Parents After highest rec level?

[scb838]

My daughter just turned 7 and is in the highest rec level at her gym. The next level is pre-team. She loves gymnastics and I think she would have the skills to move up soon, however competitive gymnastics is just not something we can afford. I'm not even sure she will get asked to pre-team anyway. She would be so sad if she only had the choice of not being able to learn new skills or quitting. This would be strange to me since she is so young still.

Are there gyms that do higher level rec gymnastics? I am not sure exactly what level she is since they just call her class "advanced recreational." Examples of skills they are working on now are front walkover, vault forward roll to pike, back hip circle on bars and cartwheel on the low beam.

 

[That_Gymnast]

My daughter just turned 7 and is in the highest rec level at her gym. The next level is pre-team. She loves gymnastics and I think she would have the skills to move up soon, however competitive gymnastics is just not something we can afford. I'm not even sure she will get asked to pre-team anyway. She would be so sad if she only had the choice of not being able to learn new skills or quitting. This would be strange to me since she is so young still.

Are there gyms that do higher level rec gymnastics? I am not sure exactly what level she is since they just call her class "advanced recreational." Examples of skills they are working on now are front walkover, vault forward roll to pike, back hip circle on bars and cartwheel on the low beam.

Some gyms have something called a gym jam squad (can be called different things). You generally do one advanced rec class for 1.5 hrs then another session with the girls in the squad for 1.5 hrs. My gym has this and has girls do inter-squad meets 2-3 times per year. This is a great way to build skills (my gym goes up to L6 skills this program) and get a somewhat competitive experience at a much lower price. It is normally the cost of 2 REC Classes so if you can afford that I would look for gyms in your area that may offer this.

 

[scb838]

Some gyms have something called a gym jam squad (can be called different things). You generally do one advanced rec class for 1.5 hrs then another session with the girls in the squad for 1.5 hrs. My gym has this and has girls do inter-squad meets 2-3 times per year. This is a great way to build skills (my gym goes up to L6 skills this program) and get a somewhat competitive experience at a much lower price. It is normally the cost of 2 REC Classes so if you can afford that I would look for gyms in your area that may offer this.

I spent some time on google last night and didn't see any gyms nearby with anything like that. There is one gym that goes to level 3. That doesn't sound like it would be more than another year or two until she maxed that out as well or am I wrong?

 

[HurricaneLR]

Our advanced rec were doing Gold and even Platinum skills, so I think that you may be able to find a gym with higher level advanced rec. We also have something in our area called Stars, similar to what That_Gymnast said above. It's a rec team, and they meet for their regular rec class and then a second class each week where they learn routines and competition rules. They compete at maybe 4 meets per year. All the meets are within an hour, and they keep the costs down by using tank leos for competition, using high level gymnasts as judges, and holding all the meets at the participating gyms. You still get the competitive experience without the high price or stress. You may need to call around to gyms and ask if they have a rec team, because it may not show on the website.

 

[Amumcalledove]

It’s worth asking around different gyms what their rec program involves.
We’ve been in two rec programs:
One had a generic rec class for kiddos aged 4-8, everything else was by invite only. Kiddos did same circuit/skills each time.
One has a structured rec system - kiddos work on specific skills for their level. There’s at least 6 levels for under 8’s and mix of different gymnastic codes in each level.
Both just say ‘rec’ class on their websites but very different experiences and overall club vibes.

 

[scb838]

Thank you for the replies. This is all very helpful and now I know what to ask about.