Parents Does anyone else worry while watching gymmies practice?

[UnoMas]

Last year, my DD experienced a couple minor injuries, a scary fall off the high bar, and had a repetitive use injury with her knee. She hurt her ankle pretty badly last year at practice doing...of all things...the hitchkick in the L5 floor routine. Of course every time I watched her do the hitchkick or do her tap swings on the high bar, I cringed.

Now I find myself waiting for her to get hurt/worrying about her getting hurt when she is pretty much doing anything at the gym. Every time she does a tumbling pass or a flyaway, I worry. I even worry when she is doing leaps and jumps because I remember how she hurt herself on that dumb hitchkick!!

I know getting hurt is a very real risk all the time...but does anyone else worry all the time? I am trying not to watch practice as much as I used to but our new gym is a lot farther away and I often get stuck there, not wanting to fight traffic. I think maybe some of it is she is learning SO MUCH new stuff and I am just worrying that she is going to hurt herself trying all these new things.

I don't worry as much with younger DD but she is repeating L4 and trying to perfect L4 so she is not doing as "risky" of moves.

Thanks for reading! The girls are super happy in their new gym, and I absolutely love it. Their first meet is in November...they are just now touching on routines so I know they are getting ready!

 

[dmytv]

yes, I think it is normal to worry. I sometimes breathe a sigh of relief when she does the beam. I am like, yeah, she didn't hurt herself. Sometimes I wish my kids took up chess! lol

 

[txgymfan]

Just a suggestion, when you have to be at practice find a quiet corner where you can read. Is there a park nearby where you can take a walk, or a coffee shop? I know you trust their coach so it may be better if you just don't watch.

 

[vagymmomma]

I find it hard not to worry a little (DD was scaring me when she first started flyaways -- funny thing is that I feel better now she's flying higher and further). The reality is most injuries I see with our gymnasts happen outside the gym. They twist an ankle at recess, try to do a back handspring on the lawn, etc. Accidents will happen -- like you said -- a hitchkick? really? Have faith in your gymmie, the coaches and the equipment -- accidents may happen, but the odds are against it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

stop watching...do something else.

 

[dinkalina]

worry while watching gymmies practice - you bet I do

Hello, I will honestly admit I am the mom who claps her hands over her mouth to stiffle screams when my kids do scary things. I also cry when my dancers perform on stage no matter how many time's I've seen the same ole routine. I can't help it. The oldest daughter, who is the dancer, takes gymnastics in the summers. Last night she was trying to do front tucks in the foam pit and kicked herself in the head with her own knee hard to hear the smack all the way across the gym. It's like watching a train wreck - you can see it all unfold in slow motion and yet you can't look away. I have the irrational thought that if I don't watch every minute, they will hurt themselves badly. BeeBee Loo, the regular gymnast, scares me on a weekly basis during class. BeeBee Loo will stroll out of class and ask me - Did I scare you today mom? Every time baby, every time. It never fails to make her laugh....

 

[mamaoftwo]

When I stay, I worry. Each and every time. It doesn't help that my current worst fear happened in the spring when one of the little 5 year olds fell off the rope. It took a few months for me not to panic inside whenever they climbed the ropes.

Since the summer practice schedule began I've been leaving, though, and I've been much less stressed out about it! For the first time, DS's class was on a different day - I wasn't able to schedule them together - so we were free to leave. I am dreading the fall schedule starting and having to stay - it'll be worse on my mental health for sure (no matter what gym we're in). My DS has his rec class at the same time again, which I stay for as he definitely needs me there. The time that just DD has her class is only one hour - not enough time to do anything productive, really. Though, I must say I am definitely bringing my homework with me this year to stay occupied.

Those days I am most nervous about it or have the worst feelings? DD hurts herself. Thankfully it's always been minor (the worst one so far was when she managed to fall off the little beam and smack the side of her face on it), but it certainly doesn't help on the days I stay and think about it!

Good luck and I say try to leave (at least for a portion) or stay occupied while you're there - I think it will definitely help you! I am a worrier by nature, and it's helped tremendously for me.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Last year, my DD experienced a couple minor injuries, a scary fall off the high bar, and had a repetitive use injury with her knee. She hurt her ankle pretty badly last year at practice doing...of all things...the hitchkick in the L5 floor routine. Of course every time I watched her do the hitchkick or do her tap swings on the high bar, I cringed.

Now I find myself waiting for her to get hurt/worrying about her getting hurt when she is pretty much doing anything at the gym. Every time she does a tumbling pass or a flyaway, I worry. I even worry when she is doing leaps and jumps because I remember how she hurt herself on that dumb hitchkick!!

I know getting hurt is a very real risk all the time...but does anyone else worry all the time? I am trying not to watch practice as much as I used to but our new gym is a lot farther away and I often get stuck there, not wanting to fight traffic. I think maybe some of it is she is learning SO MUCH new stuff and I am just worrying that she is going to hurt herself trying all these new things.

I don't worry as much with younger DD but she is repeating L4 and trying to perfect L4 so she is not doing as "risky" of moves.

Thanks for reading! The girls are super happy in their new gym, and I absolutely love it. Their first meet is in November...they are just now touching on routines so I know they are getting ready!

OMG.. Alex also twisted her ankle doing the hitchkick...at a meet. I have the whole thing on video. Everyone was like....what just happened? Noone expects them to mess up on that skill. It was the first meet of her L5 season. Right after that she had to vault.

I don't stay and watch. However we are about 10 min from the gym so it is easy for me to leave. If we lived alot further I could see myself staying just cause I hate driving and I would spend too much money if I left to go shopping or something.

 

[Natasha]

Does your gym safely use progressions to teach skills? As long as your gym doesn't allow kids to just "chuck" skills, the risk of serious injury is quite low. I think 99% of the gyms out there are very safe, but I do know of one gym where the parents should be worried!
Can you identify what in particular has you worried? (For instance is it your dd being in pain, missing out on competitions, setback in training, etc.) Fact is almost all of our kids are going to have injuries at some time- either in or out of gym. Some will be minor, others may be major. So, trying to "convince" ourselves that they won't get hurt is probably futile. IMHO, it is better to identify the particular fear, recognize that it is just a reality, and deal with it.

Last spring my dd started training her BHS on beam. (Her first skill that for the past couple years I knew was coming and I thought it would terrify me). SHe had it on the floor beam for a long time, then started progressions to the high beam. I thought I would be terrified watching her on the high beam, but after watching her progressions with the low beam and mats, it wasn't that scary to watch. A week after she had the skill solid on the High beam, she was working on connecting it on the floor beam (something that I never thought to be worried about) and she fractured her wrist. After a cast and PT, 7 weeks later she was 1 week away from being approved to start back full tumbling and she broke the same wrist again playing around in the back yard (not gymnastics)! 5 weeks later she was able to start full training again. During the 12 weeks she attended all practices, staying for the majority if not the whole time. She did loads of extra conditioning and worked on all the dance stuff (which she does not like!) SHe learned a great deal about perserverence.

While we were in the middle of all of this, we were thinking she may not even be able to do L7 this year and my dd was very upset about missing almost the entire "uptraining" season. BUT she has now been back full training for 3 weeks. Now, being on the other side of her injury, there are things I am thankful for...One of the things I love about gymnastics is the lessons my dd learns- perserverence, determination, facing fears. She is learning those lessons 10x more with coming back from her injury. And a few unexpected bonuses- Last week she got her clear hip to handstand and yesterday she did a giant by herself. She wasn't anywhere close to those skills before she fractured her wrist. She says now they seem so much easier- All the extra conditioning she did over the summer helped those skills probably more than if she had been working the skills all summer. And her vault is better now from all the focus on her run all summer. AND we are expecting some really pretty leaps and jumps on beam and floor since those are the few skills she reallly worked on for 3 months. AND she now has a great opportunity to grow as she works through her fears of getting that BHS back on the high beam (She's almost there- taking one mat away each day). It is quite possible that this injury (x2) will be the best thing for her gymnastics "marathon." When the next big challenge comes (in or our of the gym) she will be able to draw on all the strengths she has acquired through this experience.

Sorry, that was a long-winded post. I say all of this to point out that while injuries are disappointing and certainly hard to deal with, they are part of life (in and out of gymnastics) and have the potential for the same great life lessons that our girls learn in this sport. At least that is what I am going to tell myself as I go to pick up my dd from practice where she just informed me she is starting to work straddle-backs on bars (I think I'll not watch that yet...lol).

 

[mayestra12]

Yes, I worry. I can't watch for that reason. In fact I just picked dd up at her rec camp and she showed me her back headspring on the cheese mat. Yikes! I tried not to show any worry but I wanted to yank her out so fast!

I really can't wait until she can do the bhs so I don't have to worry so much!

 

[cher062]

Yup we all do worry!! through L4 and L5 I think I went gray LOL. when L6 came that was when I decided it's better just not to watch. Maybe once a month I migh take a peak now and every time I do I regret it as I watch DD doing L8 fips and tumbles. My heart is in my throat for her and her team mates. I've learned I really can wait until i see the end results in the meets.

If I have to stay I bring some craft, book, or something to do instead of watching.

 

[gymmom14]

My dd competed L8 last year. I feel her gym does a good job of preparing them and I don't watch much. When I do see something I always end of saying to myself... hmmm, that looked pretty safe. lol. I don't know what I was expecting. haha EXCEPT vault last year. The tsuk almost made me want to vomit at every meet. DD was just not very good at it and the vault was scary to watch. This year will be the yurchenko. I only saw her do it once and it looked promising. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[UnoMas]

OMG.. Alex also twisted her ankle doing the hitchkick...at a meet. I have the whole thing on video. Everyone was like....what just happened? Noone expects them to mess up on that skill. It was the first meet of her L5 season. Right after that she had to vault.

I don't stay and watch. However we are about 10 min from the gym so it is easy for me to leave. If we lived alot further I could see myself staying just cause I hate driving and I would spend too much money if I left to go shopping or something.

I remember when Alex did that on the hitchkick. About a month later, I sat and watched my DD do it in practice 5 days before her first meet!!! I actually think that because I watched that one, and I watched the fall off the high bar, I am always expecting to watch something else happen. I do try not to stay, but the gym is a good 25 min away and sometimes I just don't have the energy to fight the traffic. There is lots of good shopping around but if I shop too much I won't be able to pay my gym bill!

 

[UnoMas]

Thanks everyone, it is good to hear that others worry too. DD is competing in dance AND gym this year and so if she gets hurt it will be a double whammy sort of...Also, I think being at a new gym just makes me nervous even though I do trust the coaches, it's still a little unfamiliar and like I said she is working so many new things where as last year she was just doing L5 routines over and over.
Since school is starting I am sure I will have less time to watch and worry, so that's a good thing.