Is there a ranking of all USAG member clubs?

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Hi, I am moving clubs but my parents want me to make sure I am going to the best one available in my area. I live in Minnesota, and I know there is a list of all the clubs in Minnesota that are USAG members, but does anyone know if there is a list of any sort that ranks the top gyms in each state? Or if there is not, is there anyone that has a personal list of the best clubs in Minnesota? Thanks so much, XOXO
 
I don't believe there is any formal ranking of gyms. However, one way I've tried to find out if a gym is good is by looking at their history of gymnasts that have made the national team. USAG lists all the girls and their gyms that made the national team. And it dates back 20 years. Also you can check mymeetscores.com and see how the gymnasts in a particular gym does. You may also be able to go in your regional website as well as you state website to read up on results and news. Once you've narrowed it down, you can go speak to,the coaches and see if you feel good about the coach and the gym. You will need to do some legwork and research. I too wish they had the gyms ranked somehow. But since the US does not have a regulatory body overseeing the suitability and qualifications of coaches, I can't imagine there would be one for gyms.

Hi, I am moving clubs but my parents want me to make sure I am going to the best one available in my area. I live in Minnesota, and I know there is a list of all the clubs in Minnesota that are USAG members, but does anyone know if there is a list of any sort that ranks the top gyms in each state? Or if there is not, is there anyone that has a personal list of the best clubs in Minnesota? Thanks so much, XOXO
 
I would love to see something of a ranking system that would allow a parent, gymnasts, or a coach a glimpse into a club before making a commitment. It would make club owners earn the right to claim proficiency as opposed to simply throwing out brags that have no substance in an attempt to attract more students.

My model would include a simple process to qualify each gym at key levels prior to allowing them to enter kids into meets at those levels. Qualifying a gym for training and competing kids at level 8 for example, would require a visit by a USAG representative who would inspect the gym's equipment to verify that the facility meets a base standard, and observe a practice session to insure that reasonable techniques, progressions, and safety precautions were established and being used.

If the facility, equipment, and staff could satisfy the above criteria, they would then be able to enter kids into level eight competitions. If they failed, they'd just have to hold their kids back and eat crow until they invested enough time, money, and energy into their staff, equipment, and facility.

Please understand that no crows were endangered, mistreated, or harmed in the preparation of this post.:eek: The poster does not condone, allow, nor participate in the mis-treatment of animal. Any reference to crows and undesirable gymnastics facilities in the same sentence has been merely co-incidental, and in no way should be considered an insult to crows as a species.:D
 
My model would include a simple process to qualify each gym at key levels prior to allowing them to enter kids into meets at those levels. Qualifying a gym for training and competing kids at level 8 for example, would require a visit by a USAG representative who would inspect the gym's equipment to verify that the facility meets a base standard, and observe a practice session to insure that reasonable techniques, progressions, and safety precautions were established and being used.

If the facility, equipment, and staff could satisfy the above criteria, they would then be able to enter kids into level eight competitions. If they failed, they'd just have to hold their kids back and eat crow until they invested enough time, money, and energy into their staff, equipment, and facility.

Wow - this is asking for trouble, creating big brother. Sounds good in the beginning but you have to think ahead to how it could play out and how much more power this new program could take on. Scary. I think it is better to let the clubs regulate themselves.

OP: visiting the gyms and talking with the team parents/coaches, observing practices is really the best way to find the right gym. Having a standings system would be very subjective - what one person sees as important in a ranking wouldn't necessarily be important to others. Take a look at college rankings - they really are a joke because so many factors go into picking the right college for a particular student. Same for gyms.


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To the OP--remember what gym is best for one person is not for someone else. It will take time for you to get information and do some gym visits, but that is the only way you'll know which gym works for you.
 
Wow - this is asking for trouble, creating big brother. Sounds good in the beginning but you have to think ahead to how it could play out and how much more power this new program could take on. Scary. I think it is better to let the clubs regulate themselves.

OP: visiting the gyms and talking with the team parents/coaches, observing practices is really the best way to find the right gym. Having a standings system would be very subjective - what one person sees as important in a ranking wouldn't necessarily be important to others. Take a look at college rankings - they really are a joke because so many factors go into picking the right college for a particular student. Same for gyms.


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got that right.^^^^^^^^^^^^^:)
 
What a bummer. Gymgal......I understand your concern, as I too worry about big brother, but I refuse to react first with fear and paranoia over USAG taking up a role in defining minimums and who meets them.

As far as self regulation is concerned....it doesn't work in the rare instance of a club owner who only wants to "cash-in" at the expense of everyone else, kids, parents, staff, and other clubs in the community. Self regulation fails also, in the case of ignorance, where a club owner or coach has no clue about the complexities of the sport.

I recognize that no one program can fit all gymnasts, no matter how qualified it may be for gymnasts at that level, and that individuals need to seek out the program that is right for them rather than relying on a ranking system. Where I struggle, is with the hapless individual who has insufficient background and information to make an informed decision. I wish these individuals could at least feel that if a club says they have a level 7 program, that they are indeed (the club) aware of the needs of the gymnasts with respect to facility, staff, and safety, and are willing and able to provide them.

I am hoping that we could find a way, somehow, to prevent kids from being "tossed" through" level 7 or 8 skills for an entire summer, getting minor and major injuries along the way, only to hear from some imposter that they just aren't listening, working hard enough, or talented enough to be ready for competition. I would like to never see a kid, who can barely do a half-on, double spotted, repeatedly tossed through a tsuk, and landing time and again in a heap while being advised that the're not "blocking" properly. It just seems so destructive, and even though rare, it happens. And for the child that it happens to....it is not rare, it's a 100% ordeal where they are taught to blame themselves for what they don't realize is the gym clubs ignorance, apathy, or greed.

So I'll continue to hope that some impartial, efficient, process can be put in place to at least keep kids from joining clubs claiming to have an optional program, where they pay their dues (the kids) financially, emotionally, and physically as they progress from level five to seven, only to find that they are not in the land of Oz, and that the person hiding behind the curtain has niether the will nor the ability to successfully coach past level 6.

So while I would not rank them top to bottom, I would ask them to at least pass a simple sceening, that could take as little as 90 minutes, to keep kids from being broken physically and emotionally. In a world where parents hope to trust, and kids want to beleive, it just seems fair.
 
Minnesota's a fairly large state--a club that might produce a lot of good gymnasts might not be in your area at all (I'm in Minnesota myself). If you want to get an idea of how well gymnasts at certain clubs do--visit mymeetscores.com and look at the results of the Minnesota Optional State meet--you can see what gyms have people in the top. But, as others have said, just because some gyms produce a lot of gymnasts that score well, doesn't mean you'll fit in there. Go visit places and see if you like them! There are gyms in our area that have some good gymnasts, but I wouldn't send my daughter there!
 

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