Parents Confused about rec/moving up...

[Gam15]

Hi, everyone. We're new to gymnastics and I'm so confused and frustrated right now. I started my daughter in rec this June. I didn't know to have her skill level tested first so she started in the beginner class. Turns out, she's more at the intermediate level. She walked in knowing how to do a straight line cartwheel, round off, kickover on the bar, forward roll, backward roll, handstand (holding it), etc. Basically every skill on their check-off sheet. I spoke to the gym and they suggested putting her in an additional class each week to speed her through it. We did that and she moved up to the next class within a few weeks.

It's been 6 weeks and she's ready to move up again. The problem is that her teachers (mostly new hires) aren't checking any of the girl's skills off because they're learning how to teach and manage a group of giggly little girls (some of whom can't do a kickover, some of whom are doing back hip circles and so on). They barely have time to acknowledge her or watch her. My daughter is bored. It's not challenging. At home she's already doing front and back walkovers and back handsprings, cartwheels on the beam, etc. In class she's stuck doing what the other kids are doing and it's very basic skills and she does them consistently and correctly. She comes home frustrated and angry that they aren't checking off her skills (we both do, to be honest, but I try to hide it for her sake). I feel like she's stagnating.

So I'm wondering how to manage my expectations here. Should I be frustrated? Do rec classes just move slowly? My daughter is eager to make pre-team (it's invite only and no one will tell me how the process works) and at this rate I'm thinking she'll never move out of rec. She's not a super talented special snowflake, but at the same time she's definitely ahead of her class so I'm just not sure what to expect?

Thanks!

 

[gymbeam]

every gym has a different method, but you should be able to at least ask if the class she is in currently CAN feed into the pre-team track. when you ask, preface it with, "I'm not asking if Suzie WILL be invited to pre-team, but I'd like to know if the class she is in now does at least have the potential to feed into pre-team." Good Luck! (And how old is your daughter? Where did she learn the skills she has?)

 

[Sasha]

First, warning: about 1000 people are about to tell you on here to stop the back handsprings at home. That is an advanced skill that needs to be taught properly by experienced coaches.

How old is your daughter?

Each gym has their own process, but if she is interested in team, you need to find and talk directly to the people that are responsible for inviting kids to preteam, and ask what the process is for that. You can't depend on rec teachers, necessarily, to be proactive in getting your daughter into that 'stream'.

Ask the front desk, or ask a coach you know teaches team, where to start to get information, and then ask that person (usually a coach of team or preteam) about how the process works. Also let them know your daughter is interested and what expectations, if any, of her being evaluated.

Good luck!

Edited to add: I see you said "no one will tell me" about preteam. That's rather strange, so perhaps you haven't yet spoken to the right person? If you're only talking to rec people, they might not have all the answers you need. You probably need to talk to team coaches.

 

[Gam15]

The gym only offers rec, pre-team, and team. They keep giving me the "invite only" answer so I'm assuming they cull them from the rec classes as they move through them? Thank you. She's 8 already which is why we're sold on this particular gym, they don't consider 8 too old. It's a big gym in a big metro area so we feel a bit lost sometimes.

She's learned the skills on her own. She's always been THAT kid...you know, the 3 year old climbing up the walls in the hallway and waiting to drop down on me when I walked under her. She also has bars at school so she's working on her kip (and she almost has it, surprisingly).

 

[Gam15]

First, warning: about 1000 people are about to tell you on here to stop the back handsprings at home. That is an advanced skill that needs to be taught properly by experienced coaches.

I get you! I definitely do NOT encourage that type of thing at home because of injury and the possibility of using terrible form and having it become a habit. She does it at school though, I literally have to sit on her to keep her from doing things like that. It's not a great situation, another reason why I'm eager for her to move up and learn things IN class instead of out of it.

 

[gymbeam]

so if this was all learned on her own i can imagine there are a lot of form issues to be fixed. sometimes "having" a skill without proper form can take as long to clean up as just learning it from scratch can. keep that in mind when comparing her skills to others.

 

[gymbeam]

and, also just an FYI- our gym is really big and has a multitude of rec classes. while they all fall into the "rec" category- believe me they do already start funneling certain gymnasts into certain "rec" classes. sort of pre,pre-team i guess you could say. so again, i would just confirm with someone official that yes, her rec class can feed into pre team.

 

[Sasha]

The "invite only" response sounds like something a front desk or rec coach (who doesn't have further information) would say as a generic response.

If you have actually found the coach who teaches pre-team and talked with her/him (not in a demanding way of course, just as a "dumb parent trying to learn about the process"), and all she will say is "invite only" without telling you if the class your DD is in can feed into preteam and maybe a little about the requirements or process, that is a bit of a red flag on the communication side to me, and I would be concerned about future communication potential here.

I wouldn't be too upset about the rec coaches not being consistent about checking off skills. It's rec, and I wouldn't expect perfect consistency given coach experience and turnover. If she is learning things and progressing, then I wouldn't be concerned about the 'tracking' aspect so much (unless of course that pre-team coach tells you they are relying on that checklist!)

 

[Gam15]

so if this was all learned on her own i can imagine there are a lot of form issues to be fixed. sometimes "having" a skill without proper form can take as long to clean up as just learning it from scratch can. keep that in mind when comparing her skills to others.

That's what I worry about but they always remark on how polished she is so who knows. It's definitely something I will continue to remind her about.

 

[tooootsie]

I would say just be patient with it.. she has only been in gymnastics for less than 6 months. Having skills is only half of what gymnastics is about.. it also requires a lot of dedication (time and money) from the gymnast and parent's. We have been to two different gyms and both are "Invite only" for team and pre-team. My oldest was in gymnastics for 3 years before being invited to pre-team when she was 5. My youngest was invited to a pre-pre team BEFORE her older sis and she was 3 years old. It is just one of those things. I never asked about it. I think if the gym see's something in your daughter she will be asked to team. I would suggest signing her up for an extra class, that will show dedication. Best of luck to your gal!

 

[CLgym]

I'll start by admitting that I'm not a very experienced gym parent... but from my observations, gymnastics (at least at the pre-team / early team level) is very slow moving. It's not necessarily about getting more and more skills, but rather the focus is on form, conditioning, strength training, and creating a strong foundation. This means lots and lots (and lots!) of skill repetition. Gyms also look for girls who stay dedicated and focused even when tasks seem tedious. I rarely stay for my DD's practices because, frankly, it sometimes feels like watching paint dry!

My advice it to keep communicating in a positive manner with the gym to express your daughter's pre team goal and better understand how their system works. And, as already stated, make sure you are talking to the right people.

 

[gymdog]

If she's 8 and can do a back hip circle and a back handspring she should be on a team now. If you can't request and evaluation by a team coach at your current gym, call other gyms and schedule evaluations there.

 

[strawberries]

Often the "checklist" or evaluation is done in the last week or two of a session, so they can direct kids toward the proper class for the next registration. Sometimes not much attention is paid before that.

I agree you should get her evaluated as many places as possible. She will either get put on a team, or you will get good feedback about what she needs, and she will get to experience other coaches, gymnasts, etc.

Who knows, she might learn some new skills too.

 

[duyetanh]

You said she does these things at school. But in your first post you also said she has a beam at home...something is not making sense here.

 

[Gam15]

You said she does these things at school. But in your first post you also said she has a beam at home...something is not making sense here.

That was careless of me, by saying "at home" I meant out of the gym. We don't own gym equipment at home (I thought that was a no-no?). I was just trying to avoid confusion and chose my words poorly. Edited to add--she's using whatever she can at school. They have a bar and low beam on the playground.

 

[duyetanh]

Oh ok. All I can say is that if she won't listen to you about trying things on her own before she is taught them, she will develop some bad habits that will take awhile to fix. If she is that driven, talk to the team coaches.

 

[sce]

A lot of gyms only evaluate and move to pre-team/team at certain times of the year. It does not hurt to talk to her teachers, and explain that she is not feeling challenged. As well, maybe explain to her that doing higher skills at home could hold her back in regards to moving up in the gym.

 

[IreneKa]

A lot of gyms only evaluate and move to pre-team/team at certain times of the year.

Exactly! And it's usually around Spring\beginning of Summer, when the season is over, the old pre-team moves up to team, and new pre-team members are being invited. But even if that's the case, wouldn't hurt to ask and get as much information as possible now.
Also, you mentioned that this gym doesn't consider 8 too old? How do you know that? If it's something they told you, so you would keep signing her up for req classes, doesn't necessary mean it's true.

 

[AGymDad]

She's not a super talented special snowflake, but at the same time she's definitely ahead of her class so I'm just not sure what to expect?

I can relate to this. This also kind of happened to my DD, but with the difference it was never the goal to make team or pre-team. My problem was the frequent move to a different group and the issues this created (check my thread about shy dd a few months ago).
Short version: DD moves from rec to rec group, even gets send to the pre-team group by the HC on one occasion (after 3-4 months), but got no further info, so she kept training in rec. Two months before the end of the season, Pre-team goes on tryout on the team, highest level rec trains with pre-team coaches. A few weeks later, DD gets invited to train on team with the pre-teamers (which went terribly wrong because she was afraid of the move, but got another chance after a short talk with the coach). This season, she trains in the team, together with last year's pre-teamers.
It might be possible they want to wait a year, because many kids like to train a few months, and then quit. Or they want to see how much she attended in the long run.

The rec team was a good place for my DD, but it felt like she was ready to move after that year. Skillwise, she's not behind the others.

 

[strawberries]

I am just a fan of getting as much information about options as possible, so you can make informed choices.

Even if team tryouts are limited to certain times of the year, it seems like it could be helpful to be evaluated to see where she might fit in their program in general. Maybe you get an answer like, "advanced beginner," or "intermediate III," or "on second thought, we do have room in pre-pre-team after all."

In the mean time, you may notice that their rec coaches are particularly skilled and attentive, or that the parents are especially kind, or that your current gym is actually better than you thought.