Parents Recreational Gymnastics

[Ex member]

After reading a thread from gymisforeveryone and a reply from JBS about recreational gymnastics it gave me an idea for a thread.

My dd is in recreational gymnastics and has been for just over a year doing 2 sessions a week. Something was brought up by JBS about recreational gymnastics that made me think, it was said 'what is wrong with recreational gymnastics", the answer to me is nothing in reality as it is a inclusive pass time where children of all ages can learn basic gymnastic skills in a safe environment.

it seems that most parents want their child to make team and there is nothing wrong with that, maybe parents of children taking recreational gymnastics want to see more continuality with their child's gymnastics where children build on their skills and have a chance to compete recreationally, I am not sure what the rec program is like in the USA and the rest of the world but I can tell you what it is like at the gym my dd goes to in the UK and that maybe different from the rest of the UK.

My dd goes twice a week to a 1 hour session, the children are grouped by age and not ability and it is one size fits all regardless. They are separated only when they do badge week , they then get to work with others on the same badge as them regardless of age for 2 weeks before a test then after that its back to normal.

I would be more happier for my dd to be part of a rec group that builds on skills and has an advance rec option, my dd goes to a large Olympic size gym ( the only one in a 30 mile radius) and it is a very nice gym with lovely coaches.

what are others experience of rec gym classes like.

 

[OzZee]

My eldest does rec gym, she has never had any interest in competing. She is more a dancer and uses gym partly to enhance her acro skills.
But also it's a good physical activity, she does a 1.5 hour class once a week. Our gym is great at supporting the rec girls, with programs through teenage/ex-gymnast. We have quite a few girls that move to rec, try competing level 1 and decide they don't like the pressure/hours and move to rec as they love gymnastics just not the whole gymnastics is your life thing. Also we have a number of teenagers who've quit competitive gym who still come once or twice a week for a rec teen/adult class.

The rec girls don't compete and none of them want to. (you can move over to state or national stream if you want to/have the skills) They just love spending time in the gym, doing fun fitness and gym skills.

The only thing is you get the lower level coaches and they aren't (most of them) pushy about form.

I don't think the older rec program are looked down upon but I think for the young kids there is a little them and us between the kids that come through the development program and the kids that come through the junior rec program to compete.
Though I'm sure if I asked my kids they wouldn't say that, I think they live in their own bubble of their own squad/levels that train with them.

But on the whole gym is different here. None of our kids are as serious as some seem to be in the US. Unless you are in an international program you can't go to the olympics, there are no college scholarships, so everyone whether rec or competitive are there for the fun and love of gymnastics, no one is expecting anything out of it other than to get to the best level/skilss they can/want to attain and if competitive maybe get a few medals out of it (we also only medal top 3).

 

[Aussie_coach]

We don't use the words recreational gymnastics or competitive gymnastics. I don't beleive there is any such thing.

there is just gymnastics. For every child who does this sport, they are a gymnast, some are not more of a gymnast than others.

All gymnasts are recreational gymnasts, because whether or not they compete they do it because its fun and because they love it. And all gymnasts are on a team, even if their team is just their once a week class, it is just as important to them and should be just as much of a dedication and commitment,

 

[emorymom]

You have to stretch and condition to learn skills. There is a limitation to the 50 minute format most common in my area for rec classes. Sometimes with the older kids they will go 80 minutes.

 

[Ex member]

My dd loves rec gym, I am not sure how she would feel if it she was on a team, I know I did post a few weeks back about my dd maybe wanting to do team but something has come up that might cause an issue - the gym she goes to has a Hugh foam pit with some bars other it and also a vaulting table and a tumble track at the edge of the pit, my dd has been saying lately that when she jumps into the pit the foam makes her eyes itch, she is ok the handle it outside the pit so I am guessing its the dust that gets kicked up when they jump in it, thankfully they don't go into the pit very often.

going back to the thread topic my dd has been in rec nearly 18months and most of the girls that she was at per school gym with have left and a couple of gone onto development classes. I am happy that she still has a love for gym, she still does competitive cheerleading at the gym so all in all she goes 4 times a week for 5 1/2 hours in total.

 

[IreneKa]

The problem I saw with our rec classes, just like OP is saying, they were grouped by age, not by skills level. So, every new session new kids would come in, and they would start basic skills all over again. After a while my DD was bored there, she wanted to learn new skills, not to repete the old ones over and over again.
My older DD used to do recreational figure skating. She wasn't on a team, and wasn't competing, but they would evalute them at the end of each session, and if you master the skills of one level, they move you to the next one. I think that's much better approach than grouping them only based on age.

 

[Ex member]

You have to stretch and condition to learn skills. There is a limitation to the 50 minute format most common in my area for rec classes. Sometimes with the older kids they will go 80 minutes.

My dd does conditioning and strength twice a week at cheerleading practice, I guess that will help her with her gymnastics.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I think that there is a huge cultural difference at play here.

Historically UK gymnastics was offered in local sports halls / rec centres with part time coaches. When I did gym "back in the day" there was NO competative option. You did your baga badges and then at 11 you moved on to netball, hockey etc. It was unheard of for secondary school girls to still be doing gym. The one caveat to this is that we live in a small town in a rural location - things were always different in the big smoke.

BG have made huge strides in increasing the awareness and professionalism of the coaches in the sport and that has led to the rise of private gyms.

Most sports in the UK are team based contact sports and we are used to organising our structure on an age basis. Most rec programmes are organised this way because generally similarly aged children have a similar developmental level and can respond to the coaching in a similar way. The vast majority of children in this country who participate in gymnastics do so once or twice a week for fun, fitness and to learn a few cool skills. There is no college sports sytem, no scholarships to aim for and very little awareness of competative gymnastics outside of competative gymnastics.

Competative gymnastics is available to a small percentage of the population and is very much dependant on where you live. We accept that no matter how good my daughter is, it is pretty certain she wont ever compete nationally. She does not have the training opportunities ( she is maxed out at 6 1/2 hours a week at her gym) nor the competative opportunities within our county.

That said most gyms spot potential stars and put them in the competative stream. I know when Pink and Fluffy started rec with her brother she went for 2 terms before she was asked to join the competative squad. She started gym just after her 6th birthday and was able to do splits (3 ways) handstands, cartwheels, chin ups, straddle levers basically from the start as she is very light, strong and flexible.

It can be frustaring as a parent to feel that they are not being pushed to achieve all that they can but there are several reasons why they haven't moved your daughter up yet.

1. they may not think she wants to compete
2. they may not think she is physically ready to compete
3. they may not think she is emotionaly/ mentally ready to compete

The only way to find out is to ask.

on a side note, BG starts grading at 8 so its badges until then anyway, but even as a rec gymnast she can still enter novice competitions.

The only way to be sure is to ASK

Book an appointment to see the coach and discuss your daughters future.

hth

'Margo

 

[JessLW]

My DD and DS are in recreational gymnastics and if we keep on living in China, that's likely all they'll ever get to experience as I'm not really sure the competitive route in this country is something I'd feel comfortable having my children involved in. Like in most countries, there aren't athletic scholarships here, so even if a kid reaches the pinnacle of the sport, it is basically either Olympic glory or ... a whole lot of blood sweat and tears spent for very little payoff. I'd be down with that if we lived in a country like Australia or or the UK or wherever, but in China the coaching methods are too harsh to really justify anyone but really the best of the best getting involved seriously in gymnastics.

The place where my kids do rec gymnastics is actually an American franchise that has just landed in China over the past few years (Little Gym). Our center has recruited a couple of ex-elite Chinese gymnasts as rec coaches. Not Olympians or anything, but young women who gave up their childhoods for the sport and had some modest local success. They talk often about how they think it is great that kids can come to our gym and just enjoy gymnastics without any pressure. They obviously love the sport, and I think overall they are happy they got to be competitive gymnasts, but they wish they had had more fun while doing it. They are all about recreational gymnastics and are really excited that "normal" kids and not just the superstars can get to a chance to learn in our gym. They get a real joy out of seeing that gymnastics can be about accomplishing new skills, building confidence, and having fun, without there necessarily being any sort of end goal.

Now, my DD is very young, so even if she lived in America she be in a preschool class or something of that sort. DS is almost 6, so he could conceivably be doing pre-team, but I doubt he'd be tapped for it at this point. If we lived in the States -- or if we ever move back -- I'd probably want them in competitive gymnastics at some point (if they wanted it too) because, if done right, competitive gymnastics can also be healthy and fun and not necessarily a massive pressure cooker, and, for kids who have talent, there are actual avenues for gymnasts besides the Olympics.

 

[wgagym]

I own a recreational focused gym. Our goal is to take those rec kids as far as they would like to go without having to make a commitment to a team. We level our classes from Beginner to Advanced so as they master skills they are able to move up, but even at Advanced they will not work out more than 3 hours a week. We are looking at adding excel so they can get some competitive experience with a few more practice hours. We have may kids who are much older than the typical age to start gymnastics and we do our best to make sure every gymnast is challenged and taught every skill properly regardless if they will ever compete that skill. Our kids love it and our parents and very thrilled to have this option.

I truly believe every kid who wants to try gym should get the same attention and focus as team kids. Our rec program is the program that gets priority, now that means will probably never train elites but that was not my goal when we opened

 

[Committed]

There's nothing wrong with rec. gymnastics. It's just like joining a rec soccer or baseball team instead of the traveling competition team.
My DD did rec gym from Mommy &Me classes until she turned 5. At that point we had to either move gyms or join team. Her gym groups by age, not ability. By the time she hit 5yrs she had surpassed the highest level in her age group (5-7yo). There would have had to be a special exception for her to move to the 8+yo group.
Now, I acknowledge she is talented and hardworking, but is no prodigy. She just loves gymnastics and would go every day, if she could!
Not all kids have that same desire to practice long hours and do the same routines for months on end. They want to tumble, flip, and have fun. DD feels the same about ballet, she really likes it, but several days a week? No way!!!

 

[Flossyduck]

Our gym has a huge rec programme and kids train from 1hr to 12 hrs, pre-school to teenagers and with tumbling and tramp options too. In fact there are more competitive rec gymnasts than 'team' gymnasts - they compete from novice to county and regional grades. Only kids aiming for national level and above move over to 'team' or WAG/MAG, so there are many excellent gymnasts in 'rec'. I have one in each - both happy and where they need to be. The rest is just a title, not a judgement.

 

[Faith]

Our gym has a huge rec programme and kids train from 1hr to 12 hrs, pre-school to teenagers and with tumbling and tramp options too. In fact there are more competitive rec gymnasts than 'team' gymnasts - they compete from novice to county and regional grades. Only kids aiming for national level and above move over to 'team' or WAG/MAG, so there are many excellent gymnasts in 'rec'. .

I think we've discussed this before - your clubs definition of "rec" is a lot different from our gym (and many other gyms I suspect!). If I have it right "rec" for you- a very high profile, successful gym- seems to mean "non-elite", or non-elite track at least. Most gyms don't have elite programs, so the regional grades and novice comps are where their gymnasts are successful.

"rec" for us is those gymnasts who just do that hour a week. For fun, for a break from homework, because they think investing the time and money in competitive gymnastics is insane, whatever. They don't compete, or aim to- competition means team leo's, tracksuits, fees, more time....

My own opinion is any gymnast that puts in the hours to compete, even at their own level, be it regional, floor and vault, or elite, is not a "recreational" gymnast. Yes it's still fun, but it becomes a huge investment in time and money- it's not something you just pitch up to once a week, have a good time learning some cool stuff, then go home and forget about it until next week. I don't think you can compete, especially WAG- you might just manage Floor and Vault-training once a week.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Ours is similar to Faiths,

Pink and Fluffy trains in the top tier, thats 6 1/2 hours a week ! She is the only gymnast in the club who will be doing National grades and is just moving from Novice to Intermediate.

She eats, sleeps and breaths gym, ha spent all day today learning BWO on her floor beam ready for practice tomorrow.

I admire the form and structure that your JO programme brings, however I love our rec competitions, from the 7 year olds through to the 15 year olds that can't do a handspring on vault, or anything more advanced than a cartwheel on floor, and they have the biggest smiles when they get a shiney

 

[Flossyduck]

Yes we have discussed it before... I don't know why it is organised the way it is. It's been explained as something to do with the requirements and expectations of an 'elite' track programme being so different from those of other competitions and classes that there's a different coaching set up and gym schedule for each and the 'elite side' coaches and support team couldn't do anything else. The 'team' includes kids on elite track, actually competing elite and those doing national grades. Everyone else comes under recreation and there are still plenty of kids who just rock up for an hour a week and have fun. The only two gyms I have much knowledge of (dd's coach used to coach at one and a friend's daughter is at another), both also quite high profile are set up in a similar way, for similar reasons. I do know it's probably not the norm, but it works here and it means the rec programme has a lot of respect and seen as vital to the club.

 

[OzZee]

But some gymnasts do it only for recreation, some put in the extra hours and commitment to do it to compete.
These kids aren't training in the same group and aren't doing the same thing.
I know my daughter in rec would never call herself a gymnast she would say she does gymnastics. Compared to my competitive gymnasts who would say they are gymnasts.
If you are competing then you are doing competitive gymnastics, if you are doing it purely for recreational fun you are doing recreational gymnastics. I don't see how you can't use the terms. And actually I think it is condescending to the kids who are putting in 12+ hours hard work into their gymnastics to have that equated to another child doing a 1-2 hour fun class a week.
I know my kids were horrified by a child who somehow managed to get in the school year book as having gone to nationals for gymnastics who is a rec gymnast (obviously the teachers have no idea and this is what the kid said). It makes the kids who work to attain those things feel that they don't mean as much.

We don't use the words recreational gymnastics or competitive gymnastics. I don't beleive there is any such thing.

there is just gymnastics. For every child who does this sport, they are a gymnast, some are not more of a gymnast than others.

All gymnasts are recreational gymnasts, because whether or not they compete they do it because its fun and because they love it. And all gymnasts are on a team, even if their team is just their once a week class, it is just as important to them and should be just as much of a dedication and commitment,

Flossyduck, to me someone who puts in 12 hours a week training anything is not doing it recreationally.

 

[dani4]

My gym has a really involved & large rec program. After the preschool years it's organized by skill level, mirroring the JO levels. There are even intramural-type teams that the kids can join, I think beginning with kids who passed Level 1. It is pretty neat. The highest rec classes go up to Level 6, and I think they practice something like 3-5 hours per week total. And I think kids can go from the intramural teams to the Excel team. My kids are still preschoolers so this is just what I've gathered from hanging around the gym and pondering the web site. The rec options are so good that I've decided to keep my kids in rec unless they really beg for the team stuff, and they are at an age where they get what is going on over there.

 

[Flossyduck]

I agree Ozzee, but it's not my gym and I have nothing to do with how they organise the disciplines. Here in the UK recreational/general gym is a totally separate discipline from WAG. That's how the governing body British Gymnastics lays it down. If our gym chooses to have kids train 12 hours a week and compete under the recreational discipline that's up to them and it aint going to change because people don't agree with the label I'm afraid.

 

[Faith]

Flossy, I'm not sure that is how BGA has it. If you look at their membership structure, "recreational" is a separate category (and cost- £15 for recreational vs £40 for any gymnast who does any sort of competing) from "competitive".

My understanding-

Recreational; For kids who do an hour a week. No competing, except maybe club championship type comps once a year. Focus is progressing through the BGA badge scheme.

Then the "competitive" membership includes;

• General; Floor and vault. I think these kids hours are around 3 a week. They compete at officially sanctioned competitions and can score out into the next level (blue, white, bronze, silver, gold).
• WAG/T+T/acro; Compete either regionally, or national grades. Hours around 12-15.
• Elite; train many hours, compete compulsory grades/elite.

That is my understanding of the BGA system- which I think classifies rec only as those who don't compete. I get the feeling from you, that your club is of a very high standard and focus on training elites, so *they* classify everyone else as rec. Most other clubs don't have the capacity, facility or coaching to train elite, so unless you are classifying pretty much every club in the UK (and USA) as recreational because they don't train elite kids...

Our gym have no one on the compulsory track at the moment. All the WAG squad are competing regionally. But they are certainly not rec- some of these kids are level 8/9/10 (US comparison), just not elite or future elite.

Our gym has a big rec program- which subsidises the team kids. Hourly rate for rec is about 4x higher than WAG team.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Ours works very much on there same basis Faith, and tbh I wasn't aware of any separation as far as BG is concerned. Pink and Fluffy is a bronze member, has done grade 14 (missed grades last year due to us taking a 6 month break) and will do 12 this year and (hopefully) 7 next year. We would have done 8 this hear bit she wasn't back up and running when our region did national grades in March.


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