WAG Let's talk about pits.

[skschlag]

I am clueless but our gym has them and I can't imagine not. In fact when they are little, they head to high bar and have fall into the pit drills. I am sure this goes along way in easing fear issues. They love the pit.

And our gym coaches are clean freaks. No barefeet in our gym, they all wear gymnastics shoes.

And I have heard my daughter exclaim, "Yeah, its Friday, we get to empty the pit!!!!" Apparently the foam cubes get emptied by the kids so the pit can be cleaned and cubes fluffed or whatever it is they do. It appears its "good times".

That's amazing! It takes our girls' and boys' team (so, about 40 kids) 5+ hours to clean our pits out. It is an all day job to empty, clean, and refill the pits!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

That's amazing! It takes our girls' and boys' team (so, about 40 kids) 5+ hours to clean our pits out. It is an all day job to empty, clean, and refill the pits!

I truly have no clue what they all do (except all the cubes come out), but she likes it.......... Maybe its a modified quick clean up and fluff.

 

[notthatmom]

I'm a little sad this post isn't about armpits

 

[wandrewsjr]

And our gym coaches are clean freaks. No barefeet in our gym, they all wear gymnastics shoes.

You have piqued my curiosity because I have never heard of a gym with this policy. They wear gymnastics shoes on every event, even uneven bars? And no barefeet in the gym for any kids, even rec?

 

[Mrs. Puma]

You have piqued my curiosity because I have never heard of a gym with this policy. They wear gymnastics shoes on every event, even uneven bars? And no barefeet in the gym for any kids, even rec?

I am also curious about this!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

You have piqued my curiosity because I have never heard of a gym with this policy. They wear gymnastics shoes on every event, even uneven bars? And no barefeet in the gym for any kids, even rec?

Yes, gym shoes at practice. Beam, Floor, Bars, Vault. No bare feet or outside foot wear in the gym for anyone.

Meets, if not at our gym they can go barefoot, but at our gym, its gym shoes.
My girl goes barefoot at meets, some girls wear gymnastic shoes for beam though.

Kids do not give it a second thought.

PS why do the bars seem particularly shocking, as it has nearly nothing to do with the feet. But yep squat ons with gym shoes.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Yes, gym shoes at practice. Beam, Floor, Bars, Vault. No bare feet or outside foot wear in the gym for anyone.

Meets, if not at our gym they can go barefoot, but at our gym, its gym shoes.
My girl goes barefoot at meets, some girls wear gymnastic shoes for beam though.

Kids do not give it a second thought.

PS why do the bars seem particularly shocking, as it has nearly nothing to do with the feet. But yep squat ons with gym shoes.

When the meet is at your gym, are shoes required for gymnasts from other gyms? Just curious!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

When the meet is at your gym, are shoes required for gymnasts from other gyms? Just curious!

We only do in house meets so it is never an issue...........

We just don't have space for meets.

We barely have room for our end of season program and our yearly fundraiser.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

We only do in house meets so it is never an issue...........

We just don't have space for meets.

We barely have room for our end of season program and our yearly fundraiser.

Gotcha...

 

[wandrewsjr]

Yes, gym shoes at practice. Beam, Floor, Bars, Vault. No bare feet or outside foot wear in the gym for anyone.

Meets, if not at our gym they can go barefoot, but at our gym, its gym shoes.
My girl goes barefoot at meets, some girls wear gymnastic shoes for beam though.

Kids do not give it a second thought.

PS why do the bars seem particularly shocking, as it has nearly nothing to do with the feet. But yep squat ons with gym shoes.

I just can't recall ever seeing a kid wear them for UB or vault, have for beam and fx. So all the rec and preschool kids must wear gymnastics shoes too?

 

[skschlag]

Yes, gym shoes at practice. Beam, Floor, Bars, Vault. No bare feet or outside foot wear in the gym for anyone.

Meets, if not at our gym they can go barefoot, but at our gym, its gym shoes.
My girl goes barefoot at meets, some girls wear gymnastic shoes for beam though.

Kids do not give it a second thought.

PS why do the bars seem particularly shocking, as it has nearly nothing to do with the feet. But yep squat ons with gym shoes.

Rec kids too?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Rec kids too?

every one.....................

Really it is not a big deal and no one give it a second thought.

Seriously our end of season program you go in the gym in socks or shoe covers, yep, everyone.
Rec kids, tots, team, grown ups. Everyone. Coaches have shoes they only wear on gym floor.

 

[wandrewsjr]

every one.....................

Really it is not a big deal and no one give it a second thought.

Seriously our end of season program you go in the gym in socks or shoe covers, yep, everyone.
Rec kids, tots, team, grown ups.

Wow, I have never heard of such a policy. I can understand the no outside shoes, like you said by grownups attending the show, because that can track in a lot of dirt and other stuff. But do they give reasoning for why no bare feet for the kids?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Wow, I have never heard of such a policy. I can understand the no outside shoes, like you said by grownups attending the show, because that can track in a lot of dirt and other stuff. But do they give reasoning for why no bare feet for the kids?

Yes dirt and other stuff. Seriously its not a biggie, every one is used to it.

 

[2G1B]

Yes dirt and other stuff. Seriously its not a biggie, every one is used to it.

Do you guys have a boys' team? I have never seen boys wear gym shoes. It seems like it could cause some problems to transition from practice always with these shoes on to competing without...

 

[sewgood]

Even our preschool room has their own pit. I can't imagine training without a pit.

I also can't imagine wearing gym shoes on bars or vault.

 

[duyetanh]

Even our preschool room has their own pit. I can't imagine training without a pit.

I also can't imagine wearing gym shoes on bars or vault.

I think it's one of those things where because my dds gym doesn't do it, it seems odd...but really, every gym has their own oddities....I know we have weird quirks at hers that if I posted about them, well, people would be chiming in left and right, lol....and those who don't have pits don't really know any different. You go with what you have.

 

[Jenny]

Gymnasts who need insoles for running often wear shoes for vault in training and competition. I have never seen shoes on bars ever, I always thought that was an absolute no, but shoes on vault and floor for tumbling often for those with insoles, and shoes on beam for those who have slippy feet, I see less often than I used to but see sometimes.

I reckon someone running that gym has a foot phobia and can't bear to see them lol. Dirt and germs from feet shouldn't be an issue. Sweaty hands and bodies rolling all over the equipment and floor would be just the same spreading germs and dirt. And unless they take their gym shoes off to go to the bathroom then all the germs from the floor of the bathrooms and changing rooms are walked across the floor just the same as bare feet. And any kid wearing their gym shoes at a meet will be bringing back the germs from the meet gym where there are bare feet, right into the gym again. The more I think about it the more pointless it seems, but to put such a radical idea in place they must have thought it through. To make the parents pay the extra amount out for shoes, which are not cheap, they must think it is worth it.

From a safety point do the upper level girls find it difficult to transition from shoes to feet at meets when doing level 10 skills? A toe on shaposh or free walkover on beam will feel very different with and without shoes. Our kids that wear shoes for training but don't wear them at meets usually mix and match a bit just before a comp , but shoes would never be allowed on bars here anyway.

That is definitely a first, a no bare feet gym.

 

[ZJsMom]

Yeah. The gymnastics business seems like the wrong one for the germ phobic. If you really think about it, it will freak you out. Bleeding hands, kids spitting on their hands, sweat-- all mixing together on the equipment, which you can't really sanitize. It's a breeding ground for germs.

 

[skschlag]

Yeah. The gymnastics business seems like the wrong one for the germ phobic. If you really think about it, it will freak you out. Bleeding hands, kids spitting on their hands, sweat-- all mixing together on the equipment, which you can't really sanitize. It's a breeding ground for germs.

Exactly. I love the coach saying...oh, your hands are ripped and bleeding? Go do pommel horse. lol.