DD is on a compulsory team-TAAF (like AAU) Gym didn't do USAG this year but will next. Some coaches got fired, there was a change of coaching philosophies and they bumped DD down in October w/ 2 other younger girls. My dd issue they say was lacking 2 bar skills for her level. Their 1st comp is Feb so... those couldn't have been addressed in 4 months? There has been communication issues. No full time coach for her level. There are 2 assistant coaches, both 16, both former team mates, one likes to yell at the girls and then sit there and do 40% of effort on coaching. The other I have no issues with. Their part time coach is only there for 1 day of their 2 days per week of practices and yelling 16 year old assistant coach and her get into debates about different things while our kids are on deck to vault, practice floor, etc etc etc. So they stand there and stand there and stand there. Upper coach (interim head coach) is great, loves the kids but she was the assistant coach before the other coaches got fired. This is her 1st head coaching job so she is still lacking on Organization and Communication. This is the 3rd major coaching change in the last 3 years. There is a program director out of our gyms other location who makes all the decisions at this time (She use to just handle that locations small gymnastics program), but she is never at our gym, yet can override our head gym coach. Some of these decisions have impacted my daughters esteem, ie my daughter was told by our head coach that she will be leading her levels warm ups and stretches at a meet and the program director doesn't allow any of our locations girls to lead and had her girls lead. This crushed my daughter doing a meet for pete sake, the time when you don't want to do that.
Apparently also the owner has allowed each level coach to make decisions and not be overridable by the head coach, ie head coach wanted to keep my daughter at level 2 and work on it. Level 2 coach said no she would not compete her after spending 15 minutes with her even though she aced all her other apparatus evals for that level. Our daughter has made improvements but now her technic is starting to slip she isn't pointing toes or kicking high she just half a$$ing it on dance. She tells me she misses doing the skills she was proud of and could do well and wants to go back up a level, I told her that it didnt work that way and she would have to earn it back. They said that they were doing to give her extra work but they haven't. We have paid in full for comp fees and leo and warm ups... First Comp is Feb
We have found a gym 35 minutes from us (the current one is 3 miles away) There is another local gym but our gym and them have a toxic drama filled rivalry and I feel also run their businesses as machines (cattle call). The new gym does AGA and USAG. My daughter has an eval on Monday. Lengthy Convo with owner seams like it may be a great fit and she feels she could see her defiantly immediately having a spot on their team and start competing her in March. Its smaller but they get more personalized attention. They train more hours for the same price I am currently paying and do way more competitions. AGA allows my daughter to have her own personalized routines (something fun she may need right now) and USAG keeps them in check with the standard.
My concern is the usual... my daughters friends. And the fact that she has been to that gym every week for the last 3 1/2 years. Starting at age 3. Everyone knows her and its like a second home. In rec things were ok, but it seams like maybe that is part of the issue to maybe they are more of a rec gym? However it hasn't solved the staffing issues and bad business decisions that have been made over the last 3 years. It seams like gymnastics is a second thought, cheer is more important, $ is more important.
The team girls as a whole are amazing, we have grown to be a family, there is never any drama between parents and even the upper level girls have loving nurturing friendships with my daughter. I looked back at last year and of the 8 girls she was with, not one is still with the program, not one. Only 1 is still with the gym, but is doing cheer. Of the 9 that were on my daughters level over summer, there are 6 total. I don't know if that is normal. Something tells me this other place will be so much more rewarding for her and there system will allow her to move up more quickly. Im just so emotional over this and making the right decision. Help? Advice?
Apparently also the owner has allowed each level coach to make decisions and not be overridable by the head coach, ie head coach wanted to keep my daughter at level 2 and work on it. Level 2 coach said no she would not compete her after spending 15 minutes with her even though she aced all her other apparatus evals for that level. Our daughter has made improvements but now her technic is starting to slip she isn't pointing toes or kicking high she just half a$$ing it on dance. She tells me she misses doing the skills she was proud of and could do well and wants to go back up a level, I told her that it didnt work that way and she would have to earn it back. They said that they were doing to give her extra work but they haven't. We have paid in full for comp fees and leo and warm ups... First Comp is Feb
We have found a gym 35 minutes from us (the current one is 3 miles away) There is another local gym but our gym and them have a toxic drama filled rivalry and I feel also run their businesses as machines (cattle call). The new gym does AGA and USAG. My daughter has an eval on Monday. Lengthy Convo with owner seams like it may be a great fit and she feels she could see her defiantly immediately having a spot on their team and start competing her in March. Its smaller but they get more personalized attention. They train more hours for the same price I am currently paying and do way more competitions. AGA allows my daughter to have her own personalized routines (something fun she may need right now) and USAG keeps them in check with the standard.
My concern is the usual... my daughters friends. And the fact that she has been to that gym every week for the last 3 1/2 years. Starting at age 3. Everyone knows her and its like a second home. In rec things were ok, but it seams like maybe that is part of the issue to maybe they are more of a rec gym? However it hasn't solved the staffing issues and bad business decisions that have been made over the last 3 years. It seams like gymnastics is a second thought, cheer is more important, $ is more important.
The team girls as a whole are amazing, we have grown to be a family, there is never any drama between parents and even the upper level girls have loving nurturing friendships with my daughter. I looked back at last year and of the 8 girls she was with, not one is still with the program, not one. Only 1 is still with the gym, but is doing cheer. Of the 9 that were on my daughters level over summer, there are 6 total. I don't know if that is normal. Something tells me this other place will be so much more rewarding for her and there system will allow her to move up more quickly. Im just so emotional over this and making the right decision. Help? Advice?