WAG Summer vacations and level 9/10

[B.Gold]

My dd and I sat out on a family vacation to Breckenridge her L8 year because she was training her flipping vault and having trouble. She didn't want to leave her training, and didn't want to get injured skiing in the mountains. We appeased her. Guess what, when her sister and dad got home, still no flipping vault.

She's currently putting up resistence of a great opportunity we have as a family in March of next year because it's during meet season.

This lack of family time is really causing me to resent this sport. My resentment is not doing anyone any good. Recently, I'll look towards the future, to when I'm an empty nester, and I'll ask my older self, "...do you regret our gymmie didn't spend more time in the gym, or do you regret not spending more time together as a family". Guess what my answer is every single time. These years with the children, as children, are fleeting.

I say, go on vacation, and I'll start planning ours...

 

[GymDad9.9]

My dd and I sat out on a family vacation to Breckenridge her L8 year because she was training her flipping vault and having trouble. She didn't want to leave her training, and didn't want to get injured skiing in the mountains. We appeased her. Guess what, when her sister and dad got home, still no flipping vault.

She's currently putting up resistence of a great opportunity we have as a family in March of next year because it's during meet season.

This lack of family time is really causing me to resent this sport. My resentment is not doing anyone any good. Recently, I'll look towards the future, to when I'm an empty nester, and I'll ask my older self, "...do you regret our gymmie didn't spend more time in the gym, or do you regret not spending more time together as a family". Guess what my answer is every single time. These years with the children, as children, are fleeting.

I say, go on vacation, and I'll start planning ours...

I hear you. My wife is starting to feel the burn about vacations and training schedules. Happy Wife, Happy Life...

 

[Iwannabemargo]

@B.Gold , yes, yes and yes.

Granted the OP's daughter is very talented and is one of the few with a chance to go very high, but I firmly believe their little minds and bodies need rest and yes they do need a week or so to get back in the swing once they get back but so what, give her the break before the training breaks her !

 

[Deleted member 18037]

B.Gold and Iwannabemargo.

Yes to you both. I tend to look at a much bigger picture. When my daughter is all grownup. And she is looking back, sharing memories or looking at pictures. Perhaps we her parents have passed away.....
And she might be needing the cousins that she spent time with as a child.

Will she remember it might have taken an extra week or month to get flip a, b or c because she took a vacation or went to family function? Probably not. Will she remember her "score" might be 0.2 or .3 lower in a meet because of a vacation? Probably not. Will she remember she took third during an early season meet instead of first? Or 7th instead of 5th? Probably not.

But she will remember that vacation, that time with family. Hanging at the beach shell hunting with Mom and Dad or Disney with her cousins. Or the first time she saw a turtle snorkeling. Or wherever our adventures take us.

 

[LizzieLac]

We are friends with a young new elite (debuting at Secret Classic), who trained at our gym for 3 years, and her family. They manage to take family vacations.

I can't say that they take 3 consecutive weeks, but they spend weekends on the lake and summer vacations away for 1-2 weeks. There has to be time to be a kid and a gymnast.

 

[bookworm]

Can't tell you how many times we've heard this advice from parents of senior level 10s in our gym. The irony is that these successful girls Did NOT take these long breaks so the coaches tend to point to them as examples of success from never missing gym for prolonged stretches.

She is still quite young having just turned 12. She does struggle with bars and that will be the toughest skills for her to obtain this summer. Last 3 week break really set her back with bars.

I think this year, we will take a 1-2 week vacation and see how things play out. Love hearing the different perspectives!

I think this is really unfair of them to say that to you because people can be "out of the gym" for injury and that is never cited...and as I mentioned above, my 2 successful level 10 girls DID miss gym for "prolonged stretches" for injury and they never "lost any skills"....granted we weren't out of the gym on vacation but I can assure you, when they were injured, I didn't even let them back in the gym to condition...and the injuries we recovered from include ( but are not limited to) OCD repair (6 months); back fracture ( 14 weeks) ; tibia fx ( 10 weeks) ; Achilles repair ( entire season) ...the skills came back, albeit not usually on the first day but my girls went on to compete yurchenko fulls on vault, releases on bars; flight series on beam....things people usually cite that they have trouble with after time off....

 

[bookworm]

B.Gold and Iwannabemargo.

Yes to you both. I tend to look at a much bigger picture. When my daughter is all grownup. And she is looking back, sharing memories or looking at pictures.

Will she remember it might have taken an extra week or month to get flip a, b or c because she took a vacation or went to family function? Probably not. Will she remember her "score" might be 0.2 or .3 lower in a meet because of a vacation? Probably not. Will she remember she took third during an early season meet instead of first? Or 7th instead of 5th? Probably not.
.

This!! I used this exact argument ( well I didn't argue, I just told the coaches) when Prom time came on the same night as a practice...would she remember that "she never missed a Friday practice" or that "I didn't get to go to my prom because I had practice"....she went to Prom...

 

[GymDad9.9]

This!! I used this exact argument ( well I didn't argue, I just told the coaches) when Prom time came on the same night as a practice...would she remember that "she never missed a Friday practice" or that "I didn't get to go to my prom because I had practice"....she went to Prom...

Prom 4ever

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I think this is really unfair of them to say that to you because people can be "out of the gym" for injury and that is never cited...and as I mentioned above, my 2 successful level 10 girls DID miss gym for "prolonged stretches" for injury and they never "lost any skills"....granted we weren't out of the gym on vacation but I can assure you, when they were injured, I didn't even let them back in the gym to condition...and the injuries we recovered from include ( but are not limited to) OCD repair (6 months); back fracture ( 14 weeks) ; tibia fx ( 10 weeks) ; Achilles repair ( entire season) ...the skills came back, albeit not usually on the first day but my girls went on to compete yurchenko fulls on vault, releases on bars; flight series on beam....things people usually cite that they have trouble with after time off....

Apparently you only lose skills for voluntary time off....

Kinda like when buying a car, dealer miles don't count