Parents Question about switching gyms...

[H'sMom]

My daughter is going into level 5 and I am considering switching gyms. Her current gym is nice in that it is huge and she is very close to her teammates. Is isn't very good in that there is no communication about what is going on, ever. Her head coach just resigned with 2 day notice. My daughter was very attached to her and it was hard on her to say the least. Also, her team is very large, there are currently 18 girls, and they do not get a lot of individual time in practice. My biggest concern is that we started out the meet season very strong, all 9's and above and top 3 finish in every event and overall, and slowly went downhill at each meet. She ended up finishing 10th AA in her age group at state, and I know that isn't bad, but I feel like the girls on smaller teams from the smaller gyms seem to improve throughout the season, not the other way around. I am wondering what everyone else thinks. Should I drive further to put her in another gym, or stick it out for another year and see what happens?

 

[MaryA]

We recently went through a gym switch, and it can be gut-wrenching. There's no easy answer. Lack of communication is hard. Losing a beloved coach is hard, though it sounds like that is unrelated to her downward trend in scores. Do you think there might be something else going on with your daughter unrelated to gym that might have caused the lower scores? Was she growing? Was there increased pressure at school that may have left her more tired and less able to focus? I know there has been some of that going on with my daughter. Because, theoretically, this gym got your daughter to the point where she was getting those high scores to begin with. Unless something changed in the gym, it doesn't seem like they'd be causing her skills to go down.

I guess I would recommend looking towards the higher levels. Do the optional girls at your gym do well? Qualify for states, regionals, nationals? Also, who will be coaching your daughter now? Is it someone who you trust to do a good job? Is there only one coach working with all of those girls at once? Is their time used wisely or are they spending a lot of time waiting in line?

I do know that when my daughter is struggling with something, I want to fix it. I want that magic potion that will ensure that she nails her squat on at states next week, and increases her focus and concentration in practice and doesn't have a crazy growth spurt in the middle of competition season. If you do switch, make sure it's for the right reasons, and not just because you're trying to fix her lagging scores.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[gymgal]

Well, first, I think you need to gauge how your dd is feeling about the gym and her time there. If she is no longer feeling comfortable, then it may be time for a switch. but if she is happy to be with her friends, you may want to stick it out for a little while to see if things improve. DD has had a favorite coach leave without notice and it was very tough on her. She got over it but it was not good for a few months, while she had to get more comfortable with trusting the other coaches.

Some thoughts....Do you know if there were ongoing problems with the HC who left that could have been interfering with training this season? Did the other girls' suffer the same sort of decline in ranks? Did your dd's scores also go down or just her ranks? While it is true that scores typically go up during a season, girls who are already at the higher end of the group tend not to go up as much as the ones on the lower end (when you are already doing well, the things you need to work to on to improve scores are a lot harder). Because of this, the girls at the lower end in the beginning of the season can "gain" on the girls at the higher end. But usually it's not to the degree that your dd would drop that much. Sometimes it's just the meets you go to. Little local meets may be easier to place higher in than larger meets. and remember that with state meet, you are coming across teams you have not encountered before.

 

[niklum]

How did the other girls do throughout the season? I ask, because it could be a question of coaching or it could be a question of a growth spurt at the wrong time. Also, when did the HC quit? Was it mid-season, or at the end? And who took the reins after she left? Have you asked the owner if there a search for a new HC? Those are all important questions to ask before moving on. If the owner indicates that there is a search for a qualified HC, and there has been a "warm body" filling in in the interim, then I would give it a couple more months. If not, the lack of communication bothers me. I'm a communicator, so I tell everyone what's going on, how to get to meets, what to expect to pay for admission, what the gym will look like if I've been there, what I'm thinking about summer practices and polling the parents about best times, etc. Let the owner know that everyone has been wondering. Maybe the owner isn't aware that communication is bad and s/he will want to fix it.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Agree with the other posts and I also wanted to mention that placing at State is much more difficult than placing at other meets. Why? Because at most meets there are a handful of gyms there--at the State meet, every gym in the State is there--with all the best girls (since you had to score well to even get to compete in the State meet). It's natural that you might not place as well at State since you're up against everyone else that has also placed well all year. Does that make sense?

I don't know that a smaller gym is going to have better training--it all depends on the coaches. If you're concerned about the HC quitting, then talk to the owners and find out who will be replacing her and what their plan is for that.

 

[H'sMom]

Wow, you have all given me a lot to think about! Thank you, that is exactly what I need, new angles to examine from. I will let you all know when I decide! I am already glad that I joined this site, Thanks again!

 

[thefellowsmom]

For me, it really comes down to being at a gym where the philosophy matches my dd's personality and long term goals. The size of the gym does play into it, but I wouldn't put all your stock in that. There are many things to think about. Some gyms emphasize skills and some fundamentals and conditioning. Some gyms are great at compulsory levels and win everything and then have nothing to show for at the higher optional levels. Some gyms have an eastern european coach and philosophy and some have a more American feel (this is something that most people wouldn't think about, but is a big difference) and some kids will respond better to one or the other.

I think one thing you will find around here is that the vast majority of people have something to say about the communication at their gym. Unfortunately, there are a rare and lucky few that are at gyms where communication is clear and regular.

I would focus on it feeling right and fitting your daughters goals. Does she want to win over the next couple of years and then move onto other things in school and sports or are high level gymnastics and college scholarships the goal or something in between? I know it is impossible to know any of that for sure right now, but you may have a feeling one way or the other. Talking to lots of parents, it seems that most do.

Losing a head coach is a big ordeal. Is this the head coach of the whole program or the compulsory head coach. If the top coach at the gym left abruptly, that would worry me more. Also, it might be possible that it looks abrupt to you, but that the leave had been being discussed on the back end for a while. We had a coach leave that was all the girls favorites and it was really hard for many of them who had been with him for a long time. We got 3 days notice, but he said that he told the gym he was leaving months prior. My dd was a wreck after this coach left, but it turned out the new coach that replaced him was a much better coaching fit for her and although she was scared, they hit it off and she made a lot of progress really quick with the new coach. Just some food for thought

Trust your gut and daughter and you guys will figure out what is best for you. Good luck and Welcome!