Parents Changing gyms right before meet season?

[daisyb0323]

Is it possible to change gyms right before meet season? Will the new gym suggest gymnast simply train and sit this meet season out or can the gymnast compete given that choreography, etc is from the previous gym? How does this work?

 

[Carly]

It really depends on the gym that you are switching to. Every gym has different policies.

 

[rlm's mom]

Ask the gym you want to switch to. If your daughter has competition ready routines at the level they want her to compete I don't see why they would make her sit out the season.

 

[gymjunkie]

It happens all the time. I have actually never heard of a gym telling a new member they have to sit out a season because of the time of year they switched. If their standards are higher than the previous gym, they might say you can't compete at the level you were hoping to compete at or might have you scratch an event that is not up to par, but that would not be because you switched right before season it would be because of their "competition readiness rules" that would apply to their existing team members.

 

[Coach Kate]

We just had three athletes switch 4-6 weeks before our first meet. They were also switching from development to Xcel, two of whom were compulsories (2nd year Level 3s), but we got them music and choreography, and have them all ready with their requirements and routines. One of them probably could have been a higher Xcel level if she had switched at the beginning of summer, but we had to go with what skills she already had, not ones she could train and have in a few months. All three girls are so happy and are great fits with their groups, so we are glad to have them and excited to have them compete with us.

One issue no one seems to have mentioned is space. With these three, we are 100% full with our ratios for each level, so we absolutely cannot take anyone else. We do typically shut off requests about trialing with us from January-May so that we can focus on our season.

 

[Tiger93]

My daughter’s gym lets gymnasts join mid season, they just don’t guarantee that they will be able to be added to each meet depending on if it is full but they try hard to get them in. They typically have a few extra competition leotards just in case.

 

[IzzyFeet]

We actually just considered this. What I found out was that yes, she can switch. Know if you even walk in another gym, they might have to tell your old gym, and your girl can be "fired" from that team. Even if not accepted to the other team.

That said, I contacted a known coach that moved gyms, and my girl wanted to move. I found out it was more her own issues with the coaches at our gym. I still looked into it for her though.

The other gym coach was really good. She said we've already invested for the season with that gym and if in any way we and her can make it work do that. Financially, it's a super huge cost to move right before season. She also said the friend aspect can be difficult. It takes time to build the team mentality and a new person doesn't just walk in and make all the friends. That can make for a bad season.

I was told that we can totally change to her when we wanted cause she knows my kid and her skills, and she wouldn't even need to tryout or qualify to be on that team, but in the interest of the girl, she thought it best to stay. I explained this to my kid and she made the decision to stay. She was leaning...for over 2 weeks of not attending practice, to leave or quit forever.

I really appreciated the advice from the other coach, and her not tattling on us that we were looking to move.

 

[doublestrike]

As long as the new gym has room and can get her into competitions, it happens. Some gyms will be full though and unable to fit new gymnasts in. At this point a lot of comps will be full as well.