Parents Fast Tracking

[cbifoja]

Does your gym have a "fast track"? If your gym does this, what can you tell me about it? How much more work/money? What do the results look like?

 

[gymmomtotwo]

At our gym, it's just a name for preteam. It is priced like team, and the price per hour goes down the more hours you do. It's designed to take the Preschool/ kindergarten gymnast from rec classes to Level 5 in three years, with some kids progressing quicker and some a little slower. There are three levels that go from 6 hours to 10 hours to 12 hours as you move levels.

Hope that helps

 

[sglemon]

Our gym does not. We had a girl move for our gym to another state right after her first year of level 4, A year later she was competing level 7 and has been there ever since getting 33s. I don't understand that! Our gym focuses on the girls personal development. They want them to learn things at their own pace, enjoy the sport and be successful and confident. Our gym requires the girls to compete level 4, 2 years, then if they score well on bars at each level they can move up every year. The reality of gymnastics is that most girls will not make it to level 10, why push it? I also read a study somehwere, that girls who are pushed before their bodies are ready for extra strain have a higher incident of injury. Gymnastics injuries can last a lifetime! Our gym is small, in a rural area of the state, and our teams consistently place in the top 3 at state meets. Numerous state title holders. It is nice to travel to the more populated areas, big cities and see our girls are just as good and even better then the "big" teams. We have nothing but a super positive experience with our gym and the sport.

 

[gymgal]

dd's gym doesn't have a fast track program, but at the same time, they are not against having some advanced girls skip levels. It is all individual. And training in the gym is generally highly individual - particularly at the optional level. Even with girls in the same level, they all have their own programs with different skills they are working on.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

Our fast track is another name for pre-team too...nothing too fast about it. ;-) Some, like my little one, are pulled from rec classes. (Head coach saw her doing a pullover hanging from the big bar, and apparently that's hard). Others come from other gyms pre-teams/fast track programs, and try out for ours. Some make it, some don't, but all are put in the appropriate class.

 

[GymMom22107]

Our gym has something called petite elites and it is supposed to be the fast track to competing for 4-6 yr olds. They choose children out of the rec classes that show a lot of potential and they get invited into the class. They normally go right to level 4 from this class.

 

[LizzieLac]

We have Pre-Team, as well, but it is not really a fast track in the way I think of the phrase. Fast tracking, to me, is about advanced training, aggressive goals, and quick movement through the levels - sometimes doing 2 levels or more in a year, but typically seeing a kid score out of compulsories to get to optional more quickly.

Our gym will do this for the exceptional gymnast, but those kids are rare. Most kids that come through do one level per year and gradually increase their training. It keeps them healthy, avoids burnout, etc. But we have had, and do have now, a couple of those exceptions. Example, 10 year old doing level 9 who started gymnastics at 7. Did 4 and 5 in one year, 6 and 7 in one year, then level 8 as a 9 year. She scored a perfect 10 on her beam routine last year. This year she will compete level 9. She is a beautiful gymnast and good form just comes naturally to her. She is one that could probably go elite around 13 if things keep going this way and she stays healthy. She pays what everyone pays, based on the level and number of hours. She works out with the other level 9s but does do a little extra training on her own.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Our gym doesn't "fast track" per se, but does move girls when they are ready. We have some girls that repeat levels and some girls that skip levels, and everything in between. Ultimately, if they stay in the sport, they all end up a back in the same place. There are elite training opportunities for those who show the ability and desire to reach that goal. Faster learners with exceptional talent are moved faster, not held back while they wait for the next season. The coaches constantly uptrain everyone as they get their current level skills. There is a group of TOPS girls and a few HOPES qualifiers/potentials but they were moved into this group when they were ready, not before. Our gym also has a pre-team style class for itty bitties to prepare them for team a little earlier but that doesn't always end up with them moving faster than the girls that come up through rec to team.

Not sure I answered your questions, or even made sense, but that's how our gym rolls...

 

[Amusibus]

Our fast track is pre team for ages 4 to 6, 9 hours a week, then into TOPS like 20 something hours a week at level 5. Of the preteamers, according to the coach, about 20% of them end up in the tops track. We will have that option, but if I have to homeschool, I will probably have to kill myself, so that isn't a good option for us....

 

[Quadqueen]

Our fast track is pre team for ages 4 to 6, 9 hours a week, then into TOPS like 20 something hours a week at level 5. Of the preteamers, according to the coach, about 20% of them end up in the tops track. We will have that option, but if I have to homeschool, I will probably have to kill myself, so that isn't a good option for us....

that's an insane number of hours at L5...

 

[JudyS125]

Siglemon, as I was reading your post, I was thinking that your gym sounds exactly like mine. Then I thought--I really think it is mine. PM me--I think we go to the same gym.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

dd's gym doesn't have a fast track program, but at the same time, they are not against having some advanced girls skip levels. It is all individual. And training in the gym is generally highly individual - particularly at the optional level. Even with girls in the same level, they all have their own programs with different skills they are working on.

This is what our gym does.