Parents Competitive Gymnastics tuition costs

[SuperDad7]

Hey gang,

I’m in Canada and for our boy who’s been invited to our gym’s MAG Developmental Program (Compulsory), for a total of 4-6 hours a week, it costs about 400$ a month in tuition ( like 290 USD ).

i personally find it super expensive but, he likes the sport and assuming he progresses, was wondering if one, our gym is charging a high price for only those hours (he’s only 5 too), and two, how much has your gym charged for your kids tuition as they’ve progressed in gymnastics with same or more hours. I’d like to know what were getting into in case DS sticks with it for a bit lol.

Thanks gym community!

 

[&bs]

Our lowest girls squad that pays by the month - Level 3 (8 hours a week) pays $350 Australian dollars (about $315 Canadian). So it is on the high side comparatively but I’m not sure what other Canadian clubs are charging.

It probably depends if your gym counts it as rec or the competitive program. Our rec program pays approx $20/hr for a 2 hr class but comp kids are subsidised on a sliding scale so the girls training 15+ hours a week are paying about $8 an hr.

But yes Gymnastics will always be an expensive sport as you have a low student to staff ratio and use very expensive equipment.

 

[kidzalright]

$320 USD for 16 hours a week here. I have 2 boys competing so it gets pricey. That does not include travel, meet fees, coaches fees, or uniforms. The higher the level, the more meets. It is optional to compete and you do not have to go to every meet either at our gym. Each kid is going to 6 meets this season though. We're in a cheaper part of the US though. When we were on the West Coast is was definitely more expensive.

 

[Dahlialover]

High cost of living area of the US:


16 hours $500/month (including annual fees)
Meets $1,700 per season

We are considered an affordable gym.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

25 hours, $675

 

[GymDad00]

US major city here:

20 hours a week / $600 a month… base cost.

All in we are pushing $20k a year if you include travel expenses, meet fees, coaches fees, Leotards, choreo fees, privates….We are only level 7…. Yeah it’s a self selecting sport. We have an only child…. So it’s doable. I know families that have 3 girls in the sport… or boys other travel sports as well. I don’t know how they swing it!

But totally worth it for us since our DD loves it… and keeps her busy, incredibly strong, confident and healthy!

 

[AlexandraU16]

Rural US:
First gym was $285 per month tuition for 6 hours with about $1500 in meet fees. (Level 2)

Current gym $235 per month for 9 hours (was $190 per month last year for 6 hours) and $1200 ish for meet fees. We are doing more local/local ish meets this year which has helped keep expenses lower.

We are extremely fortunate that our gym caps out currently at $350 per month for optionals. We also do simple tank leos for the low levels, buy our own leggings, and just do a simple team jacket.

Last year between travel, tuition, meet fees, uniform, etc I spent right around $6000. I think that’s on the low end of the spectrum for this sport.

 

[BusyMomof2]

We are in a large metro area and pay $425/month for 16 hours weekly for level 6 plus $2,200 in meet fees for 6 meets (one is out of state). Regionals is extra for those who qualify. Choreography is about $400 for beam/floor. We don't need new leo kits this year so that saves us around $600.

 

[SuperDad7]

$320 USD for 16 hours a week here. I have 2 boys competing so it gets pricey. That does not include travel, meet fees, coaches fees, or uniforms. The higher the level, the more meets. It is optional to compete and you do not have to go to every meet either at our gym. Each kid is going to 6 meets this season though. We're in a cheaper part of the US though. When we were on the West Coast is was definitely more expensive.

id take the 320 usd for 16 hours a week ratio anyday compared to 290 usd for 4 hours a week in my opinion lol!

Two kids in gymnastics would be financial suicide for me lol! Thank you so much for sharing

 

[SuperDad7]

25 hours, $675

At what level is 25 hours in the gym necessary? Is this with a home school program or are your kiddos managing school + gym? Thanks for sharing!

 

[SuperDad7]

US major city here:

20 hours a week / $600 a month… base cost.

All in we are pushing $20k a year if you include travel expenses, meet fees, coaches fees, Leotards, choreo fees, privates….We are only level 7…. Yeah it’s a self selecting sport. We have an only child…. So it’s doable. I know families that have 3 girls in the sport… or boys other travel sports as well. I don’t know how they swing it!

But totally worth it for us since our DD loves it… and keeps her busy, incredibly strong, confident and healthy!

Wow! And i thought hockey was expensive! That comes close to $30k in CAD

Is that 20 hours + school or home school? Eitherway, ur kid is really putting in the work ( and so are you guys!). More than one kid in the sport especially at that level is definetely brutal. I'm a single dad so i dont know if we'll ever get to that level.

I always assumed gymnastics was a cheaper sport since you don't have to buy cleats and gear. I was very wrong. It really is worth it tho if your kid loves it! Thanks for sharing!

 

[GymnastMomX2]

At what level is 25 hours in the gym necessary? Is this with a home school program or are your kiddos managing school + gym? Thanks for sharing!

Level 7+, and yes it’s a daytime/homeschool program.

 

[SuperDad7]

Rural US:
First gym was $285 per month tuition for 6 hours with about $1500 in meet fees. (Level 2)

Current gym $235 per month for 9 hours (was $190 per month last year for 6 hours) and $1200 ish for meet fees. We are doing more local/local ish meets this year which has helped keep expenses lower.

We are extremely fortunate that our gym caps out currently at $350 per month for optionals. We also do simple tank leos for the low levels, buy our own leggings, and just do a simple team jacket.

Last year between travel, tuition, meet fees, uniform, etc I spent right around $6000. I think that’s on the low end of the spectrum for this sport.

Thanks for the analysis! Did you switch gyms for financial reasons? Are you happier with the new gym?

 

[SuperDad7]

Thanks for all the replies, y'all are great! Hopefully other parents can get an idea of sport tuition as well.

Follow up questions:

- Is it common for gym families to sacrifice some lifestyle decisions to afford the sport? Ex: Vacations, eating out, bills, etc?

- Would you consider gymnastics to be lower/upper Middle-Class friendly?

- Are you expecting anything to come out of the sport? Scholarships, National Team, etc?

Cheers

 

[SuperDad7]

We are in a large metro area and pay $425/month for 16 hours weekly for level 6 plus $2,200 in meet fees for 6 meets (one is out of state). Regionals is extra for those who qualify. Choreography is about $400 for beam/floor. We don't need new leo kits this year so that saves us around $600.

Did you also pay for choreo when your kids were in level 1 - 5 ? Out of curiosity, what do meet fees cover exactly, and what do you pay out of pocket?

I'm happy you were able on saving on those leos haha.

Thanks for sharing !

 

[superNova08]

Would you consider gymnastics to be lower/upper Middle-Class friendly?

Not a parent but an ex-gymmie here. Definitely. My family is lower middle-class and we got by. I did most meets unless there was a conflict. You don't really need 10 different leos if you do laundry once a week - at least for Xcel and I think through like level 6. My mom would have people carpool so she could work.

 

[kidzalright]

Thanks for all the replies, y'all are great! Hopefully other parents can get an idea of sport tuition as well.

Follow up questions:

- Is it common for gym families to sacrifice some lifestyle decisions to afford the sport? Ex: Vacations, eating out, bills, etc?

- Would you consider gymnastics to be lower/upper Middle-Class friendly?

- Are you expecting anything to come out of the sport? Scholarships, National Team, etc?

Cheers

I have no expectations. One kid loves the exercise and being with his team. He plays music and is academic minded so I'm grateful he plays a sport that keeps him active. He doesn't want to do NCAA for now. My other one has Olympic dreams. The confidence they have gained through gymnastics is all I need to know it's worth it.

 

[skschlag]

Thanks for all the replies, y'all are great! Hopefully other parents can get an idea of sport tuition as well.

Follow up questions:

- Is it common for gym families to sacrifice some lifestyle decisions to afford the sport? Ex: Vacations, eating out, bills, etc?

- Would you consider gymnastics to be lower/upper Middle-Class friendly?

- Are you expecting anything to come out of the sport? Scholarships, National Team, etc?

Cheers

I have a boy in gym, and I think that cost is similar to what we paid when our son was younger.

Yes...vacations were typically where nationals were. Sometimes that was good, sometimes not. we did take some time off in the summer for family trips as well, but for the past 17 years, we have pretty much followed a gymnastics calendar. Our older daughter did some activities too, and so that was in there with it.

We never went into gymnastics expecting anything except for him to have fun, be active, and learn a lot. I would say gymnastics has given him a lot of great life lessons, leadership qualities, and life skills.

 

[That_Gymnast]

Thanks for all the replies, y'all are great! Hopefully other parents can get an idea of sport tuition as well.

Follow up questions:

- Is it common for gym families to sacrifice some lifestyle decisions to afford the sport? Ex: Vacations, eating out, bills, etc?

- Would you consider gymnastics to be lower/upper Middle-Class friendly?

- Are you expecting anything to come out of the sport? Scholarships, National Team, etc?

Cheers

I’m a training Level 10 gymnast and I’d consider my single mom to be lower-middle class. The ONLY reason the higher levels are doable is with grandparents paying 1/2 of the gym costs for her, sometimes more like 2/3. I wouldn’t say eating out is completely given up but budgeted and vacations only can afford to happen once every three years and nothing extravagant even then. Most people when they get into the sport do it because they love it…for some that leads to a lot of success but the factors are so out of control parents should never count on it. It’s hard to pay all the costs of the sport but if the kid really loves it is worth it only if it’s not going to bankrupt the parent in the future though. Based on what you shared I would look to talk to some parents of higher level gymnasts in Canada to find out how expensive is the “norm” there and before you commit to team make sure you have the finances to support this. The hardest thing is making a big part of your kids life the sport then having to drop out, if this could be foreseen as likely I would consider other sports….gymnastics is unfortunately not accessible to all especially competitively which sucks

 

[Gym_momma]

I am also from Canada. We pay $735/month for 20 hours/week.