Parents DD on team, now what?

[Kaitlyn's Mom]

DD is 3 1/2 and was asked to be on the new level 2 team her gym is creating in March. She will go from 2 45 min classes to 3 1 hour classes a week. What can I expect? This is the 1st level 2 team this gym has had, they used to start with level 3. Her coach said it will be up to us (the parents) which meets we want the team to compete in since she will be there either way. She's thinking we'll probably do 4-6 meets, is that about right? DD is so excited! She just started gym in October and has been saying she wants to be on team like the big girls, she loves to watch meets and asks when she can go there. Anyway, what is this going to be like and what should I be prepared for? I am totally comitted to her gymnastics if she loves it, so tell me all I need to know!

 

[bogwoppit]

SO welcome to TEAM! Thats a very exciting word, but what does it mean? Something different in every gym.

Some gyms do not start their girls competing until they are 7 years old and are able to compete L5 USAG, that is the first level that they must compete to progress through the USAG system. Other gyms compete very early, like yours it seems.

The discussion about the two types of gyms is usually that time in the gym is better spent learning and refining skills and technique at a young age and/or getting them out there competing early is a good thing. Two very different schools of thought because if they are practicing routines and competiting 6 times a year then they will not progress as quickly as a child who only trains skills. Though of course that child will have no meet experience until L5.

Parents are expected to decide about this ridiculously early and that is a challenge. Some parents do not have gym choices and have to take what is offered, or nothing.

4-6 meets a year means 4-6 weekends a year that you have to put your life on hold, sometimes those schedules don't come out until the last minute. Those meets can also cost up to $100 each. Meet leos can vary in price from $40 - $400, some gyms require warm up suits and team bags etc. You should ask the coach for an expected break down of costs for the season. Some gyms also expect their parents to join their booster club, or fundraising group, where you willhave to help raise money for the club. Some other club have "payments" for equipment etc. SOme of these payments can be quite large, but not every gym has them. Other things to check out with the coach. The lower comp levels, like your DD, often are subsidising the much more advanced girls financially. THis is very common.

Just make sure you are ready and informed for the huge expenses of gymnastics, it is expensive. Little girls love it for sure, and the honour of "team" is enough to make you laep in the air. But if she doesn't do meets now will she "fail" nope. Many kids do not even start gym until much later and are very succesful. Also remeber that many little girls who love gym quit before L5 as it isn't fun any more or because they find other interests.

However if you have weighed all the info and are sure you are ready for this big commitment, GO FOR IT!! 'Cos gymnastics is fun and little girls REALLY love it! 3 single hours a week will be fine for her. Congrats on having a talented and happy little girl!

 

[emorymom]

Definitely find out about the money so you can budget for it - expect it.

There will be more conditioning and stretching than in her previous class -- though 1 hour practices do not leave much room for that and skill building. So you should expect that when she is 4.5 or 5 she will be moved to a group that will go longer hours at a time. She may be given "homework" like a certain number of leg lifts or to work on her chin up. Or not.

You should find out how many hours the level 3 and level 4 girls practice so you are prepared mentally for that too. There was one mom whose daughter was in 1 hour preteam class at a gym and when I told her the level 4s at that gym practiced 12 hours a week she had no idea. Though you will find it varies from gym to gym with some level 4's practicing 6 hours and some 12+. I think in my area it is fairly typical for level 2's to practice 5-6 hours per week. But it is also most typical for level 2's at the gyms right around me to be 6-7 years old.

She may initially be tired. You should plan to get a snack in her right after practice like a string cheese so she does not crash on you before dinner.

 

[SamIam]

Congrats to your daughter.
My tips...

Always take your checkbook to practice now.
Start to learn the lingo of team speak.
Get familiar with current and next level skills.
Have plenty of encouraging remarks ready.
Listen to about half of what you hear from the parents viewing area.
Approach the coach for serious questions or comments.

Most important- have fun. Have seen first hand gymnastics taken way to serious at this age, and it's not pretty. We did L2, and loved it. I think it is a great intro to the competitive side of things. Yeah, we did about 4 meets that first year.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Congrats!!! My advice:

Be REALISTIC! There are tons of little talented gymmies as young as your dd, but that doesn't mean that they will all (if any) go to the olympics.

Try and stay away from the DRAMA in the viewing area. You will start to hear lots of parents talking about their dd's skills, and what they do at home to "additionally train", meet scores, and what level they are being moved up to...yada yada yada...IGNORE THIS.

If you have questions ask the COACHES and DO NOT base your dd's progress on what other kids in the gym or on team are doing. Every gymnast is individual and progresses at different rates and speeds.

Be your child's advocate. YOU are the parent and you know what is best for them. Go with your gut instinct if something doesn't feel right.

IGNORANCE is BLISS. Sometimes "knowing too much about gymnastics" will only cause confusion and lead you to become obsessed with the sport and how your dd is doing all the time. This will drive you crazy and yes--you will become "one of those parents" .

HAVE FUN!!! She is only 3 1/2 and any activity that she does should be primarily FUN.

Gymnastics is a MARATHON. In order to get the full experience and go the distance in this sport the gymnast must pace herself and as a parent of a young gymnast this is your job. Gymnastics is a great sport and teaches kids so many life lessons including discipline, work ethic, dedication, teammwork and goal setting to name a few.

Just take it DAY BY DAY and step back once in a while to view "the big picture". This will help put things in perspective for you and keep you and your gymnast GROUNDED.

 

[Gymdad2]

New on Team

Mdgymom1 has great advice - go back and commit it to memory. Her list should be posted in every gym viewing area. I would add just one more thing. Go to this website and scroll down to women's usga and check out the statistics. (you may have to cut/paste the url to your browser). From this you should be able to develop realistic expectations for your dd.

Good luck to her.

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[Billy]

Mdgymom1 has great advice - go back and commit it to memory. Her list should be posted in every gym viewing area. I would add just one more thing. Go to this website and scroll down to women's usga and check out the statistics. (you may have to cut/paste the url to your browser). From this you should be able to develop realistic expectations for your dd.

Good luck to her.

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This is a great link but I do wish somebody would come out with more up-to-date statistics.

 

[bpatient]

This is a great link but I do wish somebody would come out with more up-to-date statistics.

I agree that that was an interesting link (especially in that it allowed comparison of athletes at a high-powered gym with the general population of USAG athletes.)

You may be able to find more recent information at the USA-Gymnastics website regarding the distribution of the age of athletes (but perhaps not the distribution of competitive levels compared to age, as at the WOGA link); the figures below are for female athletes from 2007 for all USAG programs (including those which may tend to skew to somewhat higher age range than the women's (girl's) program): Link Removed[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]Age % of athletes
0-5 0.1
6-8 8.4
9-10 25.3
11-12 30.4
13-14 20.8
15-16 9.8
17-18 4.3
19-20 0.6
21-30 0.2

 

[starmaker]

What an exciting time for you and your daughter!! I remember when they first invited my dd to developmental team at 4 years old too. It was such an honor!! Now a 2.5 years and 3 seasons later I sometimes wonder how we got into all this. It's been such a roller coaster ride with lots of ups and downs. Luckily things have been smooth for some time now.

My advice to you is to trust her coaches 100% to do the coaching. If you don't find another gym. If you find yourself compelled to coach her at home then you don't trust her coaches. Be her #1 chearleader and financial supporter. Oh and staying away from all the gym drama is probably a good idea.

Good luck to you and your dd. I can't wait to hear more about her progress.