Parents USAIGC to USAG scared to make a change

[juststartingout]

My daughter competed copper USAIGC this season. It's the only program offered in our gym. Lately I've been having some issues with coaching and safety at her gym. She has been struggling with learning the handspring vault and needs that for the next level. On all other equipment she is at bronze or silver but can't get this stinking vault. I have asked her coach multiple times if she could do a private as she was getting discouraged and was told "no she doesn't need it, it will come she just needs more power". Now I should mention we had always just had a high school gymnast as the vault coach, never an experienced coach. Well now this coach has disappeared and for the last several weeks we have had another teenager coaching vault but this one was a cheerleader and never even did gymnastics. They trained her for about a month with the rec classes and now she is teaching vault to team girls. Needless to say I'm getting even more frustrated that under these conditions dd will never learn to vault. S0 I made a call to another gym, a USAG gym and she went in and did a private for vault today for 1/2 an hour. I was surprised they let an outside gymnast but they were fine with it. Well let me tell you dd learned more in 30 minutes then she has in a year. By the end of the half hour she was going over the table with barely a tap. Now I'm so conflicted on what to do. This gym is twice the distance at about 50 minutes but there is only one USAG gym that is closer and I've heard bad things about that one. I'm so scared to move her and then the drive be too much or her not like it and we would not be welcome back. Plus she has all her friends. I could let her continue to do privates and stay at her current gym but then I feel like I would be doing her a disservice. Ahhh what to do. By the way the coach at this other gym says power is not the issue, it was an issue with the hurdle and arm action.

 

[GYM0M]

Different coaches notice different things to critique. I know I wouldn't be happy with a teenager coaching vault, BUT there are pros and cons at every single gym. No gym program is perfect. What is best for your DD right now may not be the best thing down the road. I would probably keep the private at the other gym on the DL in case your current gym has a problem with that and you decide that's the best place for your DD.

 

[MILgymFAM]

How did your dd feel about the new gym ad coach? Did you discuss with the new coach a possible move, and do you know which level she would be in usag or what the training schedule would look like?

 

[Aussie_coach]

I would consider attending a trial with their team first, training in a private can be very different to training with the team. This coach who took her private won't necessarily be the one coaching her at all on their team.

Don't judge too much with what happened in a private. Privates are based on one specific child and her needs. If she had trouble with one aspect of the vault they would set up a drill just for her. This would not happen in a group class. Kids often learn a great deal more in a private.

 

[juststartingout]

I did talk to the coach doing the private about a possible change. They said that she would be level 4 if I moved her. She did offer to have her come train on Saturday with their team to try it out but Saturday is our state meet and I'm not sure I even want to do that yet. She said she is the level 4, 5, and 6 coach so that is the coach she would have on vault. My biggest thing is that all places have teenage coaches but our current vault coach was never a gymnast and has only had 2 months training at most. So at the private yesterday the coach taught her some arm action that really helped her vault. She did that arm action at her practice today and the vault coach told her she couldn't do that. My daughter kept doing it and the coach kept asking her why she was doing it. Now her vault looked much better than normal so you would think she would think it was a good thing. So the vault coach talked to our head coach and dd is not allowed to do the arm action. I guess that's one of the negatives in going to a different gym. I'm still going to take her but ask if she can teach her with her arms the way our coaches want it. The thing that is annoying is that our girls do no arm action and no girl on our team has scored higher than a 9.4. When the higher level head coach fills in with our girls she constantly yells at them about not having arm action but our coaches don't teach them to use their arms. Also the coach she did the private with seemed shocked that she didn't have a number on where to start. At our gym the runway isn't even measured. Depending on what area is open that day determines how far they run for vault. Is it normal to have a set number to run from? Is it bad that our gym doesn't do that?

 

[iwannacoach]

It looks as though her present club haven't the time, ambition, or staff to develop kids the same as the other club. Sure a one on one is the best you can do, but half an hour and a complete turn about on the vault?? Well it kinda screams something to me.

Don't do a thing if your child has flatly told you she doesn't care about learning ?? skills or getting to ?? level or realizing at least some of "that dream" so many kids seem to keep secret. If she hasn't said she doesn't want these things then you should look at the gym she had the private as well as the gym you've heard bad things about..... because sometimes "bad" is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[MaryA]

Sounds similar to our situation when we switched. DD was competing USAG but at a Y gym. Coaches were on cell phones, leaving girls working on drills while they ran out and picked up Chinese food, all sorts of crazy sh**. We did do privates at another gym for a while, and while I don't think the coaches ever told her not to do things they way she learned them in privates, they didn't reinforce it either. The weeks and months leading up to the switch were hard, but the switch itself ended up being very easy and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders once she was at a gym where I knew she was getting good coaching. It's "only" a 30 minute drive for us though. I guess you need to figure out if you can make it work logistically/financially. From a gymnastics perspective, I would say yes, switch, no question. But spending nearly 2 hours in the car each day, plus you'd have to stay in that area and wait for her, since it's too far for you to go home... It's a lot. And, if she sticks with it, you'll likely end up doing that every day once she gets to level 6 or 7. Why not take a look at the other private gym? Maybe the rumors about it are true and maybe they aren't, but it doesn't hurt to check it out. Also, look into potential car-pool opportunities.

 

[juststartingout]

Well the coach made the decision easy tonight. I packed my kid up mid practice and left. Guess I'm going to have to make the drive. I'm happy for dd but worried about the extra commitment.

 

[Seeker]

Yikes....that doesn't sound good, but at least the decision was clear. Hope it goes well at the new gym.

 

[juststartingout]

I didn't want it to end this way but your right at least they made the decision clear because before I was so conflicted. Now I just have to get ok with the idea of making the drive. As much as dd loves her friends she has been wanting to go to the new gym for a while so she is pretty excited. I have a good friendship with all her gym friends moms so I know she'll still get to see all the girls.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Yikes on the quick exit, but your DD being happy about going to a new gym is half the battle! Good luck w/the drive.

I doubled my drive time when we changed (although still nowhere near as far of a drive as yours) but my DD loved the gym, coaches & teammates from the minute she walked into new gym and has flourished in ways I never could've imagined.

 

[munchkin3]

Before you decide on a gym, you must try it for at least a week.
Try ALL your options....decide what is best for your daughter and your family.
good luck!

 

[3rd_time_around]

As much as dd loves her friends she has been wanting to go to the new gym for a while so she is pretty excited. I have a good friendship with all her gym friends moms so I know she'll still get to see all the girls.

Sadly, be prepared for this to not happen. It's the nature of the sport. But maybe you guys will be the exception. Good luck and happiness at the new gym!

 

[juststartingout]

Sadly, be prepared for this to not happen. It's the nature of the sport. But maybe you guys will be the exception. Good luck and happiness at the new gym!

Hopefully we are the exception. I do zumba with several of the moms and we do a lot outside of the gym with a lot of them so while I know it won't be all of them at least 2 or 3 I'm sure I'll still see. Luckily we won't compete against each other so that helps.