Jealous of an Injury?

[gymnastbeth]

I coach a group of pre-teamers (levels 2-3, ages 6-8) twice a week. Usually these girls stay out of trouble, are a fun group, and are generally drama-free. It's a joy to coach them. However, last week a girl (I'll call her "Suzy") broke her hand. She's still coming to the practices, with her cast, and a modified workout. The problem is, another girl (I'll call her "Nadia") continually makes remarks about wanting a cast like Suzy. She always wants to touch the cast, always wants to do the modified workout, always wants to ice something when she doesn't have an injury to ice. I realize that Nadia is most likely doing this because she wants to be singled out like Suzy, she wants attention.

I've been trying not to give Suzy any special attention because of her injury, but of course she needs different directions for practice than the rest of the girls. I talked to the HC about it, and she recommending finding ways to single out each of the girls sometime during the practice. This could be picking them to demonstrate, or giving a sticker for something they tried really hard on. I try to do this anyways, but now I'm really trying to make sure each girl feels important.

So my question is (coaches) how do you handle attention-seekers, and how do you give each gymnast individual attention? This is the first time I've run into this, and I know it won't be the last if I continue coaching.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Why not give her what she wants but make sure there is no attention involved. If she feels she needs ice, why not give her a bag of ice and have her sit with it over in the first aid area while your attention stays on the girls who are training. If she wants a separate program, set her a boring strength program to do while you give your attention to apparatus. She will soon see the key to attention is to do the right thing.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

if gymnastics coaching were easy they would call it coaching footbal...

 

[gymboymom]

I'm not a coach, but a parent. Just wanted to tell you that all my kids have wanted a cast at that age. It wasn't about the injury, but the actual cast, so maybe that is it. They even started a wrapping your wrist station to make it look like a cast at the school carnival and it always runs out of stuff so I would guess this is pretty common.

 

[SheCanFly]

I think you're right....it's liking the attention and the questions/concerns that come from an injury.

My daughter loves to be "injured". She is always "jamming" her fingers so they have to be taped. She had a mild sprain once that I kept wrapped in an ace bandage and she conned her school chums into CARRYING her around the school! She loves pre-wrap, ace bandages, and ice packs.

I agree with the coach who said make it un-fun. I park my daughter on the couch when she says she hurt her ankle. You wouldn't believe the amazing healing capabilities my couch possesses! I remember liking to have little injuries too when I was young.

 

[JessLW]

As a teacher and a parent, I can tell you -- little kids can be strange sometimes!

When you're a kid, there's definitely a bit of a coolness factor to having some sort of injury. Kids think casts and tape and bandages are awesome and if you got injured doing something especially impressive, like gymnastics, then all the cooler! Sure some of it is about the attention but then I think there's a sort of "street cred" that kids get from injuring themselves in "exciting" ways. I remember when I broke my wrist as a 9 year old and of course I totally blew the story of my fall completely out of proportion (and it didn't even happen at the gym, I was outside racing another kid, tripped over a mound of dirt in the pavement, and caught my fall with my hands) and the other kids oohed and ahhed over my cast like it was the best thing ever.

SheCanFly, that's too funny because I remember as a very young gymnast also "jamming" my fingers and taping them and feeling very grown up and mature with my taped fingers. I think at that age you look up to the big girls and (sadly) usually the older and better gymnasts have something or another taped or braced and again, and as a newbie you kind of want to have those war-wounds too.

To the OP, it is most likely just a phase she'll grow out of. I wouldn't give it too much attention because that will probably just fuel it. I'd might try telling her that if she's really injured then we'll have to call her mom to come pick her up and take her to the hospital (no cool modified workout or neat-o ice-packs) to have it checked. That line usually works pretty well with my students when they're milking something for whatever reason! For some reason they really don't want their parents involved ...

 

[Empowered]

Oh my when I was young I wanted to break a bone and get a cast so badly. I have no idea why... lol Thankfully I didn't pass this on to my little one who would sooner die than admit she is in pain.

Like SheCanFly's little one, I was always spraining my fingers (I played basketball) so I could play with them taped. I always had my shin splits taped and usually an ankle too just because I was a goober.

Then one day I was running down the hall and caught my pinky toe on the furniture and it pulled back and broke a small bone in my foot. I was in a half cast on crutches and of course once I was really injured I tired of the crutches in like three days so I would try and walk on the cast. I ended up breaking the bone even worse because of that and ended up in a cast that went from toe to knee for 12 weeks, during SUMMER!

Needless to say, that cured me of wanting to be injured for good so maybe giving this little one even a taste of a fake injury will do the trick.

 

[wandrewsjr]

It is when dealing with the "babysitting" part of coaching gymnastics that I must remind myself that I am getting a paycheck. These are young girls, afterall, and it just comes with the territory. Coaching gymnastics is fun,challenging and exhilerating, and quite frankly(don't tell the boss) would do that part for free. Want me to coach a group of 6 to 8 year old girls at the same time, dealing with all of their unique personalties, drama, attitudes and quirks? That's what you pay me for.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

My dd is always asking to get tape for her ankle, and she was SO EXCITED to get her first real rip....until she had to get back on bars with it and she realized they really HURT! It seems to be a normal thing for this age.

I agree with Aussie Coach's advice too, if she gets some attention for a minute but has to do something too hard or sit out away from the group, it might cure her need for an injury of her own.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I think you're right....it's liking the attention and the questions/concerns that come from an injury.

My daughter loves to be "injured". She is always "jamming" her fingers so they have to be taped. She had a mild sprain once that I kept wrapped in an ace bandage and she conned her school chums into CARRYING her around the school! She loves pre-wrap, ace bandages, and ice packs.


I agree with the coach who said make it un-fun. I park my daughter on the couch when she says she hurt her ankle. You wouldn't believe the amazing healing capabilities my couch possesses! I remember liking to have little injuries too when I was young.

I may need to borrow your couch sometime in the future!!

 

[Galadriel]

I too really wanted to have a cast!
I dont know why!
I used to bandage myself and the dog and love the idea of injuries!

 

[txgymfan]

My dad was a physician so we were never "hurt". Any hurt we had was considered minor compared to my dad's hospitalized patients. So when I needed glasses I did not tell my parents until I was really really desperate. My mom told someone she thought I was faking it and wanted the attention until the eye doctor said "She doesn't drive does she?!" after checking my eyes.

 

[gymgurl]

When I was younger I was desperate for a broken arm or something exciting to happen and when it did I hated it. I did get the great story though - I crashed into a tree skiing, knocked myself out and apparently had 12 ski patrol working on me on the way to the hospital where I stayed for a week as they suspected (at first) I had broken my back/neck. I still don't remember that day, I only know this from what I have been told. So I did get the wow factor. I then, in case i didn't learn my lesson (never ask for an injury), got told they had to re-break my arm which involved quite literally snapping the bones again. was in the cast for another 4 weeks after the operation. Since then I have dreaded injuries but still found stealing peoples crutches fun. I then got my next lesson on injuries. You never want crutches. period. I tore my ligament and after 2 days of my mum thinking i was faking it I got crutches. Having a school with 3 campus's makes transport difficult when you are already crippled. So in answer to your original questions, treat her as if she does have an injury have her sit out in first aid with the ice pack and when she comes back set up a strength circuit and she will very quickly heal herself. Amazing what boredom can do.

 

[gymnastbeth]

Thanks for assuring me that it's normal behavior . But can we get this thread away from "wanting an injury" to "making each girl feel special"? That's still my question.