First I would consider if you and grandma are able to pay and make the time commitment of gymnastics because it sounds like her parents can't. I don't have a problem with that, you and grandma just have to make sure you can do it moving forward. If she makes it on a preteam it will probably be more hours and more money, then she could competing as soon as in a year which is going to cost you for the warm up, tuition, meet fees, and coaches/booster fees. You might need to keep her at the smaller gym for a bit longer because of that. It would be fine to switch her as a 6 year old.
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B.Gold
Proud Parent
If there is anything I've learned in the last 12 years it is this. Thank you for saying it again, it is so very important. Without the love and passion forget it. She's 4 and happy.
motigymnasticsmom
Proud Parent
I think its easier in compulsories because everyone else IS doing the same routine and one is built upon the other in the next level. Just my two cents worth thats all.
We may be in your area-If there is a way to pm on chalk bucket, you are welcome to pm me. My daughter competes JO level 3 this year at a gym with both JO and excel programs. She loves it there. And I love the coaches and community there too. We have a few other gyms in the area that do not do JO. Her l3 team has a some kids on it who competed aau (I think) last year at other places and discovered that they really enjoyed competing and wanted to pursue a JO route for the longer term. I think it wouldn't be that difficult to make the switch at a young age/low level. Would she get to compete excel bronze this year? Or are they wanting to wait a year and have her do bronze or silver at age 6? I'm no expert-but might fit the "local" category you are looking for-so again- feel free to contact me
Ok, so I just reread, and I see what you were saying about wanting to start preteam somewhere by sept. So essentially, if you stay at current place and don't start preteam till next year, they would mean 2 more years till she competes. (Age 7 by then) You will soon find out that there is a wide WIDE range of age philosophies that different gyms tend to have. Some have Level 2 teams made up of all 5-6 year olds, and some 10 and up! There are pros and cons to both--I'm sure. But if her being with kids her age is a factor for you -it might make a difference when/if you switch. If she is at a gym that competes mainly older girls, and waits years to switch to the gym that starts them younger-it might be a harder switch-just something to consider. It really just depends on the gym she ultimately ends up with, I think. If she goes to a big place that has opportunities to enter levels at many different ages, it may not matter at all!
I appreciate all the wonderful comments here. I wanted to take a minute to answer the questions that stick out to me.
1. Current gym says they have an optional program, but all the meet scores and everything indicates they currently have no gymnasts in that area. The most anyone trains there is 9-12 hours per week so I doubt they have a good optional program if they have any at all. I think the owner has decided his bottom line is better focusing on girls who enjoy it but do not strive for anything beyond high school. I understand that, but it may not be good for our situation.
2. The other gym has 7 5 year olds and 1 6 year old in pre-team. I was told the 6 year old came to them middle of last year. They compete beginning at level 4.
3. If she was moved back to pre-team she would train with the bronze team but only compete in 2 in house and 1 away meet informally. She's still not allowed to compete formally until she's 6 so in either place competition is still a year away.
4. My mother is retired and in her early 60's which I believe makes a huge difference in what iss possible. If she were in her 70's I don't think I'd even pursue this but mom is still young and relatively healthy. So her being chauffeur is like her job now since she had to leave her job due to a back injury (limited duty was not an option and she can't lift at least the 50 pounds required). So that is not really an issue.
5. Finances aren't an issue either. Between me and my brother (her uncle) she will have what she needs to do Olympic level training if it comes to that. Neither of us have children so we are happy to give those resources to her.
6. Her dad is simply not interested in extra-curricular activity period. He'd love it if she sat at home and watched Netflix all the time. He wasn't involved as a kid so he doesn't really care for her to be. All three of us were very involved. My sister started cheering at 2 as the team mascot. All of us had a more than respectable list of extra curricular activities to go on college applications.
7. RE the time, money, and investment: My father is a professional baseball scout. We are more than well informed about what it takes to get to the highest level of a sport, and it's not an issue for anyone. Probably his background is why I care so early. I want to be sure she has the tools to get her where she may want to go later.
8. RE other sports: We've tried. She prefers "flippy class" over anything else. She likes to draw but not as much as gym. She does cheer but would quit in a minute if gym were a conflict. She's not played other sports mainly because of her size, and she's just now old enough. But so far you can ask her which do you like gym or xyz and gym is always her answer. She is definitely driving this bus right now. Sure that may change next year, but she's been doing gynastics around the house since she was old enough to try her first move. She has done mommy and me 2 years before moving into this gym and she liked it. This is definitely not something we are forcing on her.
Please do keep the comments coming though. I'm very much enjoying what you all have to say.
1. Current gym says they have an optional program, but all the meet scores and everything indicates they currently have no gymnasts in that area. The most anyone trains there is 9-12 hours per week so I doubt they have a good optional program if they have any at all. I think the owner has decided his bottom line is better focusing on girls who enjoy it but do not strive for anything beyond high school. I understand that, but it may not be good for our situation.
2. The other gym has 7 5 year olds and 1 6 year old in pre-team. I was told the 6 year old came to them middle of last year. They compete beginning at level 4.
3. If she was moved back to pre-team she would train with the bronze team but only compete in 2 in house and 1 away meet informally. She's still not allowed to compete formally until she's 6 so in either place competition is still a year away.
4. My mother is retired and in her early 60's which I believe makes a huge difference in what iss possible. If she were in her 70's I don't think I'd even pursue this but mom is still young and relatively healthy. So her being chauffeur is like her job now since she had to leave her job due to a back injury (limited duty was not an option and she can't lift at least the 50 pounds required). So that is not really an issue.
5. Finances aren't an issue either. Between me and my brother (her uncle) she will have what she needs to do Olympic level training if it comes to that. Neither of us have children so we are happy to give those resources to her.
6. Her dad is simply not interested in extra-curricular activity period. He'd love it if she sat at home and watched Netflix all the time. He wasn't involved as a kid so he doesn't really care for her to be. All three of us were very involved. My sister started cheering at 2 as the team mascot. All of us had a more than respectable list of extra curricular activities to go on college applications.
7. RE the time, money, and investment: My father is a professional baseball scout. We are more than well informed about what it takes to get to the highest level of a sport, and it's not an issue for anyone. Probably his background is why I care so early. I want to be sure she has the tools to get her where she may want to go later.
8. RE other sports: We've tried. She prefers "flippy class" over anything else. She likes to draw but not as much as gym. She does cheer but would quit in a minute if gym were a conflict. She's not played other sports mainly because of her size, and she's just now old enough. But so far you can ask her which do you like gym or xyz and gym is always her answer. She is definitely driving this bus right now. Sure that may change next year, but she's been doing gynastics around the house since she was old enough to try her first move. She has done mommy and me 2 years before moving into this gym and she liked it. This is definitely not something we are forcing on her.
Please do keep the comments coming though. I'm very much enjoying what you all have to say.
Just an update on the current gym: I went to the webpage now to see if Level 7 is mentioned at all, and the answer is no. Only pre-team and Xcel are options so it looks as if they've dropped compulsory and optionals completely. It also says xcel meets 3 times a week for 2.5 to 3 hours each time so they're not even training 12 hours right now.
Does that information change anything at all?
Does that information change anything at all?
MeetDirector
Proud Parent
Auntie -
You have answered a lot of questions in your last 2 posts.
While your niece is only 4 years old, if the gymnastics passion persists, you will have to change gyms. The gym you are at will not get her to the upper levels of the sport, if her passion continues. Xcel alone will also not get her to those upper levels; she will eventually have to get to a gym that does JO and follow the process to get to the upper optional levels.
There is probably nothing lost by staying at the current gym another year, but if you are going to have to move at some point anyhow, why not start that process now. If her passion does last, you are going to want to be someplace where they can take her as far as she wants to go, whether that is college, elite, or beyond.
You seem to have a good handle on things and I commend you for trying to get as much information now to make these important decisions either now or in the future. By the way, if gymnastics is the thing for her, you will also most likely need to end the cheer as well since the two (gymnastics and cheer) seem to work against each other in the long run.
Good Luck.
You have answered a lot of questions in your last 2 posts.
While your niece is only 4 years old, if the gymnastics passion persists, you will have to change gyms. The gym you are at will not get her to the upper levels of the sport, if her passion continues. Xcel alone will also not get her to those upper levels; she will eventually have to get to a gym that does JO and follow the process to get to the upper optional levels.
There is probably nothing lost by staying at the current gym another year, but if you are going to have to move at some point anyhow, why not start that process now. If her passion does last, you are going to want to be someplace where they can take her as far as she wants to go, whether that is college, elite, or beyond.
You seem to have a good handle on things and I commend you for trying to get as much information now to make these important decisions either now or in the future. By the way, if gymnastics is the thing for her, you will also most likely need to end the cheer as well since the two (gymnastics and cheer) seem to work against each other in the long run.
Good Luck.
Sasha
Proud Parent
Ok, I think I originally thought the JO gym sent her back, saying she wasn't strong enough yet for their preteam. Upon reread, I think you meant the Xcel gym let her try pre-team, but sent her back to Kinder (pre-pre team) as the Xcel preteam is older (around age 7).
In that case, I would strongly suggest taking her to JO gym NOW and getting her into preteam there (or pre-preteam, if they have that).
With nearby JO gym starting at level 4, and pre-team being so young, this sounds like a program that has high expectations of very young (age 5-7) kids and could be very hard to enter into later if the training your niece receives has any different focus than what the JO gym requires for its team participants.
I would move now. If the JO gym won't take her due to strength/skills, then ask the questions I suggester earlier about how likely it is they would take her in a year if she builds strength, and what criteria she would need to meet. A gym that starts competing Level 4 with young kids will likely have strict entry criteria.
In that case, I would strongly suggest taking her to JO gym NOW and getting her into preteam there (or pre-preteam, if they have that).
With nearby JO gym starting at level 4, and pre-team being so young, this sounds like a program that has high expectations of very young (age 5-7) kids and could be very hard to enter into later if the training your niece receives has any different focus than what the JO gym requires for its team participants.
I would move now. If the JO gym won't take her due to strength/skills, then ask the questions I suggester earlier about how likely it is they would take her in a year if she builds strength, and what criteria she would need to meet. A gym that starts competing Level 4 with young kids will likely have strict entry criteria.
Sasha, yes you have it right now. What you said is what I was thinking as well. I just have to make her mother see the benefits. She's worried that the LO is comfortable at her current gym and likes her teachers so she might regress in a new environment. My sister didn't love the other (JO) gym when we went for a preschool class because it was more cold. The current gym is very warm and my sister is very southern so it made a difference to her. Personally, I don't mind more sterile as long as they get the job done.
In the end we all want what is best for the LO but it's more a matter of when than if now that I've found you wonderful people. What I'd like is for her to do the tryout with the JO gym to see if she's even ready for pre-team there. He offered a one class try out free of charge to see. She broke her arm so she lost 4 weeks of training time which greatly affected her upper body strength so she may actually not be ready this year.
The Xcel gym is working hard with her to get her ready. They really want her, but I know it's not the route for her to get as far as she may want to go. Sure she could possibly do Xcel and test into JO later, but who knows if a gym will take her then because she's not trained to their standards? With only 2 gyms doing JO in the area, it seems like her time to move may be limited.
MeetDirector,
We know cheer is a short term thing. My mom really wanted her to do it. We actually wanted to put her into a little bit of everything to let her decide what she likes. She's still a bit on the shy side so my mom thought it would bring her out of her shell a bit. We failed on 4th of July as she didn't do the dance with the rest of her team. We know she's not long for cheer unless her personality drastically changes but we thought it would be a good experience for one year. And honestly I think my mom is regretting it now because they do a fundraiser every month. lol
In the end we all want what is best for the LO but it's more a matter of when than if now that I've found you wonderful people. What I'd like is for her to do the tryout with the JO gym to see if she's even ready for pre-team there. He offered a one class try out free of charge to see. She broke her arm so she lost 4 weeks of training time which greatly affected her upper body strength so she may actually not be ready this year.
The Xcel gym is working hard with her to get her ready. They really want her, but I know it's not the route for her to get as far as she may want to go. Sure she could possibly do Xcel and test into JO later, but who knows if a gym will take her then because she's not trained to their standards? With only 2 gyms doing JO in the area, it seems like her time to move may be limited.
MeetDirector,
We know cheer is a short term thing. My mom really wanted her to do it. We actually wanted to put her into a little bit of everything to let her decide what she likes. She's still a bit on the shy side so my mom thought it would bring her out of her shell a bit. We failed on 4th of July as she didn't do the dance with the rest of her team. We know she's not long for cheer unless her personality drastically changes but we thought it would be a good experience for one year. And honestly I think my mom is regretting it now because they do a fundraiser every month. lol
bookworm
Proud Parent
I guess my only other caveat in all of this is if the parents ( your sister and her husband) aren't on board with all of these plans for a different, more intense gym plan in that you said your sister liked the "nice" coaches at the current gym, and the dad not wanting her to do any activities, is this really feasible? I get that you ( and your parents and brother) seem to all be on the same page in terms of what she may need to do well in this sport, but if her own parents aren't on the same page, will there be some friction with you driving the bus on this so to speak....and will they allow it to proceed? I can see getting the info but if their cooperation is lacking, it will be tough...
I don't mean to discourage you and it's nice that you and your brother can finance her now but you're at the very beginning of this journey that could end up costing at least 15K a year ( for tuition, meet and coaches fees, travel expenses, leos/ warm ups) down the road if she stays in the sport, and who's to say either of you won't have other things to spend your money on in the future ( like maybe tuition for a child of your own?) ....the reticence of her parents is a big red flag for me.
I don't mean to discourage you and it's nice that you and your brother can finance her now but you're at the very beginning of this journey that could end up costing at least 15K a year ( for tuition, meet and coaches fees, travel expenses, leos/ warm ups) down the road if she stays in the sport, and who's to say either of you won't have other things to spend your money on in the future ( like maybe tuition for a child of your own?) ....the reticence of her parents is a big red flag for me.
B.Gold
Proud Parent
Really? I've been witness to more than one family chase this dream, regardless of the desire of the child, through countless gym changes to "get the job done" and it takes an emotional toll on the child.
What is wrong with patience and honoring the mother and the child by sitting back and waiting to see if this is even a path this child wants to take? Mom and child are happy. I hope mom wins this battle.
D
Deleted member 18037
I'm with you. It was my understanding that the parents actually are supposed to and get to parent.
twinmomma
Proud Parent
Why are we talking about college gym at 4? For crying out loud there are Olympians who didn't start that early. She's a CHILD. She's a BABY for goodness sake. As long as her training is allowing her to improve and develop a love of the sport and she is being treated well, leave her where she is right now. In six months she might want to do soccer with her friend or play little league. You don't have to make life decisions right now.
raenndrops
Coach
Actually, she could formally compete Bronze at the age of 5.
If she wouldn't do the dance with the other girls, what makes you think she won't freeze when she has to go out there all alone and do her floor routine?
I think it is good to do the tryout at he JO gym, but if all else fails, keep her where she is for another year... see how she does at the "no-stress" meets. She may decide she doesn't want to actually compete... and just wants to learn "flippy things" for fun.
munchkin3
Proud Parent
Easy guys, isnt it mid summer, when gyms start making a big deal about placement, and levels, and schedules etc? If family is driving and waiting and getting involved with all this, then its natural to want to make sure that all the effort is going in the right direction. I'm sure Mom will be there to sign forms and make decisions.
Don't forget that the gym environment is one we ALL like our kids in, where they have a second family, sisters, and sometimes even father figures. So for Auntie to be asking questions now just means LO is very doted on by many!
Yes she needs to be having fun. Yes she needs to be in a good program. You must go and give the classes a try FOR BOTH JO GYMS. If LO is 5 now, she can compete by next September at 6. This is only one year of preparation to get ready for that. If she is exceptionally talented, then 'cold' gym will have her ready for L4. If she is average to good, then she will probably be ready for L3, which cold gym doesn't compete anyway, which means you might be looking at competing at 7 yo L4 which is a perfect age. Either way, she should be having fun the whole time........I don't think cold gym is in the business of torturing kids, but who knows....this sport is insane.
and I will say again, BIG gym is big for a reason.....she wont get lost in the shuffle.
Make your plan, (of course with Mom too) and prepare for the unexpected!
Don't forget that the gym environment is one we ALL like our kids in, where they have a second family, sisters, and sometimes even father figures. So for Auntie to be asking questions now just means LO is very doted on by many!
Yes she needs to be having fun. Yes she needs to be in a good program. You must go and give the classes a try FOR BOTH JO GYMS. If LO is 5 now, she can compete by next September at 6. This is only one year of preparation to get ready for that. If she is exceptionally talented, then 'cold' gym will have her ready for L4. If she is average to good, then she will probably be ready for L3, which cold gym doesn't compete anyway, which means you might be looking at competing at 7 yo L4 which is a perfect age. Either way, she should be having fun the whole time........I don't think cold gym is in the business of torturing kids, but who knows....this sport is insane.
and I will say again, BIG gym is big for a reason.....she wont get lost in the shuffle.
Make your plan, (of course with Mom too) and prepare for the unexpected!
Ali'sMom
Proud Parent
I agree with this.
My daughter had severe stagefright when she was little. Did a year of ballet at 3, and got through the recital with some major coaxing, but swore never again. She did ballet at 4, but with the caveat that she wouldn't do the recital. In kindergarten she quit completely. I think she was afraid we'd trick her into a recital eventually. Finally in 1st grade she started gym. she loved it! Very quickly they wanted to move her up to train old L2. She said no. Flat out NO. No way would she compete. That gym kept on her (and US) about moving up. At the end of school year she wanted to quit. So we left that gym.
That summer we started a new gym. WONDERFUL owners! Very soon they too asked about moving up, and again, she said no. They said "No problem". In December and May they do little mini meets with the little ones. She cried for 2 hours beforehand, in the corner of the gym. But she managed to do the meet. And do well.
Coach asked if she wanted to move up yet? Nope.
Another full year of this, and 3 mini meets later she decided it was okay. She started competing in 4th grade and loves it!
I say this based on your comment that her current gym is warm and fuzzy but the other is a little colder. It might be good to have another year with warm and fuzzy if she's of the nature that she wouldn't do the dance with the rest of the cheer squad.
One year at this age in a smaller gym would definitely not be detrimental. And if she does have stage fright issues, the warm and fuzzy could definitely help.
Good luck!!! I'm glad you're there to help out!!! (my mom has driven my daughter every day for 6 years (other than saturdays)
)
ZJsMom
Proud Parent
ON the one hand, I do think that thinking about college when she hasn't started kindergarten seems a little premature. I do, however, think if she wants to be a serious competitive gymnast, or at least give it a try, the gym that would put her in pre-team now to work towards level 4 seems like a better fit. If you're going to change eventually, it might make sense to do it now so she can start getting used to the new gym and making friends.
D
Deleted member 18037
What 4 yr old actually and truly knows what a serious competitive gymnast is and how much work it actually takes to become one.
She just likes flippy right now.
And if a relative of mine was planning my daughter's college/Olympic career, busy checking out gyms when I was perfectly content with where my kid was, I would remind that relative that I am the Mommy and they are the Aunt. JMO
Ali'sMom
Proud Parent
I get what you're saying, but honestly, when my own mother offered to pay for and drive my child to and from ballet, I was more than happy to let her choose the studio.
I am also guessing that this Mommy is okay with the Aunt being "in charge" of the gymnastics aspect of the little girl's life. Otherwise, I would hope to heavens that she would be telling Aunt to stop. And it doesn't sound like she is at all.
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