Parents Move or not to move

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Mom2monkeys

Proud Parent
Not satisfied with current gym for several reasons, (She is level 3) but this is biggest, we get only 4 hours in gym a week and no more as move up. She has scored 1st AA at all meets this season so feel confident she should move up to 4. My question is at what point do we decide to make bigger commitment and move to a better gym(further away) so she can get training she needs to move up. Do we let her compete 4 at current gym see how she does then get more serious ? Just not sure at what point is it appropriate to make bigger commitment? She is currently 7. Thank you so much in advance.
 
Level 4 is a good time to change gyms if looking for something more serious. But only you and your family can decide how much time you want to devote to a commute. As bookworm says, 2 hours each way is not "ideal", but many would be willing to do it for a great level 10 program. I would say driving up to an hour is not an uncommon practice to find a good program in this sport.
 
This is the perfect time to make the switch. That is when we moved, right after L3 States. It was for the very same reasons. I think I would have regretted staying longer, she has progressed so much in the last year and 1/2.
 
Level 4 only practices 4 hours per week?! Really? I am surprised to hear of even a level 3 team with such low hours. If she has placed 1st AA at every meet (presumably scoring higher than girls who practice 3x as many hours as she does) she is probably very talented! You didn't mention if there are other gyms in your area that would be a reasonable commute -I would say if it's easy enough to switch you definitely should. But if switching means making big sacrifices then it depends how important her gymnastics training/progress is to your family.
 
It does sound like a move is necessary.
But how far is to far is such an individual thing.
Depends on work, number of drivers, other children, finances, commitment etc.

My dd was spotted for a sport where they expected her to be nationally ranked in a year, she loved it but the 35-60+ min commute (depending on traffic) each way just wouldn't have been fair on the other children and their pursuits so for us it was a no go.
If she was an only child it would have been a different decision.
 
as they progress your commitment increases - you manage. You are lucky not to have any commute to start with. We are now on club 3 for Pink and its the best move we ever made, plus bonus its 6 miles closer than the last one. Most of our commutes have been 30-40 minutes, you find ways to cope.
 
It would depend on the commute, your family situation, and the experience of the other gyms but it is time to start looking now if her hours are not going to increase.


Our commute is 80 miles each way, and with traffic ( and what seems to be never ending construction projects) , it has been taking us between 2 to 2.5 hours each way....I can tell you, this is not ideal....
That's some commitment! dd wouldn't be doing gymnastics if that was our only viable option. There is no way we could commit to an extra 4-5hrs a day just in commute time. How do you and they do it in terms of work and school?
 
That's some commitment! dd wouldn't be doing gymnastics if that was our only viable option.
1. There is no way we could commit to an extra 4-5hrs a day just in commute time.
2. How do you and they do it in terms of work and school?

Well it wasn't always this bad...and I don't think I would jump into this type of a commute for level 4...

Point 1: when we first started a commute to the gym ( at level 8 for my oldest) , we were 35 minutes away, then we moved and the gym was an hour away...and then our last gym was 80 miles from our house , and on a Saturday we can get there in an hour and 15 minutes, but during the week, with all the increasing traffic and construction in the past 2 years, it's been more in the 2-2.5 hour range each way...and that's with no accidents holding us up, just flat out traffic.

Point 2: For school, we always had an extra set of books in the car until they went to Ebooks, and we travelled with the ipad. In elementary school, my girls were always dismissed at 1:30 to make it to gym but in high school, they got out at 2 pm so we would just head on up right from the parking lot. Their elementary school ( that they attended through Grade 8) started at 9 am so that helped with getting in at 10 pm every night... My job has always been pretty flexible and I work mostly mornings so that facilitated this whole process...
 
Thank you for all input. All other gyms are 45 minutes to hour away. So yes it would be a commitment for us all. I think she has great promise and would love to see what happens with 5 more hours a week in the gym.
 
So even their optionals are only doing 4 hours a week? It seems like that would be dangerous. I'm no expert, but I would think even L5 skills like ROBHSBT or flyway would need to be practiced more than once or twice a week to be learned solidly and safely? We just moved gyms 4 months ago. My 8 year old did Xcel Gold last year and will do L4 this season, so we're in a similar spot as you. It really was a good time to move. We drive just under 20 minutes (both gyms were about the same) but I would have done a little further. 45 minutes would have probably been about the max for my family at this point, but like everyone else is saying it's an individual decision for each family and you do find a way to make it work somehow. I would say the fact that you're seriously questioning a move means you've probably know the answer already. Listen to your gut, I'm glad I did. Good luck and keep us posted!!
 
We just moved my son from a program where he would have gone 14 hours a week to a smaller program that trains 9. He is a almost level 6 ( likely will compete 5 to start but 6 by the end of the year). How hours are used is so important. I'm not sure 4 is enough even if a small group and really efficient. In our case, gym #1 had large training groups with lots of standing around. At the new gym often the group is 9 and there are 2 coaches. There is NO standing around. Since our change, he has gotten stronger and is
Back to having fun. My point is more isnt always better. After the season, is a good time to be prepared to make the change
 
If gym is her (and I do mean her, not your) passion, then you need to find someplace that can get her the time in the gym she needs. 4 hours a week even at Lvl 3 is not enough. And, if that is all they get as they move up, it will become a real safety problem. You cannot train bigger skills without enough time to properly learn them through a series of progressions. You can't do that in only 4 hours per week.

Commute time is a factor, but there are ways to use time in the car while commuting productively.

Good Luck.
 

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