For Parents Just need to share with someone who would understand...

[Blackie6]

Found out that some of the girls that competed in the L4 states w/my DD...the ones with the insane high scores are homeschooled and practice 28 hrs a week. At least 5 girls that placed higher are on the TOPS Diamond team. Nothing against anyone here that has a 7 yr old that homeschools and practices 28 hrs a week, but I will take my dinky 11 hrs a week and public school, add a fractured foot and a 35.175 (12th place) and KEEP IT!

This was level 4 states with 7 and 8 yr olds, not the Olympics. Am I the only one that thinks this is a just little bit crazy? Maybe someday they can offer a states for the non-olympic bound gymnast?

 

[MdGymMom01]

OMG Balckie, you have to be kidding me???? That is utterly ridiculous!!!! Any parent of a 7 year old that has their kid practice 28 hours a week should be reported to social services. Hey--I'm right there with ya--I'll take my 11 hrs a week for my 10 year old, public school and even throw in a bratty teammate as well and keep it!!! LOL

That's crazy and seems really unfair. But then again, they may not have any kids left for states because they will all be injured from over-use!!!

 

[bogwoppit]

28 hours a week for L4, that is a riot. Some parents just don't get it.

Your DD did a great job against a very strong field.

I always have to remind my oldest, who trains 11 hours a week that she competes against girls that train between 13 and 22 hours a week and all summer, it is never an even playing field. It is good for our girls to learn to be successful on their own terms, life will be full of unfair moments.

 

[momofagymmie]

That's just crazy! I saw that with girls against my daughter at State but that was for L7 & then again for 8. Never heard of such a thing for L4. Talk about early burn out...

Your daughter had a great score and she should be proud of herself.

 

[medic3188]

Here in S florida that is not atypical. They have home schoolers who are level 2. My best gymie mom and I were talking about this today. It is crazy. They will be totally burned out by level 5. We compete against these girls that their whole lives are gymnastics. Then what?

 

[dadingym]

i have edited my answer...

 

[mariposa]

That definitely could explain those high scores. It sucks, but there will never really be "fair" in gymnastics. There are soo many variables and in the end, as long as our girls are happy, do their best and are having fun, that is what matters.

I hate the negative this gives to homeschooling parents though. We don't all homeschool because of gymnastics. Our decision to homeschool was made before she ever stepped foot in a gym.

 

[NOG]

Wow! 28hrs. is excessive. Those little girls will be have burn out before they hit jr. high. My level 5 does 13 hrs. during school yr.

 

[skfleming255]

Wouldn't it be nice if they would put a cap on the hours each level was allowed to practice to make it more fair?

I believe that here in Alabama that high school sports teams can only practice, workout, etc... a certain number of hours each week. That to me is fair for every team. They all get the same amount of practice.

Don't ya'll agree?

 

[bogwoppit]

I agree, the league my youngest is in can only do 9, it works great, they can go up to about a level 6 in the league.

 

[Blackie6]

Mariposa,

I apologise, this was not a dig at/against homeschooling. I was more in shock about the hours of practice in the gym and I have a hunch that the homeschooling part is to allow them more time to do it. I also know people who are homeschooled and not because of sports programs either.

 

[M23K's]

28 hours??? at 7??? Where'd you hear that? I'd wonder if it was true or not. I think they would have been scoring much higher than 37's or even 38's if they practiced that much. Though if the gym's goal was to fast track them they might not have focused on the details of the routines.

You sometimes have to take what you hear about other gyms with a grain of salt. I used to hear horrible things about another gym in our area. We ended up checking that gym out and later switched DD over and loved it.

 

[mariposa]

That definitely could explain those high scores. It sucks, but there will never really be "fair" in gymnastics. There are soo many variables and in the end, as long as our girls are happy, do their best and are having fun, that is what matters.

I hate the negative this gives to homeschooling parents though. We don't all homeschool because of gymnastics. Our decision to homeschool was made before she ever stepped foot in a gym.

Just to clarify, I meant that when there are 7-8 year olds that are homeschooled so they can do 28 hours a week, gives homeschooling a bad name. I honestly can't imagine letting children that young practice that many hours in any situation. I hope they don't get overuse injuries by 9-10 yo.

It also gives people who choose to homeschool because their kid's found gym a bad name as well. It makes all people who homeschool and have kids in gym look like they are trying to make future Olympians and usually that isn't the case, but of course the extreme ones stick out.

I didn't think Blackie was being mean to homeschoolers at all.

 

[Blackie6]

28 hours??? at 7??? Where'd you hear that? I'd wonder if it was true or not. I think they would have been scoring much higher than 37's or even 38's if they practiced that much. Though if the gym's goal was to fast track them they might not have focused on the details of the routines.

You sometimes have to take what you hear about other gyms with a grain of salt. I used to hear horrible things about another gym in our area. We ended up checking that gym out and later switched DD over and loved it.

M23K

It was written on their gyms website directly. We heard it as a lot of hours but never imagined it was that many.

 

[MdGymMom01]

M23K

It was written on their gyms website directly. We heard it as a lot of hours but never imagined it was that many.

It kind of makes you wonder then how many hours the Level 6, 7, 8's...and Elites train...would we be talking about 35-50 hours then????? That's CRAZY.

 

[hunde2]

28 hrs!!! That is really crazy.I have a 11 year old Level 9 gymnast that does 18-20 hrs of gym a week.Yes we did decide to homeschool because of gymnastics to allow more familytime(not gymtime)but we only have been doing it for this past schoolyear.I did not even think about homeschooling when my daughter made Level 7.

 

[M23K's]

I really am shocked and it takes a lot to get me to that point.

I wonder how people can afford it? I think 12 hours a week of gym time costs a fortune and if these kids are being homeschooled at least one parent has to be home to do it. I think my husband's in the wrong business.


I homeschool DD11 and love it but it's not because of gymnastics because....well....she doesn't do gymnastics.

 

[Granny Smith]

I am in the camp that thinks 28 hrs a wk for gym is insane at the age of 7 and doing level 4.

The big question is, out of these girls who will still be in the sport at level 7, 8 or higher? Probably not too many, I bet they will suffer burn out or even worse their bodies will just putter out.

I can only image the pressure these little girls must feel from their parents and coaches when that much time is invested into something, those who pay and coach want results. Can't a kid, just be a kid!?!

 

[momof2gymgirls]

28 hrs a week sounds excessive to me. I wonder if these girls actually have any time to just be kids and hang out with their friends and have fun. It sounds like their whole lives are run around gymnastics.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

I am in the camp that thinks 28 hrs a wk for gym is insane at the age of 7 and doing level 4.

The big question is, out of these girls who will still be in the sport at level 7, 8 or higher? Probably not too many, I bet they will suffer burn out or even worse their bodies will just putter out.

I can only image the pressure these little girls must feel from their parents and coaches when that much time is invested into something, those who pay and coach want results. Can't a kid, just be a kid!?!

I've been trying to respond in this thread since yesterday and I keep getting booted out!

I see tons of people have weighed in w/my same opinion, so I won't try to rehash that.

I just wonder if anyone of you have looked at the most recent issue of USA Gymnastics on the page where it listed the number of competitive gymnasts at each level for the last year? Notice the drop off rates w/each level??

I bet those Level 4's who practice 28 hours/week, and any other gym who requires such practice at such young levels, will burn those girls out really quickly!

-Lynn