Anon Team Exodus

[Anonymous Post]

My daughter’s team is close knit and relatively small. There are multiple gymnasts leaving at the same time. Has anyone ever had a situation where many gymnasts leave the team at once? How did it affect the team dynamic of the remaining gymnasts? I’d appreciate any experiences or insight!

 

[Aussie_coach]

If the gym does it well, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Kids leaving is hard, but it opens the door for other gymnasts to step up and shine.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Yes. Our team experienced this. It was tough for DD at first as she was close to some of the girls that left. We sat down and had a good conversation. I reminded her that she was at a point that regardless of the reason, the longer she is in the sport and the higher up the levels she goes, she will be saying goodbye to teammates she loves for a variety of reasons. She needs to be in the sport because she loves it and wants to be there, not for any other reason.

For the remaining team members, they took a tough situation and made it a positive one. Their bonds with each other grew stronger. They developed closer friendships and really supported each other. And the silver lining was that because there were fewer team members, they got more individual attention from the coaches and their gymnastics improved.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Our team has had both team members leave and coaches leave for other teams. I think that the initial shock is hard, but over time any emotions wear off. What can also be hard is the first meet when the other teammates/coach is at another team. Do you say hi? are feeling's positive? Negative? We have experienced both positive and negative responses at meets when folks have moved on. It is just another life lesson that we as parents hoped our kids wouldn't have to experience at such a young age.

 

[Anonymous Post]

We had half our optional team one year all to the same gym. Yup there were major negative feelings from those who stayed, mine was one who stayed. None of the girls remained friends and for years there was a horrible competitive vibe mostly kept alive by the other coach. Our coach remained gracious and was always friendly and open to those who left when we saw them at meets. He took the high road. Was not a great time honestly for the girls. Those that remained with my daughter became very close. Those that went to other gym all quit or got injured.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Are you talking about people quitting/retiring? Or mass exodus to another gym?
Teams will naturally thin out as skills get harder and kids hit the pre-teen/early teen years. Many want to move on to other things. I know we will be losing several off our Gold team at the end of this season. Sometimes you have an 'exodus' when one or more move to a different gym, follow a coach, etc...that is also quite normal. But just make sure there aren't other things going on that are causing kids to jump ship.

 

[Anonymous Post]

It’s hard, and often leads to hard feelings. An unscrupulous gym in our state has been allegedly recruiting gymnasts by any means possible. Rumors are that they are rewarding kids for every gymnast they can bring from another gym, especially the high level ones. They have none of their own high optionals, they are all from other places. They also have a terrible attitude, and bad sportsmanship, but that’s another story. Yes, we’ve lost several to this gym, but the ones that stay, close ranks and are very supportive.
Training goes on as usual. I will say that often it’s a better atmosphere in the gym when some people leave, because it’s only then you realize the toxic attitudes and lazy work ethics that they actually brought into the gym with them, and now all that is gone.

 

[Anonymous Post]

My daughter’s team has had pretty decent numbers of girls leave a couple of times (once for another gym, the other time was kids leaving the sport as they hit high school age). It’s been really well handled- the girls have all gone to one another’s meets/new sports to cheer them on and all close friendships have been maintained. A couple of girls who left for another gym have since returned, too.

 

[Anonymous Post]

As others have said, the "mass exodus" happens all the time. Yes, it can be temporarily disruptive, but (generally) it should not raise concern. During a mass exodus, you and your child might be wondering: "Are we in the right program? Should we move gyms?" In my opinion, these are questions you should always be asking yourself!

Sometimes gymnasts outgrow their gyms..Sometimes gymnasts dislike their coaches...Sometimes gymnasts just want to do gymnastics with their friends (who happen to go to other gyms)...Sometimes parents prefer a different training schedule...Sometimes parents have tuition constraints...Sometimes...Sometimes...

In summary, no gym is perfect, and it's important that you and your child continually assess whether your gym is a good fit. There is nothing wrong with staying or leaving as long as the decision serves your family's goals.

Lastly—as I'm sure you've experienced—mass exoduses happens all the time in other parts of life. For example, there is always a group of people boycotting businesses, quitting jobs, leaving the country, etc. If your child is distressed about the mass exodus happening at the gym, use this as an opportunity to teach her about emotional resiliance during times of disruption. This lesson will come in handy later in life!

P.S. The only time when you should be concerned about a "mass exodus" is if people are leaving the gym due to dishonest business practices or abusive coaching.