Parents I think I need a little help understanding it all......

[onelittledream]

This thread is off topic. OP asked nothing about twisting direction in any kind of way. @bogwoppit thread needs to be closed. It is going round in circles and is not relevant.

I think Bog may be enjoying her much needed break for New Year's. It will be interesting to see her reaction when she returns. Sigh.

 

[Alyssa S.]

Oh, the guilt I felt the summer of pre-team "breaking" my DDs BHS after allowing her a back yard trampoline. It looked awful. No exaggeration that it took her coach a year to help her fix it. I got rid of that trampoline after that.

I will admit we almost purchased a trampoline, but learned from others who shared your experience and opted out.

 

[Blackie6]

I read alot of great advice. Then, the nonsense began and I stopped reading, so sorry if this has been written already. My daughter is starting her 8th year of gymnastics & is a (13 yr) L8. Couple things to add. The worst rip my daughter got was showing off on playground equiptment when she was about 6 and she never did that again. She also does dive in the Summer months, since she was 6 (but took a break last Summer for softball, lol) two sports that go hand in hand nicely, but are different in enough ways to maybe refrain from coaching. Your daughter will spend alot of time in the gym, any extra practice at home (with home beam, bars and mat) will mean diddly squat in a couple years, but let her stretch as much as she can in splits, and handstands are great also. The focus will change in a couple years to how many medals she she receives, what other girls she beats out, whose gym is better... to...God, I just hope she survives a season without injury! I was in your shoes once, but gymnastics is a year round sport with injuries, repeating levels, changing gyms, changing coaches, changing programs. Just make it all about her being happy, healthy and having fun. Having these elements is what will keep her in it for the long haul...not the big skills. If she is good, talented, a phenom, it's only a good thing if she sticks with gymnastics. Burn her out, it will mean nothing. My daughter is by no means talented, brought up the tail end of scores since day one, but outlasted many better than her. Not always about talent, sometimes it's about the heart.

Some of you newbies will laugh, but there will actually be a time when you drop your daughter off at the door and pick up without caring what new thing she did, whose cartwheel on beam is better, whose kid got more or better coaching time, who cut your kid in line at bars...whatever amazing thing my DD does, she sends me a video of it by phone, LOL. And, I didn't see my DD's floor routine until the first meet of the season. It was like opening a "gift" and I cried. It's HER sport, not mine, but I am her biggest fan.

Good Luck

 

[Alyssa S.]

The topic is far too broad for any part of the thread to be "off topic". Why would you even bring that up when you could freely spend your own time elsewhere or initiating another post?

It is somewhat ironic here that the original poster has only "like[d]" one person on this thread. (I don't believe I have posted on any other threads.)

I can relate to and understand each person who has found a way to be offended by my posts. I've been there. Defensive, easily offended, full of pride (and denial).

The value to the Original Poster is in line with his desire to understand it all. I'm sorry my friend, you are not likely to find a culture of coaches who value learning/improvement or even integrity more than they value being unquestioned by parents.

It might take awhile to sink in. Most coaches are so prejudiced against "parents," that they KNOW parents alone are to blame for kids that get stuck, misled, or quit. You are not likely to find a single coach accepting appropriate blame or truly desiring input from any "parents," especially if the parent is correct).

That is the dominant feature of the culture. People who fit into this category will be offended by my post.

But there is room for NEW gyms to compete for customers in this culture by applying skills of synergy and communication with coach, gymnast, and parent all together.

It will likely evolve slowly. But, in the end, parents who "coach" or practice with kids outside the gym are much higher in number than we let on. Otherwise, there would be no home gymnastics equipment sellers (and Jordan Weber would not be touting them).

I would recommend watching the HBO movie "Trophy Parents," to see the worst of parent obsessions--and don't do that!

 

[skschlag]

Such a low opinion of people who dedicate themselves for minimal pay to a sport that takes a ton of time, energy and patience. Can you imagine taking direction from every parent in your gym? BEcause they watched a video or read something online and have no gymnastics experience other than watching the Olympics and The Gabby Douglas Story?

I see the coaches at our gym. They listen to parents. They will talk to parents. But coaching is their job, their life. It is sad to think that you have such little value for coaches in this sport. My son has had several, all listened when I had questions/concerns. The coaches of the girls are the same way. I have had disagreements with my son's coach. But in the end, HE does know more than I do about gymnastics, and over the years, has learned a lot about my son! Our new coach listens, takes advice on how to work with my kid, but I have no business telling him how to coach gymnastics.

We had one child on our team who was coached by the parent. He had all the equipment in his house/backyard. Dad coached him day and night. He also homeschooled him, so he could work out more. He is the same level as my son, has missed a ton of time due to over use injuries, and really is not happy in his sport anymore. He was a talented young child, but has had the joy taken away because he had no place that was a place for him to get to be a kid. I know this is one story, and not any sort of scientific study like you seem to want, so probably irrelevant to you. But that experience, coupled with what I see wiht my son's teammates and him, I know that my place is as his mom, and not his coach.

 

[twinmomma]

The value to the Original Poster is in line with his desire to understand it all. I'm sorry my friend, you are not likely to find a culture of coaches who value learning/improvement or even integrity more than they value being unquestioned by parents.

It might take awhile to sink in. Most coaches are so prejudiced against "parents," that they KNOW parents alone are to blame for kids that get stuck, misled, or quit. You are not likely to find a single coach accepting appropriate blame or truly desiring input from any "parents," especially if the parent is correct).

Wow. Just. Wow. You literally walked into a room of coaches and just told them all off.

I have nothing more to say. I'm just going to pull out the popcorn and watch.

 

[twinmomma]

It will likely evolve slowly. But, in the end, parents who "coach" or practice with kids outside the gym are much higher in number than we let on. Otherwise, there would be no home gymnastics equipment sellers (and Jordan Weber would not be touting them).

I take that back. I do have one thing to say. DD has a beam at home. For practice. Just like if she were learning a musical instrument, she would practice at home. I can't coach her on beam any more than I can teach her how to play the clarinet. It doesn't mean I don't provide her tools with which to help her get better. There's a big difference.

 

[JBS]

Is this an ego-driven forum where people have to agree with you?

No. Happy New Year to all.

 

[JBS]

But there is room for NEW gyms to compete for customers in this culture by applying skills of synergy and communication with coach, gymnast, and parent all together.

Exactly the foundation that ChalkBucket was built upon.

The thread is closed because it's junk. Let's start 2015 with some better content @Alyssa S. You seem to know very much...why don't you help us learn something useful?