Parents What is your gym's timeline for team commitment?

[cyclopsmom]

Are you asked to commit to next year's competitive team before or after the current year's state competition?

How much do you know about meet schedules, costs, and practice schedules before you are asked to commit?

How far in advance to you know about the commitment date?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

 

[skschlag]

We are given the team contract, and commit for the season in Sept/Oct. At that time, we have the practice schedules, meet weekends (not days/times), and most fees. I think (we are new) we have a couple of weeks before we sign the team contract and agreement for the season. We are told that the fees are estimates and that we could owe more at the end of the season.

 

[MAcastsalot]

Level assignments go out in June (summer schedule starts in July, meet season starts in December). The contract goes out in August, at which time we will know school year schedule, meet weekends, and all fees (other than meet fees). I believe that it is due along with team dues by the end of August.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We commit in August. Pay our registration fee, USAG fee, buy warm ups, bag, Leo, if needed. We get our paperwork about how coaching fees are applied to sign off on.

We usually have most of the fall/ early winter schedule around that time, with due dates for meet fees.

End of Dec into Feb we get the spring schedule. If for some reason coach doesn't feel enough meets are scheduled she'll warn us, that more will be coming.

The reality is we can bail out at any time. Meet fees would be lost, we would only be on the hook for coaching fees for completed meets. Usually if kids are leaving they wait until the end of the season after States/Regionals and our end of year banquet.

 

[Tigtimes]

Contact ??? Not in our world. Hand over your child, life as you knew it is over....oh and we will let you know 10 minutes before you need to do things

 

[mommyof1]

Team invitations for new team members and level assignments for current team members go out after the last state meet in late spring. Families have about 3 weeks to consider the offer and commit. The team packet includes actual tuition costs and an estimate of all other costs that has so far turned out to be quite accurate, along with the tentative summer and fall practice schedules. The tentative practice schedules are usually but not always adopted as the final schedules; we got burned on this one last year when several kids dropped out at the last minute and two groups had to be combined for summer training. We are also told how many meets are planned but not the dates, I think because the host gyms don't release meet information that early. There is no contract, but athletes and parents are asked to sign a letter indicating that they understand the commitment they are making.

 

[gymmomx2]

We are asked to commit before summer training begins (July) and we always know the financial/time/other commitments (apparel, fundraising) before committing. How else could we make an informed decision? We do sign some documents once we commit but I'm not sure if any of those are legally binding contracts.

Meet information doesn't come out until the fall at which time we also pay the meet entry fees.

 

[CCGymbug]

There is usually a team meeting in May and Aug. We start paying the yearly fee in July. If the fee is 5000, its splint into monthly payments. In Aug another meeting that goes over meet schedule, fees etc which is usually another 1500. Our contact is more RT code of conduct. We have 2 optional away meets each year which would add another 500 each for entry fees and coach travel fees. What sucks for us is we pay for camps in summer and turn, blink and all gym fees are do by labour day.

 

[CLgym]

Our gym separates summer training from the rest of the season. We get the summer schedule and cost by May, and pay for summer at that time. Then, in August, there is a meeting. Team rules are reviewed, and parents get a sheet with level placement, practice schedule (including schedule exceptions for breaks, etc.), meet schedule/fees, other "important dates" (e.g., picture day, awards banquet, etc.), tuition (10% discount if paid in full by a certain date), and "other costs" (like leotard, USAG membership, etc.). I guess you "commit" by submitting your check? I don't recall signing anything. Although if we left mid-season I suspect we would lose whatever tuition we had already paid....

 

[momof2gymmies]

We pay in MAy, right after states. We get warm ups in the summer, and get meet schedule in October.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Level assignments go out in June (summer schedule starts in July, meet season starts in December). The contract goes out in August, at which time we will know school year schedule, meet weekends, and all fees (other than meet fees). I believe that it is due along with team dues by the end of August.

This is what it has been for us.

 

[gymbeam]

No contract or commitment at our gym.

 

[Gymmommy71]

We have to commit by the start of summer (a day in early June) for the following season - you will know your training level, summer schedule, financial and booster work commitment for the year, but not fall schedule, meet schedule or competition level (those aren't determined until later).

Only people they seem to let slide w/ the commitment are those dealing w/ longer term injuries that could last into comp season where they will let them go month to month for a while in the summer to see if they are even going to be able to do the sport in the fall.

We have a pretty intimidating contract requirement compared to other gyms in my area. IMO in scares off more people than it keeps there - at least long term.

 

[vbdb]

We get new agreements as summer training starts. We know our fees for the year, training schedule for the summer and group placement. Level placement doesn't get decided until after September, we don't start competing until almost December so there's no rush. They wait to see how the kids progress during the summer. They're occasionally flexible with a kid that's on the fence about quitting, they make every effort to keep them for the summer and then have them decide in September if they stay. There's no choice where we are for good gyms so there's not much gym hopping that goes on which would be the only other reason someone wouldn't want to commit.
We get fall schedules at the end of August and our planned competitions are announced in October.
The weeks before summer schedule come out you can cut the tension with a knife while we wait to find out where our kids gets placed. They shift kids around the parents freak out about scrambling to find out who's in who's group as the gym doesn't announce the kids in each group, you only find out about your own kid. it's kind of funny now after several years of it.

 

[notthatmom]

We (parents and gymnasts) sign our contract st the beginning of the season which is June. We are told our fee schedule at that time too. Meet scheduled don't come out until fall but we know we will have about 6 regular meets plus state. We can leave st anytime but there is a fee to do that, and we aren't refunded any meet/coaches/equipment etc. fees. It's a yearly commitment every time we sign.

 

[e'smum]

we have a team parent meeting in september, usually. we already have our schedule for the summer (mini-camp, daily hours and week long camp and the one week the gym is closed). as soon as the AHC signs us up for whatever meets we are doing for next season, she will send out a meet list. it may have the weekend dates on the sheet or it may not. i can't remember.
we sign the contract in september but it's more an adherence to the gym rules sort of thing.
we start paying comp fees in late summer, maybe. i don't remember. maybe earlier.
it's a year round commitment. you know you are working out year round. gym is closed 2 weeks of the year. last wk in august and april vacation - unless you haven't had states yet or are going to regionals. and you are expected to be in the gym during the summer. we take one vacation week during the summer, as do most families. then we try to do a 2nd vacation week, if we are going to, the week the gym is closed. after that, it's back to normal hours.

this year dd was informed she needed to have all her skills for level 7 by the beginning of summer. we do a team meet in late june so they really aim for that as they get points for doing any skills out of their current level. they are divided into two teams and the winning team gets popsicles first. lol

team placements are generally known now by the coaches - we are down to our last regular meet next wkend and level 4 states is next wkend as well. i don't know why dd's team was told they needed their skills before the beginning of the summer. that's a first for us. our first meet is november and her state meet is 3rd wkend in march this year. she's already working upper skills and she has 3 months to get them down enough and i guess the summer (july) through end of october to perfect them. sometimes if the kids don't get their skills over the summer they start them in their old level and then move them up mid-season. we get an evaluation letter mid-summer by the coaches and that's all the feedback we really get. it's so the kids know what is going on and what they need to work on during "crunch" time, i guess.

 

[2gymkids]

Late June/Early July we get team contracts, which outline the monthly cost, hour commitment, and assessment fees for meets (approximate- at the end of the year we could owe more or get a credit). We don't know fall hours at that point (we know # but not schedule). Kids are training a certain level but level finalizations are made in September, generally (first meet is late Nov/early Dec). Leos are ordered/paid for late August-ish? Contracts are for one year.

 

[notthatmom]

Late June/Early July we get team contracts, which outline the monthly cost, hour commitment, and assessment fees for meets (approximate- at the end of the year we could owe more or get a credit). We don't know fall hours at that point (we know # but not schedule). Kids are training a certain level but level finalizations are made in September, generally (first meet is late Nov/early Dec). Leos are ordered/paid for late August-ish? Contracts are for one year.

I was just going to say "wow this sounds eerily close to our gym" until I read the part about the possibility of getting a credit back. LOL that would never happen.

 

[2gymkids]

I was just going to say "wow this sounds eerily close to our gym" until I read the part about the possibility of getting a credit back. LOL that would never happen.

Ha! In theory there could be a credit but usually there isn't. I think the only time there is a credit is when someone has a long term injury and is able to be scratched from meets before the deadline, or if the meet schedule comes out and kids can't make certain meets and know way ahead of time. It's generally hypothetical, I think (this is only our second year on team).

 

[raenndrops]

Team commitments and paperwork goes out in late August or early September. Contracts are signed by mid-September. At that time, we know the whole meet schedule (dates and where). We also know all costs. If we need team leos, bags, warmups, those fees are due when the contract is turned in. Meet fees for the regular season are due between then and two weeks before each meet. Championships and Regionals are due a month in advance and Nationals are due 2+ months in advance.