WAG Does USAG place a limit on the coach:gymnast ratio?

[CuriousCate]

Our gym will not let girls do make ups for missed practices, saying that USAG limits the ratio to 1:8, so they cannot go over that to accommodate a kid doing a make up. Is there truth to that?

 

[raenndrops]

Not as far as i have seen.

 

[2gymkids]

Not that I know of. We looked at a gym when we moved that had 30 kids and 2 coaches....that being said neither our old gym or new one allowed make ups for team kids.

 

[skschlag]

Most gyms we have been to don't allow make ups during normal classes, but will have a make up day on Saturdays where all kids can come. Team....never any makeups.

 

[profmom]

I'm sure USAG has guidelines, and some gyms probably have rules relating to their insurance. By us, the boys can sometimes do makeup practices if the numbers work out but generally this is not permitted on the girls' side unless it's an unusual circumstance.

 

[LGnyc]

I'm sure USAG has guidelines, and some gyms probably have rules relating to their insurance. By us, the boys can sometimes do makeup practices if the numbers work out but generally this is not permitted on the girls' side unless it's an unusual circumstance.

Yes, USAG has guidelines, but those are merely recommendations. I believe it is a 7:1 ratio for younger gymnasts; 8:1 for older. I can't recall the cutoff age, but young like 5. The gym is not required to follow them but some gyms will tout it in their promo material.

 

[duyetanh]

Bahaha! Thats funny.
Eta: sorry. Didnt mean to sound snarky. But at every level my kid has been at? She has never been that lucky to have that ratio. She has good coaching though, which is what matters.

 

[MuggleMom]

They try to achieve that ration but last year it was 10-12 to 1 so....but we have never been allowed makeups for Team. I got special permission ONE time because a meet was coming up and the missed practice was unavoidable but they stressed NEVER again.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I haven't heard about a limit, but I'll agree with the others that dd's gym does not allow make ups for team kids, at least officially. However it seems like there are sometimes exceptions made to that rule, especially for kids that are related to one of the coaches.

 

[Gymmommy71]

If there was such a limit, many gyms break it. I'd be very appreciative of a program that stuck to that ratio - especially in the lower levels.

 

[duyetanh]

Yeah, no makeups here either....I honestly get that, don't see how they could. But that is just our gym.

 

[CoachAlex]

It's a general guideline for many activities I believe (the 8:1 ratio) not just gymnastics, but no, it's not a requirement by USAG.

That being said, we don't allow make ups for team either because most of our levels have different coaches and a lot of times our compatible levels practice on the same days, and in many cases, yes it would put most of our numbers too high. We do make exceptions because we have some kids who do other sports, etc but if you are sick or go on vacation or go to your best friends birthday then you miss practice.

 

[Mish]

We don't really need makeups. There are 6 practice days to choose from and then you go the number of times you need to go according to your level. So in lv6/7 she has to go 4 days. If for some reason she can't make it on one of the days she typically goes, we will just go on one of the others. I have heard you are supposed to let the gym know when you do that, but I don't know of anyone who has

 

[MILgymFAM]

We don't really need makeups. There are 6 practice days to choose from and then you go the number of times you need to go according to your level. So in lv6/7 she has to go 4 days. If for some reason she can't make it on one of the days she typically goes, we will just go on one of the others. I have heard you are supposed to let the gym know when you do that, but I don't know of anyone who has

The boys team at my DDs gym is run similarly. They have a certain number of hours they're supposed to work out by level. They can choose any combination of available hours to get to that number. Makes my DD jealous of the flexibility they have. For instance, on Saturdays the boys HC is there for like 8 hours and boys seem to choose about 3-4 hours of that, all over. It only works because it's a REALLY small team.. but so is our girls team. A girl can dream!

 

[Natasha]

Most USAG gyms will strictly adhere to the ratios for rec program, which is for safety and PR as rec parents are paying a much higher per hour rate. Usually it is 1:8 for elementary and 1:6 for preschool. I think this is recommended by USAG and it is also a liability issue....team is a different story, as team kids know the safety rules and should be able to do some independent stations at times. However, I think it is very common to not allow makeups as it can quickly spiral out of control, and sometimes people will 'not be able to make it' to their practice so that they can 'make up' with a higher level group or more favorite coach... I do know one gym that would allow make ups in special circumstances, but you could only do a make up in a lower level group, not higher.

 

[Aussie_coach]

The boys team at my DDs gym is run similarly. They have a certain number of hours they're supposed to work out by level. They can choose any combination of available hours to get to that number. Makes my DD jealous of the flexibility they have. For instance, on Saturdays the boys HC is there for like 8 hours and boys seem to choose about 3-4 hours of that, all over. It only works because it's a REALLY small team.. but so is our girls team. A girl can dream!

One of the problems with boys Team is that you often have to compete with many team sports. Due to social pressures on boys many will choose their team sport over gymnastics if they have to make a choice. Giving boys more flexibility means they don't have to choose.

On the other hand girls teams are often set up so they do have to choose. Many girls Team coaches don't want their girls doing any other sport besides gymnastics.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

As a preschool coach my class limits are 6 kids in my mini 1 and mini 2 classes (mini 1s are for ages 3-4 ad mini 2s are for ages 4-5), I also coach a folks and flips class (where the parents come in with the kids and is for kids 18 months - 3 years) and the max class size is 8. I will occassionally have a student doing a makeup class or trial class and the ratio will be 1:7, but I will never have more than 7 kids in my mini classes.