Parents Lots of new questions

[Calexanian]

hi. We just started pre team after 6 months of rec gymnastics. My daughter just turned 8 and hopes to join a team this summer.

We are a military family so I am really worried about letting her go for this if it is not going to work. We move constantly, every two or three years. Will she always be pushed aside because she will be leaving? Will we be spending tons of money on gymnastics tuition when we move and she can't go to that gym anymore? Will she have to wait to train until it's time for tryouts again? I just feel like this will never work long term but she wants it so bad.

We are driving an hour to gymnastics and I know some of you do the same. It's late when we are there and have an hour drive home. What are some dinner or snacks you back for your gymnast? I also have a four year old who tags along.

I know I have a ton more questions but we will start here. I'm so glad I found this forum for help!!

 

[skschlag]

There are several military families on here, so I will let them answer that question.

For the snacks...

I usually make a bunch of something he can eat on the way home after gym. The gym has a microwave for coaches that we are able to use. Some of D's favs are chicken fried rice, chili mac, spaghetti, etc. He is careful in teh car, but we put a towel down just in case. He also does peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers, fruit, veggies, chips, etc. Sometimes I take a sandwich. He is almost 15 so he eats a lot. I pack a ton of food for him. other ideas are roll ups on tortillas.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Once your daughter is on a team, when you transfer gyms you usually don't have to wait until a try-out. You find the gyms where you will be living, and you call ahead and they usually will give her a private evaluation to see if she is where she needs to be for the level she's on at their gym. Team girls don't have to keep trying out, even when they switch gyms. Communication is the key with the gym you are at--they should know you are military and your circumstances--and the gym you will be switching to. Good luck! I hope she likes it.

 

[Flyaway]

We have several military families at our gym. The girls come and go. Although it's sad to see them leave, they've never had trouble transferring to another team in their new location.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Being a military family absolutely does add another layer of stress to the equation. She wouldn't likely have to wait till a special tryout time when you move, but just the facts that she will have to find a new gym that she loves, coupled with the fact that she will have to try out again and again... it's ridiculously stressful all around. We haven't had the experience of gyms writing my kids off when they found out we were moving. That's one worry that has so far been unfounded. We are going into our third gym move now and it's my biggest worry behind finding a place to live- and I mean that literally. My hierarchy of worries is now homelessness then gym-lessness.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Once your daughter is on a team, when you transfer gyms you usually don't have to wait until a try-out. You find the gyms where you will be living, and you call ahead and they usually will give her a private evaluation to see if she is where she needs to be for the level she's on at their gym. Team girls don't have to keep trying out, even when they switch gyms. Communication is the key with the gym you are at--they should know you are military and your circumstances--and the gym you will be switching to. Good luck! I hope she likes it.

Of course they have to try out- gyms do not accept at face value that what was good enough for one team, or worked for one team, will work for theirs. A private evaluation is a try out. That's been our experience at least.

 

[gymgal]

Of course they have to try out- gyms do not accept at face value that what was good enough for one team, or worked for one team, will work for theirs. A private evaluation is a try out. That's been our experience at least.

I think GAgymmom was referencing regular tryouts that gyms hold once a year for everyone interested in team. Yes, a gym will want to evaluate all children transferring in and depending on the caliber of the gym your coming from and going to, this may be a little more stressful than expected but if you are switching between similar caliber gym, it likely isn't going to be much of an issue, just a matter of whether the child needs to repeat a level based on the expectations of that particular area for different levels.

 

[Calexanian]

Thank you guys so much. I feel much better now. This is all so new to me.

 

[MabelSt]

I would let her do it, I grew up an army brat and I think having a sport like gym would have helped me make friends, and I think it's good because it helps the kids keep their identity intact even when they have to move a lot

 

[Calexanian]

I would let her do it, I grew up an army brat and I think having a sport like gym would have helped me make friends, and I think it's good because it helps the kids keep their identity intact even when they have to move a lot

Yes!!! I love this. I'm so glad you pointed this out.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Of course they have to try out- gyms do not accept at face value that what was good enough for one team, or worked for one team, will work for theirs. A private evaluation is a try out. That's been our experience at least.

Ok, I don't know what I'm talking about.

An evaluation is a placement, not a try-out. Evaluations are to see if the gymnast has the skills for the level she is competing or the level she is moving up to in alignment with the gym she is transferring to. Some gyms have tighter requirements, some more lax. She gets placed, she's not "trying out" like you do the very first time.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Ok, I don't know what I'm talking about.

An evaluation is a placement, not a try-out. Evaluations are to see if the gymnast has the skills for the level she is competing or the level she is moving up to in alignment with the gym she is transferring to. Some gyms have tighter requirements, some more lax. She gets placed, she's not "trying out" like you do the very first time.

We've done a number of gym moves and there has every single time been an evaluation that is really a try out. There have been gyms who declined to place my girls on teams. Being evaluated for level assumes there is a spot on the team for the kid; this is not always the case.

ETA: If moving simply entailed having an evaluation at a new gym as you've described, I wouldn't stress about moving with gym at all. All that would be on the line is what level they would compete, and I don't care about that even a little bit.

 

[bookworm]

I think it will be different when you move and she's competed at a level and is on a team... so hopefully by your next move, she'll already be at a certain level. We have been in 3 gyms and they all had military kids who came in at the levels they said they competed at....no tryout was required as their scores were easy enough to look up. I know when most of these kids moved on , our coaches facilitated the gym moves by calling ahead to the new gym and talking with the new coaches, so that helped to lessen the anxiety of the gym move.

These kids were never treated any differently even though we knew they wouldn't be there more than a few years, and gymnastics really was a nice way for the girls and the families to "jump right in" to meeting people in their new area.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Ok, fair enough. I will back off this one. My girls aren't great gymnasts by any means, so maybe our experience is more singular. Seems it's not the issue for others that it is for us. That's great for other military families and I agree that gym is a great way for the kids to slide into their new community.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

For food and snack ideas there is a Healthy Eating Forum here.

I recommend getting a thermos.

Regarding tryouts. We have had girls come to our gym, our girls go to others, we have changed gyms. It seems around here once they are competing, its not really a question of will they welcomed at a new gym but just the level and program. So our change, my daughter got bumped back a level. We had another come over and go back a level. A girl who moved recently, moved from JO to Xcel. One moved to go back to rec. Another went at the same level.

I have not seen anyone of the kids I know, not find a gym, it was only a question of what level.

But then we are not talking about elite, powerhouse gyms.

 

[MuggleMom]

Ipads and coloring books are great if you have to bring a younger sibling along

 

[bookworm]

Ok, fair enough. I will back off this one. My girls aren't great gymnasts by any means, so maybe our experience is more singular. Seems it's not the issue for others that it is for us. That's great for other military families and I agree that gym is a great way for the kids to slide into their new community.

I feel bad for you guys that none of your coaches ever intervened and called ahead to gyms in the areas you were going, even if they weren't "great gymnasts". We've also had kids relocating in/out of the gym for parent jobs for as little as a summer to a few years and coaches at the gyms were always helpful with the process, whether they were preteam to level 10. Maybe next time you could ask if they would call on your behalf...

 

[NutterButter]

Ok, fair enough. I will back off this one. My girls aren't great gymnasts by any means, so maybe our experience is more singular. Seems it's not the issue for others that it is for us. That's great for other military families and I agree that gym is a great way for the kids to slide into their new community.

Wasn't part of the problem that your DD wanted to do JO and her experience up to that point had been Xcel/IGA (I forgot the name of the other program your DD was part of so IGA is probably wrong), further complicated by your ODD being 'older than average' for wanting to make the switch to JO? You truly have had a rough time of it. I hope now that both your DD's have settled into their respective disciplines, that your upcoming move will be easier.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Wasn't part of the problem that your DD wanted to do JO and her experience up to that point had been Xcel/IGA (I forgot the name of the other program your DD was part of so IGA is probably wrong), further complicated by your ODD being 'older than average' for wanting to make the switch to JO? You truly have had a rough time of it. I hope now that both your DD's have settled into their respective disciplines, that your upcoming move will be easier.

Once she did move (ODD) from one program to another, but she's had to tryout regardless of if she was making that type of switch or not, same for YDD who has only ever done one type (and who also is not older than average as of yet).

I don't for a second believe the upcoming move will be any easier. ODD will always be older than average, YDD will always have a "different" body type, and unless I've missed something, VA is likely to be as selective as CA.

I've been told before that a coach here writing a letter/email on their behalf wouldn't help, so I'm not sure a phone call would be different. Especially with the language barrier that would most certainly present.

ETA: and I want to be clear- coaches not intervening on the girls' behalf has not been because they didn't like my girls, or didn't wish them well. Most of their coaches have adored them. It just never seemed to make much sense to call places they have no connection to and speak about kids that may/may not be trying out. It just happens to be our luck that we move to sprawling metro areas without any idea where we will specifically live (the homelessness issue), and therefore don't even know which gyms will be commutable. Maybe we would be better off if we were moving to smaller areas with only one gym available.

 

[NutterButter]

Once she did move (ODD) from one program to another, but she's had to tryout regardless of if she was making that type of switch or not, same for YDD who has only ever done one type (and who also is not older than average as of yet).

I don't for a second believe the upcoming move will be any easier. ODD will always be older than average, YDD will always have a "different" body type, and unless I've missed something, VA is likely to be as selective as CA.

I've been told before that a coach here writing a letter/email on their behalf wouldn't help, so I'm not sure a phone call would be different. Especially with the language barrier that would most certainly present.

BTW - I love how you have fought like heck to keep your DDs in the sport they love. I quit gymnastics when our family moved to another state and my parents would not help me find a new gym. And we had moved to a state with so many gymnastics opportunities too. I remember my mom telling me that I could find a gym but my 12 year old self didn't know where to start on finding a new gym. So from one who was forced out before she was ready - kudos to you!