Parents Ages, hours, Pre-team and TOPS

[Acdmom]

Wow just typing out the title seemed like a mouth full but I definitely could use some advice. My DD is 5 years old, and is in an accelerated rec class. Not exactly a pre-team but on track for that hopefully later this year. About 3 weeks ago she was asked to start tops training part time (2 hrs a week). She is currently in the gym 4-5 hrs a week and now with Tops she is at 6. The problem is that the tops class is right before her rec class. And that means she is at the gym for 4 hrs on this day. By the time she gets to her rec class, she is a mess; tired, not listening and not wanting to do skills we know she can do. I am contemplating taking a "break" from tops until she makes pre team because then her class schedule would staggered and she would not have class on her TOPS training day. But my fear in all of this would be that she would miss out on this amazing opportunity to start TOPS training at such a young age or that they could possibly not let her join back again. I guess my questions are A) how many hours do most 5 yr olds train/or how much is too much, B) those with TOPS experience, if you take a break, are you generally welcomed back? When we talked about the break in general with my DD she was against it and was super upset because she loves it already and C) my DD has only been doing it for 3 weeks, could it be just an adjustment to the schedule? She seemed ok the first 2 weeks but coming off of this long weekend she was just a mess this week.
Thank you all so much in advance! My daughter just loves the sport and would typically do it 24/7 if we would let her, so I want to make sure we are making the right decisions and supporting her 110%. Being a new "gym mom" I can use all the advice I can get sorry for the rant!

 

[duyetanh]

I am no TOPS expert, but imho if the TOPS program means that much to her, and she doesn't get back into the 'swing of things' in a week, so to speak, I would do the TOPS program and then miss the rec program on that day. Just remember, she is 5.

 

[Acdmom]

I am no TOPS expert, but imho if the TOPS program means that much to her, and she doesn't get back into the 'swing of things' in a week, so to speak, I would do the TOPS program and then miss the rec program on that day. Just remember, she is 5.

That is a really good point. ..I didn't even think to consider that as an option. She still is at the gym 2 other days, so maybe this could be a good option until she has a schedule change! Thank you

 

[strawberries]

4 hrs straight is crazy for a 5 yr old. Skip the rec that day, or ask if there is another rec class on a different day she could sub in. Sounds like plenty of weekly hrs though it her way.

 

[strawberries]

"either way," not, "it her way."

 

[Acdmom]

"either way," not, "it her way."

Thank you! I feel like it's a LONG chunk of time for sure. The other girls in the program are on team and a few years older so I think they are just used to longer hours.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

I think 4 hours in one day is way too much at age 5. I would drop that rec class. So she has 3 rec classes per week plus tops right now? I think dropping one would still leave plenty of gym time. She is so young.

 

[Acdmom]

I think 4 hours in one day is way too much at age 5. I would drop that rec class. So she has 3 rec classes per week plus tops right now? I think dropping one would still leave plenty of gym time. She is so young.

She does. We have been contemplating dropping 1 of the rec classes for a while so I'm thinking this is going to be our best bet until she is a little older. Thank you so much!

 

[Sasha]

If she has been invited to a TOPS class, it's a pretty sure bet they have targeted her for team/preteam track, so I would also skip the rec class. All 5 year olds are different, but I'd say a 2 hour class is reasonable for a focused one. Though some 5 year olds 'could' do a 4 hour class, but I don't think it's optimally productive, even if she wasn't saying she was tired. Better to space over different days.

3-6 hours a week seems appropriate for a talented 5 year old who is enjoying herself and not showing regular signs of over-tiredness and disinterest.

Some gyms can be finicky about who is invited to TOPS, so if that opportunity is important to you, and your daughter likes the training, I'd try to prioritize that.

Skip the rec and enjoy TOPS. Have fun!

 

[Acdmom]

Thank you so much! I'm honestly so glad I asked on here (I was contemplating back and forth) My DD claims she isn't tired, but I definitely can tell its a lot for her to take in right now.
I really appreciate your advice and everyone else's.

 

[ZJsMom]

6 hours a week for a 5 year old is reasonable, but 4 hours in a row is not. My DS didn't start doing practice that long until he was 8 or 9. Even at that age, it was a hard adjustment and he would be fried by the end.

 

[strawberries]

One of the most important things you can do as a parent in gymnastics (from age 5 through L10) is find ways to leave them wanting more. It makes all the difference!

 

[MAcastsalot]

Did she also just start school? That can add to the adjustment, but I agree with the others that 4 hours is just too much at that age for most kids.

 

[AmarisDad]

I agree with Sasha. There should be a golden highlight around her post and a sign that says LOOK HERE!!!! My DD is 5 same situation so we are walking that path she mentioned now and it's been great. Enjoy it, have fun, and Best of luck to you!

 

[LJL07]

We've been struggling with this too. I'm glad you asked. My 5 yr old is pretty much maxed out in the evenings with the 2.5 hour practice twice a week. Hers ends at 8 though, and she is done by 8. Doesn't want to quit either but 8 is very late after a full day of school and early mornings. If we had a TOPs option, and we don't, I would prioritize the one day of TOPs also and skip rec class. They need their rest. This is coming from the crazy mother who is also allowing her daughter to do tiny cheer team.

 

[l.c.o]

I agree with the others - definitely skip the rec and do the tops. Does all coaching know she's doing both on the same day? You might want to mention it to the office staff and I bet you may even get a partial account credit for the tuition. If not, I still say dropping it (rec class) is the best bet. And if you can't officially drop it and you don't get refunded, the benefit of that is you can keep that spot "warm" just in case... Or use it in special circumstances when your DD misses a different class or TOPS is canceled one week for X reason, or DD has an after school thing that conflicts with TOPS but not the rec class, etc. you get the idea. Though if the three rec classes are bundled together, that might affect it.

At DD and DS's gym, they're pretty flexible with some movement between the preteam stream and rec, and they happily transfer credits on accounts. For example, if your kid wasn't ready for preteam, they'll happily credit your rec account the preteam fees, or if you sign up for rec and later get an invite to preteam, also transferred.

 

[Chloerose]

If she is doing TOPS then there is no need for rec class. I don't know why the gym would even let her do both especially on the same day. what she is learning in Tops is way more advanced than what she would learn in a rec class. I know in my gym if your invited to join that means your good so why not move her to pre-team or even team. IMO.

 

[Beasty]

My dd was doing 9hrs at 5 1/2 including a 4hr session. This increased just after she turned 6 to 12hr which was 2 4hr sessions. She coped really well with it, 2 sessions finished at 8pm. She is now nearly 8 and trains 19hrs a week, 2 4hr sessions, 1 4 1/2hrs and a 6 1/2 hrs one. The increases have been gradual so she's not really noticed to much.

I think it depends on the individual child as to weather they can manage a long session. Good luck to your dd she sounds like she's doing really well.

 

[GymAuntie]

4 hrs straight is crazy for a 5 yr old. Skip the rec that day, or ask if there is another rec class on a different day she could sub in. Sounds like plenty of weekly hrs though it her way.

I completely agree. My niece just turned 5 and there's absolutely no way she could do 4 hours in one day in gym. I think the most she could do right now is 90 minutes.

I guess I'm curious as to why you've loaded up so many hours at such a young age. We just did a gym switch with my niece and the most the new gym would recommend for her is 3 hours per week. I think that's the most any 5 year old does there.

I think you might want to remember that gymnastics is not a sprint but a marathon. Who cares if she is the youngest tops qualifier if she is burned out at 9?

I'm in no way telling you how to parent, but I started a thread about moving my niece from an xcel only gym to jo and a general theme from posters was "She's only 5 and should be having fun." I don't know too many 5 year old kids who'd have fun doing 4 hours of anything in one day.

My father is a professional baseball scout, and he sees parents pushing kids too hard too fast and they lose desire to do it at all. My brother had one pushy aggressive baseball coach, and that was all it took for him to quit the sport all together, and he had professional potential at 10.

So I guess my thought would be keep the tops if she enjoys it that much but back off the rec a bit. At our new gym they don't do 6 hours a week until level 4. That's 7 or 8 years old. Tops will compensate for the loss in rec hours. And if your daughter is talented, she will make preteam. Oh and if it's the gym encouraging 4 hours of rec a week for the 5 year old I might be asking myself if they are more about money than nurturing an athlete's development.

 

[LJL07]

6 hours/week is awfully low for level 4. 7&8 yr olds are also on the young side for level 4. Maybe not as much for TOPs kids, but for general team kids, that's young. 4 hours a week of rec is a lot for rec, but not preteam. We are in an area that competes levels 1&2. Many of the kids are in the 6&7 age range, but there are some 5 yr olds. The 4 hour stretch at once is a lot, but the level 1&2s do 5-6 hours a week. I mentioned above that my 5 yr old is pretty tired after the 2.5 hours. I will say it's getting better as she is adjusting to school hours. I figure we will have good and bad days. I do agree about pushing kids too hard and too fast.

I completely agree. My niece just turned 5 and there's absolutely no way she could do 4 hours in one day in gym. I think the most she could do right now is 90 minutes.

I guess I'm curious as to why you've loaded up so many hours at such a young age. We just did a gym switch with my niece and the most the new gym would recommend for her is 3 hours per week. I think that's the most any 5 year old does there.

I think you might want to remember that gymnastics is not a sprint but a marathon. Who cares if she is the youngest tops qualifier if she is burned out at 9?

I'm in no way telling you how to parent, but I started a thread about moving my niece from an xcel only gym to jo and a general theme from posters was "She's only 5 and should be having fun." I don't know too many 5 year old kids who'd have fun doing 4 hours of anything in one day.

My father is a professional baseball scout, and he sees parents pushing kids too hard too fast and they lose desire to do it at all. My brother had one pushy aggressive baseball coach, and that was all it took for him to quit the sport all together, and he had professional potential at 10.

So I guess my thought would be keep the tops if she enjoys it that much but back off the rec a bit. At our new gym they don't do 6 hours a week until level 4. That's 7 or 8 years old. Tops will compensate for the loss in rec hours. And if your daughter is talented, she will make preteam. Oh and if it's the gym encouraging 4 hours of rec a week for the 5 year old I might be asking myself if they are more about money than nurturing an athlete's development.