Hello All,
This is my first time posting and I am seeking advice, especially from coaches. I'm sorry if this is really long!
My daughter (age 9) just finished her first year of competing as a Level 3. Her state championship meet was almost two weeks ago. She was thrilled with how it went. She earned personal bests in each event and was so proud that she put in her best performances of the year at the biggest meet. She arrived back at her gym for the first practice after states energized and excited to get back to work and try new skills. She left confused and deflated because she was completely blindsided by what happened there: The coach had decided to divide the Level 3's into two different training groups. One group will get to train new skills and try to advance to Level 4 and one group will remain Level 3 with no opportunity to even train Level 4 skills. My daughter is in the latter group with the girls who did not qualify for states. The girls that she trained with all season are in the other group. My husband and I were given no advance warning or explanation. The coach did inform the parents of the girls who were selected for the more advanced group ahead of time. We were told nothing, so there was no way for us to try and prepare our daughter for what was coming.
My daughter is not the strongest and not the weakest on her team. Her state scores were exactly in the middle of her team. She was making slow and steady progress throughout the season until she injured her hand which set her back for about a month. Despite that, she worked her way back and still did well at states. She has a weak vault, but her other three events are solid. She is a sweet girl with a great work ethic and attitude. She is always on time and rarely misses practice. She loves gymnastics, but now for the first time in her life, does not want to go. I can't say I blame her. Her team has not even started summer training and her coach has already decided who he is giving a chance to even try to advance. My daughter is facing another full year of the exact same skills.
My daughter's coach said he decided who to give a chance to train higher skills based on "his gut." I can't tell my daughter that she is in the group she's in because the coach sees something in the other girls that he doesn't see in her.
So, coaches, parents, should I be looking for a new gym or a new sport for my child? I feel in "my gut" that I can't keep her where she is now after the way the coach handled this decision. However, I don't know if I want to put her through shopping around for another gym if she just doesn't have a future in the sport. Coaches, is it possible this is her coach's way of "weeding" my daughter off the team? If yes, it's working--she is really discouraged and my heart aches for her. Thank you in advance for reading this far and any advice you can offer!
This is my first time posting and I am seeking advice, especially from coaches. I'm sorry if this is really long!
My daughter (age 9) just finished her first year of competing as a Level 3. Her state championship meet was almost two weeks ago. She was thrilled with how it went. She earned personal bests in each event and was so proud that she put in her best performances of the year at the biggest meet. She arrived back at her gym for the first practice after states energized and excited to get back to work and try new skills. She left confused and deflated because she was completely blindsided by what happened there: The coach had decided to divide the Level 3's into two different training groups. One group will get to train new skills and try to advance to Level 4 and one group will remain Level 3 with no opportunity to even train Level 4 skills. My daughter is in the latter group with the girls who did not qualify for states. The girls that she trained with all season are in the other group. My husband and I were given no advance warning or explanation. The coach did inform the parents of the girls who were selected for the more advanced group ahead of time. We were told nothing, so there was no way for us to try and prepare our daughter for what was coming.
My daughter is not the strongest and not the weakest on her team. Her state scores were exactly in the middle of her team. She was making slow and steady progress throughout the season until she injured her hand which set her back for about a month. Despite that, she worked her way back and still did well at states. She has a weak vault, but her other three events are solid. She is a sweet girl with a great work ethic and attitude. She is always on time and rarely misses practice. She loves gymnastics, but now for the first time in her life, does not want to go. I can't say I blame her. Her team has not even started summer training and her coach has already decided who he is giving a chance to even try to advance. My daughter is facing another full year of the exact same skills.
My daughter's coach said he decided who to give a chance to train higher skills based on "his gut." I can't tell my daughter that she is in the group she's in because the coach sees something in the other girls that he doesn't see in her.
So, coaches, parents, should I be looking for a new gym or a new sport for my child? I feel in "my gut" that I can't keep her where she is now after the way the coach handled this decision. However, I don't know if I want to put her through shopping around for another gym if she just doesn't have a future in the sport. Coaches, is it possible this is her coach's way of "weeding" my daughter off the team? If yes, it's working--she is really discouraged and my heart aches for her. Thank you in advance for reading this far and any advice you can offer!