WAG need help with deciding on a new gym

[Nikki4]

We recently moved and are starting the process of finding a new gym. When we first found out we were moving I did a very small amount of research and the same gym kept coming up and it was also recommended to us by dd's former gym/coaches. We still moved to the "area" but it's a big area and we have ended up an hour away from the gym we wanted. There was a second choice gym too and it's also an hour away. Both are really top notch gyms, they go up to elite levels and have NCAA gymnast. There are 2 gyms within 20 minutes of our house that look pretty good, we are visiting them this week, we were driving 30 minutes to our previous gym. All the rest are 45 minutes and really don't look that great, except the gym that's an hour away.
I guess my question is this, at what point do you make the decision to drive that distance for the better gym?
dd is only a 5 year old level 3 right now and we are not crazy gym parents, we don't push her to do anything, only encourage her. But at the same time I want to see her have the opportunity to go as far as she wants too/can. She talks about olympics and all that, but I imagine most 5 year olds do. If by some chance her ambitions were to stay on that route or even ncaa hopes or just getting to optionals when she's old enough to really understand I want her to be at a gym that can have her on the right path, because it starts earlier than before she can even really understand what it means. I don't want to put her in an ok gym with ok coaches and her not progress as well as she would have at the better gym. Like her be a 9 year old level 4 when she could've been a 7 year old level 4 and her get bored and quit when if we had went to the other gym she would continue to love the sport. I love how much she loves this right now! It so much fun to see her be so proud of herself for hitting that new skill and beg for more. I don't want her to loose that because we choose the wrong gym.

I hope this all makes some sense! lol

 

[GymBee97]

Ok Breath in Breath out! She is only 5yo and has plenty of time to do well at any gym. And for the record there is nothing wrong with a 9yo L4 gymnast it doesn't mean they are behind or anything else.

You have to decide first what you are willing to do for driving. Then think about the gym you want that is within that driving area.
Remember she is only 5yo and the main reason to do team first and formost is to have FUN!! If she is having fun then the rest will really fall into place. Keep in mind that big gyms with higher level gymnasts can have awful and ok coaches too. The "right gym" is the one that your DD will be most happy at and works with your life style. A more "competitive" gym doesn't mean that the gymnasts are going to advance quicker or anything else except its more competitive. For my DD the "more competitive gym" wasn't a great fit at all. She needed a program that was willing to push her but at her pace. Our current gym is a smaller gym not one that would be looked at as a "competitive gym" There is a great family atmosphere and any age can start on team at the early levels if they want to. My DD is thriving there way more than she did at the "competitive gym" and she has way more confidence that she did at the other gym. She is smiling and having fun. If you were to ask around I'm sure some would say its an "ok gym" with "ok coaches" but we have girls through L10 and they all usually place in the top 10 at any given meet.

Go to the gyms and see if they will let you do a "try it week" or "try it day" at the very least. Then pay attention to the one your DD seems to be happiest in. If she is happy she will advance and usually stick with it.

At 5yo alot can change in just a few years for your DD. Once she starts 1st grade and moves through school she may totally change her interests and want to do something else.

 

[Flossyduck]

You are doing the right thing by taking a look at the two gyms 20 minutes away first, which you said were 'pretty good'. One of them might tick all the boxes and if it does then that is great.

We travel an hour to our gym. It is a massive commitment and affects the whole family. It wasn't a decision we took lightly and to be honest there is no way that we would have taken that decision when daughter was five. She started out at a decent gym, not national level, but she was happy and progressed well. She didn't move until she was seven and it was clear to her coaches that she had the potential to perhaps go further. (Our system here is diferent from the states and you need to get on the elite track by about 8 as the competition stream is completely different). We have to travel for that reason.

Your daughter has plenty of time. For what it's worth, at this age I'd go with quality of life. If you like the local gym go with that and cherish the time you don't spend in the car. There is time to change when she is a bit older, once she can see where this gym thing might be going. Even a couple of years is a very long time in gymnastics.

If you don't feel the local gym offers a good enough programme then you can look further afield.

Good luck.

 

[onebusymama]

I would check out the two gyms that are only 20 min. away and pick from one of those. An hour away is a long way to drive especially as she gets older and needs to train more days/hours.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

I would not drive an hour away to a gym for a 5 year old. If she loves it and is doing well in 4 years when she is done with compulsories and seems to be outgrowing her current gym- then consider the drive. For now stick closer to home.

 

[GymBeeMom]

I am probably in the minority. It was at 5 years old that I took my daughter from her old gym to the gym with the better training. In her case I believe it was worth it. She showed the desire and the talent at an early age and we figured we would just see what happened, but wanted her to have the best opportunity from the beginning. NOW, we do not travel and hour, but if my circumstances allowed I probably would have. I have another child to consider so that would not have been option for us. I say to trust your gut instincts and go with what will work for your family. 5 years old is definitely not too young to consider these things, because the coaches are certainly looking at the 5 year olds! And level 4 starts at 6 because there are kids ready at that age...

 

[Muddlethru]

I agree with the above posters that an hour drive is too long. We currently switched gyms and our drive changed from a 7 minute drive to a 25 minute drive. It took over 4 years for me to give up that convenience. My daughter is now a Level 9. I wished I had switched a year earlier. But I guess even then we were not ready. As long as the two closer gyms are not purely recreational gyms and have competitive teams, it may be a good option at this point.

 

[LizzieLac]

With moving and all of the transitions you and your family are dealing with right now, I do not think that driving 2 hours (there and back) for a 5 year-old gymnast would be right for me and my family. That would be a decision I would make in a few years if she shows the ability to even make it to optionals, let alone NCAA or elite. You will know by level 5 or 6 if she needs a gym like that and if the long drive is worth it, particularly since you seem to have "good" gyms much closer. Don't underestimate what driving 2 hours 4 days a week would take out of her and you! You will also have to stay there while she works out, so consider how that will impact your home life.

I think it is good that are considering these other gyms that are an hour away, but I think you can wait to make that commitment when you know a little bit more about your DDs progress in gymnastics. Good luck!

 

[Natasha]

I would look at the 2 gyms 20 minutes away and really look at their compulsory programs. It could be that they have very good, strong compulsory programs that are perfectly capable of setting a good foundation even if they do not have a large number of level 10s and have no elites. And, on the contrary, just because a gym has an elite program, does not necessarily mean that the compulsory program is great. At age 5, look for coaches that are nurturing and will keep the "fun" in gymnastics while at the same time working on excellent form, strength and flexibility training. As long as they are knowledgeable and training everything correctly, your daughter will not have "missed opportunities" at this young age.

 

[cbone]

I guess it comes down to what is most important to you. I'm torn on what advice to give. The fact is that most gymnasts will fall off by optionals. Given that fact, is it worth driving an hour each way four to five days a week? The other side is that I have become increasingly certain that learning excellent fundamentals is critical to long-term success in the sport. If that level of excellence can only be found an hour away, it may be worth the drive.

Your worry about progressing slowly is one that I share. I don't want my daughter repeating if it can be avoided (I will never push for a move-up that she doesn't have the physical and mental skills for). My daughter has a long-term goal of getting to Level 10- that was 100% her goal. I worry that if she repeats levels early, injuries could prevent her from reaching her goal as she moves up in levels. We're trying to help her set up a roadmap to reach her goals and rapid early progression makes her goal more reachable. Despite all of that, I understand that her long-term goal (set as a 6-year-old) may become obsolete a few years from now. I sort of approach it as- give her the support to allow her to reach her goals while also understanding that it is a goal that is statistically unlikely to happen.

So there is my long-winded non-answer. Do what you feel is best for your family.

 

[mylittlemiss]

I think at 5, she'd do well at the gyms that are just 20 minutes away from your new home, considering she feels comfortable there and the training gives her good fundamentals. I have a 7 year old dd gymmie who competed last year as a 6 year old level 4. She's now a 7 year old level 5. She's now training level 6 skills to compete a 6 meet at the end of this season (hopefully/possibly) to score out and be an optional next year. She's not being pushed to do this, just moving along with her pace of readiness. We are not at the "best" gym in our area, but one of the best. Some have mentioned that I should have her elsewhere, but she's happy where's she's at. She connects with the coaches and is thriving. If we moved her to the "other" gym, it would be a longer drive, more training hours, much more travel for meets, etc. There's so much to consider, but I think at 5, seeing she's not competed yet and you don't yet know how she'll react to more rigorous training, I'd let her just enjoy the process and take it slow. Things will happen as they should. That's just my 2cents, hope it helps some!

 

[GymBeeMom]

I think at 5, she'd do well at the gyms that are just 20 minutes away from your new home, considering she feels comfortable there and the training gives her good fundamentals. I have a 7 year old dd gymmie who competed last year as a 6 year old level 4. She's now a 7 year old level 5. She's now training level 6 skills to compete a 6 meet at the end of this season (hopefully/possibly) to score out and be an optional next year. She's not being pushed to do this, just moving along with her pace of readiness. We are not at the "best" gym in our area, but one of the best. Some have mentioned that I should have her elsewhere, but she's happy where's she's at. She connects with the coaches and is thriving. If we moved her to the "other" gym, it would be a longer drive, more training hours, much more travel for meets, etc. There's so much to consider, but I think at 5, seeing she's not competed yet and you don't yet know how she'll react to more rigorous training, I'd let her just enjoy the process and take it slow. Things will happen as they should. That's just my 2cents, hope it helps some!

I think this advice is better than what I offered. Listen to this one instead of mine

 

[Chocoholic]

I think you should keep close unless neither of those gyms seems to offer solid, safe coaching. The additional factor to consider is how long you and your child would last driving two hours each practice day. Your daughter might lose interest much more quickly than she would at a gym only 20 minutes away. Plus, she hasn't yet experienced having to manage homework and gymnastics. I think it's too early to a commitment to that kind of commute.

 

[Seeker]

Yeah...homework is a big deal around here. Not so bad in Kindergarten, but by 2nd grade it was quite a lot every night. It can be a lot to manage long term if you have to commit 2 hours to the car. My DD is really good about getting her homework done immediately after school and will take whatever is left (mainly reading or studying) to the car, but she's got at least an hour of work a night...sometimes more.

Gymnastics-wise, fundamentals really are essential, so finding a gym with a good, solid pre-team program is important. I hope one of the closer gyms is just what you're looking for! We are at a very small gym with a fantastic coach, so it's not always about the size. Our team is small, but does very, very well. On your gym visits, pay attention to how the coaches interact with the kids, the overall general mood, are the team kids smiling? terrified? bandaged?. Also, watch a bit of the team warm-ups/practices if you can...that will tell you a lot more than just watching the pre-team classes.

Good Luck!

 

[gwenmom]

Yeah...homework is a big deal around here. Not so bad in Kindergarten, but by 2nd grade it was quite a lot every night. It can be a lot to manage long term if you have to commit 2 hours to the car. My DD is really good about getting her homework done immediately after school and will take whatever is left (mainly reading or studying) to the car, but she's got at least an hour of work a night...sometimes more.

I have to agree with this homework wise. My dd is in first grade this year and only has to turn homework in on Fridays. Next year it's homework due every day and I am really not sure how we are going to manage homework on gym nights and we only live 10 minutes from the gym.

 

[Seeker]

For us, it works best to just come home and do it immediately. Goal is always to get work done before we go so that there isn't anything to do when we get home. She can do her reading or study for tests in the car (they usually create a study guide in class). Don't worry...it'll work out, but it is sometimes a lot to manage.

 

[Nikki4]

thank you guys for this. It all perfect advice and it helps a ton, I really appreciate it.

We tried out one of the gyms this week. they are already on the new 2013 stuff so she would be level 2 here. they practice 9 hours a week, is that a lot for level 2? she was at 6 hours before. They did the evalation and then we stayed for half the class. The coach was really nice and sounded like she knew what she was talking about. She had to leave the class several time to deal with her 2 year old who was running wild, but there was another coach.

I'm seeing red flags with the other gym that close by. I sent an email letting them know we were new to the area and looking for a new gym, that dd was a level 3 and had just started her meet season when we moved.
They replied back asking if I was referring to competitive meet season and wanted her name and date of birth. I sent them the info and haven't heard back. I even sent an email 2 days later just to check in and see if they had a day/time we could come in and I haven't heard anything. Is it just me or does it sound like they looked up her one and only meet scores and are ignoring me? Her first meet was not that great, but we had a good time an she loved it and that's all we cared about. But if they are looking at scores that hard at 5 I don't think we want to be there.

I really want one of these closer gyms to work. We do have a time to go the see other gym that's an hour away, just to see what all the hoopla is all about and to see just how far a drive it is. She said they have a lot of kids from our area and they do a lot of carpooling. That's saves me time, but dd would still be having to deal with it. Plus for awhile I would drive her until I got know the other parents better.