Finding the right gym (Parents are welcome to comment too!!

[gymdog]

I see she was in a 3-4 year olds class, then moved into another age group - was the coach in the other class good? Either way the program sounds somewhat unorganized to me. Sometimes gyms that are great at the team level don't have good preschool programs (or vice versa). I wouldn't rule out any gyms until you see their preschool program. Even if it's not a "big" gym or doesn't have a lot of older kids, it might be a good starting place. I know people who have really liked "little gym" type programs when well run, even though if you want to continue past a certain age and level, obviously they are just for developmental.

Even if she hasn't noticed the coaching now, she will, and she'll eventually stop liking it or grow frustrated. If she gets hurt, she may become afraid of similar moves for a long time. So, if your gut is telling you this isn't the right situation for her, even if it means you have no other options in this sport I think you'll have to try to pull the plug and try something else similar for a few years - dance would be a good choice. Until you can find a program that meets her needs.

 

[mariposa]

I guess I'm being read wrong by a couple of posters. I am not in any way pushing my daughter or even in the mindset of competitive gymnastics, though if she chooses to go that path many years down the road I will support her. I in no way would ever let her get close to "burn out" and can read my daughter well enough to know if she was ever heading that direction.
Once more, my sole issue is with the quality of instruction she is receiving. I am not paying $100/mo for her to be in a class where the coach acts like she would rather still be home in bed. My daughter would be happy at any gym, and at this age doesn't recognize the coach's almost indifferent attitude towards her students. My sole interest at this time is that she have fun, but be around coaches that encourage and grow her love for the sport. Her coach has also been absent quite a few times causing the staff to scramble to find someone to coach my dd, usually a coach whom doesn't work with the young ones and therefore does not know what to work with them on. Seeing my DD sitting watching more than getting to run around and work on skills is not okay with me.
So mariposa and NotAMom, I hope you have a better understanding on where I am coming from. And NotAMom, a little hurt by your response, sorry if you perceived me a certain way but all that you responded with was not even close to the issues at hand.

Thanks for clarifying. You brought up lots of promise and being worried about her not paying attention, which is what I was addressing. It is easy to get caught up in the "my kid is so talented" and jump in without really thinking about things and taking everything into consideration..

I agree with the other posters that I would talk to the gym owner. I also question why they would put a 2.5 year old with 4/5 year olds, especially when developmentally, she shouldn't be doing a lot of skills they are probably doing.

Personally, I would not drive 40 minutes one way to a class that lasts for an hour to just drive 40 minutes back at age 2.5, especially if they also would have her going 2 days a week. If the gym isn't meeting your expectations, talk to them. If they don't fix things, enroll her in other activities for now. There are so many things she could do and maybe time another gym will pop up closer to you or the current gym will have fixed things.

Another thing to consider with the other gym is that all too quickly, gym turns from 50 minutes 2x a week to 2-3 hours 2x a week, to 4 hours 3 days a week, etc. That makes the drive come into play even more.

Good luck deciding what to do. It is hard to be somewhere with little choices for where to take your child. Do they not have a Little Gyms there? They have a lot of fun in those classes and do gymnastics as well as singing, etc. Things a 2.5 year old should be doing in a gymnastics class at her age, in my opinion.

 

[MdGymMom01]

I like Gymdog's idea of finding a dance or creative movement class for her. Maybe there is a dance studio closer to you that may be a better fit for her right now. She can always start gymnastics pre-school classes when she is a little older, like 4 or 5. Actually, the dance training and basic coordination that it teaches is often the biggest thing that very young gymnasts lack when they start level 4, so the dance training is very beneficial to a young gymnast.

 

[tinytumblermommy]

I think a dance class would be a great idea, and I may consider doing one day of dance, one day of gym...but she would never want to quit gymnastics, so I will just continue searching for a better gym. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Flippers Mom]

I can relate to your dilemna. Flipper attended a local gym from the time she was 3.5 until she was 10 (training level 8). The local gym was fun, but the instruction wasn't as good as we could have gotten if we had been willing to drive nearly an hour. At camp, I asked the coach of an Olympian his opinion on this. He said that Flipper would let us know when we needed to switch gyms. He was correct - she started begging at level 6 to switch and kept it up for 2 years until we were willing to make the commitment switching took on our family.

At 2.5, I would just let her go and have fun and not worry about quality of instruction. Loads of kids loose interest after a couple of years when they realize that there are a lot of sports to pick from.

 

[mariposa]

I think a dance class would be a great idea, and I may consider doing one day of dance, one day of gym...but she would never want to quit gymnastics, so I will just continue searching for a better gym. Thanks for the ideas!

Are there no other smaller gyms closer you? Seems that TX has sooo many gyms as gym is so big there. If so, I would check them out. Like Flippersmom said, you will know if she is no longer happy. And some small gyms have really great programs.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Another thing to consider with the other gym is that all too quickly, gym turns from 50 minutes 2x a week to 2-3 hours 2x a week, to 4 hours 3 days a week, etc. That makes the drive come into play even more.

I totally agree with this point. We commute 30 minutes each way for gym. At first both did a beginners class, one hour a week, not really a problem. Then it became 1x 2hr a week, still on the same nights a week, still not too bad.
Now it has become a 4 night a week commute, ds is in a three hour class which is a long time to hang around and fill in and the driving is more of an issue.
Gymnastics really becomes a huge lifestyle change and commitment for the whole family, personally I wouldn't be in too big a rush to jump into that too early.

I would try talking to the current gym owner. Your daughter deserves to be happy and SAFE and to have FUN.

 

[gymcoach26]

I can see why you would be upset if the coach is lacking enthusiasm and does not seem passionate and outgoing. At that age I think it is one of the most important factors in preschool gym. A fun enthusiastic instructor can far override a big fancy gym. If you are only thinking about moving due to the coaches attitude I would consider talking to the owner first and see if anything gets done about it. If it does not change and you still are considering the switch, I don't really see anything wrong with that. Now, if your switching to have your child "be the best and hurry up and get her on team" I have a huge issue.

I am very curious as to what skills your 2.5 yo is learning in her current super tot class? What is the set up like (obstacle courses vs. stations and waiting turns in line. Is there conditioning and body shaping done? What stretches do they do?
I have a feeling that many of the things may be harmful to your daughter in the long run. There is a lot of debate that kids should't even bridge or headstand until age 5. I am not doubting your daughters ability, rather just concerned for her safety. While a 2.5 year old may be able to DO the skills, they more than likely are not doing them with the proper muscle control needed for safety. Same can be said for flexibilty. At that age they are mostly cartilage boned and developing greatly. It is not a good idea to be putting all those extra demands on such a little body. Please clarify what skills she is practicing.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

I was also going to suggest a dance class (but other posters beat me to it). There is so little "real" gymnastics that you can safely do with a child that young. Supplementing it with dance will help her for when her bones are a little less rubbery and she can start doing more skills in gym.

Before switching gyms for a pre-school class, I'd take a look at the long-term programs for each gym. Your child will be in the pre-school program for such a short time. Pickle had a total of three preschool coaches before she moved to team; two were great, one was not as good. And honestly I barely even see them anymore. Once in awhile they will be at the front desk when we come in and they'll say something nice to her, but that's about all the interaction we have.

Here are the most significant things my daughter got out of her time in preschool gymnastics:

• Keeping your toes pointed
• Knowing how it feels to have really straight legs
• Understanding how to properly grip a bar
• Being able to salute
• Not cheating in warm-ups and stretching (and now conditioing, although obviously they didn't do that in preschool)
• Being respectful to coaches
• Trying again and again to get something even though it's frustrating

 

[tinytumblermommy]

No, in no way am I looking for my dd to move up any faster then is developmentally appropriate for her. I had no idea that it was innapropriate for children this young to be doing bridges-she has been doing those since her mommy and me class.
Currently has class goes as follows:
stretching-straddle, pike, butterfly, arm circles, splits, table tops, seal, and bridge
They then spend a good majority on obstacle course-beam, ladder crawling, jumping, mini tramp, cartwheel, bridge mats.
They usually do a little work on the trampoline- seat drop, tuck jump, straddle, turning in circle while jumping etc.
Sometimes they do bar work but not often (my dd LOVES the bars, and always wants to go on them) But this gym does not have a small kids bar as I have seen at other gyms just the regular uneven bars.
Sometimes running races, sometimes swing on rings...

 

[cher062]

2.5 is young even if she has talent in this sport to be considering her "gymnastic career". Choose a gym because you like the coaches and the program. As far a the drive goes honestly if you don't mind the 40 min drive then it's a matter of what program you like better. I honestly don't see 40 min as that far a drive - When you live in an area where the fox, wild turkeys, and deer stroll through your back yard on a regular basis that is just a short drive to just about any where.

You don't seem to like the coach of the program that will be offered to your DD at your old gym and you seem to be enthusiastic about the new gym's program. I would talk to the owners of the current gym before you decide anything and voice your concerns may be they don't even realize what you have seen with this coach. Then see what alternative are out there. Are there anyother gyms closer than 40 min? If so check them out too you never know what other great programs are out there.

 

[ginnymac]

It is definitely not recommended that preschoolers (younger than 5) do bridges. Even what is typically called a 'seal' would be contraindicated for this age group. (I am a pediatric physical therapist and gym coach)

http://www.google.com/images?q=brid...x-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi


This link shows a picture of a bridge (generally done with both feet on the floor). I would strongly discourage a 2.5 year old from doing this!

 

[ginnymac]

I have to say that splits are not appropriate at this age, either.

 

[gymcoach26]

I have to say that splits are not appropriate at this age, either.

I also do not do splits with this age group.

 

[tinytumblermommy]

Thank you!

Thank you for all of the input! It is all greatly appreciated. It has been interesting to hear that a lot of what our current gym is doing is not age appropriate, including according to many of you, moving her up to higher age groups.
I am definetly going to be searching for other gyms in the area. I am greatly taking into consideration the 40 min commute for future years when she may increase her days/hours of training. That is definetly a good point. I just can't shake the attitude of her current coach and she will be with her for the next 3 years until level 1 where there are other coaches that train. I don't know if I can sit back and smile for that long. So I will let everyone know what happens. I have already found one gym in the area that I had overlooked before, and DD will be trying it out next week.
I just want what is best for my daughter, her safety and her enjoyment of gymnastics!

 

[coachmolly]

I teach some pre-school classes and I certainly view it much differently than other recreational classes. For me at least, I don't think of this class so much in terms of skills but more for the purpose of helping kids fall in love with gymnastics and helping them with balance, coordination, paying attention, following directions, that kind of stuff. It's great if a child can learn skills through the program and progress to harder skills, but I certainly don't think it should be viewed as a terrible thing if a child is not progressing immensely in terms of their gymnastics skills in a pre-school aged class. But, I can only speak for myself and I'm sure there are plenty of others on this board with a totally different philosophy.
So with the goals I mentioned above in mind, I really strive to make pre-school classes fun. There should be games, themes, rewards for good behavior, no pressure, and perhaps most importantly an upbeat teacher who can really relate to the kids, get them to listen, but also make things silly and fun at times. Because while some people "like kids" or are "good with kids", working with a group so young in a structured setting is a totally different ball game. It was a struggle for me to improve my skills in the pre-school teaching department and I am definitely no where near exceptional at it even now.
So basically, I think the teacher is REALLY important at the pre-school level, or any level of the sport really. If your daughter is unhappy with the teacher, I would look into it. Sit and watch her class, see if the teacher is the same way with all the children or perhaps just getting a little frustrated with your dd (no offense to her, but 2.5 is certainly MUCH different from 4 in terms of focus!). If it is a chronic problem, see if there are other classes you can move your dd into, even if it does seem like a "step back". I assure you, a less intense class or one with kids her own age at 2.5 is not going to make much of a difference in the long run. So if this gym has another teacher she does well with, explore that option. If and your dd are still not sold on what they have to offer and have spoken with the owner, then I would say continue looking into other options. But don't change gyms solely for a more successful program or better higher level coaches, do it because it is what makes your dd happy and what has her leaving class anxious for more!

 

[mariposa]

Totally agree with Coach Molly. Abby LOVED her preschool coach, she cried when she left her. Luckily, she still gets to see her. She is a super fun coach that makes the kids laugh.

 

[mariposa]

Thank you for all of the input! It is all greatly appreciated. It has been interesting to hear that a lot of what our current gym is doing is not age appropriate, including according to many of you, moving her up to higher age groups.
I am definetly going to be searching for other gyms in the area. I am greatly taking into consideration the 40 min commute for future years when she may increase her days/hours of training. That is definetly a good point. I just can't shake the attitude of her current coach and she will be with her for the next 3 years until level 1 where there are other coaches that train. I don't know if I can sit back and smile for that long. So I will let everyone know what happens. I have already found one gym in the area that I had overlooked before, and DD will be trying it out next week.
I just want what is best for my daughter, her safety and her enjoyment of gymnastics!

Good luck finding a place she can hopefully be with kids her age, doing things on equipment her size and with a coach that LOVES kids and knows how to work with them!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

man, texas has more gyms, and some good gyms at that, than anywhere else in the country. the upper right of your name says texas? where are you exactly??

 

[Blackie6]

YIKES! At 2 1/2 yrs old I would only worry about her having FUN! I wouldn't waste time on "quality" gym 40 minutes away until she was maybe 5 or 6.

I know you mentioned the one coach was not enthusiastic..maybe you could find different class time w/different coach? Most rec classes offer different time slots and different coaches, switch to another day or time. Even though you say she is mature for her age and more focused than her peers you don't want to push her or find yourself frustrated with her keeping up in a class of children who may progress faster and be ready to do some skills your child should NOT be doing yet. TRUST ME, during your DD's classtime, all of the mommies will be comparing and sizing up the next Nastia or Shawn. These early classes should NOT be focused as much on skills as they are on just being fun and introductory to the aparatus and some of the conditioning in a playful way. At this age children LEARN thru play. The games they do on low beams, obstacle courses with safety stops and hand placements for cartwheels, learning how to tuck heads in for forward rolls...it keeps them interested and coming back for more!

My DD started at age 3 and she is 9 now. Gymnastics is a long 365 days a year sport, don't sweat the small stuff yet, LOL. stay close to home if you can for now.