Parents Moving Gyms

[Kristie]

I am absolutely terrified to move my girls to a new gym. We are moving to a new city and therefor I need to find a new gym for my girls.

I called around a bit and talked to some gyms, and one really seemed good. I spent more time talking and discovered just how different all gyms are.

Our current gym has levels 1-6 in rec and 3-10 in team. They've just started a hot shots program for girls aged 5 -9 not quite ready to join team but show potential for it within a few years.

This new gym doesn't do levels like that. They have groups of girls based on age. So they'd have 7-9 girls in a beginning class and 7-9 in an advanced class. And then they have pre team and team.

In talking to the owner and letting her know where my girls were, BOTH were estimated to be on pre team. My oldest is 10 and currently a level 5 rec. And my youngest is 5 and a level 2 rec. The oldest would be eligible to try out for team in MAY and of course, the youngest would be beginning pre team so she wouldn't be for a while.

What is freaking me out is that my oldest is still a full level away from team at our current gym. That's probably a year at best. How can she be so close to team at this other gym? Are their standards lower?

How do you decide where to go? I'm panicked, can you tell?

How do you do this??

 

[3rd_time_around]

Team levels go by skill, not age. So maybe this gym hears what they can do, and it putting them in the appropriate level according to their skills? The gym you're at now may have it set that they MUST go through all levels of rec before going to team, whereas the other gym might put girls on team or pre-team as soon as they have the necessary skills. I know girls who were put on pre-team after 4 classes. I know another girl who did beginner for a few months, moved to intermediate class, then went to level 3 and won every meet. She didn't even do pre-team. So I wouldn't worry that their standards aren't high enough, they may just put girls on team without the class level requirements and just based on skill requirements.

 

[2gymkids]

Honestly, every gym is different. It just is. Every system is different (both rec and team), they have different qualifications, different timelines, etc. Your best bet is to go try a few. Tell them what your kiddos can do and see if you can try a class and then they can evaluate if that's the right place.

Totally understand the anxiety, we just moved and with it, a gym change, and it was tough. That being said, DD is seriously thriving and happy in the new environment. We only tried two gyms, but would have gone to more if we hadn't found a good fit after the first two.

Good luck!

 

[sevenatenine2]

It is hard for one gym to know what another gym means by "Level 5 Rec." As a coach, that means nothing to me. What kind of skills does your daughter do? If the new gym competes at a lower level (our gym starts at L2, for example), competition may come much sooner for your daughter than if the old gym started at Level 4. The good news is that, even at Level 2, once they get the stricter training team offers, they will improve more quickly.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

If it's not an official competitive level, it's just a name or number, that means something to that specific gym.

Visit the gyms. Watch their practices. Check out things like hours, costs.

Have them evaluate where your kids are at and where they would put them. Then do what's is best for your kids and family.

 

[honu]

Any move is a bit nerve wracking. I think the hardest part is the time frame you are in now when you are looking but have not been to the gym. Once you step foot in the gym and the girls try a class and are evaluated, you will gain a much better sense of the gym's program and environment. There is only so much you can gain from looking at a gym's website or talking to a staff member over the phone. Try a few gyms and one will likely stand out as the right fit for your girls and family.

 

[RTT2]

At your current gym your 10yo would begin competing in another year? What level to they begin competing at your current gym? Do your girls want to compete or are they happy doing rec?

 

[GymSnax]

At your current gym your 10yo would begin competing in another year? What level to they begin competing at your current gym? Do your girls want to compete or are they happy doing rec?

Good questions! Husband is in the Navy so we've changed gyms twice and I can attest it can be very stressful. My best advice is to be able to give an honest assessment of your kids' abilities and what your kids want to get out of gymnastics. When we moved the first time after my DD had been training on the pre-team, the first gym placed her in a Level 5/6 rec class and required a 6 month evaluation prior to considering her for the pre-team. It didn't make sense to me for my 7-yr old to be in a rec class with 12-14 yr olds so I called another gym for an evaluation and was placed on a pre-team there. This last move, my DD had 3 different try-outs until we found a good fit. And by "good fit", realize that it's not just a good fit for you but also whether your kid is a good fit for the gym because they're making their assessment of whether your kid is someone they can coach as part of the team. Gymnastics vary from region to region (and country to country based on my current experience!) so it's also good to maybe ask a few folks about what they think of the local gyms. Lastly, you might have to be persistent when it comes to getting your kids on the competition track... I hate being the pushy, gym-crazy parent but there have been occasions where I've had to insist my DD be placed in a certain group based on her abilities, to include emailing competition videos to potential gyms.

Good luck!