Parents Would you move your gymnast to Canada?

[Aspasia]

My husband works for a Toronto-based company that wants to promote him, and they prefer we move up there (though they are willing to work with a commuting situation). We are currently in New York City. Obviously USA women's gymnastics dominates globally, and we have the developmental programs to support that. My daughter is still young and it's not like we have our sights on the Olympics or even college, but she loves it and coaches seem to think she shows unusual promise, so we wouldn't want to close any doors to her. How do Canadian gyms compare to US gyms, and how does their national development program compare? Would you leave the US with a promising gymnast?

 

[gym_dad32608]

How old and what level is your daughter? Unless it is clear that she is on an elite path, ie national team member, international assignments, potential Olympics, her coaches are sending videos and talking to Alicia and ChelIsie, I would not let it dictate an opportunity to improve the Family with your husband's promotion. There are plenty good gymnastics/gyms/gymnasts in Canada, especially I would imagine in a metropolitan area such as Toronto.

 

[ORgymmom]

Unlike the UK, for example, the systems aren’t so unalike that it would be difficult to join a competitive program in Canada and/or return to one in the U.S. If college is a goal, there are Canadian gyms that regularly send women to some of my favorite D1 programs. Depending on where you are right now, the gyms I know in NYC are easy to get to from Manhattan and Brooklyn. I think the hardest things to adapt to in Toronto coming from NYC would be two things: 1) the commute and the possibility of having a long drive in traffic 2) a lot of gyms don’t have separate homeschool tracks but instead have a universal expectation of “daytime” practice with the expectation of missing school 1-2 afternoons/week even for compulsory levels

 

[kittykatgymnast]

There are plenty of great gyms in the greater Toronto area, so if it would be better (career-wise) for you to move, I would go for it. Canada uses the same level system as USAG but has a different National/Elite development path. I know of quite a few gyms in the GTA that have produced national team members, Olympians, and college gymnasts.

 

[catchingupmom]

As a Canadian, I'm chiming in. Toronto and area has a lot of gyms. Ontario as a rule allows for way more training hours than some of the other provinces, and when you look at the proportion of athletes compared to other provinces for representation at nationals it is possibly only superseded by BC. Take a look at how many Canadian elite gymnasts are on D1 scholarships right now, for a smaller pool of potentials the numbers are pretty high when you look at percentages. Ava Stewart, who was born in the USA, made the Canadian Olympic team.

 

[Aspasia]

Unlike the UK, for example, the systems aren’t so unalike that it would be difficult to join a competitive program in Canada and/or return to one in the U.S. If college is a goal, there are Canadian gyms that regularly send women to some of my favorite D1 programs. Depending on where you are right now, the gyms I know in NYC are easy to get to from Manhattan and Brooklyn. I think the hardest things to adapt to in Toronto coming from NYC would be two things: 1) the commute and the possibility of having a long drive in traffic 2) a lot of gyms don’t have separate homeschool tracks but instead have a universal expectation of “daytime” practice with the expectation of missing school 1-2 afternoons/week even for compulsory levels

Oh, wow. That's really interesting. We have actually always homeschooled (even before the pandemic and before gymnastics), so that shouldn't be too big a problem. And even though we live in Manhattan and attend a Manhattan gym, it's still about 40 minutes each way via subway. Would Toronto be worse than that?

 

[Happyfeet]

Moving to Toronto is a little like saying you are moving to New York. There are lots of places you can move to and lots of gymnastics gyms as well. Certainly, if you are choosing your location you could make it nearby to a gym especially if you aren't concerned about school options. In Toronto alone there are many, many gymnastics options it depends on how picky you are regarding having a top caliber elite gym (which has produced Olympians) or are fine with a more moderate high caliber option.

The big name gyms with Olympians on their rosters are:
1) Gemini Gymnastics in Oshawa (Anna Padurariu and Ava Stewart)
2) Dynamo Gymnastics in Cambridge (Moors sisters, Tousek sisters and Gerber sisters)
3) Oakville - I believe is where Peng Peng Lee switched to after Sport Seneca closed but don't quote me on this one.
4) If your child was interested in trampoline there is also a top notch trampoline gym in Richmond Hill

I'm not recommending any of these gyms but that's for you to figure out what you want to do and what's important for your family. There really is no reason for a long commute though if that's a priority Toronto proper and all the major suburbs all have gymnastics gyms of fine quality (Toronto, Oshawa, Barrie, Milton, Oakville, Kitchener, Guelph, Pickering etc).

Also, a difference I have noticed is that while many of the gyms don't have schools at them many schools will run elite sports programs by high school so less relying on homeschooling and more independent programs being run by school boards than what I hear on here from the US. Although maybe this doesn't matter to you if you homeschool anyways.

 

[Coach Kate]

My coworker grew up in the Canadian system during what would have been her compulsory years. Her family later moved to the US, and then she competed for University of Washington (first year at Utah, but then transferred)

 

[kittykatgymnast]

The big name gyms with Olympians on their rosters are:
1) Gemini Gymnastics in Oshawa (Anna Padurariu and Ava Stewart)
2) Dynamo Gymnastics in Cambridge (Moors sisters, Tousek sisters and Gerber sisters)
3) Oakville - I believe is where Peng Peng Lee switched to after Sport Seneca closed but don't quote me on this one.
4) If your child was interested in trampoline there is also a top notch trampoline gym in Richmond Hill

East York has quite a few HP Seniors right now and I believe they have had Olympians and college gymnasts in the past.

 

[BusyMomof2]

I would move to Canada immediately if my husband or my employer would sponsor it! I know a handful of families trying to do that now (not for gymnastics or work) and it's not an easy move without sponsorship. I don't know much about Canadian gymnastics but based on the responses it seems like a relatively lateral move in terms of being able to keep up with the sport. Good luck!

 

[bookworm]

I'd move to Canada for reasons having zero to do with gymnastics...

 

[Canadianmom]

We live in Toronto and there are great gyms here, but the GTA is sprawling. If your daughter is aiming for elite level, I would definitely start by looking at gyms that are on that track; find one or two that you like, and then consider living relatively nearby. As an example, someone mentioned Gemini gymnastics, and that is in Oshawa. It would not be realistic in my view to commute from Toronto to Oshawa for training (min 45 minute drive without traffic each way, and public transportion would be many hours). My daughter loves her gym and it is a 12 minute drive. You could have a solid gymnastics career there, but it doesn’t produce Olympians. East York gymnastics seems a bit more serious and is in Toronto. As others have said, there is an expectation to train on certain afternoons - either your daughter would miss school, or there are some schools for athletes that end at lunch. This includes at least one public school (probably many more of them) called Northview Heights at Bathurst and Finch. Happy to discuss!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I would not be making career decisions which impact things like retirement over gymnastics