Parents Elite gym- room for other sport/ activities?

[auswi]

Hi, just wondering- how much, if any, extra sport/ activities do other gymmies training biggish hours participate in?

 

[cbifoja]

My DD is not training elite and she had to give up soccer at old L5. She gave up all extra-curriculars when she moved to optionals.

Between trying to keep her grades up, socializing a bit, and gym, there is no more time.

 

[Popcorn]

My son does 10 hours and could fit in other sports but refuses to do anything other than gymnastics. I do see boys training higher hours continuing in other sports, but they miss some gymnastics to do so. Gymnastics hours tend to increase year by year, so I feel lucky that my son made his decision early on (and that I don't have schedule juggling to do).

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

My gymmie (L5) trains 14hrs/wk. she gave up dance and taekwondo last year when she started training L4(same hours). Simply not enough time or money to do anything else. She has practice 4 days/wk, one of her "off" days she assists me with coaching and in combination with her sisters dance schedule we are now down to Saturday evening and Sunday to get any sort of chores and house cleaning done. We leave immediately from school and return home between 7:30(earliest) and 9:30. Every weeknight.

 

[profmom]

Neither of my gymnasts do another sport, but both play musical instruments. My daughter was thrilled to make first violin in the orchestra this year, because most of the other first violins take private lessons and spend a lot more time practicing than she has to spend. DS cut out soccer and baseball at L5 because he found it too frustrating to miss gym practices for games, but he does have a L6 teammate who plays travel soccer and a L5 teammate who swims competitively. Honestly, I don't know how the soccer player manages.

 

[kimmypie1]

Most gyms in my area require gymnastics to be the only sport/activity. Our gym lets them do other activities so long as they still make it all required practices.

That said, when DD made the team we told her she had to choose between gymnastics and soccer/softball. She chose gymnastics. Her education is the most important thing to us and with 4 practice days a week with gymnastics, she needs time for school work and time to just be a normal kiddo.

 

[lhmom]

She is not at an elite gym but DD played other sports (soccer, softball, basketball) until she moved up to optionals. Between school and 20 hours at gym, not much time for anything else.

 

[Faith]

It depends on the gym. Some insist on high hours and leave no room for other hobbies.

Here in the UK we have a separate "elite track". You're on it age 9, and after that it's very difficult to cross on to it. My personal opinion is yes, for any kid on the elite track it's reasonable to expect them to do high hours and sacrifice other activities from age 9 or 10. Non elite track children should be allowed to do lower hours and keep up other hobbies for longer if they want.

DD wasn't elite track, but was made to choose between gymnastics and her other sport. The gym wanted her in 19 hours a week at 8 years old, and wouldn't let her train 15 hours so she could keep up with her other sport too. She quit gym, because she had zero chance of getting to elite. She's happily elite path at her other sport now.

 

[Flossyduck]

dd does 18 hours at the moment - four evenings in the week and a longer weekend session. The only other clubs she does are at school - she plays netball and runs cross country for the school and she is in the choir and does eco club. These are all just lunchtime sessions and one is an hour after school once a week.

She doesn't do any other clubs outside of school and gym and I said no to her taking up the piano when her friend did as between homework, gym and school I feel we need to protect as much precious down time as we can for her to schlep about in her pj's, read books and do things with the family. Even though she would do more clubs if she could and asks all the time, I know it's right to limit them because she genuinely appreciates and enjoys that free time.

When she has friends round they tend to spend the whole time doing handstands!

 

[munchkin3]

Couch surfing.

 

[floppycat]

I believe that should have something else for when the elite track (uk) eventually comes to an end. For us it's music as it's more flexible to fit round gym. At 20+ hours a week of gym she doesn't need more physical exercise. I do wish in the UK there were more attractive lesser hour gym paths, it seems all or nothing.

 

[gymmomof1]

Couch surfing.

Mostly when on the injured bench lol. Dd has only done gymnastics doing 20 hrs a week since she was 7 /8 years old which leaves no time for other activities.

 

[Jenny]

Wow @floppycat 20+ hours is a lot. Isn't your dd just level 5 in age ? Plenty of clubs round me do less hours than that right the way up to espoirs and that includes kids in the English and British squad. You can't have much time to do anything else. Is there not a gym near you with less hours?

 

[OzZee]

Well an elite gymnast wouldn't have time for anything else. But I'm assuming you don't mean an elite gymnast rather one on an elite track.

Gymnastics is a high hour sport, doesn't matter if you are elite track or not.
Some clubs train their low level ndp girls more than many idp clubs. So what track you are on makes absolutely no difference.
If you continue in gymnastics the hours go up and other activities will have to fall to the side.
As to when that is, well some kids struggle with 9 hours of gym, others happily do 16 hours of gym and 4 hours of something else etc.
Personally I try to allow my kids to experience as wide a range of activities whilst they can. Music definitely, they have all learnt an instrument, done school choir etc. If they can't fit it in when they are older or choose not to do it when they are older then that's fine, they have had that experience and knowledge.
They also when younger do any other school clubs they wish - team sport, chess, dance, debating, student leadership etc, whatever they are interested in and can get in to.
Outside school it would depend what it is that they want to do and if it can fit in.
And so long as they have time for homework, reading, playing, a bit of tv etc then all is good.

I want them to have as wide range of experiences and enjoy their childhood (hence letting them do gymnastics, as it is just a childhood sport).

 

[COz]

They can do whatever else they like, as long as we can afford it, fits in to the schedule etc. Not much fits in with lots of training hours.

 

[Gymbee06]

We are maxed out at 25 hours of gym all the team girls practice the same amount apart from 3 who are much older but even then they only do a couple more hours a week what we call our development group train 9 hours a week most will do the equivalent of 14 next year most of our girl do another sport many do athletics both in and out of school a lot do dance and swimming we do tennis and also music in school my dd is always begging to do something but we only have 1 afternoon a week spare and I put my foot down

 

[OwlGalLiz]

DS is a very active 6 year old second year level 4 attending a magnet school for STEM. Last year at the old gym they practiced 6 hours a week (no idea what they are practicing now). After moving to a gym that's a better fit for him, his level practices 12 hours (3 days x 4 hours) a week. One hour of karate (on a non gym day) and tiger scouts (twice a month on non gym day). He still wants more gym time though, and loves the open gym and parents night outs. That doesn't include the "at home" gymnastics he does, nor the family bike rides and street baseball and soccer the boys play. The level 5s practice the same so I figure we will be able to maintain this schedule for a while. He's high energy though (not ADD or ADHD, just active)- he never stops and needs to be challenged mentally and physically. He has potential and loves watching and wants to be like the "older boys" some day so we shall see what happens in the future.

 

[wgymmom]

DD gave up most extracurriculars when she went competitive in the first place. She really wouldn't have time for anything else now at 16.5 hours. Plus, our gym is about 45 minutes away.

 

[auswi]

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. At our gym Dd is different because we allow her have other interests if she can schedule them whereas most other gymmies are limited for different reasons. Dd has always been very high energy ( not ADHD or ADD) , so for her extra activity ( on top of 26 hours this term) is still ok. She does dance and music, and is finishing this season at basketball (trains on a Sunday and plays Monday our 2 days off) but has decided that this will be her last season at bball as she is afraid of an injury, affecting her gym ( However doesn't even consider the possibility of a gym injury ) Over the years she has tried several other sports and has a good grounding in them.We strongly believe that one of the reasons she is such a focused gymmy is because she has chosen this as her sport of preference, and we will fully support her in her journey until she decides otherwise. At the end of this crazy gym ride when so much of her childhood is spent inside a gym we want it to be totally her choice ( her sport, her time, her life) and when the gym ride ends we want her to have other activities she can enjoy. Hmm just read that post - I guess I'm on my soapbox- I see a heap of CGM's at our gym which does not help their kids. I was interested to see how other parents felt out of our own little gymmy world!! Everyone does what's right for their family of course but glad to see we are not alone in our preference.

 

[auswi]

Well an elite gymnast wouldn't have time for anything else. But I'm assuming you don't mean an elite gymnast rather one on an elite track.

Gymnastics is a high hour sport, doesn't matter if you are elite track or not.
Some clubs train their low level ndp girls more than many idp clubs. So what track you are on makes absolutely no difference.
If you continue in gymnastics the hours go up and other activities will have to fall to the side.
As to when that is, well some kids struggle with 9 hours of gym, others happily do 16 hours of gym and 4 hours of something else etc.
Personally I try to allow my kids to experience as wide a range of activities whilst they can. Music definitely, they have all learnt an instrument, done school choir etc. If they can't fit it in when they are older or choose not to do it when they are older then that's fine, they have had that experience and knowledge.
They also when younger do any other school clubs they wish - team sport, chess, dance, debating, student leadership etc, whatever they are interested in and can get in to.
Outside school it would depend what it is that they want to do and if it can fit in.
And so long as they have time for homework, reading, playing, a bit of tv etc then all is good.

I want them to have as wide range of experiences and enjoy their childhood (hence letting them do gymnastics, as it is just a childhood sport).

Hi OzZee, thanks for your reply- yes I meant elite track - I hope I made this clear in the post when I said biggish hours- but after I posted and retread it it was too late to correct it!! Not sure how to/ if we can on Chalk bucket?? LOL