- Jun 6, 2019
- 139
- 218
My 8yo daughter has been doing gym for 2 years and preteam for most of it. She goes twice a week for 1.5 hours. She loves her coach and the highly structured, disciplined approach of her gym. But she craves more gym time. She’s a goal oriented perfectionist and would do straight jumps for hours at home if her coach told her to, so it’s not about bigger skills. It may just be a weird time with COVID. She’s never competed, which I’m fine with; I’d be fine if she trained until level 4. The gym’s team is very small, I would guess less than 20 kids total over all the levels. There seems to be a gap where there’s not a level 3/4 training group. The coaches have elite coaching experience though that doesn’t seem to be a focus at this gym (they have had D1s). She learned a straddle press before really starting gymnastics and can do multiple, and she can do many of the TOPS type of physical skills (pike rope climb, 20 leg lifts...), and executes things precisely, so a lovely compulsory gymnast. She takes corrections well and is humble but is aware she sticks out a bit in her group. She’s been working level 2 routines for a year with her group, but is training spotted case handstands and kips, and spotted combos of kips/front hip circles. She is a strong tumbler (RO BHS BHS), beam worker etc. The girls in her group aren’t working these things because the gym is strict about progressions (they do round offs, back hip circles etc). I’m honestly not sure why they are spotting her on cast handstands since it skips their progression, unless they want to get her attuned to doing it now? Sometimes the discrepancy between her and classmates creates a weird dynamic (in the little girl drama sense, but she tries not to get sucked into it). And she can’t do that darn mill circle no matter how much she tries! I suspect she will have a straight arm kip before the mill circle. Her coach told her the other day that she needs to get her mill circle to move to level 3 (I know it’s not in the new routines). I’m aware that some of the high performing gyms a little further away may have pushed her too much too soon, so I’m glad she’s had a measured approach, I just want to feed and direct her intensity in the right way. I don’t let her tumble at home. Her gym is not naturally communicative or transparent (though no red flags and I’ve looked and asked)....which makes it so dang hard for me to bring this up with them! I just feel self conscious doing so. I’m not sure what I’m asking I’m also aware she’ll be 9 in the fall and don’t want to push her but don’t want to hold her back. I guess I would like insight from others who had young girls with talent and drive...how do you guide their journey appropriately at this point? Should I just trust the process and enjoy the low hours while I can?
