Parents Keeping up with the Joneses?

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theBananaBunch

Proud Parent
Is this normal in the gym world? I know a few gym parents who have home gyms in their basement (a bar, beam, trampoline). However another gym parent got a full size balance beam. Just wondering if this is normal...
 
Is this normal in the gym world? I know a few gym parents who have home gyms in their basement (a bar, beam, trampoline). However another gym parent got a full size balance beam. Just wondering if this is normal...

Not normal and really not a good idea if they want to learn skills properly.
 
Is this normal in the gym world? I know a few gym parents who have home gyms in their basement (a bar, beam, trampoline). However another gym parent got a full size balance beam. Just wondering if this is normal...

We used to have a family who built a full gym in their house. They hired a private coach to train their DD at home- personal tutelage, sorta like how iceskating works.

Unfortunately, she injured her elbow and eventually left the sport and became a diver.
 
My dd recently asked me to buy her a trampoline because the coach apparently told kids who have a trampoline to practice something at home (what that something is, I don't quite understand). I think about half the kids on her team have trampolines at home. I was surprised a coach would suggest they practice something on a trampoline at home.

I know one of dd's teammates has a full sized beam at home. Parent was showing other parents a video of the kid doing higher level tumbling skills that the kids have never done on even low beam in practice on a high beam at home - with no mats!! None at all! The beam was right on the concrete basement floor. I have to admit, I was imagining kid missing the beam and hitting her head on the hard floor. I would never let my kid do any skill, even a simple cartwheel, on a high beam without mats on a concrete floor, much less actual tumbling skills, and then video it, and show it to others!
 
Full sized balance beam? We wouldn't even have space for that!

That being said, we have a mat and a small beam in our basement. We got it when the girls were little (maybe 3 and 5?) because they were turning our playroom into a gym. They play on it, make up routines, my oldest stretches and conditions, but I don't plan on adding anything (my oldest has a floor bar too that her coach recommended for some specific stretching issues). It's just for fun, there's not enough space in the room it's in to do anything more than a handstand or a cartwheel but they're worth their weight in gold during the long New England winters and snow days. They will spend hours creating floor and beam routines together and putting on shows for us.

That being said, I do have one friend (from a different part of the country) whose daughter goes to a gym that encourages/sells home gym equipment to practice. That just seems like a recipe for disaster and learning bad habits, but what do I know? :)
 
That being said, I do have one friend (from a different part of the country) whose daughter goes to a gym that encourages/sells home gym equipment to practice. That just seems like a recipe for disaster and learning bad habits, but what do I know? :)
Bet they sell the equipment to the families. :D
 
I think it's totally normal for families who are just doing it for fun. If you're working to make team, I think it's a bad idea. Not only because you learn bad habits but because there is no one there to spot you to avoid injuries.

Course, even if it's normal doesn't mean it's a good idea. Ever.
 
Let me guess, they're the proud parents of a "talented" level 3 kid? We have no gym equipment in our house with the exception of a panel mat my dd begged for and only uses to build forts these days now that she's in the gym 21 hours a week.
 
Normal is a setting on a dryer.............I hate that word. And no its not typical.
 
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In our experience it's totally normal, even if it's a bad idea. 3 girls in our old preteam (level 2ish?) training group had full size stall bars installed. Virtually everyone had beams, bars and trampolines.
 
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In our experience it's totally normal, even if it's a bad idea. 3 girls in our old preteam (level 2ish?) training group had full size stall bars installed. Virtually everyone had beams, bars and trampolines.

Pretty common in my area too. :( Most of dd's teammates have a lot of equipment at home. I'd say the majority have beams (mostly low beams, but not floor beams) and trampolines and at least half have a kip bar or regular bar.
 
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