Parents Gymnastics Camp

[kwnative]

We are looking for a camp to send our L4 girl to. We want to go somewhere we can drive her to, so somewhere in another part of the country won't work. The one closest to us is the Karolyi Camp, which I have read very mixed reviews of. That is the one she is really wanting to go to, mostly because she wants to meet Bela and Martha. The other ones in consideration are the WOGA camp that is just for team girls, the OU camp, or the LSU camp. I realize the WOGA camp is not a sleep away camp, and that's OK. I have places to stay in the Dallas area. All thing equal, I would prefer OU over LSU because I have family in that area I could stay with while I'm there, but if LSU is way better, I want to send her to the best one. Anyone have experience at any of these camps, or have other recommendations in the Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana area? Thanks!

 

[DisMom]

I started a thread a few weeks ago about different camps, so I will try and find the old link. However, the consensus here was that camp is all well and good, but do not expect great things out of it.

Most of the people here said that it was great for a CAMP experience, and sure, they did a lot of gymnastics...but it isn't like they come out of there with tons and tons of new skills, ready to skip a level, and so on. So if your expectations are that your daughter "needs" this or that this will give her an extra boost, I would gently suggest that you lower those expectations. Sure, she might get a new skill or two. But if she is that ready, she would get those skills at her home gym over the summer just as sure.

All of that being said, my kid did a sleep away camp last year at one of the D-I universities and really liked it, had a lot of fun, and learned some new stuff. I like the camps at the universities because they tend to be significantly cheaper than the Ranch, ITC, Woodwards, and the other big names. Of course, they also don't have Olympians. Actually, scratch that. Former Olympian Kristen Maloney was a guest coach. So they don't have the new, hot Olympians.

 

[DisMom]

Here's the link the thread from December. Hope this helps!

http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/w...42-may-winter-but-lets-talk-summer-camps.html

 

[magymmom]

My dd has gone to Karoyli for 2 summers and has had fun but went just for the experience and the chance to have "fun" in a gym setting. She will not go back but that is just our own decision as she is now at a Level where missing gym to go to a "fun" camp is not the best choice for her to make.

 

[kwnative]

No, I don't have unrealistic expectations about what she will gain from going to camp. If she didn't go to a gymnastics camp, she would go to church camp, so this will just be camp that she can do gymnastics at, which is her very favorite thing to do. At this point, I'm kind of leaning toward the Karolyi camp. She wants to go with one of the other girls on her team, so I need to talk to that mom to see what she's thinking. Karolyi is only about an hour from us, and I just found out this morning that one of my daughter's other friends from her gym is going there the same week I was thinking about. I remember last year that a pretty big group from the L4 team at our gym (which is what my daughter is now) all went to that one. They came to the gym all wearing their leos from it. I do realize their gym is older. Bela has had that facility since I was in high school, which was.....ahem.....a "while" back. I guess we could try it out this year, and if we aren't happy with it, we would never have to go back.

 

[Tralliam]

kwnative, this is our position as well. no expectations just a fun week doing what she loves and getting to sleep away. We've heard it's dirty, old, lots of bugs (duh ... it's houston). We will be sending my 7 almost 8 yo dd this summer. It works well for us as my DS is a major ocean nut, so we will drop him at seacamp in Galveston on Sunday, drop her off at Karolyi's on Monday and have a week with just us and the 5 yo. We haven't decided if we'll go spend a week at Port A or go somewhere else.

 

[kaenhu]

Here is an extremely old link to my response to someone a long time ago asking about WOGA camp.

http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/parent-forum/32518-woga-camp.html

My dd is still going there in the summer--it'll be her 6th year or so. I don't have any new comments to add though I will say that last year I think they got too cocky and figured that everyone would pay $$$$$ for the thrill of going to WOGA. Instead of one week (really 5 days) of day camp, 9A-2:30P for $550, they decided to have two 3 day sessions, each session being $550. So they kept the same price but gave us half. I am sure they were hoping a lot of people would shrug their shoulders and fork out double the money to do both sessions but I don't think anyone did. Instead those of us old timers got mad and gave them our feedback and I see now that they are back to the one week thing. I'm sure the fact that none of their athletes made the Olympic team made a difference too.

But anyway--we have always had a good time at WOGA camp. My dd looks forward to it every year and she's repeating level 9 this season. She's been there ever since level 5 or maybe 4, I can't remember now.

My best friend lives 10 minutes away so we stay for free at her house, plus I only have to drive 4 hours to get there from my house in South Texas. If I had to fly and pay for a hotel, I don't think we'd do it. I don't think I'd pay for any camp if I had to do that. But I'm cheap and I've been a gym mom for a long time and maybe I'm just too jaded to care. LOL

Anyway--several people from our gym have done Karolyi's camp with negative results. The last time a group of them went, everyone got food poisoning the first day and spent most of the 2nd day in the infirmary. All the girls said the food was gross. None were particularly impressed with the instruction. One of our coaches who has coached cheerleaders before said that most of the coaches they hire there are really cheer coaches. I don't know how true those statements are, but I would recommend you do your research.

I have never done that camp because I just don't like the way it's run, neither I nor my gymnast cares to meet either of the Karolyis, and I don't care to do business with a business that won't take checks, credit cards, or cashier's checks. Cash only, even if you are sending it in the mail. Sorry but that just doesn't sit well with me.

I can answer any specific questions you have about WOGA camp, as I consider myself an expert there. LOL For 2 years I had 2 gymnasts there (my younger dd quit last season, sniff sniff).

 

[kwnative]

Thank you for the great feedback about both WOGA and Karolyi's! Yes, I had looked at WOGA last year, and then this year, and I noticed that they had made the week longer, although I didn't realize they had decreased it from before. The thing that keeps drawing me back to WOGA is the fact that they offer the competitive training camp that is only for team gymnasts. I think they are the only ones doing that in this whole region, at least as far as I have found. We found out today at the gym that the level 5/6 girls are putting a big group together to go to Karolyi's, and their coach is going with them, and they happen to be doing this the same week I will send my daughter, if that is the one we choose. But that is the ONE coach out of our whole gym that my daughter doesn't know very well at all. She just started working there last summer and only coaches level 5 and up. The biggest drawback to WOGA for me is that they want the whole $600 at once. All the other camps I have found let you hold the spot with a $100 deposit. Karolyi's is now accepting either cash or money orders. There is no way I would send cash in the mail. I would drive up there and hand deliver it before I would do that. I did find it odd that they don't accept credit cards.

 

[ARKGYMMOM]

I think we are going to check out the Arkansas Gymback camp this year. They have really nice dorms and we have a few girls from the gym that have gone before. I do think it is a summer camp and not a OMG my L7 is going to come home an L9 but they do seem to have a lot of fun and have learned a new skill or two.

 

[SignHere]

Fwiw, try to find out how they group the kids at the camp before you pay. A lot of gymnastics camps will test the girls the first day and group them based on bar skills - if she doesn't have her kip, she may be put in with girls whose tumbling skills are limited to cartwheels! I found that out when my DD wanted to go to Woodward as a
Level 4 - huge waste of $$$$!