Parents Elite gym- room for other sport/ activities?

[Faith]

@auswi I agree

I do think that children should be able to build slowly into a sport, do a few at a low level and focus as they get older. I believe it benefits a child to do multi sports at the beginning of their career- swimming, dance etc will all cross-train the body, and reduce the chances of early physical and emotional burnout.

In the US it's slightly different as you tend to build through the hours according to your level. In the UK, and also in Aus, if my information is correct , you are chosen for elite path somewhere between 5 and 7 and that's it, you're straight into 18+ plus hours a week with no time for any other activities.

In part I do think it contributes to the lack of depth of field at elite level both the UK and AUS have. We narrow the field too young, then burn them out.

 

[COz]

...clever him forgot to change his alarm.....

I forgot to change the time in the car. Here I was cruising along thinking I had 65 minutes to get the kid to class...

 

[Dr Maleficent]

I'm a huge believer in trying to make sure they have a second interest or activity. For the majority of these kids, even the ones on an 'elite pathway' gymnastics will ultimately turn out to be a pastime, not a career. It is a wonderful pastime, which teaches them all sorts of valuable lessons, but when it ends, and it will, I truly believe that having had something else alongside will prove invaluable. I know for some it is impossible for reasons of finance, travel, or because your child is 'obsessed with gymnastics and refuses to do anything else'. However I would go to enormous lengths to support my DS's second activity, which he isn't always keen on doing, because it is piano and having mastered it as a child he will be able to enjoy doing it for the rest of his life.

 

[auswi]

I'm a huge believer in trying to make sure they have a second interest or activity. For the majority of these kids, even the ones on an 'elite pathway' gymnastics will ultimately turn out to be a pastime, not a career. It is a wonderful pastime, which teaches them all sorts of valuable lessons, but when it ends, and it will, I truly believe that having had something else alongside will prove invaluable. I know for some it is impossible for reasons of finance, travel, or because your child is 'obsessed with gymnastics and refuses to do anything else'. However I would go to enormous lengths to support my DS's second activity, which he isn't always keen on doing, because it is piano and having mastered it as a child he will be able to enjoy doing it for the rest of his life.

I absolutely agree with you- and it doesn't need to be expensive but a second / other interest is so important for when the gym journey ends- as they can't all stay in the field.

 

[Flossyduck]

Ok, I don't really have strong feelings on this one way or another, as I think all children and all families are different and each will understand their own circumstances and children better than anyone else. So, I guess I'm playing a little devils advocate here in my lunch break and I hope you'll take it in the spirit it's intended - musing out-loud...

I wonder if we don't over-think and over-plan these things for our children these days? I am hearing talk of 'careers' and 'journeys' and secondary interests' on this thread being applied to children. I just not sure we have to worry about planning their lives in that way.

If my dd gives up gymnastics she can choose any number of other activities, should she want to, as and when. I don't feel that she will have missed out on anything because she doesn't have a 'fallback secondary interest' already at a high level. Chances are she'll still be a kid when she gives up, so she can take up another sport or two, or another hobby. (Please God not music, as she can't hold a tune to save her life). Some of her friends have dropped out and have taken up martial arts, diving, speed skating and acro - to name a small sample. Or maybe she'll just slob about and be a child and watch the clouds go by.

When I was a child we spent a lot of time doing nothing - getting bored and being told to go and find something to do - strapping the guinea pig to a roller skate and taking it for a walk down the lane was favourite or building fairy dens out of flower heads and sticks. I did dance at a fairly high level and then I gave it up because I wanted to and I didn't expect my mum to have a safety net in place for me to fill my days. I took up the flute when I was 16 and got to a very high grade by the time I left school and still play. And I took up hand-gliding when I was 30.

as I said, I don't really feel strongly - I think my dd does enough outside of gym and gets lots of opportunity at school. My others are more home bodies and don't really like new things in any case, but they are very creative and have amazing imaginations. Very different. If other people's children want to do more then that's great too. I just don't think we need to worry about it and go out of our way to make it happen.

I think we worry too much about our children getting to try things and 'experience' things while they are a child and having secondary options should their first interest fail.