it when she wakes up in the AM before we start the day.
 
Our gym closed for 2 weeks this holiday break and offered full day training camps for team members (for a fee). You could choose when you attended. Because of our vacation plans, dd only got to go to one camp day so will be our of the gym for 2 full weeks. When we are on vacation, she knows she needs to stretch and do a little conditioning during this time. I strive for every other day because we are usually so busy.

DD rarely has a problem coming back after a 2 week break as long as she has been conditioning and stretching out of the gym. The exception is illness. When the body is run down and dd isn't conditioning in addition (because she doesn't feel well enough) then she has a tough time coming back. Thankfully that has only happened 2x in about 4 years.
 

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