Parents Time for a new gym?

[raenndrops]

Another point. How well do your other kids do in the car or waiting at gym. Unfortunately, mine are experts at the "I'm not touching you" version of car fighting. Honestly, that limits the length of time I'm willing to have them in the car. I would not drive an hour each way for any activity while both kids will be in the car.

I saw a "Dad Life Hack" where the children were separated by big pieces of cardboard, lol.

 

[Jenny]

I saw a "Dad Life Hack" where the children were separated by big pieces of cardboard, lol.

OMG my parents needed that. My sister and I were car ninjas at the no touch fighting.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

we had the "armrest of doom", If it came down between us, we knew we were doomed !

 

[3rd_time_around]

In my experience, gyms welcome gymnasts that are already on a team who move or in your case are in the military. If you contact a gym ahead of time in the area in which you will be moving, have all the money for meet fees upfront, and have the skills for the Lvl they are on, the gym will take them. Some will even let her compete with the team leotard she already has, since they are so pricey, or will help you purchase a used one, or if you contact them early enough will order one for you and have it waiting.

Gyms in general often get a bad name, but I know so many managers and owners who are awesome people, and in it for the love of the sport. They would never turn away a gymnast ( especially with your circumstances) just because the season already started. I've witnessed such a thing and not just at my dd's gym. It's not like you're a gym hopper just looking for a place to promote your daughter where you think she should be, you have unique circumstances.

If you know where you will be in 18 months, and there is a gym there, you should contact them and talk to them. Don't make assumptions based on Internet stranger's opinions. See what they would do for you even for just 6 months. I know my dd's gym would not have a problem with having your dd no matter what time of year as long as she was skill-ready at her level. And if you don't mind the longer commute, and know it would be better training, I say try it. I know many (yes, many) people who commute an hour + for gymnastics, even for just classes and lower team levels because there is no gym where they live, or they want the better training.

The nice thing about gymnastics is that it is universal, the skills are the same wherever you go, and for compulsories even the music is the same. [emoji23][emoji23] You can join in more easily at a new place because it is individual rather than team, it's year-round, and most places embrace a new gymnast. I can't think of a gym in my state that wouldn't accommodate a military family, even if it's just 6 months. If you make the switch and want to keep going after your next move, just plan ahead and communicate with the gym ahead of time. (If you've ever seen a team at a meet with one gymnast wearing a completely different team uniform, it's usually due to a gym switch, a move, or in one case a gym closed and the new gym let her wear her team Leo that she had already paid for).

 

[gymgal]

GAgymmom raises another good point you may not have thought about - gym fees. You will want to get this straightened out ahead of time with you current gym at the time of the move and your new gym so that if you will be arriving just before meet season, they can register your child for the meets. Smaller meets usually are not a problem. Bigger meets can be more of an issue.

 

[e'smum]

our gym doesn't even compete level 2 nor do we have a level 1. we have advanced, invite only, classes that i guess would equal level 1. our levels 2s are really just an even more advanced rec class. we have a 3D team which works with the level 3s but don't compete. that is really the first step towards team in our gym. my gymmie started at age 6 with only a ROBHS for skill and a sloppy BWO and there is no way she could have gone right to level 4 w/o her time in level 3. so if you do switch gyms, there is no guarantee that you will get what ever it is you are after. our gym won't let the girls move up if they don't have certain skills down really well that are needed to transition to the next level.