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gymmomj

Hello,

I have been reading posts for a while, but just decided to join in by posting. I have a daughter in gymnastics training level 5. She has all her level 5 skills, but hasn't connected them into all the routines yet. She is eight years old and started gymnastics two years ago. She is absolutely obsessed with gymnastics and would spend every day there if I let her. Currently she is going three days for four hours and one day for two hours of TOPS training and an hour and a half of private lessons. My husband thinks this is too much for an eight year old and doesn't like the costs included in gymnastics. We have three boys that play basketball and baseball and he compares the costs to that. Of course they are not even close! I started doing daycare to cover the costs of her gymnastics. She is so dedicated and focused, I don't want her to have to give it up. Does anyone else have this issue with their DH?

gymmomj:eek:
 
Hello, and welcome! I'm sure you'll find plenty of support here at CB. I've found it really nice to have understanding folks to talk things over with.

As to your particular situation, I'm afraid I have no advice. My DH is just the opposite. He would do anything he could to pay for DD's gymnastics. He's very supportive and enthusiastic. Maybe it would help if your DH were more involved. Maybe he could go to a few practices and such to see how much your DD enjoys it and how well she's doing. It might give him a different perspective/ appreciation for the sport.
 
It's nice to meet you on chalkbucket. As an athlete and coach, I've seen your problem from both sides. Gymnastics is not only very time consuming and expensive, but extremely rewarding. Even if your DD isn't chasing Olympic dreams, if she really is that focused and determined, gymnastics could be such a great thing for her. Many gymnasts go on to other sports and thrive. So all the training she's doing now will help her not only in other sports, but even in school, extra curriclars, and later, jobs. A lot of my essay for National Honors Society was based on my experiences as a gymnast and coach. I also agree that if your DH could really get a different perspective, it might help a lot, and even get him really involved. My mom didn't like the amount of hours I spent training for track (up to 25 hrs per week) and didn't even want me to do it again this year, but once she came to some meets and saw me pole vault, she became my biggest fan. In fact, now she's the one reminding me to call my coach to set up summer practices, and is finding the trials schedule on t.v. for me! It really is all about perspective.

Bottom line: it seems like your DD is really loving the sport, and you should continue to give her all the tools you can to keep her passion alive.
 
I'm bumping your post so you can get some more opinions. :)
 
Welcome !! I think it is better to keep a kid wanting more gymnastics than giving them too much and having them burn out at an early age. Of course thats just my thinking. As for the dh question, my dh makes a point to spend money on the boys hobbies so dd gymnastics isnt the main money grabber in the house. Good luck to your dd :)
 
Welcome to the CB. As to your question, hubby and I sit down and discuss what gym is going to cost and where we see added expenses(like choreo for floor etc). One thing is for sure---as your dd moves up and on to team, it won't get cheaper. We only have 2 kids, but the oldest is going into her senior year of high school so we have to consider expenses for all that plus that BIG C(college). Maybe your dh is trying to factor in expenses for 4 kids and make sure none get shorted? Its tough to have one in a fairly expensive sport. Doing competitive gymnastics is a family committment along with the child, so really everyone needs to be in agreement.

IMO, she doesn't need 1.5 hours of privates/week on top of her 14 hours already. That passion will be there whether she does 4 or 14 hours and you don't want to see her burn out or develop overuse injuries from too much too soon. For all of you this is just the beginning and hope you can have a great time with the sport while having a healthy home life-----it can be a real juggling act at times.
 
Hi gymmomj,

Welcome! I see you are from the Bay Area in CA. We just moved from there this past Feb to Florida, b/c of hubby's work. My DD is currently L6, and she competed previously in CA as a L4 one year, and L5 two for years. She started at gym #1 as a L4 & a 1st year L5, then moved to a more competitive gym (gym #2) and did a 2nd year L5 there.

During her three years competing in CA, she has competed against just about every team there. I can probably figure out w/in three guesses which gym you are at. There are only a few that are that competitive, & would allow an eight- year-old to engage in all those hours of practice, PLUS privates! I know your DD loves it, mine does/did too, but your dd will eventually either get injured or burned-out from all of that gym time, trust me!

If this helps you any, we were at a pretty competitive gym which offered privates for team, and my dd never did any. Some of her teamamtes did, but in the end, it did not seem to make a difference, either in how they competed, or how fast they moved up. My dd ended doing the best out of all her teammates at L5 States, and she really was not what I considered to be the best on her team. BUT, she loves to compete, and she really wanted to do well, so she just put her mind to it, added in a bit of luck, and competed very well. Some of her teammates whom I considered 'better' than her, and those who did privates, did not do as well, some of it maybe b/c they freaked a bit under the pressure. At move-up time, I also did not see that privates really helped anyone. Your dd is already at a good gym and she has enough practice hours, privates just don't seem to be worth it, in my book.

As for the hubby, mine was not so into it for a long while, until he saw her do her State meet. I think he realized at that time, that the hours of training really do pay off and he saw she was having a blast, & her coaches were so dedicated and nice. It just may take time for your hubby to adjust. I'm sorry, I wish I could help more w/ that! But maybe if you pull her out of privates he'll back off a little bit, too. It's a balancing act!

If you want to talk privately about clubs in CA, or anything else, I think all you have to do is just click on my 'name' here, & it will take you to my info, and you will find an option to send a private message.

Good luck w/ all of it, and hope your dd continues to love her sport. With all the ups & downs, it's been a great learning experience, for our whole family, and it surely will be for your family too! ;)
 
I agree with gymlawmom - the 1 1/2 private probably isn't necessary and could be a good compromise to give up for DH.

I totally understand where you are coming from with the dh thing. My dd is a level 7 and the cost and commitment of gymnastics was definitely an issue in the beginning. My dh was actually 100% against it - but he wasn't the one watching her and taking her to practice. I saw how it gave this shy little girl confidence so she stayed in. Now years later he thinks it is the best thing in the world for her and can't imagine what she would do with all that energy if she weren't in the gym 20+ hours a week. He is still bothered by the fact that she is very rarely home - he sometimes feels the sport took his little girl away from him.

If you look back through old threads you will see many of us have questioned whether all the hours and money is worth it. Some decide it isn't. What many of us realize is that their love of the sport and what the sport gives them does make it worth it. Each child and family has to make that decision for themselves and decide what is best not only for the gymmie but for the family as a whole.
 
Thanks for your opinions everyone.

Thank you for your responses. I will have to try and figure out a way to get DH more involved in our daughter's gymnastics. He can never understand why I like to go and watch her practices. I am just fascinated with seeing what they accomplish but he sees it as "doing the same thing over and over." I don't spend too much time at the gym because I rarely sit through the boys' practices for their sports. I try to keep a balance. I do send DH to pick her up more often and hope that will spark an interest. I also agree that maybe I should have her give up the privates. She loves them, but they are an added expense and she seems to be doing just fine with her skills.

Thanks Again:eek:
 
Justed wanted to add my welcome to the CB! I can totally relate to the DH problem and other children w/other activities situation. Right now my Summer is even more hectic(and expensive) than the regular school year is. My DD is a L4 that also does dive team. My middle child (DS) also does dive team and my oldest DS does All-stars baseball w/my hubby coaching. Then there was baseball camp. The $$$ for all the sports adds up and I am worried as my DD moves up things will really be tight because the checkbook is already being stretched month to month. I had no idea she would like it this much. i will take on more hours at work in September to help "fund" her gymnastics, but right now with the kids out for the Summer I can do a flexible PT schedule.


I agree with the other opinions about the privates. Unless there is something specific you need to correct, your DD is probably in the gym long enough & you don't want her to burn out...you want to keep it fun at this age. And your DH might be happy about saving some money there becasue those privates really add up! My dd is 7 and would sleep in the gym if I let her.

Looking forward to hearing more about your DD and L5, as my DD is doing a 2nd yr at L4 and then moving up too so I may need some BTDT advice soon, LOL
 
I'd have to agree w/ the others- I think Privates are a waste unless there's a specific skill she 's working on or she needs some specialized training in one area.

I would talk w/ your hubby - I started selling more items on Ebay to help offset the costs of training, Booster club dues, fundraisers etc. It really helped. You can also buy /sell items on Ebay too -we sell almost all of our leotards there and also buy a few for 1/2 the cost!

My daughter is a level 4 gymnast- soon to be level 5 if ew can get the beam skills down. She rocks on Bars- has both kips already! She amazes everyone on BArs! LOL Beam- well that's another story! hehe
:)

Bridgett
 

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