Foam Pits

[gymmom3]

I am wondering if the pit at my DD's gym is too small for gymnasts who are working more advanced skills and who are "regular sized" (5'1") and not teeny tiny little ones. Is there a regulation/recommended size? My DD has had a number of injuries resulting from the pit, including a pretty serious concussion from landing on the side. Please advise....Thanks!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no, there are NO regulations and NO recommendations on size. these are legal questions.

 

[bogwoppit]

I am wondering if the pit at my DD's gym is too small for gymnasts who are working more advanced skills and who are "regular sized" (5'1") and not teeny tiny little ones. Is there a regulation/recommended size? My DD has had a number of injuries resulting from the pit, including a pretty serious concussion from landing on the side. Please advise....Thanks!

If she has been injured from landing on the side of the pit more than once, and a concussion to boot, I would be asking some serious questions. I would not be happy letting my child train in that pit.

 

[CoachTodd]

I'm with Dunno, I don't have a legal answer for any of this. If she's hitting the side, she must not be going straight. If she's over shooting the pit, she may be simply traveling too far. If I wanted to, I could clear a 20' pit (I've done it and it hurts) but that, by no means; says a pit should be bigger than 20'. It says I shouldn't travel more than 10 or 15 feet when I'm jumping into the pit.

 

[gymmom3]

I wasn't even thinking about the legal aspect of this - just the safety aspect. My DD and I absolutely love the gym, the HC, the other coaches, and the program in general. However, the pit seems kind of small, and so I felt the need to investigate if there is any regulation.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

okay, then. then how why wide, how long, how deep, what's at the bottom, and what events are going in to it? how much distance, say, between the table on both sides?

 

[gymmom3]

My best guesstimate is that it is 5-6 feet wide, 12-15 feet long, and is used only as a bar pit. The bar is just about centered, maybe a little off toward one end of the pit.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

then i would guess that 5-6 is actually 7 1/2 and 12-15 is probably closer to 15. the width is usually 7 1/2 because the bar standard upright is 8. if the pit was 12 feet long hundreds of kids have already hit the end /edge of the pit cause that would not be long enough. so, it's probably 15. 15 is to short for men and too short for any advanced dismount off the bars. not long enough again for any kind of significant 'peel' from the bar. so, exact measurements are needed here.

 

[gymmom3]

Sorry for the delay in responding, Dunno. I cannot get the exact measurements without offending someone or making it look like I want to cause trouble - I have no intention of doing either of these two things. However, I have had the opportunity to "eyeball" the size since I last posted, and I can guarantee that the pit is nowhere near 7 1/2 feet wide - 6 at the most! As for length, still hard to say, but it's definitely not 20 feet long. I know that the pit is designed with the size of the building in mind, and that the gym has done the best it could with it's space and demands. I also know that my DD is not the only one who has hit the end - she's just the one who did it with enough power (and admittedly not in the correct form) to sustain injury. My concern is that the pit exists to prevent injury as much as possible, and it doesn't seem to be accomplishing it's purpose. DD may not have been in correct body position, but isn't the pit there to keep the gymnasts safe while they are learning? Again, just posting out of curiosity, and of course concern for my DD's safety, as well as for the other gymnasts. I have been able to discuss these concerns with the gym, by the way, and had a very open, honest, positive exchange.

 

[cher062]

If my kid were getting injured in the pit I would have no problem approaching the coach and asking the dimentions of the pit and questioning if it truely is large enough for my kid to do advanced skills in to it. If it offends them - Oh Well then they need to get thicker skin.

Can you take a photo of this so we can see?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes, a photo would be very helpful here.

 

[gralch1]

As a coach who uses pits for training I feel that I should chime in.
A pit is not a substitute for proper progressions. The coach (who is very much aware of the pit dimensions and limitations) should not allow a gymnast to do a skill on any surface that they are not ready for. The coach should be making sure that the athlete is training the skill correctly and not using the pit as a "just do it, the pit will save your life." (By no means am I inferring that your coach is not doing his job, just merely all coaches in general)
It sounds like there have been several injuries in using the pit and IMHO the coach should be monitoring its use more prudently.

 

[BlairBob]

In the USAG Safety Certification it goes over pit safety. Pits are supposed to be 6 feet deep and filled with foam. You can go with 4 feet if you have a trampoline bottom and these might have a foot or two to allow them to depress. I can't remember exactly.

When I did the SafetyCert in person we went over not leaving exposed edges. I have seen some pits that keep the sides of their pit covered with foam on the inside walls of the pit and edge. We used to throw an 8incher on the back side of the pits for bar work or vaulting into.