WAG Making the team

[TOPSmom715]

Our gym does an internal selection process but will evaluate girls from other gyms if they are coming from another team.

 

[Vivianflips]

My gym has open tryouts in December, normally right after the compulsory state meets. Some girls get recommended for team from rec if they're really naturally talented or advanced skill wise. Girls trying out from other gyms get to practice with the team for their tryout. There's no charge for the one tryout practice.

 

[cbifoja]

DD's gym builds their team in three ways:

1. Open tryouts for pre-team and L2, L3. You do not pay for this.

2. Feeding from pre-team. I don't know how they feed to pre-team though. They have about five different levels of pre-team from itty bitties to....less itty bitty. But I don't know about older pre-teamers. I also don't know where they come from since the rec program is in an entirely different building down the road.

3. Transfers. If you transfer in between seasons, you are evaluated and then assigned to a level that may or may not be the same from what you competed at your old gym. DD transferred mid-season and did the same level she was already competing. We were given a free tryout week.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I think it's more of a selfish thing.

We don't do a paid try out, but I don't see why it is an issue if clubs do it.

Dance studios usually have an audition fee when you audition for the dance company.

Gymnastics clubs are a business, this is how someone makes a living. It's not cheap to run a club between the high equipment costs, low coach:gymnast rations and relatively low fee you need to charge per hour for kids who do tonnes of hours.

Clubs rarely make money on their teams, many teams run at a loss and are supported by the red classes.

To hold a try out, you still need a coach or multiple coaches to take it. They should not be expected to work for free.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Dance studios usually have an audition fee when you audition for the dance company.

We've never paid for that either. Must truly be a regional thing.

 

[samsmama]

I did not have to pay for DS to try out at new gyms recently, but at one, it was a full week, 16-hour "trial"; others were just one practice. I would not have been offended if they had charged -- that's a lot of free coaching, plus all the time the coach spent evaluating and talking with me about DS.

 

[dancingimmie]

Our gym is crazy selective and secretive. They don't have open team tryouts but will evaluate a gymnast coming from another gym. They only took two kids from their rec program and moved them to JO level 3 last year, my dd and another little girl. They were the only two on their "team". They moved 5 other girls to excel. Training groups are mostly 8 gymnasts or less, training hours are low but there is no down time.
My dd trained 6 hours a week plus 1 hour private every other week as a level 3. They just bumped her up to 9 hours. So far so good.

 

[GymDad9.9]

We don't do a paid try out, but I don't see why it is an issue if clubs do it.

Dance studios usually have an audition fee when you audition for the dance company.

Gymnastics clubs are a business, this is how someone makes a living. It's not cheap to run a club between the high equipment costs, low coach:gymnast rations and relatively low fee you need to charge per hour for kids who do tonnes of hours.

Clubs rarely make money on their teams, many teams run at a loss and are supported by the red classes.

To hold a try out, you still need a coach or multiple coaches to take it. They should not be expected to work for free.

I understand that operating a gymnastics club is a business. As a parent of a child who is making an investment of thousands of dollars a year for potentially many years in a club , it's a major household expenditure no matter how you slice it. What I pay per month in gymnastics fees I could be driving a much nicer car than I do now or have a larger college fund for my children. As much as my child is auditioning for the club, the club is auditioning for my child and her parents. To charge a fee for that, assuming it's for one session or two (anything longer than that is a different story) can come across as off putting and needlessly creating the suggestion to the parent that if there is a fee for that, what else am I in for? It's a little too penny wise pound foolish for me and if a club looks at audition fees as a revenue stream there might be something wrong with their business model.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I understand that operating a gymnastics club is a business. As a parent of a child who is making an investment of thousands of dollars a year for potentially many years in a club , it's a major household expenditure no matter how you slice it. What I pay per month in gymnastics fees I could be driving a much nicer car than I do now or have a larger college fund for my children. As much as my child is auditioning for the club, the club is auditioning for my child and her parents. To charge a fee for that, assuming it's for one session or two (anything longer than that is a different story) can come across as off putting and needlessly creating the suggestion to the parent that if there is a fee for that, what else am I in for? It's a little too penny wise pound foolish for me and if a club looks at audition fees as a revenue stream there might be something wrong with their business model.

I only have personal knowledge of one club that charges for evaluations. They are a very successful club that has produced many successful elites. For them I think it is more about limiting the number of gymnasts they have to evaluate than revenue, they have way more gymnasts that want to join their team than they have spots for them.

I also know of gyms that do charge for the week or two team trial that is offered for gymnasts coming from other teams. Gym may say, if our team doesn't seem to be a good fit, no charge for the trial. If your gymnast joins the team, you pay your regular team tuition for the trial time(i.e. If trial was June 1-15 and you join team, you pay full tuition for June).

 

[fuzi]

We hold open tryouts twice a year. No fee. We encourage certain kids that we have "identified" in rec classes to attend, but anyone can attend provided they are 5+. Parents are encouraged to stay and watch. We then send out individualised emails with their correct placement. Often the "random sign-ups" are told to stay in their rec level, many are placed into one of our pre-team groups, and occasionally, someone will be placed directly in level 3.

Once in our pre-team or team program, we move gymnasts up at certain times in the year depending on the competitive calendar. No try-outs once you are part of the "team." Just continually evaluating their progress during workout. Sometimes a "sit down and chat" with gymnast and/or parents about the right level and workout group placement.

Gymnasts from other gyms' pre-team or team are encouraged to try a workout, and if that goes well, try a week. No charge to them. We want to make sure they are a good fit and we want them to make sure we are a good fit.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

No fee.
We consistently scout for our developmental team throughout the year and prefer to have them in that (with TOPs training) until they can start L3 or L4 when JO season change happens. We try to work with the rec coaches and remind them to bring any interesting kids to our attention!
We also hold open tryouts for the developmental team several times/year, and a bigger team/developmental team tryout as season is ending and we are looking to add more kids to team. We always have a new influx of rec kids and we do miss some great prospects (can't be actively scouting personally every single class...) so the open tryouts are important as it gets the word out to those we miss speaking to personally.
We evaluate kids moving from other gyms or areas individually as they approach us.

 

[Gymmommy71]

I don't think we charge for our tryout, but I personally wouldn't see it as a big deal provided it wasn't excessive. Use it to pay the coaches for the time to run the tryout and discuss the girls, plus prevent people from coming who have no intention at all of joining the team and are just doing it for the experience.

 

[ShesAMonkey]

Our gym has open tryouts for pre-team and team (JO path) and a separate tryout for Xcel at another time of year. Rec kids are encouraged to try out if they are interested in the team route at all. As far as I know, this is the only way onto our team.

Except for transfers from other gyms, which is always something that is arranged with the coaches. They are encouraged to come work out (once? twice? a week? not sure) with the group that the coaches think is the best match based on previous competition level. As far as I know, our gym does not charge for that kind of workout--it's mostly so that all parties can determine whether this is a good fit for the gymnast.

 

[Flyaway]

So I recently heard about a gym that does try outs for levels every season. All team girls have to try out every year. I don't know if it's a formality or not, but I wonder why it's done that way? Maybe if they only have level coaches? At our gym it wouldn't be necessary as we don't have level coaches, we have event coaches that coach all levels. So they are well aware of the girls' capabilities. It just feels like a lot of pressure to me, to base a level move on one try out day. Does anyone's gym do this that can offer more insight?

 

[duyetanh]

So I recently heard about a gym that does try outs for levels every season. All team girls have to try out every year. I don't know if it's a formality or not, but I wonder why it's done that way? Maybe if they only have level coaches? At our gym it wouldn't be necessary as we don't have level coaches, we have event coaches that coach all levels. So they are well aware of the girls' capabilities. It just feels like a lot of pressure to me, to base a level move on one try out day. Does anyone's gym do this that can offer more insight?

Wow...that's different.

 

[MILgymFAM]

So I recently heard about a gym that does try outs for levels every season. All team girls have to try out every year. I don't know if it's a formality or not, but I wonder why it's done that way? Maybe if they only have level coaches? At our gym it wouldn't be necessary as we don't have level coaches, we have event coaches that coach all levels. So they are well aware of the girls' capabilities. It just feels like a lot of pressure to me, to base a level move on one try out day. Does anyone's gym do this that can offer more insight?

My girls once attended a gym that not only made girls do skills testing for levels each year, but they also had a basic strength and flexibility test for team that girls have to redo each year. If you don't get a certain percentage of the skills for the level you currently competed you lose your spot on team. I always found that a bit of a head scratcher myself, but I gather it's all meant to be motivating.

 

[auswi]

Dds at a high preformance centre so gymnasts are either sent a letter of invitation to come & be evaluated; or gymnasts ( parents) ask for an evaluation.

Initially all gymnasts, even if known to the coaches are on a 3 month trial.

At our old gym which Ds still attends they have open days, trials for individual kids who express an interest & 'in-house' selection. Ds was actually watching big sister & just constantly moved -as he does -Ds has the 'boy thing' happening big time - boys head coach came over & asked if he would like to try a gym class & he's never looked back lol

 

[tooootsie]

Invite only for pre team, starting with Littles at 4, then I assume they pick from Rec when they are older too. Then they have pre team to xcel and pre team to jo. Some kids after competing bronze move to jo 3 and so on. They do an invite only for xcel try outs too for kids who never did pre team.