attendance policy for optionals?

[snowboardergirl]

We just found out our gym has a rather strict attendance policy for optionals. Is this standard at most gyms?

I hope it isn't really strict. It doesn't allow for much time off and requires doctors notes for excused absences. This isn't school, we are paying. I feel like unless you blatantly abuse taking time off we shouldn't be penalized for taking more than a week off. Thoughts? Or is this standard?

 

[gymgal]

Dds gym has a similar policy. Less strict in the summer though due to family vacations. I think theirs in general is the gymnasts has to be at practice 90% of scheduled hours to compete. And optionals cannot posited any other sport due to time constraints and injury risk. I think its a fair policy. Yes, the families are paying for a service but the coached are putting in their time and effort into the girls training. Why do it if the girls aren't dedicated to the sport? Ds plays for a travel ball team and they have a similar policy.

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[gymmomtotwo]

Our policy is very strict. No missing or vacations during competition season, except for sickness. Off season the families are given dates when the gym is closed and are encouraged to take vacations at that time. I experienced the same rules as a swimmer in a highly competitive program years ago, so it doesn't seem strange to me at all. The message pretty much is that we have so many spots, it's a privledge to have the spot, and if you don't want to follow the program we can give your spot to someone else who will. It's what you need to do to do competitive gymnastics. Even our preteam is like this, though more time off is allowed. You must have 80% attendance every month, or it's conference time to see if you and the program are still compatible. They are very up front about it from the beginning so you know what you are getting yourself into.

 

[gymgal]

Dds gym has a similar policy. Less strict in the summer though due to family vacations. I think theirs in general is the gymnasts has to be at practice 90% of scheduled hours to compete. And optionals cannot posited any other sport due to time constraints and injury risk. I think its a fair policy. Yes, the families are paying for a service but the coached are putting in their time and effort into the girls training. Why do it if the girls aren't dedicated to the sport? Ds plays for a travel ball team and they have a similar policy.

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Sorry for the typos... I should have proofread and not relied on the phone's smart typing.

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[wallinbl]

You're making a commitment to a competitive team. Other competitive sports expect similar commitments. If you balk, they'll recommend you put your kid in the recreational league instead.

We were asked to alter our Thanksgiving trip last year to accommodate practicing that week because it was two weeks before the state meet. After the coach said it, DD begged me until I caved and changed our plane tickets so she and I flew up later than the rest of the family. Like has been mentioned, everyone out our gym is encouraged to schedule summer vacation during the week the gym is closed.

 

[MaryA]

DD's gym is not that strict. There is a statement in the handbook something to the effect of "team members who miss practice frequently may get behind and become frustrated." HC is also very strict about not letting the girls compete any skill she doesn't feel they can compete safely, so if you go away and "lose" a skill, you may end up scratching an event when you come back. I hate it when DD has to miss practice, especially during competition season, but DH's family lives far away while mine live close, and he already is dubious about his 11-year-old practicing nearly 20 hours a week. If I put my foot down about us traveling to be with his family over the holidays (which, of course, fall smack-dab in the middle of competition season), we'd probably have some serious gymnastics-related marital strife.

I am of two minds... gymnastics is a commitment she's made. I want her to follow through on her commitment and I want her to do her best at meets and go as far as she can in the sport. On the other hand, gymnastics is a big part of DD's life, but it shouldn't be her whole life, and family should come first. Her grandparents won't be around forever. Also, she rarely, if ever, misses for social events (she would rather go to Friday night open gym than the middle school dance... at least so far) and she didn't have a single sick day this past year. AND I have similar conflicted feelings about her missing school for a Friday daytime or Sunday night meet, which also happens.

 

[GymBee97]

Most of the gyms I know have a strict policy and want you to choose practice and competitions over all else especially at the optional level. However they too know these are kids and for things that are once in a life time or once a year they usually understand (things like Prom, Father Daughter Dance, etc) For vacations they do ask to take the same weeks that gym is closed but if you don't ours asks to try to find a gym where you are vacationing and see if you can't do 2 or 3 days practice there.
For things like b-day parties, sleepovers, and general social events kids have - no they don't want them to miss practice for these
Usually by the time the kids hit optionals they know they need that real strict commitment - I think at L7 that is why you get alot of kids quitting - more because the parents don't want to do that type of commitment.

We don't need a DR note if they are sick but if they are injured we need a note to say what they can or can't do.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Similar at our gym. It is more flexible at the lower levels. I even sometimes think they give some of these parents too much room. There are people that miss three or four weeks in the summer and then wonder why their kids aren't doing well come competition season. It is hard for some people to see the connection.

We missed the a big meet this year due to vacation and I felt awful, but it was a vacation we had started planning even before she was formally on team and we didn't understand the schedule. It was a once in a lifetime thing and our HC was really supportive about it. But, this will be the last time we plan a vacation before we know the competition schedule. We did contemplate my dd and I traveling later, but it was just too expensive to change the tickets. And it is only level 4 after all.

She worked out at a local gym there a couple of times. Our friends we were with thought I was crazy to drive her 45 minutes to the gym three times while we were on vacation, but she had a blast and it was a huge confidence boost to work out with other coaches and kids.

When the kids get to optionals everyone sits down with the HC and gets the talk about commitment. Much stricter at this point, no other sports, must be at practice etc., but people do take vacations. They understand they are kids and family is important. Also, school comes first for the most part. Not extracurricular stuff, but if there is a big event or they really need to study for a big test or they are falling behind then you are encouraged to do what you need to do.

 

[Gymdad2]

"This isn't school, we are paying."

I don't think this really applies to gym when your dd is on team. Yes, if you are in a rec class, then you probably have a point, but when you are on team, then it is a commitment to the rest of the team as with other 'select' team sports. As others have said, if you do not believe that this is best for your dd, then rec is a better option. Competative gymnastics is a year round commitment, and is not for everybody. By the way, is your school free? You might want to check your property tax bill.

 

[fuzi]

I think most decent gyms have fairly strict attendance policies for optionals. Our optionals had to be at 80% of practices to remain on the team, and of course, at all practices leading up to competitions. You are paying for it, but regular attendance is also necessary for your child's progression and safety. If a kid was going to take a vacation for a week in the summer (and they were supposed to condition), that was fine, but they had to be there the rest of the summer to stay at 80%. The only exceptions were physical therapy scheduled during gym time that was necessary due to injuries. At the option levels, most kids will be at practices even if they are injured, working on skills or conditioning that does not affect the injured body part.

 

[MeetDirector]

The decision to go "optional" is a lifestyle decision. At our gym, the expectation is high; 6 days a week, 3 1/2 to 4 hrs per day. Why? The bigger skills at the optional level require consistent practice; its all about building the muscle and mental memory. The bigger skills have to become so ingrained that the athlete doesn't even think about them. There is a video out there somewhere done by ESPN I think, that showed how much time a gymnast actually has to do some of these freaky hard skills; it will boggle your mind. The body has to be able to do it automatically and that only comes with practice.

During the summer we can take a week off. During the school year, they might get away with missing one day. During the season, missing a day during the week leading up to a meet can result in the athlete getting scratched from the meet. We try to plan mini-vacations tied to our out-of-state travel for meets, but even then with back-to-back meets we can't miss a training day.

When a gymnast joins the optional team, the rest of the family in essence joins too.

Good Luck

 

[Deleted member D3987]

We just found out our gym has a rather strict attendance policy for optionals. Is this standard at most gyms?

I hope it isn't really strict. It doesn't allow for much time off and requires doctors notes for excused absences. This isn't school, we are paying. I feel like unless you blatantly abuse taking time off we shouldn't be penalized for taking more than a week off. Thoughts? Or is this standard?

YES. carry on.

 

[Muddlethru]

Our gym does not have a strict attendance policy. And this is evidenced at meets with poor performance of many of our gymnasts. Those that are personally committed do well. I think you should be thrilled the gym you are at has a strict policy. If you want to be good, you have to put in the time consistently.

 

[gym law mom]

Our gym's policy isn't quite that strict. It is understood that if you miss any practice the week prior to a meet for anything other than health reasons, you will not compete. I've never had to present a doctor's note for a miss due to illness or injury. I have brought in notes when gymmie has been put on some modified practice so the coaches know what she can/cannot do.

 

[cazoon]

We do not have a policy at our gym. However, if you are absent you have a conditioning list that you need to do and you need to understand that you may not end up competing the level you want to.

 

[bookworm]

The gyms we've been in previously haven't had so much as a "policy" for attendance as an "expectation" that you would be there, no matter what. The gym with the Eastern European block coaches didn't even want to give us Thanksgiving off because they "didn't celebrate it in their country" (but that got overruled) , same with Memorial day, 4th of July (you get the drift...) . People came (it was 6 days a week/4-5 hrs a day during the school year but 6.5 hours a day for 6 days a week in the summer) but always grumbled about it...and girls did miss practices for valid reasons and they still competed well. We had girls that NEVER missed a practice, and they still scored in the 32s so sometimes I think you can max out with practices...

Our current gym expects the girls to be there for the practices but there's never the threats or dirty looks if someone has to miss...and you know what, the girls come and they're happy to do so...and they do well too

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Obviously the idea behind any attendance policy is that you should be there every single day. They may simply trying to get that point across, without the specific issues about doctors' notes being enforced. At my gym, for example, we have some thing about "missing more than three practices in a trimester results in a warning, blah de blah, probation" but it's definitely not enforced. When you have to miss practice for a doctor's visit, you let the coaches know. Usually you try to schedule it so you go to the doctor at like 3:45 after school and you can be back at practice by 5:00. That way you only miss one hour.

As for allowing time off...even athletes should be able to go on vacation with their families. I usually go away for a week during winter break and two weeks during the summer. Sometimes my parents force me to go away for longer, but now that I can drive I can stay home by myself and practice! Unless you're training elite there's no reason you can't take a couple weeks per year off (in the off-season, of course).

 

[LizzieLac]

At our gym, missing a workout in the week leading up a meet gets you scratched from the meet. You are expected to come to all scheduled workouts unless you are sick, hurt, or have a serious commitment with school - this seems to go for all levels. I don't know what happens if you don't, as that doesn't seem to happen. We are allowed to miss a bit in the summer if the family takes vacation or if you went away for Thanksgiving and there was practice on the Saturday after. So far, spring break seems to be an ok week to miss too, but DD is only level 6 so we'll see what the deal is when we get to optionals!

 

[Aussie_coach]

Yes, most gyms have a strict policy and they should have a strict policy. Optional gymnastics is not just handstands and cartwheels. They types of skills you are doing require very consistent training and conditioning.