Parents Is Competitive Gymnastics different at each club?

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Correct me if I'm off on this, but it's fine to be a 14-16 year old at Level 10, but it seems important to be close to it while in high school to ensure that college eligibility remains an option?
Your understanding is mostly correct. Being at Level 10 by ages 14-16 is common, but what really matters is progressing at a pace that keeps you competitive for college eligibility. Staying on track with your training and skill development is key.
 
20 years ago you were a different caliber coach than today. Mistakes were most definitely made early on and there's nothing wrong with parents not wanting their kids to be those mistakes along a new coaches journey.

Level 1 coaches are also not level 4 coaches. You can't tell me that you walked into gymnastics with no experience and could teach someone to nationals, it's incredibly unlikely.
In this sport, mistakes are also made by parents early on in their child's journey. My advice to you is to do everything you can to avoid falling into the trap of becoming heavily invested in your child's journey / skills / comparison to others (either at her club or at other clubs) / pace of coaching at lower levels / competition level / etc.

Those of us who have had kids in this sport for many years / multiple levels could tell you all sorts of stories about kids who were "rock stars" in lower levels, but couldn't progress when skills got scary. Kids who were mediocre in compulsory levels who took off in optional levels. Weak kids who became powerhouses when they hit puberty. Strong kids who fell behind when they hit puberty. Kids who lose a season due to injury. Kids who lose multiple seasons due to injury. Kids who repeated levels during a plateau, only to take off and outpace their peers years later. The refrain I like to use is, "We have no idea what things will look like a year from now."

My kids' coach told his athletes that, "Those who do the best in this sport are the ones who stick with it." That doesn't mean they all make it to level 10, or qualify for regionals / nationals. It doesn't mean they all make it to elite. It means they make it as far as their personal journey will take them, and they retire from the sport satisfied that they learned all they could from it: about their physical abilities, but also their mental fortitude and work ethic.

You seem very concerned about your daughter's future prospects, and we all get it. But we've also seen parents who take things so seriously that they take the fun out of the sport for their child, and create adversarial relationships with coaches / staff at their clubs. Trust me when I say that you want to avoid this at all costs. And sometimes, that means taking a step back and really assessing how your actions might come across, even if you are correct in your assessment of the situation. Again, most of us who have had kids in this sport for years could share stories of too-involved parents pushing their kids, demanding more from them than they can give, and/or alienating staff at the club. When your child is going to 20+ h/week of practice, *they* have to want it. It cannot be something you want for them.

You appear to have decided that you will try to move your daughter to another club to give her a better opportunity. No one will fault you for that, and in fact many people have told you that they think this is a good idea. But accusing her existing club of just taking the money of hapless parents with non-athletically gifted kids, or of having poor coaching and not caring about it, is bound to raise eyebrows. If a gym club wanted to make the most money possible, they wouldn't offer competitive teams of any kind. Most clubs who offer competitive teams do so because the people who work there truly love the sport. Not all clubs can be "the best", but that doesn't mean that your club isn't trying their best. Also, remember that the gymnastics world is a small one, and even your actions on a message board such as this one could close doors for you / your daughter in the future.
 
In this sport, mistakes are also made by parents early on in their child's journey. My advice to you is to do everything you can to avoid falling into the trap of becoming heavily invested in your child's journey / skills / comparison to others (either at her club or at other clubs) / pace of coaching at lower levels / competition level / etc.

Those of us who have had kids in this sport for many years / multiple levels could tell you all sorts of stories about kids who were "rock stars" in lower levels, but couldn't progress when skills got scary. Kids who were mediocre in compulsory levels who took off in optional levels. Weak kids who became powerhouses when they hit puberty. Strong kids who fell behind when they hit puberty. Kids who lose a season due to injury. Kids who lose multiple seasons due to injury. Kids who repeated levels during a plateau, only to take off and outpace their peers years later. The refrain I like to use is, "We have no idea what things will look like a year from now."

My kids' coach told his athletes that, "Those who do the best in this sport are the ones who stick with it." That doesn't mean they all make it to level 10, or qualify for regionals / nationals. It doesn't mean they all make it to elite. It means they make it as far as their personal journey will take them, and they retire from the sport satisfied that they learned all they could from it: about their physical abilities, but also their mental fortitude and work ethic.

You seem very concerned about your daughter's future prospects, and we all get it. But we've also seen parents who take things so seriously that they take the fun out of the sport for their child, and create adversarial relationships with coaches / staff at their clubs. Trust me when I say that you want to avoid this at all costs. And sometimes, that means taking a step back and really assessing how your actions might come across, even if you are correct in your assessment of the situation. Again, most of us who have had kids in this sport for years could share stories of too-involved parents pushing their kids, demanding more from them than they can give, and/or alienating staff at the club. When your child is going to 20+ h/week of practice, *they* have to want it. It cannot be something you want for them.

You appear to have decided that you will try to move your daughter to another club to give her a better opportunity. No one will fault you for that, and in fact many people have told you that they think this is a good idea. But accusing her existing club of just taking the money of hapless parents with non-athletically gifted kids, or of having poor coaching and not caring about it, is bound to raise eyebrows. If a gym club wanted to make the most money possible, they wouldn't offer competitive teams of any kind. Most clubs who offer competitive teams do so because the people who work there truly love the sport. Not all clubs can be "the best", but that doesn't mean that your club isn't trying their best. Also, remember that the gymnastics world is a small one, and even your actions on a message board such as this one could close doors for you / your daughter in the future.
I think my tone is being misunderstood. I think the young girls work so hard at the gym as beginner coaches and the rec programs offer a ton of value for families looking to get their kids into sport in comparison to rec Soccer or Group Tennis which are far inferior product.

I'm also happy if she opted to switch sports because she's just as good at two other sports, ones I actually know how to get her into national teams for. Gymnastics is my fourth choice, but her first choice and I'm respecting that.

Mind you, if she becomes a vet or something, I buy her a commercial building and help get the practice up and running. If she wants to sell Baby Alives, I'll start a brand with her. The reality is, I want the best foot forward and I hope every parent wants this for their child.
 
I think it's pretty normal that clubs will differ. Some head coaches will have aspirations of their gym building elite level athletes and they will surround themselves by a coaching staff that will have these goals in mind. There will be other clubs where the head coaches prefer to see happy and healthy athletes even if they are lower levels. Their programs may not be designed as intensively.

In the same way, athletes will have different long term goals. If you aren't feeling a good fit between your athletes goals and the gym then it doesn't hurt to look around to see if there is somewhere that aligns better.
 
I think it's pretty normal that clubs will differ. Some head coaches will have aspirations of their gym building elite level athletes and they will surround themselves by a coaching staff that will have these goals in mind. There will be other clubs where the head coaches prefer to see happy and healthy athletes even if they are lower levels. Their programs may not be designed as intensively.

In the same way, athletes will have different long term goals. If you aren't feeling a good fit between your athletes goals and the gym then it doesn't hurt to look around to see if there is somewhere that aligns better.
Yeah, I've been doing homework after hearing the advice here and found a perfect fit. It absolutely takes sacrificing on the families part and child, not any child could handle the type of programming that is required for more high performance but for my little one I think it'll be perfect.
 

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