Parents DD wants to play volleyball.

[Mom2-4]

DD starts her first season as a L7. She wants to play 7th grade volleyball. I haven't talked to HC yet. She is already in band and NJHS. Volleyball games will make her modify practice schedule for 6 weeks starting now. 1st meet is in December. Would you let her tryout?HC is usually pretty flexible. She has had divers and soccer players up to level 8 before so I think she will allow it. She doesn't want to give up gymnastics. But wants to do middle school activities also. I almost hope she doesn't make the team. But she probably will. Darn!well conditioned gymnasts. I worry about her shoulders as well. What do you think?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I think it's up to her. And if she gets to the point she has to chose that would be up to her too.

 

[duyetanh]

If you do not allow her to try out, you run the risk of her resenting you for it. I think it is awesome she loves doing different things!

 

[OrangeKangaroo]

I think its great she has enough time/coach flexibility at that level to still try new things. If she can time manage she should go for it!

 

[Seeker]

That would not fly at our gym, but it is also in the team handbook that once you're in optionals, you must offer a higher level of commitment and be at practice (I think) 95% of the time. But it sounds like your coach may be open to it since others have done it. How is she doing in her readiness to L7? The skills are harder and take more time to train and get competition ready, so will missing some practice derail that for her? The other thing is the possibility of injury in Volleyball. That would worry me, especially if she has no experience in that sport. Ultimately, it is your daughter's choice, but I don't know personally how we'd do both. Physically doing 2 sports would be very demanding and would change/add to an already full schedule.

Good luck with whatever she decides!

 

[skschlag]

The only other thing to look at is will the volleyball matches be at the same time as gymnastics meets? I know the seasons run concurrently here....

 

[raenndrops]

OG decided to do volleyball this year. Volleyball season ends about a month before meet season begins.

As long as your gym is flexible and she has her skills for the season, I say go for it. The volleyball season should be over in plenty of time for meet season

 

[sce]

This is the struggle that often happens at this age. There's gym and then there are school activities. Out gym loses a lot of girls in middle school. I would leave the choice up to her but also have her get HC approval.

 

[Mom2-4]

The only other thing to look at is will the volleyball matches be at the same time as gymnastics meets? I know the seasons run concurrently here....

Volleyball starts 9/20 and ends in late October. 1st meet is in December.

 

[skschlag]

OK. I misunderstood I thought first volleyball was in December

 

[Mom2-4]

OG decided to do volleyball this year. Volleyball season ends about a month before meet season begins.

As long as your gym is flexible and she has her skills for the season, I say go for it. The volleyball season should be over in plenty of time for meet season

I guess I worry about dead legs and shoulders. Then coming to practice after. She has all of her skills except cast HS, but I guess is competing clear hip HS instead. With a big growth spurt bars have taken a beating. I have already told her that gymnastics comes first before free school sports. Especially a new sport that she may or may not like. We will see what happens. Her coach may not go for it at all. We will find out on Tuesday.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Wouldn't be allowed at our gym, but if you can swing it, her coach allows it and she wants to do it... Why not? Even if it turns out to be really difficult and either volleyball, gymnastics or both suffer for it.... It's a teaching moment and an experience she will learn from. . If it works out well, then that's awesome too!

 

[lovegymnastics22]

To be honest, I think it's kind of sad when girls have to give up everything else for gymnastics. So --totally without judgment!!--, my opinion is that if a kid requests to do another sport or activity, parents should let them. Where I grew up, I had lots of friends get scholarships in sports that they played one season, and they still played one or two other sports (usually football, basketball, lacrosse or field hockey, volley ball, lacrosse). I know things have changed in all sports, and that gymnastics is particularly demanding, and that girls have to be ready earlier. But for me, this is kind of the worst thing about picking this sport. I don't think the parents that look at me strange when I tell them my 8YOs gym schedule are necessarily the crazy ones...

That said, I do think if a kid wants to be in the gym all the time doing gymnastics than the parents should support them. There is sososososo much great about gymnastics. But I do think that a middle schooler wanting to participate in a team sport while also doing gymnastics is a totally reasonable ask on their part and I would support it, even at the risk of injury or having a less successful season.

 

[raenndrops]

I guess I worry about dead legs and shoulders. Then coming to practice after. She has all of her skills except cast HS, but I guess is competing clear hip HS instead. With a big growth spurt bars have taken a beating. I have already told her that gymnastics comes first before free school sports. Especially a new sport that she may or may not like. We will see what happens. Her coach may not go for it at all. We will find out on Tuesday.

We have a Jr. High gymnastics team in addition to our regular gymnastics team... some girls do both (seasons do not overlap) and some just do one or the other. Of the girls doing both, several also do other school sports in the fall - volleyball, cross country, and cheerleading.
Your daughter may find that volleyball is good cross-training for beam jumps and stuff like that!
It is all just an issue of timing of the practices.
OG's volleyball practices (we are in a different district) end at 5:30 M, T, R, and F. They have games on W. Our team practices start at 5:30 about a half hour away on M, T, R... but we only go 2 days a week anyways. She works out at Open Gyms for now to maintain skills, but will most likely NOT be ready for the start of our season unless we can find a way to get her into the gym more.... Of course, her first year at Xcel Gold, her floor routine was choreographed in 2 days and competed on day 3... and she made up her beam and bar routines the night before the first meet.

 

[SeaActually]

I guess I worry about dead legs and shoulders. Then coming to practice after. She has all of her skills except cast HS, but I guess is competing clear hip HS instead. With a big growth spurt bars have taken a beating. I have already told her that gymnastics comes first before free school sports. Especially a new sport that she may or may not like. We will see what happens. Her coach may not go for it at all. We will find out on Tuesday.

My L5 (age 10) just started volleyball as well. There is one day she goes directly from volleyball to gymnastics and she will miss some training for games. But it is a short season and will be over before the first meet. I am happy for her to try new things. Also glad that her coach was totally supportive.

 

[gymmiemom]

Our coach is very supportive of the girls wanting to do other activities. My DD refuses to miss a practice for a pool party let alone another sport, but we did have her play on an AAU volleyball team last spring after State. She was not impressed haha! Gym is where she wants to be. Just as well, since I am already on the verge of a nervous breakdown between gym for her, traveling basketball for my older DD, soccer for youngest DD and football for my DS. And a shift working husband. And that is just the fall season. Winter is even more brutal.

 

[SeaActually]

Mom2-4, did you find out if she made the team? Mine had her first game last week. They won the first two matches (sets?) and we were in and out of there in 40 minutes. The mom of one of her old teammates and I were laughing about how quickly it went by. It looks like she will miss some gym practices but she has privates scheduled anyway so it should be fine.

 

[Mom2-4]

Yep. She did make the team. HC is willing to work with her about being late for practice. I would rather she not be late for 6 weeks. But if HC thinks she will be ready by meet season. Who am I to say otherwise. Like I said in other threads she is usually pretty flexible about another sport at this level. I think it will be good for DD to have teammates in a sport. Since her next closest teammate is L4. Along with some excel teammates. She feels alone at meets sometimes. I am a little worried about fitting everything in food sleep and schoolwork. She has to keep a 3.5 for NJHS. I don't know if this super independent girl will let me know if she is overwhelmed. Also after this season once the newness wears off she might not like it as much as she does now.