Parents Igc

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Well daughter and her friends went to IGC for open house. I was very impressed how organized they seemed. Daugther really liked the different gyms it was like a kid in a candy store! She said she wants to bring some the pit back to her gym. What really surprised me was some of the parents they asked if they get some kind of report how their kid did at the end of the week, one parent asked if she should expect her daughter to get a full on the floor at the end the week, I was in shock. I am sending my daughter there to chill out and have fun with the sport not to be stressed to get skills, she has that in her gym at home. I also really like how they place the girls they do not focus on levels but try to put the girls with similar skills together ( we all know one level in one gym is different from the same level in other). So they do not label them and they said it keeps the girls more comfortable, I thought this was great. Now I just have to survive the week without her!

 

[gymmom14]

My dd went the last two summers, but is not going this year. You have the right attitude. In my opinion this is a summer camp that does gymnastics safely. You do not go there to learn new skills. Just to have the real summer camp experience while doing gymnastics. They are grouped by similar ability. My dd was in the same igc group with one of her teammates from her gym that trains in the same group. It is very fun, structured and safe. All skills are spotted. Even a robhs is spotted. The after hours activities are really cool. Dances (bring one nicer outfit), scarie arie, shows etc. Always something fun. The first year she went there was a couple hour window that you could call and page them and try to talk to them to see if they are OK. That changed last year. I can see how it would be a pain, but one phone call and knowing they are OK stopped my worrying. Last year I sent her with envelopes, paper and stamps and she wrote to me, it worked great. Anyway, if you have any questions, please let me know.

 

[Gymnasticsparent]

Well this year it was NO PHONE CALL WHATSOEVER.....and while the camp was so nice and responsive to phone calls leading up to the camp, after the gates closed they would not answer questions via phone or email and would not address concerns in ANY manner.

On the Saturday when campers leave and stayover campers can actually leave the campus with parents for the day, my wife figured she could talk to our daughter before her second week started. IGC refused and the staff member, in a nasty tone, told my wife it was HER decision to send her there for multiple weeks. (Funny, I thought my wife decided that because it's RECOMMENDED on their site!!)

And I disagree on the not going to learn new skills. One of the marketing avenues IGC uses is the world class training they offer and they SAY that they want to help gymnast achieve their training goals. They also recommend more than one week to get the full "training" benefit. So it's hardly marketed as strictly a "FUN" camp.

As far as the spotting for every skill, I don't think it's a good thing at all. That's like sending our son to a tackle football camp and having him play flag football for the entire time. It's a "hyper sensitivity" to liability in my opinion.

In fact, our daughter came home not wanting to throw ANY skills, even those she had already gained proficiency at before camp, without being spotted. So the whole experience resulted in 3 steps backwards.

The camp also states on their website that the boys and girls are segregated which we found to be not the case. Our 9 year old daughter said that at rec time the boys and girls were together and at times, with little supervision and the only "rule" they were given was not to be within 12 inches of each other! Our daughter was asked to a dance by a 13 year old boy. Sorry, but we sent her to camp for gymnastics and fun, not to develop her dating skills.

On the last Thursday of her second week, our daughter sprained 2 fingers after an over zealous boy rough housing in a rec area landed on her, ending her training for the week.

We likely will not send her back to IGC.....

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with IGC. My daughter is going next week and I am hoping she has a better experience. This is her 1st time so I am alittle nervous but she has been torturing me for 4 years to go. I talked it over with her head coach before signing her up and she felt like she would be fine and I trust her advice. I disagree with the phone call policy I feel they should let you touch base with your child during the week. As for spotting I think it is a good thing at least it makes me more secure that she be at less of a risk for injury. I will let you know how she makes out.

 

[Gymnasticsparent]

Yes, our daughter's coach (and gym owner) also recommended IGC, however even he was disappointed with the reversion in skills she came back to the gym with.

The spotting is great if they are working on new or advanced skills......but to cause a gymnast to become "spot dependent" on skills she was previously proficient with is not good at all in my opinion.......

IGC does an incredibly good job at marketing to Gyms and establishing relationships with coaches and gym owners and even offers incentives to send groups of girls there.

They also do a GREAT job marketing to parents. They go out of their way to assist you, answer questions and make you feel good during the signup process and before the camp opens.....unfortunately once the gates close behind you that all stops........

 

[flippersmom]

This is dd's 5th year at IGC. We have never had issues. Two years ago one of her brackets fell off of the braces she just had put on. She called and left me a message. I was able to call back and speak with her to make sure she was okay. They were even great this year with a roomate request at the 11th hour!! I had to switch weeks this year and they were great about it and we had no problems.

I don't mind the no phone calls. When I was a kids, I went to camp for a week (girl scout camp) and couln't call home. I wrote letter, and my parents wrote letters. That's what we do. I love being able to go online and see pictures, it helps to catch a smile of her here and there during the week. I think it has helped with her independence. If she needed to talk to me every night, I would sent her to a day camp, not an overnight camp.

 

[gymmom14]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. You can see from my post above I didn't LOVE IGC last year. My dd had a great time. The phone call think didn't bother me too much as we wrote letters etc. The spotting thing really bugged me. My dd was a L7 and they spotted her on a robhspring on the floor. When she came back to her gym she went backwards a bit with out the spot. Especially on the bhsping on beam, something she was doing before she left. Anyway, it was her decision not to go this year. Instead we are going on a great vacation as a family!!!!! Can't wait!!!!

 

[bogwoppit]

I have been very happy with IGC, I know they will call me if there is an issue, I am able to email my girl everyday, and I know she gets the email as she kept all last years. My girls have gone to have fun, meet new friends who like to do gym and try out some other activities in a safe environment. She doesn't go to get new skills, she works on them at her own gym.

If she didn't love it she wouldn't return as it is a huge family commitment, very long drive and a lot of money.

Most camps seem to discourage camper calls, in fact Gymrep in has the same policy. Though I do know that if they go to the nurses station they can call home at IGC.

Every person will have a different take on IGC, it will either be a good fit or not, just the same as a gym or coach might be a good for one gymmie and a very poor fit for another.

Panda mom your DD will have a great week, she is a good age and level for IGC, the activities are fun, the food is very good and the girls all seem to make lots of new friends.

Gymnasticsparent, I am sorry that IGC did not work out so well for your DD< it is a lot of money to spend, even more so when it just didn't work out. Hopefully you can find a better fit for her next time.

 

[bogwoppit]

Just a quick update, because I like to be honest about all things gym. BB had an awesome week at IGC. She made lots of new friends and loved the activities.

HOWEVER, and this is a biggy, she said that they spot so much that she doesn't want to go back. She said that spotted her so much she never really felt she was doing anything and in one week she only did about two ro bhs's unspotted, whilst she has her ro bhs bt at her own gym. She never got to do her flyaway, which she has competed for a year, her kip is unreliable and so she feels that she was put in a lower group than perhaps she should have been. I think with us not competing USAG skills that the evaluation is a bit skewed towards that set of skills. Our kids are on the high bar doing flyaways before they have kips, so those skills are not a part of the evaluation if they don't have their kip.

She is off to Gymrep for a week next Sunday, and she knows that she will be allowed to do the skills she has and that is really all she wants.

As I said earlier IGC has to be a good fit or your gymmie won't return, just the same as Woodward or Gymrep.

Hopefully Pandagirlsmom, as your DD is a strong L5 in USAG she will be well evaluated and therefore will get the chance to work more appropriate skills for her level.

 

[gymmom14]

Bog, that is just how my dd felt last year. She loved the camp but since EVERYTHING is spotted she didn't feel like she did much. I can see how the evaluation would be tougher for your dd. Glad she still had fun and made the best of it! That is a life skill too! (its not all about gymnastics hehe)

 

[Blackie6]

We can't really afford to send DD to any camps right now but I do love hearing about everyone's camp week! We saw the IGC facility last Oct for a meet we had there and I honestly thought it was SMALL for the big brochure they hand out all the time. DD has two teamates that went there not last week but the week before I think. I will aks them how their experience was. Sounds like this "spotting" is relativly new? Maybe there was an accident or injury there last year and they are trying to be more on top of the safety? I don't think it's good to be spotted on all skills, it sort of gives the girls the feeling that they are not doing a good enough job or that they are not doing the skill safe enough to do it alone. I always thought that IGC was the camp to go to to try some new skills too. Sad that some gymmies can't even be able to do the ones they already know! I imagine they try to "lump" them together according to skill. Do they test you first? I do know that DD said her friend on team was "spotted" by Nastia doing a BWO on beam when our L5 team does these all the time in practice. I would have thought they would have allowed her to do at least a BHS on beam. I know camp is supposed to be fun ,but I thought they preach about how the girls will be able to try some new skills as well. Hope the girls all had a good time and made new friends and enjoyed some other activities while they were there even if the gymnastics instruction was a let down.

 

[NGL780309]

My friend's DD went several years ago (maybe even 4 years) and fell on her head on a double pike the very first day of camp and couldn't do anything the rest of the week. It was a skill she had competed for 2 years already so not something new. I don't remember the exact story, but it had something to do with the tumble track. Either it happenned on the tumble track or she was doing it on the tumble track (which she didn't have one at her gym) and then switched to the floor and had a problem.

Most importantly she was okay, but her week was ruined. I remember my friend was disappointed that they payed so much money and she was injured on the very first day.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Well tommorrow is the big day she leaves. I hope she has fun, I keep stressing that they spot you on all the skills because I do not want her to be disappointed. It does look like in all the pictures that there is alot of spotting. I think she is honestly looking to get away and have fun with the other activities. Although she is working on level 6 skills at her home gym, they are doing alot of conditioning and it is very hot and she is really unhappy going there everyday in the summer. I think it will be a nice break for her. I will let everyone know how she likes it.

 

[Blackie6]

Panda Mom,

My DD is not loving the hot practices either, especially the running still. UGH! Hope your DD has a blast at camp, DD's 2 teamates that went seemed to be quite happy with their week there. Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[jdf]

Hey, Panda Girl's Mom, I dropped my daughter off at IGC yesterday too!
She went last year, and had a great time, made lots of friends, and never complained about too much spotting. she loved the kayaking, and the rec time as well as the gymnastics.
We can compare notes on Saturday after pick-up!