Parents Does it get intense in the spring?

[Dream]

Just came from DD practice and wow the emotions...not from the athletes or coaches but the parents? Everyone was getting along but there are some intense emotions about skills developed or not this year and expectations for next year....is this a normal phase of parenting a child in gymnastics this time of year?

 

[ORgymmom]

The only worse time is late summer/fall if your gym postpones decisions until then. Yes spring gets intense.

Everyone is worried about move-ups, frantically calculating available space in workout groups, worrying that workout times and days will change, worrying that move-up requirements will change, hearing rumors about level skipping and testing out, and on and on. And of course the only people who feel confident talking about any of this openly are the ones that are very secure in their standing and their progress, so you overhear them and go into an even worse panic.

 

[BusyMomof2]

I think this lessens as the girls get older. My daughter is L7, her practice group is L7/L8, so it doesn't really matter to her what happens as she'll be with mostly the same girls and coaches.

 

[ORgymmom]

I think this lessens as the girls get older. My daughter is L7, her practice group is L7/L8, so it doesn't really matter to her what happens as she'll be with mostly the same girls and coaches.

Definitely. At our gym it peaks at level 4 and persists through 7.

 

[HurricaneLR]

Yes. Move-up season is intense and emotional! At our gym it lessens by platinum/level 7.

 

[Planched]

It can be intense but it depends on how your gym does things. It will pass and get more calm as the season gets closer.

 

[Dad1234]

Yes, parents tend to get anxious about moving to the next level. As they get up to level 7/platinum/diamond, there is less worry about if they are moving up and more talk about who is staying for next season and who is quitting. As they get older the girls also seem to already know what the plan is for them for next season before the gym announces it. I think they figure it out on their own where they will probably land. It’s much different than when they are younger and don’t know where they might be for the next season.

 

[NutterButter]

I will add that this is not a gymnastics thing but a youth sports thing. Ask any hockey, baseball or basketball parent about the stress over what team your child will make. In my experience the other sports were more way more political (and therefore more stressful) than gymnastics.

 

[Dahlialover]

Just came from DD practice and wow the emotions...not from the athletes or coaches but the parents? Everyone was getting along but there are some intense emotions about skills developed or not this year and expectations for next year....is this a normal phase of parenting a child in gymnastics this time of year?

Move up season can be very stressful! Parents are wondering if their child’s training schedule and tuition are about to change dramatically, if they will be getting a new coach and whether that coach will be a good fit, if their kid is about to be separated from their friends or placed in a group with a difficult teammate, and whether they will be placed in a level that they are hoping for.

It’s a vulnerable time for parents because a lot of significant changes can occur that will affect the entire family, and the parent has no control over any of it. That stresses people out.