Decided that Gymnastics AND Cheer is just too much...

[MdGymMom01]

After some much needed thinking, I have decided that it is in our best interest to pull Dani from the cheer team for this upcoming season. While the cheerleading was very fun for Dani and she has made a lot of great friends, the competition/practice schedule is going to be too overwhelming and distracting for her. And, after the realization of TWO competition fees, TWO practice fees, and TWO uniform fees (we are getting new leos this year), and TWO schedules to coordinate it is getting to be a bit much. Also, there is a tumbling coach on the cheer team that has a stricter method of teaching that is interefering with Dani's tumbling progression. Dani comes home upset after working with him and says she doesn't want to do the BHS anymore. About a month ago, she started doing the BHS on floor by herself, and now she is stressed out and won't do it--back to square one--UGGGGHHHH!!! So, Dani and I have both decided that the gymnastics needs to come first. She wants to do well with her first "optional" year (MDL Level A) and the difference in cheer coaching styles is doing more harm than good, IMHO. The cheer coaches are great and they really do a fantastic job with the girls so it will be sad for Dani to not be working with them. Dani was upset at first and thought the cheer kids would be mad at her for quitting, but I told her that it is not her fault and if they are really her friends they will stick by her and our decision. Oh, the things kids worry about!!!

 

[bogwoppit]

Lovely that Dani has been able to try both sports at the same time and that in the end she sees one is a better fit for her right now. A real shame about that tumbling coach, she'll get back to the BHS when the pressure is off again.

As for the MDL she will have a blast, our girls just love getting their routines, makes them feel very special. Baby Bog gets her new routine this fall, after 2 years with the old one, the excitment is palpable. She is making up bits for her beam routine and having fun with that. I think for a girl like Dani she will flourish having more control over her routines. Can't wait for those meet vids.

Great job in making the tough choices, I think a lot of people around here totally get where you are coming from. These days it's all about tough choices of one kind or another.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

It IS a tough choice, but the good thing is, you have both come to this decision. It wasn't all up to you!! The conflict in coaching styles is very hard to deal with and she must be one tough cookie to have dealt with it this long. She still has to be a kid as well. and doing BOTH sports surely left her little time for anything else!

Now she can focus on one sport (again). The tumbling will come back. My DD is dealing with back tumbling issues as well... but hopefully getting her new routine this weekend will light a fire under her fanny to work to overcome her mental blocks! I'm sure Dani will be motivated as well w/her own routines.

 

[msl529]

Aww! I'm sorry she had to drop cheer. I'm sure she will miss it. Hopefully, gymnastics will keep her busy and occupied enough, that she's not too sad.

I think you did the right thing, though. Doing both was bound to overwhelm her at some point, at which time she may have ditched BOTH sports. Way to go Mom, you followed your instincts and supported your kid!

Keep us posted on her gym progress.

 

[NotAMom]

Dani was upset at first and thought the cheer kids would be mad at her for quitting, but I told her that it is not her fault and if they are really her friends they will stick by her and our decision. Oh, the things kids worry about!!!

Well, unless she's been hiding the fact that she's doing gymnastics from cheer buds, I think it's only reasonable that she will quit one over the other in time. I wouldn't worry about that too much. They might be sad now but your daughter and her cheering buddies will get over it in no time. The only thing that I do see her missing are her friends. Just stay in touch. They will be fine.

 

[gym law mom]

I think you made a good call. Too much to balance and hope nothing falls off the plate! And the cheer coach that had Dani going back to her fear of the bhs is not productive whether she wanted to do cheer or gymnastics.

Much more sensible to get her confidence back in her tumbling and not be worrying about 2 meet schedules, practices that could conflict etc. Now, just time to focus on gymnastics and her new floor routine. You may find she'll be more relaxed just doing 1 sport and the bhs will return on its own. Keeping fingers crossed!

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Good luck to Dani with the gymnastics it is good she was able to decide on one. I think the more she gets involved with gymnastics the harder it would become to do both. My daughter mentions on and off about doing cheerleading for her school this coming year but than when I talk about her gym schedule and meets she agrees with me that gym should come first. It's hard because I know alot of it is she just wants to hang out with her friends from school and alot of them are always telling her just quit gymnastics( thank goodness she is a leader not a follower ) she just looks at them and says no!

 

[MdGymMom01]

Sometimes it's not that easy to just quit...

Thanks everyone for all of your input and responses. After talking it over with the coaches, we have decided to wait until the gymnastics meet schedule comes out FIRST, before making the final decision to quit cheer. It may turn out that the meets and comps don't conflict that much or at all, and it seems like making a decision on what MIGHT happen is a bit hastey. Dani says that she still wants to cheer and she agrees that we should wait till Sept or so (when the meet schedule is out) to make the final decision. If it comes down to it that we have to quit, then at least we would have looked at all facts before making that decision. As for the one coach with the aggressive coaching technique, he is being spoken to and Dani won't have to work with him.

I know what most of you are thinking, in that why not just save yourself the headache and quit now. Believe, me if the schedules do end up conflicting and the cheer experience ends up hindering her gymnastics, then I will pull her, no doubt.

On a side note, I am finding that the cheer is giving her more confidence that I haven't seen in a while . She told me last night that today at gym practice she was going to do her flyaway by herself and get that kip. She RARELY voices her feelings of confidence like that so I see this being a good sign.

 

[NotAMom]

If schedule conflict isn't an issue and you guys can handle the shuffle, I tend to agree with you to go for it. She also would be able to benefit from both sports as cheering and gymnastics do overlap a lot. It's like having extra practice for both. Hope your schedule works out.

 

[UnoMas]

Good luck. Hope things work out so that she can do both!!

 

[Sparky]

I'm quite sure I've posted before re this issue - so many know my feelings already. My dd would NEVER EVER do both cheer and gym again in the same season. Just way too much conflict, both with coaching styles/expectations - as well, what can appear to be a schedule that allows both will soon morph into extra practices here/an additional meet there (mostly on the cheer side, as the gym side is already pretty maxed out!). We had Saturdays where we would be at cheer at 9 am (for a 1/2 hour private), practice from 9:30 - 12:00, then scoot back to home for gym training from 1 - 5. Well actually that was every Saturday - it was when they wanted to adjust the cheer schedule (cause the relatively sedate gymmies/coaches pretty much follow the same all season long) that things got really hairy.

And if I have to listen to one more of my gymmie's coaches tell me how long it took them to "fix" her layout full - well, I am going to scream!!!

Also, my gymmie is definitely a team player, but also very much likes to compete against herself - she finds gym more challenging in that regard.

Now obviously I've outed myself as a true gym lover, however I think whichever sport your dd (or ds) decides to dedicate too, well, that's the one they should go with - I just simply believe that the two sports are not at all sympatico with one another and shouldn't be done in tandem.

And I PROMISE i won't say another word on the subject

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

It sounds like the previous poster Sparky has alot of experience with this. I would talk to Dani and make sure she really wants to do both ecspecailly before you put up the extra fees. I would also talk to the gym coaches and get their opinion on the matter. I know it's hard to choose but it maybe overwhelming to do both plus with school work. How many hours of gym is she going to do in the fall? I know my daughter just got her schedule for level 5 and it's 3 nights a week plus all day saturday for a 14 hours total. She was thinking about doing swimming with her sister but the practices conflicted plus the meets are sometimes on saturday I was actually relieved because I knew there would be a struggle to do both, when I explained it to her that she could not do it she was completely fine about it she really only wants to do gymnastics. As for her doing cheerleading for her school she says she really did not want to do it. I kind of figured out that everytime my daughter talks about doing another sport it is when she gets frustrated with gym and it usually blows over in a couple of days. I also think that gymnastics takes more training and is alot harder so I think in the future it would be easier to transistion to cheer or another sport since gymnasts are in such good shape but to quit gym for another sport and go back would be alot harder.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Thanks Sparky and Panda Girl's Mom!!! I do really appreciate the advice and it helps me get a better perspective on things. I know what you mean about the added practices for cheer and the season (for any sport) never really goes as smooth and as easy as if it were laid out on paper. So, I hear you on how it can turn into a lot of running around and more of as pain than anticipated by doing two sports.

Since Dani is on the Mason Dixon League, they only practice 7 hours a week (3 hrs on Tue and 4hrs on Sat) so I feel like that schedule is quite a decrease in hours from last years 11 hrs (3 days a week). Dani loves being busy and active and even expressed her feelings of "what else am I going to do during the week if I don't cheer? Two days in the gym isn't enough..." So, I can tell that she wants more. I was considering the idea of switching her to USAG, but I feel that her fear issues may be a problem with her progress and she really loves and works well with her MDL coach.

I will take it day by day for now and see what happens...thanks again and I will keep you all posted.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Maybe it will work out that she can do both since the practice time is less. I think if she wanted to switch to a usag program she would be fine. She did the same routine my daughter did last year as a level 4 USAG. I think if she is in a good gym that they could help her overcome her fear issues. I would leave the decision up to her see if she wants to stay with the gymnastics team she is with now or if she wants to switch to USAG with more hours. The most important thing is that she is happy with her decision.