WAG Inside Gymnastics Magazine

[Asian]

My daughter says that she wants this magazine subscription. Is it worth it? It it worth $45 for 18 issues? Around how many pages are there per issues?

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

No!!! I just purchased the digital version of the most recent issue hoping it would have a picture of the hopes national team girls but nothing...I’d say 65% of the magazine was ads.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

And they don’t do monthly issues. Maybe 3-4 issues per year.

 

[chalkbowl]

Some issues have more content than others, it really depends on what is going on in the international elite world. The issues around Nationals/Championships and/or World Championships have more content than others. They typically cover NCAA Championships as well. There is not coverage of JO Competitions to my knowledge, so nothing on Level 10 Nationals or Easterns/Westerns. The Pre-Elite/HOPEs world is also not covered. They are a bimonthly magazine so you get one issue every other month, so 6 issues a year. Yes, there are a lot of ads. Magazines are expensive to produce (think about flying an editor, photographer, and brand manager to Doha for World Championships for 2-3 weeks...) and gymnastics isn't exactly a large population to pull subscribers from. (Disclaimer, I have a family member on the payroll lol!).

 

[coachmolly]

I haven't subscribed in a few years, but I was a subscriber from their earliest days for many years. There are lots of ads, as with any magazine, but all were gymnastics specific so even they can be kind of fun in introducing you to new leo or apparel companies. The issues tend to have lots of great photos which I think is one of the best parts of the magazine while the actual articles/reporting are on the lighter side. They regularly have interviews with the big names in US gymnastics as well which are fun for gymnasts who look up to them. I think the written content is probably more appealing to pre-teen/teen athletes than it would be to an adult gym fan, but I'm guessing your daughter fits within their target audience.

 

[Freddy's Fred]

No!!! I just purchased the digital version of the most recent issue hoping it would have a picture of the hopes national team girls but nothing...I’d say 65% of the magazine was ads.

I think their target subject matter is elite gymnastics so I don't think it is odd that they don't cover JO or HOPES gymnastics. I like reading about gymnasts all around the world in IG.

 

[josie55]

I think their target subject matter is elite gymnastics so I don't think it is odd that they don't cover JO or HOPES gymnastics. I like reading about gymnasts all around the world in IG.

Agree. While HOPES is awesome and particularly exciting for those who are a part of it, it's not elite, and if IG's focus is the international elite stage, it would be expecting a lot for them to cover not only all of the countries' elites, but their elite hopefuls as well. And yes, most magazines have a lot of ads and if they don't, their subscription costs are much higher. I don't have any affiliation with the magazine, but appreciate companies that are supporting the sport and suggest we be careful about bashing too many of them, especially for personal reasons.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Good points all, I was just bummed for my girl who was told that she would probably have her picture in there. Not a big deal by any means and I'm sure it's a great magazine. Our gym always gets tons of free copies so we are able to look at those when we want so we would never need our own subscription.

 

[Aero]

International Gymnast is far superior in my opinion, although it doesn't cater as much to the younger crowd. It is a more prestigious magazine that has been around since 1956 and has deep roots in the gymnastics world, which allows it to publish very interesting articles constantly, especially pieces focusing on stories and figures from past eras. The international nature of the magazine makes it far more interesting to read for the dedicated gymnastics fan, and it includes detailed, thorough competition results from all around the world in every issue. There are always excellent photos in every issue, and I've read great interviews from gymnasts and coaches I love, as well as fascinating stories of gymnastics training in other countries. IG is by far the best gymnastics publication in my opinion! Their current issue is an in depth analysis of Worlds, and all the different countries' national teams and how they measure up, as well as predictions, etc. Also, for ten issues a month at $29.99, it's a much better deal, too. You should definitely check it out!

 

[twinmomma]

Agree. While HOPES is awesome and particularly exciting for those who are a part of it, it's not elite, and if IG's focus is the international elite stage, it would be expecting a lot for them to cover not only all of the countries' elites, but their elite hopefuls as well. And yes, most magazines have a lot of ads and if they don't, their subscription costs are much higher. I don't have any affiliation with the magazine, but appreciate companies that are supporting the sport and suggest we be careful about bashing too many of them, especially for personal reasons.

I didn't really see anything that would constitute bashing. And I would argue as consumers, how does a publisher or company know what we want unless we express it? I don't think it's right to say "oh this company is supportive of gymnastics so we should just take what we can get." I'd personally like to see more equity in covering ALL gymnastics in the publications out there. Acro, T&T, men, rhythmic. It's a huge deal when the more niche gymnasts get mentioned and for those athletes in that part of the sport it just makes them feel less than.