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This had to be stickied, so many members have no idea how much is too much, so here is a helpful test. :D Thanks MD and Marisposa There is definitely a fine line between being a "steering/pushy parent" and an "overbearing/over-involved parent". Of course all parents want to be involved with their kids activities so that they can be guided in a safe and nurturing direction. And of course us parents will be the ones getting them up early in the morning, driving them to practice and paying...
Tell me your crazy gym parent behaviors
Just for fun, what crazy gym parent behavior have you seen this season. I have several but will just share just one. I had a parent say my child didn’t deserve the score she got on an event. It was a high score but his daughter had a score higher than my child. My child is his child’s competition at every meet.
NCAA proposes creating new subdivision (paying athletes $$$)
Not sure if anyone follows college football, but the NCAA has proposed creating a new subdivision specifically targeted towards the large Power 5 programs (Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, etc). This will create a division that allows the universities to directly pay student-athletes, NIL money versus the various NFP collectives that do that now. You might be asking what does this have to do with gymnastics? The proposal outlines that to participate in this subdivision, schools must...
What is your threshold for driving vs. flying to a meet?
What is your driving distance/time limit? What is your gray zone of driving distance that leaves you debating if the cost of flying/car rental is worth it?
I’m not sure if most people know… but USA Gymnastics has some great webinars that are available to the general public. The above is the recording of a webinar that went over early sports specialization and overuse injuries by Dr Emily Sweeney. WEBINAR RECORDING PDF DOCUMENT Dr. Sweeney also provided a great PDF document to accompany the slide show which you can see below… Link Removed DISCUSSION I’d love to start a discussion on this and see what everyone’s thought are. This is a huge...
Non athletic body
(Image added and thread featured by ChalkBucket) So my Gymnast is just entering her teenage years, her head coach has said she doesn't have an athletic body. Since last year her body shape has changed, she has hips that are round and a much fuller chest, but she isn't anywhere near fat, she isn't stuck thin either, but i know that this is what her coach would prefer as every girl in her squad seems to be more of the expected body shape, and coach feels like this is making her sluggish in...
One Thing Every Gymnastics Newbie Should Know?
Link Removed What was the most surprising thing you learned about gymnastics when your child started out in it? Let us know and while your at it... read our latest article by Jen Kula! Link Removed
All About The UK Gymnastics System (UK vs. US Systems)
Below is a post that I copied off of a different thread in order to start a discussion about the UK gymnastics system and how it works as I would like to learn more about it. @Jenny @Faith @Learning Parent GB @Gymbletot Feel free to tag others in this thread.
Let’s discuss technique!
Thanks to @Flippinmom for starting this thread... great discussion. Below is the original post from @Flippinmom... I feel like this thread could go on almost forever... so I'm going to hijack it and feature it! What does good technique mean to you? How do you look for it in a club?
New trend in gym ownership? (The Business Side Of Gymnastics / Powers Gymnastics)
Has anyone had experience with Powers Gymnastics? I am curious to hear about it and if it was positive or negative. It sounds like Jill Powers owns this company and is buying up quite a few gyms in Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina. She appears to be shutting down quite a few of the compulsory and optional programs after purchasing the gyms because those programs are not profitable. The gymnasts are then left having to find another gym, sometimes increasing their commute by an hour, or...
Compulsories wearing graduation year leos
Image added by ChalkBucket There seems to be a new trend with some of the level 3s and 4s at our gym wearing leos with their graduation year on the back (2032! 2033!) I don't think the coaches like this much. I think those parents are crazy and putting way too much pressure on young kids. Thoughts?
My dd is 10 training Hopes and Lvl 9. Her coach just moved gyms and the new location does not have a foam pit. The question is, are airbags and/or resi pits a safe alternative to the traditional foam pit when learning new lvl 9 and 10 skills?
Motivational Gymnastics Quotes / Videos / Etc.
Need some inspiration? Check out our post with all sorts of great quotes from gymnasts and coaches... https://chalkbucket.com/articles/gymnastics-quotes.5/
Why switch to Yurchenko?
DD is competing a tsuk pike this season for l8 and is a strong vaulter. Comp season starts soon, and her coach is talking about having her switch to a yurchenko, which she's not as good at. She feels her tsuk will score really well and isn't excited about making a switch for this season. Is there a reason why yurchenkos are better long-term for vaulting? She's a power kid and very comfortable with her vault right now.
More Options:  Acro & Tumbling And College Club Gymnastics
Link Removed With all of the talk about college gymnastics lately... we thought it would be a great time to share some more options for gymnasts moving into college! Here is our latest article from our writer Jen Kula... Link Removed
Hardest Skill To Acquire
I thought it would be a fun discussion so here goes… What has been the hardest skill for your gymnast to acquire or “get” so far? I don’t mean the most difficult skill necessarily, but the one that took your gymnast the longest to get. Include your gymnast’s level in the comment. Curious to see all the different responses! My Xcel Silver struggled for months to consistently do her ROBHS, and she’s still working hard at her kip
Too many hours (gymnastics) / switch sports
My 11 year dd complaints about the too many hours gym practice, and even she consider switch sports with less hours. Right now 25 hours / week level 6. Is it too much? And Her school has lots of homework.
Small gym woes
DD is an optional gymnast at a small gym. We love the gym and the coaches, but the groups are very small. This year will be the first year that she is the only gymnast competing at her level. Up until now she has had typically at least two or three other girls competing with her in the same level. Regionals is the only meet where she has been alone in the past. We have no desire to switch gyms as DD is happy there and there really aren't any other close options for us. I am just a...
Fast tracking gymnasts
Thanks to @Mom02 for starting this thread! This seems to be a hot topic at gyms everywhere so let's hear what think. After you answer @Mom02's question... TELL US ABOUT THE FAST TRACK PROGRAM AT YOUR GYM. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? DOES YOUR GYM DO TOPS OR YOUR NATIONAL FAST TRACK PROGRAM? https://usagym.org/pages/women/pages/tops.html
Child Development Education for Coaches? (Thoughts & Resources)
Does anyone know of any child development training that a gymnastics club could put coaches through? It could be anything from Youtube videos to an online paid certification. The only thing it can't really be is a college course. What are your thoughts on the subject of coach eduction in child development... and do you know of any good resources for clubs?
Is It Time To Move On? (Tell Us Your Story)
Link Removed It's time for another great article by Jen Kula! Link Removed
Gymnastics Club Red Flags (What Have You Seen?)
Link Removed Are you at the wrong club? Here are 5 simple red flag signs in a great new article by our author Jen Kula... Link Removed
Has your gym switched from asking for volunteers at your host meets to cover the coaching assessment fee to actually charging the assessment fee? OR vs versa for going from assessment fees to volunteering your time? Do you find the assessment fee less hassle than volunteering? Would you be more than willing to volunteer than pay the assessment fee? Has anything worked our for you to gain more volunteers when it appears to be a struggle? Did you gym charge the families that did not...
Hi, my daughter really struggles with anxiety and just started a low dose of Zoloft daily. She is currently competing DP level 5. I know you hear of doping rules and restrictions on medications in the high levels but I wondered if there were any restrictions in these lower levels and also if anxiety medication is a restricted medication in any level?
The Future of Elite
Has elite gymnastics lost some of its lure? Read on and give us you opinion.
Perfect 10 Thread & College Gymnastics Scoring Discussion
Videos of perfect 10's & discussion about college scoring! The three main purposes of this thread... List and provide videos of all the perfect 10's in college. What do you think? Was it a 10 or not? What's your overall take / opinion on college gymnastics scoring? Here is one of the more recent viral perfect 10's... Katelyn Ohashi's perfect 10 on floor for UCLA...
Hi, So my child (8) often has a 5-10 minute turn around from getting home from school to leaving for gymnastics (say home from school at 3:25 and gym starts at 4, so barley time to get changed and shovel some food in on the way (which i imagine hasnt settle properly before warm ups) and then trains until 8pm (with a snack break) this is 3-4 nights a week. We are doing our best to make sure she is fed well but we need some advice and tips to help make sure she is getting adequte meals and...
7 Tips For A Meet-Ready Mindset
Here is our next article by Jen Kula... Link Removed
Just curious where opinion stands on this, there is no right or wrong. And, there are different reasons why people may choose a preference. Personally, I'm adopting a policy to not worry about taking videos at meets. I used to, every event. Now I prefer to just watch and enjoy. Plus, I am terrible at taking pictures and videos with the phone. ;)
2022 TOPs testing
The last TOPs testing is this weekend, and the score cut-offs won’t be released until after then. Anyone have any idea what scoring distributions have looked like?
The cost of high level gymnastics (brace yourself)
Feel free to close your eyes if you prefer, because you can’t unsee this. I saw it on Instagram and it seems accurate to me. I never would have believed these numbers when my daughter was starting out, and never would have thought we would do this (or be able to), but once you’re on the path it’s really difficult to get off, and most don’t realize what is even happening financially until you’re in very very deep. So here you go. Consider yourselves warned.
How many hours do girls practice each week for Xcel Silver and Gold? And what are the benefits of practicing more or less?
Check out the full conversation and all the updates at our sister site… https://gymnaverse.com/threads/fx-ef-inquiry-jordan-chiles-stripped-of-bronze-medal.3147/
What is the deal with the star ratings? I just notice some gymnast have rating and some don't. Some gymnast that are rated that have scored better than others are rated lower? Some gymnast went from 3 stars to 4 stars yet they had a better season last year than this year? Do college coaches really look at this? If so this can be bad for some girls? What are your thoughts?
Coming to Netflix July 17th... Who's looking forward to this?
I attended a not so local meet this weekend and was shocked by the ages of the lower level gymnasts... they had level 4's that I'm pretty sure were 16.... made me curious what the average ages are at different gyms, for us its: Level Two- All are 5 Level Three- Most are 6 and two are 7 Level Four- All are 7 Level Five- All are 8 besides one, who is 11 (third year on L5) Level Seven- Youngest is 7 and oldest is 11 Level Eight- Youngest 8, most are 9/10 and...
Picky Eaters & Milk Drinkers Vs. Muscle Mass
As a Head Coach for many years now... I just wanted to start a conversation about one of the largest things that we see impact the ability of kids to move forwards into upper level gymnastics... eating habits. I've been playing with ChatGPT a bit and decided to ask it a few questions about muscle mass and the way some kids eat. Here is what I asked ChatGPT... Are there any studies showing that picky eaters and people that don't drink milk struggle to build muscle mass? Here is the...
Fred Richard's Uniform Changes At Winter Cup
Here are his Instagram posts about it...
The OG ChalkBucket Kid (Maggie Mae)
Our daughter was born a few months before we created ChalkBucket. Her second season in college is off to a great start! Go AIR FORCE!

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