S
Sammyd UK
Hi,
My first post, so please excuse me if it's in the wrong forum, but not coming frm a sporty background, not sure where else to turn.
If I can quickly explain, we live in the UK, and have a 6YO daughter who has been going to gym since she was 3, she currently trains 18 hours a week, and has now been asked too move up to their number 1 squad, which means she will be training 24 hours+ a week, and will be the youngest in the class by over 2 years, personally I see this as too much, but having no sports experience wasn't sure.
She does really love her gym, but I am concerned as her tiredness has already been noted at school, and she is struggling to keep up with the homework. My husband has been of the mind for a while to pull her out, as he doesn't want his duaghter coming home with "hands like a bricklayer", and wants her out horse riding nd playing in her toy kitchen, up to now I have disagreed, but am coming round to his way of thinking.
We are also becoming concerned with what she is learning, she is now doing "giants" and other stuff which I think is too much for her little body to take, I mean for goodness sake she can't even do all her times tables yet. We have spoken to her coaches and they say she has a natural ability and needs to be stretched, and has outgrown the current squad, I just want her to have her childhood back, but don't want to ruin her opportunity.
Some of the, what I would class "pushy mums" say (through gritted teeth I think!) how lucky we are, and how proud we must feel, but the truth is it is all blowing up in our faces, and has turned into a nightmare Please don't misunderstand me, we ARE proud, but at the same time our hearts break when the coaches have a go at her for missing her back flick on the beam, when some of her school friends have just about mastered riding a bicycle with 2 wheels.
At the moment it's 50/50 to whether we pull her or let her stay, but I don't know where to turn on this. I don't want to take something away from her that she really loves, but at the same time I don't want her to train for the next 10-12 years for what amounts to nothing or very little.
Realistically, even if she does well, in the UK we don't have a great record of gymnastics and there is no real career to be had out of it, except to become a coach! which just perpetuates the cycle, and we feel she would miss out on so many other opportunities in life which a good education can provide.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Samantha
My first post, so please excuse me if it's in the wrong forum, but not coming frm a sporty background, not sure where else to turn.
If I can quickly explain, we live in the UK, and have a 6YO daughter who has been going to gym since she was 3, she currently trains 18 hours a week, and has now been asked too move up to their number 1 squad, which means she will be training 24 hours+ a week, and will be the youngest in the class by over 2 years, personally I see this as too much, but having no sports experience wasn't sure.
She does really love her gym, but I am concerned as her tiredness has already been noted at school, and she is struggling to keep up with the homework. My husband has been of the mind for a while to pull her out, as he doesn't want his duaghter coming home with "hands like a bricklayer", and wants her out horse riding nd playing in her toy kitchen, up to now I have disagreed, but am coming round to his way of thinking.
We are also becoming concerned with what she is learning, she is now doing "giants" and other stuff which I think is too much for her little body to take, I mean for goodness sake she can't even do all her times tables yet. We have spoken to her coaches and they say she has a natural ability and needs to be stretched, and has outgrown the current squad, I just want her to have her childhood back, but don't want to ruin her opportunity.
Some of the, what I would class "pushy mums" say (through gritted teeth I think!) how lucky we are, and how proud we must feel, but the truth is it is all blowing up in our faces, and has turned into a nightmare Please don't misunderstand me, we ARE proud, but at the same time our hearts break when the coaches have a go at her for missing her back flick on the beam, when some of her school friends have just about mastered riding a bicycle with 2 wheels.
At the moment it's 50/50 to whether we pull her or let her stay, but I don't know where to turn on this. I don't want to take something away from her that she really loves, but at the same time I don't want her to train for the next 10-12 years for what amounts to nothing or very little.
Realistically, even if she does well, in the UK we don't have a great record of gymnastics and there is no real career to be had out of it, except to become a coach! which just perpetuates the cycle, and we feel she would miss out on so many other opportunities in life which a good education can provide.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Samantha