Many times I read that switching gyms is not a good idea. So here are the confessions of a crazy gym hopper because we are hopping AGAIN. LOL It is has been slightly simplified for readibility.
My daughter and son did Mommy and Me and preschool at Gym A in our general area, 2005-2008.
In 2008-09 my DD (turning 5) was not invited to the developmental track but wanted it baaad so we went to Gym B and had a great pre-team year (25 minute drive) for pre-team while doing home school PE-gym at Gym C (11 minute drive).
Over the summer DS asks to go back to gymnastics. He is too young to be admitted to boys preteam at Gyms A or D (fairly close) and too talented for rec, so he ends up on tumbling team at Gym E (50 minute drive). Couldn't be helped if he was going to do gym.
2009-10 Driving to Gym B with DD long term had started to seem like a bad choice since it was too far to leave her and go home, and gyms A, C, D, and F were much closer. She was invited to one hour developmental classes at Gym A but mommy was tired of one hour classes (stay? leave?) and DD seemed to do well in longer periods. Also Gym C invited her to pre-team, as instructor of home school PE also taught preteam, and had inviting facilities for DS to play while waiting, but was also close enough to come home and then go back and get her. So we prepare to move to Gym C for preteam 2009-10, planning to stay through on team.
AAAAA Gym C is having a crisis over the summer! Doors closed for about two weeks with everyone left wondering! Her coach is gone! Gym D is also having a mini crisis and won't return calls! I end up driving by without an appointment and a coach at Gym D evaluates her and gives her a preteam placement but they cannot tell me when her group would practice or how much it would cost, and no one ever calls me back. We accept a team placement at Gym F and she has a very enjoyable year at Team F for 2009-10.
DS is doing well at Gym E, but my four turning 5 year old is practicing one night until 9pm, getting home at 9:45 or later. That's a bit much for a four year old. Also DH is having medical problems from a bad accident and I just can't be 50 minutes away like that for hours at a time any more. DS is turning 5 and old enough for pre-team. I email Gym A. Program is full for the year. So he gets on pre-team at Gym D.
Fall 2010: Mommy is happy with DD at Gym F and DS at Gym D. DD is not so sure. DD thinks she wants to up her hours and experience more pressure. Gym F is a happy medium. DD wants ***GYMNASTICS*** and sees the girls at DS's gym D going more hours than she can and things are Bigger and Shinier on the Other Mats. She wants to go to Gym A or D. I get talked into it and based on a variety of criteria, decide it's time to move both of them to Gym A, which has both girls and boys teams so they can be at the same gym, and more kids from our geographic area so they can see their gym friends outside of gym. There is even a boy in my son's group who lives one block away from our new home! (We have finally sold our tiny starter home and bought something permanent in a nearby neighborhood so they are making new friends.)
So that is the story of how my two children, among them, started out at Gym A and also attended Gyms B, C, D, E and F, in the span of a little over two years, finally returning to the mother ship, Gym A. All of them? Wonderful. The right choices at the time they were made.
I really, though, want to never have to write an update to this post.
My daughter and son did Mommy and Me and preschool at Gym A in our general area, 2005-2008.
In 2008-09 my DD (turning 5) was not invited to the developmental track but wanted it baaad so we went to Gym B and had a great pre-team year (25 minute drive) for pre-team while doing home school PE-gym at Gym C (11 minute drive).
Over the summer DS asks to go back to gymnastics. He is too young to be admitted to boys preteam at Gyms A or D (fairly close) and too talented for rec, so he ends up on tumbling team at Gym E (50 minute drive). Couldn't be helped if he was going to do gym.
2009-10 Driving to Gym B with DD long term had started to seem like a bad choice since it was too far to leave her and go home, and gyms A, C, D, and F were much closer. She was invited to one hour developmental classes at Gym A but mommy was tired of one hour classes (stay? leave?) and DD seemed to do well in longer periods. Also Gym C invited her to pre-team, as instructor of home school PE also taught preteam, and had inviting facilities for DS to play while waiting, but was also close enough to come home and then go back and get her. So we prepare to move to Gym C for preteam 2009-10, planning to stay through on team.
AAAAA Gym C is having a crisis over the summer! Doors closed for about two weeks with everyone left wondering! Her coach is gone! Gym D is also having a mini crisis and won't return calls! I end up driving by without an appointment and a coach at Gym D evaluates her and gives her a preteam placement but they cannot tell me when her group would practice or how much it would cost, and no one ever calls me back. We accept a team placement at Gym F and she has a very enjoyable year at Team F for 2009-10.
DS is doing well at Gym E, but my four turning 5 year old is practicing one night until 9pm, getting home at 9:45 or later. That's a bit much for a four year old. Also DH is having medical problems from a bad accident and I just can't be 50 minutes away like that for hours at a time any more. DS is turning 5 and old enough for pre-team. I email Gym A. Program is full for the year. So he gets on pre-team at Gym D.
Fall 2010: Mommy is happy with DD at Gym F and DS at Gym D. DD is not so sure. DD thinks she wants to up her hours and experience more pressure. Gym F is a happy medium. DD wants ***GYMNASTICS*** and sees the girls at DS's gym D going more hours than she can and things are Bigger and Shinier on the Other Mats. She wants to go to Gym A or D. I get talked into it and based on a variety of criteria, decide it's time to move both of them to Gym A, which has both girls and boys teams so they can be at the same gym, and more kids from our geographic area so they can see their gym friends outside of gym. There is even a boy in my son's group who lives one block away from our new home! (We have finally sold our tiny starter home and bought something permanent in a nearby neighborhood so they are making new friends.)
So that is the story of how my two children, among them, started out at Gym A and also attended Gyms B, C, D, E and F, in the span of a little over two years, finally returning to the mother ship, Gym A. All of them? Wonderful. The right choices at the time they were made.
I really, though, want to never have to write an update to this post.
