notthatmom
Proud Parent
So we have to make some sort of a change. I truly feel like DD was "left behind" this season due to the fact that she isn't a star gymnast. Not making state has really shown me how the coaches feel about her. It's like she's being punished for not being good enough.
We are at a very good gym that produces olympians, national team members, and college gymnasts. And it's very obvious that they favor the girls who do better. There is a LOT of emphasis on making state to where DD feels like a failure because she didn't make it.
Our gym is also very expensive compared to some of the other gyms in our area. If we stay at this gym and she moves up and trains L4 there is still a very big chance that she will compete L3 again next year, and the way our gym does it she will be with the 4s meaning I'll pay L4 tuition only to have her compete 3 which to me is a waste of $.
I am going to have her do a trial at a different gym, but that one is farther away (it's a 20 minute drive compared to my 6 minute drive I have right now). I wasn't considering xcel at first because I thought at our gym if you go xcel you can't switch back to JO, but I have now learned this isn't true. So it's becoming a big possibility. I like our gym and I think if she does do xcel, one day when I can afford it she can do JO if the opportunity presents itself. This just seems like such a hard decision to make.
Other than the money aspect, I just don't want her to be in an environment where she is made to feel like she isn't as important as the other girls and if I keep her there for 4, that's how it will end up feeling for her.
I've talked to her about it and she isn't totally against xcel (she actually likes the fact that they get to pick their own music) and there are one or two girls on her team who are considering it too so she might have friends move with her which would be a plus. I haven't mentioned a new gym to her yet because I don't want her to say anything to anyone. At our gym if you leave, you most likely won't ever be welcome back, so if we move, that's going to be a big decision.
Do any of you have advice on switching or what you would do in this situation?
We are at a very good gym that produces olympians, national team members, and college gymnasts. And it's very obvious that they favor the girls who do better. There is a LOT of emphasis on making state to where DD feels like a failure because she didn't make it.
Our gym is also very expensive compared to some of the other gyms in our area. If we stay at this gym and she moves up and trains L4 there is still a very big chance that she will compete L3 again next year, and the way our gym does it she will be with the 4s meaning I'll pay L4 tuition only to have her compete 3 which to me is a waste of $.
I am going to have her do a trial at a different gym, but that one is farther away (it's a 20 minute drive compared to my 6 minute drive I have right now). I wasn't considering xcel at first because I thought at our gym if you go xcel you can't switch back to JO, but I have now learned this isn't true. So it's becoming a big possibility. I like our gym and I think if she does do xcel, one day when I can afford it she can do JO if the opportunity presents itself. This just seems like such a hard decision to make.
Other than the money aspect, I just don't want her to be in an environment where she is made to feel like she isn't as important as the other girls and if I keep her there for 4, that's how it will end up feeling for her.
I've talked to her about it and she isn't totally against xcel (she actually likes the fact that they get to pick their own music) and there are one or two girls on her team who are considering it too so she might have friends move with her which would be a plus. I haven't mentioned a new gym to her yet because I don't want her to say anything to anyone. At our gym if you leave, you most likely won't ever be welcome back, so if we move, that's going to be a big decision.
Do any of you have advice on switching or what you would do in this situation?