Does my DD NEED Summer Camp?

[gymandswim]

Hi All, I am new to CB and this is my first online post ever. I hope I am doing this correctly.

My DD is 8 and is a level 3. Her team is competing and she is doing well. She absolutely LOVES gymnastics and would be in the gym 24-7 if she could. Right now it is just 6 hours a week. Some of the lv3 moms have mentioned sending their girls away to gymnastics summer camps.

Being new to the sport, at what age/level is it appropriate to go to one of these summer camps? I am a little nervous about sending my 8 year old away to another state. I am also curious about the amount of supervision and guidance the girls of that age receive. Do they mix with older girls? Boys?

Will my child be at a disadvantage if she does not attend one of these camps?

What are some good camps?

Can anyone enlighten me on this subject? Pros, cons, pitfalls.

Thanks so much!

 

[cathiann]

My opinion: Camp is fun, not a requirement. I like it because it gives the girls another coaching perspective and they get to try skills their own coach might not be working yet. Supervision, etc depends on the specific camp you choose. I'm guessing that any camp would have some mixing of younger and older girls--I know Lake Owen places them in work-out groups by ability, not age, but you stay in a cabin with girls your own age (and at your daughter's age, she'd be with an adult too).

Is your daughter asking to go to camp? If she is, then I'd consider it. If she isn't, then don't do it--it's expensive and she's young yet. (my daughter was 11 yr last summer and level 8--and that was her first summer going)

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Hi and welcome to CB !!! Congrat's on your DD making team and irbid great that she is enjoying it. Make sure you join the Proud Parent user group so that you can post in the Parent Forum.

Basically, your DD does not NEED summer camp LOL !! My DD is 9 and went last year as an 8 yr old training L4 ( she had moved to L4 but ghe season had not started yet). She had fun, I was there with her. Most of her team went (small team) 13 girls went to camp. HC and I were chaperones ( DH would not have let her go if I had not). We rented a beach house and all stayed together there. You could however get supervised housing @ a local hotel through the host gym.

I am not sure where you live but many colleges also run camps and the girls stay in the dorms. I have heard that IGC and Woodward are awesome, but they are expensive. Our girls go to one at a gym in SC so it is not too far and it costs less and they have fun.

I think the advantages are that they get to meet other kids, focused training for a longer period on each event. I think if you go into it expecting that your chd will come home from a week of camp will all sorts of new skills you will be disappointed. Not that she won't get some, but she may not. Honestly, my DD played around more than she worked hard. At the time it frustrated the daylights out of me because it was a lot of $ and things were tight - it was not easy financially to send her. In retrospect for her it was what summer camp should be, fun. She made friends and had fun.

Still not sure if she is going this year, we are trying to do some fundraisers to help with the cost.

If you can find an affordable camp that is not too far away and you think your DD has the maturity to handle it, go for it. Just have realistic expectations. She may or may not get new skills. I don't think she will be at a huge disadvantage at her age and level if she does not go to summer camp - just my humble opinion.

Again, welcome to CB - great parents, coaches, gymnasts and judges here with a wealth of experience, information, insight and advice.

 

[gymdog]

I never went to one of these camps (didn't want to) even through optional levels (7-10). Didn't really disadvantage me. The only tiny disadvantage I can think of would be for older L10s who are trying to get recruited to NCAA teams and things like the various camps can help broaden their exposure to that. Otherwise, no. Your kid can often learn as much from summer training at home. Honestly when I was the equivalent of a L3 I was not competing and my parents would have never spent $700 on gymnastics summer camp. But I guess that's about what many camps cost.

Also, they can get exposed to some new skills, but some coaches don't like it because they feel progressions are rushed, things could be taught wrong, bad habits. So the kids might think they "got" skills that they then can't practice at home. I'm not saying this is a dealbreaker, I just say it as a kind of "realistic expectation/preparation" thing.

 

[bogwoppit]

Camp is lots of fun, if your child likes those kind of sleepaway and making new friends in new places experiences. I know tons of gymnasts who have never been to summer camp, and are great gymnasts!

My kids have gone every year sonce they were 7 and they love it, and now they are older we love the fact that we get a week to act like we are kids again whilst they are gone!!!

MOre than anything though.... welcome to the Chalkbucket!!!!

 

[CoachTodd]

For younger gymnasts camp would be a want not a need. Depending on the kid they can get a lot of gymnastics out of camp or just a lot of fun, or both.
For kids looking at college, go to camp and meet the coaches.

 

[flippersmom]

DD started going when she was 8, this will be her 5th year.

She would receive better training if she worked out at her own gym and added a private to two, but she absolutely loves camp. She loves the experience. They do get to work more advance skills, but I know they are heavily spotted. But she is getting a glimpse of what she may be doing in the future. It renews her interest. Plus she has always been a little shy, and it really has helped her out there.

When she went as an 8 year old, she did get a little homesick and was definately ready to come home. Girls are grouped in cabins by age (within 1 year of age), and workout groups were by ability, then by age when possible. There are some boys at IGC, but at 8 years old, my daughter was not interested. Actually, she'll be 12 and she's still not that interested yet!

She actually has been to two meets where she had seen girls from out-of-state gym that were in her cabin and has been able to say hi to them. That's been fun for her. She actually went to a Univ of MD gymnastics meet and one of the girls from NJ was her coach at IGC, and she got to say hi to her and got a big hug.

So, if it was for training alone, no I would not send her. But she loves it, works hard all year, and actually pays for some of it herself with Christmas and Birthday money. That's how I know she loves it.

 

[NotAMom]

Our gym does not encourage our gymnasts to go to summer gym camps, although a couple each year do go and they do not frown on it. The theory is that because our summer program (like that in many other gyms) is far more skill intensive in the summer than in competition seasons, it equivalent to a camp from a training standpoint. The gymnasts do get a lot out of the training at home during the off season.

With that said, there are many other activities (especially those outdoors) that our home gym do not get into that is found at a camp. I have to say, the fun factor has to be much higher at a camp -- at a high cost of course.

 

[bpatient]

You might find this article interesting:

Gymnastics Summer Camp

For us, it seems the reason to go to camp would be to have fun at a camp, rather than to make progress in gymnastics. My child stays behind each summer and benefits from virtually private lessons with the coaches that know her best during the week that many of her (older) teammates are enjoying a week at a large camp. Everyone's happy.

 

[gymandswim]

Thanks, that is good advice. She has a nice gym and they will be uping the hours in the summer. Adding a few privates is something to consider too.

She might be ready for camp, but I am not. Maybe I am overprotective. I know she would have a blast at camp. She is dedicated and a very hard worker, I am sure she would have fun too. I guess we will put it off this year. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

to young.......

 

[Shelovesthebars]

Ok, I just felt that I should add to this. I don't think going to camp for younger kids should have any other goal that to have fun. But we all know when kids have fun at what they are doing they tend to learn/get new skills. So fun is the goal with new skills an added brag for them and confidence booster.
I can see one instance where camp could be a benefit for an older child. Sometimes getting into a new environment where new coaches have a fresh/clean slate attitude toward your child could facilitate learning whereas coaches at their home gym could have some preconceived attitude toward a child. Sometimes having a different learning style paired up with a compatible coach makes things click too. I hope this helps.

 

[MdGymMom01]

I, too, have been toying with the idea of sending my 11 year old dd to "away camp" for the first time this summer. My concerns for her are that she is a somewhat shy kid at first and she is VERY particular about who spots her and works with her. Her current coach is awesome and works very well with her. When she did cheer at the gym over the summer (for a minute ) she worked with a tumbling coach who she didn't really "click with". She became very frustrated and upset over his coaching techniques and it affected her attitude and made her more fearful of tumbling. I ended up pulling her from that cheer team for that reason and others (long story).

Anyway, you need to be cautious of exposing your kids to "too many different" coaching techniques, because the progress can backfire. Especially with overly sensitive and over thinking kids. At least that is my opinion from my experiences. But, I do think that camps can be a great experience for some kids, just not all.

We have decided to just do the summer day camps at the gym (that her coach runs). She has done those for the past 2 years and she has made tons of progress and also had a lot of fun. Plus, it saves me a ton of money and she gets to work with her own coach that coaches her during the season. Maybe when she gets a bit older she will feel more confident about going away to camp, but for now she is happy to do the day camps.

 

[gymandswim]

Thank you MdGymMom01! You have confirmed my decision.

 

[gym law mom]

My gymmie didn't do an away gym camp(or any sort of gym camp) until she was 11and starting L8. She loves the coaches at Lake Owen that she gets to work with---most are college coaches and has come back with at least 2-3 skills at a higher level than when she left. Example is going from bail drills to doing the bail on "real bars" with a spot. Its a great set up for our kids because a few coaches and quite a few team girls all go the same week.

I would say for your dd, you might want to look into a college gym camp that might not be too far away. Some only run a few days and offer the option of staying overnight or being a commuter. Another thought is to spend this year just getting information on camps and programs and let her just train at her own gym this summer and look into camp for 2011 if she has the desire.

 

[Flippers Mom]

Summer camp is not a necessity at any age or level. Flipper wanted to try camp, so we found one that was only 3 hours away and was really just a day camp. She stayed with me in a hotel and had meals with me. She loved it and encouraged a couple of teammates to attend the next summer. She ended up having loads fun with friends in the hotel halls and swimming pool - really what summer camp is about anyway. Can't say that she really learned anything new.

She is now 11, L8 and won't go to camp no matter how her friends beg. She doesn't want to have new coaches spotting her and isn't confident that her great coaches will approve of the technique (or lack thereof) of anything she "learns" at camp. She still wouldn't want to stay in a cabin unless she was with a group of friends.

 

[gymandswim]

Ok, please pardon my ignorance, but how/where do you find out about the college gymnastics camps?

 

[MdGymMom01]

Ok, please pardon my ignorance, but how/where do you find out about the college gymnastics camps?

I would start by googling the universities near where you live and see if they offer something. We are lucky enough to live close by the University of Maryland which has a great women's gymnastics program and also does a weekend summer camp each year. I may look into that for my dd to see if that is something she wants to do this summer.

Good luck!

 

[emandelsmom]

Daughter is going to her first camp this summer. She is 10. She is going to LSU camp-less than 3 hours away. I googled gymnastics camps in nearby states to find one near us.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I am finally giving in and letting my daughter go to camp this year. She has been begging to go for 3 years but I was also unsure but she is turning 10 and has been competing for 3 years. She has been really focused and motivated this year so I am considering it as a reward she has even saved up money towards this camp because she really wants to go. Her team does alot of hours of increased training in the summer and the head coach has to approve of her going to a camp so I did discuss it with her and she thought that she would be fine going for a week. She seems to think that my daughter would handle it well so I kind of felt better about my decision. My only fear is that she is going to IGC so I am afraid when she gets to experience that gym that she will come back to her regular gym and it will be a let down for her. (Her gym is really nice, they have very up to date equipment but it is so small compared to the gym at IGC). If I were you I would probally wait a year or 2 and see if you daughter sticks with the sport and really wants to go and I would also get opinion from your daughters coaches. I do not think a week of camp will put them at any greater advantage in the sport. I agree that 8 is alittle young. I am still alittle nervous about my 10 year old going but she is super outgoing and I am sure she will make lots of friends.