Parents Level 6 - current gym has no track record of college recruits -NY- not NYC

[gym_momma13]

Hey everyone,

My daughter is a level 6 (10 going on 11 this year) gymnast. She has expressed a lot of interest in pursuing gymnastics long term and she is very capable. The current gym she is in does not have nor has ever had any of their level 10's recruited. We were at a meet recently where we saw gymnastics university/mg_elite. Their gymnasts were the top performing the entire meet which led me down that rabbit hole and their IG which shows the many many full ride scholarship gymnasts they produce. Unfortunately they are a 2.5 hour ride each way so there is no way we would be able to make that happen, however my point is I feel like my daughter is missing out on her full potential due to the fact that the coaches have no long term goals for them. The seem to have really high performing excel girls, however, the levels seem to struggle. I have heard the girls on our team say that the coaches will say things such as youre going to get crushed at this meet, or those other gyms are going to be very good, and they have often expressed that they feel like the coaches dont even like them. How would I find a gym that has a track record of producing college recruited gymnasts within a reasonable travel distance? Thanks in advance!

 

[Coach Kate]

Without asking your exact location, you could go look at the social media accounts for gyms that are driving distance for you that you know have level 10s, scroll back to the fall, and see who had athletes participating in signing day.

That being said, regardless of recruiting potential, it sounds like your daughter may not be in a healthy environment. It could be her perception, or there could be teeth to what she's communicating back to you. That might merit a conversation with the coaches about how your daughter is understanding what is being said to her and her fellow athletes. Coaches are people too and sometimes our humor and personalities don't come across the way we intend. And sometimes there are coaches saying things that really aren't appropriate or helpful. I would also encourage your daughter to communicate with them -"I feel discouraged when you say we're going to get crushed", "I don't like it when you say blah blah blah", "That makes me uncomfortable" or "What do you mean by xyz?" "What can I do to be more competitive?" If the coaches get this feedback and apologize and make an effort to do things differently, it can be a safe place emotionally while you look into other gyms. If they become defensive or blow it off, I would look into moving as soon as the season is over.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I agree with @Coach Kate

Please be aware of the history of the gym you think is amazing...

Did you read everything about that gym.... I understand the ban on the coaches will end shortly because someone screwed up on legalities.
I believe the court documents are online.

Have you seen what many former athletes have said?

Have you looked at the significant number of athletes from that gym who have never came close to potential/barely competed in college because they are perpetually injured?

Part of that gyms success was being highly selective, they were not making average athletes amazing - they were cherry picking talent that could be successful.

 

[Lisnastics]

Hey everyone,

My daughter is a level 6 (10 going on 11 this year) gymnast. She has expressed a lot of interest in pursuing gymnastics long term and she is very capable. The current gym she is in does not have nor has ever had any of their level 10's recruited. We were at a meet recently where we saw gymnastics university/mg_elite. Their gymnasts were the top performing the entire meet which led me down that rabbit hole and their IG which shows the many many full ride scholarship gymnasts they produce. Unfortunately they are a 2.5 hour ride each way so there is no way we would be able to make that happen, however my point is I feel like my daughter is missing out on her full potential due to the fact that the coaches have no long term goals for them. The seem to have really high performing excel girls, however, the levels seem to struggle. I have heard the girls on our team say that the coaches will say things such as youre going to get crushed at this meet, or those other gyms are going to be very good, and they have often expressed that they feel like the coaches dont even like them. How would I find a gym that has a track record of producing college recruited gymnasts within a reasonable travel distance? Thanks in advance!

Without asking your exact location, you could go look at the social media accounts for gyms that are driving distance for you that you know have level 10s, scroll back to the fall, and see who had athletes participating in signing day.

That being said, regardless of recruiting potential, it sounds like your daughter may not be in a healthy environment. It could be her perception, or there could be teeth to what she's communicating back to you. That might merit a conversation with the coaches about how your daughter is understanding what is being said to her and her fellow athletes. Coaches are people too and sometimes our humor and personalities don't come across the way we intend. And sometimes there are coaches saying things that really aren't appropriate or helpful. I would also encourage your daughter to communicate with them -"I feel discouraged when you say we're going to get crushed", "I don't like it when you say blah blah blah", "That makes me uncomfortable" or "What do you mean by xyz?" "What can I do to be more competitive?" If the coaches get this feedback and apologize and make an effort to do things differently, it can be a safe place emotionally while you look into other gyms. If they become defensive or blow it off, I would look into moving as soon as the season is over.

 

[Lisnastics]

I completely agree @Coach Kate !! It's important to consider that Covid impacted many things. Check if the gym has a new team of coaches and see if your daughter is happy with them. Have the coaches been successful in gymnastics, and do they continue to pursue education in the field? Also, was your daughter's coach trained by a well-known coach? Remember, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side .

 

[Coach Kate]

I agree with @Coach Kate

Please be aware of the history of the gym you think is amazing...

Did you read everything about that gym.... I understand the ban on the coaches will end shortly because someone screwed up on legalities.
I believe the court documents are online.

Have you seen what many former athletes have said?

Have you looked at the significant number of athletes from that gym who have never came close to potential/barely competed in college because they are perpetually injured?

Part of that gyms success was being highly selective, they were not making average athletes amazing - they were cherry picking talent that could be successful.

I'll say the name just for clarity.

Maggie Haney of MG Elite was banned by safe sport for being an abusive coach. You can Google her. I wouldn't put my child anywhere near her.