How do you know when it is time to make a gym switch?

[bogwoppit]

hey there, sorry to hear that your gym is going through several changes that has you questioning whether you still belong there or not. This is always a tough situation...but in my opinion we will have to adapt to change all though our lives. My daughter does not do well with changes and for awhile when she was around 8 yrs old, I let her walk away from things when change upset her and raised her anxiety. When a good friend of hers left her team...i let her sit at home and sulk about it, when a coach left we were upset and sulked about it...and finally.....after this happening several times I did alot of soul searching then sat her down a few months ago (she's 10 now) and explained that not everyone has the same committment level as we do and we will continue to see them come and go and we will have to accept it and adapt to it. Gyms grow, coaches grow and move on, equipment grows, girls grow out of it, parents get gossipy and forget about whats really important. They chose a gym....I feel that is hard on the gym and friends they leave behind every time a mommy decides she might have made a mistake 3 years ago. Myself, I don't feel like you made a mistake. I don't think that when someone questions themselves that it means that its time to change gyms. As mommy's we usually question ourselves when we know we have already made a good choice with gyms....if the gym was a bad place to be you would not have stayed and your mommy intuition would have told on day 2 to go explore other gyms in your area. I made a choice for my daughter several years ago and I will always support my gym through changes as I trust them. Even though I support my child being able to adapt to change, I wish that more parents would stand behind their original choice and remember they will leave friends behind to again deal with change. It has broken my heart on several occassions to see my daughter say goodbye to someone through her tears or come home from training asking "why isn't ??????? coming back to class?" Its hard on the families you leave behind. On the other hand, I realize its hard dealing with your daughters coach leaving....things happen for a reason. Maybe a different coach will have a new and refreshing perspective? I choose to be positive about change. Possibly as a team you could offer some awesome fundraising ideas for some new equipment. An inspiring story we were told at a competition last year from the head coach of a very rural gymnastics club: The team practiced in the basement of a church as a knock down facility, meaning they had to set up and take down the equipment before and after each practice. They only had a strip of mats for tumbling, one low beam, a set of bars, and no vault. They would have to stack panel mats as there vault. Well....it was a tad embarrassing as each awards ceremony came and went and each time at least one of their athletes were on the podium. You don't have to have it all.....if you can dream it....you can achieve it. Do some soul searching, you'll find the answer for your family. Good luck to both of you in your gymnastics journey. I myself know where I belong, maybe you do to.

Please can you use paragraphs. It is very hard to read huge blocks of text, especially for people with dyslexia.

 

[putri]

We had a moving dilemma a few months ago. The gym couldn't give dd what she needed and the coaching went from good to bad. After trying out a couple other gyms, we decided to go to one that's 45-50 minutes away (the other one we tried was 40 minutes away and the gym we moved from was 25 minutes away).

Was it worth it? Definitely!! Dd and I couldn't be happier. We've only been at the new gym for a month and a half but the improvement that dd has made is phenomenal. The UK system is a lot more confusing than the US (we're Americans stationed in the UK) and after learning the system, we're so happy we moved because there's no way dd could get to where she wants to get in gymnastics if we stayed at the other gym. At her new gym, not only does she get quality coaching from coaches with girls at national levels but the opportunity to do high level gymnastics when we go back to the US.

Whether or not she does higher level or if she quits next year (she's still little after all and nobody can predict the future), I am very happy to be able to give her what I think is the best for her. I did think that the drive would be horrible but it's not too bad and it makes it more worthwhile when I see a smiling little girl during and after gym. Oh, we did the 25min drive for almost six months and each time the drive to and from went by quick.

Good luck!!!

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

In my opinion a 30 minute drive is nothing. Ours is about that and dd and I use the time to chat about her school day, sing along together to music, tell jokes, play punch-buggy, or sometimes she eats or does homework.

How old is your dd? I think more than trying to determine if her size, talent or potential makes it worth switching gyms, is you have to consider safety, her happiness and well-being. The atmosphere and philosophy of the gym play a big role for me as well. Is it really about the girls? Is there a lot of yelling? Are there a lot of "those parents" who sit around and gossip and yak?

DD's gym went through some changes almost as soon as we switched to it, and things were up in the air with a lot of issues. I felt like the atmosphere and philosophy of the gym was what I wanted dd to be a part of and I am so glad that we stuck with it and stayed.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

I would suggest to leave this decision to the gymnast. Since she is the one that will be there everyday and it is part of her experience making the decision. We as parents can guide her with the pluses and minuses of each and let her draw the conclusion and we support her decision.

I have to respectfully disagree... based on personal experience, we allowed our then-10-year old to "decide" there was "no way she was leaving her gym, her team, her friends". Things got progressively worse over the next FOUR YEARS... until last spring when I decided it was definitely time to go. At that point, my next gymmie was 10, and while I presented her with options (Gym B or Gym C), staying at Gym A was definitely not one of those options. After switching gyms, and having Little Monkey progress and improve, older DD (now 15) asked why we didn't "make" her leave the old gym sooner .....

Our first gym was walking distance, our 2nd gym (were there almost 8 years) was 15 mins, new gym is closer to 20-25. Having been in the sport for quite a while, I've found that the commute became the least of our worries. It's the quality of coaching, how the business is run, and to a lesser extent the equipment (btw new gym doesn't have a pit, but manages to churn out good upper level gymnasts anyway!) that really matter in the long run. Good luck with your decision!