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bpatient
My elderly neighbor recently made the too-typical comment that she reads the obituaries to check up on her friends. Several recent Chalk Bucket threads made me think that gallows humor might seem an appropriate respite in gymnastics, too, as we watch so many of those super-talented kids leave the sport to pursue other dreams. (When my daughter’s teammate won Level 10 States, her coach remarked, semi-seriously but also mournfully, that most of the talented kids who used to beat her had left the sport.)
Last week dunno indicated that it’s quite common for kids to leave gymnastics between 8th and 9th grade, and, along similar lines, I recall that membership data from a couple of years ago showed that 85 per cent of the USAG athletes are 14 or younger. How, in terms of gymnastics, can you help kids face the transition that they will all endure as they reach 13 or 14 years of age? As my daughter approaches a magical birthday, I’m not interested in how to help her to stay in gymnastics so much as simply thinking about how I can help her, regardless of what she will choose to do. Any ideas?
Last week dunno indicated that it’s quite common for kids to leave gymnastics between 8th and 9th grade, and, along similar lines, I recall that membership data from a couple of years ago showed that 85 per cent of the USAG athletes are 14 or younger. How, in terms of gymnastics, can you help kids face the transition that they will all endure as they reach 13 or 14 years of age? As my daughter approaches a magical birthday, I’m not interested in how to help her to stay in gymnastics so much as simply thinking about how I can help her, regardless of what she will choose to do. Any ideas?
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