Parents When your goals, and your DD's gyms' goals, don't mesh

[Gymmommy71]

I had sympathy for the OPs viewpoint until I read that she was only 6 ...6 is soooo young, there is no way she can be "behind" at that age...the best thing to do is work on fundamentals as much as possible until they are absolutely perfect for the new L4. No need to push anything as long as she is getting good training.

I can, however, understand how if she saw the girls at meets doing wonderful w/ gorgeous form, that it's natural to have the following thought process "gee...look how good all these girls are...if I send my DD there, they will use all their magical coaching methods on her and she will be that good too". The thing that she's realizing right now is that those girls are that good because they've been doing those skills for *years* (and can probably do much harder skills than they are competing) as opposed to the months that her DD has been doing them.

I sometimes see these really great teams at meets (the ones w/ a whole team getting 36's in my DDs age group at L6, when my DD is getting 34's on a good day) and think if I sent DD there too w/in six months she'd look that good too, but the reality probably is that the gym in question would likely ship my DD back to new L4/current L5 training group (provided they'd even TAKE her on their team) and tell her no more meets for you until you get that kip+cast to 45 degrees above horizontal (and a few other things she's getting hit on consistently at meets for) and then maybe we'll THINK about you doing a L6 meet again someday.

I just think there are no real shortcuts in the sport of gymnastics. It's a function of talent, time and determination. Maybe a gym that does significantly more hours can produce dramatic results at a quicker pace for an individual kid, but besides for that, the grass really isn't greener, it's just different...

 

[gymmommy123]

I had sympathy for the OPs viewpoint until I read that she was only 6 ...6 is soooo young, there is no way she can be "behind" at that age...the best thing to do is work on fundamentals as much as possible until they are absolutely perfect for the new L4. No need to push anything as long as she is getting good training.

Thx, talking about repeating level 2 though, not moving to level 4 (way too advanced for her right now)...

 

[krisnkids]

Thx, talking about repeating level 2 though, not moving to level 4 (way too advanced for her right now)...

When does the season start and does she have mill circle, front him circle, single leg shoot through, cut back (all with straight legs and pointed toes), dismount (handstand half turn) on beam, vault handstand flat back, and all the floor routine, and can perform them well with no spot?

 

[Gymmommy71]

I'm sure another gym would gladly take her as a L3, just be prepared to score lower than the L3's at your current gym when you go against them at meets. I'm not saying this to be snarky or anything, I'm really not. It is your choice if you feel her moving up is more important than her getting top AA scores at meets. My DD is only "competitive" on 2 events, and may be that way for the rest of her gym career unless she spends 2 years in every other level because of her bars, or goes to a gym that works out significantly more hours than her current gym (she just needs more time to master skills on that event)...as long as that's OK w/ DD and she's happy, her gym will remain the place for her. We as parents have choices, we just have to work within the realities of our child's talent level and the whole talent/time/dedication formula - every gym has a different strategy for how they progress their gymnasts. If you talk to parents who have children at the different gyms around you, they should be able to give you an idea of how they do things.

 

[gymmommy123]

Her previous gym had already invited her to their level 3 (old 4) team in December, so yes, she could probably try to go back there if it were simply forcing her up a level. I don't care about that. Sorry for the confusion. I am not asking to push her up to compete at a higher level before she is ready, simply was asking how to approach holding off on re-competing level 2. I think the time spent preparing for competitions at that level is better spent in the gym working on skills, strength and flexibility. I'd prefer they spend the time working on TOPS perhaps, rather than competing level 2. She's no prodigy, not a future Olympic superstar, just maybe a slightly above average 6 y/o who loves gymnastics.

 

[krisnkids]

Out of curiosity, why did you switch gyms?

 

[MeetDirector]

gymmommy123 -

I would schedule a meeting with whoever is in charge of the compulsory program at your gym and ask the things that are bugging you. I would also ask what value competing at her young age is and at the low levels and if it would be possible to have her put on the pre-team or training team. Your rationale is simple - you feel that she could benefit (and the gym benefit in the long run) with her working just fundamental skill development rather than the competition track.

Good Luck.

 

[gymmommy123]

Out of curiosity, why did you switch gyms?

Primarily location... new gym was opening closer to home. The drive to old gym was close to an hr each way, new gym about 35 minutes and very close to DD's school. Also, new gym is more "competitive" supposedly, a better facility, and more hours in the gym, which DD really wanted. She can't get enough... Old gym was a decent place, we were there for yrs, they were safe and kind and had very few issues there, other than fairly slow progression, but that was primarily because gym hrs were limited (4.5 hrs/wk vs. 12 hrs/wk).

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I think that when you switch gyms you're hoping and even expecting that the new gym will be perfect. I remember when DD started at a new gym, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I never had to worry about X, Y, and Z like I did at the old gym ever again. Well, guess what? The new gym isn't perfect either. I seem to remember a time when I thought my husband was perfect too...

But I picked this gym (and my husband) for good reasons, so now what I need to do is to trust the judgement that caused me to select it (him) in the first place, and see it through. Not that there aren't certain things that are "deal breakers", but as long as DD is happy and thriving, I don't forsee us switching again.

Edit to add: And I think I'll keep my husband around too...

whew! i'm safe......

 

[MaryA]

whew! i'm safe......

Hey, I can't speak for YOUR wife...

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Her previous gym had already invited her to their level 3 (old 4) team in December, so yes, she could probably try to go back there if it were simply forcing her up a level. I don't care about that. Sorry for the confusion. I am not asking to push her up to compete at a higher level before she is ready, simply was asking how to approach holding off on re-competing level 2. I think the time spent preparing for competitions at that level is better spent in the gym working on skills, strength and flexibility. I'd prefer they spend the time working on TOPS perhaps, rather than competing level 2. She's no prodigy, not a future Olympic superstar, just maybe a slightly above average 6 y/o who loves gymnastics.

I get where you are coming from, and feel fortunate that this is our gym's philosophy. But, every once in awhile the parents are feeling a little rebellious and annoyed that the road seems so longggg to level 5 (new 4). Me included. You want to see them enjoy a little of their hard work with team leos, and fun hairdos. Couldn't they just do a couple of Level4 meets some parent always asks. The answer is always, we can have her ready to compete XCEl bronze in a month if you want her to compete. That always shuts everyone up and gets them back with the program. They say they need every moment to bring the kids to be competitive Level 5s. I wouldn't want her to compete if I were you either. But, that's the way they do it where you are at. So the only option is to get with the program or find a gym that has a different philosophy. I don't think it is even possible in my state to compete that Level. XCEL bronze is considered to be the equivalent of Level 3. Anyway hope it all works out.

 

[gymmommy123]

Thx Gymmomtotwo... I agree with your gym. Actually, before we switched, her gym didn't compete at level 3, they started at 4 (new 3). But right after we started, we were told they wanted her to compete at 3 "just to get her feet wet", and I was fine with it. After seeing how much time was spent on routines at that level, I just want her to work skills for a while, instead of competing it AGAIN. I sort of feel like, if they think she's so behind, that they won't move her to new level 3, they should just work on getting her ready for the next season, and have her compete that in the Spring and skip Fall altogether. But alas, it isn't to be. They made it clear, she WILL compete lvl 2, or she'll have to leave the team. So, I guess I shut my mouth and write the checks and hope for the best.

 

[bookworm]

I'm late to the party here but after reading all these posts, I am puzzled as to why there is so much angst over a Level 3 ( or is it 2) gymnast, who's 6 yrs old...My daughter never competed in these preteam levels (I don't think such competitions existed then) and it didn't seem to hurt her so I guess I'm missing what the problem is here....

 

[MaryA]

I'm late to the party here but after reading all these posts, I am puzzled as to why there is so much angst over a Level 3 ( or is it 2) gymnast, who's 6 yrs old...My daughter never competed in these preteam levels (I don't think such competitions existed then) and it didn't seem to hurt her so I guess I'm missing what the problem is here....

Actually, I think that is the point. Mom doesn't want DD competing those levels (at least not repeating those levels) but gym that they go to competes them.

Truly, though, if you are otherwise happy with the gym and coaching, my DD repeated level 3. It was the only level she ever repeated and now she is training level 8 (which I fully expect her to repeat). This was before I discovered Chalk Bucket so I had no clue about anything, like that she was training skills she would never need again, etc, etc. Truly, I love CB (you only need to look at how many posts I have to my name to see that) but in this case, ignorance was bliss. She wasn't raking in the medals (or even, truth be told, the medal, singular) at level 3. Coaches said she needed to repeat it. So she repeated it. She had a blast. Got some medals, though still not a ton. Enjoyed the meets. Went on to win level 4 states the following year. You said that this gym produces strong upper-level gymnasts, so they must be doing something right. Since you just started there, I'd say to give it a little more time and trust the process.

 

[gymmommy123]

Thanks MaryA. Well written. For now, we just see how things go and hope for the best. For the most part, her coach is very good and she is happy there, and that is important.