WAG Gyms in NoVA

[mimi]

Hi all,

There is a possibility that we may be moving to the Northern VA area. Does anyone have any good recommendations? We would be near Manassas. We currently drive about 30 minutes for gym, and I know I would probably have to do at least that if we move, given the horrendous traffic up there. DD is training level 7 right now, and we are looking for a serious gym with solid coaching and a good reputation. BUT, nothing too crazy...yelling or name calling would certainly not go over well. That being said, dd responds well to coaches who are tough and expect a lot out of her. Any insight/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[vagymmomma]

GMS. DD has two good friends there.

Hi all,

There is a possibility that we may be moving to the Northern VA area. Does anyone have any good recommendations? We would be near Manassas. We currently drive about 30 minutes for gym, and I know I would probably have to do at least that if we move, given the horrendous traffic up there. DD is training level 7 right now, and we are looking for a serious gym with solid coaching and a good reputation. BUT, nothing too crazy...yelling or name calling would certainly not go over well. That being said, dd responds well to coaches who are tough and expect a lot out of her. Any insight/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sglemon]

I would check out Apollo in Woodbridge first, they have one of the strongest optional programs in NOVA, also APEX and GMS. Even in the lower levels Apollo scores much better than the other NOVA teams. They do score girls out of level 5 and put them in 6. You can check out the standings from level 8,9 & 10 states here:
Virginia USAG

 

[lovofu]

Well, I've had experience with three in NoVA. Apollo (mainly rec), Novaks and now Capital. Apollo has the nicest facility but the things I've seen Capital do with all ability levels put it at the top. Lots of girls, all get trained (not just the rock stars) including training at the highest level. Capital just won the VA state meet Level 8 number one team. I would definitely try all the local gyms and get the vibe. Not a bad drive to any of them. Good LUCK.

 

[vagymmomma]

Location is key in northern Virginia though, so make sure you check the drive (especially during rush hour). Capital is not a bad commute from Manassas (I'm concerned that Apollo would be a really long drive from there). GMS, Capital or Apollo -- all are good gyms. We know families well at all three, and there are plusses and minuses to all of these. You'll need to visit and get the vibe.

 

[sglemon]

I thought Capital was close to Richmond for some reason. I agree with everything ^ she said. I would check them out first! They have a wonderful reputation!

 

[coachmolly]

There are TONS of good gyms up that way, so I am sure that wherever you end up you will be able to find a good fit for your DD. But it is really dependent on your exact location, as commuting can be kind of tricky. Apollo is in Woodbridge, so probably a bit far given the traffic situation, but a great gym that I've heard lots of good things about.
Given location, I would say GMS and Capital would be your best bets, but check out all of your options and have your DD try them out. Not every "good" gym is good for every kid and their specific needs.

 

[mimi]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. We would be in a small town about 10 miles or so NW of Manassas. So GMS sounds like a good option as well as Capital. I'll have to look up and see how far Woodbridge is to see if Apollo is an option. Dd loves the idea of going to a place like Capital, but I'm just not sure if it may be a little too hard core. I'm sure they would be able to get some great results out of her though! I think you all are correct in saying that we will need to visit in order to get the feel. DD wants to train at Capital because Justin Spring used to train there.

 

[gymdog]

Even in the lower levels Apollo scores much better than the other NOVA teams.

Not really true although they're a good gym and facility so I hesitate to post this. But the results speak for themselves anyway.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

bwahahahahahaha^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[gymdog]

Well in all honestly you wouldn't really go "wrong" with any of these gyms mentioned if you want to be a good optional. That assertion just kind of surprised me because it's not accurate. Every year VA has a "club of the year" awards thing where you get so many points for each high finish in a state meet (not going to go into the whole scheme, just follow me here). They do compulsory, optional, and overall. So to me the finishes are pretty obvious, but I guess they are only published among the clubs (not to parents) so I understand if you just went to the level 4 state meet then you would see Apollo did 2 tenths better than GMS and 5 tenths better than Capital or something like that. All three were pretty equivalent in the grand scheme of things at that meet though (don't get me started about level 4 states in VA). And the other levels tell a different story, I'm pretty sure that was the only level where the finish was in that order last year at states.

But again I didn't want to post this because I don't want to "knock" Apollo at all. Beautiful facility, and a good solid program. It was just a kinda "huh?" reaction to that assertion.

And that's not to say these gyms are the same, or even similar. They all have different "things." I don't really want to vote for or against because I would have biases and opinions about each one DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD. Each gym "sells" a different product, and that's why they've all been very successful despite geographic proximity. And all the owners will be honest with you about going elsewhere if you want a different product. I DEFINITELY don't think anyone should obsess about the results. All the gyms have thriving optional programs and will continue to do so for years to come. That's the bottom line here. Results are fleeting and all these gyms tend to treat groups of gymnasts as a "cohort" of similar maturity in their gymnastics progress so it's hard to pick through what happened one year at one certain level. I would recommend you visit all the gyms and then decide. If you prioritize short commute I imagine you'll almost certainly wind up at GMS, but that's the only variable I can say with certainty.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Not really true although they're a good gym and facility so I hesitate to post this. But the results speak for themselves anyway.

There is more to the story than scores...
but sometimes experience has to teach that lesson. NOVA is full of great gyms, have fun choosing