How do you decide when it is time to go?

[mumoftwogymnasts]

For those of you who have switched gyms, how do you know when it is the right time to move on?

DD's coach (also the head coach) moved on several months ago. The gym is now a bit like a rudderless ship, lots of young coaches, commitment and quality of coaching is inconsistent. DD is losing skills (I know this can happen even with the same coach), form is not being corrected, she is getting sloppy, there is lots of goofing around in class.
She was doing lots of uptraining and conditioning, now there is no uptraining and conditioning is practically non existent.
Up till now she has seemed quite happy, but lately she is frustrated by the fact that in her words "we never do anything new, and no one tells me what I am doing wrong".
Six months ago she was doing backhip circles on the bars, toe shoots etc, now they are back working on pull arounds. Almost had her cartwheel on beam, now is not even allowed to attempt it.
I can see that the "feel" around the place is not as serious as it was, and if that didn't bother dd, that wouldn't bother me, and hasn't up until now.
I'm just not sure what to do now, do we just ride it out? hope the coaching improves? Or do we look at other options? (higher cost, double travel time)

I keep telling myself that dd started this sport for fun , she is never going to be an elite gymnast, but lately she doesn't seem to be having much fun. She finished second at states last year, so she does have some potential and talent, but I can't see it being nurtured at the moment.

Thanks for just letting me vent, and sorry to be so long.

 

[bogwoppit]

The fact that she is just not getting anything out of it, plus it's not fun for her, would be enough for me to start looking around.

It sounds very frustrating.

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

I would be frustrated too. Yes, it is supposed to be fun, but you are also paying for her to learn gymnastics. It appears from your post that she is not and is no longer having fun.

I would at least start looking around, it doesn't hurt to look. If it has been 6 months I would say you gave them time to fix it.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

It has frustrated me for several months, but I told myself that I was not the gymnast and it was not about me. Now it is frustrating my daughter, which for me puts a different slant on it.

I just feel a bit sad, because it has been a great gym prior to this, competitive, fun and we have been very happy there... but I've realised that she really isn't learning much.

 

[gymdog]

I would express your concerns to the director. Try to set up a meeting in person. Give a couple weeks to evaluate. If at the end of the period after notice, things have not changed, I would look into making the switch from what you describe. She may have been happy for some period of time, but if she keeps losing skills and not progressing she's going to continue to be frustrated. I think that is the key. You either need some change at the current gym or a different program.

 

[UnoMas]

Well, to me...

No progress + No fun = time for a change!

It's sad that the coach left and things are crazy. Maybe talking to the staff and trying to find out if there are changes in the works would be a good idea. We've had phases at our gym where the coaching has been lacking because of coaches leaving/increased numbers/etc, but usually within a couple months new coaches come in and life is better again.

 

[gym law mom]

As gymdog suggested, you could try and meeting with the owner or whoever is in charge of the team program. Express your concerns and your dd's feelings. If they have some plans to improve things you could wait for a month or so to see if any of it is put in place. If they think everything is just fine and have no plans, then I would start looking at other gyms right away.

Never hurts to look around even if you plan to give the gym a month or so to start to turn things around. If you're not happy and now dd isn't happy, its probably time to go.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I would definately have a talk with the owner. They may not be aware anyone has a concern so that may be just what is needed. If after that nothing seems to change then I would be looking elsewhere. Let us know what you decide! Good luck!

 

[jdf]

It isn't just the money- it is the time that your dd is away from the family. If she isn't having fun while learning, it isn't worth it. I agree with the others that you should talk to the owners to see if they have some plan for improvement, and if not, move.

 

[Bobby]

For those of you who have switched gyms, how do you know when it is the right time to move on?...I keep telling myself that dd started this sport for fun , she is never going to be an elite gymnast, but lately she doesn't seem to be having much fun. She finished second at states last year, so she does have some potential and talent, but I can't see it being nurtured at the moment....

I went through this recently and found it very hard - and made harder by the fact DD's old coach was fabulous and the gym was a really good one - just not the right match for her at this point.
For us the right time was when a) when I had a clear idea of what wasn't working for my DD at the old gym and why, plus b) when I found a really clear alternative that was very likely to be a better match for her.
The facts I found most useful were what fits DD right now (as opposed to what might suit her best in a couple of years "if X, if Y ...", as well as the liklihood (in our case zero) that the previous gym would change in the near future to be a better match.
I did worry about whether I was doing the right thing - but now I'm just relieved I didn't wait any longer. DD is much happier where she is, and I'm more content with the new program.

 

[bookworm]

I have always found that when you're even THINKING of switching gyms, you should have done it a year ago...

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Thanks everyone. I think I know deep down that it is probabaly time to go. There just aren't that many options in the area for us, and our travelling time will increase to around 45-50 minutes... but where we are isn't working for dd. DS is at the same gym and the boys program is great, so we are possibly looking at two gymnasts at two gyms, having a hard time getting my head around that one.

I think I will mention my concerns to the staff and see if there is a plan for changes. I will also look around, it doesn't hurt to be informed of the other options.

 

[bluesocks]

We just changed gyms and I can't believe the difference in just a week or so. She went from being reluctant to go to being so excited and asking me every day if it is gym day. Once I figured out what I wanted from a gym (thanks to everyone here) it was easy to find a better match. It was hard to leave, but the old program was not working any more for us. I would say to look at the available options just to know what is out there.

Good luck!

Blue

 

[cher062]

Well my DD changed gyms a month ago and after a month being there, I now realize I should have changed gyms 2 years ago when things changed at old gym. DD loved the old gym and her teammates and didn't want to leave at that time so against my feelings we stayed. Most here know my stoy I'm sure and after 15 years with the old gym we moved. We had never trained at another gym so the move was very hard. But since the change my DD is happier and is learning so much more. Even my hubby who rarely says anything on this stuff has come home after picking her up and said What a difference she really is improving and the coaching is just soooo much better. If we had moved her before she would be so much further along.

DD although misses her old teammates, loves the new gym has made new friends and is exactly where her new coaches want her to be. They love her she loves them it was the best move we could have made.

I now go with if you're thinking that you might need to move it can't hurt to go and tryout at some other gyms to see what they have to offer. Usually if you think it's time for a change it probably is.

I don't feel guilty anymore about leaving and I am so glad we made the move.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

I went in early this week and spoke to head coach and the gym co-ordinator. They are aware of the problems, I am not the only frustrated parent. They are trying to make changes, but change takes time.
There was less mucking around this week, more discipline if the girls were goofing off, from one coach in particular. DD commented how it was "fun tonight". The class did appear controlled rather than the total chaos it had become. I've decided to give it a few weeks and see how it pans out.

Did call another gym and make enquiries, they are sending me some info and said I was welcome to come and observe some classes and dd could have a trial and see where she would fit in. Even if things change I am not sure that this current gym is the right gym for dd right now.

 

[nettyinpa]

Good luck with your decision. We switched gyms back in April and have never looked back. When dd does nothing but complain and doesn't want to go to gym you know there's something wrong. It was the best decision we could've made and we're glad we did. She actually thanked me last week for letting her switch!!