WAG Skipping Practice

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SeaActually

Proud Parent
My daughter is 9 years old competing level 4 and our season runs November - March. Her group practices 4x/week for a total of 12-16 hours per week. Some of her friends are routinely permitted to skip practice without a good reason, particularly the Saturday morning one. I only let mine skip occasionally, for example a special Christmas party with non-gym friends the Monday after a meet. I would love to hear what other parents and coaches feelings are on this issue.
 
My daughter has a similar practice schedule as a new level 4 at 7 yo and she never misses because she LOVES gym and is upset if a practice is ever cancelled.

Our coach understands that kids will be kids and has told me that she doesn't want her kiddos to ever look back and regret missing out on things because of gymnastics. There some girls that miss, don't take advantage of open gym hours, or optional practices. My daughter isn't one of them, I will say though, the coaches pay attention to who is there and who isn't. They will recognize the girls putting in the extra effort and notice when a family or girl does not appear as committed as they could be.

As I look at the team girls, I kind of feel like I know who will be there in the long run and who won't be around for the duration.
 
Honestly, I couldn't care less if other people skip practice. There have been occasions when my DD is the only person who shows up. Her dedication will benefit only her, and what goes on with the other girls is between the girls, their parents, and the coach. The fewer girls there, the more attention my DD gets anyway.
 
Honestly, I couldn't care less if other people skip practice. There have been occasions when my DD is the only person who shows up. Her dedication will benefit only her, and what goes on with the other girls is between the girls, their parents, and the coach. The fewer girls there, the more attention my DD gets anyway.


Basically.
 
Honestly, I couldn't care less if other people skip practice. There have been occasions when my DD is the only person who shows up. Her dedication will benefit only her, and what goes on with the other girls is between the girls, their parents, and the coach. The fewer girls there, the more attention my DD gets anyway.



I completely agree with this!!
 
The only down side is when they get higher up and a practice group is missing several girls during the vault rotation. DD gets really tired because they get too many turns. :D
Yes, this happens, though very rarely, at Level 9. Last week when girls were out of town for the holidays, the coach actually let the 4 girls who were there (my daughter being one of them) leave an hour early. As for girls skipping practice…at the lower levels, if they skip for something like a school party or that kind of thing, I think it's fine. As others have said, it doesn't really matter what other girls do! By the time they are older and at optionals, their life is gym so they really aren't missing much. Plus, they never want to miss a practice!!
 
I have no idea, I just pull up and drop her off/pick her up. I wouldn't even know if girls were skipping or not. She doesn't skip often anymore unless sick.
 
If girls miss on our team, there's a good reason, sick or other obligation especially during meet season. I do notice when some them are missing because I'm friends with their moms & I text or call just to check on them now & again but I don't care if their skipping.My DD is L4 & 7 and gets upset when they close the gym for holidays or if she's sick. All I hear is how she wants to be at gym. It's giving me a complex!!! Lol.
 
We almost never miss, but have missed for illness or family vacations, never just because. It seems like most of the kids are fairly similar, except one, but even with her still not overly much. I think her family just takes a lot more vacations than we do!
 
We are at a very small gym, and I get the impression that HC has a problem with this and some of the older kids. Like others here have said, what others do is not my concern! And sometimes it's nice to have an even smaller group. My DD is also the kid that never wants to miss, does every non-mandatory practice. Now if I could only get that mindset in my Dance DD...LOL! Hopefully my gymmie will keep this attitude as she gets older and is potentially misses more non-gym events. We'll see!
 
My ds will not miss gymnastics for anything, including birthday parties or school events. On Parent-Teacher night, he said "I don't need to go, you know my gymnastics coach and that's what really matters".

I wish he felt the same dedication towards school...he'd skip that for a paper cut.
 
My ds will not miss gymnastics for anything, including birthday parties or school events. On Parent-Teacher night, he said "I don't need to go, you know my gymnastics coach and that's what really matters".

I wish he felt the same dedication towards school...he'd skip that for a paper cut.
My DD is 7 and pushing for homeschooling already!!! Lol
 
I'm getting that too!! Every day while I'm fixing her hair she's explaining reasons why she should be homeschooled. Lol. Not gonna happen!
I'm a pharmacist. I would NOT be a good teacher!!! Lol!!! I suppose I'd have to consider it several years down the line if she really excelled, but for second grade? Nope! I'm good! Haha
 
My gym has quite a few who routinely miss practice, for a ton of reasons. the coaches always say that they provide the opportunities, and it is up to the kids (or their parents, depending on the situation) if they take advantage of them.
The only down side is when they get higher up and a practice group is missing several girls during the vault rotation. DD gets really tired because they get too many turns. :D
This tends to happen though, especially during the holidays. By the end of practice there are often 3 kids in the whole gym, who are all exhausted. (we end late and the younger kids tend to leave earlier)
 
DD rarely misses, or wants to miss. So when she recently asked to miss for a birthday party it was a cue to me she needed a few days off. She took them and is now back to asking to go to practice.
 
I will not send my kids to practice when they are sick, the rule in our family has always been " too sick for school = too sick for after school activities" , it really annoys me when one kid turns up ill and a week later the whole gym is ill.
I've always said school commitments come before gym - so they do miss practice on occasions for school functions, student/teacher meetings etc.
They will occasionally skip a practice for a friend or family birthday - maybe twice a year. A lot of their best friends are in the gym now :)
Coaches are fine with them missing for all of these reasons. Some kids miss more sessions, some kids less. I guess each family just has to figure out what works for them.
 
Both of my dd's have only ever missed gym for illness and holiday, they go in during holidays when extra practice is scheduled and my oldest dd has recently joined a young leaders program at the gym. Quite often during the summer holidays my oldest dd has had a one to one session as the other 2 girls couldn't make it (only 3 girls in her group), my youngest has 8 girls in her group and rarely there has been between 2-4 girls at practice including dd, but that doesn't happen very often. I like it when there isn't much girls at youngest dd's practice as they get more time with the coach.

My dd's prefer not to miss practice unless necessary and so far no parties have clashed with practice, just recently my oldest had a school Christmas concert on the same night as gym practice for both girls, I gave oldest dd the choice and we managed to do both by dropping youngest dd off early to help her coach in rec before her practice and then going to oldest dd's practice 30 mins late.
 

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