Parents Dilemma with my daughter and competitive squad!

[Scottishmama5]

Hi all,

My daughter is five and was chosen to be part of her clubs mini competitive squad last October (2018).

The commitment is twice weekly training sessions.

She has recently been offered a place in rainbows having already delayed acceptance due to it taking place same day as one of her gymnastics training days.

As a parent I feel socially, rainbows is important as it allows for important socializing times with her peers in a relaxed environment. I am also aware of the privileged position she is in being part of a squad so young. If we turn down offer of rainbows place this will then affect her getting a place in brownies further down line.

Progress wise she had come on with her Gymnastics however certainly not at as fast a rate as some others in her squad who are similar age. Concentration wise I feel a bit more time and she will be able to focus perhaps better than she has and with maturity this will also help.

We love her club, they are certainly one of the better ones in our area but not sure they will accommodate her missing a days training and staying on squad, even if she was to make up the missing session with a rec class.

Advice on what to do please! Don't want to put all eggs in one basket given her young age but also don't want to throw away a great opp for her gymnastics!

She loves loves gymnastics but is also keen to be with her friends too at rainbows!

 

[FlippinPrincess]

We love her club, they are certainly one of the better ones in our area but not sure they will accommodate her missing a days training and staying on squad, even if she was to make up the missing session with a rec class.

I guess you need to ask if they will or not. Perhaps they will and all of this worry is unnecessary. If they say no, then you will have to make the decision you feel is best for your daughter. Perhaps another club will allow it or have a schedule that works around the rainbow's schedule. However, no decision can be made without knowing for sure what your current club will do.

 

[GymDadWA]

The time requirements for gymnastics only increases with the level, if making 2 days a week and continuing other activities already bothers you than a rigid JO track might not be right for your family.

My DD has played soccer and done gymnastics from the beginning but in her and our families mind gymnastics was the priority and we have missed soccer matches and workshops in order to make a standard gymnastics practice. Your family might be the opposite and gymnastics will have to workaround her other activity(s), if the coaches are not OK with it than gymnastics at that gym might not be right for your family.

You can do more than one activity but just decide what takes priority.

 

[Jenny]

You could see if there are any other rainbows groups on another day? Or similar. I think Scouts do a mixed one for little ones and there are also some others.

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

Difficult to know what your gym will say. My DD gym had issues with her taking time off for my mum’s funeral and missing a session a week was definitely unacceptable. DS is(unsurprisingly) at a different gym and they are totally flexible, he is allowed to turn up late when he has other things on (like a football match or swimming gala) and warms up alone then joins in. I think we have experienced both ends of the spectrum . After reading posts onhere for a while I think generally UK gyms are generally less flexible.

Options,
What do the gym say?
is there another Rainbows group she can do? Or Beavers?
Is there an alternative gym within a reasonable distance?
Is there a totally different sport/ activity that she would prefer?

 

[Cmumgym]

Only problem with missing a day a week would be coaches having programmed certain drills for that day which may put you dd behind in the long run. On top of this your dd would be taking the place of another child who can attend 2 days per week. A recreational class would not give her the technique she would get in the pre competitive program. However she is only 5. At our gym they source age turning 5 to 6. So maybe if she is not turning 6 this year you may be able to put it off for a year and just ask the coaches to put her into a recreational squad with a certain coach which may help her keep up with her skills and fitness a bit better. But as someone said earlier this is only the start once she goes into JO if it’s something your family wants. You will have to make sacrifices. Our gym has training on saturday afternoons once they reach level 3 this is to deter parents from dancing and soccer on top of their gymnastics so parents are aware from a low level that this is a hugely committed sport and the coaches don’t like parents wasting their time by placing their child into a competitive program and put all their time and effort into a child only to pull them out 3 years later because they have then chosen to not commit. It still happens however the parents become aware from the lower level because of Saturday training. If their lifestyle doesn’t work with it then the coaches haven’t wasted years of training.

 

[3rd_time_around]

First, what is rainbows?
Second, Brownies will take anyone, no previous affiliation required.
Third, twice a week is low commitment, it will only increase. As others said, if twice a week is already concerning, you might need to decide now that competitive gymnastics is not in her future. My level 4 goes 3 days/4 hours a day, and from what I’ve read, that is low for some gyms.

 

[NutterButter]

@GAgymmom Rainbows is equivalent to Daisies (OP is from UK so slightly different there). Brownies takes anyone assuming you can find a troop and troops often ‘fill’ up in Daisies or whenever they are formed. I was a leader for years for my DDs troop. We had 18 kids in Brownies and reached a point where we had to say no to new members.