Parents A bit confused huge brag;)

[My3bugs]

Hello to all you wonderful Gymnastics parents!
I was a gymnast growing up and love the sport. I took my soon to be 4yo DD to the gym near our home for open gym the other day and I left feeling very confused and of course so excited. We were there for 5 minutes when the coach came up to me and said "has she taken gymnastics at all before?" I said no and she said " she has the exact body of a gymnast". I found that very odd. She is only 4 and how can a coach really foresee what a child will end up looking like physically? Weird. Anyways, so since I used to coach 3/4 year old gymnasts through the rec dept, I started going through the normal things I would teach them. We went through each event and she was just so good. The coach just kept watching us and following us around. Then she came up to me while my daughter was on the high beam and said she wants her to move up a level. She isn't even in a class. Lol! I reminded her of this fact and she said oh and walk away. As we were walking away she took me aside and said please put her in a class. If you do, I can assure you she will be very, very good. WOW! So cool!

Now the bad news, I was hoping to get her in asap so the coach would remember her. We just found out she needs her tonsils out on Thursday. Now she won't be able to be in a class for 3 weeks. She probably will forget all about it by the time we get back in there.

Do you think that this is common? Being picked out like that. She zeroed in on Josie within minutes. My parents were never able to afford all that comes with competitive gymnastics so I did rec. I am hoping to be able to do more for Josie, if she ends up loving it like I did. Anybody have this happen? Guess I need to get her in a class

Sara

 

[Blackie6]

Hi Sara, welcome to the CB! We have friends who had a DD "picked out" at age 3, she is a talented 7 year old L5 now. I believe it was just an observation of flexibility, willingness to try things without fear, taking directions & corrections, and some strength. I imagine any coach who has been in a gym for awhile can pick up on these things easily. Maybe some of your love for gymnastics rubbed off on her too, LOL. Just an FYI, seems like you have a lot of identifying info in your user name. For privacy reasons, you may want to change that up a bit some your whole name isn't in it. In one post I already know waaayyy too much.

 

[My3bugs]

Lol Blackie! Definitely a good idea, thanks for the reply!

 

[suebee]

Do you know the coach's name? Can you call her and ask her what class you should sign your dd up for? I'm a relative gym-newbie, but it's my understanding that most classes for preschoolers are based on age, rather than skill, except for invitational classes. It sounds like the coach was saying that your dd may be too advanced for the typical age-based class. DD's gym has invitational classes/pre-team starting at 4, but they also occasionally allow 3 year olds to join.

 

[sglemon]

Honestly, I would have walked out, when she commented about her body. I wouldn't put my child somewhere, where criteria of choosing a team member is based on body shape. But that is just me, I am not raising an Olympian, just a child who enjoys doing gymnastics.

also since her body shape won't change in 3 weeks, I would concentrate on her health now.

 

[My3bugs]

Wow, #1 I agree it was weird and made me second guess the coach/gym. #2 I am also not going to raise an Olympian nor want to. I am just raising 3 little girls and Josie is my middle child. I was excited she got some special attention, it made her so happy. #3 and most important, I in no way worried about her body shape changing in 3 weeks/months/years/decades WTH? This is my second daughter who has had Tonsil/Adenoid surgery so I know what to expect and am not as freaked out as I was the first time. Please do not suggest I am not concerned about my childs' health.

I just was happy for my little one, that is it. She was so happy on the balance beam that day. Huge smile, so cute. Thanks for your input???

 

[My3bugs]

Yes, suebee I was thinking I might give her a call when my daughter starts feeling up to activities. She has never taken a class before so I am sure she wasn't suggesting going to an invitational class. I wouldn't even do that if they suggested it because I don't even know yet if she would really like it. Sure seemed like it though!

 

[KimmeeA13]

I have definitely heard of children being "picked out" at a young age, although usually it's kids who are in a rec class, and I'd hope they go on more than just body shape/build. If I were in your shoes, I'd do this: call the gym and find out about class schedules based on whatever criteria they use (age, probably), and let them know she won't actually be able to start for a few weeks. It sounds like she has a natural affinity for gymnastics and Blackie6 is right about there being other "indicators" other than just body shape or raw talent. She won't lose those things in the few weeks between now and the time she starts classes, plus it will give her something to look forward to once she's fully recovered. Welcome to CB!

 

[sportyspice]

Yep, she probably does have natural talent as you were a gymnast yourself? Will she lose an opportunity at age 4, no. If you took her out of all gym classes and just went down to a park or beach everyday for a year would she still have the same gymnastic potential? Yes. Go very slowly, you know what CGMs look like don't you?

 

[iwannacoach]

Don't worry about the coach forgetting her, because that's not going to happen. There are very few coaches who are going tag along just because a kid is the right size, shape, and proportions. It's likely there was something else she noticed, as well, in the way she moved and the ease she demonstrated in doing the difficult ordinary things like climbing up/onto the high beam.

She'll remember................

 

[sjm2b3]

I have two kiddos who were both pulled out early into 'special' classes. The kids are now 7 and 8 and doing competitive gymnastics. My littlest DD never did a regular preschool class; she was in different tracks from age 3.5 on. I was talking to another mom about this very thing tonight--I am sometimes sad that she never got to do obstacle courses and just have 'fun', but she did do open gym for an hour a few times a month back then and it was purely play time and she always loved going to her classes.

The point I will make is that I really don't think starting that early in a specialized class had huge advantages to my DD with respect to gymnastics--yes, it helped her flexibility and strength, but her skills just took off between age 5.5-7 and so if she had started at 5 it would have probably been a similar thing. BUT, I do see a HUGE advantage in the specialized classes with respect to listening. DD was taught in those classes how to listen and really focus and I think it helped tons and tons in preschool and kindergarten, and still now in first grade. So, I guess my point is people will tell you it's okay to wait, and it totally is, but there are some great advantages of doing gym early with respect to kids' focus. I always thank gymnastics for my kids' report cards, and I am not really joking!

 

[nameless]

i'm so happy for you and your dd! i had a similar experience with my lil one when she was near 4 and at a trial class, really, i still love that day and the way the GO made my dau and i feel.. he said, "who trained her?" i said, "no one." she was asked on team that day. i do not think that the coach will forget. cograts! it always feels nice when someone takes special interest in your kid. especially a middle child. good luck!