mom2newgymnast
Proud Parent
I believe gym #1 is best for long term success. We aren't at a prestigious gym, I don't think there are any really considered prestigious in my area anyway, but it is a solid gym with a track record of getting girls to level 10 and D1 college scholarships (not necessarily Top 10 programs though). They aren't extremely high hours. My daughter goes just under 20 hours training for level 8. I think the max is around 24 hours for level 10's. They definitely focus on fundamentals and form over throwing new skills, although they seem to be doing more uptraining lately than when my dd was in the compulsory levels. We have had girls join our team from other local gyms that are more similar to your gym #2. They tend to have some higher level skills than our girls, but their form isn't there and they aren't scoring nearly as high in competitions. Often the coaches are having to take them back down to the basics and reteach them fundamental skills like how they do their round off or kip. I think it has been beneficial for my daughter to have focused on great form from the beginning, although I am sure she would have loved to be throwing some higher level skills from a younger age.
