Parents Experience with TOPs training....questions

[kaloss]

My dd was just invited to a new developmental group at our gym. They will be training from 7-8:30, two mornings per week. My daughter is 6, and on level 3 team. I know this is a good program, and our gym has been successful with training TOPs. We had something like 8 girls go to national TOPs testing, and one made it to A camp, one to B camp. I guess what I am asking, is for parents/ kids that have done morning training, has it worked out well? How have the kids handled the early mornings? How did you balance it with your other kids and getting everyone out the door? Thanks for any tips or advice you can offer!

 

[wnl256]

Weekdays our daughter gets up very early for school. She hasn't been late once. But when she was in TOPs, with a Saturday practice that started at 8:30, we could never get her there on time. Go figure. Most kids will adjust.

 

[kaloss]

I should have mentioned, it's Monday/Wednesday morning...trying to wrap my mind around getting food in her on the drive from the gym to school

 

[Seeker]

How many kids in this group? Does she want to do it? If you can get her there, I would give it a try. If it doesn't work out, you can always make a change later. Would she then have practice later that same day?

 

[happychaos]

IMO, it's too much, too young. There is a real risk of burnout with that schedule. I wouldn't let my DD do two-a-days unless she was older, and was training very seriously. Not level 3. Not 6 years old.

Even if it's only a few extra hours, the disruption to her and your family would be huge. And there is just a huge mental component to going to the gym twice a day.

Sorry to be negative, that's just my opinion. But I realize it is hard to pass up these opportunities, especially in a sport where girls are "too old" before they've even hit puberty.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Our national tops group comes twice a day several days/wk. some of them are as young as 7 (almost 8). They are required to either homeschool or find alternative schooling, and most of them will compete much higher levels (the newest and youngest will compete new L4, the oldest is 9 and will compete L9, so that gives you a range).
For me personally, it's too much but that's up to each individual family. My child does not have the natural talent and potential to perhaps one day train elite and even have a shot at the national team, so for us this is not a path I'm considering at all nor would it be offered to me/my child. However, for some of the girls in that particular group at our gym elite training is actually a possibility and they have clearly chosen this path and for that I applaud them. It's a huge sacrifice for the whole family really, and those girls are very fortunate.
I guess I would have a good long think on whether you truly think this will benefit your child, whether your child truly has "it" and if it's worth the sacrifice it will be for your family. You know your kid and your family dynamics best.... Will she get burnt out and not want to go after a while? Will other family members resent the upheaval of their schedule?
Best of luck in whatever you decide!

 

[bookworm]

I agree with Happychaos...at 6 yrs old and Level 3 , I would never do 2 a days ...come to think of it , at any level, I'd never do it ...I think your risk for burnout is HUGE by starting 2 a days at that age because that will be the expectation for your daughter going forward ("well she started 2 a days when she was 6 so now that she's 10 , we expect her to...") ....it's tempting to want to do it because your daughter has been "selected" but think about what's best for her . Way back when, when my daughter was 12 and doing elite , her gym wanted her to homeschool and do 2 a days, and I said "not happening, figure out another way to coach her" and they did ....

Years later my daughter , who eventually returned to doing Level 10 for many years said "good thing you never homeschooled me like they wanted and had me go twice a day to gym because I think I would have quit...it would have been too much..." ..and this comment caught me totally out of the blue because i thought she had wanted to do the 2 a days...

 

[HoldThePhone]

I don't see where she says it would be 2-a-days, but that it's twice a week? If it is twice per day, I wouldn't do it. Not to mention, that time would interfere with school here as my daughter starts at 7:50, and there is no way I'd have her practice that early, that young. With as late as she gets home from regular practice (after 6) and only has less than 2 hours before bedtime, it just wouldn't happen in our house. I kind of think it's odd that young kids are expected to go that early. We do have an early Saturday TOPs group, but still that's 8:30, not 7am. We still have a successful TOPs program without the early hours, with kids making A and B teams each year.

 

[gymmomtoo]

If she's going to have TOPs practice before school, then go to school, then go to regular practice after, I would have to say that is too much for a 6 yr old. But if the TOPs days are different than regular practice days and she's an early riser anyway (and she wants to do it), then give it a try. You can always back out if it doesn't work out, right?

 

[bookworm]

I don't see where she says it would be 2-a-days, but that it's twice a week? If it is twice per day, I wouldn't do it. Not to mention, that time would interfere with school here as my daughter starts at 7:50, and there is no way I'd have her practice that early, that young. With as late as she gets home from regular practice (after 6) and only has less than 2 hours before bedtime, it just wouldn't happen in our house. I kind of think it's odd that young kids are expected to go that early. We do have an early Saturday TOPs group, but still that's 8:30, not 7am. We still have a successful TOPs program without the early hours, with kids making A and B teams each year.

Usually when it's that early,it's to be able to get in the 2 a days...the TOPS training is generally in addition to, not instead of, their regular training. If the OP's daughter is just level 3 she may not even be thinking that 2 a days are a possibility at this point so this forum will give her food for thought

 

[Quadqueen]

I agree it's too much if she has to do TOPs and regular practice on the same day. I find the before school thing at this age odd. At level 3, she should have a few days off a week - why wouldn't they schedule maybe one 2-3 hour TOPs practice on that day? Seems to be asking a lot at this age/level.

 

[kaloss]

Wow! Food for thought....thank you!, TOPs would be mon/wed mornings and practice is tues/Thurs evenings and SaturdayShe wants to do it, I'm so scared of burnout though. We have until tomorrow to let the gym know, so they can invite other girls and fill the spaces. At least it starts right after the time change so waking up early is really regular time... For a while at least
We're leaning towards letting her try for a little while and was how she does.
Oh, and school starts at 8:10 so she would really be at the gym from 7-7:45 then head to school.

 

[2gymmies]

If you trust your coaches that she is being selected for this because she is really talented and they predict she can succeed and honestly take advantage of the opportunity , then consider the possibility. If they are simply filling a spot, maybe think twice. I'm sure they need a certain number of kids in the program to make it worthwhile, so they will "select" kids until they cover their costs. If your child is one of the kids they are really focused on and is on that path, then trust the coaches and go for it! Good luck with your decision!

BTW, your dd is adorable!

 

[kaloss]

Thanks, from what her coach told us, the HC has taken notice of her for a while and she has potential. I think they want to fill the spots once the initial group makes their decisions.

 

[seoulmama]

For what it's worth, if you can't commit to the entire training time, it doesn't seem worth it or 45 minutes. That's a lot of rushing around for a short amount of time....

 

[kaloss]

That's my concern too, it's a big commitment and I think it'll benefit her....I hate making decisions like this!

 

[bookworm]

I know this is a good program, and our gym has been successful with training TOPs. We had something like 8 girls go to national TOPs testing, and one made it to A camp, one to B camp.

How have the kids handled the early mornings? !

And I guess another couple of questions you can ask are:

1. You say it's a "good program", but how are you defining that? Do they have successful upper level optionals or do they concentrate on the TOPS crowd? I've seen gyms qualify girls year after year to TOPS testing and camps but flame out when it came to the long haul, and the gymnasts are done by level 7...but they have excellent compulsories so they're defined as a "good program". If you think gymnastics is your daughter's sport, then you want a gym that can produce at all levels.

2.Of the gymnasts who qualified to National Testing and the TOPS teams in your gym, how many of them did the morning hours (i.e did it really play a role in their making the teams)? My daughter (and many other gymnasts out there) have trained TOPS and made TOPS teams without morning hours so it can be done...I would talk to the parents of these gymnasts and get their take on it (and if there are those who did and did not do the am program , even better perspective!) And ask how their girls handle the hours...some gyms require girls who do those types of programs to homeschool so it doesn't impact their school day in the traditional sense because the parent schools around the gym schedule..

 

[kaloss]

Our gym is a National Training center, and has successful gymnasts from compulsory teams to level 10 (not sure if we currently have any elites). We had 5 seniors graduate this year college scholarships....overall a good program. I think the only time they do this training is in the morning, not sure that it's offered in the afternoons :/
And there has been no talk of homeschooling as far as I know, even our upper level girls are in traditional schools. I do wish this was a 3-4 hour slot one afternoon rather than mornings but this is what they're offering.
Good food for thought! I'm overwhelmed right now because it's all happening so quickly . I mean, she started gymnastics in February. I kind of thought it would be cool if she stuck with it and made team in a few years

 

[gymmomtoo]

Have you talked to the gym about the fact that she'd only be there 45 min? That might be a deal breaker for them.

 

[kaloss]

I emailed them last night, I'm still waiting for a reply. I can't really take her to school late. She's only in first grade and I want her to have a normal school day. Hopefully I'll hear back today from them...