Hello all, new here!

[SurpriseGymMom]

My daughter has done gymnastics for about 3 1/2yrs now. A little less than a year ago she started doing TOPs after being asked several times (I wouldn't let her earlier because I felt she wasn't serious enough about the sport and she needed some more emotional maturity). 5mo later she was asked to try out for the competitive team (old level 4) instead as her skills were progressing much faster than her strength. She's a compact kid who has to really work at the conditioning stuff, leg lifts and rope climbing doesn't come easy to her but she'll do front and back walkovers to get from one place to the other..!
She did that for a few months, joined too late to ever compete of course, and the group (old lv4, new lv3) was recently split and she was asked to join the combined new level 4/5 team, and is so excited to be competing for the very first time this season in Level 4!
I just found this forum and I'm looking forward to learning from everyone here and getting to know other gym parents than the ones I'm getting to know locally.

As far as myself goes, I teach pre-school gymnastics at my DDs gym since about 3yrs back. it's a lot of fun and helps pay the tuition, win-win!

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Welcome! Glad to have you officially on the forum. It has been a GREAT resource for me. Just wish I had found it sooner. My dd will be competing new L4 this year also.

 

[Deleted member 15064]

Welcome! I'm new here, too, and have learned so much (about both the big & little picture of gymnastics) in a month's time.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Thank you!!
I forgot to mention my DD turned 9 in the summer. I'm excited and a little scared about all of this, I'm learning as I go from the more experienced gym parents and am reading tons here. I will have lots and lots of great reading while sitting at practice or the studio (my other DD is a dancer and I can pretty much always be found in the studio or at the gym...) the next few weeks for sure!

 

[SignHere]

Congrats to your DD! Very exciting!

Welcome to Chalkbucket - you can find the answer to every question you ever had about gymnastics - and some you didn't even know enough to ask!

 

[amphomma]

I say welcome, but I'm very new here, too! I was encouraged to read that you teach gymnastics to preschoolers--I have a little girl who turns 4 next month, who is all about gymnastics right now. She takes one class per week and goes to the full hour of open gym twice a week. When she's at home, she is still practicing skills and playing "gymnastics class". It's fun to watch her grow and beam with joy. Your 9-year old sounds like the "big girls" that my daughter loves to watch practice. I love learning from others, especially in this sport where I'm very unknowledgeable!

 

[seoulmama]

I'm new too-hi! You know, I'm almost glad I didn't know about this forum when DD was younger-I think it would have scared me a bit, almost too much information! I feel like I know more about the sport now that we've been in it for 6 years (she started pre-team in kindergarten) and more specifically, how things work at our gym. It's always amazing to me how different gyms are. I wish I knew more about how kids are judged...I still can't always tell when a skill looks good or not, but I am not sure I ever will.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Welcome seoulmama!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I say welcome, but I'm very new here, too! I was encouraged to read that you teach gymnastics to preschoolers--I have a little girl who turns 4 next month, who is all about gymnastics right now. She takes one class per week and goes to the full hour of open gym twice a week. When she's at home, she is still practicing skills and playing "gymnastics class". It's fun to watch her grow and beam with joy. Your 9-year old sounds like the "big girls" that my daughter loves to watch practice. I love learning from others, especially in this sport where I'm very unknowledgeable!

The fun part for both my little students and my dd is that whenever she is out of school, she gets to help me with class. The little ones love it, and so does she! It's a great way to make the connection between the team side and the little guys, they all know and adore her and it's so cute to watch them be in awe of her, while she in turn is in awe of much older, more skilled gymnasts of course..! But she does love helping with my classes, it makes her feel like a superstar!
Have fun with your little gymmie!!