MILgymFAM
Proud Parent
I wouldn’t say you should run, but I definitely wish I had known all the trade-offs we would have to do for this sport before I let us all get sucked in. Once your kid is on team and totally in love with the sport, it’s hard to take it away from them. We’ve spent an awful lot of money on gymnastics- and we aren’t wealthy. We’ve spent between $2,000 (Xcel bronze- three meets including states and regionals) and $23,000 (JO L6 and T&T L5, two kids) for a year. My kids were on free lunch at the time, so clearly we didn’t make enough money to throw any around. This past year we managed to reign it in to a more sensible $5,000 for one JO optional with a full season. Money aside though, I’ve given up so much of my time and my ability to work- I’ve spent upwards of 20 hours per week commuting to gym, and sat around through 22 hours of practice per week to boot. It can turn life consuming if you let it. So.. don’t run away, but go in with your eyes fully opened.. and don’t let it.