Please forgive me for possibly the longest post in chalkbucket's history. I went to this length because I feel I've been miss-understood.....and labeled as a result in an un-flattering way. My experience is with all kids, from pre school through to you name it. I value and enjoy the time I spend with kids in the sport....from kids wanting to learn a cartwheel to aspiring athletes pursuing a dream.
It looks like many of you took exception to my comments, which were intended more as a warning to parents of kids that have any dreams, rather than an indictment of those that participate and enjoy the sport. Allow me to apologize if you felt I was projecting an attitude towards those that participate without olympic dreams (c'mon it's a cliche'), or had presumed every child has them, because those statements were made to allow those who cared to go on a shopping trip, to make a informed choice
Sure, I've worked with some hotshot kids, but have also spent enjoyable hours on the same day working with pre-schoolers and others who themselves wouldn't care to be on the team. My hope is that every child that walks through the door gets the experience they came to the gym to get. I learned long ago that I have no right to choose which past time a child should embrace, and certainly not to judge them for the dreams they do or don't choose. Really, I'm just trying to protect kids from thier own dreams....well, sorta.
What I was hoping when I wrote my lengthy post, was to bring up an issue that can affect a child who dreams big, does everything the coach asks, but doesn't reach many of her goals because the gym's un-published mission statement excludes things like......providing coaches that can create solutions in partnership with a child, advancing children at their own rate of development, and providing adequate training hours to kids that advance to levels that require more time in the gym.
I don't know who of you may know enough to recognize this type of gym setting, or cares to avoid such a setting for their child. I would have no problem with these establishments doing as they do, if only they informed parents of the limits imposed on the program, and by extension the children that walk through the door each day.
I'm just going to guess that 1 in 7 kids wants to be on the gym team so badly they'll do whatever it takes to get there.....at home flexibility, strength exercises with mom or dad, and of course practicing on that floor beam that never ceases to wobble.
In my world I'd like to see all of them make the team. Now I'm going to guess at gyms who's team program is an automatic extension of the rec program, as in you learned all of the level 3 skills and are immediately invited to the team program, the ratio of kids that find themselves on team is closer to 3 in 7.
Before you jump to the conclusion that I can't stand seeing kids placed on a team, let me say that if every single one of those three children wanted to be there from day one, or at least for a period of time before landing in the team program, I'd be ok with it......sort of. To make me happy you'd also have to combine those team new comers with coaches that appreciate how fragile a child is, and have the ability and intention to mentor that child as they begin their team experience. Further, I'd want to see coaches at the next level, and all subsequent level that have the attributes required of a competent, caring mentor, and my definition of competent requires an ability to move the child through the level in one year....at least up to level 6 where things get a little more demanding.
I think these are pretty important traits to look for in a gym club, because the thing is.....when a child gets placed on a team they start building ambitions, setting goals, and dreaming. Maybe not those olympic dreams, but dreams that are very real to them.....and real to them alone, as they often keep those dreams to themselves because the last thing they want to hear is that their dreams probably can't or won't come true.
I'm respectfully asking you to consider.....if your child was put on the rec/extension team, would you tell them that they shouldn't use their selection as a validation of above average, or extraordinary ability, and to run all their dreams by you for a reality check. Probably not to the extent needed to reign in those dreams.....and you shouldn't do that any way, because your role as parent is to support, admire, respect, protect, and love your child.
So who's awake at the switch.....certainly not the club that places as many kids as possible in their level 4 program, where there's an institution wide policy of repeating at least one year so kids can fortify and fine tune their basics and presentation. These folks don't want you, or your little Suzie (who still cant kip, but we're working on it) to do the math and figure out that an 8yo spending two years on a level 4 team will become a 10yo L5, and since that's a tougher level, she'll likely spend 2 years getting ready for the rigors of L6, which is genuinely a challenge.
So here's your child at what may be mid journey as a 12yo level 6, which means she's at least 13 years old as a level 7. Please don't read into this that I wouldn't enjoy training a 13yo level 7, because I have, and it's a lot of fun, but this is the age where they seem to gather in their surroundings and see the big picture. Often they see their dreams are not lining up with their past 5 or 6 year's experience, and level 7, while exciting, is harder than L6 and will take at least 2 years to get through to level 8....if it's possible at all. So where's that leave her.......still dreaming about competing on a college team....like at the meet mom and dad took her to? Maybe, but the dream she didn't tell you about and held close for the past two years of getting a scholarship now seems ridiculous.
She's finally made it to level 8 where she gets to work on really cool stuff like tsukahara vaults, baby release moves on bars, and tumbling skills on beam and floor she's been wanting to do since she was 9 years old. I'd celebrate with her, except by now all but the luckiest of these 15 yo level eights have been done in by their changing bodies. They've grown and their strength hasn't kept up because the strength training at the gym isn't designed to support kids with mature bodies for work on any but the most elementary of the level 8 requirements. So there goes the full twisting front, the back handspring series on beam, the tsukahara vault, and just about every other cool skill she ever wanted.
By now the kid's figured competing in college is gone, the chance to train as a level 9 or 10 isn't looking too swell either....never mind that dream of qualifying, just once, to nationals. The way things are going she'll be lucky to make it through the season and qualify for regionals. At the end of the season she has a choice to make. She could continue on with vastly diminished dreams, if any, because she enjoys the sport. Or she could hang in there just in case she catches fire (training metaphor), or just hang in there because that's what she's done since age 8, and can't really come to terms with having been so out of line with reality.
That may not be exactly what I wrote the first time, but this post expresses the long version of how I feel about team programs. I really have no problem with kids confused about how to wear a leotard being placed on a team, as long as the training provided to all of the kids resembles something that can get these kids anywhere close to where they want to go. Geez, as long as they're sincere, and work as hard as the next kid....that's great. They just have to want to be there badly enough to work hard enough to support their team mates. Scores...results....who cares, if goals are set and work gets done, everything falls into place.
What doesn't fall into place in my perfect world, are the gym clubs that allow kids to flounder on a regular basis as a part of their business model. I've seen them, I know they exist, and guess what else.....Some of them actually tell parents that their kids are great one year, having a hard time the next year, and seems to be getting it together the next year, just to establish that the childs fortunes are at the mercy of what the child is able to do, and when you ask why Suzie can't kip they'll tell you that Suzie needs to focus harder on her corrections, or she let's herself down by not finishing the skill, or any number of reasons....anything but admitting that the workouts are a loosly supervised free-for-all of 13 kids with a coach who's long age stopped caring if the kids progress the way they should.....oh, but I guess that's the way it should be, because if the kids really wanted it, they all as a group would agree to create and maintain an atmosphere that would help them make the skills.
Maybe this one makes a little more sense.
) But for her, we'll try to help her see it as a successful experience because of what she will have gotten out of it by then. And I think her USAG coaches will be willing to help her with this. 
. But four years into this sport, I am just now figuring out that dd's dreams may not line up with the "mission" of the gym. She won't have a chance to progress beyond L6 or 7 with the current gym. She is 8yo and trains with 13yo and 15 yo L5/6s who talk about competing in college some day. Sadly, even if they have the necessary talent/drive, these girls will never have that opportunity because our gym is not capable of training at that level, and NO ONE has bothered to tell the parents. The maximum training time available for any gymast is 12 hours per week. The owner/HC proudly admits the lower level of commitment helps keep kids in the sport longer. Again, I am okay with that. I just wish that admission was accompanied by:, "our gym is also not interested in training/preparing gymnasts for high level optionals or a chance at the collegiate dream, so when your child reaches our limit, we will help you find a new gym." Instead, I now recognize the pattern you mentioned...2 years at L4, 3 years at L5, and 3 years at L6. And the gym's mission is fulfilled, "Keep the girls in the sport longer".
